NBA 2K Retro: An Alternate New Millennium

[trekfan]

System/Game: PC/NBA 2K20
Mode: MyLeague
Rosters: 2000-01 WIP by
Sliders: Shady's Gameplay sliders with minor tweaks -- injury frequency set to 22, severity to 25. Will adjust as needed.

Quarter Length: 12 Minutes
Sim Quarter Length: 12 Minutes
Draft Class:


Classic draft classes, some downloaded, some based on edits I make to the (somewhat lackluster) historic classes. As we go on, the draft classes will get more accurate as more recent players will exist in them — I’ll be editing the injury ratings of some guys as well (both within roster and in draft class), so we get different careers for some all-time what-if guys, like Grant Hill and Derrick Rose. I won’t be making them invincible, but I will be making them less like the broken people 2K seems to think they are.

Season Length: 82 Games
Regular Season Rules: 20-24 played, rest simmed.
Playoff Rules: 2 playoff games (randomly determined by number generator, one must be in first four games) per series.
2 games allowed in NBA Finals (randomly determined by number generator, one must be in first four games)

Playoff Format: 7-7-7-7
Injuries: On (Frequency for both CPU and User at 22, effects at 25)
Progressive Fatigue: Off (seems to be too much this year, so I've taken it off -- with chemistry and injuries still on, I anticipate the league will be fine, but will adjust accordingly as we go).
Team Chemistry: On


Chemistry effects, for both the team and player morale, are turned WAY down. They really made it hard to keep a whole happy team this year at the default settings.

CPU Trades: Off
CPU Trade Approval: Off
Trade Override: Off
Control: 30 Teams, CPU automation for lineup/coaching tasks on every team but my primary; total control otherwise (roster moves, drafting, free agency, etc). No one goes to the G-League, as that place ups the the overalls of players far too fast.

Welcome to my newest dynasty thread! My last one, Rebirth: A 2K19 Legends MyLeague was fun, but definitely led to some burnout. I took a long break as I waited for 2K20 to get better with patches and wasn’t willing to pay full-price with the way the game rolled out. After checking a few times over the months, they dropped the price to just 20 bucks for the All-Star break and I couldn’t pass it up. I’ve been impressed with the defense (seems to actually be impactful) and the player movement.


I had been working on another retro league in 2K19, but decided to pull off that one to do this; I’ve been really into it, as this was an era I really took to basketball. The 90s was where I became aware of it, but the early 2000s — specifically the Shaq/Kobe teams — were where I really became a fan of the league.

This story begins in the 2000-01 season, but that first season is going to be simmed and we’ll start the story in the summer of 2001. Rewriting history is going to be fun.

As always, any and all comments are welcome. I hope you guys enjoy.

Now, with all that out of the way ... let's begin.

(Disclaimer -- all this is FICTION so don't assume any of it is real in any way, other than the game results anyway.)

The Many-Worlds Theory of quantum mechanics states that any action that has more than one possible result produces a split in the universe, producing a whole new reality that coexists with all the others.



The 2000-01 regular season ended almost exactly as many expected; Shaq, Kobe, and the Lakers had demolished their competition on their way to a second straight title, cementing the team as more than just good, but potentially great — this set the stage for the Lakers next title the year after, completing the three-peat.

In another reality, events unfolded differently … and the course of NBA history was forever changed.

In this reality, the 2000-01 regular season had a surprise addition — Michael Jordan. Unlike in our world, where Jordan ultimately didn’t return to the game till the fall of 2001, here Jordan’s itch to compete brings him back to the game a year sooner — instead of Michael Jordan the executive, we get Michael Jordan the player. Jordan’s return sends waves throughout the NBA and being on the lowly Wizards — a team he may or may not still be a shadow GM of — alters the course of the history. Jordan manages to drag the Wizards through the regular season, barely making the playoffs, but forcing some teams late in the year to take them seriously — notably, the Lakers.


Shaq suffers a mild ankle sprain in a late season Wizards game that he recovers from before the playoffs hit, but it reemerges as a high ankle sprain in the conference finals, sidelining Shaq and putting the team in the hands of Kobe; with gusto, the younger Lakers’ star takes the reins and gets the Lakers to a Game 7 where they lose to the Kings.


Sacramento goes on to face the Hornets, who dispatched of Jordan and the Wizards in the first round. Sacramento wins the Finals in seven games and throwing a sizeable wedge in the Shaq/Kobe relationship — Shaq blames Kobe for shooting the Lakers out of the WCF, Kobe blames Shaq for getting hurt because of how out of shape he was.


As we enter the 2001 offseason, Jordan and the Wizards know that changes need to be made in order to make the Wizards a true playoff team. The 2001 draft looms, as this reality charts its own course into the unknown …

[trekfan]

The Cliff Notes version of what happened in future seasons (erased my save file by accident, so the below is all that survives of a lost tale):

Spoiler

2001-02: Nuggets lose to the Kings in 7, Sacramento faces Memphis (who easily handled the Mavs) in the WCF. Grizzlies win in 7.


In the East, Boston faces off against Charlotte for the ECF and Boston wins in 7 thanks to a crazy 45 point game from Paul Pierce -- Celtics win 113-112.



Pierce leads Boston in a sweep of Memphis (Memphis lost Mike Bibby in Game 1 to a sprained knee, offense was crippled). Celtics are the 2002 champs, Pierce Final MVP.


2002-03: Lakers versus the Suns in a surprise 1 vs 6 matchup in the WCF; LA had traded for Jason Kidd before the season with Phoenix and ATL (Hawks shipped off the 2nd overall pick to the Suns, Suns sent the Lakers Kidd, Lakers sent Derek Fisher and a sign and traded Jamison to the Hawks). All three teams make the playoffs, but the Suns (led by rookie Jay Williams) survive two seven game series to get the WCF. Lakers win their first two rounds in five games each, the WCF is a six game slugfest (high defense games) where the Lakers make it in.



In the East, it's Charlotte versus Boston again, but this time the Hornets make it through in 6 to face LA. Lakers take Game 1 but Jason Kidd goes out with a sprained elbow -- Charlotte and LA trade game after game until Game 7, where Kidd returns and helps LA crush the Hornets 107-92 in LA to win the title. Shaq is named MVP.


2003-04: It's Memphis versus Rockets (who traded for Antonio McDyess in the previous summer from Phoenix). Houston survived a seven game scare against the KG led T'Wolves in round 1, trounced the Kings in round 2, and now are a series away from a Finals trip. Grizzlies have looked great all year and upset the Lakers in round 2 in 6 (Shaq sprained his ankle in the series and LA's offense went into the gutter) to make it back. Memphis gets an easy series win in five games as the Rockets couldn't slow down Abdur-Rahim (a beast here).



In the East, the Magic face off against the Bucks for a trip to the Finals -- Milwaukee takes an early 2-0 lead but the Magic (fresh off trading Grant Hill for Steve Nash the previous year) storm back and take the next four straight -- McGrady is averaging 32 PPG and faces off against the Grizzlies in the Finals.



Memphis falls in four -- they can't slow McGrady and Abdur-Rahim breaks his leg in Game 2, so they die again in the Finals due to the injury bug.





And that's how far I got. The league got so interesting ... Dallas couldn't play well at all, I have no idea why they were so bad. Milwaukee was constantly good but struggled to take the last step in the playoffs. Charlotte was always top-3 in the East and you could almost pencil them in as an ECF participant. Miami was straight bad (despite signing Jordan, Malone, AND Gary Payton in the same offseason -- they assembled a great 90s all-star team and looked washed). Cleveland was surprisingly spunky (never great).



The Wizards won the first overall pick in 2003 and took LeBron (made the playoffs that year), the Mavs somehow got the second overall pick (literally had a 3.0% chance and only a top-3 protection on that pick) and took Melo, the Heat tanked for (and got) Yao in 2002 but he was always injured (played in 80 of 160 games in two years).

[trekfan]

Awards:

Final Standings:























Retirements:














The Lottery:

[trekfan]

Ch. 1



The Mile High Steakhouse was nice; that much Jim Wolf could tell just by the looks of the place. It was restrained, not too garish, a steakhouse that was adorned with some sports memorabilia on the walls — signed posters, famous pictures, old pennants — but the largest one that loomed was that of John Elway, holding the Super Bowl trophy.



For many, Denver was a football town — basketball was a second place love when the team was good — and that was a fact. It wasn’t going to be changed overnight, the Broncos had too many years of success to overcome. But being second wasn’t the worst thing in the world and, if he could put together a good team, he could make the city love the Nuggets.



If I can, he reminded himself with a smirk. His eyes moved past the picture of Elway and to the front of the restaurant, where his guest was making her way through at a brisk pace. Amazingly, she still seemed to be just as young as when he last saw her in 1996, five years ago. He stood from his chair, flashed a smile, and extended his hand. “Erin.”



The lithe redhead, hair no longer in curls (like it was in 1996), shook his hand with a smirk. “Coach Wolf. Or should I say ‘Head Coach’ Wolf?”



The two took their seats as Jim let out a chuckle. “Jim works. Just like before.”



Erin’s green eyes softened just a tad. “Before was five years ago. We’re in the now,” she said as she took out a pen, paper, and recorder from her purse, “and now I’m here for an interview, not a date.”



“I never said it was a date.”



She loudly clicked her pen and began jotting down notes. “You didn’t need to say it.”



“The best coaches don’t have to say anything sometimes,” he joked. She was still as lively as ever and still just as damned perceptive too. This is a professional engagement, keep it in your pants, he scolded himself.



A waiter showed up and the two made their orders — wine and steak, nothing special — and then Erin turned on her recorder. “You promised this interview if you ever got a coaching job in the NBA,” she reminded him with a laugh. “I never thought you’d actually get here.”



“That makes two of us — it’s been … trying … living in Europe. Lonely in some ways, exciting in others.”



She took a sip of her water, her nails still short, just like she used to keep them. “Tell me, Coach, how did this all start for you? What took you overseas?”



He leaned back in his chair and tapped his thumb against the table. “I was a video assistant after college, at Duke, back in the late 80s. I made the jump to the pros in 1991 as a player development coach, one of many, for the Orlando Magic.”



“And how long were you with the Magic?”



“I was with them until the end of the 1996 playoffs,” he answered with a sigh. “After five years of working my way slowly up the ladder, I was ready for a new challenge … wanted to push my limits. Frankly, I felt like the writing was on the wall for that team.”



Erin scribbled some more notes — her hand writing was still atrocious — and underlined something. “And what gave you that feeling?”



“Shaq’s impending free agency. Management had waited too long to get him a new deal, they left the door open for someone — anyone — to come in and make a play for him, and when the Lakers called, it was a done deal. Once LA got involved, I didn’t see anyway for the Magic to get back into the conversation.”



“So you left the team because you didn’t see a future for it?”



He pointed at himself. “A future for me with them. Shaq was the gravity with which the offense was built around, a point guard and a big working together in an inside-out game like we’ve never seen before … you take away the big, and what happens? The point guard becomes the focal point of the offense. That’s what happened when Shaq left.”



She looked right at him, her eyes drilling into his. “And you left after that.”



The way she said it, the dead-even delivery, told him there was more than one question there. Always more than one thread with you.“Yes, I left Orlando after that … I got an offer from a friend to come be an assistant coach in Europe. Traveling abroad had always been a dream of mine when I was a kid, so I decided to take the chance and roll the dice.”



Her gaze lingered for a moment before she nodded and went back to her notes. “You spent a year in Greece, then another in Germany, before getting to Spain.”



“It was a bit of a journey,” he stated flatly. “Frankly, traveling wasn’t all it was cracked up to be and I really began missing the states.”



“But you did coach two teams over there, over the course of four years, and won a decent amount of games. Do you think that style of basketball can work here in America?”



“Basketball is a global sport, Miss Kendrick. The way they play it in Europe may not be as physical as here in the NBA, but it certainly has merits … and I plan to bring some of that style here. They can be married together, despite their differences.”



She smirked at his word choice. “Marriage of such two, distinct styles, requires a great deal of massaging. It’s a tough ask of players to learn how to do things in such a different way, that goes against what they’ve been taught all their lives. Do you have concerns that your players will find the adjustment difficult?”



He took a breath. If he was honest with himself, the answer to that question was a loud yes. “I think there will be an adjustment period, absolutely. Do I think it will be difficult? Not for everyone, no.”



“Are you referring to the presumed first overall pick, which Denver controls?”



He smiled. “I am referring to Pau Gasol, yes.”



“Are you confirming you’ll take him first overall?”



“I am confirming that is our pick — what happens after is another story. Of course, the phone lines are open and we’ll take the calls, but we’ve got to be blown away — I mean, socks knocked off and we’re in the ER from a near heart-attack type blown away — to trade that pick. Pau Gasol is a generational big, a man who is as much finesse as he is power, a blend at that position we haven’t seen for a long time.”



“And how do you think he’ll blend with Antonio McDyess and Nick Van Exel?”



Jim forced himself to smile. He knew damn well that there would be no worries about that because Denver was trading them, but he couldn’t give that away. “I think Pau’s game will be a compliment to them and their game to his; we’re going to have a very entertaining team.”



The waiter arrived with their wine and food, and Erin began putting away her interview things. “I think I have all I need.”



The steak smelled delicious and the red wine was equally alluring. Jim rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “Good, we can catch up —”



She stood from her chair, purse in hand. “I think I’ve had my fill of this dinner.” She shook her head wearily. “It’s been … nice … seeing you again. But I should write this up while it’s still fresh.”



Jim stood from his seat as well. “Come on, Erin. Let’s just have a nice meal … just two old friends, huh? I haven’t seen you in five years for God sakes … it’s been a long time.”



“I know,” she said quietly. She readjusted her purse strap, the same way she used to do it when she was uncomfortable with something. She fidgeted a little in those situations.



He forced down his frustration at it all. Damn it to hell. “Well, if you’re going to go, at least take the steak with you. I’ll get them to box it, you can take it home. My treat, no worries.”



She took a look at the steak, her nose flaring slightly, before giving a nod. “All right … this time. I owe you next time.”



He turned around and called for a waiter, quickly flashed a grin at the thought of a next time, and then buried it before turning back around. They made small talk for the next few minutes as her meal was loaded into the box, closed up, and handed over. She said her goodbyes and he watched her leave.



He sat back down, grabbed her glass of wine — he’d need at least two now — and began cutting into his steak.



I’m having dinner with me, myself, and … His eyes found their way to Elway.



He’d had worse dates.

[Bradster224]

Awesome to see you've moved onto 2K20!

Currently re-reading your 2K16 Seattle Dynasty over the past few days, so it's good to know I'll have something new to sink my teeth into once I've gotten through all of that again.

Will be following keenly!

[glenzariczny]

This is an awesome concept. Please don't let my Sonics leave in this new universe lol

[trekfan]

Quote: Originally Posted by Bradster224

Awesome to see you've moved onto 2K20! Currently re-reading your 2K16 Seattle Dynasty over the past few days, so it's good to know I'll have something new to sink my teeth into once I've gotten through all of that again. Will be following keenly!

Much thanks, sir! That 2K16 Seattle dynasty is one of my favorites as well and I think this one has some serious legs. This era of basketball is fun.

Quote: Originally Posted by glenzariczny

This is an awesome concept. Please don't let my Sonics leave in this new universe lol

The Sonics are NOT going anywhere -- neither is New Jersey, lol. I'm not going to introduce any other franchises into this until way, way down the line (if we get that far) if that. Honestly I'm really good with 30 NBA teams.

[studbucket]

Quote: Originally Posted by trekfan

The Sonics are NOT going anywhere -- neither is New Jersey, lol. I'm not going to introduce any other franchises into this until way, way down the line (if we get that far) if that. Honestly I'm really good with 30 NBA teams.

Ha! Did you get burnout from adding expansion teams in all your other legacies? Or it's just enough to manage 30 teams.