Some NBA teams are using NBA Live 09 as a testing device to explore the potential impact of trades and other front office roster decisions. In an interview with the Los Angeles Times, Rockets GM Daryl Morey said that he uses it to gauge team effectiveness when certain players have the ball. He elaborated with an example:
… you can tell how often, if [Kevin] Love throws an outlet pass, how often his team scores on the possession. You can tell how often [O.J.] Mayo goes right versus left, how effective the team is with Mayo pulling up and shooting versus when he pulls up and passes instead.
The article goes on to state that up to 15 teams are currently using Electronic Arts’ latest basketball product to their own advantage. 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 is constantly updated and directly affects gameplay.
The one thing Dynamic DNA can’t do is stop Ron Artest from beating up people who care enough to show up for a basketball game. It also can’t stop Shaquille O’Neal from rapping, or the Pacers from being terrible.
[Via Kotaku]
