R.I.P. Dikembe Mutombo

Dikembe Mutombo has unexpectedly passed away. I had no idea until my son emailed me to let me know. This is shocking to me. He was only 58 years old. I have not seen any cause of death, but this is still very upsetting Editor’s note: Since Ty wrote this article it has been announced that Dikembe Mutombo died of brain cancer.

I was a Mutombo fan as a kid. He did break my heart when I was younger, when the 8th seeded Nuggets beat the 1 seed Super Sonics, my favorite team. But even in that series, I found Mutombo endlessly watchable. He was such a presence. I remember seeing him on the court and being blown away that someone so big could move so nimbly. He was an absolute menace on the court. He was a rebounding monster, but it was his defense that made me enjoy watching him play. It was damn near impossible to score on him. If he was near any floater or layup, he usually swatted it away. And then he would wag his finger, saying "no no no". I loved this. I used to do it when I would play pickup with my friends. If we played on a small hoop, so we could dunk, if I swatted away a dunk, the finger wag was the go to move. Mutombo made this celebration the best thing at the time, and now people are trying to use it and claim it as their own. The finger wag will always be Mutombo's thing. He invented it, it is his and it will always be his.

Mutombo also played for the Nuggets when they had their coolest jerseys. I really liked the dark navy with the gold and other colors. It was a jersey I coveted as a kid. I never had one, but my friends who had one, it was almost always a Mutombo jersey. That number 55 has always been, for me, Mutombo's number. He was, and always will be, the best 55 in the NBA.

Coming out of Georgetown he was already a stout defender. That is why he was the fourth overall pick. While with the Nuggets, he bulked up, blocked all kinds of shots, rebounded well and scored when needed. He was the anchor of the defense and the heart and soul of the team. He moved on to the Hawks after five seasons. He was just as good with Atlanta as he was with Denver. He became an all NBA player while there. He won three Defensive Player of the Year awards while with Atlanta and was on the all defensive team. He led the league in rebounding twice. He was good enough with Denver and Atlanta that they both retired his jersey. He then went to play with Allen Iverson in Philly for two years. He helped Iverson and the 76ers reach the finals. They went up against a juggernaut in the Kobe-Shaq Lakers. But still, Iverson and Mutumbo were the only big names that the 76ers team had. He then went to the Knicks for a season and finished his career off with the Rockets. He passed Kareem Abdul-Jabaar for second most blocks all time in the NBA. He was Yao Ming's backup, but was integral to the team. He even had a 20 rebound game when he was 40 years old. He retired and was a sure fire Hall of Fame player.

Mt Mutumbo was a great center. He was the last of a dying breed. He wasn't a scorer, nor did he care about scoring. He wanted to grab boards and block shots. He wanted to do the dirty work and then wag his finger after every block. It was a thing of beauty when he would block a shot and say "no no no". Rest in Peace Dikembe Mutumbo. This is stunning and shocking and you will be missed. I hope you are blocking shots wherever you are now. 

Ty

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

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Ty Ranks the 2023 - 2024 NBA Teams - Watching a Pretty Good Cover Band Division

Day four of my preseason NBA countdown continues with five teams that I feel have real, legitimate playoff spots. They should avoid the play in and be in the top six in their respective conference.

At 15 I have the Minnesota Timberwolves. I was very high on them last season but they kind of fell on their face. They never really got it together all season, but they did make the play in and they played the Nuggets kind of tough in round one. This team has massive talent, but I want to see how it comes together, if it does at all, this season. Anthony Edwards is awesome. He is one of my new favorite players in the league. He has major confidence, he had a wonderful summer and he has gotten better every year. Karl Anthony Towns is a great shooter, but he is kind of soft everywhere else. He also missed a ton of time last season. I'll be curious to see if he sticks with the team all season, but while they have him he needs to let it fly. Rudy Gobert is not close to the player he was in Utah. He never fully melded with the team last season and he had a tough summer. I think he may struggle even more. I like Naz Reid as a backup five. He needs more playing time, and if he were to get more, he could do some nice things. Mike Conley is a good point guard, and he has camaraderie with Gobert, but he is older. I like that they got Nickiel Alexander Walker on a good contract. I think he can help this team. Shake Milton was a decent addition as well. The Timberwolves should be a very good regular season team that parlays that into a top six spot in the West. We will see.

At 14 I have the Atlanta Hawks. This team is a mystery. They have loads of talent, but they had an even tougher time playing together than the T'Wolves last season. Trae Young is a great scorer and passer. He is also a complainer. He seems to rub teammates the wrong way far too often. Dejounte Murray is lethal, but he seems to be not as good as he was when he was in San Antonio. He is still an awesome defender. Clint Capela is a great pick and roll guy, as long as Young is a willing passer and Capela stays on the floor. De'Andre Hunter is an okay player, but his skills from college haven't translated to the NBA yet. I like that they went out and got Saddiq Bey last year. He is a good, tough addition to this team. Onyeka Okongwu needs to play to show he is a good five in the league. I think Kobe Bufkin was a very good, smart pick for this team. Jalen Johnson has some solid skills, he just doesn't see the floor enough. This team is highly talented, but they have chemistry issues. They should win enough to get in the playoffs, but it may look ugly at times.

At 13 I have the New York Knicks. This is a very solidly built team with very solid NBA players. They don't have any super duper stars, but they have good team players. Jalen Brunson proved his worth tenfold last season. He is a very good point guard with ice in his veins. He's awesome. Julius Randle is a very good regular season player. He can score a ton. Josh Hart does all the little things really well. He is also a fan favorite. RJ Barrett may be the player he will always be already, and that is fine. He is a solid 16 ppg game guy. No more, no less. Immanuel Quickly had an up and down year, but the dude can score. Mitchell Robinson is a very good defender and rebounder. He is a menace too. They have high hopes for Quentin Grimes. And they went out and got Donte DiVincenzo on a good deal. He can really let it fly. The Knicks are built for regular season wins. They can also give a few teams a run for their money in the East.

At 12 I have the Miami Heat. Remember how they made the finals as an 8 seed last season? That was nuts. It shouldn't have been that surprising though. Jimmy Butler is one of the best, and most underrated superstars in the NBA. He is a killer and a winner. Tyler Herro is a good shooter and shot creator. Duncan Robinson is a knock down 3 point shooter. Neither plays a lick of defense. Kyle Lowry is a great veteran leader, but he is older. He was so good in the playoffs last season. Caleb Martin really showed out last season in the playoffs last season. Bam Adebayo is one of the best modern centers in the league. He is a tank as well. Kevin Love is still here and he is still a great outlet passer and rebounder. Josh Richardson might find his form being back with his original team. And the people I listen to are very high on Jaime Jacquez Jr and Nikola Jovic. The Heat are about as solid as they get in the NBA. They aren't going anywhere.

The final team for the day, at 11 I have the Cleveland Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell is a legit scorer. He can shoot from every level. He is almost impossible to guard. He just needs to do that in the playoffs. Evan Mobley is a great young player. He has shown strides both years in the league and I think being humbled by Mitchell Robinson in the playoffs last season will be highly beneficial for him. Jarrett Allen is a great old fashioned center. He is tough to guard and is willing to take on anyone. Darius Garland is so good. I was so wrong about him and I am happy about that. Garland is one of the better up and coming guards. Caris Levert provides scoring from the perimeter. I like that they went out and signed Georges Niang for bench scoring, Ty Jerome as a solid backup point guard and Max Strus as a three and d guy. I am also a big fan of the Emoni Bates draft pick. He will do some nice things off their deep bench this year. The Cavs are a fun team to watch.

That is it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next 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: Raptors, Timberwolves, Hawks

Welcome back to my 22-23 NBA countdown. I hope you all had a good weekend. I do understand that the season starts tomorrow night, but when you go on a vacation a week before, you gotta do what you gotta do.

At number 15 I have the Toronto Raptors. I do not know where to put my finger on this team. I like Nick Nurse. I like the roster. They have guys that have a ring. They are gritty and play awesome defense. They do not have one guy that can beat you, they have several. But they are low on superstars. They don't have a ton of guys that can create their own shot. They play an older style of basketball, and against the better teams, that doesn't always work. I adore Pascal Siakim. I think he is finally healthy. I think he is ready to become "the guy" for the Raptors. He can score and play defense. I just want to see it be put all together this season. The time is now. Fred Van Vleet is awesome. He has been an all star. He got paid. He plays hard every night. He is just small. Scottie Barnes is a star in the making. He will take over this team in a few years. He is such a great modern day NBA wing player. He has all the tools. OG Anounoby has the potential, but he is either hurt or plays a little too scared. Gary Trent Jr is a perfect role player for this team. Chris Boucher has taken a little step back, but he has the tools. Thad Young found his way to the team, and he seems to add a little bit to every team he has played for. I like Precious Achiuwa. I think he is a very good backup center. I like his toughness. Khem Birch is very underrated. I love the Otto Porter Jr addition. And I like the Christian Koloko pick, but I don't think he will get a ton of time. I put very little stock in their preseason. This is a tough, grind it out team that other teams hate to play. You will leave Toronto bruised. They should be a playoff lock, especially in the East.

At 14 I have the Minnesota Timberwolves. The T'Wolves are on the come up. They had a breakout season last year. They remind me a lot of the Grizzlies from two years ago. They also went out and swung for the fences in the trade market. They traded away a good portion of their future to land Rudy Gobert. Gobert is great. He is the best defensive big in the NBA. He is a wonderful rim protector and can cover the perimeter when asked. I love this deal for Gobert. It is perfect. Karl Anthony Towns is one of the best offensive bigs that the league has ever seen. He is so smooth, can score in the post and he won the three point contest last year. He is an amazing offensive player. But he is not great defensively and he makes the most inexplicable fouls ever. He needs to clean it up on that end. Anthony Edwards is a star. He is so good. He has amazing hops and can create a shot from anywhere. He is incredible. D'Angelo Russell is a bust, in my opinion. But on this team they do not ask him to do much. His three point shot has regressed, but he can pass and get to the rim. I was bummed to see Kyle Anderson leave Memphis. I was even more bummed when he signed with Minnesota. Anderson is the perfect role veteran. Jaylen Nowell is solid. Taurean Prince can do some things on both ends of the court. Jordan McLaughlin gets run on this squad. They brought in Austin Rivers and he is okay. Wendell Moore is a solid rookie. The T'Wolves have the guys they just have to put it all together now. Gobert and Towns are going to be tough in the post.

The final team for the day, at 13 I have the Atlanta Hawks. This is a put up or shut up year for Atlanta. They were in the East Finals two years ago. And last year they were swept by the Heat as the 8 seed. The Hawks do not play much defense, but they went out and mortgaged their future for Dejounte Murray. I love this move. I love Murray. He is going to explode this year. He is going to blow up on the scene. Everyone is going to be gassing him up all year. He is going to show out. Trae Young is an awesome offensive player. He is so good at what he does. He is crafty and shifty and a pain to guard. He also plays zero defense. John Collins is still there, and I still like his game. He is a good rim runner and he can shoot. He is also okay on defense. Clint Capela continues to be great when he has a great point guard throwing him lobs. He should be better on defense, but he is still good. When healthy, Bogan Bogdanovic is a knock down three point shooter. De'Andre Hunter has all the potential to be the Hawks version of an incredibly poor man's Kawhi Leonard. He can get there. I like that they went out and got Justin and Aaron Holiday. They are siblings and solid vets. Onyeka Okongwu is a good backup center. AJ Griffin could get some run. The Hawks have a very likable roster. There are no guys who I actively root against. They should also be a lot better this year than last year. And I am a big time fan of the Murray trade. The Hawks should be a playoff lock.

That is it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next three 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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty's 2021-2022 NBA Preview: Trailblazers, Mavericks, Hawks, Clippers

Welcome to day five of my 2021 NBA countdown. All of these teams are playoff bound. They could even make noise if things go their way. I like some of these teams but I also dislike one team on my countdown today. You'll see when I discuss said team.

At 14 I have the Portland Trailblazers. This feels like the last chance they have to do anything with Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum. I think if they have another early playoff exit, Dame is gone. That being said, they do still have Dame for at least this season. And he is a killer. This dude is a beast on offense, can score from anywhere past half court and is a big game player. He has put teams out of the playoffs in his career. He is so awesome, loyal and has pushed this franchise as far as they have been since the early 90's. CJ McCollum is another really good scorer. He has gotten better each year he has been in the league. He is also a super fun social media follow. But he is who he is at this point. He's good, not great. I liked the Norman Powell addition at the deadline last year, and I thought it was smart to re-sign him. He adds more scoring and is a solid defender. Jusuf Nurkic, if he can stay on the floor, is a great big man for this team. He has also become a solid post scorer. He just needs to stay healthy. I love the addition of Larry Nance Jr. He is a better version of Derrick Jones Jr and he is a much better defender. The Cody Zeller signing was very blah. If Anfernee Simons is going to pop he needs time on the floor and this may be his last chance in Portland. Tony Snell is a sniper. Robert Covington has slipped, but he can still be a menace on defense. Nassir Little just hasn't gotten it yet. And guys like Marquesse Chriss and Patrick Paterson are toast. I like Portland, and if they make a push for a guy like Kevin Love that could really open things up. As for now they are a firm playoff team simply because Dame is so damn good at basketball. He is amazing.

At number 13 I have the Dallas Mavericks. I think the Mavericks might be the most overrated team in the NBA. They have not been out of the first round in two years yet some seem to think they are on the precipice of the Finals. I don't get it. I also do not get all the love for Luka Doncic. He is a very good offensive basketball player. He does very good stuff. But he is boring, and whiny and slow and not the super duper star that Zach Lowe or Bill Simmons have made him out to be. He is also atrocious defensively. He is a fine player, but he is not an MVP. Not even close. Kristaps Porzingis is the softest seven footer I have ever watched. He is also very whiny. He is also very brittle. And he thinks he is way better than he actually is. He is a seven foot shooter, and he is not named Dirk. Tim Hardaway Jr has turned out to be a sniper, but he is also a total defensive liability. He gets hunted by other teams. Maxi Kleber is not the defensive stalwart that ESPN has made him out to be. Kawhi destroyed him in the playoffs last year. Dwight Powell cannot stay on the floor. Willie Cauley Stein has bounced around the league and cannot seem to find a right fit. Boban is more of a personality than a player. Reggie Bullock was a solid signing who will bring some kind of defense to this team. Frank Ntilikina was brought in for defense alone. Jalen Brunson is very blah. And Dorian Finney Smith has not made the leap. The Mavericks are a playoff team, but I see them more of a 6 or play in type playoff team. They are not even close to a title contender.

At 12 I have the Atlanta Hawks. They had one hell of a ride last season. Now we will see if they are for real. I think they are. Trae Young is awesome. He played the role of villain so great. He is a great shooter and excellent passer. He rules. He has also gone further in the playoffs than Luka. John Collins showed out in the playoffs, got paid and I think he is due to make another leap. He is great. I love Clint Capela on this team. He is a perfect pick and roll partner with Young and he looks to be returning as a defensive stopper. Cam Reddish has shown flashes in his limited role, which is perfect for him. DeAndre Hunter is proving that the Hawks were right to take him so high in the lottery two years ago. Bogdan Bogdanovic and Kevin Huerter are great three point shooters and floor spreaders. Sharife Cooper will get to learn how to play point guard from Trae Young. Lou Williams is still a super hot scorer from the bench. Jahlil Okafor has fully bought into being a minimal role player and that suits him. And Gorgui Dieng is a great fit as a deep bench vet. The Hawks are back and it is good to see. This team is young and fun and will be around for a while.

The final team for today, at number 11 I have the LA Clippers. They are only here because of injury. They would be a lot higher if they had a healthy Kawhi. Without Kawhi, for probably the whole year, this team is going to have to dig deep to be a real playoff threat. Paul George was great last year. I do not care that a lot of people say nasty stuff about him, the dude is good at basketball. He more than showed up against the Suns. He put on a show. He is also one of the best defenders in the league. PG can play, and he proved that tenfold last year. Terrance Mann proved he belongs in the league. He had a very solid playoffs. Reggie Jackson seems to have found a home, and with Patrick Beverly gone, he is the starting point guard. Eric Beldsoe is not as gifted athletically anymore, but he brings veteran experience to this team. They're taking a flyer on Justise Winslow, and if he does any little thing, he will help this team. If Serge Ibaka can stay on the floor he can space it offensively, is still an okay rebounder and can still protect the rim. I think Keon Johnson will find minutes here and there and he will bring energy to this squad. Ivica Zubac is a very solid center. Luke Kennard is overpaid, but he can shoot. Marcus Morris Sr was also good in the playoffs and he is tough. And Nic Batum still has something he can add to this team. The Clippers are kind of in nowhere land with Kawhi being out. But they still have some guys on this team that will push them to the playoffs.

That is it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next four teams.

Ty

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

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The Good and the Bad of NBA Free Agency

Yesterday was all about how curious I am to watch the Lakers this upcoming season. Today I want to talk about some of the free agent signings I am high on and some I'm not so crazy about.

Let's get the "bad" out of the way first.

I am not a fan at all of what the Pelicans are doing. They let Lonzo Ball go in a sign and trade and only got Toma Satoransky and, I think, Thad Young in return. They then went out and got Davante Graham, who I like, but he does nothing to help them defensively which is what they lack the most. These moves all seem very parallel. It all started when they traded the 10th pick, Eric Bledsoe and Steven Adams to the Grizzlies for the 17th pick, Jonas Valnciunas and someone else who barely played for the Grizzlies. Steven Adams to Valanciunas is not much of an upgrade. And the pick swap was of no significance. Maybe the Pelicans have something else up their sleeve that no one knows about, but right now these moves would worry me if I were Zion, Brandon Ingram and Josh Hart.

I also am not crazy about what the Spurs are doing. I really like the young guys they have on the team and I want them to run it with those guys. They decided to go out and sign Doug McDermott, Brynn Fobes and Zach Collins. McDermott is no more than a three point shooter and so is Forbes except not as consistent. Zach Collins simply cannot stay healthy. He is so injury prone that I am kind of surprised he is still in the league. I did like their draft, but these free agent signings are odd. But they are the Spurs, and they know way more than I do.

Finally, I kind of loathe what the 76ers are doing with Simmons. I know he isn't a free agent, but the asking price in a trade has kind of handcuffed them as far as who they could have tried to get. They also missed out on Kyle Lowry and he would have been a perfect fit for them. The lack of anything, and the asking price for Simmons would have me worried if I were a 76ers fan.

Now for the good stuff.

Speaking of Kyle Lowry, I absolutely love what the Heat have done this offseason. They added Lowry and PJ Tucker and retained Duncan Robinson. Sure they had to trade Goran Dragic to get Lowry, but I'd do that trade ten times out of ten. The Heat are going to be grueling to play against. Their defense, with Butler, Adebayo and now Lowry and Tucker is going to get under opponents skin. They will grind the hell out of other teams. And on offense they have added a great floor general, kept their best three point shooter and re-signed Butler, who can create baskets out of absolutely nothing. While not on Brooklyn or Milwaukee's level, I think the Heat have pushed their way into the third spot in the East.

I also like what Atlanta has done. They have only brought in Delon Wright, but they also kept this team who went to the East Finals together after they gave Trae and John Collins big contracts. The Hawks are going to be a perennial playoff team, they have this young core intact which will keep them good for the next four or five years and they may become more attractive to future free agents if they keep winning like I expect them to. Sometimes less is more in the NBA.

Finally on the good side, my favorite offseason moves come from the Chicago Bulls. They are all in on making a push to, at the very least, the play in next season. They got Lonzo, they brought in Alex Caruso and they have now surrounded Zach Lavine with the playmakers that will further push him into the upper tier of an all star. This team is young, exciting, explosive, better defensively and should be so much fun to watch. Ball has gotten better and better every year and I think he will thrive playing next to Lavine. Caruso, for all the unnecessary love he gets, is a solid role player and will fit in just fine. Nikola Vucevic is a very skilled offensive player and he now knows the system. Coby White is so much fun to watch and he had a very good second season. Patrick Williams looks like the real deal. And Lavine is coming off an all star season and he has looked decent in the Olympics. The Bulls need to start winning and the moves they made this offseason should help them make a playoff push. I have been super impressed with their offseason.

I love NBA free agency and this year has been especially fun. I cannot wait to watch all these guys on their new teams. The new season cannot start soon enough.

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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Let's Talk About the Hawks Series Win Over the 76ers

The next few days are going to be dedicated to the NBA playoff series that just wrapped up. First I want to talk about the 76ers-Hawks series.

The Hawks played this series perfectly. They went out there like they had nothing to lose and it showed. They were loose, they were having fun and they won the damn thing. That is highly impressive for a team that is back in the playoffs for the first time in a while. Trae Young is proving to be a big time player, John Collins is doing some good things, Clint Capela looks like he did in Houston and Kevin Huerter is having a moment. They look like they are enjoying all this, they have earned all this and I think they have a very bright future.

The Hawks are also a blast to watch. They move the ball a ton, they find open shooters, they dive and pick and roll and get alley oops, they are a joy. They do not play much defense, but they do enough to win on that end, and they score in bunches. Kudos to Atlanta.

As for Philadelphia this is, as far as sports goes, a disaster. They were the best team in the East all year. They steam rolled their way to the number 1 seed. They had, on paper, the easiest draw to the East Finals. They destroyed Washington, and it should have been the same with Atlanta. But this is where the difference in play showed. While Atlanta was free and loose, the 76ers were tight. They played to not lose. Atlanta played to win. Philadelphia was a mess on offense with the exceptions of Joel Embiid and Seth Curry. They were the only two dudes that could get the offense going. Joel Embiid played on one leg and he was as dominant as he has been all season. He did what he was supposed to do, what was expected from him. He looked every bit the MVP candidate he was all year. People will point out his turnovers, but when you have to shoulder such an enormous role, turnovers are going to happen. That is the nature of being the lone offensive star. Seth Curry did help. He hit some big shots in this series. He did what was asked of him when the 76ers traded for him. He was a disaster on defense, but he wasn't brought in to play defense. He was the floor spacer, the shooter he needed to be in this series.

The rest of the 76ers roster was dreadful. Tobias Harris could not hit the ocean. There were times when I forgot he was on the team. He was a ghost. It was some James Harden playoff stuff coming from Tobias Harris. They needed him to be their third star, and he was nonexistent. Dwight Howard wasn't playable at times. He just could not stay on the floor. They clearly missed Danny Green's defense. He isn't as good as he used to be, but he is still solid. He is also an okay enough floor spacer. Shake Milton, who I do like, should not be playing crucial minutes in do or die playoff games. Outside Embiid and Curry, the rest of the team, including Doc Rivers, let Philadelphia down.

Doc Rivers' decisions in this series were baffling. The lineups, the offense, the play calling, it was really, really bad. I like Doc Rivers too. I think he is a great person and an okay coach. This is becoming the norm for him now though. He should have multiple rings, but he only has one. This is worse than the Clippers collapse in the bubble last season. The 76ers couldn't do much, and a lot of that was due to Rivers' coaching.

And then we have Ben Simmons. I love Ben Simmons. I love the way he plays basketball. He is one of the best defenders in the league. He is dominant. I also love watching a 6'10 guy run the offense. It is rad to see him bring the ball up the floor and get the team going. It is great to see him fly down the court in transition and throw a dunk down. But he was really awful on offense in this series. He did some wild stuff. He would not shoot the ball, especially in the fourth quarter. He was terrible at the free throw line. The play where he spun off his defender and had a wide open dunk and passed it to a cutter was so insane. It was also a microcosm of how he played offense the whole series. He has shown no growth on that end. He refuses to shoot the ball, and with him passing up dunks and layups now, this is not a great situation. I think the 76ers need to explore the possibility of trading Simmons. I do not know what they will get in a return, his value has definitely diminished, but the Simmons-Embiid duo just doesn't seem to fit. Simmons needs a spot where he can slash and dunk, and Embiid needs to be surrounded by floor spacers and let him own the inside. Philadelphia has a ton of work to do this offseason. They are in a bad spot right now, and things may have to change.

As for Atlanta, again I tip my hat to them. They deserved to win this series and the Bucks better taken them seriously in the East Finals.

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

Ty's 2020-2021 NBA Preview: The One or Two Round Playoff Teams

Now we are getting to the good teams, the playoff teams. I would personally write these teams down in pen. Now, injuries, COVID positives and other random stuff can come up, and possibly will. But with the way these teams rosters are constructed now, it would have to be a major blow to move them out of the playoffs. They would have to lose star players for ample amounts of time. I don't think that will happen with these teams, and that is why I have them as "locks" for the playoffs.

At number 15 I have the Atlanta Hawks. Too high you say. Not enough defense you say. Won't mesh you say. I disagree with all of that. I also think Lloyd Pierce is going to prove how good of a head coach he is this year, and the Hawks will be back in the mix. Trae Young is great. No he is not Luka Doncic, and he can't shoot like Steph, but he has range for days, and he will find any way to score a bucket. His defense is lacking, and if he put some effort in it, a la Steph Curry, it would make a difference. But he is liable to go off for 30 plus any given night. I will take any day. I love John Collins. I do not want Atlanta to trade him either. I think he and Young are a good duo, and after admitting he didn't put in enough effort on D last year, he turned it around near the end of their season. He is also a bruiser in the paint. If Clint Capela can stay healthy, I don't see why he isn't the exact same player he was in Houston. Trae is a more willing passer than Harden, and Capela is going to get all the lob dunks he could ever want. He is also an okay enough rim protector. They ended up signing Bogdan Bogdanovic after the Milwaukee trade fell through. He adds even more space, and he is a solid shot creator. If DeAndre Hunter can play a little better defense, he is their version of Draymond or Kawhi. Kevin Huerter may lose minutes to Bogdanovic, but he is going to be instant offense off the bench, and I feel like he will light up second units. I could say the same for Cam Reddish. He lost some luster at Duke, but now he is being given the time and effort to do his own thing, and he is a very solid player, with room to grow. Rajon Rondo adds super intelligence and Danilo Gallinari is a very solid player when healthy. Kris Dunn is a bull dog on defense, and if that kid from USC they drafted is brought along slowly, he could be a solid bench guy. The Hawks went all in this offseason, and I applaud them for it. They will be in the playoffs this year.

At number 14 I have the Phoenix Suns. Here is another team that went all in, and it only took one guy to put them there. Getting Chris Paul was a humongous deal. After seeing what he did in OKC last year, while I may not like him as a player, I respect the hell out of his game. He is also going to be playing next to a younger, less ball hoggy version of James Harden, with Devin Booker. Booker is on the cusp of stardom. The kid can flat our score, he has improved his handles and he at least tries on defense. Booker wanted the Suns to make a push, and they certainly did when they traded for Paul. Deandre Ayton got better as the year went on, and was very good in the bubble. If he continues on this trajectory, he is going to fit in just fine with Booker and Paul. He is also a threat from outside, which is super useful for a 7 footer. Mikal Bridges had a very good rookie year, he can shoot and his arms are as long as any person's I have ever seen. He is going to be a very good NBA starter. Jalen Smith was a solid draft pick. He was a good big at Maryland, he is built and he hustles his ass off. Picking up Jae Crowder was quietly a great move. He adds shooting and defense, and an edge this team has lacked. Dario Saric seemingly refound his game in the bubble. And Elie Okobo might be ready to be a good bench contributor. The Suns had one of the better off seasons I can remember, and the sheer addition of Paul is enough for me to make them a playoff team, even with playing in the West.

At number 13 I have the Houston Rockets. Now, all of this depends on if they keep Harden, or what they get in trade. Houston is a mess, but Harden is the definition of a walking bucket, he is a perennial MVP candidate, and if he plays, Houston will find a way to make the playoffs. But if he is gone, they go way, way down on my list. Adding John Wall was puzzling, I wrote about that last week. He hasn't played in two years, seems like he is in okay shape, but I do not have any clue how he is going to look, and how he will coexist with Harden. PJ Tucker is awesome, I love watching him play, and he goes hard every night. But it seems like he wants out too, and losing him would really hurt this team. Eric Gordon is a very good three point shooter, and when he locks in on D he is good. But it seems like he may want out also. Singing Christian Wood was a good move. He was, lowkey, a very solid scorer in the post, and he can stretch defenders to the three. He fits in nice here. Tyson Chandler is on this team, but he rarely sees the floor. They signed Boogie Cousins, and while I love the reunion of him and Wall, Cousins is slow, and coming off two very brutal injuries himself. Gerald Green and Ben McLemore are fine bench guys, but they don't move the needle. And I like the addition of Thabo Sefolosha, but he isn't the lockdown defender he was in OKC. Houston's playoff hopes ride on Harden's shoulders. If he stays, and they don't have to trade him, they are in. But, if he leaves, if he gets traded, this will be a whole different conversation.

At number 12 I have the Portland Trailblazers. The Trailblazers are like the Magic, but they do have playoff success, just not as much as they would like. Damian Lillard is otherworldly. For me, he has surpassed Steph as the best pure scorer. He is Allen Iverson with a jumper. He is also a killer, which I love. Lillard is a star, and I will not hear otherwise. CJ McCollum is a perfect sidekick to Lillard. He is a great shooter, he can create, and he is a super smart player. He doesn't make any mistakes. Neither of them are great defenders, but they are so good offensively that it makes up for that. Jusuf Nurkic is back healthy, and he was a force in the bubble. I didn;t respect his game as much as I should, and that is on me. That dude is tenacious and solid and just a good NBA player. Carmelo re signed, and for as much flak as I might give him, he seemed to buy into being a bench guy and playing like "Olympic Carmelo". He can still put it up with the best of them. Getting Robert Covington helps with their defense, which is what this team lacks most. He can also space the floor, and will not allow teams to double Lillard or McCollum. I like Derrick Jone Jr too. He is probably the most athletic player in the league that you have never heard of, and he will do some highlight reel things for Portland. Zach Collins is coming off an injury, but if he is 75 percent of what he was prior to his injury, that is great for their second unit. Rodney Hood is also back after missing a year with injury. He is a good scorer and shot creator and should lead the second unit. Anfernee Simons is young, and coveted by other teams. I would keep him, but it is nice to have that in your back pocket. And adding Enes Kanter and Harry Giles makes them bigger and will give them a bit more flexibility. The Trailblazers will not be fighting for a playoff spot this year, they will firmly be in that 4, 5 or 6 range.

And at number 11 I have the Dallas Mavericks. Look, I am not a fan of this team. I think they whine and complain too much, and I do not like how major media outlets are so quick to point out their white savior in Luka Doncic. That being said, Doncic is awesome. He is a good shooter, a better passer and an excellent shot creator. He is as smart as advertised and the dude is legit. Kristaps Porzingis hasn't live up to the hype. But being the second or third guy seems to suit him just fine. He isn't a bruiser for how big he is, but he can sure shoot the ball. Tim Hardaway Jr has carved out a nice niche in the NBA for himself. He is a lockdown shooter, and I don't think he gets enough credit for his defense. Josh Richardson is another outside shooter for this team, and I think a change of scenery will certainly help. James Johnson is one of the baddest dudes in the league. He makes Jae Crowder look meek, and I think the Mavericks will like having him on their team. Boban is Boban. He is goofy, runs weird and was in "John Wick 3". But, you cannot teach height, and he is something like 7'6. Trey Burke seems to have found a home as a second unit scorer, and he fits in nicely. Willie Cauley Stein is a good pick and roll guy. And, if healthy, Dwight Powell adds depth. The Mavericks are a playoff lock now because of Doncic. He isn't as great as everyone says yet, but he is good enough to lead this team to the playoffs yearly.

That is it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next 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 2019-2020 NBA Preview: Hawks, Pistons, Knicks, Pelicans

Day 3 of my NBA countdown is here. We are almost at my top 18, or which teams I would put in the playoffs if they didn't have to do East and West teams. Also, if any of the 4 teams I have today make the playoffs, it wouldn't shock me at all.

Anyway, coming in at number 22 I have the Atlanta Hawks. I love the way this team is being built, and I love the young talent they have. Trae Young totally changed my view of him with the way he improved all season long. He started slow, but he didn't let that bother him, and by the end of the year, it wasn't a far gone conclusion that Doncic was the runaway rookie of the year. Young made it a real race. He is already a very solid shooter, but the way he passed the ball and his handles, man did he have a real solid year. Now he needs to grow off that. I am a big time fan of John Collins. I like his old school game, he is strong, he can rebound and is a nice dunker. I like the pick of Deandre Hunter. He was a great defender in college, and hopefully that will translate to the pros for him. He also shot the lights out in the NCAA title game, and maybe that was a sign of things to come. They also took a "flyer" on Cam Reddish with the 10th pick. I don't see big things from him, he was a ghost at Duke last year. But, for the 10th overall pick, why not take a shot. If he becomes a sixth man, I feel like that is a win. Vince Carter is back for his 10 millionth season. I know this is his last, and he has been so much fun tot watch. I have nothing but respect for Carter. Kevin Huerter is another lethal shooter right next to Trae Young. Jabari Parker is there, and while he has not been great at much, the dude can score. The Hawks are not ready yet, but neither were the Thunder when they first made the playoffs. I could see that happening with the Hawks, especially in the East. But still, I think 35 wins is best case scenario for them.

At number 21 I have the Detroit Pistons. I just don't really know what they're trying to do. They have a few big names. Blake Griffin is a perennial All Star and a solid player. But, I still feel like he is wildly overrated, he is older, not as athletic and still gets hurt too much. Andre Drummond is a massive, throwback center, and I love watching him play. He plays hard and tough, but he isn't a top of the line center. Also, he needs to stop shooting threes. That is not his game at all. Reggie Jackson is a waste of a roster spot. He has only gotten worse since demanding his way out of OKC. He makes far too much money, and thinks he is better than he truly is. Luke Kennard is a nothing player. He isn't that good of a shooter, he cannot defend and he just takes up space. Derrick Rose is here, and while he played way better last year, he just isn't the guy he used to be. I hope for good things for him, but he seems past his time. They signed Joe Johnson after he won the MVP in the Big 3, but come on, he isn't "Big Shot Joe" anymore. Other than that, it's a cobbled together group of basketball players. What helps them is their coach, Dwayne Casey, who I like, and the fact they play in the East. But still, I do not know what to make of this team.

At number 20 I have the New York Knicks. Now this roster, this is the most cobbled together piece of junk I have seen in some time. This team totally whiffed on any big name free agents this past summer, and then they were left digging for scraps, and scraps they got. Julius Randle is a fine NBA player, but he is not a cornerstone player. You cannot build a title contender, or even a playoff contender, when Randle is your guy, and like I said, I like Randle. They got Marcus Morris to fleece the Spurs and sign with them, but I feel like the Spurs dodged a bullet. They signed Elfrid Payton, and he is the point guard version of Jabari Parker minus the scoring prowess. Bobby Portis is better known for punching a teammate than anything he has done on the court. Taj Gibson is a billion years old. And Wayne Ellington is here for some reason. The young guys are still very unproven. Frank Ntilikina has never gotten a real shot, and they need to trade him so he can try and reinvigorate his career. I love Mitchell Robinson, and I think he is the dude they need to build around. Kevin Knox was dreadful last year, and has not looked good in preseason. Dennis Smith Jr is hyper athletic, but still struggles to shoot the ball. And they took RJ Barrett, who I have zero faith in as a future All Star. The Knicks roster is so weird and seems incompatible. Randle will score in bunches and Mitchell Robison is awesome, but outside of that, I just don't know what to make of this team. I have them higher than I thought I would, but I wouldn't be shocked if they win 25 games this year. Who knows.

My final team for the day, coming in at number 19, is the New Orleans Pelicans. No team, that lost a great, top 5 player, could have had a better offseason than the Pelicans. Yes, they lost Anthony Davis, and while that is a real bummer, they got such a great return. They got Lonzo Ball, who has a much improved shooting form, and can still play D and find the open shooter. They got Josh Hart who is a consummate pro. He does all the little things. They got Brandon Ingram, and he was really starting to come along late last season. He played so much better when LeBron was out, and in New Orleans, I feel like he could shine. And they got the number one overall pick, Zion Williamson. While I want to see more than just dunking from him, he is going to ease the loss of Davis so much smoother. He will get people to come out and watch the Pelicans. They still have Jrue Holiday, who might be the most underrated player in the NBA. He is so good in every phase of the game. They drafted Jaxson Hayes, who is incredibly raw, but incredibly talented. When/if he starts to figure it out, he is going to be a great modern big. I also love the pick of Nickeil Alexander Walker. He was an under the radar choice, and he had an excellent summer league and has looked solid in preseason. They signed Derrick Favors and JJ Redick too. Those guys have been in the playoffs a ton, and they have great veteran experience to help out this young squad. The Pelicans did something great after losing such a star. They rebuilt on the fly, and they did it so much better than anyone could have expected. The one problem, they play in the West, and the West is super duper tough. I could see them winning 42, 43 games and missing out on the playoffs. But my hat is off to New Orleans. They did an excellent job, and they will be a playoff team much sooner than expected.

That is it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next 4 teams. We are in playoff team territory now.

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 2018-2019 NBA Preview: Hawks, Kings, Magic

I was flipping through channels the other night and I came across a preseason NBA game. I watched for a bit, then I realized, holy cow, the NBA regular season is going to start soon. I was kind of shocked to be honest with you. I am fully in on football right now, the MLB playoffs are going on right now, and then pow, NBA season is getting ready to start, and college basketball practice has begun. So, as I have done since the invention of the website, I'm going to do my preseason NBA countdown. I'll go from worst to best, giving three teams a day. I'll do a short few sentences on why I have them ranked where I do, and if they have any shot at all at winning the title. After the countdown, I will do a postseason and awards predictions, and the following day, I will do my NCAA men's basketball preview. So buckle up, the next 12 days will be, with the occasional NFL quick hits or a movie or music review sprinkled in here and there, will be all basketball. Enough preamble, lets get to the rankings.

Coming in at number 30, dead last, I have the Atlanta Hawks. This team won 60 plus games a few seasons back. This team was a playoff team 2 years ago. Then, they traded Kyle Korver, Pau Milsap, Jeff Teague, pretty much everyone that was important to them. Then this offseason, they offloaded more talent. This team is in full on rebuild mode. They even, much to his delight I'm sure, let Mike Budenholzer go. When I look at their roster now, it has a bunch of retreads and rookies. What I do like about this team though, they have Taurean Prince, who is wildly underrated, and John Collins, who has the looks to be a very good modern big man. After that though, it gets rough. Vince Carter is there, and he is looking ever bit the 40 year old he is. Good on him though that he is still out there. Jeremy Lin is on this team now. I wanted Lin to be great after what he did as a Knick, but he cannot stay healthy and he is wildly inconsistent. Kent Bazemore is no more than a trade chip for a younger player or a pick. He will most certainly be a salary dump at some point. Alex Len was traded there, and he has been a total bust. Thomas Robinson, a former fourth overall pick in the draft, is back from the G League, and he will probably get big minutes on this team. Dewayne Dedmon left the Spurs for this team, and he has not been the same player. They drafted Kevin Huerter, who is a big time project, that will take a few years to develop, and Trae Young. They traded Luka Doncic for Young in fact. I think they will regret that. Young has a ton of pressure to score in bunches, and if summer league and the preseason are any indication, he is going to struggle. The Hawks are going to be real, real bad. I do not expect them to win 20 games. They will most certainly get a lottery pick next year. They have zero chance of making the playoffs, let alone the Finals.

At number 29, and this was a real tough choice to put them ahead of the Hawks, I have the Sacramento Kings. The Kings are the most moribund NBA franchise. This team is so, so , so bad. And they have been for a long time now. The days of Chris Webber and Vlade Divac and Jason Williams and Mike Bibby seem like forever ago. And when I look at their roster, I just do not see them being any better this year. They took Marvin Bagley number 2 overall this past draft, and he has bust written all over him. He is long and lanky and athletic, but he is way too skinny, doesn't like contact and his jumper is not a threat. All that can change, but he has not looked great in preseason and summer league. He should have dominated both, and he just hasn't. I hope he gets better, because he is so athletic, but I just don't see it, especially in the Kings culture. I love DeAron Fox. He is the only player on this team that I think is a real, legit future NBA star. He is fast, can score, can find the open man and play defense. He is too good a player to be on the Kings. He deserves so much better. I feel for him. Willy Cauley Stein has never developed into the rim runner and rim protector that some thought he could be coming out of Kentucky. His best highlight since he has been in the NBA is a missed dunk attempt. While it looked cool, that shouldn't be your career highlight. Imam Shumpert is there, but he was washed about 3 years ago. Harry Giles is still a work in progress, and who knows when, or if, he will get hurt again. He did show flashes in summer league. Ben McLemore is back, but I am done defending him as a player. He is not a very good NBA basketball player. Yogi Ferrell is here, but so what. Skal Labissiere is on the team, but that kid wasn't great in his one year at Kentucky, and that was just a sign of what was to come. I loved Buddy Hield in college, and I have stomped and yelled about how he was going to be great, but he hasn't been. He has gotten lost in the shuffle, and his scoring has not made it to the NBA level. Zach Randolph is the Vince Carter of the Kings. Frank Mason is a fine backup, but the Kings play him far too much. The rest of the roster is just blah. The Kings are a bad team with a bad culture. They have gotten used to losing, and that should not be the case. As I stated before, I fell for DeAron Fox. He should be the starting point guard on a team that has a winning record and in playoff contention. The rest of the Kings roster, I just don't care about enough.

My final team for today, at number 28, I have the Orlando Magic. This team reminds me a lot of the Kings, in the same sense that they are forever rebuilding. They haven't been relevant since Dwight Howard was their center. They seem to pop up from time to time as a supposed "sleeper" team, and then they shit the bed. The Magic are not good. They just gave Aaron Gordon an inordinate amount of money, and while I love his freakishly athletic dunking, that is all he does. He isn't a great shooter, rebounder or defender. Yet the Magic seem to think he is the guy to build around. That doesn't make much sense to me. Nikola Vucevic is clearly a good stats bad team guy. Evan Fournier is known much more for his hair than his game. He is the French version of Jeremy Lin. Johnathan Issac didn't look great last year, but early reports about him from this season say he has bulked up and his game has improved. We just haven't seen it yet because he didn't play in summer league and I have not seen him in any preseason action. DJ Augustin is somehow still in the league, and he is on the Magic. So what. Johnathom Simmons is exactly like Dewayne Dedmon. He left the Spurs and he is not as productive on a different team. They signed Timofey Mozgov. Why? Why is he still in the league? Terrance Ross is hyper athletic, and can dunk the shit out of the ball, but they already have Aaton Gordon to do that. And they drafted Mo Bamba. I love Bamba, but he is going to take some time to develop. This team needs a ton of help. I do think Bamba can be their center of the future, but they will have to be patient. Gordon is a fine power forward, but he isn't an All Star caliber player. They don't have a real point guard. They don't have a real 2 guard. They don't have a real small forward. I mean, who on this team can guard LeBron or KD or Steph or Klay or Kyrie Irving or Ben Simmons or Jeol Embiid or James Harden or Kawhi Leonard or, even a player like DeAron Fox. The Magic need a lot more help. Until then, they will be stuck in 20 win land and picking in the lottery again. That has now been the case for about a decade now.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for my next three 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. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Mike Budenholzer is the Perfect Coach for the Milwaukee Bucks

Another day, another basketball story.

It was reported yesterday that Mike Budenholzer is about to become the next head coach of the Milwaukee Bucks. I think this is going to a great fit. The Bucks now have a coach that is really good at the X's and O's, can draw up solid offensive plays and will get them to play better defense than they already do. Budenholzer comes from the Spurs/Poppovich coaching tree. Those guys seem to do pretty well in the NBA when they become head coaches.

Budenholzer was also very successful in Atlanta until they decided that they needed to blow it up because they couldn't beat any team that LeBron James was on in the East. He had great success with guys like Kyle Korver, Al Horford, Jeff Teague, Paul Milsap and some also rans that are still in the league. Hell, he won 60 games and had 4 All Stars and was the one seed in the East one of his seasons. But, they ended up running into the LeBron buzz saw, and we all saw it coming. All those guys are gone, and so is the majority of the players he cultivated and won with. As I stated, the Hawks went into full tank mode this year. A season ago, it started, especially when they let Al Horford go to Boston. But, they still had Milsap and some other dudes, and they still made the playoffs. Then, this past offseason, they let Teague walk to Minnesota, Milsap was traded to Denver, Korver got traded midseason last year to the Cavs and they let all their youth play. That wasn't good for Budenholzer, and it showed in the play and record. The Hawks were awful this past season. They weren't as bad as Dallas or Phoenix, but they were bad. And now, they are trying to offload even more players and go full youth movement. That clearly didn't sit well with Budenholzer, and the front office mercifully let him go.

Now that Budenholzer is in Milwaukee, I think he is going to be happier, and that the Bucks are going to be very, very happy with his coaching. The one thing people keep pointing out about Milwaukee's past coaches is that they don't know how to best utilize Giannis. Well, Budenholzer will have no problem with that. As I mentioned before, he made guys like Kyle Korver and Jeff Teague All Stars. That is one hell of an accomplishment. Sure, Paul Milsap and Al Horford are very good NBA players, but they are not as good, or as young, as Giannis. Giannis is going to greatly benefit from Budenholzer's coaching. He is going to find so many ways to utilize all of his wonderful athletic tools. Giannis is on his way to being a consistent All Star and always in the MVP talk, and Budenholzer is only going to make his growth that much faster and better.

You look at the rest of the roster, and this team should thrive under his tutelage. Eric Bledsoe is a much better version of Jeff Teague. He is a better defender and just as good a point guard. I think he will finally be happy with his place in the NBA now. Thon Maker will finally be used properly, and he is going to shine. Giannis and Maker is a better duo than Horford and Milsap. Come at me. If he stays, Jabari Parker can be a much, much better version of Kyle Korver. He is not the three point shooter that Korver is, but he is a better driver and a more athletic scorer. And I have to say it again, Budenholzer turned Korver into an All Star. Think of what he will do with a player like Parker. The rest of the guys on the Bucks reads like the older Hawks roster, but the players are younger and hungrier.

Mike Budenholzer is probably the best choice that the Bucks front office could have done when hiring a new coach. He is perfect for the NBA, he knows the terrain and he has had a very good amount of success. If I were Giannis I would be thrilled. I know they met the other day to have a talk and it must have went well because Budenholzer is about to be named their next head coach. This is a big time get, and the Bucks seem like they are trying to do everything they can to keep Giannis around for a long, long time.

Great hire Milwaukee.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty's 2017-2018 NBA Preview: Bulls, Hawks, Nets

This is getting rough, but before I get into my 2017-18 NBA countdown, I have to say RIP to the great Tom Petty. I know there were conflicting stories all day yesterday about his passing, but it was confirmed that Petty had died at the age of 66 today. He was an all time great. He was a great guitar player and one of the best song writers ever. I will greatly miss his music. He was one of the first musicians that made me respect the guitar and rock music in general. He was a master, and he will be deeply missed. RIP.

Okay, hopefully I don't have to talk about crummy or horrific current events for awhile. Now, lets get to my NBA countdown. For the next 10 days or so I will be counting down the NBA teams from worst to best as I see them coming into this season. At the end of my countdown I will pick all the award winners and who I think will win the title, spoiler alert, it will be the Warriors. But, before I get all the way to the good stuff, I have to start with the teams that I think will be the worst of the worst. Also, these rankings have no reflection on the playoff picture. I will tell you know that I have, at least, 9 teams from the West in my top 18. So, there will be some shitty team, or teams, from the East that make the playoffs. This is just how I see all the teams. Okay, lets start with the bottom of the barrel.

At number 30 I do not have the Philadelphia 76ers anymore. In fact, I have a team that was in the playoffs last year. My number 30 team is the Chicago Bulls. Yes, they were in the playoffs, as just mentioned, but EVERYONE of importance from that team is gone. Jimmy Butler, Rajon Rondo and Dwayne Wade all skipped town for greener pastures. What the Bulls have left leaves a lot to the imagination. The roster is filled with unproven players or guys past their primes, if they ever had one, or just mediocre NBA players. I'm pretty sure the best player on this team is Robin Lopez. Now while he isn't that bad, he is not a modern day center, and no team will ever even make the playoffs with Robin Lopez as their best player. Denzel Valentine may make a jump this year, but he was real bad as a rookie, and barely saw the floor. Zach Lavine and Kris Dunn, the guys they got for Butler, are very meh. Lavine will not be ready for the start of the year, still recovering from his torn ACL, and I think it speaks volumes that the Timberwolves got better when he got hurt. Kris Dunn was horrendous as a rookie, and I picked him to be the rookie of the year last year. He was just awful whenever he was on the floor. Maybe he will get better, but he has a long way to go before he is any kind of threat. Nikola Mirotic just signed a big contract extension, but what is he other than a liability on defense and a guy who's shot comes and goes. Cristiano Felicio could be better now that he won't have Wade chastising him for grabbing rebounds, but I just can't peg his game yet. Cam Payne is hurt and looking like a bust. Same for Bobby Portis, except he isn't hurt, his game just hasn't translated to the NBA. And taking Lauri Markenan number 7 overall was the worst pick of the whole draft last year. That guy is soft as tissue paper and he is going to get devoured by power forwards in the NBA. The rest of the roster is filled with D League guys and deep bench players. The Bulls stink. They will most definitely be in the lottery next draft, and I would be shocked if their head coach makes it through the whole year.

At number 29 I have another playoff team from last year, the Atlanta Hawks. This is the same team that just 4 short seasons ago won 62 games and sent 4 players to the All Star game. No one is left from that team. Hell, they lost a ton from last year's playoff team. Dwight Howard, Tim Hardaway Jr and, most importantly, Paul Milsap are gone. They all jumped ship. Their starting point guard this year, Dennis Schroder, just got arrested for some kind of assault. They are already off to a horrid start. Kent Bazemore is over paid and not producing like he did when he was a bench player. Marco Bellinelli and Ersan Ilaysova bring nothing to this team besides some lackluster experience. I'm curious to see how Dewanye Dedmon does away from the Spurs model. The only thing that the Hawks really have going for them is Deandre Bembry and Tauren Prince. Bembry looks like he could be a decent role player, and I really like what I saw from Prince last year. He looks like he could be the third or fourth guy on a title contending team. Problem in Atlanta, he will be the center piece. He isn't ready for that yet. The Hawks are going to take a GIANT step back. That's unfortunate because I have always kind of liked the Hawks. They are going to be horrible this year though.

My final team for today, coming in at number 28 is the Brooklyn Nets. They have been either 30 or 29 in my first 2 countdown's, but they moved up this year. Sure, it's only one spot, but progress none the less. Trading Brook Lopez was much needed, and they didn't get anyone great, but D'Angelo Russell isn't terrible, and Mozgov has played in a Finals. But, lets be serious for a minute about these guys. Mozgov is toast. He will bear no effect on how the Nets play. And Russell, he was the second overall pick a few years ago and the Lakers were eager to trade him. He just hasn't figured it out yet. Brooklyn is a better fit, but he needs to become a complete point guard. I think the Jeremy Lin hype is more about his hair and less his game now. He can still score a little bit, but he gets hurt far too often, and he is not the guy you want to build around. They took on Allen Crabbe's ridiculous contract, but that is what this team needs to do. They need to grab these guys that had one good year and hope they rekindle that magic because they have no draft picks of any note for a few more years. Maybe Crabbe finds his stroke again, but if I were a betting man, I'd say that one season was an anomaly. Rondae Hollis-Jefferson has not turned into the type of bulldog, rebounding and defensive force I thought he could be. He has moments here and there, they are just too infrequent. They took on Demarre Carroll's contract, a la what they did with Crabbe, and maybe he can find his defensive prowess that got him paid so much by Toronto. But I seem to think that he is done as a player of importance in the NBA. They took the center from Texas, Jarrett Allen, and I think he will be a decent replacement for Lopez, but he is a teenager, and I think he will find the NBA interior to be tough sledding. Tyler Zeller left Boston for the Nets, but who cares. He is of no consequence. The player I like most on this team, and yes I am being totally biased here, is Caris Levert. If he can stay healthy, and that is a big. big if, he can be a player in the NBA. He has a decent inside out game and he can defend. I watched him do it for 4 years at Michigan, and he has played better than his former Wolverines teammates, Nik Stauskas, Trey Burke and Mitch McGary, all have in the NBA. I think Levert has a very good chance to be a player that other teams have to game plan for. But, the Nets still stink, and they will for some time.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow when I get to the next group of crappy teams. I have to say though, I'm so excited for the NBA to be coming back in 2 weeks. It's wonderful.

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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Kyle Korver to the Cavs is OK. Not Great, Just OK

The scales of NBA power have not tipped that much

Now that the Kyle Korver to Cleveland trade is official, I have a few takes.

First off, this has to mean that the Hawks are about to have a fire sale. Korver was in the final year of his contract, and I suppose the front office figured they'd better get something for him before he leaves in free agency. Paul Milsap looks like he's the next one to go. Milsap is an awesome basketball player, and I'm sure he wants to play on a contender and, he is 32, which is old for a "superstar" in the NBA today. Milsap is going to get paid by someone this offseason, and just like with Korver, I think Atlanta wants to get something for him before he walks. I have heard many, many people say that Milsap being traded is basically a done deal. The 2 teams that come up most are Toronto and Boston. I think either spot would be a great destination for him, and I think it would push both of those teams to the second seed in the East.

Tim Hardaway Jr is another player who's name has started to pop up as a possible trade asset. He won't yield much of a return, but he hasn't really put it together in the NBA like many thought, and he too is in the final year of a contract, so get something while you can. At best, I think the Hawks could get a second rounder for him.

A lot of people have brought up a possible Dwight Howard trade. I think this would be insane, but that is what Dwight Howard brings with him everywhere he goes. I do not think he will be traded, but with all the possible moves, and the Korver move being official, I'm not sure Howard will want to stay on a team that is not going to get far in the playoffs, or even make the playoffs. He is nearing the end of his career, and I think he'd rather be on a contender, than a team going nowhere, even if it's his hometown.

With all this being said, I think the Hawks are going into a youth movement. I do not think they are tanking, where we sit right now, they are 20-16, so it is too late to tank. I also think the young guys could be decent. After Korver being traded, and the inevitable Milsap trade coming, I do not think they will make the playoffs this year, but they have some good young guys on their roster. I love Dennis Schroder. He may be inconsistent, but he is talented and has great confidence in himself. I think Kent Bazemore is a good role player. Mike Scott is a tough defender and a decent three point shooter. Their 2 rookies, Tauren Prince and DeAndre Bembry, have a ton of upside. So, I think, in a year or two, they could be a middling Eastern Conference team, and definitely a playoff team. The Hawks are going to unload their big name players, but I do not think it is as bleak as some have predicted after the Korver trade.

This leads me to my Cavs takes. A lot of people really like this trade. I do not think it changes much at all. This is still the Warriors title to lose. Sure, they blew a lead to Memphis recently and that the Cavs beat them on Christmas day, but the Warriors are still the best team in the NBA. Yes, the Cavs beat the Warriors, as I said, but the Warriors dominated that game almost the whole way. And, it was a midseason game, on the road. Who really cares, or even remembers who won these games. I have no clue who won any Christmas day game in 2015, and I am a humongous NBA fan. What I took away from that Cavs game, and I am getting back to the Korver deal, I promise, was that the Cavs tried really, really hard, and only KD and Draymond gave full effort for the Warriors. I feel like Klay and Steph took that game off. They let KD shoot as much as he wanted. They are still trying to figure things out with this impressive starting 5, and Christmas day was another "practice" of sorts for them. But, the Cavs really put forth full effort. LeBron, Kyrie and Kevin Love went at them hard. The rest of the Cavs were giving it their all, as they should. And, they still needed a miracle win on a crazy lucky shot from Irving.

What I gleaned most from that game was that the Cavs needed even more space. Korver brings them this. He is a great 3 point shooter, but the Cavs already have a younger, and a much, much better defender version of Kyle Korver in JR Smith. Smith is ten thousand times better than Korver. This is no disrespect to Korver, but he is old, his shooting is not what it once was, he plays no defense and JR Smith blends with this squad so much better. I'm sure they will play him off the bench, but who will he play with? Will it be him, LeBron, Kyrie, Love and Smith? Then they have no rebounding with Tristan Thompson on the bench. Put Thompson in for say Kevin Love, they do not have as much floor spacing as they would like. Put Thompson in and take out Smith, you have the liability of Korver playing defense. I see a lot of holes in what many seem to think is a "homerun" trade.

Give me the Warriors no matter what. The Warriors are still the much better team, in my opinion. The Cavs will roll through the East, unless Milsap gets dealt to Toronto, and I still think the Cavs would win, but when they get to the finals, they will have to face a much, much better and younger Warriors team. So, while some seem to think this trade makes the Cavs the new favorite to repeat, I do not see it that way. I just see an aging 3 point shooter, that thinks defense is optional, being added to a team that has the look of being afraid of what the Warriors may do to them when they inevitably meet for a third time this June. This is what I think of the newest member of the Cavs. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He thinks it would be fitting for Dwight Howard to end up back in LA with another overrated team. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Ty's 2016 NFL Playoff Predictions

Ready to tee up with the playoffs

The NFL playoffs are set, and I'm here to tell you who I think will walk away as Super Bowl 51 champs. I was obviously wrong in my preseason predictions. The Panthers, and Cam Newton, had an atrocious season. They looked pretty bad all year long. I was way, way off on that one. I was right about the Patriots though. I did not think Brady's suspension was going to affect them that much, and it didn't. They went 3-1 without him and 11-1 with him, giving the Patriots the best overall record in the league at, 14-2. I was off on the Cowboys though. I thought they would not be good, no matter who the starting QB was, but they have a tremendous offensive line, and Ezekial Elliot and Dak Prescott played like seasoned vets all year. Will it happen in the playoffs? We will have to wait and see. With all that being said, lets get to how I see this playoff playing out.

I'll start with the AFC. From 6 to 1, we have Miami, Oakland, Houston, Pittsburgh, Kansas City and New England. Only 2 of these teams, in my opinion, have a legit shot to go to the Super Bowl. The Wild Card matchups in the AFC will be Miami vs Pittsburgh and Oakland vs Houston.

Miami has had an okay season, but they have not beaten anybody all that decent this season. They might have the shadiest 10 wins in all the NFL. They have a good defense, but not great. Their offense, especially with Ryan Tannehill out, who I do not think is that much better than Blake Bortles anyway, is not very good. They have excellent receivers, but with Matt Moore leading the offense, it doesn't matter. Jay Ajayi exploded in the middle of the year, but since then, he has been average. The Steelers, on the other hand, have a lethal offense. Even though he is a horrible, god awful human being, Ben Roesthelisberger can still sling it, and he always gets help from the refs. He has his whole career. LeVeon Bell is one of the best running backs in the league. Antonio Brown is one of the best receivers in the league. The Steelers have a decent offensive line. Where they struggle is defense. They get gashed a lot. But, with Matt Moore being the QB, and Ajayi coming down to Earth, I do not see the Steelers short comings on defense giving the Dolphins a shot in this game. Steelers win this game fairly easily, 28-14.

The other game would have been a blowout, had Derek Carr not broken his leg 2 weeks ago. I still think the Raiders are better, but that was a crushing loss to this team. The Raiders now have to rely on either Connor Cook or Matt McGloin. Yeesh. They still have Amari Cooper and Michael Crabtree and Latavius Murray, but no Derek Carr is brutal. Their defense, while Swiss cheese at times, has played better lately. They did not look great yesterday, but they have stepped up since earlier this season. Houston is a laughingstock. They do not belong in the playoffs at all. They are more bogus than the Dolphins, but since they are in such a crappy division, they get to go to the playoffs with only 9 wins. They have no offense, except DeAndre Hopkins. But, he barely sees the ball since both Osweiler and Tom Savage are mediocre. They also have no running game and their defense is a joke. As I said, the Raiders will win, but this game will be ugly. Final score of 13-3.

So that would pit the Steelers vs the Chiefs and the Raiders vs the Patriots. These should be good matchups. I think the Steelers-Chiefs game could be great. I think the Chiefs will pull out the win, but it will be tough. The Chiefs have a better overall team, and their defense is much better than Pittsburgh's. I also think that the Chiefs will be able to hold onto the ball and run at will against the Steelers, thus making the Steelers strength, their offense, moot. Andy Reid will not blow this chance, and he will pull out a hard fought victory, 21-17.

The other game is going to be a bloodbath. The Patriots, after Brady's suspension, are out for blood. They want to destroy anyone in their way so that Roger Goodell has to hand them the Lombardi trophy. Unfortunately for the Raiders, without Derek Carr, they will be the Patriots first victim. Sure, the Patriots do not have the best defense, but it is serviceable, especially against a team without their star QB. And this Patriots offense is surgical. Brady picks apart secondary's. He has made guys like Julian Edelman and Danny Amendola household names. He's doing the same with Chris Hogan and Malcom Mitchell this year. They also seem to have limitless options at running back. They can go with Legarette Blount for power, James White for speed and Dion Lewis for a bit of everything. And even though they lost Gronk to injury, they have Martellus Bennett, and he is awesome, and very tall. The Patriots are ready to beat the shit out of some people. I have the Patriots winning big, 34-10.

That would give us a Chiefs-Patriots AFC Championship. This will be a good game. The Chiefs are the one team in the AFC that can compete with this Patriots team. They have guys that can shut down the Patriots skill players, but they do not have any real game changers, except maybe Tyreek Hill, on offense to score with the Patriots. I think it will be a very good game, maybe even come down to the wire like last year, but Andy Reid will rear his ugly head at some point, and Belichek will capitalize, as he always does. This will be a low scoring, hard fought Patriots win, 20-13. The Patriots will represent the AFC in Super Bowl 51.

As far as the NFC goes, the seeding from 6 to 1 goes, Detroit, New York, Green Bay, Seattle, Atlanta and Dallas. I legitimately feel like almost any one of these teams can make a run to the Super Bowl, and yes, I am including the Lions in the discussion.

The Wild Card matchups will feature the Lions vs the Seahawks and the Giants vs the Packers. The Lions are an enigma. This team had no business even being competitive this season, especially after Calvin Johnson retired. They had no running game. Stafford had never put it all together. The defense is good, but spends too much time on the field. But, somehow they managed to get 9 wins and make the playoffs. The Seahawks have been incredibly inconsistent all year. At times they look like the clear cut favorites, at other times, they look mediocre at best. They have a good defense, but they are not what they were 2 years ago, and they are missing some key pieces. They also do not get pressure like they used to. The offense is very average. Russell Wilson has not taken that next step towards the upper echelon of starting QB's. He may be hurt, but he just does not look like the guy that many thought he would turn out to be after the Seahawks won 2 years ago. I think he is a better version of Colin Kaepernick, but not by much. Their offensive line stinks. They cannot protect the QB, and they do not open up running lanes. They have good receivers, like Doug Baldwin and Jermaine Kearse, but they lost Tyler Lockett to a broken leg, and now they have no deep threat. They have also never really figured out how to use Jimmy Graham. He has become a mid tier tight end since the trade. With that being said, the game is in Seattle, so I do think the Seahawks will win, but it will be a very ugly game, much like the majority of the NFL this year. It will also be very low scoring, with a final of 10-6.

The other matchup, being a Packers fan, is my nightmare. I hate the Giants, and it is because they always seem to pull out some miraculous win, no matter how bad Eli Manning plays, or where the game is played. My only hope this season though, Tom Coughlin is gone, and Bob McAdoo is the coach, and he is as predictable as they come. Green Bay is also on a roll right now. Aaron Rodgers, after his selfish calling out of his teammates, has played lights out. So has Jordy Nelson and Davante Adams. Ty Montgomery has been a revelation. The offensive line is clicking. Hell, even the defense is playing better during their 6 game win streak. I'm always nervous when the Packers have to play the Giants though. I bad mouthed McAdoo, but Mike McCarthy is just as bad, possibly worse at times, but I do think the Packers will pull out the win. They have a better team, with much better skill players(yes, I think the duo of Nelson/Adams is better than Cruz/Beckham Jr), and I think Eli will make a big mistake. I have the Packers winning 28-23.

So that would give us second round matchups of Seattle-Atlanta and Green Bay-Dallas. Atlanta should easily beat the Seahawks. They have a better QB, better receivers, a better line and a better running game. They also do not have the injuries that Seattle has. I think Matt Ryan should be the regular season MVP. He's been great. So has Julio Jones. He has been un guardable at times. He is so tall and so fast and has great hands and runs great routes. The revolving door at running back works for them, and Devonta Freeman is coming on at the right time. Atlanta is a serious threat in the NFC. I have them beating Seattle fairly easily, 24-10. It will be close for a half, but Atlanta will pull away in the second half.

The other side has Green Bay-Dallas. This is supposed to be Dallas' year, right? They have everything going for them. They have home field throughout the playoffs. They have had a dominating year on the offensive side of the ball. They have the best offensive line in all of football. Ezekial Elliot and Dak Prescott are the future. Dez Bryant is playing better without Romo. This is supposed to be the year for them Cowboys, right? I do not know if it is my blind love for the Packers, or what, but I think the Packers will beat them, and I do not think it will even be close. The Cowboys will come out hot, but this is a team led by rookies, and I don't know about you, but I'd much rather have vets like Aaron Rodgers, Jordy Nelson, Julius Peppers, Davante Adams, Clay Matthews, some of which have won a Super Bowl, than rookies leading my team in the playoffs. This is not meant to take away from Dallas' great season, but I think the moment will be a bit too big for them. They have won a lot of games, 13, but some have been very ugly, and I just think their luck is going to run out. Maybe it is my blind love, it totally is, and my hatred for the Cowboys, it is that as well, but I think the Packers will go to Jerry World and win this game. I also think they will win by 2 scores, with a final of 28-17.

So that would give us Atlanta and Green Bay in the NFC Championship. this is where the Packers win streak ends. They have no one that can guard Julio Jones, and Matt Ryan is playing so god damn great right now. This will be a very high scoring game, close to the end, but Atlanta will win, 38-35. This game is going to be filled with offensive fireworks, and Atlanta has the better weapons on offense to do just that.

Super Bowl 51 will pit Atlanta and New England. This is a pretty good matchup, or at least I think so. Both teams have so so defenses, but they each have explosive offenses. The Super Bowl will be very high scoring, but in the end, I think New England puts it away, and Goodell has to hand that trophy over to Belichek and Brady. Atlanta will keep it close for three and a half quarters, but New England, behind Legarette Blount, not Tom Brady, will put this game away in the fourth quarter. I think the Falcons will be so keyed up to stop the Patriots pass game that it will open up the run game for New England. Blount is going to have a big game. He is the best of the three running backs the Patriots use, and they will ride him to a win in the Super Bowl. I expect him to go for over 100 yards and, at least, 2 touchdowns, and win the Super Bowl MVP. Like I said, it will be close for awhile, but New England will put it away early in the fourth, and win 38-28.

There you have it, my 2017 NFL playoff preview and picks.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. With the Packers and Wolverines, 2016 saw a lot of sports heartbreak. 2017 will not be a repeat for Ty's teams. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Ty Tells You How each NBA Team Can Win the Title: Hornets, Thunder, and Hawks

We are on day 6 of my NBA countdown. From here on out, it's all playoff caliber teams. These teams have the players to, at the very least, make the playoffs. We got started yesterday with the Wizards, now, it's all playoff teams, all the time. On with the countdown.

At number 15, I have the Charlotte Hornets. Two really quick things before I get into meat of what I like and dislike about this team. First, I love that they are called the Hornets again. I know this started last season, but it just feels right. Second, I don't know why some people think they will take a step back because Jeremy Lin is gone. Lin is a good offensive player, but I do not think he will missed all that much. If he was that important, I think the Hornets would have tried harder to keep him. Anyway, let's take a look at this roster. I love Kemba Walker. The dude just has guts and plays with a passion that is nearly unparalleled. He has always been told he was undersized, too slow, wouldn't be able to adapt to the pro game, basically he's been told he wouldn't make it, but he has been a pretty good pro, especially last year. He has become a legitimate threat on offense and his defense has stepped up. I think Kemba Walker has the potential to be an all star. Marvin Williams finally played like he was supposed to last season. It was impossible for him to live up to where he was picked when he was drafted, and he was on the wrong team. The Hawks, back then, needed him to be the star. He is so much better fitted to be the fourth or fifth option on a team. He is an incredible athlete, and he uses that to his advantage when playing defense and getting rebounds. He needs to work on his jumper, but he looked really good last year. I see that continuing. If Michael Kidd-Gilchrist could stay healthy at all, I think he would be a good bench player for this team. He's not a great shooter by any means necessary, but he can attack the basket and he plays decent defense, which is what this team is built around. Nic Batum got a big contract, and he did look good in the Olympics, at times, but he needs to stay focused all season. He is a good player, but he doesn't seem to have that killer instinct. They do not have any great big men, so that could pose a problem. When you are relying on Jason Maxiel, Tyler Hansborough and Roy Hibbert to be your guys, that won't work out all that well for you. Those guys don't have any really good, specific skills, they are just big. The bench is fine, with guys like Marco Bellinelli, a great three point shooter, Frank Kaminsky, seems too slow, but can take big guys outside and Jeremy Lamb, he hasn't figured it out yet and I don't see him figuring the NBA out. The bench is just okay. I love Kemba Walker and Marvin Williams though, those guys are really good. The Hornets bench and lack of a true rim protector will be their downfall, but they will win between 42 and 45 games and be in the playoffs.

So Ty, how will the Hornets win the title? The Hornets can win the title if they get a true big man and play the most suffocating defense in the history of the NBA. It would be ugly, but that would be their only chance at a championship, to completely slow the game down to a halt.

At number 14, I have the OKC Thunder. KD is gone, and that is a huge, huge blow to this team. Had he resigned, I think I would have picked them to win it all this year. But, they do have Russell Westbrook back, and when he plays angry, he will not be stopped. That is a good and a bad thing. He will play with reckless abandon and put up huge numbers, but will that translate to wins? They do have a much better roster than two years ago when Durant was out and Westbrook was the man, so I don't think they will be that bad. Steven Adams is on his way to being one of the better true centers in the NBA, He doesn't have an offensive game like Boogie, but I think he is the best defensive true center in the league. He is also a beast on the boards and he is world class trash talker. Andre Roberson is non existent on offense, but he is an incredible defender. He always guards the oppositions best player, and more times than not, he slows them down. Victor Oladipo was a great pick up for them. He is a great slasher, has a sembalance of a jump shot, and he, much like Roberson, is a lock down defender. They did lose Serge Ibaka, but I don't think he will be terribly missed. Enes Kanter is a great offensive big, but he is a horrific defender. He barely played at the end of the Western Finals last year because his defense was so bad. Anthony Morrow is a great spot up shooter, but he brings nothing else to this team. And with KD gone, he will not find himself as wide open as usual. Cameron Payne is a fine young point guard, but he is Westbrook's back up, so he barely sees the floor. Mitch McGary seems like he'd rather get high than work on his game, so he will be relegated to bench duty as soon as his suspension is done. Kyle Singler is trash and Nick Collison is about a million years old and way past his "prime". But, with guys like Westbrook, Oladipo, Adams, Kanter's offense and Roberson's defense, I still see the Thunder as a playoff team, getting about 42 or 43 wins. It may be the eight seed in the West, but still, a playoff team. And Westbrook is going to be on an absolute mission this season.

So Ty, how will the Thunder win the title? The Thunder can win the title if Westbrook goes for a triple double every night, and the numbers have to be huge, I'm talking about 30 ppg, 15 rbg and 15 apg and Adams offensive game takes a huge step and the rest of the roster scores a ton of points. The Thunder would have been so much higher if KD was still there, but he is not, oh well.

At number 13, I have the Atlanta Hawks. Some may say this is too high, but I feel it is just right. I don't think they will regress as much just because they don't have Al Horford anymore. They still have Paul Millsap, who may be the most underrated player in the NBA. Millsap is an all star, a double double machine and a great teammate. He is an excellent basketball player, Some will say, well they don't have Jeff Teague either. I say, I like Dennis Schroder more. He plays with a cockiness that he needs to play with. He thinks he is the best point guard in the NBA. That's not true, but when he is on, he's on. He just needs to stay that way more often. He plays a little too out of control, but he can learn to slow his game down. Kyle Korver is getting way too old to be any threat anywhere on a basketball court, except the three point line. He is still a deadly three point shooter. Kent Bazemore has gotten better the more he's played, and he is becoming a really good NBA player. He is a great slasher, and his jumper is coming along. He also plays very good defense. Thabo Sefolosha is a world class defender, and he can hit the open shot. Other bench guys like Kirk Hinrich, Tim Hardaway Jr, Mike Scott, Kris Humphries and Jarret Jack are all very ho hum. Hinrich's and Jack's best days are way behind them. I'd be shocked if either plays more than 10 minutes a game. Hardaway Jr could be good, but his confidence was wrecked by playing with Carmelo Anthony, and he doesn't see the floor that often for the Hawks. Kris Humphries, when you take away the Kardashian thing, is a pretty decent basketball player. He isn't a world beater, but he isn't a liability either. Mike Scott is their best bench player. He plays hard and smart. And, I cannot forget to talk about their signing of Dwight Howard. I don't know what Dwight Howard they are getting. Will it be the Laker, end of Rockets tenure? Or will it be the Magic, beginning of Rockets tenure? I think they'd like something in the middle. He is not dominant like he was early in his career, but if he engages and plays like he cares, he can be a very big spark for this team. He is still relatively young and can still play, he just has to want to. The Hawks will be in the playoffs again, and they will probably go out with a whimper, like they always do. I see them winning anywhere from 44-47 games this year.

So Ty, how will the Hawks win the title? The Hawks can win the title if Millsap becomes the league MVP, Korver hits 65 percent of his threes, Schroder becomes a team first player, Bazemore becomes an all star and Dwight Howard plays like he did in Orlando, at the beginning. That's asking way too much. Millsap is the only one that may/could play like that.

That's it for today, come back tomorrow for the next three teams.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He would really love the Hornets if they also brought Grandmama back. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Ty tells you how each NBA team can win the title: Hawks, Bucks, & Heat

Before I continue my NBA countdown I want to take a second to talk about two college football coaches. First, get the help you need Steve Sarkisian. You clearly have a problem and you need the rehab that you're reportedly going to get. Your AD, Pat Haden, is doing you a disservice, but get your life together before coming back to coaching. You can't be drunk and be around young college athletes, that's wrong. Secondly, have a great retirement Steven Spurrier. Your teams haven't been great lately, the Gamecocks are 2-4 right now, but you're one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, terrible NFL coach, but great college coach. You turned Florida into a powerhouse and South Carolina wasn't relevant until you took over that job. Enjoy retirement.

Now, back to my NBA countdown. Did I mention that I love basketball.

Today we have teams 12, 11 and 10. All three are East teams and that means that almost all of the Eastern Conference playoff spots will be filled. To give you a comparison, we've got, after today's blog, 7 playoff teams, and 6 are from the East. Clearly, the West is way better right now. On with the countdown.

At number 12, I have the Atlanta Hawks. Yes, the same Hawks team that played in the East Finals last year. They're going to take some steps back. They have a good roster, but last year was a total fluke. They played out of their minds and won 60 games, but they fell flat when it mattered most. I think the same sort of thing will happen this year, but it will come before the playoffs. I've got them going from the first seed in the East down to number four, which would pit them against the Wizards in round one, and that would be a great playoff matchup. They also lost their best defender in DeMarre Carroll. I know that I called him a one season wonder, but he is a great defender, the scoring output was surprising to me. The roster is good, but not good enough to push past the second round. The backcourt is led by Jeff Teague. He's a solid point guard. He can get to the rim, shoot a little bit and finds the open three point shooter more times than naught. Kyle Korver joins him in the backcourt, but, while he's one of the best three point shooters in the game, that's all he does. He doesn't play defense, reference to the playoffs last year when LeBron James exploded through the lane went up for a dunk and Korver literally ran away from the play, can't drive and isn't that good of a passer. They traded for Tim Hardaway Jr and while I think getting out of New York will benefit him, what does he do besides shoot for a low percentage and gripe at officials. I loved Hardaway Jr while he was at Michigan, but he wasn't the best player any of his three years there and he won't be the best player on any NBA team, except the 76ers. Dennis Schroder is a good player, but he's being under utilized in Atlanta. He doesn't get enough playing time, and in the right situation, he could be an All Star. Kent Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha round out the backcourt. Bazemore is a fine player, but nothing special and Sefolosha has a huge criminal case, he was wrongly targeted and hurt by the NYPD because they're a bunch of racist assholes, and that will effect his play this year. He's a lock down defender, but provides nothing on offense. The Hawks frontcourt is their strength, led by guys like Al Horford and Paul Millsap. Horford, when healthy, is one of the best fours in all of basketball. He's got great low post skills, plays excellent interior defense and can step back and hit long jumpers. Paul Millsap is finally getting the credit he deserves, getting his first All Star appearance last year, and is a great player in the NBA. He's the better version of Horford, and Horford is pretty good. The Hawks got Tiago Splitter in free agency, but he reminds me a lot of Aaron Baynes, with the exception being that the Hawks coach was a Popovich understudy. The Hawks run the same system as the Spurs, but Splitter will struggle since there's no Tim Duncan to take the load off him. Mike Scott comes off the bench, but he's pretty blah. The Hawks are going to take a step back this season and while they'll win somewhere in the range of 45 to 48 games, they won't achieve the success of last season.

How the Hawks will win it all.

The Hawks will win the title if Al Horford and Paul Millsap can stay healthy all season and average 40 plus points and 25 plus rebounds combined, that could happen, Jeff Teague becomes an elite point guard, in the same class as Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook, Kyle Korver hits threes at a record level and the bench gives them big time production. This team was a conference finals away from playing for the title last year, but they are destined to take a step back.

Coming in at number 11, we have one of my new favorite teams to watch, the Milwaukee Bucks. First of all, while he may be a crummy person in his personal life, Jason Kidd is an excellent coach, much to my surprise. His team totally buys into defense and spacing on offense. The Bucks get Jabari Parker back after tearing his ACL during his rookie year. He looks to be a good scorer in the NBA, and under Kidd's tutelage, he will become a good defender. Joining Parker in the back court you have guys like Michael Carter-Williams and OJ Mayo. Carter-Williams isn't much of a shooter, but he's explosive going to the rim, plays good defense and usually finds the open man. OJ Mayo came into the NBA with huge expectations, struggled to score, play defense and stay in shape his first couple of seasons, but has found a good place for him in Milwaukee. He thrives coming off the bench, providing the Bucks with instant offense. In the frontcourt, they got one of the better offseason signings in Greg Monroe. Most people, including me, thought he was going to either New York or Los Angeles, but he surprised everyone and signed with the Bucks. He's an excellent rim protector and rebounder, and if he can get some skills in the post, he will be unstoppable. Khris Middleton is an emerging star. He hit some clutch shots last season and is becoming a legitimate 20 point a game type player. Next to Andrew Wiggins, the Bucks have my second favorite young player to watch in Giannis Antetokounmpo. His nickname is the "Greek Freak", so that's what I'll call him. Anyway, he is long and rangy, explosive to the rim, can shoot the midrange jumper and is pesky on defense. He is an All Star and All NBA player in waiting. He's awesome. John Henson and Miles Plumlee come off the bench in the frontcourt, and while I like Henson's game, he's a decent defender and a decent shooter, Plumlee provides nothing for this team. Other guys off the bench are Jerryd Bayless, a castoff from Memphis, Greivas Vasquez, who hasn't been that good since college, Chris Copeland, who's a fine three point shooter, but that's it and Tyler Ennis, a kid who should've stayed in college. The Bucks are getting better and better, but are still two or three years away from competing with the Cavs and Bulls in the East. They will win 48 or 49 games and be third or fourth in the East.

How the Bucks will win it all.

The Bucks will win the title if Greg Monroe becomes an MVP caliber type of player, Parker stays healthy and puts up huge numbers, Antetokounmpo puts everything together and is an All Star and the bench provides huge sparks every night. The Bucks are good, just not elite yet.

Finally, let's get into the top ten. Coming in at number 10, I have the Miami Heat. You've got to give it up to Pat Riley, the guy loses LeBron James, has one bad year, gets the best young player in the draft in Justise Winslow, gets Dwayne Wade to come back, and Chris Bosh is healthy. Also, he resigned Goran Dragic after trading for him last year. This team, if they can stay healthy, has the horses to compete with the Cavs and Bulls, and may actually be better than both. First, the back court is loaded. Dwayne Wade may be old and only plays half a season, but when he's healthy, he's one of the 15 best players in the league. He's also won three titles, so he knows how to perform in the clutch. Goran Dragic is an excellent point guard, and getting out of Phoenix was the best thing to happen to him. He's an All Star caliber player, and with the teammates he has in Miami, he will flourish. Like I said before, I like Justise Winslow a lot. The fact that he dropped to Miami at number 10 in the draft is appalling to me. He was the best player on the national title champion Duke Blue Devils that had guys like Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones. He is going to be great in the NBA. With the return of Chris Bosh and the emergence of Hassan Whiteside, the Heat's front court is ferocious. Bosh is one of the best shooting big men and while he may be a bit soft, he gets clutch rebounds and plays okay defense. Whiteside has the potential to get a double double every night. And I'm not talking points and rebounds, I mean blocks and rebounds. He loves playing defense and that's what the Heat need him to do. Loul Deng, A'Mare Stoudamire and Udonis Haslem, while pretty old and not as good as they once were, are capable back ups and provide the Heat what they need off the bench. Mario Chalmers and Chris Anderson are still there, but these guys are trade chips. The Heat are good and can be elite this year. If they stay healthy, I see a 50 win team, and competing all season long with the Bulls and the Cavs for the top spot in the East.

How the Heat can win it all.

The Heat will win the title, and they're the first team that I feel has a legitimate shot, if these guys can all stay healthy and produce like they've produced their whole careers. Getting Bosh back healthy is huge. He's the leader of this team, and gives them the leadership they need. I really, really like this Heat team, but they are no higher than tenth overall unless they can stay healthy and that's a big if.

So there you have numbers 12, 11 and 10. Come back tomorrow for numbers 9, 8 and 7. Things are starting to get real.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He made a bid to buy the Milwaukee Bucks, his offer of being awesome was turned down. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Ty remembers the greatness of Moses Malone

Another legend lost

Last week I wrote about the surprise passing of NBA legend Daryl Dawkins, AKA "Chocolate Thunder". Today, I come bearing more bad news on the NBA legend front.

As most of you know by now, Moses Malone unexpectedly passed away yesterday at the age of 60. This one hit me just as hard as Daryl Dawkins. I even mentioned Moses Malone in my article about Dawkins. If you remember, Malone was who the 76ers traded Dawkins for, and they won the title that year. Moses Malone was the first professional basketball player to make the jump from high school to the pros. He led his high school team to two straight, undefeated championship seasons. He signed to play at the University of Maryland, but gave up his college career when he was drafted in the third round by the Utah Stars of the ABA. He signed a five year contract, but spent only three seasons in the ABA. The Utah Stars folded after his rookie season and he caught on with the St. Louis Spirits for the next two years. He put up pretty good numbers while playing in the ABA, averaging 17 points and grabbing 13 rebounds a game. When the ABA and NBA merged, Malone was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers, but never played a regular season game for them. He was traded to the Buffalo Braves, but only played two games with the team. He finally found a semi permanent home after being traded to the Houston Rockets.

During Moses Malone's first full season in the NBA, he put up decent numbers again. Malone averaged 13 points a game, but where he shined was rebounding, and more specifically, offensive rebounding. He finished third in the league in total rebounding at 13 a game, but he set a new offensive rebounding record, grabbing 437 total offensive boards. He would later break that record. He was also a stalwart on the defensive side of the court, blocking almost three shots a game. Malone led the Rockets to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Rockets were once in the East, only to lose to his eventual team, the 76ers in six games. During that playoff, Malone set a record with 15 offensive rebounds in one game. The 78-79 season was peak Moses Malone. He averaged 24 points and 17 rebounds a game on his way to winning the league MVP at the tender age of 23. This was the season he broke his own offensive rebounding record, grabbing 587 of them. Once again though, the Rockets were swept in the Eastern Conference Finals, this time by the Boston Celtics. Malone and the Rockets couldn't seem to get over the hump. The Rockets finally made the NBA Finals in 1981, Malone coming off another MVP season, but they were beat by the Sonics.

During the 1983 season, Malone was traded to the 76ers for Daryl Dawkins, as I mentioned before. New ownership wanted new players and Malone fit in perfectly with what the 76ers wanted to do. During the 83 season, Malone led the league in rebounding for the third straight season, collecting 15 boards a game. He also averaged 25 points per game as well. During the 83 playoffs, the 76ers only lost one game and swept the Lakers in the Finals. Malone won NBA Finals MVP and got his first, and only, NBA title. A couple more seasons and a couple more runs in the playoffs with the 76ers followed, but in the 85-86 season, the 76ers traded Malone to the Washington Bullets. His first season with the Bullets had Malone making the All Star team for the tenth consecutive season and putting up 24 points and 11 rebounds. Ultimately though, despite Malone's big numbers, the Bullets were swept in the first round by the Pistons. The same thing happened the very next season. Malone put up big numbers, but the Bullets were swept again by the Pistons in the first round.

Moses Malone played for three more teams, the Buck, Spurs and the Hawks. He put up okay numbers, but he was starting to get hurt more and he played a lot of basketball by this time in his life. He was even brought back by the 76ers to help tutor Shawn Bradley. He had a long, successful NBA career. He was such a good rebounder, he was dubbed "Chairman of the Boards" by his fellow players.

What drew me to Moses Malone was his tenacity and love for basketball. Sure, he was a great scorer, but he seemed to love playing defense and his rebounding is unmatched. He took more pride in rebounding than anything else. As a kid, I wanted to be Michael Jordan or Charles Barkley. As a I got older, into my twenties, I studied players like Daryl Dawkins and Moses Malone, and that's who I try to model my game after. Yes, I like to put the ball in the hoop, but I'd rather start a fast break with a defensive rebound, or get an offensive rebound for a put back. That's more satisfying for me.

It's a shame that Moses Malone passed away yesterday. In the past two weeks, we've lost two basketball legends that a lot of my generation, the Millenials, have little to no knowledge of. That's depressing to me. Instead of watching Blake Griffin or Kevin Love and saying that they're some of the best big men rebounders(they are not), go watch old games of Moses Malone. He's the best rebounder of all time. You will be missed "Chairman of the Boards". I hope you and Daryl Dawkins are playing one on one wherever you are now.

Rest in Peace.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and co-host of the X Millennial Man podcast. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.