The Return of NBA Jam, Part I

The original two-man game is back!!!

Ross and I have been clamoring for the return of NBA Jam for years now, and in the last week blogs of both the video game and sports persuasion are now reporting that the game is coming to one or more consoles via download, like XBox Live Arcade or the Virtual Console (though ESPN's article says "retail", which would mean a packaged game). It hasn't officially been announced, but it seems like a reimagining of the game is coming to the Wii (exclusively, according to ESPN) or possibly the XBox360 as well (according to video game sites like Kotaku).

I figured this was a near-impossibility once Midway shut down (it declared bankruptcy last year), and though they sold the rights to some of their more famous IPs like Mortal Kombat, I didn't hear anything about NBA Jam. Seems like Electronic Arts has bought the rights, and here we are, contemplating what could be NBA Jam 2010.

It's a no-brainer that the graphics will be updated while keeping the gameplay basically the same. (I wouldn't hate on them if they kept to 16- or 32-bit graphics though for the full throwback effect, but they'll undoubtedly give the game some needed polish.)

So what will need to be updated, of course, are the rosters, and the announcer phrases. In an effort to get a bit of blog discussion going, what would the rosters look like? I'll take one of the divisions in the NBA and break it down, leaving the others up for grabs.

Since I'm going first, I'm picking the Southwest division. We're going NBA Jam rules, not NBA Tournament Edition where you could sub one or two players. Ideally you want starters, not players off of the bench, and different positions when possible (no small forward/power forward or shooting guard/point guard combos).

Dallas Mavericks - Dirk Nowitzki and Jason Kidd (no hating on J-Ho or JET, but this would be the best one-two punch)
Houston Rockets - Aaron Brooks and Carl Landry (Landry's not a starter, but I like him better than Scola, and his stats are slightly better, too)
Memphis Grizzlies - Rudy Gay and O.J. Mayo (Zach Randolph is working his tail off this year, but don't deny me Gay Mayo)
New Orleans Hornets - Chris Paul and David West (I thought this one was pretty easy)
San Antonio Spurs - Tim Duncan and Tony Parker (I'm dismissing Ginobili because he's not a starter and I don't want to see him in Big Head Mode)

BONUS: Announcer Phrase for 2010 (to be spoken after a shot that falls short of the rim)
"Short bus!"

(I think Dirk might have the copyright on "Short Bus" so this could be an opportunity for him to collect royalties.)

I look forward to additional input and additional rosters...