Gaming Friday: Guarding Kobe Bryant

I caught this feature on SportsCenter last night.  EA Sports and ESPN originally launched their Virtual Playbook inside the NFL season.  I recall sitting in front of the TV as I debated who to start in my upcoming fantasy football showdown only to see two Madden teams unveiled on the screen as ESPN's studio team directed their movements.  That floored me.  It was the best X's and O's scenario I'd seen in awhile and my eyes were wide open at the possibilities.

So now I'm super excited at the possibility of seeing this concept emerge in basketball.  And here it comes - last night showing a feature to preview the Lakers-Nuggets series.  I'm not going to lie, this wasn't exactly amazing to me.  I'm a little weirded out by the thought of Jon Barry in a suit trying to guard virtual Kobe.  I'd much rather see the NFL execution where Jon Barry directs JR Smith on how to stop Kobe.  But, that said, we did catch a glimpse.  This is a look into where things may go quickly -- where a virtual version of a basketball player shows up on a real court to teach.  I can't wait for the next round!