Darvin Ham is Not to Blame

The Lakers have dismissed Darvin Ham as head coach after only two seasons. Let’s discuss.

This news is not surprising, but maybe it should be. In two short seasons with the Lakers, his record as head coach was 90-74. That is pretty damn good if you think about it. He was also handpicked to be the head coach after they fired Frank Vogel. This is who the players and the front office wanted. They had eyes on some other guys, but of the available coaches, Ham was the number one option. The Lakers got their man. And he did pretty good things with this team and their ever changing roster. They had to make their way to the playoffs through the play-in both seasons he was the head guy, but they let their presence be known. They ran all the way to the West Finals last season. As the 7 seed last year they trounced my Grizzlies in six games, and it was never really in doubt. Dillon Brooks popped off too much, Ja Morant and Brandon Clarke got hurt, as did Steven Adams, and it was done. LeBron James destroyed Brooks, so much so that the Grizzlies let him walk, and the Lakers moved on to face the Warriors, whom they pretty easily displaced in round two. Then they ran into the eventual champs, the Nuggets, and got swept. I don't buy the whole "competitive sweep" nonsense either. A sweep is a sweep. There are no moral victories.

Then this season, making their way to the 7 seed again, through the play-in, they had to face the Nuggets. This time they were competitive enough to take one game from them, but this series could still be going on if they knew how to hold on to a lead. Some may blame this solely on Ham, but some of the blame needs to be given to the players as well.

At what point is it going to be put on the players to take some heat? I get that the NBA is player friendly, as all pro sports leagues should be, but players play the game. Coaches install gameplans, they have ideas that they put out there, they speak with their assistants and tell them what to do, but that is where it all stops. The players have to perform the duties of putting it out there, on the floor, which is the head coach's vision. Coaches deserve blame, don't get me wrong, but we live in an era where every inch of the blame is placed on the head coach. And no one questions it at all. Like I said at the top, Darvin Ham being dismissed was a foregone conclusion. After the Lakers exited the playoffs, every story on sports websites was about this very thing happening. We all knew this was coming. But the dude won 90 regular season games as a head coach. He was 9-12 as a head coach in the playoffs, which isn't great, but the Lakers made it to the West Finals a year ago. He had this team playing defense. While the offense was never the most imaginative thing, the Lakers still found ways to win games. He was tasked with putting guys like Austin Reaves, Jaxson Hayes, Max Christie, Rui Hachimura, D'Angelo Russell and Tauren Prince around LeBron and Anthony Davis. Those names don't pop off the screen. Those guys are not the complimentary players teams covet. This isn't like the Nuggets with players like KCP or Michael Porter Jr. This isn't the Timberwolves with guys like Rudy Gobert and Mike Conley. This isn't the Celtics with players like Derrick White and Jrue Holiday. Hell, this isn't even the Pelicans with dudes like CJ McCollum and Herb Jones. All of those players are so much better than what the Lakers and Darvin Ham had to pair up with LeBron and AD.

But Darvin Ham is the scapegoat this morning. He is the one everyone is making fun of now. He is the new punching bag as a former head coach. He wanted to be a head coach, but I have to figure these last two seasons were hell for him. Frank Vogel was ready to get out of there. In Cleveland, Mike Brown was ecstatic to be let go and coach somewhere else. And whoever the Lakers bring in next, that coach has to understand that the second it starts to go haywire, their ass is on the line. No player will own to blame. The front office will be quiet as a mouse. It will be the coaching staff, and more importantly, all the head coach's fault if it doesn't work again, which is most likely will not.

The West is a juggernaut, and it will only be tougher next year. The Lakers need to look in the mirror and realize that a new head coach will not solve the myriad of problems they have as a mediocre organization at the moment. Darvin Ham should still be their head coach. But I wouldn't be surprised if he is relieved to be out of there. Maybe he will find his love for basketball again coaching somewhere else. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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LeBron's Greatness is Not Enough for the Lakers

The Nuggets disposed of the Lakers in another thriller last night. The series was never in doubt to be honest. I was rooting for the Lakers, for what seems like the first time ever, but it was pretty much a foregone conclusion that the Nuggets would win this series. Jamal Murray woke up, Jokic was efficient, Aaron Gordon played high level defense and the Nuggets advanced to the second round.

What I took away most from this game was the excellent play from LeBron James. James is the second greatest basketball player ever, in my opinion. He has done everything you could ever want from a basketball prodigy. He has more than lived up to the hype and then some. But this felt like the end for him. He was amazing in this series. That needs to be said right off the top. He averaged damn near 28 points per game. He added almost 9 assists and 7 rebounds. He played 40 minutes per game. He did everything he could to win these games and keep this team relevant.

LeBron didn't get much help either. After being healthy most of the season, Anthony Davis appeared to injure his shoulder on a minimal contact play. He was never the same after that. He was timid, he wasn't looking to shoot, his defense wasn't the same and he seemed off. Austin Reaves was clearly overhyped going into this season. He was average at best. Rui Hachumura never got his shot going. D'Angelo Russell gave up two games ago. Gabe Vincent never got going. Jaxson Hayes couldn't stay on the floor. The Cam Reddish experiment didn't work. All the things the Lakers did, to appease LeBron James, did not work how they wanted it to. But, throughout all of this LeBron James produced.

In 71 games this season, James averaged 25 points, 8 rebounds and 8 assists. All of this at 39 years old in his 20th NBA season. He was the leader of the 7th seeded team in the West and was the leading factor to them winning 47 games. But looking back at these stats, this is a Lakers team that needed to get into the playoffs through the play in. This is a Lakers team that truly struggled after winning the inaugural in season tournament. LeBron also looked incredibly tired at the end of their game last night. And who could blame him. He is 39 years old. He has been in the public eye since he was 16. He has been scrutinized, idolized and marginalized by a bunch of people. He has been used and used others to continue his career. And what he has been able to accomplish is truly amazing. No one else will come close to approaching his numbers and his legendary status. He has won every major award. He has won multiple titles. He has been the face of the league since the early 2000's. But it feels like the time is as close as it has ever been to being over.

LeBron cannot continue to carry a mediocre team anymore. The Timberwolves are young and coming. So are the Grizzlies, Spurs, Pelicans, Thunder, Mavericks and Rockets. That is just the good teams in the West. The East has the Celtics, Knicks, Bucks, Cavs, Magic and Pacers. All of these teams, right now, are better than the Lakers. They are younger too. They have so many better contributing players than the Lakers do. And it is too much for the Lakers to ask a soon to be 40 year old LeBron James to continue to carry this team. He shouldn't have to do that to end his career. The Lakers should not strive for another Kobe Bryant ending. But I fear they are trending that way with James. They will probably try to get another big name player this offseason. I've heard Trae Young, Dejounte Murray or Zach Lavine as options. While adding one of these younger guys, does it really move the needle? Is Anthony Davis going to stay this healthy ever again? Who will remain of importance to this team, especially if they trade for one of the young guys I mentioned.

LeBron James has nothing left to prove. He has done it all, stayed out of trouble and won at the highest possible level. He is going to go down as a true legend. He is one of the greatest to ever do it. But last night felt like a blow. It felt like a big push into the inevitable. I'm going to miss watching him play, and I don't know if it will ever look like it used to again. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Ty Ranks the 2023 - 2024 NBA Teams - Hanging Out at a Great Music Festival Division

Day five of my preseason NBA countdown brings us the start of the top ten. These are the top teams. These are the teams with real title aspirations.

At 10 I have the Memphis Grizzlies. This is my team. This is who I root for. I want nothing but the best for them. The hard part is they have floundered in the playoffs and Ja Morant, due to his own fault, is suspended for the first 25 games. They are going to miss him a lot. He is a very important guy to this team and their playoff hopes. They did get Marcus Smart in a trade. I like the defense, grit and willingness from him to shoot. Desmond Bane is getting better every year, he is their best shooter and he is a solid enough defender. Steven Adams should be back from injury. He brings toughness and much needed rebounding. Brandon Clarke should, hopefully, return at some point this season, and he is a great glue guy and bench player. Jaren Jackson Jr is the reigning defensive player of the year. He is also a good stretch four. He just needs to stop making dumb fouls. I like the addition of Derrick Rose. He is a solid vet and he is returning to the place that he dominated basketball. Kenny Lofton Jr should get spot minutes. Luke Kennard is a decent shooter, but he is inconsistent. Ziaire Williams has looked better this preseason. Santi Aldama is an okay backup big. The Grizzlies have a ton of talent. Now that talent needs to translate to the playoffs. They also need to play big while Morant is suspended.

At 9 I have the Sacramento Kings. The Kings are fun and good again. I feel like it is the late 90's, early 2000's all over again. De'Aaron Fox is awesome. He is fast, he is clutch and he is the perfect point guard to run this offense. Domantas Sabonis is a bruising big man who is one of the better low post passers in the league. Keegan Murray played well above his years last season and was dominant in summer league. Davion Mitchell is a superior perimeter defender. Malik Monk is a microwave shooter. Harrison Barnes is still around and still productive. Kevin Huerter is better than people give him credit. Chris Duarte has got range. This team has gotten better over the years and hiring Mike Brown was a wonderful decision by the front office. They are tried and true and will be for a good long time now.

At 8 I have the LA Clippers. The Clippers have so much talent on their roster. They have stars almost everywhere. Will that talent be healthy all year though? That is the million dollar question. Kawhi Leonard is an amazing basketball player. He is one of the best defenders in the league. His offense has gotten so much better. He is a terror for opponents. He can single win games single handed. But he has to play more than 20 games. Paul George is a bit more durable, but not by much. But when he is out there, boy oh boy is he awesome. He can shoot from anywhere. He is one of the best shot creators in the league. He is an awesome defender. There is not much he cannot do, except stay healthy for long stretches. Russell Westbrook rebuilt himself going to the Clippers. It seemed like an odd fit, but he slid right into that sixth man spot and was a great addition last season. I see that getting even better. Norman Powell is awesome when he isn't the first option. The dude can score in bunches, and when the Clippers have their stars on the floor he is always open. Ivica Zubac is a very good rebounder and a solid defensive presence. He just gets kind of dazed on offense from time to time. Terance Mann is amazing. I enjoy watching him play basketball. I also loved how he was messing with Chris Paul in the playoffs last season. Mason Plumlee and Nic Batum add veteran leadership. And Kobe Brown looks like a nice draft pick. The Clippers should be very good this year, but it all depends on health.

At 7 I have the Golden State Warriors. The names are all the same and they should win a lot of games. But man are they getting old. Steph Curry is the greatest shooter in the history of basketball. He is amazing to watch play and I am so happy that I am around to witness his greatness. Klay Thompson is still recovering from two horrendous knee injuries, but the guy puts up buckets. He has also started trash talking a lot, which I appreciate. Draymond Green is still a pest and the best system player this league may ever see. He is also still a top tier defender in the league and he is the only guy that I truly believe can guard all five positions with no drop off. Kevon Looney is the best rebounder in the NBA and he is the perfect center for this team. He just isn't much of a scoring threat. Johnathan Kuminga is seemingly getting better. Moses Moody may have a make or break year for this team. Andrew Wiggins should be fully back all season and he should be engaged. I love them bringing over Rudy Gay on a small deal. Gary Payton II should be full go and he had his best years within the Warriors system. And they brought over Chris Paul. I don't know how or if that will work, but I do know that he is maniacally trying to win a title. The Warriors will win a ton, but the old legs may be their downfall in the playoffs. I wouldn't bet against them though.

The final team for the day, another old team, at 6 I have the LA Lakers. The Lakers got so much better this offseason, and last year they made the conference finals. LeBron James is back and looks as good as he always has. He is the second greatest player of all time. He does amazing things with the ball in his hands. He is the best modern leader this game has ever seen. James rules. Anthony Davis looked awesome in the playoffs last season and I think that will translate to this season. He is such a good player when he is engaged and focused. He just needs to stay on the floor. I do not like, nor do I get the cult of Austin Reaves. But, the dude can shoot and playing alongside James is in his best interest. Rui Hachimura really found himself as a bench player with the Lakers. He looks like a trade steal. D'Angelo Russell is not as good as advertised. He can shoot, but he is often a minus on defense and can be a turnover machine. Getting Gabe Vincent is going to be big for their bench units. He can shoot and defend. Cam Reddish may actually be an okay bench player for this team. Jaxson Hayes is going to love grabbing lobs from LeBron. Jarred Vanderbilt is a long, switchy defender. The Lakers went out and found guys that fit around LeBron and AD. That is what they have needed to do for quite some time now. They did it and I think it will work in their favor.

That is it for today and for the week. Come back Monday for my top five teams. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Ty's 2022 - 2023 NBA Season Preview: Pelicans, Bulls, Lakers

Day five of my 22-23 NBA countdown has us at my number 18 team, the New Orleans Pelicans.

I only have them this high because I am suspecting they are fully healthy, that every major player is ready to contribute a full season. And that all starts with Zion Williamson. Williamson is an incredibly talented basketball player. He is unguardable. He jumps like Kemp. He bullies people like Shaq. He out rebounds everyone as if he were Dennis Rodman. I mean, this kid is great. But he is always injured. He has never played a full season. He played 60 plus games in year two, but he wore down at the end. He can be great if he can stay on the floor. Brandon Ingram is the truth. This dude can score. He is a poor man's KD, and that is a major compliment. He has stepped up when asked to and he has only gotten better. CJ McCollum was a tremendous midseason trade for them. He brings stability, leadership and playoff experience. He was the main drive in getting them to the postseason last year. Jona Valincinuas fits with this team. He is big and nasty and mean. He bumps and bruises almost every other big man. Herb Jones is one of the best defenders in the league already. He also has a crazy wingspan. Seriously, it is nuts. Jose Alvarado flashed on the scene by making wild steals. He was a menace in the playoffs. Jaxson Hayes is a solid modern big off the bench. Larry Nance Jr is still one of my personal favorite players. Their coach is also very good at what he does. The Pelicans can and should be in the playoffs. The play in might not even suffice with how good this squad is on paper. They just have to prove it on the court and stay healthy.

At number 17 I have my son's favorite team, the Chicago Bulls. The Bulls are kind of in flux. I have tried to explain this to my kid. They started off last season like a house on fire. They were leading the East for a bit. But then some guys either got hurt or got COVID and they were never able to recover. I wonder what effect that will have on this year's squad. Lonzo Ball is still out and the healing process is taking way longer than anticipated. The Bulls need his defense and point guard skills if they want to be a playoff lock. Zach Lavine finally got paid, but he didn't really impress me a ton last year. He is an excellent scorer and leaper, but his defense and passing leave a ton to be desired. DeMar DeRozan, my son's favorite player, was incredible last season. He was a delight to watch. I saw him live and it was even better than I imagined. But he cannot carry this team again. I like the Andre Drummond signing. I'd start him over Nikola Vucvic, who feels like he is washed now. Alex Caruso brings good defense, but he gets hurt a ton. I love that they are starting Ayo Dosunmu. He had a great rookie year and looks like he is going to build off that. Coby White just cannot seem to figure it out, but I'm still a fan. I'd love to see a healthy Pat Williams because he looks like he would be awesome. The Bulls really floundered at the end of last season and that would have me worried if I were a fan. My son is worried. But they do have a talented enough roster to be in the play in in the East.

The final team for the day, at 16 I have the Los Angeles Lakers. I truly do not know what to think of this team. They have LeBron James and he is an all timer. He is amazing. He is one of the best to ever do it. But he is having trouble staying on the floor. He is also asked far too much for someone who is going to be 38 this year. Anthony Davis is an incredible talent. He is a 7 footer that can play tough and play with finesse. He is an excellent defender. He is a great offensive player. He does it all. But he cannot put a full season together without some kind of long term injury. As much as I adore Russell Westbrook, the fit is bad and he is showing his age. It just doesn't work with the Lakers. It makes me sad. They traded for Patrick Beverly, who will help space the floor and be a tremendous help on defense, but he keeps moving teams. He may not be the most fun guy to play basketball with. They brought back Dennis Schroeder, who is an okay player. But he has regressed ever since he turned the Lakers down after their last title. Kendrick Nunn is supposedly healthy, but he hasn't played in over a full year. They brought on young guys like Lonnie Walker, Juan Toscano-Andersonand Troy Brown, which is fine. But none of those guys really move the needle for me. I'm already over any Austin Reaves hype. Thomas Bryant and Damian Jones are serviceable bigs, but I don't think they are the type of guys you win a title with. Look, LeBron and AD are otherworldly players. And when they are on the floor the Lakers can win any game. But they are rarely on the floor. And this roster just screams mediocre to me. They will be better than last season, depending on health. I'm just curious to see how much better.

That is it for today. Come back next week for the next three teams. We are almost to the start of the season everyone.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Ty Watches "Winning Time" Season One

I watched the season one finale of "Winning Time" on HBO yesterday. I wrote about this show when the season started. I was hyped for it. I was hoping it was going to work. I thought the casting was great. I, for the most part, like Adam McKay's stuff. I am fascinated by this era of professional basketball. It had everything on its side for me as a viewer.

For the most part the first season was solid. There was some good stuff in there. I enjoyed my time watching the show. I thought most stuff worked. I like the fleshing out of some of the side characters. But there were times when the show felt a little overdramatic. Hell, I'd even say melodramatic. The stuff with Jerry Buss and his womanizing, we all know that, at least those of us that follow the NBA. It was pretty cliche of Buss to ask his daughter which of her two brothers would best fit in for a front office job. We all know that she gets the job in the long run. The stuff with Magic Johnson and his girlfriend in college, Cookie, seemed forced a bit by the creators. So did the stuff with his teammates when he was first drafted. But the most egregious thing to me, as far as melodrama goes, was the whole Spencer Haywood storyline near the end of the season.

I adore Wood Harris. He is definitely up there as an actor whose work I seek out. He rules. But his portrayal of Haywood was a bit much. His monologues seemed lifted from soap operas. The whole calling a hit on the entire Lakers roster was so off base. Even the junkie stuff seemed forced. It just wasn't written well enough for an actor of his caliber. I could also say the same for the guy who played Larry Bird. Man I wish it had been Bo Burnham, but things happen. But this actor just seemed into the whole notion of Bird being a hick. And I know that him and Magic did not get along at first, but this seemed to be a bit overboard. They at least respected one another. I have to imagine that much.

Outside those little critiques, this show, as I said, worked. The basketball was real enough. The gameplay looked nice. The actors, minus the ones I mentioned, did good things with their roles. Adrien Brody shocked me. I do not like him, but I enjoyed him as Pat Riley. Quincy Isaiah was magnetic as Johnson. Solomon Hughes embodied this version of Kareem. Jason Clarke was solid as Jerry West. Gaby Hoffman was amazing. Hadley Robinson as Jeanie Buss was really good. The show works for the intended audience.

I think my favorite thing about this first season is how mad some of the real life people got. They took it personally. Hell, I'm sure I would too if my name was being thrown out there like some of these guys' names were. But this is a fictional show based on a book. This is not real life. The creators came out and said as much when West and Kareem and Magic all came out against the show. Again, they have that right, but them getting so upset made me want to watch even more. The fact that West was willing to ask the Supreme Court to get involved, that Kareem wrote a very good op ed about how off base the show is, that Magic won't even talk about it, that made me tune in every week as much as my want to actually watch the show. I know they are trying to keep their names clean, as they should, but them going off like that only made me itch for more.

"Winning Time" is a fine enough show. They get some things right and it is entertaining. Is it a bit of a soap opera? Sure. Is it too melodramatic at times? Definitely. But will I watch season two? You are god damn right I will. I hope they lose some of the stuff that I was personally not a fan of, but I will still record it and watch it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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The Lakers are a Disaster

At the start of the NBA I did my massive preview. I had the Lakers relatively high. I remember saying that I thought they would be a very good regular season team, but be running on fumes by the playoffs. I think I had them going to the second round of the playoffs. I assumed, with LeBron, they would win one series. And even though they started out kind of slow, I figured they would figure it out. I never put too much stock in early regular season NBA games. As the season wore on, and the injuries piled up, as did the losses, it seemed inevitable that they would not make it. They had been on the backend of the play-in tournament for a month, and then fell out completely. And with the Spurs beating the Nuggets, and Suns wallopping a LeBron less Lakers last night, they were officially eliminated.

To be honest, I am kind of stunned. This team has a very solid collection of talent. Sure, it is old. and tons and tons of people made the same joke over and over again, but still, tons of stars. They also got some solid guys on the buyout market and got some younger vets to sign for the league minimum, assuming they would make a title run. I wasn't crazy about the additions of Russell Westbrook, who I adore, and Carmelo Anthony. But I did like getting Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn for very cheap. I thought Dwight Howard was a solid backup center choice. I loved the shot they took on Stanley Johnson late in the year. Austin Reaves turned out to be hot and cold, but when he is hot, watch out. When healthy, Talen Horton-Tucker is a good creator. I thought that Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore and Trevor Ariza would bring good veteran leadership. And Avery Bradley is still a decent defender. But it never came together for this team.

LeBron got what he wanted. Three years ago they emptied the picks and young players to get Anthony Davis, which worked. They won a title with those two. But, in letting Alex Caruso walk, in trading KCP and Kyle Kuzma for Russ and picking Deandre Jordan at the start of the year was way, way off. Jordan couldn't get on the floor with any regularity. He was mercifully let go. It is clear they miss Caruso on the defensive end of the floor. They just do not have the guys to play competent defense. And Russ, again a player I love, has been downright bad this season. He just doesn't have the explosiveness that so well defines him. And he is not a shooter, especially a three point shooter. They could have had Buddy Hield. They had a trade ready to go. But LeBron wanted Russ. They could have had DeMar DeRozan. He wanted to play there. But LeBron wanted Carmelo. It was some bad choices I'm sure they wish they could have back. When the trade deadline came and went, and the Lakers did nothing, that clearly pissed him off. But I say again, these are the dudes he wanted to play with. He went to bat for these guys. He told the media to keep bad mouthing them and call them old, that he would get them to prove everyone wrong. Welp, the date is April 8th and the Lakers are 31-48 and officially out of the playoffs.

LeBron is not solely to blame. The front office did not do a thing, as previously mentioned, to help shore this team up at the deadline. And maybe the front office should have put their foot down when LeBron came to them and said give me a mid 30's Russ and late 30's Carmelo and Kendrick Nunn and Malik Monk. Those were poor, thoughtless moves. Injuries did not help this team either. LeBron continues to miss more and more time with each passing season. He is getting older. Anthony Davis has proven that, while an incredible player, he simply cannot stay healthy. He misses time every year. He gets cuts and bruises and sits out multiple games. Russ, while not hurt too much, is just old. Same with Carmelo. Kendrick Nunn has not played a single minute all year, and he is done for the year. It just never came together for this team. They never gelled. They openly fought and griped with the media. Frank Vogel never found a way to get these guys to play for him, and that is fully his fault.

I would love to be all hate and doom, like I was with Duke the other day, but this is really simply sad. This team should have been good. They should have been a playoff team. They should not be 17 games under .500. But here we are. It is a bummer that we will have no Lakers or Knicks in the playoffs this season.

No matter what anyone says, this season was a massive failure for the Lakers. They are, without a doubt, the most disappointing team in the NBA. And, quite frankly, it stinks. I wonder what will happen this offseason, but it cannot be much because this team has no picks and no really desirable trade pieces. Time will tell.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty's 2021-2022 NBA Preview: Celtics, Suns, Jazz, Lakers

Welcome to day seven of my 2021 NBA countdown. This is it. These are the best of the best. These are the teams that can truly win it all. They are not at the level of my top two teams, which get a full blog tomorrow, but they have the goods to win it all.

At number 6 I have the Boston Celtics. I do not like the Celtics, I never have, and their offseason was weird, but they have a very good team. This team was in the East Finals in the Bubble. Jayson Tatum is on the verge of becoming a super star. He has it all, and he is still very young. He has had COVID, I think he is now vaxxed and that will only help him stay on the floor. He is great. Marcus Smart, who was just suspended for some unknown reason, is one of the best perimeter defenders in the league. He is also becoming a better, not reliable, but better three point shooter. Jaylen Brown is coming off an injury, but he was an all star before he got hurt. He is a very, very good basketball player. And watching the playoffs last year, seeing him so nervous and angry that he couldn't play, that made me like him even more as a player. I like the Dennis Schroeder signing. He messed up by not taking the deal with LA early in the season, but now he is on a one year "prove it" deal, and he is a very skilled player. Al Horford is back, and while he is older, he is still a solid defender and can stretch the defense. I loathe Payton Pritchard, I have since he was at Oregon, but the dude is a good role player. Robert Williams has the talent to be a very good center, he just has to stay on the floor. I like the toughness of the bench that Bruno Fernando brings. Enes Kanter is still a top level offensive center. Jabari Parker played well in spurts. Grant Williams took a little step back, but he is still a rock solid defender. And Romeo Langford and Aaron Nesmith bring youth and athleticism to this squad. I actively root against the Celtics, but they have the talent to make a deep run. Last season was definitely an anomaly.

At 5 I have the Phoenix Suns. They were in the Finals last year. They had a 2-0 lead. They looked really good in getting that lead. And they return pretty much the exact same roster. Chris Paul is back, and he just continues to be one of the best point guards the NBA has ever seen. He is so good at running an offense and making a young team grow up real fast. Devin Booker is an elite shooter, he is starting to get super star calls and his offensive game is lethal. The way he cuts and hits that mid range jumper is impressive. He even got a little better on D last season. Deandre Ayton needs to be more assertive, but he is a highly skilled big and is going to be a double double machine. I wish he had a bit more anger to his game, but maybe that will come with time. Mikail Bridges is like Spiderman on defense, and he hit some big shots in the playoffs. Cam Johnson is great off the bench. Jae Crowder is not afraid of any moment or any player. He is a perfect fit next to CP3. Cam Payne looked better than he ever has in the league as a backup. I like the addition of Javale McGee for defense. I like the acquisition of Landry Shamet. He is a good shooter off of the pick and roll. Elfrid Payton doesn't bring much to their offense, but he is a solid perimeter defender. Dario Saric fits in nice there. And Frank Kaminsky flashed a few times in the Finals. The Suns are a very good team, and if this core can stay together, they are going to be a problem in the West for the next decade.

At number 4 I have the Utah Jazz. The Jazz are the NBA's version of the Seattle Mariners with more success. They were the one seed in the West last year. They dominated the regular season. And then they blew a 2-0 to the Kawhi less Clippers. Donovan Mitchell is awesome. He is a budding MVP candidate. He is a scoring machine. He is better than Luka Doncic and Trae Young. He is legit. Rudy Gobert is the best defensive center in the league. He swallows up drivers and makes it next to impossible for centers to score on him. They should use him more in the pick and roll on offense. Joe Ingles is an ass, but the dude can stroke it. He is a very good shooter. Jordan Clarkson is an electric bench scorer. He is amazing on offense. I really like the additions of Eric Paschall and Rudy Gay. Gay adds a veteran with real postseason experience and Paschall is a very skilled post player. Royce O'Neal is their second best defender, and he takes on the perimeter's opposition best player every night. Udoka Azubuike should get a few more minutes, and I think he will add a nice little bench element at center. And their rookie Jared Butler shot lights out at Baylor last season. The Jazz will be a top 3 seed again, they just have to make a real playoff run for me to take them real seriously.

The final team for today, at number 3 I have the LA Lakers. They have LeBron James. He is the second best player to ever play in the NBA. He is an amazing basketball player, an even better person and he seems as locked in as he has been since the Bubble. He is awesome and I will never count a team out that he plays on. They also have Anthony Davis. The dude simply cannot stay healthy, but when he is on the floor he is amazing. At both ends of the floor. AD could be one of the top 5 players in the league if he could not get hurt. Then the roster gets real weird. They have Russell Westbrook. He is as athletic a player as I have ever seen, but he is older. He is coming off injuries. He got COVID. He is a turnover machine and he shoots way too much for a guy that isn't a great shooter. I love Russ, I am a big fan, always have been, but he is on the other side of the cliff in his career. They also have Carmelo Anthony. Melo looked fine in Portland, but he got to play how he wanted. In LA he is going to have to buy in on defense, which he has never done, and he is going to have to come off the bench, which we all know he doesn't like. Dwight Howard and Deandre Jordan are their picks for center. Howard looked pretty bad last season in Philly, but he looked great in the Bubble with the Lakers. Deandre Jordan didn't see the floor in games that mattered in Brooklyn last year, and he doesn't have the lift he used to while with the Clippers. I like that they got Malik Monk and Kendrick Nunn for the mid level exception. Monk has never been as good a shooter in the NBA as he was his one year at Kentucky, and Nunn lost a ton of minutes last season in Miami. Time will tell with those two. Rajon Rondo is back, and unless he returns to playoff Rondo, I do not see him taking real minutes from Russ. Kent Bazemore was a good addition as a shooter, but he is also older and on the back end of his career. Talen Horton Tucker is young and skilled. He'll need minutes, but he also just got injured and will miss some weeks. Trevor Ariza is also older and hurt. Wayne Ellington used to be good, we will see here. The Lakers have the names. They have former MVP's and all stars on this team. They have LeBron and AD. But they are old, not too rich at shooting guard and will have a tougher time on defense. They will still be a very good team. But when the rubber meets the road, when they need a big three or a defensive stop, I'd be reluctant to say that they have the guys to do it. The playoffs will be the true test of this roster construct.

That is it for today. Come back tomorrow for my top two teams.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Making Sense of the Lakers Offseason

I will get to some of my favorite free agent signings so far at the start of NBA free agency, but today I want to talk about the Lakers yet again.

I talked about the Russ trade last week and how I do not like the fit. You can go back and see all my thoughts on why. And since then they have signed Trevor Ariza, Kent Bazemore, Dwight Howard, Malik Monk and now Carmelo Anthony. They did lose out on the Alex Caruso sweepstakes, I think it is next to impossible for them to retain Dennis Schroeder and I would not be shocked if Talen Horton Tucker gets a better offer somewhere else. The Lakers are making moves, and they are making moves for former Lakers and former all stars.

At first glance of the new roster I thought this looks like a good roster for 2014-15. That is when all these guys were in their prime, with AD being the exception. Had this exact team been assembled back then they would have been better than the recent Warriors dynasty. It would have been a lock. Then, while on a run, I thought more about the roster. This team is old. Real old. Lebron will be 37 next season. Dwight, Carmelo, Russ, Trevor Ariza and, I believe Kent Bazemore will all be 30 plus at the start of next season. AD is young but never fully healthy. Marc Gasol is not really playable in crunch time anymore. And Malik Monk hasn't really hit since entering the NBA. I was less high after thinking about it while out this afternoon.

Then I thought more and more about it and came to an odd conclusion for me personally. I do not think this team is a title contender. I think they will be good. They will be really hard to rebound and score in the post against. They will be a playoff team. But I just do not think all these guys will coalesce and I think they will be worn out by the end of the season. But I am actually excited to watch this roster, this exact Lakers team, play basketball next season.

I am not a Lakers fan. Not at all. I do not like the Lakers or Yankees or Patriots or Alabama. I am not a front runner of a fan. Sure I love, love, love Michigan, but when was the last time they were relevant? Man that hurts my soul. And if someone asks who my favorite MLB team is I say the Cardinals, but I couldn't even tell you their record, and who besides Yadi is on the team right now. So for me to be excited to watch the Lakers, that is saying something. Maybe it is curiosity, or the fact that I want to see them stumble or that I genuinely like guys like Russ and Carmelo, but there is just something that is pulling me to want to watch. I really want to see how this all works. I'm curious who starts and who comes off the bench. If they retain Talen Horton Tucker, I want to see if he starts over Carmelo. I want to see if Dwight goes back to how he played for the Lakers in the bubble. I want to see who is taking the crucial shots. I want to see Russ' usage rate. I want to see if Malik Monk rediscovers his shot. I want to see if Ariza and Bazemore can bring the defense. There are so many intriguing things drawing me to this team. I also want to see how Lebron and AD make this work. They are the two holdovers. They also clearly put this team together, with some help from Rich Paul. These are the guys they wanted to get this offseason, and when CP3 was off the board, that opened up the Carmelo signing. I can genuinely say that I really want to see how all this works. Again, I do not think they are title contenders, but they will still be good. I think the Nuggets, Jazz, Clippers, Suns and maybe even the Mavericks are better and much younger. Those teams can run up and down the floor, and more importantly, do not necessarily need to drive to the hoop for points. They can shoot from distance. They all have younger and healthier stars too. There was clearly a shift in the most recent playoffs to younger stars, and the Lakers are going the total opposite direction.

Again, interested to watch, curious to see what happens, but do not think they are going to be the title contender that some other random fans may think. But it will be a blast to watch them play next season. That much I know.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Making Sense of the Lakers Trade for Russell Westbrook

I did my draft preview yesterday, and the draft went almost nearly as planned. Scottie Barnes going before Jalen Suggs was semi surprising, but Suggs was picked right after him. Josh Giddey at six seemed like a reach, but that kid has flown up draft boards. I do not know much about both Memphis picks, but that team is front loaded with talent. I think Charlotte got a steal with James Bouknight. He can fill it up. I love Kuminga and Moses Moody for the Warriors. Quentin Grimes will be fun as a Knick. Isaiah Livers got picked earlier in the second round than I thought, which ruled. Sharife Cooper in Atlanta makes sense to me. And Charles Bassey going to Philly looks sneaky good. The draft has tons of talent and I cannot wait to watch all of these guys play this upcoming season.

Yet the biggest news, at least for me, was the Russell Westbrook trade to the Lakers. I know Derrick Favors was traded to OKC, that Landry Shamet went to Phoenix, Ricky Rubio is now a Cav, Mason Plumlee is off to Charlotte, Aaron Holiday went to Washington and Charlotte traded up to get Kai Jones late in the first round. There are some solid trades there, but Russ going to the Lakers is the biggest.

I love Russell Westbrook. I am a fan. I have been a fan since OKC drafted him. I wasn't bummed when he asked to be traded when it looked like OKC was going full rebuild after trading Paul George. I thought he was going to be a better fit in Houston than he was, and I think he played pretty well in Washington alongside Bradley Beal.

This trade to the Lakers is a head scratcher for me though. I get the idea of teaming up three super stars. Teams will see Russ, LeBron and AD in the starting five, and that is scary. The Lakers will win a good amount of regular season games. They are going to be in the playoffs yet again. But what they gave up to get Russ, that is what baffles me. The trade was Russ and two future second round picks for Kyle Kuzma, Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Montrezl Harrell and two future second round picks. I do not think the Lakers have another first round pick for the next two or three seasons. But the picks are not what jumps out to me. It is the players the Lakers gave up to get Russ. Two of those three guys are/were their best three point shooters. With Kuzma and Caldwell-Pope gone they are left with Dennis Schroerder, who may not re-sign, Ben McLemore who has been a total bust, Markieff Morris who is fine but old and Wes Matthews who is often injured. They also have Talen Horton Tucker who has been fine in spurts, Marc Gasol who is too old and too slow and Alex Caruso, but I wouldn't be surprised if some irrelevant team gives him a ton of money this offseason. So when you look at this roster with the addition of Russ, I do not see much shooting.

With this trade I also see a ton of older guys and younger guys that get injured too much. AD has never played a full NBA season, and in the playoffs this year he looked very injured. LeBron's last two of three seasons have been interrupted by long injuries. Russ looks to have recovered from his torn ACL, but he is coming off COVID and shoulder stuff. And the bench is filled with injured dudes. I think they could've kept KCP or Kuzma. I do not think they had to put both in the deal. I'm sure when Washington saw both of them, plus Harrell, they jumped at the opportunity. I also think Brad Beal likes this deal. Washington didn't get better on defense, but he is now surrounded by dudes that can hit an open shot, which he will create many of with this team.

Again, the Lakers are going to be a very good team this year if healthy. But I do not think the addition of Russ, who again I adore and is one of my all time favorite players, makes them the favorite that Las Vegas has. I think the Bucks are better. I think if Philly can get some good shooters for Ben Simmons, they are better. I think the Suns are better. I think Utah can stop them from getting to the rim and force them to shoot outside. Denver is better with Jamal Murray coming back from injury.

I don't know, I just do not think this pushes the Lakers over the top. I could be proven wrong, and I wouldn't mind since I am such a big Russ fan, but this doesn't move the needle for me.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Ty's 2021 NBA Play in Games Preview

The NBA regular season is over. It feels weird typing that. Usually, in the before times, we would be knee deep in the playoffs right now. But due to the pandemic, then the bubble, this most recent season had a very fast turnaround. These are strange days indeed.

The season was awesome, in my opinion. I loved watching the games, I found them competitive and I was interested in how all the teams dealt with COVID in many different ways. But I am ready for playoff basketball. Playoff basketball is my absolute favorite sport to watch. It is the best drama on TV. The players step up their game and it is very exciting. I am going to do a full playoff preview, but that will not come until after the play in games are all done. You all will have to wait for that until Thursday. But today I am going to do a play in preview.

First off, I love love love the play in. I like the addition of two more teams, I find it has made the end of the last two seasons a bit more meaningful and competitive and anytime I can get extra playoff basketball, that is a treat. I also like the eight teams we have in the play in. They all have very different skill sets. Some are older veteran laden teams and some, like my Memphis Grizzlies, are very young and on the come up. I also really enjoy the single elimination feel we get from this, and that every team in the play in will have to bring it in order to make the playoffs. This is an absolute home run idea.

I will start with the East, or the JV as I call it. The 7-8 matchup could have been incredible if not for Jaylen Brown being out and Bradley Beal not at 100 percent. But, both Russell Westbrook and Jayson Tatum are playing really good basketball right now. Russ is getting triple doubles on the regular and Tatum just had 60 in a game, and followed it up with a bunch of 30 point outings. He is on fire. As for who I think will win, this is a total toss up to me. The Celtics are deeper and younger, but not having Jaylen Brown is brutal. The Wizards might be the hottest team in the NBA right now, Russ is doing all the little things and they are getting other guys to contribute. But they are five games below .500. They just started playing well now. For that reason only, I am picking the Wizards. They will continue on their current streak, and the Celtics will have to win two games just to get the 8th seed. Their season has been a total disappointment.

The 9-10 matchup is a tale of two very different teams. The Hornets are young and exciting and LaMelo Ball has been awesome, but they are not a true playoff team yet. The Pacers have vets, they have playoff experience, but they have not been very good all year, and their coach may get fired after his lone season. I really want to pick Charlotte here because I think it would be awesome to see Ball go up against Boston for the 8th seed, but I am going with the experience and picking Indiana.

I also have Indiana beating the Celtics simply because Brown is out, and Boston never really got their footing all year. They are a mess. So that means I have the Wizards as the 7 and the Pacers as the 8.

Now for the Varsity, the West. The 7-8 matchup is going to rule. The NBA and the TV people could not have asked for a better play in game. We get the Lakers and the Warriors. Steph and LeBron. AD versus a platoon of big men waiting to hurt him. Draymond playing defense on multiple guys. The Lakers throwing the kitchen sink to stop Steph. This is going to be fun. In the long run though, I think the Lakers will win. I'm sure both AD and LeBron were hurt, but they also know they can turn this into a "redemption" story. They both missed a ton of games, the Lakers fell to this spot, they need AD and LeBron, and here they come to save the day. This is almost too perfect of a script, and the NBA, AD, LeBron and the Lakers all know this.

Then we have the 9-10, with Memphis facing San Antonio. This is eerily similar to the East's 9-10 matchup with style of play, but both these teams are much better. Memphis is young and hyper athletic. When the shooters are on, they are on. But they have had tons of injuries. I think Jaren Jackson Jr has only played something like 10 games. Ja missed a ton of time earlier this season from an ankle injury. Dillon Brooks has been in and out of the lineup. They also have had trouble finishing games lately. The Spurs got really fat on an easy early schedule, but they had a murderers row to close the season. They won some of the games, but that schedule pushed them where they are now. The Spurs are a typical Gregg Poppovich team, they pass well, play great defense and don't take dumb shots, but this is a rebuild for them. They are so young and so inexperienced outside of DeMar DeRozan. I am picking Memphis, and I will watch every single second of this game. Memphis is better and deeper, but can they finish? That is the big question for me.

So with the Lakers at 7, we would have Memphis and Golden State playing for 8, and we just witnessed this game yesterday. Memphis just couldn't get out of their own way, and they let Steph go off. I feel like the same thing is going to happen. It will be close and tough, but Steph will do what he does, and the Grizzlies will be knocked out of the playoffs yet again. That means I have the Lakers at 7 and Warriors at 8. The NBA will be thrilled at the first play in game, and then having both those teams make the playoffs still. I cannot wait for these games to start tomorrow night.

This is going to be a blast. I love playoff basketball.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Ty's 2020-2021 NBA Preview: Can Win It All

Today is the final day of my NBA countdown. We are eight days away from the start of the regular season. I will do predictions tomorrow, but as far as my rankings, this is it. These are the best of the best. These are the teams that have the players, coaches, staff and fortitude to win it all. The only thing stopping these teams are COVID or injury. I hope neither happens to any of them.

At number 5 I have the Boston Celtics. The Celtics are loaded with great young talent, they have one of the better head coaches and they have, for such a young team, lots of playoff experience. They also got rid of an albatross contract. The only thing that worries me with this team is depth. But man is their starting five loaded. Jayson Tatum is a straight up star. He can score from anywhere, he is lethal, he has the killer mentality, he plays defense and he just gets better and better. I am a true believer that he is a future face of the league. Jaylen Brown is an elite defender, and he is hyper athletic. His jumper is improving and he is asserting himself as the firm number 2 on this team. He may waffle from time to time, but he always makes up for it. Marcus Smart is the new age Tony Allen. He is a menace on defense. He can guard pretty much all 5 positions and he can draw fouls and mess with opponents heads. He isn't great offensively, but he is good enough. When Kemba Walker is healthy he is one of the better scoring guards in the NBA. He is also a solid perimeter defender. He is a better fit on this team too. He is so much better fitting in than being the star. He is injured, and will miss a month or two, but when he is back, the Celtics have three guys in the starting five that can go for 20 every night. Robert Williams may float in and out of games, miss some meetings and over sleep. But when he is engaged, this kid is good. There is a reason he slipped to the Celtics in his draft, but there is also a reason he was considered a lottery pick. He is starting to show flashes, and if he can reach some of his potential, he will only help this team. Daniel Thies is a solid defender. He does the dirty things for this team. Jeff Teague is a fine player, and that is all he has to be here. Grant Williams got decent, important minutes in the playoffs, and that is big for him. After these guys is where it gets murky. They gave Tristan Thompson too good of a contract for him. Tacko Fall is more of a spectacle than a player. Carsen Edwards and Romeo Langford haven't done much in their two years. Semi Ojeyle seems to be getting passed over. This is the worry for me with this team. But that starting five, and first two off the bench are more than enough for me to like them as a contender out of the East.

At number 4 I have the Miami Heat. Some said it was the bubble, others said it was Jimmy Butler, but I just think the Heat are a very good team, and they deserved to be in the Finals last season. Jimmy Butler proved yet again how important and viable he is on a top team. He willed them to the Finals. He had them as prepared as one player could. Bam Adebayo just keeps ascending. He is one of my absolute favorite players to watch. He goes hard, he rebounds and plays defense and he is becoming a great low post player. Adebayo is awesome. Tyler Herro has done more at 20 than I could ever imagine. He averaged double figures in the Finals. He averaged double figures as a teenager in the early playoffs. This kid is a straight up scorer. Now he has to play defense. Duncan Robinson is one of the most lethal shooters in the game, and the kid has earned every minute he now gets. He has made a name for himself, and all he has to do is shoot. He too needs to improve defensively. Goran Dragic re-signed there, and he is a perfect sixth man on this team. He runs their second unit so well. Kendrick Nunn had some ups and downs, and didn't play as much in the Finals. But, he can heat up at any moment. Andre Iguodala and Udonis Haslem are old, and their primes are way past them, but I would love to have two guys like that on my team. They are additional coaches when on the floor. Getting Avery Bradley will help their already good defense. Meyers Leonard provides front court depth. This team is good, and a return trip to the Finals wouldn't surprise me at all. Jimmy Butler is that dude.

At number 3 I have the LA Clippers. I was so very high on this team last year, and they totally blew it. They ran out of steam, they let the bubble get to them, and they lost a 3-1 lead to the Nuggets. They led to Doc Rivers leaving, and them letting a few other players walk. But this team is still loaded, they have to have revenge on their minds and I love hiring Ty Lue to take over as the head coach. Kawhi Leonard is not going to break down like he did in the bubble again. He will be back and he will be back with a vengeance. I wouldn't be shocked to see him return to his Spurs and Raptors self. He is a robot, but a robot that will be out for revenge. Paul George just signed a max deal, he is engaged to be married and it looks like he is having fun again. I know he said some stuff about the coaches last year, but who cares. This guy is an elite scorer and an even better defender. He just needs to stay focused. They also have Patrick Beverly and Lou Williams and Reggie Jackson back. Beverly is still an upper tier defender and his shot is better, Lou Will is a great, great bench scorer and Jackson plays all out every night. He may shoot too much, but he goes hard. Marcus Morris is a good dude to have on your side, and his shot is solid. Ivica Zubac is an underrated, solid big man. I like replacing Montrezl Harrell with Serge Ibaka. He may be older, but he is taller, he is a better shooter and still a bit better around the rim on defense. Luke Kennard adds long range shooting. And Nic Batum can still do some little things. The Clippers should bounce back. I would not be surprised to see them really challenge the top of the West. Some guys will need to step up, and play better than they did in the bubble, which I think they will. The Clippers will be just fine.

At number 2 I have the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks have the two time reigning MVP. Giannis is one of the best players in the league, and listening to him in interviews only furthers my belief that he is still getting better. Once he starts to hit his outside shot a bit more consistently, he will be as unstoppable as Shaq. He is also the best defender in the league. I love the addition of Jrue Holiday. He is a major upgrade over Eric Bledsoe, and he and Giannis will be a very formidable duo. Khris Middleton is another lockdown defender, and he can really shoot the ball. He needs to play better this year, but he will have ample shot opportunities playing next to Giannis and Holiday. He just needs to knock them down. Brook Lopez adds size and shooting. Donte DiVincenzo is inconsistent, but he can light it up. I wonder if his name being in trade talks will affect his play. Same thing for DJ Wilson, except he was barely seeing the floor anyway. Giannis brother Thanasis is there, and while it is cool that they are on the same team, I don't know how much he will truly see the floor. Bobby Portis is okay, but he shoots a bit too much, and people still only really know him from punching out another teammate in Chicago. And adding DJ Augustin adds a nice veteran, but also age. This team will be all about Giannis and Jrue Holiday. If they coalesce as I expect them to, they will be on top of the East.

The final team, the best team going into the season is the defending champs, the LA Lakers. They are here, they deserve it and they are, at least on paper, a much better team than the one that just won the title. They have LeBron back, and that is humongous no matter what. He was amazing in the bubble, and especially in the Finals. I still like Jordan as the GOAT, but LeBron is definitely the second greatest player ever. And no disrespect to Dywane Wade and Chris Bosh and Kyrie Irving, but he will be playing with his best teammate ever again this year, Anthony Davis. The two of them were a devastating pair. And Davis actually played a little better without LeBron on the floor. Davis is one of the best defenders in the league, he is probably the best big on offense and he showed some strength and ability to not get injured last season. He is also just now entering his prime. If they just had these two guys, and three of my friends I hoop with starting, they'd be a playoff team. Lucky for them though they have real NBA players, and they are solid. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope took a major step last year, and I fully buy him as a solid third or fourth option. He was awesome in the Finals. They replaced guys they let go of, Rajon Rondo, JaVale McGee and Dwight Howard, with Marc Gasol, Montezl Harrell and Dennis Schroeder. Gasol is a better defender and passer than both McGee and Howard. Harrell is a bull dog and a force on offense. Schroeder is a younger, and better offensive scoring version of Rondo. They upgraded all three of those positions. Alex Caruso is a solid player. I don't like the hype surrounding him, but that isn't him, that's the ESPN's of the world. He works well with LeBron's game. Talen Horton Tucker looks like a steal in the preseason. And Kyle Kuzma and Wes Matthews will be solid bench guys, if they keep them both. The Lakers only got better, and they should be the hands down favorites heading into this season.

There you have it, my teams ranked from 30-1. This feels right. I will be back tomorrow to wrap up my preseason NBA preview with predictions and award winners. Also, I want to wish my wife a very happy birthday. She is cooler than any other wife out there. That is just facts. Happy birthday, I love you.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Congrats to the Lakers and the NBA

The NBA proved they could finish the season during a global pandemic, and they did it perfectly.

The Lakers wrapped up their 17th title, although some of those came when they were in Minneapolis, but whatever, with a dominant game six win last night. From the second quarter on, the Lakers left no doubt that they were the best team in the NBA this year. I will fully eat crow and admit I was completely wrong about them. When I did my preseason ratings, which seems like decades ago, I had them as the number seven seed in the West. Then during the restart, I picked them to make the West Finals, but I had the Clippers winning. I wasn't high on their bench, I thought that Anthony Davis wouldn't stay healthy all season, I thought Frank Vogel was a lame duck hire and I thought, very stupidly, that LeBron had lost a step. Now, he is still not, nor will he ever be as great as Michael Jordan, but he is firmly the second greatest player of all time. I have Jordan ahead of him because he never left or formed any "super team". The guys he played with were better because of Jordan, and grew with Jordan. Dennis Rodman isn't Anthony Davis or even Kevin Love. Scottie Pippen isn't as great as Davis, and Dwyane Wade was a better offensive player. Jordan did it himself. He wanted to beat the best, not play with the best. But I was very wrong on LeBron being a step slow this season. He came out on fire, played committed defense most of the year and really handled the duties of a point guard perfectly. He orchestrated their offense great. And AD, he is a truly athletic unicorn. He is as smooth as KD, blocks shots like Hakeem and cuts to the rim like Barkley. AD is awesome. He is James best teammate ever, full stop. He was great in this series too. Some people were griping about his lack of scoring, but he more than made up for it on defense. He got into the Heat's heads, and he made these guys take extremely hard shots. He was amazing. The bench, mainly Rajon Rondo, showed up when they needed to. Rondo was outstanding everywhere. He did all the things in the playoffs that make him a great player, dare I say a hall of fame player. Alex Caruso was doing the little things. He plays solid defense and he cuts when he needs to. Danny Green may have missed a big shot in game five, and wasn't shooting good at all during the playoffs, played good defense and made solid plays when he passed the ball. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope played D and hit threes. Even Dwight Howard did all the little things asked of him to help this team win. And while I know that Erik Spoelstra is a far better coach, Frank Vogel did a solid job of letting his stars do their thing. He stayed out of the way, and that is exactly what he needed to do. He was a figurehead, and that is it. The Lakers won, and they deserved to win. They were the best team this year, they proved it time and time again, and they are the rightful champs.

As for the NBA, and the "bubble", this literally couldn't have gone any better. They had 22 teams show up right in the midst of a global pandemic in a hotspot in Florida. They had some teams there for a month, others for two and the final four teams spent four months there. They provided entertainment, they provided food, they had dedicated staff, doctors, trainers and hotel employees, they had COVID testers, they had a solid set of rules, and it all worked. There were zero positive COVID tests the whole time the teams and players and staff were there. That is truly amazing. Look at what the MLB, and now college football and NFL are going through. They can't go a week without a positive test. The NBA lasted over three months without one. It worked and it paid off. The basketball didn't suffer at all. The games were competitive, they were fast paced, the scores were high, it was way better than I thought. If you didn't know, you would have no idea that these guys were in limbo for almost three months, not knowing if they were going to play again or not.

Then we had the police brutality issue, where a white police officer shot another unarmed black man who was doing nothing wrong. I will say it forever, defund the police. The shooting of Jacob Blake almost stopped all of the playoffs. There was a league wide strike. Some teams, including the Lakers, were ready to go home that night. But Adam Silver listened to the players, met their demands and made a plan, and they were able to continue. They were able to finish. I loved in the bubble that the players were able to speak their minds, and talk about social and political things. I adore that players used their platforms to talk about such things, and not focus on solely basketball. That was so awesome and so great and prolific. That was, outside of the games, my favorite thing about the bubble. I love that players spoke their minds, urged people to vote, told people in their team's hometown to make changes. Hopefully this continues the movement in our country that I feel is happening now. We are fed up, and the NBA players in the bubble echoed that sentiment. I have always loved the NBA, and I always will. But what they did in Orlando, how they pulled it off and how they used the platform, it has made me even more of a fan. I am so happy to call myself an NBA fan. I am so happy they achieved their goal. I am happy that they let their voices be heard. I'm happy no one got COVID. And I am happy that the best team, in the end, won the title.

Congrats to the Lakers, to LeBron, to AD, to Adam Silver and to the NBA. This was a historic finish to a very odd and long 2019-20 NBA season. You guys did it, and you did it the best. I am more proud to be an NBA fan than I am to be an American., The NBA is a much better place than our country, and the bubble proved that. Congrats to all involved. You guys did it. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty's NBA Finals Preview

It wasn't the NBA Finals I expected.

I also don't think a good amount of other people had this match up. I am sure a good amount of people picked the Lakers, although the Clippers were the heavy favorite when the season started, and then restarted, but they had yet another epic collapse. But I do not think many people had the Heat in the Finals. I know I didn't. I know big time websites and companies like ESPN, Sports Illustrated and Bleacher Report didn't. In fact, the only person/people who I have heard on a recording say the Heat would be in the title are the ladies that host the podcast "Dunktown", which is a great pod by the way. Most everyone else had Milwaukee or Boston or even Toronto. But the Heat have dominated almost, almost as much as the Lakers have on their way to the Finals. Let’s talk about this match-up.

The Lakers got to the Finals with relative ease, and with a few exceptions, they have steam rolled in every game. LeBron has been keyed in defensively, and it looks like he has now found his offensive groove, which is frightening. He also has the refs in his pocket after griping about lack of foul shooting. In the past two games, he alone has twenty-two free throw attempts. The Nuggets had forty-nine total in those games, as a team. LeBron had almost half that himself. It was a smart move from him to get in the refs head. Guys like him can do that, and he knows it, and he is using it. While it bogs the game down, makes it slow and there is nothing but glaring and complaining at officials, it has worked. LeBron and the Lakers own the refs.

The Heat have also done almost exactly the same thing, and they haven't needed to get in the refs heads. They cruised in the first round over Indiana, locking down Victor Oladipo and TJ Warren. Then they completely obliterated the Bucks. Even in the one win Milwaukee had, it wasn't because of anything they did spectacularly, Miami just had an off game. The fact that they made Giannis a non factor is testament enough to how well they communicate and play team defense. And while the Celtics series was closer, Miami won when it mattered. They closed them out in resounding fashion, and while I am sure most people wanted the "sexy" LA-Boston classic match up, Miami could have cared less about that. Boston is coming, but Miami is just a better team right now.

In all honesty, I think, of the four teams that made it to the conference finals, these are the two best, and these are the two most deserving teams, and I think they will give us the best series, at least I hope. I feel like they match up evenly almost everywhere, and this could be a very good, very close series. LeBron is currently the best player in the league. He isn't MJ, but he is close. Real quick, this is also his tenth finals appearance. That is monumental. He has been to the finals more than twenty-seven other franchises in their team history have. That is crazy. Also, on the Heat side, Andre Iguodala has now been to six straight NBA Finals. I know it has to do with the teams he has been on, but hey, six straight Finals appearances is nothing to sniff at. He may not be LeBron, but Iguodala is going to the Finals at a clip close to him. I just wanted to throw that out there for everyone. Anyway, LeBron is great, and seems to be finding his groove. Anthony Davis has been really, really good in the playoffs too. He does look like he may be wearing down a bit, he is playing a TON of minutes, but he is still one of the best, most versatile bigs in the league. And the rest of the Lakers are doing their jobs. Rondo is being playoff Rondo, and that is the best Rondo. Danny Green finally knocked down some jumpers and is playing passable defense. Dwight Howard has totally changed his game, and he has been a beast on the boards and a jump off the bench. The whole Alex Caruso cult isn't as loud, but that guy has LeBron's trust because he is closing out games. And Kentavious Caldwell-Pope is hitting threes and hustling on defense.

Yet Miami has guys capable of matching up, doing what the Lakers are doing, and they are much, much younger. I have many differing opinions on Jimmy Butler, but when the guy is locked in, he is one of my favorite players to watch. He is a star, but he doesn't have to be the scoring star or the defense guy or the locker room guy. Butler is a do it all type star. If he isn't scoring, he makes up for it on defense. If he is tired on defense, he is making shots or getting to the line. When he likes his teammates, and feels like he can trust them, which he totally has this season, he is the best dude to have on your team. And I feel like he can guard LeBron, or at least harass him enough to make him shoot jumpers. He will make LeBron work. Bam Adebayo has had a total breakout year. He is a star. He is one of the best all around bigs. He shut down Giannis. He is a beast in the low post. He had one of the best blocks I have ever seen when he stopped Jayson Tatum's dunk in game one of the conference finals to seal the win. And he is a big that is a dependable shooter. Then we have Iguodala. He isn't the guy he was a few years back, but he brings veteran leadership and a willingness to sacrifice numbers to play defense, and play it well. Goran Dragic may not be the best defender, but he has been the one player on the Heat, besides Adebayo, that has been consistent on offense in these playoffs. And Duncan Robinson and Tyler Herro are nearly automatic from deep. The Heat can match up. I am so stoked to watch Butler play LeBron and Adebayo to play Davis. I feel like Butler-LeBron will be a wash, those guys will cancel one another out. But Adebayo-Davis can make or break this series. Adebayo will try his best to bully Davis, and that has proven to be the best way to slow him down. He doesn't want to bang bodies that much. He'd much rather play finesse. But, if Davis can hit jumpers, make some threes, he could become lethal. He might not have to worry about being bullied in the post because he could drag Adebayo out of the lane. This is the player match up I am most excited to watch. It will be the deciding factor. As I said, LeBron and Butler will play equal, and the rest is a mishmash. I'm sure Herro and Robinson will have a solid game, but so will Danny Green and Rondo and Kyle Kuzma. The determining factor, what will decide this series, at least for me, is who wins out in the Adebayo-Davis match up.

I will be rooting for the Heat because of Adebayo, and because I like this version of Jimmy Butler, just full disclosure. But, I do think the Lakers will win in seven games. This will be a good, hard fought series. Sometimes it will look like a slog, the games will be slow, and there will be plenty of free throws. But I just think LeBron knows this is probably his last best chance, especially with Davis, to win another, possibly final, NBA title. The NBA will be so much more competitive and different next season, and LeBron has put in the work to get this team where they are now. I want the Heat to win, but I am pretty sure the Lakers will find a way. Let's get to it. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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The NBA Did Not Disappoint

Last night was absolutely amazing. I watched every second of both NBA games that were on, and boy did both of them deliver. The games both started kind of slow, but other than that, they had some great moments, some big dunks, great defense, exceptional passing and it was the first time in four months that I felt somewhat normal. I was watching professional basketball that counted and it was simply wonderful.

This pandemic is just getting started, we are still a ways off from any kind of answers, other sports, mainly the MLB and football, seemed doomed to be postponed or out and out canceled, but the NBA, they seem to be doing it right. They seem to have figured something out. They are, much like other pro soccer leagues overseas, doing the right things, and it is working. And last night was the first big punctuation to their plan. This was the NBA putting their flag in the ground and showing how this could work right now. It was awesome. Outside of the basketball on the court, I'll get to that in a minute, all the prior to the game stuff was done very well. The introductions felt real. The announcers were there, but they were separated by Plexiglass. Everyone who was with the team, but wasn't a player or coach, they were all masked up, and most were gloved. The players that they let come watch the games, they were spread out, they had masks and they seemed to be enjoying themselves and their teammates' company. The kneeling before the game during the anthem was perfect. Every player and coach on both teams knelt before both games. It was tremendous. The social issues that some players chose to wear on the back of their jersey's was very tastefully done, and I loved reading all the different sayings, and seeing which player wore what saying.

Then we have the actual basketball. As I said, it started a bit slow, you'd expect that after an emergency four month stoppage. But as the games wore on, the play became better and better, and more competitive. It seemed like the players were feeling each other out at first, but then they simply switched into game mode. Brandon Ingram, in the Jazz-Pelicans game, was out there cooking for a while. Once he got going, the rest of the Pelicans started to buy in. Zion threw down an alley oop that was spectacular, JJ Redick provided some nice moments off the bench, Jrue Holiday was playing lock down defense and hitting shots, and the Pelicans started to get up and down the floor. The Jazz came out hot, with Rudy Gobert running things, but kind of cooled off for a minute. Then they started to chip away at the Pelicans lead. Mike Conley hit tough shots, Joe Ingles was a pest, Royce O'Neal was hitting threes and Donovan Mitchell started to feel it in the second half. The game came down to the end, with Brandon Ingram just missing a three that would have won the game at the buzzer. It was a great appetizer to the main course.

That main course was a scintillating Clippers-Lakers game. I know the Clippers were without Montrezl Harrell and Lou Williams, but hey, they are still a solid team without those guys. The Lakers though, man did they come to play. Anthony Davis was doing it all, including hitting an inordinate amount of free throws. JaVale McGee was rolling and dropping hooks everywhere. Dwight Howard provided solid rebounding off the bench. Danny Green made shots. But LeBron showed why he is still the best player in the world. He had a rough shooting night, but he made great passes, played some solid defense, and when he needed to, he made shots. The Clippers looked pretty good too. No Harrell meant more time for Zubac and Joakim Noah. Both guys had solid defensive games. Reggie Jackson got the start since Patrick Beverly just cleared protocol prior to the game, and he played like he did while in OKC. Beverly was no slouch either when he got in. He didn't shoot well, but he was that bulldog on defense. Paul George looked fully healthy for the first time in two years. He was making jumpers, asserting himself to get to the rim and playing his usual stout defense. Kawhi had some short jumpers, tired legs, but he ratched it up when he needed to like LeBron, coming on real strong in the second half. LeBron ended up hitting what was essentially a game winner, and the Lakers got a win on opening night in a game that was better than the first.

This couldn't have worked out better for the NBA. They had two great games, all the stars that were there played, made some plays and were all over highlights this morning. The lack of a crowd was nullified for me watching from home. Honestly, I couldn't tell the difference. The fact that these guys played as hard, and as well as they did, it made the fact that there were no fans moot. I liked the big TV screens that showed people, and the pumped in noise, but again, it didn't really affect my watching at all.

I'm so happy that the NBA is back and started off with a bang like it did. I hope they continue to have success, as far as people staying healthy and good games, and they are able to let this thing run its course. But, for at least one night, I felt normal again, watching real basketball games. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Pelicans vs. Lakers in the Playoffs Would Be Awesome

Before  really get into the meat of my topic today I was to put some stuff out there first. I want everyone to know that I have adopted the Memphis Grizzlies as my favorite NBA team. They are closest to me, I have been to multiple games, I love the city and the arena and they are a fun team to watch. I also believe without a shadow of a doubt that Ja Morant is the Rookie of the Year, and that it shouldn't even be a close vote. Hell, I'd go as far to say that he could, and maybe should, be the unanimous choice. I also find the entire team a blast to watch, I think they will be a perennial playoff team sooner rather than later, that Morant is going to become even more of a star and that they are ahead of schedule, in a very good way.

Okay, with all that being said, and please keep that in mind as I write my piece today, I want to see New Orleans and the Lakers face off in a first round playoff series. I know this means the Grizzlies would get pushed out, they have little to no shot of catching up with Dallas or OKC, and I am fine with that. They will be in the playoffs next year. But, with the game between the Pelicans and Lakers tonight, and with the Pelicans at full strength, I think this would be the absolute dopest first round playoff matchup. It has so many elements that would make this so awesome. We have AD having to go back to New Orleans to play, at least, 2 games. That crowd is going to boo the absolute crap out of him. It won't matter because he is incredibly talented, and a super gifted basketball player, but it would be almost cathartic for the Pelicans fans to have that moment, and maybe prove that they don't need AD after all. On the other side, we'd have Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and any other player the Lakers traded to get AD. They would all get their chance to prove to the Lakers front office that they maybe gave up too much. Again, AD is a generational player, and if he gets the Lakers a title it will be totally worth it. But still, they gave up their future to get this guy, and some of those guys, Ingram I feel especially, will want to stick it to them. Just like AD getting booed, it won't matter, but it would be so much fun to watch. Then we have Zion versus LeBron. We have the current best player, and face of the league for the past almost two decades versus the guy everyone figures will be the new face when, and if he can stay healthy, LeBron retires.

Forget the playoffs for a moment. I'm excited to see them matchup tonight. I saw a picture on Bleacher Report earlier today asking the question of which one is more likely to dunk on the other one, and I got pumped at the idea. During a regular season game. Imagine that energy in a 7 game series. I mean, I'm sure it would be a sweep, maybe the Pelicans get one, but still, it would be fun. It kind of reminds me of when AD pushed the Pelicans into the playoffs and they played the Warriors. The Warriors won the series with ease, but AD was amazing. I feel like Zion can do that, but he has a much better supporting cast. I also like some of the other cross matchups. I love Ingram going against a guy like Avery Bradley. Or seeing Jrue Holiday face up with Rajon Rondo. I want to see how AD would guard Zion. This series would be great.

Again, the Grizzlies are my team. Ja is my dude. They're going to be a real player in the West very soon. But, just for one season, I want to see the Pelicans get swept by the Lakers. It will be a quick, but absolute blast of a series. Lets see it happen.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty's 2019 - 2020 NBA Preview: Heat, Nets, Celtics, Lakers

The weekend is over, and that means we are back to my 2019-20 NBA countdown. Today we enter the top 10. I think each of these teams have a legit shot to make it to the Finals, but they could also have a sloppy year, and neither outcome would shock me.

Starting with number 10 we have the Miami Heat. The Heat were in this weird kind of middle that they seemingly would never get out of. Then they went out and signed Jimmy Butler this offseason. I don't think Butler is a super star, but the dude is one of the better 2 way players in the league. What he does lack is a true deep shot. He can shoot the mid range, attack the rim, draw fouls and he plays some of the best defense in the league. He is also a throwback style player who doesn't really need to be friends with anyone in the league. He would rather beat you then befriend you. I dig that about him. But, he is old, coming off a few injuries and has shown an ability to wear out his welcome real quick. But, he was a big time get for the Heat. Outside Butler, they have solid guys. I still believe in Justise Winslow. I think his defense has been much better than I thought it would be, and if he could be any kind of threat on offense, that would really open things up. Goran Dragic is a solid point guard, and if he sticks around, I think he and Butler will get along tremendously. Dion Waiters is still liable to go off at any moment. He is so inconsistent, but when he is cooking, he can light it up. I am a big fan of Bam Adebayo's. He made it easy for them to part ways with Hassan Whiteside, and the way he played this summer should have fans hyped. James Johnson is a bad dude, and he just so happens to be able to score. He is another throwback player I dig. I don't know what to think of Meyers Leonard. He has moments, but more often than not, he doesn't really show up. And the rookie from Kentucky, Tyler Herro, could be the instant offense they need on the bench. Miami is a solid playoff team, and if things bust right, and Butler plays better than ever, this team could be dangerous.

At number 9 I have the Brooklyn Nets. They would be number one if KD wasn't hurt. But, that is the reality of the situation. And, they did trade away All Star D'Angelo Russell. But, this team was a playoff team last year. and without Russell, and KD, this team is better. They will be much better next year, but still, they are a good team. They signed Kyrie Irving, and now that he got to pick where he wanted to play, I think he will be fine. I still think he will say dumb shit and be a curmudgeon, but this is the first time in his pro career where he made the choice. He picked this team, and I think he will play well. Caris Levert is becoming a reliable scorer and defender. He is rock solid. Jarret Allen is a young and ferocious defender. He is also a solid rebounder, and is getting better around the rim. I think it is a bummer that he will lose minutes to Deandre Jordan, but that comes with the territory. And, I think Irving and Jordan can be a solid pick and roll duo. Spencer Dinwiddie is the new Jamal Crawford, except he plays defense. Joe Harris can shoot threes. I love the trade for Taurean Prince. He is a solid defender, and he can get you 12 to 14 points a night. And Wilson Chandler is finally gone from Denver, and he can fill it up as well. The Nets are a solid team, that plays great defense. When they get KD next year, I will have them as my finals favorites, but for now, they will have to settle for a 4 or 5 seed.

At number 8 I have the Boston Celtics. I feel like this is way too high if I am being honest. They replaced Kyrie Irving with Kemba Walker. Look, I love Kemba Walker, but how is that an upgrade. People will point out Kyrie's weird outbursts last year, but Walker is not as good as Irving. That is facts. They then replaced Al Horford with Enes Kanter. Kanter is a better scorer than Horford, but that is it. Kanter is a liability on defense, and cannot pass like Horford does. Gordon Hayward is a shell of himself, and I lost faith in him when he played in the playoffs his last year in Utah. Jayson Tatum regressed last year, and I hope that isn't a sign of things to come. He has the ability to be a top tier scorer, but last year was worrisome. Jaylen Brown is an awesome defender and slasher to the rim, but I don't know if he will get enough minutes, and he is in a contract year. Marcus Smart is really, really good on defense, but that is it. Carsen Edwards was a great scorer in college, but he will be going up against guys 5 and 6 inches taller than him, and he will find it hard to get shots off. I don't get why they drafted Romeo Langford. I feel like he will be in the G League by all star break. They're going to have to find minutes for Grant Williams, but that means other guys like Robert Williams and Semi Ojeleye will barely see the floor. I think, including myself, we have overrated the Celtics for the past 4 years. The one thing they have in their favor, they play in the East. They will be in the playoffs, but if they are a 6 or 7 seed, that wouldn't shock me.

My final team for the day, at number 7, I have the LA Lakers. Look, the Lakers may have the best duo in the NBA in LeBron James and Anthony Davis. That pick and roll will be lethal, they can both handle the ball, Davis is a great defender and rebounder and this is the best teammate LeBron has ever played with. But, LeBron just got his worst injury of his career, and Anthony Davis hasn't played a full season yet. And the rest of this roster is just flat out weird. I was checking it out while doing research, and man, it is an odd collection of players. Danny Green was okay last year, and can kind of shoot the three, but he isn't the same guy that he was in San Antonio. Avery Bradley is well, well past his prime. I am stunned that people think this is a good signing. Alex Caruso is the new Matthew Dellavedova, except he won't get the minutes to be of any notice. Dwight Howard is back, and that is laughable to me. He is so far past his prime. Rajon Rondo is still there, but the fact that LeBron has been named the point guard should tell you all you need to know about his playing status. Quinn Cook was a "big" get for them after missing out on Kawhi Leonard. Yeesh. They still have Kentavious Caldwell Pope, and that makes me yawn. And I am over all the Kyle Kuzma talk. The Lakers should be good, but I do not see them as the best team in the West. Like I said, outside of Davis and James, I do not get this roster. Oh, and if things go mildly bad to start the year, Frank Vogel will get canned. In fact, I would bet that, before the season ends, Jason Kidd will be the head coach of the Lakers because that is what LeBron wants. The Lakers should be a playoff team, but I don't see them getting any higher than the 5 seed, especially in the West.

That's it for today, come back tomorrow for the nest 4 teams.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

I So Want to See the Lakers Fail With Dwight Howard

Last week I wrote about Boogie Cousins injury, and how much it upset me.

Well, the Lakers might be doing the unthinkable now, because they are considering bringing back Dwight Howard, and not the Dwight Howard they brought in when they also signed Steve Nash. This is the Dwight Howard that can’t stay healthy, has been on, and then traded from, I think 4 teams since then, has become an even bigger distraction and, by all accounts, wears out his welcome very, very fast. Also, I don't think the dude can really play that well anymore.

He was great once, especially in Orlando, but since he left there, it has been a real shit show for Howard. I will admit that he had moments in Houston, and maybe even a good game or 2 while in Charlotte, but nothing close to what he was when he was a star in the league. He quickly become too much of a headache for the Rockets to deal with, and they offloaded him, the emergence of Clint Capela was a big help too, for next to nothing. He then signed with Charlotte, but like I said, he didn't do too much, and he only spent a season there. He then went to Washington, and I think he played, maybe, 20 games last season. Since then he was dealt to Memphis, again for nothing, and was expected to be released. And now we have this story with his possibility of a reunion with the Lakers.

The hater part of me, the one that loathes the Lakers, wants to see them sign him because it would be a disaster on and off the court. Howard is at a point in his career where he doesn't really offer much of anything in a solid role player. He isn't the defender or rebounder he once was, he can’t shoot from anywhere outside of 3 feet, he gets hurt far too often and he whines and complains when he doesn't get touches. On a team with LeBron, AD and Kyle Kuzma, how many touches would he, or should he, get? Very little I would say. Add on the fact that he is well past his prime, and the Lakers already have too much of that as the roster is currently constructed.

After missing out on Kawhi, the Lakers cobbled together your typical LeBron roster, bringing in vets that used to be good, but now aren't so hot. I like Danny Green, but he is a shell of himself. At times last season, Avery Bradley was one of the worst professional basketball players. Alex Caruso is a scrub, and he is the Lakers new Matthew Dellavedova. Javale McGee has turned into a much better rim runner, but he still can’t shoot, and he gets into foul trouble far too often. Now add Dwight Howard to that mix, and I think it could be catastrophic. LeBron and AD are enough to make a playoff push. I don't think the Lakers are going to win 59 games and be the 2 seed like Bleacher Report says. I don't think they are title contender like The Ringer says. I don't even think they are the best team in their own city. So why would they add Howard? It is mind boggling. LeBron already has 2 big men, one in AD who, when healthy, is a top 3 player in the league. Why do they need to add a guy that will give them absolutely nothing whatsoever? They would be better off, I can't believe I am saying this, using that money on Carmelo Anthony. At least he is still a threat from outside.

If the Lakers were to add Howard I would laugh and laugh and laugh. Everyone seems to think they are instantly a contender because of LeBron and AD, but just think of what Howard would do to them, and that locker room. It would be exactly like his first run with them. Remember, when they barely finished over .500, and got smoked in the playoffs. That was rough, and that was over 5 years ago. Howard is only older, slower and cannot do the things that modern bigs need to do to be helpful in the NBA today.

Please, for my hater side, sign Dwight Howard because that would be hilarious. But, if you wan to be taken seriously, as a real threat in the West, stay far, far away from him. It hasn't worked once, and it surely will not work this time.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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Waiting on Kawhi

As we approach the weekend we still have no decision from Kawhi Leonard as to where he will be playing basketball next year.

It is starting to get a bit frustrating for me. I'm obsessed with basketball, especially the NBA, and this free agency period has been absolutely wild, with Kawhi being the lone exception. Pretty much every other big name free agent has signed, or will officially sign tomorrow. KD and Kyrie are on the Nets. Jimmy Butler is going to Miami. Al Horford is going to Philly. Philly re upped Tobias Harris. Kemba Walker is a Celtic. Utah got Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdonavic. Indiana signed Jeremy Lamb and traded for Malcolm Brogdon. I mean, I'm sure I'm missing someone, but for the most part, the big names, and small names, are off the market. Danny Green and Boogie are still out there, but Kawhi is the biggest of the free agents, and he is taking his sweet time. I mean, I guess I shouldn't be as annoyed as I am. I mean, this is his choice, his decision, and he can do whatever in the hell he wants. He can go anywhere he chooses.

In my lifetime every other big time free agent made their choice fairly quick. LeBron signed with Miami, Cleveland the second time and with the Lakers last year before the Fourth. KD announced on the Fourth that he was leaving OKC for Golden State. When Dwayne Wade left Miami for Chicago, it was done before free agency started. Boogie signed with the Warriors before the Fourth last year. The big guys usually do not take this long to make up their minds.

It actually makes me wonder why he is taking so long. Is it because he is so much different than your average star athlete today? Does he not care about the limelight enough that he really wants to think this thing out? Has he really not made up his mind yet? Has he already made up his mind, and he is just toying with the NBA? Has Adam Silver made a call telling him he really needs to consider the Lakers to make them relevant again? Does Uncle Dennis want him to play somewhere he doesn't want to play next year? Is he going to sign with a surprise team?

I do think all of these are legitimate questions, and with a guy like Kawhi, I don't know that they will ever be truly answered. I think he is taking so long because he is a different dude. I like to believe that he is truly split between the Lakers and Raptors. Hell, I would even go as far to say that the Clippers still have an outside shot. I think he is legit writing a pros and cons list for each team, and pouring over it every night. I think he likes the idea of the Clippers because they are essentially the West's version of the Raptors. Also, it is his home and if he could bring a first title there, like he did for the Raptors, think of the legacy. But, the Clippers, to some, not me because they are currently more relevant, are the second LA team, behind the Lakers.

I think he is considering the Lakers because, again, it is home. But also, it is history and legacy and the ability to play with LeBron and AD. He doesn't seem like the "super team" type guy, but who in the hell knows with him. Maybe he has always wanted to play with LeBron, and AD is just icing on the cake. But, if he does go there, he is third in line behind LeBron and AD. Everyone will talk about him third. Also, it would seem so out of character. I've looked at him as the dynasty killer. The guy that avoids the "super team". He is the guy that wants to beat the best, not join them. And he has done that twice.

And then there is Toronto. Many said he didn't want to play there, that he wouldn't even show up after being traded there. Well, not only did he show up, he won them a title. He hit the crucial buzzer beater against the 76ers. He locked down Giannis in the East Finals. And he put that team on his back and dethroned the Warriors. Pretty much everyone returns from that team, they get OG Anounoby back, Masai Ujiri is staying and he is "the man" on that team. Also, a star player from a title team has never left the year after winning it all. Kawhi could, and would, be the one to change that, but I don't understand why he would. He has it made there, the team is good and he makes them the favorite. But, Toronto is not home, and he already won them a title. He may be looking for the next challenge for him in his career. I simply don't know.

I fear he is going to sign with the Lakers, but I hope he does a one and one deal with the Raptors, and tries to win back to back titles. If he stays in Toronto, they are the favorites. If he goes to the Clippers, they will be one of the favorites. And if he chooses the Lakers, they will be the Vegas favorite, but they will have to scrounge up the rest of that lineup. I'll be anxiously awaiting his decision, but I'm done checking #NBAtwitter and Bleacher Report obsessively. Kawhi is taking his time, so I am not going to wait with bated breath. He could choose today, or it could be another week. We shall see, and wait.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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There Are A Lot of Winners in the Anthony Davis Trade

The Lakers finally landed Anthony Davis. After a trade demand midway through this past season, an openly flirtation with the Lakers, tampering beyond belief, Rich Paul basically getting 2 guys fired, and the Lakers offering up the majority of their young talent, the trade finally happened. Well, technically it isn't official yet, we have to wait until early July. But, both parties have an agreement that Davis will be a Laker, and the Pelicans will get Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and 3 future first round picks, including the number 4 pick in this Thursday's draft.

To me, I feel like both teams got what they wanted. If you were to tell me I had to pick a "winner" of this trade though, I would say New Orleans won, and they won it by a mile. Yes, they have to give up Davis, who when healthy is a top 3 player in the league, and pairing him with LeBron, albeit at age 35, they will make a very formidable front court. But, the Lakers had to mortgage their future for what may only be 2 years of top notch basketball. LeBron is getting older, that is just a fact. He also missed the most time of his career due to injury last year. He also looked a step slower, and his jumper, while never good, was not effective at all last year. But Davis is awesome and young. He is a force on defense, he can rebound with the best of them, his jump shot is much improved, and when engaged, or not hurt, he is nearly unstoppable. He will also be out to prove something next year.

But, unless the Lakers can get another top level guy to come over on a deal worth much less than they expect, their roster is decimated. I saw a snapshot of the roster now, and outside of LeBron and Davis, it is bleak. They were able to keep Kyle Kuzma, who was, for some unknown reason, almost the guy who was the make or break player in this deal. Sure, he is a good scorer, and he can kind of hit threes, but he is a big minus on defense, and he will now have to be the third or fourth option. I don't know if he will like that. All the guys he came in the league with too, and had befriended, they are gone. He is the lone young player on the Lakers now. They we have guys like Mo Wagner, who can't rebound or play defense, Rajon Rondo, who is about a million years old, Lance Stephenson. who should have been out of the league 2 years ago, Issac Bonga, who I know zero about, Tyson Chandler, who is older than Rondo and Alex Caruso, who looks like the dude you hate to play in your local rec league. Dare I say, the Lakers bench is worse than the Warriors bench right now. Again, this can change if they get a Kyrie Irving or Kemba Walker or Jimmy Butler, but I don't see that happening. But, kudos to LeBron, Rich Paul and Anthony Davis, you whined your way to a trade to the Lakers, even if it meant destroying your future. It is now more clear than ever who runs the Lakers.

On the other hand, the Pelicans absolutely crushed this deal. They traded away a disgruntled player for 3 young guys that have certain skills they need, and first round picks for three years. They have the number one and number 4 pick in the upcoming draft. And lets say the Lakers have solid seasons the next 2 years, they will still get their pick, plus a second first rounder in the next 2 drafts. That is some Danny Ainge dealing KG and Paul Pierce to the Nets type shit. This is a homerun of a deal. I know Jrue Holiday was upset when Davis asked out, but if I were him now, I would be very excited for the future of the team. He is still there, and he is an underrated guy, plus he has all this young talent coming to play on his team. The Pelicans don't have to immediately blow it up and rebuild now. Holiday can slide over to the 2, and Ball can be the point. While I have been very tough on Ball as a player, he is a good point guard. He has great court vision, is a willing passer and plays solid defense. His shot is pure trash, but he won't need to shoot too much on this team. This may be the best thing for him too, getting himself and his dad out of LA. I still think very highly of Brandon Ingram. He is one Duke guy that I actually like. He also started to show flashes last season of what he can do. He is a long and lanky shooter. He can also get to the rim very quickly. His long stride is very good for the fast break. I bet of all the players traded yesterday he is the happiest. He looked miserable playing next to LeBron last year. Now he has a fresh start, and he will be one of the go to guys in New Orleans. Josh Hart was one of the few young guys that LeBron counted on last year. That shows maturity to me. The fact that he was willing to do what was best for the team is a trait I love in professional players. By the way, he can shoot and play defense as well. Hart will step in right away and be a solid contributor, do the little things asked of him, and I bet he will become an instant fan favorite. The Pelicans, who own the first pick, are going to take Zion on Thursday. That is the type of star power they need to replace Davis. Zion is not Davis, not yet at least, but he might be the best prospect since Davis. This kid is an amazing leaper with good passing skills and a willingness to play defense and be coached. He may not have been happy when New Orleans won the draft lottery, but if I were him now, I'd be stoked looking at this current team he's about to be on. The combo of him and Ball, especially on fast breaks, is going to be awesome. Zion will also get Ingram and Hart plenty of open looks. He will help out Holiday a ton. This is as about a perfect situation as a rookie can get. And with the fourth pick, they can go strictly based on need, and get a pretty talented player. I don't think they will get Ja Morant or RJ Barrett, and I don't see them taking a point guard like Darius Garland or Coby White due to who they acquired in the trade. But that means they can look at a guy like Jaxson Hayes, the big center from Texas. Or they can check in on DeAndre Hunter, a solid shooting 3 or 4 who plays defense. Jarrett Culver could be another option for them as a solid backup to Holiday. Brandon Clarke could be on their radar now. They can look at some overseas talent. They have, pretty much, endless options for the upcoming draft.

This was the homerun the Pelicans wanted to get with this Davis deal, and they absolutely knocked it out of the park. The Lakers should also be happy in this deal. They all got what they wanted. I will just say, I am more pumped to watch the Pelicans than the Lakers next year after this trade. They should be the more fun team to watch on League Pass.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Some Thoughts on the NBA Draft Lottery and the New Lakers Coach

Before I get into movies and TV the next 2 days, I’ve got 2 more basketball things I want to touch on today.

First, I want to talk about the NBA lottery last night.

The NBA won last night. More clearly, the commissioner, and the new flat odds rule won last night. The Knicks, Cavs and Suns tanked all year. The Lakers, when they realized their season was over, tried to tank. The Hawks, while fun to watch, didn’t win too many games. Despite all this, the Pelicans got the first pick, and Memphis got the second pick. The Knicks and Lakers finished out the top 4, but neither got the pick they were hoping for. The Pelicans now hold every single advantage in the whole AD thing now. They can ask for a kings ransom to any team trying to get AD, or a team that may want presumed number one pick, Zion Williamson. This was the absolute best thing that could’ve happened to New Orleans, David Griffin and Alvin Gentry. They don’t have to tear it all down now. They can get a tremendous package now, stay relevant and get back in the playoff picture ASAP. Also, I don’t think this was rigged at all. If it was rigged, the Knicks or Lakers would’ve gotten the number one pick. The fact that neither is in the top 2, of a seemingly 2 player draft, speaks volumes to the possibility of this lottery being rigged. I think it’s hilarious that some think it was fixed. I don’t think the NBA was begging for Zion to go to New Orleans. That’s nonsense. Anyway, congrats New Orleans. You not only won the draft lottery, you regained, and added, a ton of power in the AD saga. Hilarious.

Secondly, I want to talk about this whole Frank Vogel being named the new head coach of the Lakers. I mean, what the hell? This is absolutely absurd. This is a consolation “prize”, after Monty Williams took the Phoenix job and Ty Lue walked away. Frank Vogel was an okay coach when he was in Indiana, but basketball was much different back then. Roy Hibbert was an all star and a guy you needed on the floor. He’d be unplayable in the modern NBA. After getting fired from Indiana he took the Orlando job, and boy oh boy was their team not very good. He didn’t work well with the young talent, and they let him go after only three years. And when you look at the Pacers and Magic now, they’re both better off. They’re both playoff teams. Hell, the Pacers fought for homecourt in the first round until Victor Oladipo got hurt. Frank Vogel is an okay coach, but not worthy of coaching a team LeBron is on.

Which brings me to my next point. The fact that Jason Kidd is the lead assistant is very prophetic for who will be the head coach by Christmas Day. This is almost exactly what happened in Cleveland when LeBron came back. David Blatt was hired before he decided to come back, took them to the Finals, then the next season Ty Lue was named lead assistant, and 20 games into the year, he was the new head coach. LeBron may not be saying anything about this hire right now, but a few months into the year, if the Lakers are still struggling, LeBron will say some stuff to the media, and within a week Kidd will be the new head coach. It’s so easy to see this in the tea leaves. Vogel is a scapegoat. He’s a figurehead. Since James signed with LA, Jason Kidd’s name has come up for head coach a bunch. It is clear that he, Maverick Carter and Klutch Sports are running this Lakers team. That’s what LeBron does. Teams that sign him should know that the moment they sign him, he’s in control. Much like the lottery, the Frank Vogel hire is hilarious to me. He’ll last one full season if he’s lucky. Honestly though, I think he’s gone before Christmas, and Kidd is introduced as the head coach. And I think both LeBron and the Lakers will seriously regret it in about 2 years.

This has been a wild few days in the NBA. But, it’s also been fun to watch since I have no rooting interest in most of the teams I mentioned today. Gosh, the NBA is so much fun. 

Ty
Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.