15 Years of Gaming, Part 13 (2007)

2007 was a year of top-flight studios doing top-flight work. Everyone, from Bungie to BioWare to Infinity Ward, can lay a legitimate claim at being the best at what they do. Among everything else, however, this was a year of great intellectualism in video games. BioWare and Mass Effect are, in my opinion, two of the most cerebral games of their time, and that's not to mention the mind-bending brilliance of Portal. 2007 was very, very, good. Perhaps not as good as I might have thought when it happened, but hindsight has been kind to 07.


BioShock
Release Date: August 21, 2007.
Platform: 360 (PS3 in 2008)
ESRB Rating: M
Developer/Publisher: 2k Boston/2k Games
GameRankings: 95%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 9.1/10 (Great)

As far as the "Games as Art" discussion goes, you probably agree with me, unless you're Roger Ebert (in which case, hello, Mr. Ebert! How are you? Thanks for reading!). Games are just as viable an art form as any other medium, albeit an art form still in its infancy, trying to figure out what works and what doesn't, working out its more sophomoric elements. This has defined the past 15 years in gaming as much as anything else, and seems to be the one hurdle games will need to clear in order to be recognized by the arts (not necessarily by the public, as "art" is rarely a major selling point).

There will come a time when BioShock is recognized as a turning point in that struggle. Set in an underwater objectivist dystopia, BioShock is as much "Atlas Shrugged" as it is "Doom." Creepy, atmospheric and sometimes downright chilling, BioShock's world design set a new standard in attention to detail. Unfortunately, for me, that is where its brilliance ends. While by no means a boring game, the gameplay left something to be desired, at least compared to more polished shooters, and the plotline itself was merely average, with perhaps a few standard moments ("Would You Kindly go up to Ryan's office, and kill the son of a bitch?"). It really came to the point where finding audio tapes, piecing together Rapture's fall and exploring the breathtaking views of the North Atlantic ocean floor were more entertaining to me that anything to do with Fontaine or Ryan.

Halo 3
Release Date: September 25, 2007.
Platform: Xbox 360
ESRB Rating: M
Developer/Publisher: Bungie/Microsoft
GameRankings: 93.53%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 9.3/10 (Great)

The end of the original Halo trilogy (I say that because the upcoming Halo 4 is meant to be the beginning of a second trilogy) was, honestly, shorter than I anticipated. But it, at least, was a full game (ahem, Halo 2). A full game that brought up a lot of themes and situations first brought up in the first game full circle, themes that were, for the most part, neglected in the still stellar second game. It stands as the culmination of Bungie's vision for the series, a vision of a vast, vehicular space odyssey represented by the Covenant combined with the personal, almost claustrophobic horror of the Flood (who were finally a significantly less annoying foe).

The multiplayer was, to this date, the best multiplayer yet seen in one of the genre's most influential games. Halo 3 might not be the best Halo game, but it's certainly the most Halo-like, and still stands as one of the landmark games in the medium.

Half-Life 2: Episode Two/Portal/Team Fortress 2 (The Orange Box)
Release Date: October 10, 2007.
Platform: PC/360
ESRB Rating: M/T/M
Developer/Publisher: Valve
GameRankings: 90%/89.15%/92%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 9.3/9.5/9.0 out of 10 (Great, on all counts)

I'm going to say this in no uncertain terms: The Orange Box is, to this point, the best deal in the history of videogaming. It's not even close. Not only do you get the three games listed in the description, but also the original Half-Life 2, updated for the 360, and the first sequel episode. Both of them have been detailed in this countdown before, so I won't spend any more time on them, suffice it to say both are worth playing an buying, not to mention the other games.

And make no mistake, those other games are all worthy of being on this list on their own. I just figured I should put them together for brevity's sake. I'll talk about them on their own, here, one by one.

First off is the most recent (grrr) game in the Half-Life series, Episode Two. A bigger, more diverse game than its direct predecessor, Episode Two ends on a cliffhange that is still just as affecting as it was in 2007, and takes the series in direction almost unthinkable based on the ending of the original HL2. The (then) three year old Source engine still looked magnificent.

Next we have Portal, which was, more or less, an experiment for Valve. Based off a student game called Narbacular Drop, Portal is, at its core, a physics simulator, albeit an extremely fun and funny one. Laced with a sense of dark humor the likes of which have rarely been seen in anything outside Monty Python. There's not a whole I can say about Portal that wouldn't spoil it for you if you haven't played it, aside for the fact that it is unlike anything that came before it. A sublimely unique experience.

And Team Fortress 2? Well, that's nothing but a hat simulator. Wish people still played it on the 360, though.

Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare
Release Date: November 5, 2007.
Platform: PC/360/PS3
ESRB Rating: M
Developer/Publisher: Infinity Ward/Activision
GameRankings: 94%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 8.3/10 (Good)

And here we have the first entry in the world's most popular gaming franchise. Which is actually the sixth (or so) entry in another of the world's most popular gaming franchises. A franchise I'm willing to bet at least 60% of current CoD fans have never played. Oh, who am I kidding? 60% of CoD fans have never even played the campaigns for the Modern Warfare games.

Modern Brofare fans aside, this was a solid shooter, full on intensity and the kind of historical attention to detail most military shooters can't even dream of. Good game, but pretty easily the worst of the good games this year, for me.

Mass Effect
Release Date: November 20, 2007.
Platform: 360/PC
ESRB Rating: M
Developer/Publisher: BioWare/Microsoft
GameRankings: 91.15%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 9.2/10 (Great)

Ah, Mass Effect. Aside from Jade Empire (which, as I've covered, is a woefully overlooked game), Mass Effect was the first new IP from BioWare in quite some time, and they delivered magnificently. Set in a sort of amalgamate sci-fi universe, Mass Effect touches upon every good sci-fi cliche there is (and, to be fair, a few bad ones as well). Like most everything BioWare does, it's extremely well-written and paced, and features a plethora of interesting characters for the player to interact with and difficult moral quandaries from which the player must extricate themselves, all of which is supported by top flight voice acting (looking at you, Brandon Keener).

And, like all BioWare games, it's a game world that is believable as more than just an arena to shoot things in. It's a complex and intricate society, with its own history of prejudices and hopes and fears. Learning about these things (primarily though the wonderful Codex entries) is a significant part of the game's brilliance. But more than that, it's a remarkably interesting universe to look at and, eventually, explore. The galactic exploration system was nothing short of breathtaking upon first playthrough, and it never really gets old. The great vacuum of space has never looked so interesting.

15 Years of Gaming, Part 12 (2006)

2006 was the first full year of life for the Xbox 360, and it was a year dominated by that machine. Despite a litany of hardware problems, the 360 jumped out to a lead that it only recently lost to the Play Station 3. I bought a 360 in June of this year.



The Elder Scrolls IV: Oblivion
Release Date: March 20, 2006
Platform: Xbox 360/PC/PS3
ESRB Rating: M
Developer/Publisher: Bethesda Game Studios/2k Games
GameRankings: 94%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 9.2/10 (Great)

Here's an anecdote. In the summer of 2006 (late June/early July, mainly), my friend and I procured a copy of Oblivion for play on my still brand new Xbox 360. We played for, literally, an entire week. I beat the main storyline, he didn't. He beat the fighter's guild storyline, I didn't. Regardless, we both put at least 35 hours into it. I felt like I had gotten as much out of it as I had any other game I had ever played.

A few weeks later, I was talking to a different friend, one whom I consider the biggest Bethesda fan I know. He was telling me of some of the random things he'd done and found, and I came to a realization. He was talking about towns and dungeons I'd never even discovered, in areas I'd never ever been to. That should give you some inkling of just how huge Oblivion's game world is.

This should give you some sense of how beautiful it is. This game has one of the best night skies in the history of gaming.

Hitman: Blood Money
Release Date: May 30, 2006.
Platform: Xbox 360/PC/PS2/XBOX
ESRB Rating: M
Developer/Publisher: IO Interactive/Eidos
GameRankings: 82%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 7.7/10 (Above Average)

I had never played a Hitman game before I downloaded the Blood Money demo on a whim. That was a good decision. Dark, stylish, and morally ambiguous, this entry in the series hinges (as I imagine they all do) on how, exactly, one would go about murdering seemingly untouchable people for money.

Not the most endearing premise, not the most endearing protagonist. But there's a certain charm in finding these solutions, and they never fail to deliver on their dark comedic potential.

Also, the credits sequence is possibly the greatest in the history of the medium.

Half-Life 2: Episode One
Release Date: June 1, 2006.
Platform: Xbox 360/PC/PS3
ESRB Rating: M
Developer/Publisher: Valve Corporation
GameRankings: 86%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 8.8/10 (Very Good)

You won't find me spouting many (or any) negatives about the Half-Life games on here, but if there is one to be found about Episode One, it's that the game perhaps plays it safe a little too much. The majority of the game takes place in the same general area as the last third of the original HL2. From a plotting perspective, this makes sense, and it certainly doesn't mean the game is repetitive in any way, but it is perhaps a little unexpected from a series and developer so noted for their never-ending creativity.

All that being said, HOLY SHIT A NEW HALF-LIFE LESS THAN TWO YEARS AFTER THE LAST ONE.

Final Fantasy XII
Release Date: October 31, 2006.
Platform: PlayStation 2
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: Square Enix/Ubisoft Entertainment
GameRankings: 90.64%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 7.8/10 (Above Average)

Final Fantasy XII was billed by many reputable critics as the "Best Game of 2006." As much as it pains me to say, I heartily disagree. FFXII was, in many ways, an unmitigated train wreck. It's storyline, while by no means simple, seemed to lack the same impetus as the series' best. Maybe this should be blamed on the characters, who, for the most part, aren't nearly compelling enough to warrant making a 40+ hour journey with.

The gameplay seemed to me to be a derivative of KOTOR's battle system, and while this certainly wasn't a bad thing, it didn't come across as a more modern or necessary system than the pure turn based system the series had become famous with. FFX was still a blast to play in 2006 and it's still a blast to play now. If it a'int broke...

Still, FFXII was by no means a bad game. Being the least compelling Final Fantasy of the past ten years still means it was more compelling than most major games could ever aspire to be.

Guitar Hero II
Release Date: November 7, 2006.
Platform: Xbox 360/PlayStation 2
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: Harmonix/Activision
GameRankings: 93%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 7.6/10 (Above Average)

Behold! TWO COVERS!

The Guitar Hero series was, quite possibly, the biggest flash in the pan in the history of the entire medium. Appropriately, it was a one-hit wonder (that actually had two hits). The first game, while seen critically as ingenious, wasn't quite the pop culture phenomenon some would have you believe (though it was certainly an unexpected success). The second had a build up usually reserved for the Triple A developers (or at least a Madden game), and it really lived up to it.

Sure, there were still a disconcerting amount of cover versions, and sure, the game's difficulty curve would be better expressed as a difficulty cliff, but it was unimaginably fun to play, and never really seemed to lose that "just one more" luster, which is a rare feat indeed. There have been other (possibly better) games in the series since, but GH2 was the first one I played, so it holds a spot in my gaming heart the other's can't replicate.

Plus, it had "Trogdor" in it.

Gears of War
Release Date: November 7, 2006.
Platform: Xbox 360
ESRB Rating: M
Developer/Publisher: Epic Games/Microsoft Game Studios
GameRankings: 94%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 9.0/10 (Great)

The Gears of War series has, perhaps more than any other, carried the proverbial torch for the Xbox 360. Released a little over a year after the system's debut, Gears (or GoW 1), blew away any and all expectations I had for it. Unique, visceral and maddeningly intense, it was the rare cover based shooting game in which you actually felt afraid to leave cover, for fear that poking your head out would cause you to lose it.

The game also had a very smooth control system and a driven, purposeful setting that really brought it's points home to you, managing to be that rare post-apocalyptic game that didn't feel like an epilogue to something. Perhaps the characters were a little one-note (as in, every character fulfills the same, exact note), and maybe the plot didn't delve as deep as the setting would seem to demand, but Gears 1 was blisteringly intense and well worth a play today, never mind when it came out.

The Legend of Zelda: Twilight Princess
Release Date: November 19, 2006.
Platform: Nintendo Wii/Gamecube
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: Nintendo EAD
GameRankings: 95%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 8.4/10 (Good)

Full disclosure: I never beat Twilight Princess. In fact, I barely played it. Perhaps four hours of my life have been spent playing this game. Then why is it on this list? Simple: it's a Zelda game, it's going to above average almost by default.

That being said, what I did play was damned good and seemed to be an interesting variation of the modern Zelda combat system we've all come to know and love over the past two decades.

Eventually, someone in my circle of close friends/family will get a Wii, and I'll play TP.

The Top Batman Themes

This is something I might do from time to time. A randomly initiated top 5 list of something sports or pop culture related. With Arkham City consuming a significant portion of my life for the past week, I figured Batman theme songs would be a good choice.

The Caped Crusader has a history of adaptation (to the big screen, the small screen, and the game screen) rivaled only by Superman, DC's other heavy hitter. Because of this, he has more than enough solid theme songs to fill a Top 5, and then some. Because of that, these aren't really numbered, but you can consider them in order.

So, without further adieu.


Honorable Mention: The Adam West Theme

Sure, it's kitschy. Sure, it's cheesy. Sure, it stands as an antithesis to everything Batman has been since the 1980s. It's still Batman, it's still entertaining, and it's still Adam West.

Besides, what's a Batman list without it? (na na na na na na na na BATMAN).




Batman (1989) Theme

Dark, foreboding, and powerful. This was Tim Burton's Batman, and this was his theme song. I generally don't care for Danny Elfman, but this is as solid a theme as you can ask for. That it seems to have been the basic inspiration for the Animated Series Theme is an added bonus. I know that some of the later Burton/Schumaker themes might have been more elaborate and explosive, but this was the song they all sprung from, and the differences aren't really that huge.




Batman Beyond Theme

If Tim Burton's Batman films were dark, Batman Beyond was downright midnight. Set in a near-dystopian future Gotham in which Bruce Wayne has been forced into retirement, Beyond follows his successor (and secret biological son, apparently. Stupid arc.) Terry McGinnis, with his turn of the millenium version-cool high tech Batman suit. As silly as it might sound, the show drew heavily from the Animated Series (never a bad thing), and featured possibly the greatest animated Batman film, Return of the Joker.




Batman Begins Theme


Christopher Nolan's 2005 reboot of the Batman film series still stands as one of the triumphant moments of this Batman fan's fandom. It was (and still is) a revelation. The Hans Zimmer soundtrack didn't hurt, either.

Batman: Mask of the Phantasm Theme

The Batman: Mask of the Phantasm theme is, more or less, a semi-orchestrated version of the Animated Theme, which makes sense, considering it was basically three full length Animated episodes put together. But, my God, was it good. This, more than anything is responsible for informing me just exactly what a good Batman story was.



Batman: Arkham Asylum Theme

I feel like I've already used the word "foreboding" a little too much. How about "psychologically ominous." Because that's what Arkham Asylum was. It took the humanity, pacing, and talent (Mark Hamill, Kevin Conroy, Paul Dini) from the Animated series and mixed with the sheer psychological intensity of the best Batman graphic novels and one shots (A Serious House on Serious Earth, Killing Joke, etc), then threw in a pinch of the Nolan's films pacing. But still, this isn't meant to be a review of the game itself. Just the theme. Which represents all of those ideas magically. It was so great to hear this on the title screen.



The Dark Knight Theme

Like all great sequels, The Dark Knight took the best things from its predecessor, enhanced them, cultivated them, and then lit them on fire and kicked them, screaming, from a cliff. You can hear a lot of that in this theme, which is far removed from the broody themes of previous Batman films. This is where the shit hits the fan. Also, the shit is on fire.




Batman: Arkham City Theme

Similarly to the Dark Knight, Arkham City takes everything that the original did correctly (which was almost everything) and improves it. You can hear the similarities in theme. But where the Dark Knight theme seems to dispense with the brooding, the Arkham City theme embraces it, becoming some sort of apocalyptic cacophony of all things Batman, which is a pretty good description for the game, as well.

Batman: The Animated Series Theme

You had to know this was coming, right? The best theme song not only in the animated realm, but possible all of television as well, the B:TAS theme lets you know right off the Bat that this Batman is not to be fucked with. Dark, exciting, human and explosive, this theme is everything you need to know about Batman in a tidy, 60 second shell. This theme is vengeance. This theme is the night. This theme...IS...BATMAN.

Extra Credit: The Justice League Theme

Not quite a Batman show, the Justice League was a both a fitting successor and a natural continuation of both the Batman and Superman Animated Series. Besides, it was as much Batman's show as it was anyone else's. It's too good an intro not to use.

Extra Special Credit: The Batusi!

15 Years of Gaming, Part 11 (2005)

2005 was a relatively quiet year, titles wise. It more than makes up for this in major console releases. It's often a common occurrence that the dying embers of a console generation results in a creative wellspring of great games, and the Sixth Generation was no different. It just so happens that the wellspring was centered more around 2004 than 2005. Still, some solid games.


Resident Evil 4
Release Date: January 11, 2005.
Platform: Gamecube (later others)
ESRB Rating: M
Developer/Publisher: Capcom
GameRankings: 95.75%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 8.6/10 (Very Good)

You might have noticed that this is the first Resident Evil game on my little countdown. Honestly, I could have easily put the first three on here and not had a second thought. The reason I didn't might seem somewhat trivial, but it's simple: RE4 made the others obsolete. Adopting a 3rd person, over the shoulder camera angle and a faster version of the survival-based gameplay Resident Evil made so famous, without sacrificing any of the terror the franchise so easily conjures. It doesn't hurt that RE4 was one of the best looking games of its time, either.

Another point I want to make about this game is how it legitimized the Gamecube as a viable outlet for M rated games. Nintendo's reputation since the N64 has been as a kid-centered console, with kid-centered games. This is a stereotype that they surely embrace and perpetuate, but it's a stereotype nonetheless. RE4 almost single-handedly changed that for good. That's quite a feat.

Star Wars: Republic Commando
Release Date: March 1, 2005
Platform: XBOX/PC
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: LucasArts/Activision
GameRankings: 80.23%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 7.1/10 (Solid)

Republic Commando, for all it's faults, is a solid game. It's not here because it's a Star Wars game. It's here because it's a good game. A surprisingly visceral, claustrophobic shooter with surprisingly adept squad AI and characterization, RC is possibly the only non-flight simulator Star Wars game you'll ever play with no lightsabers in sight. That's probably not as easy to do as you might think.

I mentioned the game's faults earlier, and I feel as though they need to be addressed. Don't fret, it's not as is these faults are some crippling gameplay mechanic, texture glitch or compatibility error. They're much simpler than that. It's just too short a game. A 10 hour campaign (at most) and a sparse, barely there multiplayer don't bode well for the ever-important replayability. Because of this, I rented the game once, then never played it again. I doubt I ever will. Still, it was fun.

Jade Empire
Release Date: April 12, 2005.
Platform: XBOX/PC
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: BioWare/Microsoft
GameRankings: 89%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 8.4/10 (Good)

Since their explosion as a Triple A gaming studio in the latter part of the 90s, nearly every one of BioWare's games has been both critically and commercially successful, and revered by their fans. Jade Empire is certainly no exception. The key between this game and the rest of BioWare's storied catalogue is that Jade Empire has never gotten a sequel. There have been hints that BioWare was interested, but fan (and more importantly, commercial) interests have never seemed to be all that intense.

This is a shame, because Jade Empire, much like literally every BioWare game, features a fully realized and convincing world for you to inhabit. This one, a creation of BioWare's own substantial creativity, draws heavy inspiration from various Chinese myths and legends. Combining this with the studios tried and true ability to write convincing social criticism, class conflict, ethical dilemma, and dry humor, and you have an uncommonly intelligent game. The fighting system is solid, too. Also, John Cleese shows up for a bit.

Star Wars: Battlefront II
Release Date: November 1, 2005.
Platform: XBOX/PS2/PC
ESRB Rating: T
Developer/Publisher: Pandemic Studios/LucasArts
GameRankings: 85.32%
Completely Arbitrary Personal Score: 7.6/10 (Above Average)

More mayhem! More factions! More levels! More space stuff! This is the main draw of Battlefront II, and it delivers on that premise gloriously. Nothing more, nothing less. There is a surprisingly contemplative Temuera Morrison voice over between the so-called campaign levels, but it's only there because Temuera Morrison is awesome and we all deserve more of him. Other than that, it's really just an advanced version of the same batshit craziness that made the original Battlefront one of the most gleefully replayable offline shooters since Perfect Dark. I played this game last year, five years after release, and it's still unfairly fun in short bursts. Play it.

Lockout to Lockout, the Atlantic Division: Part 4

Philadelphia 76ers

The Sixers were the first team from the Atlantic Division to make the NBA Finals after the Lockout, and it was due primarily to the man in the picture above me, Allen Iverson (sure, the shotblocking combo og Dikembe Mutombo and Theo Ratliff was also responsible, but AI was still a force in 01). Thusly, most of their roster is from that era (wassup, Matt Geiger?).

#    Player                       Ht/Wt         Position       Tenure w/Team       # of Games      PPG     Other Stat
1    Samuel Dalembert    6-11/250    C                 2001-2010             582 Games       8.1        1.9 Blocks
3     Allen Iverson          6-0/165       G                1996-2007, 10        722 Games       27.6       2.3 Steals
8     Aaron McKie          6-5/210      SG               1998-2005             536 Games       7.8        3.0 Assists
9    Andre Iguodala        6-6/210      G/F              2004-Present          553 Games      15.6      4.8 Assists
9    Kenny Thomas         6-7/260      F                 2003-2005             167 Games       12.0   8.7 Rebounds
11   Jrue Holiday            6-3/180      PG              2009-Present           155 Games      11.2      5.2 Assists
20   Eric Snow               6-3/190      PG              1997-2004              417 Games       10.5     7.1 Assists
21   Thaddeus Young     6-8/220      F                 2007-Present           298 Games     12.5    4.9 Rebounds
23   Louis Williams         6-2/175     G                 2005-Present           391 Games       10.7      2.9 Assists
42    Theo Ratliff             6-10/220   F/C             1997-2001, 09         261 Games       10.0     2.9 Blocks
52    Matt Geiger           7-0/245      C                 1998-2002              154 Games       9.9     5.8 Rebounds
55    Dikembe Mutombo  7-2/245    C                 2001-2002              106 Games       11.5     2.4 Blocks


Lots of shotblocking defense on this team. Where/when will Matt Geiger play? Would anyone care? The most noticeable flaw on this team is the lack of scoring in the post. No offense to Kenny Thomas, but I'm not sure he'd be my number one option in a theoretical tournament of this magnitude. Still, Philly looks like they'd do so damage.


Prospective Depth Chart


C      Dikembe Mutombo          Samuel Dalembert        Matt Geiger
PF    Theo Ratliff                      Kenny Thomas
SF    Andre Iguodala                Thaddeus Young            
SG    Allen Iverson                   Aaron McKie
PG    Jrue Holiday                     Eric Snow                   Louis Williams

Lockout to Lockout, the Atlantic Division: Part 3

New Jersey Nets

First thing's first: the Lockout to Lockout Nets will go as far as Jason Kidd can take them. Thankfully for New Jersey, Jason Kidd will take them quite far. As a two time Eastern Conference Champion (admittedly, during one of the weakest periods in the conference's history), Kidd's Nets were a dangerous squad capable of beating anyone in the East and competing with anyone in the West (that 2003 series was competitive). Here is their roster.

#       Player                  Ht/Wt          Position      Tenure w/Team      # of Games      PPG       Other Stat
4       Keith Van Horn   6-10/220     F                1997-2002            314 Games      18.2       7.6 Rebounds
5       Devin Harris        6-3/185       PG              2008-2011           212 Games       17.8       7.0 Assists
5       Jason Kidd          6-4/205       PG             2001-2008            506 Games       14.6       9.1 Assists
6       Kenyon Martin    6-9/235       PF              2000-2004            283 Games       15.1      1.4 Blocks
11     Brook Lopez       7-0/260       C               2008-Present         246 Games       17.4      7.6 Rebounds
12     Lucious Harris     6-5/190       G               1997-2004             456 Games       7.7        2.6 Rebounds
12     Nenad Krstic       7-0/240       C               2004-2008            226 Games        11.3     5.7 Rebounds
24     Richard Jefferson  6-7/220      SF             2001-2008             489 Games       17.4      5.4 Rebounds
30     Kerry Kittles        6-5/180      SG             1996-2004             496 Games        14.3     1.6 Steals
30     Stephon Marbury  6-2/180     G                1999-2001            172 Games        23.0      8.1 Assists
34     Aaron Williams     6-9/220     F/C             2000-2004            336 Games        7.2       4.7 Rebounds
54     Rodney Rogers     6-7/235     F                 2002-2004            137 Games        7.4       4.2 Rebounds


As you can see, Jason Kidd isn't the team's only threat. He is joined in the backcourt by Kerry Kittles, Lucious Harris, Stephon Marbury and Devin Harris. Perhaps there might not be enough basketballs to go around, but anyone can do it, it's Jason Kidd. The frontcourt, while not as deep as the backcourt, still looks to be effective, with Keith Van Horn, Kenyon Martin, Richard Kefferson and Brook Lopez.


Prospective Depth Chart


C      Brook Lopez             Aaron Williams          Nenad Krstic
PF    Kenyon Martin          Keith Van Horn
SF    Richard Jefferson       Rodney Rogers
SG    Kerry Kittles             Lucious Harris
PG    Jason Kidd               Stephon Marbury        Devin Harris

Lockout to Lockout, the Atlantic Division: Part 2

New York Knicks

The 2000s were not a good decade for the New York Knicks, and their roster, for the most part, reflects that. If Amar'e Stoudemire and/or Carmelo Anthony were eligible, it would be a slightly different story. But the fact remains that probably the best individual Knicks player of the decade was Stephon Marbury. I decided against using him here (he was better, and less devastating to his own team, across the river in New Jersey). So, here are the Knicks

#    Player                  Ht/Wt      Position       Tenure w/Team       # of Games       PPG        Other Stat
4    Nate Robinson     5-9/180    G                2005-2010            312 Games       12.5         2.8 Assists
5    Bill Walker           6-6/220   G/F             2010-2011            88 Games          7.0          2.3 Rebounds
6    Landry Fields       6-7/210    SG             2010-2011            82 Games          9.7           6.4 Rebounds
8    Danilo Gallinari     6-10/225  F                2010-2011            157 Games        13.7        4.3 Rebounds
8    Latrell Sprewell    6-5/190    SG             1998-2003            351 Games        17.9         3.8 Assists
9    Jared Jeffries        6-11/230  F                2006-2010, 11      260 Games        4.3           3.9 Rebounds
20  Allan Houston      6-6/200    SG             1996-2005            602 Games         18.5        2.5 Assists
21  Wilson Chandler   6-8/220   SF              2007-2011            233 Games         14.0        5.2 Rebounds
23   Toney Douglas    6-2/190    G               2009-2011            137 Games         9.8          2.6 Assists
34   Eddy Curry         7-0/295    C               2005-2010            222 Games         15.2        5.8 Rebounds
40   Kurt Thomas       6-9/230   F/C             1998-2005            530 Games         11.2        7.9 Rebounds
42   David Lee           6-9/250   F/C             2005-2010            368 Games         13.0        6.8 Rebounds

This team's success would seem to be predicated mostly on some combination of supernatural luck and heavenly blessing, because it is not particularly talented group. David Lee, Latrell Sprewell and Allan Houston would seem to be the main threats, with contributing performances from Wilson Chandler, Danilo Gallinari, Landry Fields and Kurt Thomas, but still. Let's not delude ourselves. The Lockout to Lockout Knicks would most likely get destroyed.


Prospective Depth Chart


C       Kurt Thomas              Eddy Curry
PF     David Lee                  Danilo Gallinari            Jared Jeffries
SF     Landry Fields             Wilson Chandler
SG     Allan Houston            Latrell Sprewell           Bill Walker
PG     Nate Robinson           Toney Douglas