Who Needs LeBron? ~ A Miami Heat MyLeague Series (NBA2k15/PS4)

[Number999]

A Miami Heat Franchise

2014-2015 Entry: Pshhh... LeBron leaves, so what? You got Dwyane Wade who'll turn back the clock like it's 2006 and Chris Bosh is ready to unleash his final form of his Toronto-self with an actual team around him. Luol Deng isn't LeBron, but with his defensive prowess and heart and soul mentality, the Heat won't crumble at the SF spot. Josh McRoberts, Danny Granger, Shannon Brown, and more will be able to in-still some freshness into the Miami lineup. Plus, how can you forget the youth of the Heat? PG Shabazz Napier and SF James Ennis will attempt to prove themselves in front of the eyes of coach Erik Spoelstra. With Pat Riley looking for revenge on the man that brought him his last 2 rings, you can bet this Heat team is as motivated as it's ever been.

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Archive For Roster Moves

2014-2015 Season:
Signing Emeka Okafor
Ray Allen returns to Miami
Heat acquire Reggie Evans
Heat move Rio, get Shabazz

2015-2016 Season:
Heat 2015 NBA Draft Class
Heat make deal for Stoudemire
McRoberts traded to Atlanta

2016-2017 Season:
Heat 2016 NBA Draft Class
Heat sign Diaw, Tolliver, and Brooks

[Number999]

Archive For Big Games/Playoffs

2014-2015 Season:
LeBron's Return to Miami
Wade lifts Heat vs Hornets
Paul George goes MJ-mode
Heat survive Pacers wrath on Wade's clutchess
Ray Allen actually did that, 6-10 from 3
Wade vs Westbrook Battle of the Century

2015-2016 Season:
Bosh saves the day vs Raps
McM defense on LeBron late
LEBRON GOES DOWN, CLASSIC
Finals Destruction

2016-2017 Season:

[Number999]

Archive For Storylines

2014-2015 Season:
Kobe breaks his foot
Danny Granger's season ends
Injuries punish the NBA
2k pisses me off
Lance calls the Heat "lucky"
Bulls suffer heart-break
It's Now or Never

2015-2016 Season:
2015-2016 NBA Season Preview
McMillain embarrasses Plumlee
Heat End Season Awards/Stats
Heat vs Cavs Preview
Rose goes off in ECF, not enough
D-Wade's legacy

2016-2017 Season:
Kobe becomes FA, joins Spurs
16/17 Player Progressions
2016-2017 NBA Season Preview

[Number999]

The Settings

MyLeague Type: Franchise

Setup:
Use Custom Roster: No
Season Length: 82 Games
Conference Quarterfinals: Best of 7
Conference Semifinals: Best of 7
Conference Finals: Best of 7
NBA Finals: Best of 7
Fantasy Draft: Off
CustomizeLeague: Off
Salary Cap: On
Hard Cap: On
Hard Cap Value: 100

Trade Logic:
Trade Deadline: On
Financial Trade Rules: On
Trade Override: Off
CPU Trade Offers: On
CPU-CPU Trades: On
Trade Approval: Off

General:
Quarter Length: 12 Minutes
Sim Quarter Length: 12 Minutes
Injuries: On
Pre-Existing Injuries: Off
Progressive Fatigue: On
Team Chemistry: On
Lineup Management: Manual
Prospect Scouting: Manual

Difficulty Settings:
Gameplay Difficulty: Superstar
Simulator Difficulty: 50
Trade Negotiation Difficulty: 50
Contract Negotiation Difficulty: 50
CPU Re-signing Aggressiveness: 50
Morale Difficulty: 50
Morale Effects: 40
Chemistry Difficulty: 20
Chemistry Effects: 20
Trade Frequency: 50
(Blockbuster Trade Frequency: 50)
CPU Injury Frequency: 50
User Injury Frequency: 50
Career-Ending Injury Frequency: 15
User Injury Effects: 50
CPU Injury Effects: 50
Draft Class Quality: 50
Player Progression Rate: 50
In-Season Training Effects: 50
Player Non-Financial Ambitions Factor: 50
Normalize Played to Sim Minutes: Off

So those are my start up settings! Keep in mind a lot if frequent to change as I see fit. Superstar should be difficult while not being impossible like Hall of Fame (for me at least). The sliders are VERY subject to change depending on what I see, the reason I have chemistry turned down is I hated it in past iterations, I'll see how it does on a small scale here and depend if it needs changing. Regardless, those are my settings!

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Establishing the Roster

In order to know what you need to fix and re-build, you gotta know where you stand in the first place. Pat Riley is deeply committed to getting Wade his 4th ring and capping off a tremendous run towards the end of his professional career as a coach and executive. What better way to do it then losing the best player in the NBA and coming back and winning another championship? Thus, Riley won't be pulling any punches for the roster. Of course there are untoucables and Wade/Bosh are his guys, but everything else? Very subject to change.

Point Guards:
Norris Cole (76): Cole can very possibly taking the starting point guard role away from Mario Chalmers. Of course Mario has been the #1 at the 1 for awhile now, but Cole is coming on strong. Of course now his new agent is Rich Paul, who just so happened to be the man who turned LeBron away from Miami and back to Cleveland. Now, what's Cole's status on the team? He's due to be a free agent next season, so don't be utterly shocked if the Heat pulled something off.

Mario Chalmers (75): He re-signed with the Heat after contemplating free agency for a bit. Chalmers has been with the Heat since their 2008-2009 campaign, and re-signed for another 2 seasons with Miami in the offseason. He struggled incredibly hard against the Spurs in the finals and throughout most of the playoffs. His loyalty re-signing with Miami means that Riley appreciates him, he's expected to still be a contributor on the team and how exactly would a Heat team look without Rio?

Shabazz Napier (74): LeBron's favorite player after the draft... Napier is now without the man who wanted him drafted and the 23-year old will be the 3rd PG on the roster. Napier is raw, his size is questionably if it can pan-out in the NBA, and there are questions if he's just a mere college-star player and can't transition to the NBA. There are those doubts, but as a massive piece in the youth of the Heat he'll be given that chance. As a rookie he's with the team for quite a few years, he'll be around unless he blatantly busts.

Shooting Guards:
Dwyane Wade (86): The heart and soul of the Heat... Wade heard LeBron's decision when on the airplane back to Miami, and now he's with Bosh to pick up the pieces. Some say he's to old, his knees are too bad, he can't be a number 1 guy who played 75+ games anymore with 35+ minutes... well here's Wade chance to prove the doubters wrong. He's 32-years old and not nearly at his physical peak... but he's probably more motivated than ever. Of course, Wade is going to retire a member of Miami.

Shannon Brown (68): With the Knicks last-season Brown was a solid defender but shot quite a few bricks. He's horrendous from 3-pt range which isn't exactly what you want in a SG, but he's athletic as they come. If Brown can just make sure he's not a liability, he'll be good. Of course in deals if Shannon Brown is involved, you can bet Riley won't hesitate to move him.

Small Forwards:
Luol Deng (79): LeBron for Deng trade... eh, people would call you insane. Deng signed a 2-year deal with a player option for next season at 10.15M in the offseason. He's going to be asked to at least bridge the gap between LeBron James and utter awfulness at the position. Of course Deng is well known for his tenacity and will mentor some of the young guys. He'll become a fan-favorite and he's untradable at the moment.

Danny Granger (76): Being traded from the Pacers to the 76ers, cut by them and to the Los Angeles Clippers. Granger went to Miami with intentions to play with LeBron, but sadly those did not come to fruition. The 31-year old will be asked to play a prominent role off the bench as a scorer for Miami, there are plenty of doubts regarding that considering his injury concerns, but the Heat can manage him. He signed a 2-year deal with a player option next season, it's doubtful the Heat move Granger unless something lands in their lap.

James Ennis (70): Ennis! A fan-favorite, Ennis spent last season in the Australian Basketball League and is now gonna try and transition himself back to the NBA. The 2nd rounder has a solid 3pt shot bit needs wotk just about everywhere else minus his athletics. He with Napier will be asked to try to instill some youth into the team, he may be asked though to take on a much bigger role his rookie year than he could have ever expected. He's not going to get traded by the Heat this year.

Shawne Williams (67): Decent 3pt shooter, Williams is signed to a 1-year deal and can easily be traded.

Reggie Williams (66): Another bench pice, he doesn't have a 3pt shot like Shawne but is better inside, very tradable in a deal though.

Power Forwards:
Josh McRoberts (74): A new commodity and prominent player the Heat signed in FA, McRoberts went from being expected bench star to now a starter. McRoberts provides tremendous range for the team with his shooting ability, but the question is if he can take a bigger role like he had with Charlotte last season. He's just 27-years old... McRoberts can prove himself quite a bit over this 4-year deal, he as well is VERY doubtful to be moved.

Udonis Haslem (72): Mr. 305, the heart of Miami... Haslem my boy. He's not afraid to speak his mind and he'll take you down if you're messing with one of his boys. Haslem is 34-years old now and is getting towards the end of his career, but he wants just another ring. His 2-year deal may take him to the end of that but he may wanna linger some more, Haslem is a Heat lifer, no two doubts about it.

Centers:
Chris Bosh (84): He had the chance to be team up with James Harden and Dwight Howard in Houston and possibly become part of yet another dynasty. But instead, Bosh loved Miami so much he decided to stay and take his massive 5-year/118M deal. Bosh is gonna be here and slowly take over the role from Wade to the #1 guy after he decides to retire or declines that much. He's gonna be the face of the team, of course he's unmovable and we'll be able to se if he can turn back to block to his Toronto days.

Chris Andersen (75): The put-back dunks, Birdman! Birdman! He's a fan favorite and you can't help but love him, the 36-year old re-signed with Miami over 2 seasons and appears like he'll finish his funky career here. He's massive to team chemistry, so he'll see it through.

Justin Hamilton (69): He's on and off on the team. He can shoot the 3 but whatever, Hamilton can easily be moved or cut whenever.

So that is establishing the Heat's roster! Lots of questions to be answered this season regarding them, will trades be made? You'll have to stay tuned.

[Number999]

Heat sign Emeka Okafor

The Heat made some moves right before the regular season began on October 29th, the Heat announced the signing of center Emeka Okafor. Okafor was rumored for awhile to possibly be joining and having interest in Miami early in the offseason. it seems that Okafor has recovered from the injury that kept him out for most of last season. The 32-year old shall hopefully provide a nice plug at the center spot for the Heat. It's also now possible for Miami to now run a semi-big lineup... Chalmers/Wade/Deng/Bosh/Okafor, it'll have to be seen how he transitions to the roster though.

Okafor's contract is 1-year/2.70M. For a free agent right before the regular season begins that's not too shabby. It's likely Okafor wanted to skip preseason considering he's been there so many times over, it will be intriguing though to see how the Heat allocate the minutes now though.

In order to make room for Okafor, the Heat cut C Justin Hamilton.

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Basic Heat Rotation

With various new acquisitions in the summer and of course quite a few massive losses. The Heat now look to rebuild their rotation, this appears to be the rumored lineup with some possible variations that could arise throughout the season.

Starters:
PG: Norris Cole | 27 minutes
SG: Dwyane Wade | 35 minutes
SF: Luol Deng | 33 minutes
PF: Josh McRoberts | 28 minutes
C: Chris Bosh | 36 minutes

Bench:
6th: Mario Chalmers | 17 minutes
7th: Chris Andersen | 15 minutes
8th: Emeka Okafor | 13 minutes
9th: James Ennis | 13 minutes
10th: Shabazz Napier | 11 minutes
11th: Danny Granger | 9 minutes
12th: Udonis Haslem | 2 minutes
13th: Shannon Brown | 1 minute

Reserves:
#1: Shawn Williams
#2: Reggie Williams

So that is the very basic Heat rotation. Of course against various matchups and injuries that it will be very subject to change, but overall that will be the basic gameplan. Not too many shockers in all honesty, essentially Cole took the #1 PG spot, Wade and Bosh will be asked to step it up while Deng will get much more of a break than what he got in Chicago with Thibs. After that on the bench you got Chalmers, Birdman, Okafor, Ennis, and Shabazz... a possible Okafor/Birdman duo could be quite solid. Granger, UD, and Shannon Brown of course rounding it out with the Williams' on the bench.