NBA 2K14 Player Ratings released, Utah Jazz roster predictably incomplete, outrageous

I've previously documented my hate/hate relationship with 2K Sports and their annual NBA basketball series. They are notorious Utah Jazz haters, from doing everything like starting Adam Keefe at center in NBA 2K12 on our legends team that made the finals instead of Greg Ostertag, to making sure a 1992 version of Karl Malone had his bad, balding look from 2002, in last year's NBA 2K13. I don't anticipate any generosity from them this time around in 2K14 -- but they know I'm still going to buy the game. (Seriously, what alternative do I have? Play REAL basketball instead during the winter? I spend the majority of my year between the midwest of the USA and Canada. I really only get snow as my default option for existence.)

Anyway, Operation Sports (effectively the SB Nation of video games that deal with sports) has a video where they go over every roster. It's in "simple" mode (where you get a letter grade instead of the specific mode where you see the actual value). So please note that these are not all the categories with which we can fret about our players on. There are more that aren't listed / scrolled over. (Things like FTs and Speeds, and so forth)

So, obviously let's talk about the omissions -- no Ian Clark (if he was signed by the Golden State Warriors you figure he makes the base game). No Jerel McNeal I can get, because he's got a strange situation. No Raul Neto I can also get. But no Ian Clark? He may end up starting some games for us this season. Well, I guess my dream of wearing #21 for the Jazz will continue until I get the game and download an accurate patch that reflects the real NBA.

The more obvious thing, I guess, is that Derrick Favors is our best player. I guess many of us saw this. They still hate on Gordon Hayward, making him worse than the two wings Golden State gave us. Even Alec Burks is ranked higher overall.

We can't get hung up over overall rating though. We have individual ratings to pull our hairs out about -- like Andris Biedrins being our highest rated defender. We also find things out like Gordon Hayward is our worst defender. It's almost as if the people who make these ratings don't even watch the Jazz. (Understatement of the off-season)

This appears to be a very bad roster according to 2K. We don't have a star player, and our starters are almost no better than our bench, and our bench is horrible. I'll be bumping these guys up and post the results. (I try to make them internally consistent with the rest of the NBA, and not based upon marketability)

Well, there's nothing left to do than look at the guys who have left the team . . .

Kevin Murphy continues to not catch a break, he's not even in the free agent pool. Hmm, Big Al is a better post defender than either Favors of Kanter. Okay. Sure. Earl Watson is a better offensive player than defensive. Okay. Fine. Paul Millsap is just as good scoring from the inside as he scores from the outside?

*table flip*

Thanks 2K sports. You have my money. But you'll never have my heart with these shenanigans.

And I had to peek into The Shums' Downbeat for tomorrow to see if he mentions this, and somehow he didn't. So this gets a full post. Because: offeason. That's why.