Ty's 2025 NFL Draft Preview

The NFL draft kicks off tonight with the first round. As I do every year I'm going to give my version of a draft preview. I'll pick five prospects I like, five I'm not so high on and three sleepers. I watch a ton of college football, so I do feel like I know a good amount about these guys. I'm also pretty stoked that the draft is in Green Bay this year. That's pretty cool as a Packers fan.

I'll start with the five prospects I like most.

I want to mention my first prospect that I have little to no doubt will be an eventual star in the league, Travis Hunter. Hunter is so rare and so damn good at the game of football. He is one of the top receivers in the draft and may be the top corner in the draft. He can play both ways at a very high level. He is coming off a Heisman win. He is the Shohei Ohtani of the NFL. I will be curious to see what position he ends up playing more in the league, but I fully expect him to play a good amount of offense and defense. I just hope he doesn't end up in Cleveland.

I'm going to clump my next prospect into two tight ends, Tyler Warren and Colston Loveland. Warren is more of a brute who can do a little bit of everything. He is a superior blocker. He can get separation from linebackers with ease. And he can be used in a bunch of different sets and trick plays. He is also built like a brick. Loveland is more athletic and a faster tight end. He is an okay enough blocker, but he is so much better utilized as a receiving tight end. He is tall, fast and can get away from linebackers and corners all the same. He could have a long career.

My next prospect is Kenneth Grant. Michigan has two interior d lineman that I think will be good, but I like Grant just a little more than Mason Graham. Grant, for his size, is incredibly fast. He chased down his fair share of running backs. He is an o line wrecker and a run stuffer. And once he figures it all out, he is still relatively young, he has the tools to have a productive career.

My fourth prospect I like is Tet McMillan, the receiver out of Arizona. He is big, he is fast and he has incredible hands. I hope he falls to the Packers. I'd love that. He was so productive in college, had great games against the best teams, and I personally think he is the best wideout prospect in this draft.

My final prospect I like is Cam Ward. He is, by a very wide margin, the best QB prospect in this draft. He controls the game. He has a very cool and calm demeanor that teams in need of a QB will covet. He absolutely owned the ACC last season. While at Washington State he also controlled the Pac 12. Ward is going to be a productive QB who, with the right weapons, can be a franchise cornerstone.

Now to my five prospects I'm lower on.

First, and I hate to talk down Michigan guys, is Will Johnson. Johnson was so disruptive and lockdown in his sophomore season. He and Mike Sainristil dominated in the secondary. He would have been an easy top 10 pick last year if he were eligible. He wasn't and his junior year was not as great. He was often injured after the first 1/3 of the season. He made two great plays against Fresno State and USC, but then he was basically out of the lineup. He hardly played after that. I was excited because he suited up for the game I went to see live, and he only played one series. I figured he was saving himself for the draft, but he didn't do anything at the combine and maybe even less at Michigan's pro day. He has all the tools to succeed, but he has hardly been available for over a year now, and that scares me.

Next I have James Pearce Jr. He was a projected top pick coming into this season, but he really made no noise. He could've been double and triple teamed, but no one ever really talked about him. He just kind of disappeared. I never heard about him during the combine or during Tennessee's pro day. He kind of vanished and that is not the best look.

The next guy I have is Matthew Golden, the wideout from Texas. While he is very fast, he is small and slight. That may work for a guy like Xavier Worthy, but he has otherworldly speed. Golden does not possess that kind of speed. And at 5'11 he is destined to be a slot receiver. Any team could find that in the later rounds and be happy. I just don't see him as a first round type of prospect.

My fourth guy is Malaki Starks. This is just like the James Pearce Jr stuff. Starks was supposed to be a top 10 pick, but he just kind of vanished. He didn't do much of anything that really stood out. And Georgia's defense wasn't as good as they were supposed to be last season. Starks may be an okay enough player in the long run, but he is not the elite prospect many thought he could have been.

The final guy I have is offensive tackle Josh Connerly Jr from Oregon. He has been slipping down most teams' draft boards throughout the pre draft process. His motor isn't always the highest either. He is big, but he needs to want to dominate. I don't know if he will be able to do that in the NFL. I just don't trust a first round pick on him.

Onto my three sleepers.

First I have Luther Burden III. He was a highly regarded prospect out of high school. He dominated while at Mizzou. He made Brady Cook look halfway decent. He would face double and triple teams and he still put up productive numbers. I'd take a guy like Burden before Matthew Golden. I firmly believe that Burden is the third best wideout in the draft, behind only McMillan and Hunter.

My next sleeper is Jimmy Horn Jr. He was Colorado's number two wideout behind Travis Hunter. He put up big time numbers. Receivers are also premium players in the NFL, especially if you can get them in later rounds. Jimmy Horn Jr has the pedigree, he runs solid routes and he has good hands. He can also get separation and make big plays down the field. If a receiver needy team has a later round pick, they should go after Jimmy Horn Jr without a second thought.

My final sleeper is Andrew Mukuba, the safety from Texas. I saw him up close and personal when Texas played Michigan earlier this year. He was a beast and he dominated. He was all over the field making a ton of plays. This continued throughout his whole season. And safeties are much needed in the NFL. I would love Green Bay to take him in round three or four. That would be great for me.

There you have it, my 2025 NFL draft preview. Enjoy. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

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

Ty's NBA Playoff Preview

The NBA playoffs are right around the corner. The play-in starts this evening in fact. Today I'm going to give my playoff preview and picks. I'll also hand out my MVP for the Finals. This is my favorite time of the NBA season. The games are intense, the players are going full bore and the coaches, the ones who want to win, are giving it their all. With all that, I'm going to get into the preview.

I'll start with the "minor" league Eastern Conference preview. The play-in games here are going to add up to a whole lot of nothing in the long run, but the games should be fun.

The 7-8 game has the Magic facing the Hawks. I was so high on the Magic in the preseason, but they got bit by the injury bug big time. The Hawks made some moves, took the French kid first overall and still finished this season like they've finished most lately, underwhelming. Trae Young is very good on offense, but a zero on defense. Paolo Banchero and Franz Wagner are both very good, but they cannot make an outside shot. The Magic are a phenomenal defensive team and the Hawks are a solid offensive team. Give me the Magic. They should have most of their team intact. They get the 7 seed. The 9-10 game is a total clash of styles. The Bulls play fast and loose, the Heat play slow and in control. I really have almost no interest in this game. The Heat aren't the same team anymore, and the Bulls are a shell of who they once were. I'm going with the Bulls here because they have been on a bit of a tear lately. So, the Hawks and the Bulls will play for the 8 seed. Give me the Bulls here in a minor upset. This will be a high scoring game, with little to no defense. And the youth of the Bulls will prevail. They grab the 8 seed.

The East first round matchups are, Cavs and Bulls, Celtics and Magic, Knicks and Pistons and Pacers and Bucks. No need to go in depth with the 1-8 and 2-7 matchups. The Cavs are going to boatrace the Bulls. I'd be stunned if the Bulls are even within a double figure deficit in any game. The Cavs will sweep. The Celtics have barely been talked about it seems this year. They're defending champs, they have effortlessly slid into the 2 seed and they have everyone back. I know Jaylen Brown may be more hurt than he is letting on, but this team is still loaded. The Magic won't be able to keep up. The Celtics will also sweep. The 3-6 matchup is going to be fun. It's old school ball with the Knicks playing the Pistons. The Pistons are back and that rules. I love it when they're relevant. The Knicks haven't been as solid as they were last season, but they are still the 3 seed and the favorites here. They have guys that have been here before and they know what it takes to win. They also have the three or four best players in the series. The Pistons are not going to back down, but every young team needs to have the feeling they're about to get in this series. I do think the Pistons will win a game or two and make it tough on the Knicks, but in the end the Knicks will win. Give me them in six games. The Bucks and Pacers are the best series of the first round in the East. The Bucks have the far and away best player in the series. Giannis has been on an absolute tear and he doesn't seem to be slowing down at all. It's the rest of the Bucks roster and Doc Rivers that scare me. Dame is hurt, Kuzma hasn't been the guy they hoped he would be, Taurean Prince is kind of blah. The Bucks are kind of in a  little turmoil. The Pacers play fast and easy and score in bunches. They're also a deeper team. Tyrese Haliburton has come back to his normal playing style. Pascal Siakim and Myles Turner are putting in work. And their bench is deep. I'd love for the Bucks to win, but Giannis needs help and it doesn't seem to be coming. I'll take the Pacers in seven games.

That means I have the Cavs facing the Pacers and the Celtics facing the Knicks. Again, no need to beat around the bush. The Cavs are better than the Pacers and they play defense. Donovan Mitchell is just waiting to go off too. And Evan Mobley and Jarrett Allen are just awesome on defense. The Cavs won't sweep, but they will win this series in five games. The Celtics should easily dispatch of the Knicks. The Celtics are deeper, they play better defense, they shoot better from three, they have a better coaching staff. And Tatum will be the best player in this series far and away. Give me the Celtics in six games.

So that leaves us with the Cavs and Celtics in the East Finals. We get the 1 and 2 seeds here. And this is where the party ends for the Cavs. They are going to fight and claw in this series. They will give the Celtics all they can handle. But in the end the Celtics are just a better, more experienced playoff team. I know it's hard to repeat, but this version of the Celtics is damn, damn good. The Celtics are the East representatives in the Finals.

Onto the big boys, the Western Conference playoffs.

The play-games for the West start tonight. The 7-8 features the Grizzlies and Warriors. I mean, I want the Grizz to win it, but they seem checked out. They haven't been very good lately, they have coaching turnover and they haven't been able to put it together recently. I don't have much faith in them. The Warriors are more primed and playing better. They might roll the Grizz tonight. The 9-10 game features remnants of the Kings and Mavs. I don't even know who will be available to play in this game tonight. The Mavs have a ton of injuries and the Kings are dealing with their own wreckage. I'll go with the Kings because I think the Mavs have truly given up on this season. As for who gets the 8 seed, give me the Grizz over the Kings. I know the Grizzlies have been struggling, but they are better than the Kings and should be able to easily grab the 8 seed.

That means the West first round matchups will be the Thunder and Grizzlies, Rockets and Warriors, Lakers and Timberwolves and Nuggets and Clippers. The Thunder will put the Grizzlies out of their misery. They won't make it painful, they will just end it. The Thunder have been the best team in the league all year and the Grizzlies will see that up close and personal. Thunder in a sweep. I'm excited about this Warriors-Rockets matchup. The Rockets are the new kids on the block, but they don't mind bullying people. They have youth, veterans and a stifling, long defense. The Warriors are still good, but they're so old, and getting beat by the Clippers to end the season was a bummer for them. This series should be closer than most expect, but the Rockets have the better, younger team. Steph Curry can only do so much, and he needs way more help than what this current roster construction has to offer. Give me the Rockets in seven. I don't know what to make of the Lakers-Timberwolves series. The Lakers have the two best players. They have a good roster. They seem to know what they're doing. The Timberwolves eked out this 6 seed, but they have kind of been on fire lately. They are younger and deeper. They have a better defense. And Anthony Edwards is not afraid of the spotlight. He thrives in it. The Lakers are going to get way more calls, and Rudy Gobert really struggles against Luka Doncic and LeBron James. I'm going to go with the Lakers in seven, but I'll be rooting hard for the Timberwolves the whole time. The 4-5 between the Nuggets and Clippers may be the best series of the entire playoffs. I love this matchup. The Nuggets have Jokic and Murray is back from injury. Michael Porter Jr is a 6'10 guy that can shoot. And Christian Braun is a legit defender. The Clippers have been playing great and, knock on wood, everyone has been healthy and playing at a high level. Kawhi Leonard looks like himself. James Harden has reverted back to his old ways of constantly getting to the line and getting a ton of assists. Norm Powell has become a legit number three on this team. Ivica Zubac has had a wonderful year. And Tyron Lue is coaching his ass off. The Clippers may be the third or second best team in the West. And that is why I'm picking them to win this brutal series in seven games.

So, that leaves me with the Thunder facing the Clippers and the Rockets playing the Lakers. The Clippers will probably be dog tired for this series and by this time, Shai Gilgeous Alexander may have accepted his much deserved MVP award. The Thunder are deep, nasty and can play offense with the best of them. The Clippers won't go down without a fight, but in the end the Thunder's youth and athleticism will be enough to take this series in six games. As for the Rockets and Lakers, I'd absolutely love to see the Rockets win. They're young and fun. They play both ends of the court at a high volume. They have a better head coach. This team seems primed to make a leap. But, the Lakers will get the calls they need. They will get every single advantage they ask for. And Dillon Brooks will do something stupid and blow it for them. I'm begrudgingly picking the Lakers to win in seven games, but I wouldn't be shocked if this series is fraught with awful calls and poor reffing that favors the Lakers throughout. And their prize will be facing the Thunder in the West Finals. The Thunder are going to exorcise some past issues here. I'd love to see them sweep the Lakers. While I don't think that will happen, I do think the Lakers will steal a game due to officials. But give me the Thunder in five games. They're having an excellent year and that will bear out in a Finals appearance.

That means I have the Thunder and Celtics in the Finals. Give me the Celtics to repeat. It hasn't been done in awhile and it seems like this is the right time for it to happen. While the Thunder are very good and match up well with the Celtics, the Celtics are better overall. They play better defense, shoot the three better and know what it takes to win on this stage. The Thunder's time is coming, just not this year. The Celtics will be your 2025 NBA champs. And give me Jayson Tatum to take home Finals MVP. He made a case last season, but he will leave no doubt this year. 

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.

Follow Ty on instagram.

"The Zach Lowe Show" is a Return to Form, Good and Bad

I have sung Zach Lowe's praises on this site before. I truly believe he is one of the best basketball writers working right now. He goes very in depth with his content. It's clear he does a ton of research and knows this game inside and out. I thought ESPN made a humongous mistake when they laid him off. One thing that went away was probably their best podcast, "The Lowe Post". I looked forward to multiple episodes a week. But after ESPN was done with him, he went silent. I assume this was by design. He probably wanted to get out of the light for a bit and spend time with his family. That makes total sense to me.

Maybe a month or two ago, he started to post stuff on Instagram and YouTube. I devoured this content. I wanted more and more. Then, as many of us figured, he was hired by The Ringer. This was always going to be the resolution in my mind. He and Bill Simmons, who is a dipshit, have been long time friends and they worked at Grantland and ESPN together. This was the next logical step for Lowe. Simmons has an empire and he can hire, and degrade, whomever he chooses. But let me say, I was stoked when he released a preview of his "new" podcast.

His new show is called "The Zach Lowe Show", I wish he kept the old name, and I put new in quotes because it is the same exact show with a new name. Lowe has already released three episodes, all this week, and I've listened to each one. As I said, it is the same damn thing. He gets big time writers and reporters in there, they go deep on basketball knowledge and they make bold statements left and right. The only difference, the swearing is no longer bleeped out. That is the only change. And boy oh boy did I miss his show. I was right back in the moment he exclaimed, "WELCOME TO...", and then said the title of the show. It was like he never left. He made very minimal statements about his time away, but besides that, it is business as usual. He's had Marc Stein, Kirk Goldsberry and other writer friends of his on so far. He has talked to beat writers in Denver to get news on all the craziness that's going on there right now. He has talked awards with his buddies. It's been great.

The one thing I had forgotten, and what used to drive me up the wall about his show, he will only sing praises when he speaks about Nikola Jokic and Luka Doncic. He has had three shows, and I swear to you all that he has said, "Nikola Jokic is the greatest basketball player on Earth" about 100 times already. He is so totally in the bag for Jokic. I wrote a piece awhile back that his love for Jokic was bordering on pornographic. And that has not changed one bit to this point. And then he had an episode yesterday that the first half was all about Luka Doncic playing his first game in Dallas since the trade. He and Stein made reference time and again to how "hurt" Doncic was. They kept talking about his emotions. They called his performance, in a non essential regular season game, "masterful". They made it out like he was some down on his luck random person in the universe. Luka Doncic gets to play a game for a living and make millions upon millions of dollars. He isn't some woebegone dude looking for a welding job. He is doing just fine in his life. And after all of that nonsense, they proceeded to just heap praise upon praise on him, meanwhile they dumped all over the Mavs GM. I get it, he made a poor trade, but let it go. And Lowe had the audacity to try and walk back all his comments on Harrison right after the trade by talking about his family. The reason he and his family are getting so attacked by the media is because of people like Zach Lowe. I get it, that is his job. But Lowe shouldn't be out here trying to play both ends of the fence. That isn't his job.

So, while I have missed the show and will continue to listen to it all the damn time, I do have to know that this love fest for these two white Eastern Europeans will never stop coming from Lowe as long as they play and he has a podcast. You have to take the bad with the good, and that's fine. 

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.

Follow Ty on instagram.

Thoughts on a the Denver Nuggets Firing the Coach and GM

I don't know what's in the water in the NBA. Something strange is going on and it feels like this is just the beginning of many more coaching moves to come. But, for the Denver Nuggets to let go of Mike Malone and GM Calvin Booth, that is downright wild.

I didn't see this coming at all. I was shocked by the Grizzlies letting Taylor Jenkins go, but for the Nuggets to do this now, it makes absolutely zero sense to me. The Nuggets won the title two years ago. They made the West Semifinals last year. They're currently in playoff contention right now. Sure, they may have to survive the play-in, but they have had to deal with a million injuries. And they have Nikola Jokic, who I am not a fan of, but the dude can play offense. He is a superior scorer. He is an excellent passer. The offense runs through him. They also have Jamal Murray. Yes, he is often injured as of late, but when he is on the floor he is the Robin the team needs. And they also have complimentary guys. Christian Braun is a solid defender. Michael Porter Jr is a good shooter. They may have something with Peyton Watson and some other young players they've drafted. The Nuggets are not a team in disarray. They definitely do not need a coaching change. What they need is to not bring on players like Deandre Jordan and Russell Westbrook. I adore Westbrook, but I was against this move from the moment it happened. And Jordan has no bounce and is not the defender he once was in the league.

Pinning this all on Malone and Booth seems odd to me. I guess that, according to some sports reporters, there was building tension in the locker room. I guess some players disagreed with his gameplans as of late. But come on man, this dude helped guide the team to a title two short years ago. That is a big, big deal. That is the only title in Nuggets history. Sure, Booth and company didn't retain certain players that were vital to the title team. Bruce Brown and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope were key guys in that run. But in all reality, they weren't going to be able to keep those guys when they had to pay Jokic, Porter Jr and Murray. Cuts have to be made in some spots, and with the solid drafting they've done in the late first round, letting those guys go was not that big a deal. And they have not been the same since leaving Denver.

I guess what surprises me most about all of this, Michael Malone is a very, very good basketball coach. He may be tough, but good players respond well to that for the most part. I don't think any other coach will get what Malone got from Jokic and Murray. They will just walk all over the next guy. I can tell I'm getting older because I'm defending Malone's way of coaching. I like tough love. I like when he openly calls out players because I know he does it in private too. I would love it if the Grizzlies kicked the tires on Malone as their next head coach.

I truly don't know where the Nuggets go from here. I heard they have some assistants they're high on, but five games and a, most likely, short playoff run is not enough to judge their coaching prowess. And I don't know what big name coach they'd try to get to come and coach this team, especially seeing how quickly they can be let go. I don't know if any coach is safe right now, outside of Joe Mazzula. It seems like guys are being let go left and right, no matter the amount of success they've achieved. This is weird all the way around. The timing, the name and the addition of the GM being let go too is just a lot to think about at the moment. I feel like the Nuggets are going to take a big, big step back in the next couple years. And Michael Malone is going to find another job very soon. 

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.

Follow Ty on instagram.

Ty Watches the 2025 NCAA Men's Basketball Final

The men's title game came and went last night. I missed the first half, I was out to dinner with my family. But I did make it home for the second half and my son and I dipped in and out.

When we turned it on Houston was in the lead. They actually built that lead up to ten points early in the second half. It looked like they could have run away with it. But that didn't happen. Houston went stone cold and got kind of stagnant. And Florida did what they have done all tourney long and clawed and scratched their way back to take a late lead. They eventually had a two point lead near the end of the game, but it was Houston's ball. It was shaping up to be an epic finish, but I should have thought differently after watching Houston slowly blow their lead. Houston didn't even get a shot off. They had over ten seconds to tie or take the lead, but they never put the ball anywhere close to the hoop. That's brutal, especially in a title game. And while I felt a little bad for Kelvin Sampson, he should have had his team ready to shoot the ball. They had to have the best possible play call at the time. But they didn't and it cost them.

Taking a big step back and looking at the game as a whole, it was indicative of what I have an issue with basketball at the current moment. This was a sloppy, sloppy game. Sure, I have to assume the players were tired, but this is the title game between two number 1 seeds. This should have been a far, far better game. Houston and Florida were both atop the rankings pretty much all season. They both have college basketball stars on their teams. Florida has a young savant as a head coach and Kelvin Sampson is one of the best to ever do it. But all of that did not matter on the court. Both teams shot poorly from the field. Florida shot 39 percent from the floor, Houston was even worse, at 34 percent. The three point shooting was even worse. Florida made 6 of 24 threes. That is good enough for 25 percent. Houston, they went 6 of 25, good enough for 24 percent. The two teams combined to shoot 12 of 49 from three, which comes out to 24 percent. The free throw shooting was askew as well. Florida made 17 of 21, which is solid. Houston went 9 of 14. That's not great, but still okay. But, Florida had more makes than Houston had attempts. When that happens I get annoyed. It showed a clear favoritism. And it wasn't like Houston was fouling to extend the game. I feel like officials are getting way too involved, and when they decide to favor one team, that takes a ton away from the game for me. The shooting was rough, the free throw shooting was messy and the lack of explosive plays, minus one early dunk, made for a very boring and dull game.

After the tourney was canceled in 2020 due to the pandemic, I craved it. When it came back in 2021, I remembered how much I missed it. And watching UConn run the sport for the past two years was kind of cool. But, the game last night was a reminder of what I dislike about current basketball. It took me back to when Duke was winning titles. I wasn't moved or impressed with hardly anything. I know that I have my personal issues with the game, but the poor shooting and insertion of the refs made this tough for most to watch I have to imagine. Oh well. I guess I have to hope that the NBA playoffs are better. Fingers crossed. 

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.

Follow Ty on instagram.

Is Carmelo Anthony a Hall of Fame Player? (Yes He Is)

I was out for coffee with my dad the other day and we were chatting about everything as we normally do. The subject almost always switches to sports at some point, and we got on the topic of Carmelo Anthony during our conversation.

We were talking about the NBA and the upcoming playoffs, and I then mentioned that Anthony was going to be on the Hall of Fame ballot that is coming out soon. I, without hesitation, told my dad I thought it was a foregone conclusion that he was a first ballot Hall of Fame basketball player.

My dad didn't agree.

I asked him why and he mentioned a few things. He said he was never that great a defender, this is very true. He also said he never won a title, also true. He made mention that the Nuggets and Knicks never made it out of the second round of the playoffs when he was the number one option on offense, again true. And when he traveled from team to team to team late in his career, the unwillingness to take on a smaller role diminished his greatness in his eyes. Again, that is true as well.

I tend to agree with the points my dad made, but I do not agree with him that Carmelo Anthony is not a first ballot Hall of Fame player. Carmelo Anthony shot on the scene for me back when he was one of the first one and done college players. He went to Syracuse for a year, played under Jim Boeheim, learned a ton and willed that team to a title. That Kansas team they played was better on paper, but Anthony was the driving force behind that title and he was well received afterward. He ended up being the third pick, in the LeBron James draft, and made a real case for Rookie of the Year that season. I wasn't sure how well he would make the transition from college to the pros, but it was flawless. He entered the league and was instantly putting up big numbers. He surprised me, in a good way, and I became an even bigger fan of his after that first NBA season. He didn't slow down after that. He was a 10x all star. He made six all NBA teams. He was the 2013 scoring champ. And he was a part of the NBA's 75th Anniversary team. He has three gold medals and one bronze. His ability to play a different style in the Olympics benefited him and his country. He was instant offense off the bench for Team USA later in his career. He ended his career with an average of 22 points per game. He made the Knicks relevant again in the mid 2010's. The Nuggets got better right away after they drafted him. He got to play with Allen Iverson, and it kind of worked. It was cool for me to see him on OKC's team late in his career, there to help Russell Westbrook. He kind of remade himself when he went to play for the Trailblazers. Carmelo Anthony had an art to his offensive gameplan. He was a three level scorer. He could hit the three, make a mid range and attack the basket at will when he wanted to. He made headbands cool. He put up numbers. He remained relevant the majority of his career. Sure, he doesn't have an MVP or a title ring, but there's going to be a ton of guys like that very soon that will be Hall of Fame caliber players.

I look at a player like Carmelo Anthony the same way I look at current players like Damian Lillard or Paul George. No one will question their appearance on a Hall of Fame ballot, so I will not do that with Carmelo either. He is a generational offensive talent, and that is what the NBA has become. Carmelo Anthony and LeBron James were the two that kind of started this version of basketball that we are all watching now. So, if anyone asks me, I definitely think Carmelo Anthony is a first ballot Hall of Fame player, and I am kind of shocked that others don't. To each their own I guess. 

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.

Follow Ty on instagram.

What's Next for a Troubled Grizzlies Team?

I think I'm ready to talk about the Grizzlies relieving Taylor Jenkins of his job.

This has been tough for me as a fan of the Grizzlies. I like Taylor Jenkins. He kept this team relevant the past couple years. Last year, when seemingly everyone was hurt, he did the best he could with the roster he was given. I fully understand that they never made it out of the second round during his time there, but this is Memphis we are talking about. I love this team, but they cannot lure big time free agents, and when they luck out in the draft, those guys usually do their best work after leaving Memphis. This season they are currently back in the playoff hunt, and if they can turn the tide from their recent play, they can make the playoffs relatively easily without playing in the play-in tournament. But I guess this wasn't enough for the powers that be to keep Jenkins on their payroll.

When the news flashed on my phone I thought it was a mistake. I couldn't believe that they actually let him go. With more stories coming out since the news was released it seems like this had a lot to do with the current players and their dislike for the system Jenkins has been running this year. Now, the one name that has continually come up has been Ja Morant's. I've heard all kinds of things about him this season. He may be traded, he's going to test free agency, he was the main player voicing concern over Jenkins new system and then he flashed a arm and finger gun at the Warriors bench during their last game.

This is everything I've wanted to avoid with my rooting interest in this team. Morant served his suspension for flashing guns, and I was hoping that was going to be it for him. I figured he was going to put that in the past. It seems to be rearing its ugly head yet again. Then we have Desmond Bane shoving Santi Aldama during a huddle in a timeout. Players are openly beefing with one another during a game on national tv. Brandon Clarke is hurt again and out for the rest of this season. Jaren Jackson Jr can't stop fouling players. They couldn't trade Luke Kennard. It just seems to be one problem after the next with this team. And they can't back up all the trash they were talking a few years ago about embracing the bad guy image and being the new up and coming team. They are kind of crumbling currently, and the notion to let go of their head coach makes even less sense. Jenkins could have righted the ship. He could have stopped the bleeding. He has continuity with these guys. But they ripped the bandaid and now they have to find someone else to coach a team that is kind of a mess right now. I hoped that letting Dillon Brooks go was going to be best for the team, but it has only made the Rockets better. The Grizzlies are floundering and a coaching change was the absolute last thing they needed right now.

I truly do not know what is next for this team but I'm worried about them. I like this team so much but they can't seem to get anything right at the moment. And this coaching decision is only going to make it even harder come playoff time for the Grizzlies. This has really bummed me out. I'm curious to see how it all unfolds from here. 

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.

Follow Ty on instagram.

Ty Predicts the 2025 Men's Final Four

The men's final four has all four number 1 seeds. This seems like it will be the norm for some years to come. The top teams have the most money, they can spend it in NIL and the transfer portal and any good player is going to want to play for one of these storied programs. We should all get used to it. With that being said, I'm going to make some more picks. The final four is this weekend and the title game is next Monday. The college basketball season will be over before we know it.

On one side of the bracket we have an all SEC matchup featuring Auburn and Florida. This game, for me, comes down to the health of Johni Broome. Broome is going to be a top finisher for player of the year. He kind of controls Auburn's offense and defense. He is the veteran leader that every team craves. But, he got hurt in their elite eight game. He left for a few minutes, and when he came back he didn't look the same. If he is in any way not close to 100 percent, Auburn has little to no chance. Florida can score and score in bunches. They're one of the best offenses in the country. They can score from every level. They are balanced and lethal. If Broome was all good I think I'd go with Auburn. But, due to the uncertainty with his injury and Florida's ability to score in bunches, give me Florida to advance to the title game.

On the other side of the bracket, props to my dad for this, the real championship game is being played between Duke and Houston. These two teams have been the best all year long. They have been consistently ranked inside the top 5, they were easy number 1 seed picks and they have cruised, minus Houston's last game, to the final four. Duke is legit. As much as it pains me to write it, they are the best team in the country and they should be the favorite to win it all. They have depth, veterans, young dudes that are legit and they play both ends of the floor. Duke has three starters, all freshmen, that will be picked in the top 10 of the draft. That type of talent is hard to come by and Duke is crushing it with those dudes right now. The presumptive number one pick Cooper Flagg struggled in their last game. That didn't matter, Duke beat Alabama by 20. The other guys stepped up when they needed to. Duke is good. But don't sleep on Houston. They're in the final four for a reason. They earned a number 1 seed. They have experienced dudes that know how to win. And they know how to play ferocious, frustrating defense. Houston is the men's college basketball version of the Bad Boys Pistons, except they aren't dirty about it. Houston can also score. Their offense isn't great, but the defense is. The defense is what got them here and could catapult them to the title game, if they were playing a different team. This Duke team is too good to be beaten. It annoys the hell out of me how good they are at basketball. I've never, ever liked Duke, and it hurts to say good things about them, but here we are. These dudes can hoop. Duke will beat Houston in what will be the best game of the tourney.

My title game is Florida and Duke. I mean, why dance around it, Duke is going to win the title and probably win it going away. If Florida tries to outscore them, Duke can match it and go beyond. If Florida wants to turn it into a defensive game, go for it. Duke will find a plethora of guys that can score enough to win. I'm going to be angry and annoyed because it seems inevitable that Duke is the men's champ, and Cooper Flagg will almost certainly get Most Outstanding Player. I hope I'm wrong, but fear I'm not. I'll be rooting for every other team in the final four, but I don't think it matters in the long run. 

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.

Follow Ty on instagram.

The SeedSing 2025 MLB Preview

With today being the opening day of the 2025 MLB season, I know the Dodgers and Cubs did a 2 game series in Japan last week, I'm going to attempt to do a MLB preview and playoff predictions. Like I say every year, take this all with a very big grain of salt. I'm going to quickly go through the divisions, pick a winner of each and then do playoffs. I'll also do the big awards, MVP and Cy Young, from each league. I'll start with the AL.

Let's do the East first. The Yankees are coming off a World Series appearance and they return some key players. They did have some guys leave in free agency, some big guys, but they still have enough studs to make a run. The Orioles are fun and young and they mash the ball. I am curious to see if Jackson Holiday takes a leap. The Red Sox are in a purgatory of sorts. They have some good guys, some young guys and some dudes past their prime. They remind me of the Cardinals from last season. The Blue Jays have a very good lineup, but they need Vlad Guerreo Jr to re-sign. I don't want to see him in a Yankees or Dodgers uniform next season. And the Rays seem to always be a thorn in their opponents sides and they will be frisky. I'm going to go with the Orioles in this division. They can hit dingers, win games with pitching and the Yankees have too much to replace.

Next we have the Central division. The Tigers seem to be making some moves and trying to build on their late season success from last year. The Twins and Guardians both have some solid players and these guys can push their team to the top. The Royals seem to be building something for the near future, and they could surprise some this year. And then we have the White Sox. They're historically bad. They have no reason to win, nor will they win much at all. I'm going to go with the Tigers here. The moves they made shored up their lineup and they have some damn good pitchers.

Finally in the AL we have the West division. The Rangers and Astros are the teams to beat. The Rangers cooled off last season after winning the title the year before. But, it seems like they may have reloaded. The Astros are on the back end of this current run. They're old, but they may have enough in the tank for one more run. The Mariners are always preseason darlings, but that seems to never cash in for them. I hope things change for them and their fans. The Angels and Athletics have some dudes, but the Angels are constantly mediocre and the Athletics don't even have a home at the moment. Give me the Astros for one final run.

As for my AL playoff teams, the division winners I have are the Orioles, Tigers and Astros. As for the three wild card teams, give me the Yankees, Blue Jays and Guardians. As for the AL pennant winner, I'm going to run with the Orioles. I have a feeling about them this year.

To the NL. We will start in the East as well. This division is kind of stacked. The Mets spent big time money this offseason. They seem to be going all in on winning a title. The Braves get Spencer Strider and Ronald Acuna Jr back. They made the playoffs without them last season, and with them both back, the NL better watch out. The Phillies still have Bryce Harper and Trae Turner and are a legit threat to win the division. The Marlins and Nationals bring up the rear, but they both will be better than expected this year. This division is the hardest for me to pick, but I'm going with the Mets. You don't spend that kind of money to not make a real postseason run.

The Central tells a different story. My hometown team, the Cardinals, are going to be bad this year. They haven't done much in free agency or trades in a few years and that is catching up to them. They started to slip last year, and this year will be worse. The Cubs have some dudes and could make noise. They could make a run at the division. The Pirates have a great pitching prospect, but not much else. They have a bunch of young guys, so who knows what they will do. The Reds have Elly de la Cruz, and he will be fun to watch. They also have a solid pitcher in Hunter Greene. And the Brewers are defending division champs. They have the guys to keep that rolling. This division really comes down to two teams for me, the Cubs and Brewers, and I'm going to stick with the Brewers.

Finally we have the West. No other team truly matters in this division besides the Dodgers. The Dodgers have the talent, the money and the willingness to spend to win. They could win 110 plus games this season. The Padres could push, but they won't catch the Dodgers. The Diamondbacks had a surprise World Series run two years ago, but crashed back to Earth last year. The Giants are in a lull for them, having no stars, just solid players. And the Rockies have piss poor management that refuses to spend and refuses to let this team be any good at all lately. I think it's pretty obvious that I'm taking the Dodgers here, and they are going to run away with the division.

So, my division winners, the Mets, Brewers and Dodgers are all in the playoffs. My three wild card teams are the Braves, Phillies and Cubs. As for the NL pennant winner, I mean come on, it's the Dodgers. They may go undefeated in the playoffs.

That gives me a Dodgers-Orioles World Series. The Dodgers will repeat, and they will most likely sweep. They will put up incredible numbers all season long. As award winners, give me Vlad Guerreo Jr as the MVP in the AL and Mookie Betts as my NL MVP. My Cy Young winners will be Tarik Subal repeating in the AL and Spencer Strider in the NL.

Okay, there you have it, my best guess at the 2025 MLB season. Play ball everyone. 

Another view

Yes, the Dodgers are world beaters. They got better after dominating the World Series. They will win over 100 games. The Dodgers will not repeat as champs. So, who is it going to be. Lets give out division winners first.

AL East - Baltimore Orioles, best in a division where no one got much better.

AL Central - Kansas City Royals, the most up and comer of an up an comer division

AL West - Texas Rangers, they’re back baby.

AL Wild Cards - Boston Red Sox, Detroit Tigers, Minnesota Twins

NL East - Philadelphia Phillies, one more run until the Mets and Braves take over

NL Central - Cincinnati Reds, Francona will make De La Cruz an MVP candidate

NL West - LA Dodgers, obviously

NL Wild Cards - Atlanta Braves, NY Mets, Arizona Diamondbacks

The ALCS will have Baltimore Orioles beating the Texas Rangers in an epic seven games series. The NLCS will feature the Philadelphia Phillies winning another thrilling seven game series over the LA Dodgers. After two awesome series, the Philadelphia Phillies will win the World Series over the Baltimore Orioles in a sweep. Also, the Chicago White Sox and Florida Marlins will each lose over 115 games.

Play Ball

RD

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

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

Ty Re-Predicts the Men's NCAA Basketball Tournament

Seeing that the men's NCAA basketball tournament now has its Sweet Sixteen, I want to revisit my preview and prediction from last Monday.

First things first, NIL is making this a blue blood type of tournament. I believe that every team left is from a power four conference. Yep, every team left is from the ACC, SEC, Big 12 or Big Ten. The SEC has the most, with seven teams, almost making up half the teams. The Big 10 has four teams, the Big 12 has four and the ACC has Duke. That's another thing, we also have perennial teams like Duke, Purdue, Kentucky, Houston and Arizona, among others. The lowest seeded team left is Arkansas, who is a 10, but they have John Calipari as their head coach and they recruited studs. They had a tougher regular season than most expected, but they're coming together at the right time. The next lowest seed is 6, BYU and Ole Miss. I mean, we don't even have Gonzaga anymore. It seems like the days of Fairleigh Dickinson, Grand Canyon, Akron and Florida Gulf Coast are toast. That bums me out a bit.

The fun of March Madness is the one or two "Cinderella" teams that make a push. I remember a few years back when Michigan faced Loyola Marymount for a final four berth. I was glad Michigan won that game to be clear. There was the Florida Atlantic run to the Final Four, coached then by now Michigan coach Dusty May. I watched Glen Mason make a deep run. Shaka Smart made his name as a coach taking VCU to the Final Four. With NIL and open transfer portal windows, the days of the low seed team making a run is seemingly goen. I made a big bet on Akron and Grand Canyon this tourney. Both were easily bounced in round one. My son and I were near certain that Liberty was going to beat Oregon. Oregon smashed them. My wife was the one who followed seeding and she is leading my son by two games and me by four in our brackets we filled out at home. For the time being, the blue bloods and major programs look like they will be leading the way.

As for my Final Four picks from last Monday, Iowa State is gone. Duke, Texas Tech and Houston are all still alive at least. My "Cinderella" picks, I already mentioned Akron. They got blown out. St. John's couldn't find the basket against Arkansas. UConn's bummer of a season ended during the first weekend and Liberty got smoked. I was hesitant to pick Purdue, and they cruised to the Sweet Sixteen. I mentioned the Arkansas-KU game, and while KU crapped the bed, Arkansas is riding high as previously mentioned. At least I was right about Clemson.

Where we sit now, I am going to do a re pick of the Final Four and championship game. Again. Duke is going to cruise to the Final Four from the East. The toughest matchup they may face is Bama, and they should beat them with ease. I'll also stick with my other two picks that are still alive, Texas Tech and Houston. Houston took on a hot Gonzaga team and won. Texas Tech has to face the red hot Arkansas Razorbacks next, and if they win that, I think they can beat either Florida or Maryland. Both those teams needed late game heroics to win their last game. So that leaves me with the South. I had Iowa State, but they are done. So that leaves us with Auburn, Michigan, Michigan State and Ole Miss. Man would I love Michigan to make a run to the Final Four, but I don't think it's going to happen. Auburn is loaded, deep and battle tested. As for MSU and Ole Miss, MSU knows how to play, play dirty and win ugly. They will beat Ole Miss. This leaves us with MSU and Auburn playing for the final spot. I'm going to go with MSU. I guess my disdain for them is not enough to pick against them this season.

My new Final Four is MSU, Duke, Texas Tech and Houston. As for the title game, give me MSU and Duke, and Duke coming away with an easy title victory. Ugh, that championship game for me would be as bad as the College Football National Title this year. Oh well, this is the current state of the game. The rich stay rich I suppose, as much as it bums me out. 

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.

Follow Ty on instagram.

R.I.P George Foreman

Hello again. I'm back from vacation and I have a ton to talk about on this site. Unfortunately I'm going to start my week back with some bad news. While I was out of town I noticed that a good portion of my friends were posting pictures of George Foreman on their accounts with no writing underneath. I didn't know what was going on, but I feared the worst. The fears were then confirmed when I went and did the tiniest bit of digging. It turns out Foreman had passed away on Friday at the age of 76. I do not know what he died from, but he is gone and that is a bummer.

I first learned about Foreman when I was a pre-teen. I was obsessed with Muhammed Ali as a kid. I am still a fan even though he passed a few years back. But, while reading about Ali as a kid I would come across the name George Foreman a ton. I guess the two were adversaries who loathed one another but in the end, they became friends. That always made me happy that they were able to bury the hatchet late in life. Before his rivalry with Ali, Foreman and Joe Frazier used to go at it in the ring. The fights between the two of them was where the famous, "Down Goes Frazier!" call comes from. That clip is always played on boxing broadcasts and will be until the end of time. He had a similar situation against Ken Norton. He would end up winning all his fights against him when he was younger and run his record to an astonishing 40-0. Then the Ali fights came up. We got some epic clashes between the two of these heavyweights. The Rumble in the Jungle was their first big time bout. This was the first time Foreman was beaten as a pro, but he didn't go down without a literal fight. The two kept at each other, with Ali landing some crucial head blows to win. Foreman then took some time off before returning to the ring to face Joe Frazier for a second time. Foreman eventually knocked him out in the fifth round.

Foreman stepped away from boxing for the first time in the late seventies. During this time he became a born again Christian and a preacher. He returned to the boxing ring in 1987 saying he wanted to fight Mike Tyson. He fought a few other opponents, ostensibly to get back into fighting shape. He looked a little rough, but he was still winning the other bouts. He also became a more relaxed, more zen fighter during his first comeback. He also created the Foreman Grill during this comeback as well. We all know how much of a bgi time thing this grill became. That grill was humongous. It seemed like everyone had one at some time in their lives. Foreman eventually found his way to a pay per view match with Evander Holyfield. Holyfield was a heavy, heavy favorite. Foreman was 42 at the time, and weighed 257 lbs. Holyfield was the current champ, and he totally looked the part. Holyfield did win, but it was much more of a battle than anyone anticipated. Foreman lasted all 12 rounds and made Holyfield really work for the win. This led to more fights for Foreman, who wound up becoming heavyweight champ again in his 40's.

Foreman stepped away again from boxing in 1998. He claimed to be consistently training during this time, with some fights being promoted, but nothing came to fruition. He then went on to become a preacher again and was very, very Christian. I kind of stopped following him at this point because I'm not a very religious person. But, when I saw the news of his passing a bunch of memories of him flooded back for me. I thought back to his match with Ali. I thought about his fights with Frazier. I remember seeing the Holyfield bout and it made me appreciate his boxing career. He was a generational talent in the boxing ring. I hope he's knocking people out wherever he may be now. Rest in Peace George Foreman. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

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

Ty Predicts the 2025 Men's College Basketball Tournament

I'm about to leave for vacation, in an hour now, but I wanted to leave you all with my men's NCAA tournament preview and picks before I take off for the rest of the week. Like most seasons lately, my knowledge of men's college basketball has dwindled lately due to the transfer portal and one and done players. I did pay more attention this season because both Michigan men's and women's teams were good. That being said, Michigan's men's team is filled with transfer players. But hey, Big Ten tourney champs baby! I'll take that any day.

When I looked at the brackets after they were released, a few things stuck out to me. Duke, who knows what will happen with Cooper Flagg, has a pretty easy path to the final four. They earned it by finishing the regular season as the number 1 overall team, but damn does it look damn near like a cakewalk for them. I feel like Auburn has the toughest path for a one seed. They could potentially face an upstart Louisville team or an experienced Creighton team in round two, if Auburn wins their round one game. And they will, most likely, have to face either Iowa State or Michigan State to get to the final four. Let us not forget they could also have to face Michigan in the Sweet Sixteen if both teams make it that far. That's tough. Florida and Houston are the other 1 seeds and I could see both making the final four. I'm excited to watch a few teams, mainly Michigan. Michigan had a rough finish to the regular season. They couldn't score and their defense was lacking. They still turn the ball over way too much for my liking. But they won three tough games in three days at the Big Ten tourney. I was nervous during the title game yesterday too. They looked tired. But they pulled it out and that gives me a little faith going into the dance. Getting a 5 seed is still confusing to me, but hey, they are in the tournament that matters most. I also want to see what 8 seed UConn can do. This is the two time defending champs. Danny Hurley is still the head coach. They have good freshmen, solid transfer and a few vets. This is a dangerous team. They remind me of the Kentucky team that was an 8 that ran to the final four some years back. I'm also stoked for St John's. I'm not a Rick Pitino guy at all, but he has done one hell of a job turning that program around in two short years. I love when St John's is relevant. It takes me back to when I was a little kid and St John's was one of the best men's basketball teams in the Big East.

There are some teams that I would be a little worried about if I were a fan. Sorry to RD's wife, but Purdue is not the team it was last season. They don't have that anchor in the middle this year, and that means the shots aren't nearly as wide open. They also face a solid 13 seed in High Point in round one. I fully believe that Akron is going to beat Arizona in round one, and hell, they may make a push to the Sweet Sixteen. I have zero desire to watch either Kansas or Arkansas, and they play each other in round one. And I think Clemson is going to be one and done, playing McNeese who flies up and down the floor.

My biggest "Cinderella" is the aforementioned Akron. I'm all in on them pushing to the Sweet Sixteen and then giving Duke all they can handle before bowing out.

As for my Final Four, I'll go with Iowa State from the South Region, Duke from the East, Texas Tech from the West and Houston from the Midwest. That's two number 1 seeds, and two number 3 seeds. That's pretty chalk heavy, but hey, that is how I wrote it out on my handwritten brackets. As for the title game, give me Texas Tech facing Houston. And I have Houston winning it all this season. They've been highly ranked all year, but no one is seemingly talking about them. I think that will benefit the team and coaching staff and they will play free and loose all tourney long.

There you have it, my men's tournament preview and prediction. I will see you all in a week. Have fun watching the first weekend of 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.

Follow Ty on instagram.

R.I.P. Oliver Miller

I was looking at NBA news yesterday and happened to come across some upsetting news. I read that Oliver Miller had passed away at 54 years old. I guess he had cancer.

I was shocked. I had no idea that he was even sick. Many people may not know who Oliver Miller was. Hell, I'd go so far as to say that casual basketball fans may not even know Miller was when he was alive. I became a fan of his almost instantly. The first time I saw him play was in college at Arkansas. When I was younger the only other college basketball team I liked other than Michigan was Arkansas, and that was because of Nolan Richardson. Richardson was one of my all time favorite coaches. I loved his "40 minutes of hell" defense he ran. He would press the hell out of their opponents and it caused issues for them. And what made Richardson stand out even more for me, he recruited guys that many would say didn't look like your typical high level college basketball player. The first one I vividly remember was Corliss Williamson. But Oliver Miller was on a whole other level for me. Miller was a bigger guy. He was, what some would say, chubby. He was tall, clocking in around 6'9. He also tipped the scales at, or sometimes above, 280 pounds. That is almost unheard of with high level basketball players. Look at Zion Williamson right now, and he is listed at 260. Miller was 20 pounds heavier. So, to see him do the things he did under Richardson was eye opening for me. I am a chubby person and was chubby as a kid too. I loved that someone that was built like me, only taller, was so skilled and so good at basketball. Like I said, the first time I saw him play I was instantly hooked. He was on an Arkansas team that won their conference three years in a row and made the final four once. He was also the 1991 SWC player of the year and the conference tournament MVP. The Razorbacks moved to the SEC in 91 and won the regular season title that same year due to Miller's play and Richardson's coaching. And he still holds University of Arkansas records in highest shot percentage and blocked shots. He was drafted in the first round by the Suns, 22nd overall. He never found the same success in the NBA that he did in college, but he managed to carve out an eight year career playing for seven different teams. I remember him most on the Raptors, but that was due to their dope jerseys back in the late 90's. He bounced around Europe and found some minimal success in the CBA. He was an all star there, made second team CBA in 2003 and is the career blocked shots leader. He did have some late in life issues, including pistol whipping a man during an altercation. After that he managed to turn his life around a bit and kept out of the public eye. I don't know what kind of cancer he had, but it must have been bad enough to take him so young.

This one bums me out on a few levels. Miller was a niche player that I found a quick fandom for because of his body type. He managed to turn that into a great college career and an okay enough pro career. Rest In Peace Oliver Miller. I hope you're blocking shots wherever you may be now. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

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

KD is Not Happy, Again

It seems like Kevin Durant is once again upset with his current team. Let’s discuss.

I adore KD. He is one of my favorite basketball players of all time. I love his form on his shot. He developed during his career as a defender. He can be vicious when he wants to attack the rim. He is a good rebounder. And he may be the most accommodating superstar player of all time. Every time he changes teams, he fits like a glove. I just wanted to get that all out there before proceeding.

The anger KD showed the other day towards Mike Budenholzer, during a game the Suns won by the way, makes it seem like wants out of there. Keep in mind, Phoenix was the only team he was willing to be traded to when he forced his way out of Brooklyn. Also, Brooklyn was his preferred destination when he left the Warriors after winning two titles. Oh yeah, he joined the 72-10 Warriors after his Thunder led team couldn't close out a series against them. And, as you all know, KD started his career in OKC. Durant did a ton in Seattle/OKC. He won an MVP. He led them to the Finals. He and Russell Westbrook and James Harden made the Thunder a viable championship caliber team. He was fantastic in his time with OKC. I liked him so much that it was easy to to shift my fandom to the Thunder after the NBA took them from Seattle.

The playoff series in 2016 changed everything. When KD decided to sign with an unbeatable team I decided it was time for me to switch to the Grizzlies. I just couldn't root for a player that went to the Death Star. That Warriors team was unbeatable and it kind of made the three seasons he was there pointless. We all knew who was going to win. I know KD got two rings and two Finals MVP's. I understand that they would have had a third had he and Klay Thompson not gotten hurt. But it felt hollow to me as an NBA fan. The decision to sign there didn't make a ton of sense to me, I guess he wanted the rings, but it was a head scratcher. I guess he heard all the noise from people saying that it wasn't his team, which it is not, the Warriors will always be Steph Curry's team, because he left and went to Brooklyn. The Nets signed Kyrie Irving, and KD wanted to play with him, so he signed there. He didn't play all year one, but after getting Kyrie and KD, the Nets eventually got James Harden. And when the three of them were on the floor together they were really, really good. They could have made a run to a title, but Giannis and the Bucks had other ideas. Then Kyrie decided he wanted out and wouldn't get vaccinated. Then James Harden wanted out. I guess KD was fed up, so he told the Nets they had to get rid of the coach and GM. He was burning every bridge left and right. He would say all these things on the record. It became enough that the Nets relented and said they would trade him. While KD only wanted Phoenix, the Nets were open to every team. But KD was so enthralled with Phoenix that he forced both teams' hands. The Nets traded KD for Cam Johnson, Mikal Bridges and a bunch of picks. Neither team did much after that in that one season, but the Suns were favorites going into the next year. But KD, Chris Paul and Devin Booker couldn't really make it happen. They would get bullied early in the playoffs by one team and be out. And then, prior to last season, CP3 left and Booker and KD pushed for the Suns to get Brad Beal. The Suns did, essentially mortgaging their future, and acquired Beal for a ton of picks and some random players. This hasn't worked out either. One of KD or Beal is always hurt. The defense is horrendous. The Suns pay their top three guys so much money that they can only get players on the low end of the market to fill out the roster. They fired their coach last year and brought in a proven head coach in Budenholzer. Well, that isn't working now either. The Suns sit at 11th place in the West. They're five games below .500. Bradley Beal is hurt again. And during the trade deadline there were rumors that KD was available. I guess that didn't sit well with him, so now it appears he wants out of Phoenix.

As much as I love the guy, the one common denominator in all of this is him. He wanted out of OKC for rings so he joined the Warriors. He felt underappreciated in Golden State so he opted to go to Brooklyn. The Nets didn't live up to the hype so he forced his way to Phoenix. And now he is unhappy once again. At this point I don't know who would be willing to give up the massive amount it will take to get him. He is also in his mid 30's, which is older than you want your star player to be at this point. I fear that KD, who will go down as one of the all time greats, isn't going to get the love he thinks he deserves because he constantly blames others when a problem occurs. It's never his fault and his one option is to up and leave. I don't know. Again, I am a big fan of his game, it is just all the whining and complaining when he is met with resistance or isn't shown appreciation how he wants. I'm still rooting for him, but this constant need to be praised and be traded is getting a little boring. 

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.

Follow Ty on instagram.

The Pistons are a Good Basketball Team, Finally

The Detroit Pistons have been a moribound franchise since they won a title in the early 2000's. They flirted with, and even made, the playoffs a few times here and there. When Blake Griffin was traded there, they were a middling playoff team. They made the playoffs here and there in the mid 2000's, but never got out of the first round. The last long playoff run they had was in 2008. They were the 2 seed and they made it all the way to the East Finals. Since 2020 though, this team has been bad. They won 20 games, then 20 again, then 23, then 17 and they finished off last year with a mere 14 wins. They have not been good and they have not been picking any higher than 5 in the draft.

Something has changed this year. The Pistons look good. The Pistons look legit. They are buying in on defense. JB Bickerstaff is doing one hell of a job coaching the young guys up. And the guys they took in the draft are finally starting to figure it out. Cade Cunningham looks like a perennial all star. He is hitting shots, making correct reads and looks in total control of the offense. Jalen Duren is becoming the rebounding and defensive lynchpin. He is so much fun to watch play basketball. Jaden Ivey has bought in as a bench and role player. He is so fast and so quick. He is proving that he can do a ton in short bursts. Tobias Harris has been an excellent addition to the team. He is providing the veteran leadership this team has been craving. Tim Hardaway Jr finally looks comfortable and free. He is allowed to do what he does best, which is bomb away from three. He looks good. Malik Beasely has added more three point shooting as well, and he is a very solid defender. Simone Fontecchio has shown that he can run a second unit. Ron Holland has been able to come along a little slower and he looks like he could be a potential steal, even though he was taken fifth overall. Dennis Schroder seems content and happy to be somewhere he is wanted and appreciated. Ausar Thompson may not be a legit shooter yet, but he can get to the rack and he is a total menace on the defensive end. He and his brother are going to be very, very good NBA players very soon. Isaiah Stewart may be dirty, but he adds a grittiness every playoff team needs. Lindy Walters is a solid deep bench player. And Marcus Sasser is a pretty good bench scorer. This team makes sense. The picks and free agent additions, which were maligned at the time, have been working out. As unfair as I thought it was for Monty Williams to be let go after one season, JB Bickerstaff was the correct pick to lead this team.

What I think has made this all work, and work so well, Cade Cunningham has come into his own. It may have taken a little longer than some wanted, but Cunningham is legit. There's a reason he was the first overall pick and a highly touted recruit. He has all the tools he needs to be very successful. He is big, can handle the ball, has become a better shooter and he has bought in defensively. It was no accident that they beat the Celtics by 20 last night.

I'm happy for the Pistons and their fans. They deserve this and I hope they make a run in the playoffs this year. The NBA is better, in my opinion, when the Pistons are relevant. 

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.

Follow Ty on instagram.

Thoughts on Why Sports are Taking More Time, and Getting More Unwatchable

Last night my son and I watched the Nebraska-Michigan basketball game when we got home from running errands. The game was rough. Michigan won, which I'll always take, but it was an ugly game. Each team missed a ton of shots. The offenses were both stagnant. The substitutions were baffling. It was a mess of a game. But what made it damn near unwatchable, the amount of commercials and the refs going to watch videos to see if the calls they made were right or wrong.

We turned on the game with a little over six minutes left in the second half. That's all they had. There were six total minutes of basketball that needed to be played. We turned it on at right around 8:40pm. The game did not end until well after 9:10pm. It took them over thirty minutes to get through six minutes of basketball. In a college game. This should have been over in no more than ten minutes. But, the telecast had to do their under six and under four minute tv timeout. That is unnecessary. The amount of ref reviews was unbearable. Every single call that may have had a hint of a mistake was reviewed. The telecast would show the replay and it was clear to me and my son, as well as the announcers for the game, that the correct call was made on the floor. But the refs took their sweet time. There was one play, where the ball was clearly off a Michigan player, that took so long the crowd started to boo. We all saw it watching at home. The players saw it on the jumbotron at the arena. The Michigan player it went off of knew, he was smiling during the review. He was fouled, which they cannot overturn anyway. But the review went on and on and on. The music person at the arena kept playing the same lyric over and over again so loud that we could clearly hear it at home. This review took over five minutes of real time, and it felt even longer. It was excruciating watching at home. And this was just one of the many, many reviews in the last three minutes of the game. I swear, some refs think that the fans are there to watch them lately. All the while, the game had zero scoring, had far too many missed shots, no team could ever gain any kind of momentum because of all the stoppages. It is a mess.

This is happening in every major sports broadcast lately. College and NFL games take well over four hours now. When my dad and I went to a Michigan game earlier this year, due to all the commercial breaks, it took so long that my dad said he doesn't think he wants to go to a live game anymore. NFL games seem to have stoppages every three to five minutes of gameplay. I get surprised when they don't go to a break after a punt or kickoff. NBA games are dragging too. There's too many foul calls, too many free throws, too much whining to the refs and too many reviews. It's brutal. The only sport that figured it out recently seems to be the MLB. They've made noticeable changes that seem to have worked. I'd love for the NFL, NBA and college sports to adopt some of the methods the MLB has. I'd love for football games to be three hours or less. Basketball games should never go over two and a half hours, and that should only be acceptable if the game goes into overtime. The commercials and reviews and all the other non sports things surrounding the game needs to be fully cut or toned way, way down.

All of this stuff, which was put in to minimize mistakes, is making games take too long. They're becoming close to being unwatchable. I don't know who to talk to or who to contact, but there's too many commercials and too much emphasis on things that have nothing to do with the players and the actual game. Something needs to change. 

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.

Follow Ty on instagram.

Thoughts on the Wembanyama Season Ending Injury

It was announced a few days ago that Spurs unicorn Victor Wembanyama is going to miss the rest of the NBA season due to a blood clot in his shoulder. Let’s discuss.

When I first saw the news it bummed me out. I also had the fleeting thought of, is this just the start of an injury riddled what could have been a type of career for him. Wemby is unlike any NBA player I have ever watched. He is gigantic. He stands at 7'4 and he looks every bit of it. He is an intimidating interior defender already. He can block shots out on the perimeter in a split second. He was going to win his first DPOY this season. He can dribble like a guard. He can shoot threes. He is quick. He was getting better playing in the low post. He announced himself during his rookie season, he struck fear in everyone who watched him in the summer Olympics and he was coming off his first all star appearance. He did all of this, and has all these skills, before he is even close to his prime. Wemby's best days are yet to come. But now he has this blood clot injury.

I didn't know what to make of it at first, but then I saw someone say this was the same thing that Chris Bosh dealt with near the end of his career. Bosh was never the same player after his injury. But, Bosh had a full career up to that point. He was an all star, a champ, a player of note in the NBA. No disrespect to Bosh, but Wemby has loftier goals and he was, and he can still be, on his way to being the face of the NBA post LeBron James. Now, who knows what is going to happen to him and the Spurs. The Spurs were not going to be a real threat this season, but they were on their way to fighting for a play-in spot in the West, which is going to be a tough get by the end of the season. Wemby was starting to really excel in spots that some thought might be a struggle for him. He was becoming this incredible defender. He was scoring everywhere on the floor. He was making his name for himself in the league and carving out his spot as the guy. He was playing better with a real point guard in Chris Paul. The Spurs went out and got De'Aaron Fox in one of the better trades of the past decade. The other young guys the Spurs have been drafting were figuring out their role with Wemby as the star player and focal point of the offense and defense. This whole experiment post Tim Duncan was starting to come together for them. And now they are without the guy that makes the engine run.

I see no real good out of this other than the fact that Stephon Castle, who is awesome already, will get more run and more shots. This is going to slow down the progress the Spurs were hoping to capitalize on soon. The Spurs sit a few games below .500 now, and with Wemby out who knows how far they'll fall. But I think they already have too many wins to have a real shot at drafting any of the big name prospects in the upcoming draft. But what makes injury so much of a bummer for me, as an NBA fan, I was watching a ton of Spurs games because I want to watch Wemby as much as possible. He is a gift to basketball fans. He is so unique. He is the first of his kind. He makes the game of basketball fun. He makes the game of basketball effortless when he plays, and that is a joy to watch.

This is a bummer. This is not what the NBA needs coming off another bad all star weekend. I hope it doesn't affect the long term in Wemby's career. That would stink for the NBA, but more so, for Wemby.

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.

Follow Ty on instagram.

NBA All-Star Weekend is a Waste of Everyone's Time

It seems I'm at somewhat of a crossroads with the NBA.

I adore the game of basketball. It was my favorite sport to play when I was younger. I played it as long as my knees would let me. I coach my son now because I want to stay attached to this game anyway I can. I also love watching basketball. Let me clarify that, I love watching college and NBA basketball. And, while college basketball was kind of hit and miss the past couple years, I've gotten back into it big time this season. It helps that my 13 year old is interested. We watch games together a ton now. When it comes to the NBA, I have found myself checking out more often than in. I am an old school fan. I don't like all the threes being shot. I liked it more when players had real hatred towards one another. I wanted to see these dudes really go at it during a game. I will always prefer a big dunk to a long three. I adored players like Michael Jordan and Allen Iverson based purely on their will to get to the basket and to not settle on jumpers.

All of that has changed.

I will say, players today are far more athletic than players from the 90's. The things these current players can do, some on both ends of the floor, is amazing. But, I personally feel that the game is softer and not as cutthroat. And I get that some people prefer this style of play. It just isn't for me.

For the last few years, the all star game and weekend have been truly abysmal. It is no fun to watch for me anymore. The dunk contest is totally watered down. No stars do it anymore. There was a time when Jordan and Dr J would sign up for the dunk contest. Aaron Gordon and Zach Lavine gave us some of the best dunks I've ever witnessed. Vince Carter returned the dunk contest back to its glory in the early 2000's. Now, we get rookies who get zero run during regular season games, or G League guys that are essentially a side show. Sure, Mac McClung is a great leaper, but he will never play a meaningful second in a real NBA game. I am a big Stephon Castle fan, but he is a rookie on a Spurs team that features Wemby. These guys are better than I could ever dream of being at the game of basketball, but they aren't Ja Morant or Anthony Edwards. The dunk contest is craving for star power. The 3 point contest is okay, but it's just a shooting contest, and almost every NBA player can shoot threes. This one has no issue getting stars because there's no worry of injury. But, when Dame or Steph are done after one round, I stop watching. The skills competition needs to go away, as does the "celebrity" all star game.

The worst part of the whole weekend is the game. It is nothing more than an offensive scrimmage. No one even attempts defense. Guys take threes from halfcourt. There's a million jumpers hoisted constanty. The NBA all star game is as bad, if not worse, than the NFL pro bowl. And this whole "tournament" thing they did last night, from what I've read, seems like a real whiff. I don't get why they decided to split the all stars into a bunch of different teams and have the rookie and sophomore teams involved as well. That is a waste of time.

The biggest thing I took away from the weekend, and why I feel at a crossroads with the NBA, I didn't watch a single second of all star weekend. I didn't check in at all. I have not looked at any highlights. I know Steph was the MVP, but I couldn't tell you a single thing he actually did in the game. I used to watch something every all star weekend. I used to watch a snippet of every event. But this year I had no interest or desire. I guess I'm over all star weekend. I saw that Kevin Durant was saying that, if the game is so bad to the fans, to give the players a week off. I know he was being passive aggressive, but that is a much better idea and way less of a waste of time for the players. I would love it if they did that instead of playing a pointless, defenseless basketball game that hardly anyone cares about. I don't know. But, the one thing I do know, the NBA needs to make some drastic changes to all star weekend. It has reached the point of being unwatchable. 

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.

Follow Ty on instagram.

Ty Watches Super Bowl LIX

The Eagles dominated Super Bowl 59 last night. Let’s discuss.

It was a wire to wire win for the Eagles. They didn’t trail for one second. There was never a moment where it looked in peril. The only thing the Chiefs did even remotely well was stop the run. But, it seemed like they were solely focused on Saquon Barkley, and that meant that Jalen Hurts was able to feast. And boy oh boy did he feast. His pass to Devonta Smith, the first Alabama alum to score a td in the Super Bowl, was an absolute gem. The crossing route ball to AJ Brown hit him in stride. The “tush push” or “brotherly shove”, whatever the hell they call it, worked to perfection. He was able to scramble for big yards and had all the time in the world to scan the field when he stayed in the pocket. Hurts was masterful last night and he more than deserved the MVP. Barkley didn’t have a monster game, but his presence was more than enough to scare the Chiefs and screw up their defensive game plan. Brown and Smith did their job at wideout and the o line was brilliant.

The Eagles defense was also otherworldly last night. The d line got constant pressure. They seemed to be in the backfield all game. I think they had five sacks. The linebackers cleaned up any mess. And the secondary was on point. Cooper Dejean had a pick six. Quinyon Mitchell laid the wood all night and they were able to pick Mahoney twice and make him look very pedestrian. Their kick game was great and their special teams did the job. Total team effort.

The Chiefs, on the other hand, were terrible. The o line was dreadful. The receivers, except for Xavier Worthy, were middling. Travis Kelce looked old and slow. The run game was non existent. Patrick Mahomes was off all night. This may be the worst he’s played since he was a rookie. The defense tried to hang in as long as possible, but the second half proved to be their undoing. I don’t know what their mindset was coming into this game, but they looked woefully unprepared. Maybe the close games all year finally caught up to them. I don’t know. The three peat wasn’t in the cards. The Eagles were ready, the Chiefs we’re clearly not.

As for the halftime show, I loved it. I’m a humongous Kendrick Lamar fan and he delivered for me last night. I loved his song choices. I loved the whole performance. I thought it was great that he did “Not Like Us”, when it was reported that he was asked not to. I was all for the direct look to camera that is now a massive viral meme. Seeing Serena Williams dance with all the dancers was rad. SZA came out and crushed. I was all in on the halftime show.

The commercials were fine and vanished from my brain quick. I don’t remember the Clydesdale commercial. Nothing made me really laugh. Unless my dad was laughing, he has a contagious laugh, not one commercial made me laugh on my own. The movie trailers have all, for the most part, already been released. I paid more attention to them this year, but nothing was worth remembering for me.

All in all, the game was underwhelming. The right team won, so I guess that’s cool. I thought Kendrick Lamar and crew were great, and the commercials were middling. I’ll end this with giving the Eagles a much deserved congrats. They won and they won big. They stomped all over the Chiefs attempt to three-peat. Congrats on the win and enjoy the spotlight Philly. Well done.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

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

Thoughts on the NBA Trade Deadline

The NBA trade deadline ended about an hour ago. I’m not here to break down each trade. I don’t want to go through each one and talk about the good and the bad of the trade. Teams make deals, sometimes they work sometimes they don’t. This is life in the NBA. But this trade deadline has been, quite possibly, the craziest deadline of all time.

What makes it even wilder to me, none of the humongous names went today. They all went early. It all started when the bombshell Luka for AD trade happened. I wrote about that particular trade twice. I’m still shocked by it, and neither player has yet to play for their new team, but it certainly is real. They’ve had press conferences and everything. They’ve scrubbed their personal social media and made their own remarks. There’s no going back now. Outside that trade, De’Aaron Fox was also moved. I also talked about that one. That was a perfect deal for him and San Antonio. Jimmy Butler was traded to Golden State. I didn’t think he’d go there, and I’m not too high on that deal, but he got out of Miami, which is what he wanted. And outside having to move Andrew Wiggins, the Warriors didn’t have to give up much more. Khris Middleton and Kyle Kuzma swapped teams. My team, the Memphis Grizzlies, made a move. And a whole bunch of other stuff happened too.

What really sets this trade deadline apart is the star power, as I said before. The names I mentioned are perennial all stars and some are consistently in the conversation for MVP. A handful of former high lottery picks were moved. Players drafted in the late first round, who have carved out a niche for themselves in the NBA, are in new places as well. This NBA trade deadline is going to be hard to match. No other league has this type of player movement in the middle of a season. Destinies are going to be changed due to this deadline this season. Some teams have found a player that will be their cornerstone for years to come. Other contending teams seemed to have found the missing piece for a deep playoff run. This deadline was nuts. This type of movement is why I’m hesitant to buy my son jerseys of certain players. And a deadline like this proves that no one in this era of the NBA is safe. No matter how bright your star shines or how important some of these guys think they might be to their former team, if the brass wants to move on, they will. That’s a scary thought moving forward, but here we are.

Pro sports is entertainment and that was proven tenfold this past week. Now, I want to see how these players perform on their new squads. The second half of the NBA season will be very interesting. And I can’t 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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.