NBA Live used by NBA teams, Pacers still suck

The NBA says about half of the league’s 30 teams employ NBA Live 09 in making personnel evaluations, which, y’know, makes Electronic Arts all kinds of happy.

What makes NBA Live 09 better than the competition, NBA 2K9, is a feature called Dynamic DNA. Essentially, the DNA system is a statistical aggregator that feeds new information such as shot and scoring tendencies directly into the game. The reason why GMs would want to use it is that it’s constantly updated and directly affects gameplay.

Daryl Morey, general manager of the Houston Rockets, is a devotee of talent-evaluation demigod Billy Beane (the general manager of Major League Baseball’s Oakland Athletics), and swears by video games — and not as a diversion.

“I don’t play EA Sports as a game. I use it as a tool,” he says.

Pretty impressive, right? I mean, it sounds like NBA Live just can’t be stopped by anything, right?

Yeah, keep thinking that.

Eat My Sports: Love Shaq

In regards to Valentine’s Day, and amongst the swirling rumors that Bryan McBournie and I are in a “tiff,” I’m putting down the gloves this week. I’m also leaving the NFL alone … until the draft.

Last week the NBA’s version of the Miami Dolphins, ironically enough the Miami Heat, traded All-Star Center Shaquille “Nick Nolte, I’m sorry about ‘Blue Chips'” O’Neal to the Phoenix Suns. I would under normal circumstances mention who those players were, but the Heat suck, so they get nothing, not even in love week. So, The Big Aristotle got dealt, and I feel like the only one who thinks that this was bigger than the trades that got the Big Three into Boston. Side note: Dear New England, I don’t hate the Celtics or Bruins, I love the Sox, it’s just the Pats, Boston’s a baseball town anyway. Continue reading Eat My Sports: Love Shaq