Let's Pump the Brakes On All This Luka Doncic Love

The NBA playoffs have been tremendous this season. The games have been awesome, for the most part, the competition is top notch, the programming and "show" of the game is great, the boycott was historical and some of the players have been so rewarding to watch.

One such player who was very good was Luka Doncic. He did some really solid offensive things. That isn't fair, he was electric, on the offensive end of the floor. I do not enjoy watching him play personally, he reminds me of a less athletic James Harden, but nonetheless, he was great. He put up big numbers, hit clutch shots, including a game winning three and basically carried the Mavericks to two wins over a very, very good Clippers team.

With all this being said, you would think with the coverage of him during the playoffs, and listening to the analytics nerds who are destroying the game though, he is the greatest player to ever play. Forget Jordan, LeBron, Bill Russell, Kareem, Magic, or any other hall of fame player, basketball didn't start until Luka Doncic played in these playoffs. It has been a bit too much. It is so much massaging of his ego. People are protecting him as if he is the current MVP and poised to win a title right now. He is not. I already mentioned that he is a very good, to great, offensive player, but he is a sieve on defense. Kawhi did not get the publicity that Doncic did, but he put up similar numbers, hit almost as many clutch shots and actually played defense. Any Clipper that Doncic was put on, for the most part, ate with ease. He really needs to work on that part before I start to memorialize his game. He also constantly complains in the refs direction when he doesn't get a call, or gets something called on him. This is the James Harden part of his game. He whines and moans and shoots far too many free throws, slowing the games down to a dull. It is boring. But again, I have heard basketball writers that I highly respect and adore, most notably Zach Lowe, singing his praises as if he is already this superstar that has won every major award and trophy in the NBA. It was bonkers after he hit that game winner, and then the Mavs went out and got absolutely wiped off the floor when they decided to try 100 percent.

The thing that irritates me most though, yes Doncic was putting up great offensive numbers, but so are Jamal Murray and Donovan Mitchell, who are playing in a much better, much closer series as we speak. And, they are both still playing. I believe they have a game seven tonight. But their numbers are similar, they both play much better defense, and their series is so much more up in the air, making their performances that much better. Doncic got all kinds of praise when he put up a triple double in a game one loss to the Clipper, meanwhile, Donovan Mitchell put up 50 plus in a game one loss, and it was a blip on the radar. Fifty plus points, and it was mentioned maybe once, compared to full segments dedicated to Doncic on Sportscenter that night. Then Murray and Mitchell both put up 50 point games, in the same game, and it was briefly spoken about on the major networks. They all showed how it hasn't happened in a long time, but then they would switch to a video of Boban and Doncic having fun and goofing with each other. I mean, Mitchell and Murray are doing historic things, and they barely get talked about. Then Murray went out in a crucial game six the other night and exploded. The Mavericks were out of the playoffs by this point, and the full focus should be on this series that is still going on, but it wasn't, unfortunately. Murray has this incredible game, puts up another 50 plus, gives one of the most moving post game interviews I have ever witnessed, and the top story on NBA twitter that night was the bright future of the Mavs. I mean Jesus Christ that is so lame, and so upsetting. No matter how much Bill Simmons and ESPN are horny for the next white super star, Mitchell and Murray are better overall players, about the same age and are on teams that are better set up for the future. They all play in the West too. And I think Kristaps Porzingis is not nearly as good as others do. I don't think he is really a superstar level guy, or a guy that can help you win a title. I'd rather have Nikola Jokic or Rudy Gobert than Porzingis. Both those guys are better, and tougher. Doncic is a very good offensive basketball player. I simply cannot deny that. But people need to realize that there are other guys, guys just as young, that are just as good, if not better. And Donovan Mitchell and Jamal Murray are right at the top of that list.

I'm just asking to give equal credit where it is due. 

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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A Bunch of the Wrong Kids will be Picked at the Top of the NBA Draft

We do not think the future of the NBA is the kind of bad kid sneaking smokes.

With the NBA draft one week from today, I have a few thoughts I'd like to float about this draft.

First off, publications like Deadspin, ESPN and Fox Sports need to stop giving Ben Simmons a free pass on everything. Simmons came out the other day and said that he did not want to work out for the 76ers. I'm sorry, but when did every single draft eligible player become so entitled that they get to choose which team they want to lay for? You should be extremely excited that you are about to be paid millions of dollars to play a game. Sure, the 76ers are really, really, really bad, but so are the Lakers, Nets, Timberwolves and Suns. Why do these guys want to be playing for some other moribound franchise. Sure, The Lakers are in LA, but the Lakers are just as bad as the 76ers, and they have a much worse team chemistry. The Nets are in Brooklyn, but they are horrific, and unless they trade some of their ancient "assets", they don't have a pick in the next couple of drafts. the Timberwolves are kind of looking like they may turn it around, but Thibodeau wants to trade that pick to bring in a veteran leader, maybe Jimmy Butler. The Suns have no one else besides Devin Booker, so why do these young guys want to play in the desert? It's extremely hot in Phoenix, all the time. So, especially Deadspin, whose owners filed for bankruptcy protection, need to stop giving this kid a pass and saying it is his right. Sure, he can say who he wants to play for, but if he gets picked by the 76ers, that's his team. I despise guys like John Elway and Eli Manning because they did this exact same thing. They bitched and moaned and griped until they got their way, like spoiled, rotten, bratty little children. It's so childish. If I was the GM or owner of the 76ers, I'd pick Simmons out of spite.

Next, why are Simmons, Brandon Ingram and Jamal Murray the only "top" prospects. the three of them are all 19 or 20 year old that didn't get past the round of 16 in the tournament. Jamal Murray's team, Kentucky, was bounced in the round of 32. Brandon Ingram and Duke lost to Oregon in the round of 16. And Ben Simmons, they didn't even play in the NIT, so none of that sounds desirable to me. Of these three players, I think Ingram has the most upside, but he is a ways away from being a big time NBA player. I don't care how many jump shots, with no defense being played, that they make in individual workouts, for the guys that workout. I don't care about their vertical or their cone drill speed, all this combine stuff is as useless as the NFL combine results. What I care about is the in game stuff. I watch a tone of NBA and college basketball, so I have seen these three guys play. Murray was lost among the loaded Kentucky team. When you have 5,6 or even 7 players that can be picked, it is hard to stand out, unless you are an Anthony Davis or Karl Anthony-Towns. Brandon Ingram was good to great at times for Duke, but he is rail thin and he tends to settle for way more jumpers than he should be taking. He also takes possessions off sometimes on defense, and I don't like that. Ingram can, and probably will, get bigger, but he has to fully engage before I deem him a star.

Then there is Simmons. While he looks like an NBA player, he is big, can handle the ball and has great court vision, he also did not lead LSU to any tournament and as the season wore on, he looked tired and not as aggressive as he was at the start of the season. Everyone told me that I had to watch this kid play, so I started with his game against Oklahoma, and I came away very unimpressed. A lot of that is coaching, but if Simmons is the superstar that people are making him out to be, he should have willed that LSU team to, at the very least, 20 wins and an NCAA tournament bid. Simmons doesn't look like he will live up to the hype, at least in my opinion.

Finally, why aren't more people talking about Buddy Hield and Denzel Valentine as top 3 to 5 picks. Both guys had illustrious college careers. Both guys are gunners from the three, which is where the NBA is trending. Both guys play formidable defense, Valentine more so than Hield, but when they engage, they are close to lock down. Both have led their respective teams to a final four bid. Both scored 20 plus points per game. Both ran their teams offense at the most crucial times during their college careers. But the main thing, both are 22 years old. They have matured over 4 years of college. They may not be as good, who am I kidding, there is no way they'll be as good, but Tim Duncan, Patrick Ewing and Magic Johnson all spent four years in college. Did that hinder their careers? Did they miss out on their prime of basketball by staying in school for four years? No and no. They all had great, hall of fame careers. This new era of the NBA drafting 18, 19 and 20 year old kids is watering down the NBA. The only one and done player from last years draft worth his salt in the NBA is Karl Anthony-Towns. Ever other freshman drafted last year, who knows.

If I had a team with a lottery pick, I'd definitely take Hield, but I'd also consider Valentine before I consider Simmons, Murray or Ingram. I prefer seasoned basketball players that are mature to teenagers that may or may not be ready for a big boy job. Basketball is a year round job and these young kids, who have never been pushed, are going to have a tough time adjusting. Take Hield or Valentine, not the freshman, your team will be better off in the long run.

Also, the draft is a waste of time and nobody should watch it, it's boring and ridiculous.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is available to be the gm for any NBA team, he knows most of the league could use a new GM. Reach Ty by following him on twitter @tykulik.