NBA 2K14 Ratings Released, NBA Live 14 Looks Great

Two months back I made my case that LeBron James should have a rating over 99--well into the 100s--in this fall's NBA 2K14. The King's digital self has maxed out for several years now, while his real life counterpart has improved by leaps and bounds in the past 16 months.

Well, NBA 2K14 has released the first batch of player ratings, and nope, James is still just a 99--a rating he achieved two years ago, after a disastrous NBA Finals, and a rating that's only one point higher than his rating as a 21-year-old kid.

At least James can take solace in the fact that he's distanced himself from his rival, the man widely considered as the second best player in the world--Kevin Durant, whose ratings fell a point to 94. Meanwhile, Carmelo Anthony is still laughably high at 94, while Paul George and Stephen Curry--the two breakout stars of the 2013 playoffs--both received a well-deserved boost to 88.

Other notable ratings include Russell Westbrook at 91, Derrick Rose at 92, and John Wall at 85. Kobe Bryant's rating hasn't been revealed yet, and truth be told, factoring in his devastating achilles injury and age, Mamba should--for the first time since the original NBA 2K--fall out of 90s.

Meanwhile, EA Sports' NBA Live 14 is back after a three year absence, and the first footage of coverboy Kyrie Irving looks great!