The Dish 1-27-12

Sorry it’s been so long. Last week I was just couldn’t find the time to write. But here is this week’s dish.

How to fix the Lakers

Even though the LA Lakers just beat the Clippers a couple of nights ago, they are far from being a real contender. There is one simple solution to this, no really it’s easy. Trade Pau Gasol. There are plenty of teams that would trade for Gasol. One team would be Houston. I know you don’t usually trade within your conference if you can help it. But we know for a fact Houston covets Pau because of the nixed Chris Paul trade. Houston offered Scola and Martin. If you’re the Lakers you don’t need Martin, because of Kobe. But you could load up on role players and maybe a pick. Or what about Scola and Lowry with Jordan Hill or Patrick Patterson added in there?

If I’m Houston I do it because you finally have that elite player they have been wanting. If I’m the Lakers I do it because You get two good starters and a good backup big. This is one step to getting the Lakers back to title contenders.

Holy Extensions Batman!

News this week was all about the contract extensions. Russell Westbrook, Derrick Rose and Kevin Love all got big extensions. The one that I find funny is Hornets SG Eric Gordon declined a contract extension. David Stern how do you look now? This goes all back to your nixed CP3 trade. NOLA would still have been better off with the original deal, yet now they look lose their top guy… again. Yes he will be a restricted free agent but what if someone throws max money at Gordon, crazy to think, I know. Regardless if that happened NOLA couldn’t match because the NBA still owns the team and why would the other 29 owners want to pay a max guy for another team.

This Week’s Top 10

10. LA Lakers 11-8
Yes they currently have the 12th best record but they beat the Clippers and like a said before if  Kobe, Bynum and Gasol all play well you’re going to lose.Not to mention World Peace (Artest) played really well in that Clippers game

9. San Antonio Spurs 12-7
Even without Manu they still win. That’s all that needs to be said.

8. Orlando Magic 12-6
Even in a week when they score 56 in an entire game they still rank this high. I don’t know how good they really are though.

7. Atlanta Hawks 13-6
Without Al Horford they are keeping it going. Main reason is the excellent play of Josh Smith.

6. Philadelphia 76ers 12-6
I love their depth. After Miami and Chicago there are a few teams in the “almost there” category and Philly is one of them.

5. Indiana Pacers 12-5
They scored a huge win in Chicago this week. I love this team. They are scrappy and fun to watch.

4. Denver Nuggets 13-5
I’m eating crow from my preview with this team. They have made me a believer. They are extremely deep and they out run everyone.

3. Miami Heat 13-5
They drop to #3. Why? Injuries. They aren’t the same without Wade

2. Oklahoma City Thunder 15-3
Yes, I know you have the best record. I’m sorry but I think Chicago and Miami (when healthy) are better. There is going to be a time when you need an inside presence and OKC doesn’t have one,

1. Chicago Bulls 16-4
Right now the best team in the league and they are the league’s deepest team.

And before I go I want to review NBA 2k12. As a huge NBA fan and video game fan I have been spending a lot of time with 2k12. First off this game is amazing. I feel it’s an upgrade over 2k11. The way each player you control feels differently is something that I have never seen in a video game. Each player plays like their real life counter part, except LBJ performs in the fourth quarter. I know completely unrealistic. But there is a ton of time to be spent in this game.

Association mode is the game’s franchise mode and It is one of the deepest in sports gaming. Especially since there is a great community dedicated to making realistic draft classes for future franchise years. This year they added contract extensions to re-up your key players for future seasons. This mode is extremely time consuming and puts you GM skills to test. With all real contracts and real trade rules you basically get to control a team the way you want to.

My player mode is my favorite so far this year. They completely overhauled the mode. You start out by creating a player and playing a College All Star game. Depending on your performance you will then get interviewed by 3 NBA teams determining your draft position. You then go to the draft and get drafted.  Now this year they actually added a contract system in the mode so you earn money and can put that towards skill points or helping team chemistry. When you play you can only control your player which makes the mode unique. For sports nerds like me this is the perfect RPG because each game is a mini quest towards the main quest of being the greatest player ever.  The thing I am most impressed with this year is how your AI teammates actually play basketball. Last year you would get the ball and they would stand around. This year they actually cut to the hoop and move around without the ball.

They also expanded on the Jordan Challenge last year making the Legend’s Challenge. Where they added 14 other legends. You play a matchup and unlock a couple of teams. It’s a nice extra little feature.

Overall I think the gameplay is better this year out of the box. I recommend adjusting the sliders a little. I like to play a sim style game so 45%-50% FG for teams in a game is key for me. But once you find your set the game will play amazing. Out of 10 I give NBA 2k12 a 9.7.

Tags: Atlanta Hawks, Boston Celtics, Charlotte Bobcats, Chicago Bulls, Chris Paul, Cleveland Cavilers, Dallas Mavericks, Denver Nuggets, Derrick Rose, Detroit Pistons, Golden State Warriors, Indiana pacers, Kobe Bryant, LA Clippers, LA Lakers, Lebron James, Miami Heat, Milwaukee Bucks, minnesota timberwolves, NBA, NBA trade rumors, New Jersey Nets, new Orleans Hornets, New York Knicks, Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Phoenix Suns, Portland Blazers, Sacramento Kings, San Antonio Spurs, Toronto Raptors, Utah Jazz, Washington Wizards