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NBA 2K17: Playing GM of the Memphis Grizzlies for five years

By Ryan Schmitz

Feb 5, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) and Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) battle for a rebound during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports
Feb 5, 2016; New York, NY, USA; New York Knicks forward Kristaps Porzingis (6) and Memphis Grizzlies center Marc Gasol (33) battle for a rebound during the first half at Madison Square Garden. Mandatory Credit: Adam Hunger-USA TODAY Sports /
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Year 2

Offseason Review

I had to resign or replace my whole staff except for trainer to start the offseason. I decided to move on with a new coaching staff since last year didn’t go as planned and David Fizdale isn’t a highly rated coach in 2K17. I went as all in as I could with my new staff. I hired one of the top scouts and assistant GMs in hope of making my job easier with bringing in and scouting talent. I first offered David Blatt my head coaching job since he had potential to still become an effective head coach in the league, but at the last second decided to hire William Goodrich. Goodrich had solid ratings in both defense and offense as a coach and had potential to become even better.

After not being satisfied what was left with on the board for my only first rounder, the 29th pick acquired from Trail Blazers trade, I decided it was best to trade it. The Clippers were willing to swap their first rounder in 2018 for the 29th pick which was a good deal considering we still had the 31st pick in the draft. I did decide to use the pick to take Myles Bridges out of Michigan State who looks to bring rebounding to the small forward position and could complement Chandler Parsons in the future.

Going into free agency, I knew I wouldn’t be able to go after any big name free agents since I had no salary cap room. Because of this I picked up both team options on Jordan Adams and Jarell Martin and extended a qualifying offer to  JaMychal Green. I knew the focus would be using my exceptions to gain some veterans who would improve the team weaknesses we had discovered in the previous season. I decided to target three players early on who were Leandro Barbosa, Ersan Ilyasova, and Iman Shumpert. While most teams were going for the big name free agents, we were able to sneak in cheap deals in which they all signed. Barbosa brings a point guard mentality to the shooting guard position that helps ball movement, while Shumpert should help our defense. Ilyasova provides some nice depth and can shoot with deep range.

"Grizzlies Off-Season trades in Year 2"

After those three signings and JaMychal Green accepting our qualifying offer, we had a roster of 18 with varying talents. The next goal was to trim the team down and pick which talents we needed by making a few offseason trades that helped the team instead of just dumping players for free. Getting Martin for a second rounder was essentially a move to get roster space for a player that wouldn’t make the team if he wasn’t moved.. Trading Chalmers was actually a priority of mine since he was one of the main issues with our turnover problem and Baldwin IV was starting to develop into a better option. Getting a first rounder for him, albeit from the Warriors, is a clear win and could be a future asset to gain an even better player. I debated the Thaddeus Young move for awhile, but the Pacers were selling low so I shipped some post depth and a first at a chance to have a more complete starting lineup again and not have to rely on power forward by committee.

Midseason Review

Going into the All-Star break, the Grizzlies had a 34-24 record and were fourth in the conference. That record was partially because of the trade that led to Avery Bradley becoming the new shooting guard. I had to trade Myles Bridges, Marcus Morris and the Clippers’ 2018 first rounder to acquire Bradley. Letting Tony Allen go last year was tough, but by bringing in Bradley who has a similar style of play with a potentially better offensive boost in 2K than Allen helps ease the pain of trading him. The deal also gave us a better option that Shumpert starting at shooting guard and Bradley could be the future of the team in the shooting guard position for awhile.

Postseason Overview

Luckily, the season ended with a hot streak and we finished 45-37 and got the fifth seed in the playoffs. Facing defending MVP Russell Westbrook and the Thunder was going to be a tough start for my first run in the playoffs. I game-planned accordingly and made Bradley shadow Westbrook the whole series. We pushed it to a Game 7 that ended up in overtime where we lost 117-115. Bradley held Westbrook in check, but Cameron Payne went off for 16 points per game and carried the weight of the team to that first round victory.

With Goodrich as coach, the team ran a slower style of play that led to the second lowest points per game, but also the lowest points against. The team still ranked low in rebounding, but I knew the acquisition of Young wasn’t going to help that and was hoping instead we could raise our points per game. Adding Shumpert, Barbosa, and Bradley did help our team however as we went from leading the league in turnovers per game to the second lowest.

"Year 2 Grizzlies Stats"

Season Notes:

  • Kevin Durant won MVP with the Warriors
  • Sixers and Warriors were the number one seeds while LeBron’s Cavaliers finished fourth in the East
  • Warriors beat the fifth seeded Orlando Magic in five games to win the Finals
  • 2018 is the year of Grizzlies retiring as Vince Carter, Tony Allen, Pau Gasol, and Mike Miller all hang up their jerseys
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