_____________________________________________________________________________

______________________________________________________________________________

NBA 2k9 Fantasy Draft FAQ

Written by Lozenger4
email at [email protected]

This is a Fantasy Draft FAQ for the Xbox 360 game NBA 2K9. The guide can only
be distributed for personal use. It cannot be sold or put on websites without
getting my permission first. As of now, Gamefaqs is the only place where this
guide may be posted.

Version 1.0 completed 12/11/2008

******************************************************************************

Table of Contents

A) Introduction
B) Fantasy draft basics
C) Pros and cons of a fantasy draft
D) Draft strategies and pointers
E) Draft outcomes (Player draft rankings)
F) Fantasy draft examples
G) Final Thoughts and Observations

******************************************************************************

A) Introduction

Although it may seem foolish to do a fantasy draft FAQ when most of it can
be construed as common sense, there are a number of reasons as to why I
took a couple hours out of several days to make this.

1) It was fun. I had always wanted to do a FAQ and this seemed like a
good situation to make one.

2) Several people requested it. Over the first couple months since the
game's release, I've seen numerous topics asking for help on fantasy
drafts. Now there is one central place to go for tips and advice.

3) I'm a seasoned pro at fantasy drafts. Ever since Hardball 6 on the
computer, I've loved to draft and create my own teams. I've been
drafting teams in this franchise since NBA 2k3 (when Tyson Chandler
was listed as a Small Forward).

4) I love analyzing statistics. Statistical analysis is my job (literally
it is in real life. I get paid for it). So this wasn't much of a chore
at all.

5) Why not? Seemed like a fun idea at the time. Turned out it was.

This FAQ is designed for:

1) Newcomers to the NBA 2k francise

2) Those who have never done a fantasy draft before

3) Those who are no good at doing fantasy drafts and need help

4) Anyone who just wants to look at how the computer uses its tendancies
to draft players

As I mentioned earlier, this is my first FAQ, so all criticism/acclamation
is more than welcome. If anyone notices any errors, let me know via email
or just find me on the Gamefaqs board and let me know there so I can make
a correction. Additionally, any other helpful advice/information/knowledge
is also appreciated! Hopefully this FAQ sheds some light to those in need
of help in the world of fantasy drafts. Enjoy!

******************************************************************************

B) Fantasy Draft Basics

1. In the past, NBA 2k games had their fantasy draft order set up in a
"straight" formation. In other words, if a team had the first overall
pick, they would also have the first pick in each round. Fortunately,
this year's version is of the "snake," or "serpentine," formation.
This way the team who gets the first overall pick will get the last
pick of the 2nd round (but the first pick of the 3rd round).

ex: Bulls get the 10th pick in the first round, then the 20th pick
in the 2nd round, then the 10th pick in the 3rd round, etc.

2. There are 30 teams in the league and they all must participate in the
fantasy draft if that option is chosen in Association, Season, or
Playoff mode. A custom team can be used if it is sustituted for
a different team when that option is chosen. These players will be
available in the draft but the substituted team's players will not. To
have them available, assign them to free agency before the draft.

3. Draft order is assigned at random during each new draft. If you want a
certain position and do not get it, you will have to exit the draft,
reload the rosters, and try again.

4. IMPORTANT: Salaries and contracts are all randomized to each player's
skill level. Nearly every player is overpaid. So don't bank on
picking players who have expiring contracts in real life. Always check
their contract situations before making a pick!

******************************************************************************

C) Pros and Cons of a Fantasy Draft

PROS: - You are the GM! You get to make a team based on your tendancies
and interests! If your favorite player is Kirk Hinrich (like me)
go ahead and draft him a little earlier than usual and make him
a primary player on your team.

- From a personal standpoint, I feel guilty making major trades that
may seem a bit unrealistic in the NBA. The Magic aren't going
to trade Dwight Howard in real life, but for the right price he
could be available in your Association or Season mode. Yet I still
feel guilty when I would make a league altering trade...except when
the players are scrambled anyways!

- The AI is smarter than in the past. Finally! No longer will they
always pick the highest rated player and end up with 7 power
forwards all over the age of 33. Now all of the teams strive for
a balance between positions and player potential (how's that for
an alliteration?)

CONS: - The biggest disadvantage is what I mentioned in the previous
section: contracts are all screwed up. Every team is well over
the salary cap, even after the season is over (for any moderately
constructed team). This leaves star players asking for too much
money and left without a contract after the free agency period. On
the positive side, I was able to get Allen Iverson to sign for the
mid-level exception after my 2nd year started in one of my leagues.

- Player ratings are hidden. You can still see each player's overall
rating and a letter value of various categories, but the specific
numerical ratings aren't there for comparison purposes.

- Accessibility. You must cycle to your spot in the draft order to
view your team. Also, players can only sorted by position.

- All 15 rounds require a player to be selected. There is no option
to skip a round. There are simple solutions to this issue in the
"Strategies and Pointers" section.

******************************************************************************

D) Draft Strategies and Pointers

- Point Guards are the least important position to fill. There are no super-
elite PGs like the other positions outside of Chris Paul, but there are
plenty of serviceable ones. Fine with Chris Duhon being your starting point
guard? Take him in the 7th round and fill in other positions first.

- There aren't many elite centers, but power forwards are abundant. Guys like
Jermaine O'Neal can double for both of these positions.

- Every team needs specialists to serve as their role players. Drafting good
defenders late like or Ime Udoka or Brevin Kight can be useful. Also,
getting a good rebounder such as Reggie Evans is nice.

- Most imporant of the role players is a shooter. Taking Peja Stojakovic in
the 5th round is a personal favorite of mine, but taking Jason Kapono later
works too. Even later Kyle Korver is available for a spark off the bench.
I like to label this as my "Eric Piakowski" for every team because he would
always be my 11th man and come in and hit a few 3's when I would get down
late in a game.

- Don't plan on making too many free agent signings in the offseason. All
of the player contracts are messed up, and it generally takes 4-6 years to
get a realistic contract situation again for all players.

- Some players whose contracts expire can be had for the mid-level exception
after the following season starts. For example, I got Allen Iverson for the
MLE in November of the following year because no team could afford his
free agency period asking price.

- If you're picking toward the start or end of a round (I term it bookends),
be sure to plan ahead. Taking two picks at a time is nice but there is a
big layoff where a huge gap in talent levels will take place.

Sidenote: Is there a more underrated player in the game than Renaldo Balkman?
He may not be an all-star, but his 65 rating is worse than Awvee
Storey (he of his 3 pro seasons at age 31 with a 2.4 PPG career).

- The last few picks could amount to some usefulness, but why waste the money
on guys who are never going to play. Take players with the short contract
for minimum pay and then cut them to open space so the computer can offer
you trades.

******************************************************************************

E) Draft Outcomes (Player Draft Rankings)

Sample: Here are the results of a number of fantasy drafts where the
computertypically selects their players. There were 3 drafts in which 8
of the 15 rounds were completed, 5 drafts with over 4 rounds, 8 drafts
with 2 rounds, and 2 drafts with nearly 2 rounds. This allows better
results for the more important selections earlier in the draft.

Key: Rank - Player's Draft Rank (Based on average position selected)
Player - Duh
Rate - Player's Default Rating
Average - Average Position Selected in Sample (Round-Pick)
High - Earliest Selection in Sample (Round-Pick)
Low - Latest Selection in Sample (Round-Pick)
N/D - Not Drafted (only for Latest Selection)

Players in the top 250 draft picks by position:

PG: 55
SG: 56
SF: 51
PF: 51
C: 37

Players draft average by round per position:

Round 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8

PG 6 7 8 7 7 7 6 7
SG 4 9 6 7 3 8 9 10
SF 6 5 8 5 8 5 6 8
PF 10 4 4 5 6 7 6 9
C 4 5 5 6 5 3 4 5

Go ahead. Print the list. You know you want to.

- Point Guards - Point Guards - Point Guards - Point Guards - Point Guards -

Rank Player Rate Average High Low

2 Chris Paul 99 1-2 1-1 1-4
5 Gilbert Arenas 95 1-6 1-3 1-9
10 Deron Williams 94 1-9 1-6 1-12
13 Baron Davis 94 1-13 1-10 1-18
16 Steve Nash 95 1-16 1-14 1-21
21 Jason Kidd 92 1-21 1-15 1-27
33 Chauncey Billups 90 2-4 1-29 2-8
39 Tony Parker 88 2-8 2-5 2-10
40 Monta Ellis 87 2-10 2-7 2-13
43 Derrick Rose 80 2-14 2-11 2-19
50 Jerryd Bayless 79 2-19 2-13 2-23
54 Jose Calderon 87 2-22 2-17 2-25
57 T.J. Ford 84 2-28 2-25 3-1
64 Rajon Rondo 83 3-5 3-1 3-10
69 Mike Bibby 85 3-8 3-1 3-12
72 Maurice Williams 84 3-13 3-10 3-16
78 Kirk Hinrich 84 3-17 3-11 3-21
80 Devin Harris 83 3-18 3-14 3-24
83 Raymond Felton 81 3-24 3-19 3-26
87 Russell Westbrook 77 3-26 3-20 4-1
91 Randy Foye 79 3-30 3-27 4-3
95 Mario Chalmers 79 4-5 4-3 4-9
100 Michael Conley 77 4-9 4-5 4-13
103 D.J. Augustin 77 4-14 4-7 4-17
105 Jameer Nelson 80 4-16 4-11 4-20
109 Jamaal Tinsley 82 4-19 4-12 4-24
112 Rafer Alston 81 4-23 4-19 4-26
115 Shaun Livingston 76 4-26 4-24 4-27
122 Nate Robinson 78 5-2 4-28 5-5
126 Andre Miller 81 5-7 4-9 5-22
127 Derek Fisher 78 5-7 5-4 5-11
129 Stephon Marbury 80 5-13 5-8 5-20
133 Sam Cassell 80 5-13 5-7 5-21
141 Louis Williams 79 5-23 5-17 5-27
146 Luther Head 77 5-26 5-22 5-29
150 Jordan Farmar 77 6-1 5-24 6-7
159 Daniel Gibson 74 6-8 6-4 6-16
164 Bobby Jackson 77 6-14 6-9 6-21
169 Steve Blake 78 6-19 6-10 7-1
172 Ramon Sessions 78 6-24 6-13 7-13
173 Delonte West 77 6-24 6-12 7-9
177 Beno Uhdrih 76 6-28 6-15 7-14
182 Aaron Brooks 76 7-2 6-22 7-16
190 Steve Francis 76 7-9 7-1 7-18
192 Marcus Banks 74 7-12 7-8 7-19
193 Chris Duhon 78 7-12 7-1 7-25
203 Jarrett Jack 75 7-23 7-14 8-3
207 Chris Quinn 76 7-27 7-23 8-4
212 Keyon Dooling 75 8-3 7-24 8-13
219 Brevin Knight 77 8-11 8-2 8-24
225 Mike James 74 8-15 8-5 8-29
234 Jason Williams 77 8-1 N/D
236 Antonio Daniels 77 8-2 N/D
238 Goron Dragic 74 8-14 N/D
240 Marcus Williams 73 8-18 N/D

- Shooting Guards - Shooting Guards - Shooting Guards - Shooting Guards -

Rank Player Rate Average High Low

4 Dwyane Wade 97 1-5 1-1 1-9
7 Kobe Bryant 99 1-7 1-3 1-10
18 Allen Iverson 94 1-18 1-14 1-22
23 Brandon Roy 88 1-23 1-18 1-28
32 Joe Johnson 89 2-2 1-24 2-8
36 Andre Iguodala 87 2-6 2-1 2-10
38 Manu Ginobili 91 2-7 2-1 2-17
46 O.J. Mayo 82 2-15 2-13 2-18
47 Kevin Martin 86 2-16 2-14 2-19
48 Vince Carter 89 2-18 2-15 2-20
52 Ray Allen 89 2-20 2-16 2-23
55 Richard Hamilton 88 2-23 2-20 2-24
56 Michael Redd 86 2-25 2-23 2-28
61 Leandro Barbosa 86 3-1 2-28 3-6
68 Jason Richardson 84 3-8 3-5 3-12
71 Ben Gordon 82 3-12 3-8 3-20
77 Stephen Jackson 85 3-16 3-7 3-29
85 Raja Bell 84 3-25 3-19 4-4
89 Jason Terry 84 3-29 3-21 4-8
93 J.R. Smith 80 4-5 3-30 4-13
97 Mike Miller 82 4-8 4-1 4-18
104 Eric Gordon 78 4-16 4-10 4-27
110 Martell Webster 77 4-22 4-16 4-29
111 Jamal Crawford 80 4-23 4-17 4-30
116 Sasha Vujacic 80 4-26 4-17 5-1
119 Marco Belinelli 77 4-30 4-25 5-2
131 Larry Hughes 79 5-13 5-10 5-15
136 Jerry Stackhouse 80 5-14 5-12 5-17
142 Rudy Fernandez 79 5-23 5-18 5-26
151 Michael Finley 79 6-4 6-1 6-11
152 Brent Barry 79 6-4 6-3 6-6
153 Charlie Bell 79 6-5 5-16 6-14
155 Nick Young 77 6-6 6-5 6-8
165 Ricky Davis 78 6-16 6-8 6-20
170 Juan Dixon 78 6-20 6-11 6-26
176 DeShawn Stevenson 77 6-26 6-20 6-30
179 Rashad McCants 76 6-30 6-22 7-7
180 Corey Brewer 75 7-2 6-25 7-6
184 Brandon Rush 76 7-3 6-27 7-8
185 Anthony Parker 78 7-3 6-9 7-17
188 Courtney Lee 76 7-7 7-3 7-10
191 Cuttino Mobley 78 7-10 6-24 7-25
196 Willie Green 77 7-14 6-28 7-29
201 Gerald Green 71 7-21 7-17 7-26
206 Chris Douglas-Roberts 75 7-26 7-18 8-3
208 Matt Harpring 76 7-29 7-20 8-6
211 Bonzi Wells 76 8-1 7-27 8-7
214 Ronnie Brewer 73 8-6 7-29 8-15
222 Tony Allen 76 8-14 8-7 8-18
224 Eddie Jones 76 8-14 7-22 8-26
226 John Salmons 76 8-16 8-11 8-19
228 Morris Almond 74 8-18 8-12 8-23
231 Marquis Daniels 76 8-24 8-17 8-28
243 Tarence Kinsey 76 8-23 N/D
244 Keith Bogans 76 8-25 N/D
249 Morris Peterson 76 8-30 N/D

- Small Forwards - Small Forwards - Small Forwards - Small Forwards - Small -

Rank Player Rate Average High Low

1 LeBron James 99 1-2 1-1 1-3
9 Carmello Anthony 94 1-9 1-3 1-12
17 Josh Smith 86 1-18 1-12 1-22
25 Paul Pierce 92 1-23 1-18 1-29
27 Tracy McGrady 91 1-26 1-22 2-3
29 Caron Butler 91 1-28 1-25 2-2
31 Kevin Durant 83 2-2 1-28 2-5
34 Rudy Gay 85 2-5 1-30 2-8
45 Luol Deng 84 2-15 2-10 2-22
53 Ron Artest 87 2-21 2-16 2-24
58 Shawn Marion 85 2-29 2-26 3-2
62 Danny Granger 85 3-1 2-28 3-3
63 Lamar Odom 85 3-4 3-1 3-8
66 Josh Howard 85 3-6 3-3 3-13
74 Hedo Turkoglu 85 3-14 3-6 3-17
75 Gerald Wallace 84 3-14 3-11 3-16
79 James Posey 84 3-18 3-15 3-21
82 Rashard Lewis 84 3-23 3-18 3-30
88 Richard Jefferson 83 3-28 3-22 4-8
92 Corey Maggette 83 4-3 3-25 4-14
96 Grant Hill 83 4-8 3-27 4-16
99 Tayshaun Prince 82 4-9 3-30 4-17
106 Andrei Kirilenko 80 4-18 4-10 5-10
117 Anthony Randolph 74 4-28 4-15 5-1
121 Shane Battier 81 5-1 4-23 5-2
124 Andres Nocioni 80 5-4 4-26 5-14
125 Mike Dunleavy 80 5-6 5-1 5-16
132 Danilo Gallinari 76 5-13 5-4 5-21
137 Peja Stojakovic 80 5-15 5-1 5-24
139 Tavis Outlaw 79 5-16 5-6 5-28
144 Mickael Pietrus 79 5-24 5-20 5-29
147 Marvin Williams 75 5-27 5-22 6-5
156 Thaddeus Young 78 6-7 6-3 6-10
158 Wally Szczerbiak 79 6-8 5-30 6-25
160 Julian Wright 77 6-9 6-7 6-12
166 Al Thornton 77 6-16 6-13 6-21
174 Jeff Green 74 6-24 6-17 7-22
181 Ryan Gomes 78 7-2 6-17 7-20
187 Bruce Bowen 78 7-6 6-29 7-13
194 Matt Barnes 77 7-12 7-3 7-19
198 James Jones 77 7-16 7-11 7-23
202 Dorell Wright 73 7-22 7-19 7-26
209 Linas Kleiza 76 7-30 7-25 8-4
215 Jamario Moon 72 8-8 8-4 8-15
221 Adam Morrison 73 8-12 8-9 8-16
223 James Singleton 71 8-14 8-10 8-19
229 Jarvis Hayes 76 8-19 8-14 8-23
235 Walter Hermann 76 8-1 N/D
239 Joe Alexander 73 8-16 N/D
241 Eric Piakowski 75 8-22 N/D
246 Ime Udoka 75 8-28 N/D

- Power Forwards - Power Forwards - Power Forwards - Power Forwards - Power -

Rank Player Rate Average High Low

6 Kevin Garnett 99 1-6 1-2 1-11
8 Amare Stoudemire 94 1-8 1-5 1-12
12 Tim Duncan 97 1-11 1-10 1-12
14 Al Jefferson 91 1-13 1-12 1-15
15 Chris Bosh 90 1-16 1-15 1-17
19 Pau Gasol 91 1-19 1-16 1-22
22 Michael Beasley 83 1-22 1-19 1-25
26 Elton Brand 92 1-24 1-21 1-27
28 Carlos Boozer 90 1-28 1-24 2-1
30 Dirk Nowitzki 91 1-29 1-26 2-2
35 David West 88 2-5 1-30 2-9
41 Emeka Okafor 83 2-11 2-3 2-22
51 Lamarcus Aldridge 84 2-20 2-9 2-27
60 Antawn Jamison 85 2-30 2-28 3-3
70 Jermaine O'Neal 84 3-9 3-4 3-16
73 Zach Randolph 83 3-13 3-9 3-18
81 Kevin Love 80 3-18 3-11 3-26
84 Marreese Speights 77 3-24 3-18 3-29
94 Brandon Wright 76 4-5 4-2 4-11
102 Yi Jianlian 76 4-12 4-6 4-17
107 Ben Wallace 78 4-18 4-12 4-23
113 Al Harrington 77 4-23 4-19 5-5
118 David Lee 80 4-28 4-21 5-9
123 Jason Maxiell 78 5-3 4-26 5-13
130 Nene Hilario 78 5-13 5-6 5-17
135 Channing Frye 77 5-14 5-7 5-18
138 Luis Scola 79 5-15 4-28 6-3
140 Charlie Villanueva 77 5-21 5-16 5-23
149 Boris Diaw 75 5-30 5-20 6-10
157 Tyrus Thomas 73 6-7 5-21 6-16
161 Troy Murphy 77 6-11 5-27 6-19
163 Andrea Bargnani 74 6-14 5-28 6-23
168 P.J. Brown 77 6-18 6-6 6-25
171 Sean Williams 74 6-22 6-11 6-28
175 Paul Millsap 77 6-26 6-18 7-4
178 Udonis Haslem 77 6-28 6-22 7-5
183 Amir Johnson 74 7-3 6-23 7-10
189 Sean May 75 7-8 7-4 7-14
197 Brandon Bass 77 7-15 7-7 7-28
200 Leon Powe 76 7-21 7-12 8-6
205 Shareef Abdur-Rahim 76 7-26 7-18 8-7
210 Ryan Anderson 76 7-30 7-21 8-13
213 Jason Thompson 74 8-5 7-22 8-10
216 Antonio McDyess 76 8-9 7-14 8-24
218 Kenyon Martin 76 8-10 8-6 8-15
227 Darrell Arthur 73 8-17 8-10 8-21
232 Andray Blatche 74 8-28 8-26 8-30
237 Drew Gooden 76 8-9 N/D
247 Sean Williams 74 8-28 N/D
248 Hakim Warrick 74 8-29 N/D
250 Malik Allen 74 8-30 N/D

- - Centers - Centers - Centers - Centers - Centers - Centers - Centers - -

Rank Player Rate Average High Low

3 Dwight Howard 93 1-4 1-1 1-8
11 Yao Ming 94 1-11 1-5 1-17
20 Greg Oden 83 1-21 1-15 1-25
24 Andrew Bynum 86 1-23 1-18 1-27
37 Al Horford 82 2-6 1-29 2-17
42 Marcus Camby 87 2-12 2-1 2-18
44 Chris Kaman 86 2-14 2-8 2-20
49 Tyson Chandler 84 2-19 2-12 2-22
59 Andris Biedrins 81 2-29 2-26 3-4
65 Shaquille O'Neal 84 3-5 2-27 3-17
67 Rasheed Wallace 84 3-7 2-28 3-18
76 Andrew Bogut 79 3-15 3-8 3-22
86 Mehmet Okur 80 3-26 3-13 4-4
90 Samuel Dalembert 81 3-30 3-27 4-7
98 Alonzo Mourning 82 4-8 4-2 4-15
101 Zydrunas Ilgauskas 82 4-11 4-2 4-22
108 Kurt Thomas 80 4-19 4-8 5-2
114 Brad Miller 78 4-24 4-9 5-7
120 Spencer Hawes 74 4-30 4-12 5-10
128 Jamaal Magloire 78 5-10 5-4 5-19
134 Brook Lopez 74 5-14 5-6 5-23
143 Eddy Curry 74 5-23 5-19 6-2
145 Robin Lopez 75 5-26 5-20 6-3
148 Joakim Noah 74 5-30 5-25 6-8
154 Erick Dampier 76 6-5 5-29 6-13
162 Etan Thomas 75 6-12 5-30 6-18
167 Brendan Haywood 75 6-18 6-4 6-22
186 Kendrick Perkins 75 7-5 6-24 7-12
195 Kosta Koufos 73 7-13 7-2 7-22
199 Rasho Nesterovic 75 7-18 7-5 7-26
204 Theo Ratliff 75 7-26 7-17 8-3
217 Nazr Muhammed 74 8-9 8-8 8-10
220 Joel Przybilla 74 8-12 8-10 8-14
230 Dikembe Mutombo 74 8-20 8-12 8-26
233 Fabricio Oberto 74 7-6 N/D
242 Michael Doleac 74 8-22 N/D
245 Darko Milicic 71 8-25 N/D

******************************************************************************

F) Fantasy Draft Examples

*"Team Record" is with all simulation, no trades, nothing changed from
default draft in "Season" mode except for line-ups at beginning of year.
Not even stopping for injuries

*Remember all team records will be more evenly balanced since the teams
are more evenly balanced than in real life

*Important: All drafts and rankings are based off of default rosters,
not downloaded

*Note: "-" denotes standard notes, while "+" signifies important points

____________________________________________________________________________

Draft 1 - Early Pick Team Record: 46-36 (5 Seed)

Round 1/Pick 1: LeBron James (SF) | PG: Brooks/Stuckey/Jones
Round 2/Pick 30: Tyson Chandler (C) | SG: Barbosa/Allen/Carroll
Round 3/Pick 1: Leandro Barbosa (SG)| SF: James/Udoka
Round 4/Pick 30: David Lee (PF) | PF: Lee/Wilcox/Bonner
Round 5/Pick 1: Brook Lopez (C) | C: Chandler/Lopez
Round 6/Pick 30: Aaron Brooks (PG) |
Round 7/Pick 1: Tony Allen (SG) |
Round 8/Pick 30: Chris Wilcox (PF) | Good news is that you get the #1
Round 9/Pick 1: Rodney Stuckey (PG) | pick! Plus, you get two picks in a
Round 10/Pick 30: Ime Udoka (SF) | row. Bad news is that you have to
Round 11/Pick 1: Matt Bonner (PF) | wait 58 picks until your next choice
Round 12/Pick 30: Matt Carroll (SG) |
Round 13/Pick 1: Damon Jones (PG) |

Notes

- I cannot honestly think of a reason not to pick LeBron #1 overall. The
desparity between him and the rest of the top 5 at his position is only
greater at center. Plus, he's 23 years old with a neutral personality and
a "Very Loyal" ambition (at least in the game)
- I was really hoping for Michael Redd, but he went one pick before mine.
A good defending post is important at the first chance with the bookends.
Chandler never fell lower than the 22nd pick in this round in my other sim
drafts, so he's quite the prize this late in the 2nd round
- Not a big fan of Barbosa, but he is a good shooter to help spread the floor
for James and can also put in some minutes as a PG
+ Andre Miller is a good pick next if I didn't already have James, since he
has no range. Need a point guard to can shoot from the outside, which can
wait until later
+ Brook Lopez usually doesn't go until a little later in the 5th round, but
since I won't have a pick for awhile, it was necessary to take him early
- Again, Tony Allen shouldn't go this early but it's important to get a good
perimeter defender on the roster outside of LeBron. Aaron Brooks is a solid
young shooter who can develop
- Most of the players on this roster are young and can develop around LeBron
- Take the arm sleeve off of Matt Carroll. It's for the best

____________________________________________________________________________

Draft 2 - Early/Middle Pick Team Record: 51-31 (2 Seed)
*Won NBA Championship!*

Round 1/Pick 10: Yao Ming (C) | PG: Hinrich/Price
Round 2/Pick 20: Ron Artest (SF) | SG: Steveson/Jaric
Round 3/Pick 10: Kirk Hinrich (PG) | SF: Artest/Dunleavy/Kapono
Round 4/Pick 20: David Lee (PF) | PF: Lee/Joe Smith/Ja. Smith
Round 5/Pick 10: Mike Dunleavy (SF) | C: Yao/Przybilla
Round 6/Pick 20: DeShawn Stevenson (SG)|
Round 7/Pick 10: Joel Przybilla (C) |
Round 8/Pick 20: Jason Kapono (SF) | A good spot to pick because there
Round 9/Pick 10: Ronnie Price (PG) | are still franchise players avaiable
Round 10/Pick 20: Joe Smith (PF) | in the first round and lower-level
Round 11/Pick 10: Marko Jaric (SG) | all-stars in the second round
Round 12/Pick 20: Jason Smith (PF) |

Notes

+ Developing Yao's stamina and endurace will make him an MVP in this game.
Completely unstoppable down low and has a great shot to boot
- Artest can't charge into the crowd in this game, but he can play great
defense and hit a jump shot. Having PF for his 2nd position is nice for
going small when Yao is out
- Taking Kevin Love 3rd round gives a good young post,which is always a good
thing, but sometimes you have to take your favorite player in the end.
Hence, Kirk Hinrich. Ben Gordon is a terrific shooter who would have
worked as well, as would have Mo Williams
+ Mike Dunleavy can start at SG and is a very good outside shooter who just
happens to be 6'9". Although a poor defender, Artest can take the primary
scorer and Dunleavy can just guard the other wingman since he is better
than any other available perimeter players at this time
- Yao gets tired fast, so taking a backup center is important until you can
improve his stamina and endurance. Best to wait until the 7th round though
- Kapono is the standard 3-point shooter off the bench that every team needs
- Marko Jaric once had his uniform on BACKWARDS when he came into a game for
Minnesota, so I gotta show him love in the 11th round. Plus he's also a PG
- Didn't realize it until the draft was completed, but this team could have
some serious white-wash capabilities with Hinrich, Kapono/Jaric, Dunleavy,
Lee, and Yao (or if you don't count him as white, Przybilla). Look out
80's Celtics!

____________________________________________________________________________

Draft 3 - Middle Pick Team Record: 45-37 (4 Seed)

Round 1/Pick 14: T. Duncan (PF) | PG: Kight/Watson
Round 2/Pick 16: D. Granger (SF) | SG: Crawford/Daniels
Round 3/Pick 14: S. Dalembert (C) | SF: Granger/Stojakovic
Round 4/Pick 16: J. Crawford (SG) | PF: Duncan/Millsap/Bonner/Humphries
Round 5/Pick 14: P. Stojakovic (SF)| C: Dalembert/Varejao
Round 6/Pick 16: P. Millsap (PF) |
Round 7/Pick 14: B. Knight (PG) |
Round 8/Pick 16: M. Daniels (SG) | Picks are spread out here so it's
Round 9/Pick 14: E. Watson (PG) | difficult to gamble on as to whether
Round 10/Pick 16: A. Varejao (C) | a player will still be here in the
Round 11/Pick 14: M. Bonner (PF) | next round
Round 12/Pick 16: K. Humphries (PF) |
Round 13/Pick 14: S. Rodriguez (PG) |

Notes

- Duncan never slid this far in my other sim drafts, so I was fortunate to
get him here. He can also slip to center so Millsap can get more minutes
to develop
- Danny Granger is a very promising SF who can do it all. Rebounding needs
work though
+ I love Peja Stojakovic and have no problem drafting him in the 5th round
for his shooting. Gotta love that "99" 3-point rating. However, he is an
absolutely awful defender and a poor rebounder for someone 6'10", so it
may be wise to go after a Kyle Korver or Jason Kapono in later rounds
and draft elsewhere here
- Young backups are nice to have behind superstars. When given a "prospect"
role they rarely complain about their minutes
- Knight might not seem like an ideal PG, but with other a low post scorer
and good shooters, a scoring PG was not necessary. Knight is a terrific
perimeter defender
- Daniels is a solid perimeter defender, which matches well with Peja's
offense off the bench
- Every team needs a hustler. Waiting until the 10th round to get a quality
one in Anderson Varejao makes sense...even if the announcers can't
pronounce his last name
- Having and post player who can specialize in extending the defense with
his range is always a staple of my teams. Matt Bonner does that perfectly
- Never hurts to have another rebounding specialist like Humphries
- Rodriguez doesn't have the potential on the default rosters that he should
have, but he's still a steal at 13, especially if you edit this rating

____________________________________________________________________________

Draft 4 - Middle/Late Pick Team Record: 42-40 (8 Seed)

Round 1/Pick 23: M. Beasley (PF) | PG: Rose/Claxton
Round 2/Pick 7: D. Rose (PG) | SG: Bogans/Peterson/Redick
Round 3/Pick 23: R. Lewis (SF) | SF: Lewis/Bowen/Udoka
Round 4/Pick 7: Z. Ilgauskas (C) | PF: Beasley/Haslem
Round 5/Pick 23: U. Haslem (PF/C) | C: Z/Gadzuric
Round 6/Pick 7: B. Bowen (SF) |
Round 7/Pick 23: K. Bogans (SG) | This draft location is tricky because
Round 8/Pick 7: M. Peterson (SG) | of a late first rounder, two picks
Round 9/Pick 23: D. Gadzuric (C) | not super close to each other, and
Round 10/Pick 7: I. Udoka (SF) | a long layoff in between many of the
Round 11/Pick 23: J.J. Redick (SG) | rounds
Round 12/Pick 7: S. Claxton (PG) |

Notes

- Ok. Usually I'm not a fan of drafting a PF who still has to develop with my
first pick, primarily because there are so many good ones already, but this
is my draft for the future. 4 years from now this team should be winning
championships
+ Both Rose and Beasley should be in the 90s within 2-3 years with no
development at all, so having a good backup isn't needed
- Both Lewis and Beasley can alternate between SF and PF if necessary
- "Big Z" is one of my favorite players in the NBA today. Slower than a PS2
loading time but a good unorthodox post game and a sweet jumper. When he
gets tired, go small and push the ball
+ Ideally a good defender like Battier would be good in the 5th round, but
Z's lack of stamina is a concern, so getting a small, athletic PF/C like
Udonis Haslem is necessary, even if it is too early. The other young player
won't get tired as fast so their replacements aren't as important. The SG
is just a role player and can be added later
- I wanted Charlie Bell in the 6th round, but that would leave me with little
perimeter defense against superstars
- Keith Bogans is a serviceable stopper at SG until a better option comes
along. His contract is expiring in this draft so he is a good short-term
plug for the time being. Bowen would likely start against opposing scorers

____________________________________________________________________________

Draft 5 - Late Pick Team Record: 50-32 (1 Seed)

Round 1/Pick 28: E. Brand (PF) | PG: Billups/Lowry
Round 2/Pick 2: C. Billups (PG) | SG: Miller/Ross/Azubuike
Round 3/Pick 28: R. Jefferson (SF) | SF: Jefferson/Young
Round 4/Pick 2: M. Miller (SG) | PF: Brand/McDyess/White
Round 5/Pick 28: E. Dampier (C) | C: Dampier/Pryzbilla
Round 6/Pick 2: T. Young (SF) |
Round 7/Pick 28: J. Pryzbilla (C) | End-of-round picks are always a double-
Round 8/Pick 2: A. McDyess (PF) | edged sword. Picking here prevents a
Round 9/Pick 28: Q. Ross (SG) | superstar, but generally two All-Stars
Round 10/Pick 2: D.J. White (PF) | can be had. Be careful to balance your
Round 11/Pick 28: K. Lowry (PG) | team properly with the two close picks
Round 12/Pick 2: K. Azubuike (SG) |

Notes

- I love Dirk Nowitzki, but Brand is a more complete player. Rated A+ for
inside scoring, but the A on post defense is the big difference here
+ I wanted Joe Johnson with my 2nd pick, but he got taken one spot ahead of
me. Dirk is still available, which would create an absolutely devestating
post offense with Nowitzki's ability to spread the floor and create too.
Unfortunately I won't be able to get another pick until late in the 3rd
round, so the perimeter studs will be depleted by then, forcing me to take
a solid guard to balance out with Brand
- Normally I would prefer to take a All-Star potential player here at SG,
giving the team two primary scorers off the ball, but Billups is a very
solid PG with a strong balance between offense, defense, and intangibles
- The 3rd and 4th round picks are crucial because the 5th rounder will be by
far the least talented of all starters
- I really like Ilgauskas, but as the primary scorer at post. Since there
aren't any other decent centers, there isn't real big drop-off at that
position, so taking another guard works
- Plenty of scoring after the 4th round, time to stock up on defense and post
depth

******************************************************************************

G) Final Thoughts and Observations

After doing so many fantasy drafts in this year's game, I can honestly say
that it is the most balanced form of fantasy draft in any game I've ever
played. Teams do such a great job of balancing between young and old,
perimeter and post, and superstars and role players. From all 5 of my
example drafts, the highest win total was 55 games. That's balance.

Hopefully my experiences and advice will be helpful to those new to the
draft. To other vets like me, the draft rankings should be worthwile to
get a better idea as to how the computer AI thinks this year. Enjoy!

******************************************************************************

NBA 2k9 Fantasy Draft FAQ

Written by Lozenger4
email at [email protected]

______________________________________________________________________________