NBA 2K13: Why did the Lakers disappoint?

[nuke_21]

Dwight howard is the most overrated player in the nba..and the other guys are old...

[turty11]

Quote: Originally Posted by nuke_21

Dwight howard is the most overrated player in the nba.

way to show your knowledge of the game

[Bawstun]

Quote: Originally Posted by nuke_21

Dwight howard is the most overrated player in the nba..and the other guys are old...

When his head is screwed on straight and the media spotlight is not on him, Howard will go back to his former self. Too bad he himself is the only one to blame for attracting all that media attention,

[OkayC]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bawstun

When his head is screwed on straight and the media spotlight is not on him, Howard will go back to his former self. Too bad he himself is the only one to blame for attracting all that media attention,

I agree with this comment.

I also believe that people underestimated howards injury. He had a lower back surgery, that a couple of my family members had. After said surgery you can't really even walk for six months after the surgery and it takes about a little over a year to heal. Howard had a few months to heal before training camp and preseason games and whatever he did that put physical strain on his body. Plus him being a big guy playing a position like center couldn't have helped it any. But what also hindered him was how discouraged he acted throughout the season, and that what ultimately irritated me more about him than his overall play on the court.

But the end of this season(though some may not see it that way) was a good sign. Howard is looking more motivated and with the exception of game 4, I like the direction howard is going in with his playing and attitude.

As far as the lakers as a whole, i agree with what someone previously posted, get rid of all the bench except for blake and clark, and pick up a couple of free agents or two that can score, or at least shoot well, (like jj redick, monta ellis, kyle korver, ect) and can run up and down the court, who aren't injury prone!

[JerzeyReign]

They disappointed because they fired the defensive minded coach after 5 games. That offense with those players would have worked itself out. The Lakers biggest issue was its defense. The Lakers gave up 104 points per game - thats just unacceptable when you're only scoring 85 ppg. Under Brown, the Lakers only gave up 98 points per game and scored 97 ijs

[Taer]

Quote: Originally Posted by Eaglerock562

... you delete the bench except for Blake, Hill and Clark and you go out and you entice a few free agents, more importantly, some athletic players that can play the 2-3 spots and can shoot (Kyle Korver, J.J. Redick, Gary Neal) but load your bench with assets that when put into the game will either extend your lead or maintain your lead while your starters get their rest. ...

I know many people like Blake, but I think he is one of the guys that need to go.

Back on topic:

Why Lakers disappointed in 2k13 - The injury algorithms and the ability to simulate the off-court turmoil and drama are very lacking. As a prime example: instead of Howard not being at 100% after coming back early from back surgery and then suffering the shoulder injury, the way 2k13 handles injuries, Howard was portrayed as if he was pre-injury Howard.

Why Lakers disappointed irl - its been stated better by others then I can, so I'll leave it to others.

[Eaglerock562]

Another thing that needs to be mentioned is that the Lakers tried this formula before back in the 2003-04 season when they signed Gary Payton and Karl Malone. Malone suffered his biggest injury of his career shortly into the season and Payton did play all 82 games but was not as effective as he was expected to be. Even though they did get to the NBA Finals, they were embarrassed and dismantled by a younger, hungrier and more team oriented Detroit Pistons, who I might add are the most recent team to win a championship without a "superstar" player. So the formula didn't work in the 2003-04 season and 9 years later, the Lakers tried it again and once again injuries and having chemistry issues came to a head. Instead of Malone, it was Nash, who missed the most games of his career in a single season this year and other then several games it was Howard taking Payton's place playing most of the season, but again expectations were not met.

With Gasol undergoing and having successful surgery it was reported today, he will need 12 weeks (3 months) then he will be cleared for basketball activities. One would think that him having surgery might make it a long shot that a team would be willing to make a trade for him without seeing how he responds after the surgery, but one thing the Lakers can't do prematurely is trade him without having Howard signed. At least with Gasol you know since he is under contract that he is going to be here, but if Howard was to leave and you trade Gasol, you've lost both big men and left with what? Jordan Hill and Robert Sacre? No disrespect, but that right there would call for Jim Buss's head on a stick and probably Kupchak's job.

The Lakers are going to be without a doubt salary cap strapped this off season. They will not have much to offer free agents other then the chance to play along side Kobe, Howard, Gasol, Nash and at best a chance to win a ring. Now that would appeal to those free agents who have been in the league long enough and have made a good amount of $$ that they aren't driven by the almighty dollar rather they are driven by wanting to win a ring now.

Looking at the free agents coming up this summer here is a list of possible players the Lakers should target...

Point Guards - Daniel Gibson, Jarrett Jack, Nate Robinson
Shooting Guards - J.J. Redick, Kyle Korver, Gary Neal, Randy Foye, Nick Young
Forwards - Lamar Odom, Mike Dunleavy, Chase Budinger, DaJuan Blair, J.J. Hickson
Centers - Chris Anderson, Joel Przybilla

[tril]

Good article, but the title is misleading. I see where you are trying to do with this though. so here are my thoughts.

Ive said this in the past on wishlist threads, 2k needs to also implement a touches/ per game feature along with the minutes for players. you clearly state the case for this with this statement " Dwight Howard kept insisting that he needed to get more touches in the post".

I believe if 2k adds this along with the roles, they'll eventually be able to create more complex sim like teams. Minutes isn't enough.
Injuries and nagging injuries,need to be better implemented. as well as factoring in recovery time for older players, as well as fatigue recovery for older players. maybe 2k should implement a degenerative conditioning slider for players.

player personalty needs to be fleshed out and implemented better. laid back, neutral, etc. seems superficial with no depth. the question is how does 2k create algorithms that will and can reflect true team chemistry.

and as someone eluded to in an earlier post. 2k needs to use more real-time updates to the player data.; Which I thought already existed to some extent.