Just saying

Quick Shots

The BET cyphers were pretty bland except for the Shady 2.0 cyphers. I enjoyed Royce's verse but did no one notice that after the "Hi Rihanna" lines he says, "I beat my girl too". Worse pickup line ever… just saying.

The NFL this week was a pretty predictable scene in hindsight. Sure, 62 points is a lot, but If I told you on Friday that one of the games was going to be a 62-7 game wouldn't one of your first 3 guesses be Saints-Colts. On the other side of things, road to .500 is complete for the Cowboys and other teams. Better than the Eagles. Just saying.

The NBA is locked out, and Bill Simmons called out Kevin Garnett for essentially derailing negotiations by behaving erratically. He also said that the basketball players lacked the intellectual capital to negotiate fairly with the agents.  Some professor wrote that by doing this Simmons was essentially being a racist. It's not using the "angry black man" trope, if the person who you're talking about is all 3 of those things.  Also in a professional basketball game I'd trust the basketball players over the j.d's and m.b.a's. Why is it racist to assume that the professional negotiators with the degrees to prove it would be better at negotiation than the basketball players, some barely with high school diplomas.  Just saying.

Speaking of which, NBA2k12 removed my favorite online feature. Apparently, there won't be "my crew" in the near future. Now that I'm in law school I couldn't help but wonder if I could sue for false advertising. Then I looked back at the public statements made by Ronnie2k and the NBA 2k posters and advertisements. They never said that there would be my crew in nba2k12. Ronnie never said they would add it in DLC. We just assumed it would be there. And since they already have my money, it doesn't really matter to them.  Still disappointing that my favorite feature  is gone, although it makes me more  productive for that aforementioned law school life. Just saying.

For those thinking that this one game  hope this Murray guy is going to be a star for the Cowboys. I'm excited too, but  single game rushing yards don't constitute a long and fruitful career (See Harrison, Jerome). Just Saying.

It's snowing in October in Colorado.  Just saying.

NBA Rank

I love the #NBArank project by ESPN. I disagree with some of the rankings (Blake Griffin too high, Zach Randolph too low). I think it points out something with the NBA. There is no overarching number one talent. Lets check out the contenders at each position.

1. Lebron James

Pros: You try to stop him  from dunking at will. Athletic Shot blocker
Cons: See NBA Finals, 2011

2. Dwight Howard

Pros: Best defender in the NBA period.
Cons: Foul prone. Especially of the technical variety. Also offensively limited

3. Derrick Rose

Pros: MVP
Cons: Statistically similar to Russell Westbrook with less assists. Questionable Clutch gene.

4. Pau Gasol. Carmelo Anthony

Pros: Offensive Virtuosos
Cons: Remember that time they played defense? Me, neither

5. Kobe Bryant

Pros: Comparisons to Jordan looked almost reasonable about '07, '08
Cons: This isn't '07, '08 and he's closer to Jordan on the Wizards, than Jordan on the Bulls.

6. Kevin Durant

Pros:  Probably the best scorer in the NBA
Cons:  Iffy 3 point shooter. Ever since Jeff Green left, also a questionable defender.

7. Joe Johnson

Pros: Best paid player on this list
Cons: Most overpaid player on the list. See Lewis, Rashard.

8. Bismack Biyombo

Pros: Potentially the greatest shot blocker of all time. Has yet to play an NBA game with less than 15 blocks.
Cons: None, other than the fact that he also has yet to play an NBA game. And the Jordan Curse.

Either way, no matter where you go, there is no unquestioned number one. There is no 90's Jordan, '06 Jordan, Early '00s Iverson or Shaq. The league has parity, and a bunch of players with clear flaws. 

NBA 2k12

First off, to the people who enjoy my NFL picks, I'm sorry. I don't really have the time and even though I'm good at it I'm not sure if I'm as good at writing those articles. Outside of that, NBA 2k12 has been on my mind and its important to me to get some thoughts off my chest.

First, I'm a huge fan of the 2k brand and the NBA 2k series. I owned NBA 2k in December of 1999. Its a great game series. Its been pretty good or great for years. I feel that 2k11 was a standout game.

Because I remember playing basketball games on the Dreamcast (and Sega Genesis for that matter), the additions are amazing. The way the improvements have allowed the video game to look like the game on TNT is important to me. Post-up improvements, the reduction of center dribbling effectiveness, the difference in shot types, the customization of created players. Its been a long time since my 7'7 center on the Dallas Mavericks with Dirk and Finley.

My favorite feature has been the aptly named "my player" mode. It allowed people to create and customize players. This was a mode that made nba 2k10 worth buying by itself. It allowed me to appreciate the moment to moment grind of being an NBA Center. In 2k10, I wasn't drafted, and I was kicked off a practice squad. I had to grind on a D-League squad (Iowa Energy). As I improved I was called to the NBA to play for the Hornets, I endured a rough year with the clippers followed by a Defensive Player of the Year award followed by a series of championships with the Oklahoma City Thunder. I was heavily invested in my players career. 

In 2k11, I enjoyed this mode enough to go through the process with 3 maxed out players. I enjoyed the my crew mode. The mode allowed my friends and me to play against other crews with our customized players. We created a dominating team, eventually. It, much like my 2k10 my player, didn't start off well, with a running joke about the road to .500, i.e. winning as many games as we lost. Eventually we became a better squad. More importantly it was incredible fun and a completely worthwhile experience. 

Now it seems that NBA 2k12 has improved the my player experience, yet again. The problem? They apparently eradicated the my crew feature.  I love doing my player ,but without my crew then its just like the superstar mode in Madden 12. Useless.  Truly useless. Maybe it reflects my stance on gaming more than it reflects on the merits of the game. My favorite experiences are those found in Co-op gameplay. This is especially true when those co-op experiences are buoyed by a great single player element. This seems like a good idea when executed as well as it was in 2k11. But now the dream is dead.

If it is true that there will be no my crew, I might buy it anyway, sadly. I'm a fan of My Player. The mode is enough to keep me interested in the game especially considering that there aren't a lot of games that I'm interested in buying at this point. Unlike Madden I don't feel it to be a neccessity that I purchase the game. It seems completely unneccesary.