We are back with another edition of Can I Make Marbury a Hall of Famer?
At this point, we’re not really scrambling to build his case anymore. We’re just stacking seasons. Anything else he adds to the résumé now is just icing on the cake, in my opinion.
The other cool part? I get to keep the Knicks dynasty alive and reshape careers that didn’t quite pan out the way we hoped in real life. And like I said before, eventually I want to team up Lonzo / Ja / Zion and see what I can do with that trio. I love the idea of pairing Ja and Zion especially since they’re both from South Carolina — and that’s where we moved when I was in 7th grade. So yeah, I claim that too.
2012–2013 Season Recap
We just wrapped up the 2012–2013 season.
Regular season? Successful.
We locked up the 2-seed behind the Pacers, who were led by league MVP Chris Paul. Honestly, he had a real MVP case back in ’08 in real life, so I’m not mad at him getting one here.
Playoffs? Disappointing.
We made it to the second round and lost in seven to a young Wizards squad led by John Wall and Bradley Beal. I love when 2K simulations let real-life teammate duos actually develop together.
If I’m remembering right, we also went seven games in the first round. So it just felt like we were grinding every series. Melo averaged just over 21 in the playoffs, which is low for him during this Knicks run. Honestly, I think we just ran out of gas.
Individual Performances
The regular season, though? Very strong.
We had two All-Stars:
- Melo (of course)
- And surprisingly… Donte Greene
Marbury averaged 18 and 9, which is solid, but Greene went for 17 and 8 on 57/43/83 splits and snagged the All-Star nod. Wasn’t expecting that at all, but we’ll take it.
Melo averaged 24/8/6 on 56/40/83 splits and grabbed another Second Team All-NBA selection. That second forward spot is tough to crack with Bron, KD, Dirk, Blake, and somehow Bargnani sitting at a 91 overall in this sim. I’m assuming Bron has one First Team spot locked up every year, so everyone else is fighting for the second one.
Tyrus Thomas also added another Second Team All-Defense to his résumé — on top of the rings he already has.
Draft Night Decisions
As usual, I rarely run back the exact same squad.
I’ve somehow built a constant stockpile of first-round picks. I just keep flipping them for future firsts. One day I might bundle them all for a superstar.
This year, I ended up with the No. 1 pick via Detroit.
Going through that draft reminded me how weak that class really was. That’s the Anthony Bennett draft. But it’s also the Giannis draft — and as we know, he’s clearly the best player from that group.
So even though he doesn’t fit my long-term series plans, I had to take Giannis first overall. I probably won’t keep him long-term, even though that would be the logical move. It just doesn’t fit where I want this story to go.
The only other draftee I kept was Lucas Nogueira. I used to love grabbing him in custom draft classes back in the day, so I had to snag him for nostalgia purposes.
Lineup + Future Plans
My starting lineup remains:
Marbury / JR Smith / Melo / Greene / Thomas
Bench:
Flynn / Giannis / Shumpert / Fredette / Nogueira
I think after this year, Marbury will regress enough that Flynn can overtake him overall. The goal? Move Marbury into a 6th Man role and hopefully add a Sixth Man of the Year to his résumé. Again — icing on the cake.
Do I think we’re good enough for another ring? Maybe. Maybe not.
The wild card is Giannis.
He’s already a 77 overall, and because of how 2K updates historical classes, he’s way better at this stage in the game than he actually was as a rookie. That’s one thing I wish 2K would adjust. Giannis obviously became Giannis — but he didn’t look like the best player in his draft after Year 1. I wish the classes reflected development more gradually.
Still, he’s going to be huge for us off the bench.
Possible Offseason Shake-Up
I might make a semi-major switch this offseason.
I’m strongly considering drafting Andrew Wiggins to slot him into the starting lineup as a defensive stopper and move JR into a sixth-man scoring role. That might balance things better.
There’s also a real chance I trade Giannis for something major and build differently. Or I keep him one more year and see what happens.
Honestly? I’ll see how I’m feeling when the offseason hits.
Marbury Résumé Update
No additions this year, but here’s where he stands:
- 6× Champion
- 3× Finals MVP
- 2× MVP
- 8× All-Star
- 2× First Team All-NBA
- 2× Second Team All-NBA
- 2× Third Team All-NBA
- All-Rookie First Team
We’re nearing the end.
I doubt we have many seasons left with Marbury. One or two more. Maybe three max. The Marbury era is closing soon.
Stay tuned.
– Jett Garden
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