NBA 2K13: Some of the Los Angeles Clippers’ Player Ratings
NBA 2K13 is going to be an awesome game. It all starts with knowing the Los Angeles Clippers’ player ratings.
I don’t know about you, but every October is a special month for me.
Why? That’s easy.
NBA 2K13 comes out and dominates my life for three straight months and consumes plenty of more time thereafter until the next October. Some can call me a lame or a nerd, while others can call me the God of NBA2K.
That’s your decision.
When I get the new game Oct. 2 –the release date — I plan on starting a fantasy draft Association Mode the second I pop it in to make sure I have my draft done before the real NBA season starts. We can’t forget about live rosters these days. I don’t want to cheat the game and wait until injuries occur.
OK, that is nerd-ish.
Before I start the draft, I usually thumb my way through all the rosters and see the player ratings of my favorite players. Thanks to the Internet, I no longer have to wait until I buy the game since ratings have already been leaked.
On NBASky.com, most of the big name stars and even some bigger named bench players and role players are listed with their ratings. The first team I skimmed to of course was the Los Angeles Clippers.
Here are the Clippers’ NBA 2K13 ratings:
Chris Paul – 94
Blake Griffin – 86
Chauncey Billups – 82
Caron Butler – 81
Jamal Crawford – 78
Grant Hill – 77
Now that I have this information, I have to decide if I want to draft any of them. Depending on what pick of the draft I have, Chris Paul could easily be my first pick. For your information: I’m a big fan of running everything through my point guard. In past NBA 2K games, I’ve ran the show with Allen Iverson, Jason Kidd and Derrick Rose.
My point guard is the most important player on my team and will always be a very high pick — first or second round.
This means, by time I get to pick again, Blake Griffin will be gone since he is easily a top 20 pick. NBA 2K is usually skimpy on ratings of 90-plus, so Griffin will definitely fall in the top 20 field.
Who wouldn’t want Blake Griffin on the team whether it be real life or virtual basketball. Mandatory Credit: Mark J. Rebilas-US PRESSWIRE
If I have Paul, which I am hoping for, I will not grab Billups because to me they’re similar players and I wouldn’t start Billups as a undersized shooting guard. It definitely works in real life because of Billups’ supreme talent and basketball IQ, but in virtual basketball, not so much.
Depending on who is left and who is on my team, I may grab Caron Butler or Jamal Crawford.
Crawford plays solid defense and can hit an open three-ball. The only problem with him is his age. I tend to draft younger players because I play the association for at least five seasons. Butler’s rating is not going to go up because at this point his potential points are well used up. Again, experience plays a part in real basketball, not a video game.
Crawford could definitely find a spot on my roster because a gunner off the bench is always needed. When the computer or friends are pulling a 10-point or less a night scorer off the bench, I’d be bringing in a man who can score 20 in a quarter and a half.
I love Grant Hill’s game, but I’m not going to draft him because of his age. On the other hand, I might draft him, play him minimal minutes until he retires, which would more than likely be a season, maybe two, and then use the money normally spent on him to pick up a younger free agent to keep my team in the elite status. I try to make San Antonio Spurs-like moves in my roster management.
Even though I don’t know DeAndre Jordan’s rating, I can almost guarantee he will be drafted because I love big men who block shots and grab rebounds. I don’t need them to score a ton if I got shooters, a point guard who can penetrate and a nasty defense that causes a ton of turnovers.
Those are always my goals headed into a draft.
My birthday is in October. Am I excited — sort of. But I am definitely pumped about buying this game. And no, it will not be a birthday gift, I can’t wait 18 days.
Brandon LaChance can be reached at blachance20@gmail.com or follow on Twitter @LaChance_Writer.