| | Operation Sports:NBA LIVE 2005: Ming Dynasty, Part Two
By Shawn Drotar, Managing Editor, OperationSports.com
When we last left our NBA LIVE 2005 Dynasty team, the Houston Rockets were fading fast in the Western Conference playoff chase following the All-Star break. Do they have enough of a finishing kick to make some noise in the NBA playoffs, or will they have to rebuild, and wait for next year?
At the trading deadline, I desperately worked on possible deals to improve the moribund Rockets, but the only players on the team that drew any real interest were guard Tracy McGrady and center Yao Ming—the cornerstones of our franchise. Needless to say, they weren't going anywhere. So, unfortunately, the trading deadline passed without providing any help to our struggling team as they headed into March on a mission to save their season. It didn't quite work out as they planned.
With roughly a month remaining in the season, the Rockets sat at an awful 27-38. It looked like the playoffs were going to start without Houston—something the owner didn't appreciate very much. Using the Dynasty Points earned during the season, I decided to buy an entire Team Training Session. While the season may have been a bust, hopefully the Rockets could finish strong and build upon that for next season. The team was giving up far too many points lately, so I allocated 35 percent of the training time to defense, 25 percent of it to offense, and 20 percent each towards shooting drills and player conditioning. After the training session was completed, my PDA buzzed again with e-mails from the coaching and medical staffs. While no player improved their overall offense or shooting, four improved their physical conditioning, and eight players improved their defensive skills. Unfortunately, bad luck continued for Houston as forward Clarence Weatherspoon sprained his foot in the training session. He was scheduled to be out for nearly two weeks.
I started dedicating more time towards measuring next year's rookie crop, sending my scout out to look at two young point guards and three small forwards, as both positions had been weak spots this season. Unfortunately, the upcoming draft appeared to be rather weak in backcourt players, so Houston may well look at a small forward with their first-round pick.
While the Rockets finished March with a 6-3 record, as April Fool's Day came and went they sat ten games below .500 with only ten games left to play. They'd probably have to win all of them to have a chance at the playoffs, and based on the rest of this season, that wasn't likely to happen. I sent out the scout again to look at some new prospects—the draft was going to be very important for the Rockets this year, and I planned to be ready for it. Sure enough, the team held true to form, and went 5-5 in their last ten games to finish the 2005 season at a very disappointing 36-46. While Yao Ming and Tracy McGrady made the second-team All-NBA squad, it was obvious that they didn't have enough help this season. I had a lot of work in front of me.
After the NBA playoffs concluded (with the Sacramento Kings as NBA Champions), it was time to get down to the business of fixing the Rockets. At the NBA Draft Lottery, the Rockets drew the expected twelfth overall pick. Over the next week, I worked out prospects in one-on-one games with current Rockets to get a feel for them. It's a much better way to scout than simply looking at raw numbers! The next two weeks were devoted to re-signing current players whose contracts has expired. Each of the four Rockets' free agents were asking for far too much money considering their poor performances last season, so I let them go out to test the waters of free agency. Point guard Mark Jackson retired as well, leaving an even larger hole for the Rockets to fill.
Finally the NBA Draft began, and the Rockets got lucky, as the small forward I wanted fell to the twelfth pick, and I scooped him up quickly. In the second round, they drafted a prospect at point guard and hoped for the best. Then, as the free agency period began, I had to go bargain-shopping, but eventually I came away with three young players who could help the team out: small forward Kyle Korver, center Joel Przybilla, and power forward Udonis Haslem. The addition of these three should strengthen Houston's defense and add much-needed outside shooting.
The summer passed by quickly, and soon training camp began again in the fall. This year, there was major improvement from many of the young players across the board. Now it was time to lace 'em up, and try once more …
You won't just grab any team and become a dynasty overnight; it takes time, energy, and top-flight skills on and off the court. For the serious NBA gamer, Dynasty Mode represents NBA Live 2005's supreme challenge.
Are you ready for it?
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