The Hunt: An NBA2K17 Memphis Grizzlies Series

[JazzCeltics]

Team-Banner-GRIZZLIES.jpg

The Hunt: An NBA2K17 Memphis Grizzlies Series

Hello and welcome to my NBA2K17 Series with the aging Memphis Grizzlies. I will be going by Jeff Williams in this series (Fake name to maintain confidentiality) and to start the 2016/17 season there will be two new teams joining the league: The Vancouver Ravens and Baltimore Barons.

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The Baltimore Ravens will be joining the Atlantic Division in the Eastern Conference, The Vancouver Ravens will be joining the Northwest Division in the Western Conference, and the Oklahoma City Thunder will move from the Northwest Division to the Southwest Division in the Western Conference.

Settings:
System: PS4
Start in Regular Season
82 Games
Quarter Length: 10 Minutes
Simulated Quarter Length: 12 Minutes - Normalize Played to Sim Minutes
Conference Quarterfinals: 7 Games
Conference Semifinals: 7 Games
Conference Finals: 7 Games
NBA Finals: 7 Games

Features:
League Expansion: On
- Protected Players: 8

Salary Cap: On
- Salary Cap Value: $94 Million
- Cap Inflation Rate: 50

Hard Cap: On
- Hard Cap Value: $150 Million

Previously Traded Draft Picks: On
Trade Deadline: On
Trade Logic: On
- Recently Signed Restriction: On
- Recently Traded Restriction: On
- Rookie Signing Restriction: On
- Financial Trade Rules: On
- Trade Override: Off
- CPU Trade Offers: On
- CPU-CPU Trades: On
- Trade Approval: On
- Trade Frequency: 42
Injuries: On
- Use Roster Injuries: On
- Injury Severity: 43
- Injury Duration: 43
- Career-Ending Injury Frequency: 1
Draft Class Quality: 55
Progressive Fatigue: On
Team Chemistry: On
Player Progression Rate: 50
Player Regression Rate: 50
In-Season Training Effects: 50
Player Non-Financial Ambitions Factor: 80

Difficulty:
Gameplay Difficulty: All-Star
Simulator Difficulty: 50
Trade Negotiation Difficulty: 70
Contract Negotiation Difficulty: 75
CPU Re-Signing Aggressiveness: 80
Morale Difficulty: 65
Morale Effects: 60
Chemistry Difficulty: 85
Chemistry Effects: 80
CPU Injury Frequency: 54
User Injury Frequency: 54
CPU Injury Effects: 50
User Injury Effects: 55
Automation Settings:
- Grizzlies: Manual

Roster:
Official 2K Rosters 11/20/16 (I'm American so note it is MM/DD/YY).
Draft Classes:
2017: 2017 w/Accurate Faces+Ratings by EmbraceThePace

So back to this series, I will be doing a Memphis Grizzlies MyLeague with the addition of two new teams and the possibility of even more new teams in the future. Currently, the Grizzlies are in a strange place. Their arguably best player, Mike Conley, is in the middle of his prime; however, many of the other starters are peaking into their 30's. With the expansion draft looming over our heads, we have decided to allow these 7 players to be drafted: Zach Randolph, Tony Allen, Vince Carter, JaMychal Green, Troy Daniels, Andrew Harrison, and Troy Williams. We do expect one of our players to be drafted, and hope to unleash one of the bigger contracts on the team held by Zach Randolph. Z-Bo's departure would lead to a power forward battle between rookie Deyonta Davis and returning back-up JaMychal Green.

The Expansion Draft

NBA Expansion Draft 2016
Pick	Team	Player	Pos	Ht	Wt
1	Baltimore Barons	Zach Randolph	PF	6-9	260 lbs.
2	Vancouver Ravens	Jusuf Nurkic	C	7-0	280 lbs.
3	Vancouver Ravens	Norman Powell	SG	6-4	215 lbs.
4	Baltimore Barons	Joe Johnson	SF	6-7	240 lbs.
5	Baltimore Barons	Manu Ginobli	SG	6-6	205 lbs.
6	Vancouver Ravens	P.J. Tucker	SF	6-6	245 lbs.
7	Vancouver Ravens	Thomas Robinson	PF	6-10	237 lbs.
8	Baltimore Barons	Shaun Livingston	PG	6-7	192 lbs.
9	Baltimore Barons	Andrew Bogut	C	7-0	260 lbs.
10	Vancouver Ravens	Ty Lawson	PG	5-11	195 lbs.
11	Vancouver Ravens	Tyus Jones	PG	6-2	195 lbs.
12	Baltimore Barons	Marreese Speights	C	6-10	255 lbs.
13	Baltimore Barons	Doug McDermott	SF	6-8	225 lbs.
14	Vancouver Ravens	Festus Ezeli	C	6-11	265 lbs.
15	Vancouver Ravens	Tim Hardaway Jr.	SG	6-6	205 lbs.
16	Baltimore Barons	Michael Beasley	PF	6-10	235 lbs.
17	Baltimore Barons	Dion Waiters	SG	6-4	220 lbs.
18	Vancouver Ravens	Jeff Green	SF	6-9	235 lbs.
19	Vancouver Ravens	Amir Johnson	PF	6-9	240 lbs.
20	Baltimore Barons	Sergio Rodriguez	PG	6-3	176 lbs.
21	Baltimore Barons	Brandon Jennings	PG	6-1	169 lbs.
22	Vancouver Ravens	Jerami Grant	SF	6-8	210 lbs.
23	Vancouver Ravens	Rodney Stuckey	SG	6-5	205 lbs.
24	Baltimore Barons	Archie Goodwin	SG	6-5	205 lbs.
25	Baltimore Barons	Nenê	PF	6-11	250 lbs.
26	Vancouver Ravens	Aron Baynes	C	6-10	260 lbs.

As expected, Zach Randolph was selected out of the Expansion Draft and we thank Z-Bo for all of the services he has provided to this Memphis Grizzlies team; however, it is now time to move on and find new, younger players to fill in his role. After the Expansion Draft and several practices, Coach Fizdale has come to this as his opening day depth chart:

Memphis Grizzlies Opening Day Depth Chart - 2016/17
	STARTER	2ND	3RD	4TH
PG	Mike Conley	Wade Baldwin	Andrew Harrison
SG	Tony Allen	Troy Daniels
SF	Chandler Parsons	James Ennis	Vince Carter	Troy Williams
PF	JaMychal Green	Deyonta Davis	Jarell Martin
C	Marc Gasol	Brandan Wright

[JazzCeltics]

Team-Banner-GRIZZLIES.jpg

The Hunt: An NBA2K17 Memphis Grizzlies Series Part: 2

Our First Team Scrimmage

https://youtu.be/W6L_yTvbhOw

From Coach Fizdale:

This up-to-15-point scrimmage told us quite a lot about ourselves.
This ugly performance was chock full with turnovers, contested shots, airballs, and more.
Some of the positives to take away are that the starting lineup has
two rebounding bigs that can box out and jump high to grab those boards!
Our back court of Tony Allen and Mike Conley showed solid chemistry together on
defense as they stole the ball, doubled when necessary and helped to stop the bench unit.

Now to the negatives of this scrimmage, we have the bench unit which looked disorganized and confused.
Back-up center Brandan Wright did not grab a single rebound, did not make a shot,
and could not handle Marc Gasol in the post nor get over and help on defense.
Wade Baldwin threw up several awful attempts from deep, but did hold Conley to a measly 2 points.
James Ennis and Chandler Parsons were both forgettable
in this game with them missing shots and playing mediocre defense.

Rookie big man Deyonta Davis, on the other hand, looked like a force to be reckoned with.
Grabbing boards, cutting through open seems, and even testing his luck
from 3, Deyonta looked confident and able to play a bench 4 for this Memphis squad.

[JazzCeltics]

Team-Banner-GRIZZLIES.jpg

The Hunt: An NBA2K17 Memphis Grizzlies Series

"The Playbook"

Former Miami Heat assistant David Fizdale, the now Memphis Grizzlies coach, has put together a playbook that he believes suits this team. He looks to utilize guard Tony Allen as a key passer and cutter. He will have Chandler Parsons and Conley running off picks from Gasol and Green that should result in either open threes or cuts to the basket from the big men. Fizdale has many pick-and-roll sets out of the horns formation as all except Tony Allen can hit mid-range shots at a consistent rate. He has also included several swing plays to get the defense working and fatigued so the offense can then get open lanes to the hoop. Double screens on Conley's man will confuse the defense and create big mismatches where the guard is forced to cover either Green, Davis, Gasol, or Wright.

Prospect Scouting

To scout future prospects, it is imperative the team set expectations. In an all-coach meeting with me, it seems that the expectation this year is at around a .500 record with us just missing the playoffs. With this gloomy outlook, I decided that my goal for this year is to maintain the core of the team, develop are young ins, and find young alternatives for our bench and starting lineup. I sent scout, Jacob Dailey, to look at:

Forwards:
Jonathan Isaac (6-10, Florida State, SF)
Isaiah Hartenstein (6-11, Germany, PF)
Jaron Blossomgame (6-7, Clemson, SF)
V.J. Beachem (6-8, Notre Dame, SF)
Guards:
Malik Monk (6-3, Kentucky, SG)
Grayson Allen (6-5, Duke, SG)

Training

Earlier, I had a meeting with trainer Danny Brown on how we should train and improve the players. We came to a consensus that the rigor for the young guys practice's should be higher and more focused and detailed, while the team's veterans will work on improving their overall games. Wade Baldwin and Deyonta Davis will both be working on their below average offenses, and some of the bench warmers like Andrew Harrison will specifically be working towards becoming a 3&D guard that can help in late game situations.

[JazzCeltics]

Team-Banner-GRIZZLIES.jpg

The Hunt: An NBA2K17 Memphis Grizzlies Series

Memphis Grizzlies Wk. 1 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Oct 25	vs Golden State Warriors
Oct 26	at Golden State Warriors
Oct 28	at Vancouver Ravens
Oct 29	at Cleveland Cavaliers

[JazzCeltics]

Team-Banner-GRIZZLIES.jpg

The Hunt: An NBA2K17 Memphis Grizzlies Series

Matchup Preview *|* October 25, 2016
	@
Golden State Warriors (0-0, 0-0 Away)		Memphis Grizzlies (0-0, 0-0 Home)
Stats Comparison N/A Points Per Game N/A N/A Field Goal % N/A N/A Free Throw % N/A N/A 3-Point % N/A N/A Rebounds N/A N/A Blocks N/A N/A Steals N/A N/A Turnovers N/A N/A PPG Allowed N/A Projected Starters Steph Curry Point Guard Mike Conley Klay Thompson Shooting Guard Tony Allen Kevin Durant Small Forward Chandler Parsons Draymond Green Power Forward JaMychal Green Zaza Pachulia Center Marc Gasol Injury Report N/A N/A

[JazzCeltics]

Team-Banner-GRIZZLIES.jpg

The Hunt: An NBA2K17 Memphis Grizzlies Series

The Memphis Daily News

Conley, Green Star as Memphis Steals Victory from Golden State

In the 2017 season opener we saw the star-studded Golden State Warriors fall to the Memphis Grizzlies. In the first quarter Memphis got out to a quick 17-8 lead off of a stagnant and confused Golden State offense and from an all-around effort to move the ball in the first. However, Steph Curry put in two threes, Iguodala made a lay up, David West converted an 'And-1', and Durant beat Ennis multiple times to leave the first quarter at a 22-21 Golden State lead.

In the second quarter both offenses started to ramp up and there were fast-breaks galore with a whopping 19 fast-break points from Golden State alone in that quarter. JaMychal Green kept Draymond Green (unrelated) from getting rebounds as he ended the half with 8 rebounds and 6 points. Mike Conley ran off of Gasol and Green picks that aided him in getting to 11 points and 3 assists, while playing tough grit-and-grind defense on Curry. For Golden State, Klay Thompson made 2 threes and had a few other buckets to get himself on the board. Javale McGee made his sole appearance in the quarter and did not look anything like a Shaqtin-a-fool contestant this time as he had 6 points in his 8 minutes.

The third quarter saw Golden State extend their lead and hit even more threes consistently. Draymond ended the quarter with several important shots that brought him to a field goal percentage and count of 7/7 or 100%. James Ennis locked down on Iguodala and pulled up from 27 feet draining a deep one on Iggy. Wade Baldwin showed off his athleticism as he beat Curry off the dribble on multiple occasions and he either finished at the hoop or dished it out to Brandan Wright for a nice little 13 footer.

The fourth and final quarter of this game had a nail-biting finish and saw the Grizzlies come back from an 11 point lead at one point. Marc Gasol was boxing out and finishing at the hoop, JaMychal Green finished on 2 put backs and shot a late three that put the Grizzlies up 2 with a minute to go. And lastly, Mike Conley showed off his talents scoring 14 points in the fourth. It was more of the same for Golden State but far more misses as they had game lows of 39% field goal percentage and 24% 3-point percentage in the fourth quarter. A steal and late dunk from JaMychal Green in the closing seconds was the dagger need to close this one out.

Jordan Player of the Game: Mike Conley

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1KlR1yioBzg

Golden State Warriors at Memphis Grizzlies
Oct 25, 2016	1ST	2ND	3RD	4TH	SCORE
Golden State (0-1)	22	36	27	23	108
Memphis (1-0)	21	33	22	36	112

Golden State Warriors
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Steph Curry	44	7/17	3/9	4/4	0	15	3	0	1	21
Klay Thompson	42	9/19	4/11	2/2	5	8	2	0	1	24
Kevin Durant	35	12/28	2/14	2/2	5	1	2	2	1	28
Draymond Green	34	8/9	2/2	2/2	5	4	2	1	0	20
Zaza Pachulia	29	1/2	0/0	0/0	9	1	4	0	1	2
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Andre Iguodala	21	1/6	0/0	0/0	2	0	0	0	1	2
David West	14	2/6	0/1	1/1	5	1	0	0	0	5
Anderson Varejao	11	0/0	0/0	0/0	2	0	0	0	0	0
Javale McGee	8	3/5	0/0	0/0	2	0	0	0	0	6
Ian Clark	2	0/0	0/0	0/0	0	1	0	0	0	0
Kevon Looney (DNP)	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Patrick McCaw (DNP)	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Damian Jones (DNP)	-- DID NOT PLAY --
James Michael McAdoo (DNP)	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		43/92 (47%)	11/37 (30%)	11/11 (100%)	36	31	13	3	6	108

Memphis Grizzlies
STARTERS	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Mike Conley	33	11/16	1/1	6/7	5	8	1	0	5	29
Tony Allen	32	1/3	0/2	3/6	3	1	0	0	0	5
Chandler Parsons	32	5/13	3/7	0/0	3	2	1	0	0	13
JaMychal Green	33	8/13	1/3	4/5	14	3	0	1	3	21
Marc Gasol	31	8/11	1/1	5/6	11	6	2	3	2	22
BENCH	MIN	FGM-A	3PM-A	FTM-A	REB	AST	STL	BLK	TO	PTS
Brandan Wright	17	2/3	0/0	2/4	3	4	1	0	0	6
James Ennis	20	1/2	1/2	0/0	1	1	0	2	1	3
Wade Baldwin	15	3/8	1/3	0/0	2	3	0	0	1	7
Deyonta Davis	15	0/0	0/0	0/0	4	2	0	0	2	0
Troy Daniels	12	3/5	0/1	0/0	0	0	0	0	1	6
Jarell Martin (DNP)	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Andrew Harrison (DNP)	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Vince Carter (DNP)	-- DID NOT PLAY --
Troy Williams (DNP)	-- DID NOT PLAY --
TEAM TOTALS		42/74 (57%)	8/20 (40%)	20/28 (71%)	53	30	5	6	15	112

Tonight, October 26th, your Memphis Grizzlies once again face off against the Golden State Warriors, but are on the road. They play he expansion Vancouver Ravens on the 28th, and finish the week out in Cleveland on the 29th.

[JazzCeltics]

Team-Banner-GRIZZLIES.jpg

The Hunt: An NBA2K17 Memphis Grizzlies Series

They Do It Again! Memphis Blows by Golden State, 108-93

After we came back against Golden State the night prior, we decided to come out again and play some hard defense. Curry received a bruised rib mid-way through the game and was out for the remainder of the game and a few extra days. Kevin Durant scored 50 in the game, but only Draymond and Klay scored in the double digits with 13 and 14 respectively. On the flip side, Parsons had a solid 20 points and 11 rebounds, Conley also had a double-double with points and assists. Wade Baldwin and James Ennis both etched over double digit numbers and JaMychal Green showed more effort with a solid 14 points and 9 rebounds. Troy Daniels had two key threes late in the third to push the Grizzlies to an 11 point lead. Overall, this team looks poised for a playoff run and are set to play the newly-founded Vancouver Ravens and the Cleveland Cavaliers the next day.

[JazzCeltics]

Team-Banner-GRIZZLIES.jpg

The Hunt: An NBA2K17 Memphis Grizzlies Series

Memphis Grizzlies Wk. 1 Schedule
DATE	OPPONENT	RESULT
Oct 25	vs Golden State Warriors	Won, 112-108
Oct 26	at Golden State Warriors	Won, 108-93
Oct 28	at Vancouver Ravens	Won, 114-94
Oct 29	at Cleveland Cavaliers	Won, 113-103