Alternate NBA 2K11 Player Ratings Are Kinder to Dwight Howard

Last week, we noted that the official player ratings for the NBA 2K11 videogame were rather uncharitable to Orlando Magic center Dwight Howard, who tied Brandon Roy and Joe Johnson for the tenth-best overall rating in the game. A gamer named Rashidi, who bills himself as "the Real 2K Insider," has posted his adjusted ratings for the game. And Howard fares far better here.

Here's where the league's top players stand in Rashidi's rankings:

Here, Howard far-and-away exceeds the league's other big men, besting Tim Duncan by five points. To see an interior player with such flaws in some key statistical categories--turnovers and free-throw percentage among them--so high on the list speaks to the premium Rashidi places on defense and rebounding, which are Howard's strengths.

The news isn't quite as good for some other Magic players. Rashidi's list costs Vince Carter three points (from 81 to 78) and Rashard Lewis four (76 to 72); however, Jameer Nelson gets a three-point boost (75 to 78). Interestingly, backup center Marcin Gortat (73) ranks behind only Howard, Carter, and Nelson on the team, again attesting to the value of defense and rebounding under this system.

A helpful, anonymous commenter at Rashidi's site points out that Nelson ranks as the 16th-best point guard, Carter as the 9th-best shooting guard, and Lewis the 34th-best power forward.

Clearly, the Magic have more on their mind than videogame ratings. But it is interesting to see how some gamers assess their skills, especially in relation to how they perform in real life. I am curious to see whether shifting Lewis' primary position from power forward to small forward in the videogame, as may be the case in real life, affects his rating.

Which rankings seem most fair or accurate to you: the stock 2K Sports set included in the game or Rashidi's custom set?