Ty Watches "Kevin Garnett: Anything is Possible"

Yesterday I was able to watch the Showtime documentary "Kevin Garnett: Anything is Possible". I am a very, very big fan of Garnett's. I have been since I was a kid. I watched him in the McDonald's All American game when I was 15, I so badly wanted him to go to Michigan, I was stoked when decided to go to the draft and I followed his career all the way to the end when he finished back where it started. I guess you could say that I’m a fan.

This movie did a good job of going over most of that, but it was all from the perspective of the man himself. This was a hard and fast documentary. This was as much a documentary as "Blackfish" or "Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room". The only difference, and I do love both of those movies, the subject of this one was something that I am extremely interested in. I love basketball, I love inside scoop and I adore KG. This had it all. I loved how this movie flowed too. They started right off the bat with him playing in his hometown of South Carolina. They mentioned how he had to keep it secret from his mom, how she found out and supported it and the unintentional mess that he got involved in. I also dug how they did not go super deep into that whole incident because KG did not really do anything wrong. They mentioned the incident and moved on. They then shifted to Farragut Academy in Chicago where his star really started to shine. It was cool to learn about that school, about their historic past and about the team that KG was on. I also really enjoyed the coach and really like that guy a lot. He is who shaped KG the basketball player. He let him shine. He let him yell and scream and play with emotion. He brought out exactly what Garnett needed at that time in his life. I also liked the story of Ronnie Fields, his teammate at Farragut. That dude could have been a star, but he got into a bad car wreck at 18. He is still alive, and to hear him talk about his life now, that was uplifting. He is a good dude.

From Farragut is where we shift to his decision to go pro from high school. I did not realize he was the first high school player in twenty years to go straight to the NBA. That was a cool new thing I learned about one of my favorite players. I also really liked how they talked about how he was the first to really start the prep to pros thing. Like I said, there were players before KG, but KG really set it off. I also liked the story of KG and his buddies going to a gym that the Bulls were practicing in, and Jordan invited KG in to play. And he held his own. And meeting Isaiah Thomas that day was the main reason he decided to go pro. Thomas told him he was ready, so KG made the leap. I really liked the stuff with KG being a rookie in Minnesota. I enjoyed hearing how much Flip Saunders liked him. I liked that he had to prove himself to teammates, and when he earned their trust, they knew who was going to be the face of the team. The stuff with him and Stephon Marbury was very eye opening. As was the stuff with his big contract, and how that changed the face of the NBA and the league instituting the max salary. The owners are shady, shady people. The trade to Boston was pretty compelling too. I am not a Celtics fan, but hearing KG talk about why he went there, it all made sense. It was his best shot at a title. And he got that ring. I loved seeing the interaction between KG and Bill Russell. That was amazing stuff. I also loved seeing KG interact with Snoop Dogg. That was awesome as well.

I found this movie to be compelling and informative and fun and eye opening and good. It was a great portrayal of one of the best NBA players to ever play. And I loved how they ended it with his Hall of Fame enshrinement. "Kevin Garnett: Anything is Possible" is a must watch for NBA fans and fans of KG in general. This was a great movie. I highly recommend checking it out.

Ty

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

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Three Legendary Players Heading to the Basketball Hall of Fame

This year's NBA Hall of Fame class is superb. There are many big time names, both in the men's and women's game, and some all time great coaches and player personnel people. But I want to focus on three guys going in that made a humongous impact on the game, and on me, as I was really getting into the game.

This year we will see Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett inducted. That is some otherworldly basketball talent going in. All three are champions. All three have won MVP awards. All three were always in the all star game. All three were leaders of their teams. All three were lottery picks. Two of them even stayed on the same team their entire career, which is unheard of nowadays. And I bet KG would have stayed in Minnesota, if they were a better run franchise. These three also left an indelible mark on me as a fan. I love KG. He is one of my all time favorite players. Tim Duncan was a quiet super star, who was all about team and fundamentals. And Kobe, he was the guy I loved to hate. The one I rooted against. They all had pivotal roles to me, as I was growing up as a player and a fan.

What else is there that can be said about Kobe Bryant. We lost him much too soon. His death is a true tragedy. He seemed like he was finally happy. And then in a flash, and I still sometimes cannot believe it, he was gone. But as a player, man did I dislike him. There is no denying his skill, his will to win, his killer mentality, his ability to make scrubs important, but I rooted like hell against him. And you need that villain as a fan. And Kobe was more than up to the that task. He embraced his villainy on the court. It drove him. It made him the great, Hall of Fame player he was. He was a scoring machine. He would put up tons and tons of shots, and he would score tons and tons of points. Sure, he excelled when he played with guys like Shaq and Paul Gasol, but he also had teammates like Tyronn Lue, Smush Parker and Kwame Brown, and he pushed those guys with him to conference finals. He is, without a doubt, one of the greatest offensive players to ever play in the NBA. He is imitated and loved by so many modern super star, and non super star, players. He is some younger kids version of Jordan, or Magic or Bird or Russell. He is that dude. He is so polarizing as a player, but one thing you cannot fight, he is a well deserved first ballot Hall of Fame player. He would've been inducted no matter what happened. It is just so tragic that he lost his life before he could see this come to fruition.

As with Duncan, I cannot think of a player that was so, so, so great, yet so unmentioned and barely talked about when greatest players conversations start. Duncan was a modern day Bill Russell. The only thing he didn't do that Russell did was block shots, but he made up for that by being a 20 plus point per game guy his whole career. Duncan also did what was best for the team. When they needed him to score, he scored at will. When they needed him to rebound, he would go grab 20. When they needed him to shut down the other team's big man, he was more than up to the task. I cannot think of a better player-coach duo than Duncan and Greg Poppovich. Those two were meant for each other, and it worked out to perfection. I personally think that Duncan is the best big man of all time. The way he could manipulate with moves reminded me of Olajuwon. The way he could back guys down, it was like if Shaq had a finesse game. The way he hit the mod range jumper, always using the backboard, a shot I have tried to perfect for years, it was like watching a taller Jerry West or Larry Bird. Duncan kind of did it all, and did it at an extremely high level. He was the reason why David Robinson won a title. He helped nurture guys like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli and Kwahi Leonard. He was the leader of these players, all of which I expect to be in the Hall of Fame. I feel like he gets unfairly compared to a player like Karl Malone because of position. Tim Duncan was so much better as a player, and there is no question that he was a much better clutch player. Duncan walked away with five rings, multiple MVP's, both regular season and playoffs, and I personally think he is the greatest power forward to ever play in the NBA. He was a wonder to watch. He played basketball the right way, and the kids I train now, the big men, I implore them to watch Tim Duncan highlights because he was so fundamentally sound and so incredible.

And then we have my dude, Kevin Garnett. There are only two NBA players I like more than KG, and they are Shawn Kemp, I had never seen an athlete like him before, and Charles Barkley, an under sized big that rebounded and dunked and could shoot. But KG holds a very special place in my heart. He was the first high school to pro player that I wanted to achieve. He was this scrawny kid coming out of South Carolina I believe, and I rooted hard for him. Maybe it was because he had said he was considering Michigan as a college, or maybe it was his story coming out of high school, but I wanted him to succeed. I think taking that year to go to Chicago to play at the legendary Farragaut Academy was one of the best things he had ever done, to prepare for the pros. Then when he came in the league, like I said, he was scrawny, but he had this energy that was so intoxicating as a fan, and I bet his teammates loved it. I bet they fed on it. He needed to hone his game, and during his time in Minnesota, he became this chiseled go getter who never stopped hustling. He out rebounded, out ran, out hustled, out trash talked and just flat out beat dudes that were supposed to be guarding him, or trying to at least. Then when he developed that jumper, it was over for opponents. He was a nearly perfect player. He took the Timberwolves further than they have ever been in the playoffs. When he realized that they wouldn't do much to help him, he knew it was time to get out, and he headed to Boston to play with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, forming the first "super team", and they won the Finals that year, KG's only ring. And he was the unquestioned leader. I'm sure Boston fans will say Pierce was, but that team went as KG went. It was also pretty neat to see the Celtics beat the Lakers in that Finals. KG also did the impossible for me as a fan, making me root for a team from Boston. I didn't like the Celtics, but I LOVED KG. So I rooted for them in that particular NBA Finals. He went on to play for Brooklyn for a few seasons, then helped out big men in Minnesota for awhile, and now has his own TV show, which is awesome. But it was his time in Minnesota and his title in Boston that really solidified his Hall of Fame resume. KG is one of the most intense, fierce competitors that the NBA has ever seen. He could have played in any era and he would have been equally successful.

Kobe, Duncan, and KG, these are three of the greatest players to ever be inducted into the Hall of Fame. This is what real Hall of Fame talent looks like. This may be the best class, and these three in particular, three of the best players ever inducted. This is an insane amount of talent, and it is very, very well deserved. Kudos to these three on a much deserved nod to the Hall of Fame.

Ty

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

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Ty Watches "Uncut Gems"

Hello all. I am back from my week off, and I do have some very solid ideas for pieces I will be writing this week, and today I want to start off with something I have wanted to write since my birthday. I couldn't write it then because the movie wasn't released in Saint Louis yet. But, the movie came out here on Xmas eve, and I finally went to see "Uncut Gems" yesterday.

I tried to wait to write all of my "Best Of" because I wanted to see this movie because I assumed it would be on my list. Had I waited a bit longer, it would have been either number 1 or 2. I loved every single second of this movie. I read some audience reviews the day before seeing it because I was interested, and the people who gave it bad reviews were upset by the "vulgarity", "people talking over one another" and how "violent" the movie was. I guess the people who saw this movie expected a typical Adam Sandler movie. Well, it is nothing like a typical Sandler movie.

First off, this is an A24 movie. This movie was not from Happy Madison, so he had no producing credit, and pretty much no say as to how the movie was made. Also, the movie is rated R, they state that it is due to violence, language and sexual situations. So, seeing that, the people that may not have expected that, or liked it, should have known better. Finally, the "talking over everyone", a big part of the movie takes place in a busy jewelry shop in downtown NYC. The talking loudly over one another is exactly what I think it is in downtown NYC.

So, I am glad that I pushed those reviews out of mind, and went anyway. "Uncut Gems" was also, probably, my most anticipated movie of the year. I am a big time Adam Sandler fan, and when he does stuff like this, dramatic and sinister stuff, I am all in for it. I like it when actors try something out of their comfort zones, and Sandler absolutely crushes in this movie. He is exactly what I think a degenerate, cheating, scummy and down on his luck compulsive gambler is really like. He has zero redeeming qualities, and I think that is the point. I don't feel like we are supposed to root for him, or anyone for that matter, in this movie. There is no hero, no bad guys, just scummy people. And Sandler was king of them all. He was so good in this movie. I cannot overstate that enough. I hope he gets awards recognition, because he 100 percent deserves it. He should get all the accolades. I would love to see him get an Oscar nomination of this role. He is that good.

And he wasn't the only person that was great. Everyone did a splendid job. Kevin Garnett, in his acting debut, was incredible. He is such a charismatic dude, and that comes across tenfold. Julia Fox, who is relatively new, at least to me, was great. She is Sandler's girlfriend, on the side, and she is just as slimy as him. Lakeith Stanfield is quickly turning into one of my favorite actors. His scenes with Sandler in this movie are perfection. Also, his orange hooded sweatshirt at The Weekend's show, that is a beautifully shot scene. Idina Menzel, Sandler's wife in the movie, is so good as the woman who is fed up with her husband. The scene where she tells him off at his folks house during Passover is amazing. Judd Hirsch is solid in his minor role. The Weekend is one hell of a singer. The guys that play Sandler's brother's bodyguards are perfectly cast as the type of dudes that would do that job for a living. The kids in the movie were good. The acting was great across the board.

I also really dug the way the Safdie Brothers directed the movie, and had the movie scored. The while thing is frantic and fast paced and doesn't let you take a breath. I feel like they want you to be pushed to the brink with this movie, and they nail it. I was on the edge of my seat the whole time, and that ending, no spoilers, took me by complete surprise. All the stuff leading up to that, it was perfectly directed. I heard some say the score was odd, I disagree. I truly enjoyed it, and felt it added another cool feel to the movie. It was different and pushed my anxiety to the brink just like the scenes in the movie did.

I was predisposed to enjoy this movie. I really like what the Safdie Brothers do, "Good Time" is great, I am a big time Sandler fan, I like movies like this and was highly anticipating it. It met my expectations and then some. I took my dad to the movie with me, and was curious how he felt. He said it started a little slow for him, but once it picked up, he was fully on board. That is high praise coming from my father. So, the fact that "Uncut Gems" won him over as well, that is another feather in its cap. I think this movie will find a huge audience when it hits streaming, but I will say, I went to a 9:40 am showing on a Sunday morning, and the theater was about 60 percent full. That also made me happy.

Go see "Uncut Gems", in the theaters if you can. This is a very good movie, it proves that the Safdie's are legit filmmakers and that Adam Sandler is more than just a Netflix, goofy movie making actor. Given solid direction, and the right material, he can be a very, very good actor. He was awesome.

Ty

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

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There Never Was and Never Will Be Another Craig Sager

So, 2016 continues to be a real kick in the ass. We lost another long time legend last night, Craig Sager.

HEY 2016, STOP TAKING GREAT PEOPLE FROM US! ENOUGH IS ENOUGH, JESUS CHRIST!

I have been an NBA fan pretty much my entire life. From childhood, to teenage years, to college life, and now adulthood, I have watched the NBA. The one constant, besides the teams, throughout all this watching of games, has been Craig Sager. As long as I can remember, he was always there, on the sideline, ready to give some great insight and do a wonderful coach interview.

I remember watching, the first time I was a T'Wolves fan, all the great interviews between Sager and Kevin Garnett. Garnett was one of the first people to give Sager a "hard time" about his clothing, which I will touch on in a moment. You could tell right off the bat that Garnett, who is a known recluse when it comes to reporters, had a great rapport with Sager. That was when I instantly became a fan of Sager's. The fact that he could get Garnett to open up like he did, meant to me, that he must be a special reporter and person. He never seemed like so many other reporters that just wanted a story, hot take or something that people would talk about in the national media the next day. He was a guy that just genuinely loved what he was doing, and he loved NBA basketball.

There is no reporter, except for Howard Cosell, that got the same kind of love and respect that Craig Sager got from pro athletes and his peers. Joe Buck, Troy Aikman, Chris Berman, Tim Kurkjan, Buster Olney, they all wish that they had the gift that Craig Sager had. Sager was one of a kind.

This was even true when it came to his clothes, told you I'd get to it. He, I do not know how long ago, started to wear these very loud and colorful jackets on the sideline. The first time I saw one of these it blew my mind. I thought, what in the hell is he doing, but the more he wore them, and he wore a ton of them, the more I, not only accepted, but liked them. I looked forward to seeing what kind of sport coat he would be wearing while covering a game. It became something that everyone that watched the NBA talked about. I would go over to friends houses, talk about the game, but we also talked about Sager's coat. It was always a topic of conversation. This was just another one of his ways of standing out from the crowd. He truly was one of a kind.

The more I read yesterday, after his death was announced, the more I found out that the colorful jackets had meaning. It made Sager and the person he was interviewing stand out. He wore them because he liked them, not just as a fashion statement. He continued to wear them because so many people talked about it. The colorful sport coat became just another great thing that added to his awesomeness.

His reporting didn't just start and stop with the NBA either. He covered baseball for a long time. In fact, if you look back at videos of Hank Aaron hitting his 715th home run, and I just found this out yesterday, you can see Sager on the field with a tape recorder in hand, ready to interview Aaron. He was always prepared, no matter how big the situation. He also covered the Olympics for NBC. He was the absolute best part of NBC's coverage of the Olympics. For the most part, NBC stinks with their Olympic stuff, but not Craig Sager. He was worth watching. He was always good. He was always giving out the right information. He owned the Olympic coverage.

When Craig Sager was diagnosed with leukemia over a year ago, I, amongst many other people, hoped that it could be cured. At one point, it even looked like his cancer was in remission. But, it unfortunately came back, and it was a death sentence. Even with this sentence being handed down to him, Sager handled it as only he could. He never stopped smiling. He even continued to work. He did his first NBA Finals last year, and it was one of the coolest moments in sports history to see him cover a great Finals matchup. He was extremely sick, but you would never know it from the way he handled himself. He had his sport coat, his knowledge, and his trademark smile while doing sideline interviews. Seeing this actually gave me hope that he may be getting better. I mean, my own mother overcame cancer, so I thought that Sager could too.

But, even though we all knew it was coming, the news of his death yesterday shook me to my core. I was absolutely shocked when my phone buzzed with the news that Sager had passed away at the age of 65. That is way too young for someone that was filled with, and lived his life, to its full potential. I have loved all the tributes that have been coming out since yesterday. I feel awful for Rachel Nichols, who is an excellent NBA reporter for ESPN, one of the few good people there, because she was a colleague of his, and she had to announce his death on live TV. That was a tough, heart breaking watch. The guys on TNT last night celebrated his life. That was incredible. They told stories and talked about all the good times they had with Sager. It was a celebration of his life. The pre-game warm up shirts that the Bucks and Warriors wore last night were great. I'm sure most teams will start doing the same thing. Greg Poppovich's, I do not know if it was pre-game or post game press conference, where he only talked about the greatness that was Craig Sager, was absolutely touching and phenomenal. I have been moved by what I've seen for the last 16 hours.

Craig Sager was one of a kind, and he will be missed so much. He has been in my life as long as I can remember. He is my version of Howard Cosell, only I think that Craig Sager was better at his job. I will miss him so much, and that was very prevalent when I watched some games last night, and he wasn't there. It is going to be quite strange for a long time not seeing him on the sideline. Hopefully we get someone that can be 1/4 as great as he was, but there will never, ever be another person like Craig Sager. Never. Rest In Peace.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Kevin Garnett Showed Us all that Anything is Possible

Another legend hangs them up

Last week one of my all time favorite NBA players decided to retire. In fact, he is probably my second favorite player all time behind only Charles Barkley. That player is Kevin Garnett. I am such a big KG fan, I knew this day was coming sooner rather than later, but I was still in shock when I saw that the Timberwolves were buying him out, and he was going to retire. He has been a staple in my NBA watching life for as long as I can remember. I have vivid memories of hearing about KG when he was in high school. He is only 6 years older than I am, so it was neat to see someone that was relatively my same age be so dominant at basketball, which is my favorite sport.

I remember hearing about him transferring out of his small high school in South Carolina for many different reasons. There was the whole fight situation, that I still believe he had nothing to do with, which seemed to be the main reason for his departure. I also remember hearing other reasons such as, Farragaut Academy was a basketball factory and he was next in a long line of stars that they loaded their team with. He was not a great student, and at his high school in South Carolina let him pass because he was so good at basketball. He needed to be challenged academically as well as athletically. But, no matter what we believe or not, transferring out of the smaller school to the mighty Farragaut Academy was the best thing for him.

I also followed him a lot because he had Michigan on his short list of colleges, and me being a Michigan fan, that would have been great. But, after leading Farragaut to an incredible record, and winning Gatorade Player of the Year in Illinois, he opted for the NBA draft. I think his decision was made a bit easier because he wasn't getting the scores he needed on his SAT's and ACT as well. He declared for the draft right before this whole "prep to pro" boom took off. In fact, Garnett was one of the first people to do this since Moses Malone or Shawn Kemp.

When he was taken with the fifth overall pick in the 1995 draft by the Timberwolves. I immediately became a T'Wolves fan. As I said, I loved Garnett's game, and the tenacity with which he played. You could tell just by watching him that he put his blood, sweat and tears into this game. He was a guy that was going to put in the necessary work to make himself better and better every year. He was going to mold his game to fit in the NBA. I remember people saying he was too skinny and he would get pushed around. Now, he never got huge, but he found a way to beat bigger guys with his quickness, his work ethic and his trash talking. He played a decent amount as a rookie, but it wasn't until about year 3 when he really became an all time great. His blend of speed, size, skill, quickness, the ability to go inside and outside, his rebounding and his defense, he became a force to be reckoned with.

Before the start of the 1997 season, that was when he got his huge deal. People didn't think he deserved it, but I couldn't have disagreed more. This dude had gotten better every year, and now, he was opposing teams biggest threat. To prove his doubters wrong, he worked extra hard after getting that contract, and the proof was in the pudding. He would go to multiple All Star games. He made the Timberwolves a perennial threat. He made people think that Stephon Marbury was a legit NBA point guard. He gave Flip Saunders, RIP, all he had and turned him into a much better coach. Unfortunately, the Timberwolves could not get any further than the West Finals, but that wasn't for lack of effort and skill on KG's part. He won me over during his first go round in Minnesota, and there was no other player I tried to mimic my game after. I started to rebound and focus on defense more. I developed a low post game. I even started to trash talk, something I never did.

NBA fans know of his otherworldly trash talking. He was an all time great trash talker, right up there with Gary Payton and Michael Jordan. He would cut you down any way possible so he could have any advantage. Trash talking is such an underrated part of the game, and KG is one of the best of all time.

In 2007, KG was traded to Boston. I think we all saw the tea leaves and knew that he had done all he could in Minnesota. They couldn't go any further. So, with his growing frustration, Minnesota traded him to Boston and he paired up with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, to form the first "big three". This worked out great for all three of those guys. They won a title in their first season together. Garnett was the star of this "big three", but he never acted bigger than any of his new Boston teammates. That's another great trait of KG. He sacrificed and always did what was best for the team. While in Boston, if they needed him to score, he scored, if they needed rebounding, KG was their guy, if they needed to step up on defense, KG led the charge. He did it all. Even after that title, we all expected so much more from the first "big three", and the start of the 2008-2009 season looked like Boston would be an all time great team. But, injuries beset KG. They still made the East Finals, but they were ousted by a young Dwight Howard led Orlando Magic team. In 2010, led by KG again, Boston made it all the way to the Finals, even though they stumbled their way to a fourth seed during the regular season. They had the Lakers on the ropes, but they couldn't close it out, much to my chagrin. I'm not a Celtics fan, but I loathe the Lakers. I will say though, KG made me root for the Celtics during his 6 years there.

In 2013, on draft day, KG and Paul Pierce were traded to the Nets, as the Celtics went into full tank mode. This trade now looks horrible, but at the time it looked great for the Nets. They needed some tough veterans, and who better than KG and Pierce to be those guys. Well, this did not go as well as most predicted. the Nets made the playoffs, but KG was hurt a lot, and the Nets never made it past round 2.

After the failed Nets experiment, KG returned to his first NBA home, Minnesota. He looked older and a bit slower, but he was the perfect griseled vet for the young T'Wolves. He got to mentor 2 of the better young players in the NBA right now in Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins. If I were in my early 20's, and in the NBA, I would one hundred percent choose KG as my mentor. He knows the game in and out, and gave his all to basketball.

I will always be a big, big KG fan. I walk around my house yelling "ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!" all the time. I called myself the "Big Ticket" when I played high school basketball. I developed a jumper at the free throw line because KG did. I started to play defense because KG talked about how it wins titles. He was my basketball mentor without him even knowing it, and I know that I'm not the only fan that feels this way.

This upcoming NBA season is going to be odd to not see him or Tim Duncan out there. Kobe Bryant, I could care less about you.

Thank you Kevin Garnett for 21 wonderful, All Star filled, MVP winning, title winning and perennial playoff appearances years of basketball. You are one of the greatest to ever play. I cannot wait for your Hall of Fame induction ceremony. It will be well deserved and great.

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Milllennial Man Podcast. Last year he ranked all the NBA teams, and got so very close to a true prediction. Will he do it again this year? Follow Ty on instagram and twitter to find out. 

NBA Free Agency Separates the Man from the Role Player

No matter the number of superstars, there is still only one ball

With the news that Kevin Durant has signed with the Golden State Warriors, that sound you are hearing is the NBA, and their super stars dying a slow, painful death. This all started back in 2008 when the Celtics signed Kevin Garnett and traded for Ray Allen to pair the two of them with Paul Pierce. Sure, it seemed cool and they had their "big three", but something about that whole deal irked me. I didn't like that Garnett, who is one of my all time favorite players, basically threw in the towel and decided that it would be best to team up with two all stars so he could win a title. They did just that, in 2008, and went to another finals the next season.

But, this whole idea of "super teams" and having a "big three", really took off in 2010 with LeBron James and his decision to join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh and go play for the Heat. This was a cop out in every sense of the word. LeBron knew that he wasn't going to win a title on his first go around with the Cavs. Their roster was too old, or they weren't playoff ready. He knew, if he wanted to win the title, he would have to team up with some other star players. When LeBron, Wade and Bosh played together, they played great, but my distaste for where the NBA was headed really came to a head. I mean, of course the Heat were going to contend every year because they had 3 of the 15 best players in the NBA in their starting 5. This took all the drama out of the games. We all knew that the Heat would be the 1 or the 2 seed and cruise through the east and make the finals, it was a foregone conclusion. There was no need to watch the regular season or the first couple of rounds in the playoffs, we knew the outcome. The Heat were great with their "big three". They made the finals four times, and won 2 of them, but I was growing weary of all the "power" teams. After LeBron's decision, every big time free agent or team was looking to get their own "big three", thus watering down the game even more.

The super team did not always have immediate success like the Celtics or Heat. While Kobe was still playing, the Lakers went out and traded for Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. That blew up in their face, but they still made the playoffs with their "big three". When Chris Paul got traded to the Clippers, they had him, Blake Griffin and an emerging player in DeAndre Jordan. They haven't panned out like they hoped, but they still contend every year. Two years ago when LeBron returned to Cleveland, it was under the stipulation that they would trade Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love, thus giving LeBron another "big three" in him, Love and Kyrie Irving. Last off season, the Spurs went out and fooled everyone when they were able to land LaMarcus Aldridge. The Spurs have never star chased, but they needed an apparent to Tim Duncan, who I think I read that he is going to retire, so instead of drafting his replacement, they went out and got a proven commodity. The Spurs had their version of a "big four", with Duncan, Aldridge, Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard. Cleveland did win the title in their second year, and we are still waiting to see where the Spurs go.

You may have noticed, I have only mentioned 5 total teams so far. That's because these are the only title contending teams that have been around since the idea of teaming up stars started 8 years ago. Well, now with Kevin Durant's decision to leave the Thunder, make that 6 teams I will mention. The Warriors, who won 73 games last season, made the finals for a second straight year, would have won if not for LeBron's complaining, have Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, also have Draymond Green, they now have Kevin Durant, for at least one season. This feels like a weak, cop out move from the guy that was my favorite player in the NBA. Durant was the first option, for the most part, on a very good Thunder team. He played with Russell Westbrook, a top guard in the league. He played with one of the better centers in the NBA in Steven Adams. They went out and got Victor Oladipo, who I think will thrive in their offense. The Thunder were/could still be a very competitive team. But, Durant decided that wasn't good enough for him. He chose to be the third, sometimes fourth option on the Warriors. Durant will not be the guy with the ball in his hands when it comes to the final seconds of the important games. The Warriors will go with Curry first, Thompson second, and Draymond Green, in certain situations, will be their third option. Then, it will be Durant's turn. I hope he is okay with that. Hell, maybe that's what he wants at this point in his career. I don't mind him chasing rings, but he will not be the most important, or the second most important player on the Warriors. The fans will not be cheering loudest for him either. Those fans in the Bay Area will always love Steph way more than they will ever love Durant.

This move just stinks of what the NBA is becoming. None of the star players want a challenge anymore. These guys get beat by someone, but instead of getting better in the off season, so they can beat them, they just figure, I'll just join them. There is no competitive spirit in the NBA anymore. And that is because the new stars have been told how great they are their whole life. They've never had to face adversity, and at the first sign of it, they get scared and get out of the situation. The NBA is dying a slow and painful death with these "super teams", and I never thought that Durant would join one. I guess he is not the killer he tries to appear to be on the court. Also, if the Warriors don't win at least 70 games and the finals, with ease, this season, it should deemed a failed season. It would be preposterous if they don't breeze their way to a title.

Finally, I have changed my allegiance from the Thunder and Kevin Durant to the Timberwolves and Andrew Wiggins, maybe Karl Anthony-Towns. The Timberwolves and those two young players have gained a new fan today. Go T'Wolves!

Ty  

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He has been a longtime Timberwolves fan, dating all the way back to the summer of 2016. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik. 

"Boys Among Men" is a Must Read for Any NBA Fan

With the Season over, it is time to download and read about the NBA

Before I get started with my blog today, I need to touch on Kobe's last game last night. Yes, he scored 60 points and yes, the Lakers won, but stop with the love. First of all, he had to take 50 shots to get there! Let me repeat that, 50 SHOTS! That is way, way too many shots. He also shot 22 of 50, which looks nice at 44%, but still, 50 shots, come on. Also, the Warriors broke the single regular season record for wins last night, but you wouldn't know that if you turned on any TV sports show today because they are all only talking about Bryant. The Warriors won 73 games! My god, that's wildly impressive, but no one is talking about it. Good for you Kobe, you scored 60 points in your finale, but it took you 50 shots and your team won 17 games all year. Bravo. Now go away and never return. Okay, that's out of the way.

I just recently finished one of the best books that I have ever read. I'm not much of a reader, so for me to buy and finish a book in less than 2 weeks is a big deal. This book is absolutely phenomenal and it has a great subject matter. The book is called "Boys Among Men" and it's about the prep to pro generation that took over the NBA from 1995-2005.

This was such a fascinating read. I'm a huge NBA fan and I became a huge NBA fan right around this wave of high schoolers forgoing college and declaring for the draft at 18. One of the best things about this book was the fact that the author, former Grantland contributor and all around awesome NBA writer, Jonathan Abrams, not only focused on the successful ones that did it, but he dedicated equal time to some that barely, or never, spent any time in the NBA.

I knew that I was going to like this book from the very first page because the book opened on Kevin Garnett and his ascension to the top of the high school basketball player rankings. Abrams did talk about Moses Malone, Daryl Dawkins and a relative unknown prep to pro player from the 70's, Bill Willoughby, but the first chapter was pretty much all about Garnett. I'm a huge Kevin Garnett fan. I've been a fan of his his entire career and I respect the hell out of him. This book did not make my fandom waver one bit. He was a down on his luck, quiet kid that just wanted to blend in. He ran into academic and, unlawfully accused, police action, so his decision was pretty much assumed the moment he moved to Chicago to finish his high school career. He was going to go pro, it was just a matter of where he would be drafted and how he would be brought along. I loved the stories that were told about the back and forth between Kevin McHale, the Timberwolves coach at the time, and Flip Saunders, the GM, about whether to take Garnett or not. It was fascinating. As I said, I was immediately on board. It didn't even matter that the next chapter was solely focused on Kobe Bryant.

I've made it very well known about how I feel about him, and this book did not change my mind either. Her has been, and will always be, a dick. This book told that story very well. But, when the first two players since Moses Malone to go straight from high school to the pros are Bryant and Garnett, it seems like everyone is going to be a star, but that is not quite the case. Sure, Abrams talks about guys who had pretty decent, long lasting, even multi all star appearances NBA careers like, Jermaine O'Neal and Tracy McGrady, but he also brings up the guys that weren't ready and needed college, or just proper role models in their life. Guys like Korleone Young, Robert Swift, Jonathan Bender, Lenny Cooke, Jeremy Tyler and Leon Smith. Some of the stories from these guys are downright depressing and riddled with one bad decision after another. Some you will feel sorry for, others, you will think, they were too young and made dumb decisions, because every 18 year old makes dumb decisions. The stories about Lenny Cooke and Leon Smith are so sad because you can easily predict what will happen, and what happens is very depressing. Abrams even focuses on guys that had decent careers after starting out very tough. We get great stories on Kwame Brown, Eddy Curry, Tyson Chandler and Monta Ellis. Sure, they had a very tough start to their careers, but they kept with it, got better, made millions of dollars and carved out a niche for themselves to make it in the league. Some of their stories are downright uplifting.

The book closes with Leon Smith's story, but prior to that, we get the LeBron James story, and you may not believe it now, but at one point in his high school career, he wasn't looked at as the best high school player in the country. It's pretty cool to read about a very young LeBron James. Abrams also touches on Sonny Vacaro and the shoe industry that he helped build and also talks about how shady some of the things that Vacaro, Reebok, Adidas and Nike did to these young kids after some got some shine and fame.

"Boys Among Men" is a great book and a must read for every hard core NBA fan out there. Hell, I think even bandwagon NBA fans would enjoy this book. This was a fascinating time in the NBA and it lasted for one full decade and Abrams captures that exceptionally. I highly recommend you check out "Boys Among Men".

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He went out last night in his rec league basketball game and dropped 100 points on 100 shots, so his percentage is still better than Kobe's. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik. 

Thank God Kobe is Finally Leaving

The hoop will not miss Kobe, even if he misses it nearly 70% of the time

Over this past weekend Kobe Bryant announced his retirement from the NBA effective at the end of this season. I saw and read the story via The Players Tribune and my only thought was, "this was two years too late".

Now, I have a long standing dislike, some would say hatred, of Kobe Bryant the player and the person. I dislike Kobe Bryant the person because he seems like a curmudgeon that got away with sexual assault. The incident in Denver should have sent him to jail. I wholeheartedly believe that he had relations with that lady against her will and he got away with it. Why else would he buy his wife a very gaudy, very expensive piece of jewelry if he was innocent? No man or woman that is innocent would buy someone a gift to cover it up. That just doesn't happen. Then, he goes and changes his number from 8 to 24 and claims he's a new man. No, you are still the same person that forced yourself on an uncooperative woman. Daniel Tosh has a great stand up bit about him. The long and short of the bit is him changing his number and making a commercial saying things like, "hate me because I'm a champion", or "hate me because I work hard", but Tosh claims, and I agree, that, "no, we hate you because of the sexual assault". Hilarious and very, very true.

Kobe is also just a terrible teammate. I guess, this is where I transition into why I dislike Kobe Bryant the basketball player. When he first came into the league, he was gifted with having one of the greatest centers of all time fall into his lap. Shaquille O'Neal signed a free agent deal to be a Laker the year Bryant was drafted. So, Bryant should have been thrilled by this, right? The exact opposite. He constantly fought and complained with Shaq and the Laker front office. He wanted to be the man. Never mind the fact that Shaq was leading the Lakers to three consecutive titles and was opening the whole floor for Bryant, that wasn't good enough. He needed to be the franchise player. So, the Lakers caved and let Shaq walk. This was one of the dumbest decisions I've ever seen made in professional sports. A year or two after Shaq left, he went to the Miami Heat, they won a title. This was pre LeBron. This was Dwayne Wade in his prime. Wade showed how to play championship ball with Shaq. Instead of bitching and moaning about shots, he picked his spots and did whatever he had to do to win the title. After Shaq left, the newly led Kobe Bryant Lakers struggled. Sure, Bryant was putting up numbers, but the rest of the team suffered. Nobody else got the ball and when they did, if they missed a shot, Bryant gave them a death stare. They made the playoffs, but they never got out of the second round. They were languishing. 

In the summer of 2005 the Lakers rehired Phil Jackson, who said he'd never coach Kobe Bryant again. He came back to coach Kobe Bryant because that's what his girlfriend and partial owner of the Lakers, Jeanine Buss, wanted him to do. Phil Jackson is a great coach, and he gave Kobe Bryant another title, but it wasn't because Kobe Bryant willed his team to a championship, it was because the Celtics blew it. Boston should have won that series, but Kevin Garnett got hurt and Ray Allen got old and Paul Pierce cannot do it alone. Detractors and Bryant fans will scream and holler that he won that title for them and they wouldn't have been close without him, but that's not the case. Phil Jackson is one of the greatest coaches of all time and he figured out how to use the whole team around Bryant's ego. That's how they won that title. 

Look at the way he's "leading" this young, god awful Lakers team. Instead of mentoring the young core they have, he belittles them to the media. For example, the other night they got blown out by the Warriors and his comment was, "I could've scored 80 and it wouldn't have mattered". First of all, you can't score 80, not when you're shooting less than 35 percent from the field. Second of all, help these young guys out, don't just toss them off like trash. The Lakers have some good young players. Guys like D'Angelo Russell, Juilus Randle and Jordan Clarkson have the makings of being good NBA players, but Bryant's constant belittling is doing nothing but making these guys hate him and not perform to the best of their abilities. 

People say Kobe isa big competitor, yet look at how he handcuffed this franchise with his terrible contract. How much more money do you need? Do you need to buy your wife more gaudy jewelry? Two years, 44 million dollars. No wonder they can't sign any big time free agents. They can't afford anyone because they are paying the corpse of Kobe Bryant 20 million dollars a year. Now, he is one of the all time greats when it comes to scorers, but anyone would be if they shot the ball as much as Bryant. I don't have the stats in front of me, but I'd be willing to guess that in his 20 year career, he's led the league in attempted shots 14 or 15 times. He is also one of the most overrated defenders in the history of the NBA. The fact that he made multiple All NBA Defense teams is laughable. He made those teams because of his name, not his defensive ability. He was and still is a terrible defender. He can't guard anyone. 

To all these people coming to his defense, come on, Kobe Bryant is an asshole and you know it. You don't have to like someone because they play the same game as you. You can respect him, but you don't have to like him. And the comparisons to Michael Jordan need to stop forever. He will never be Michael Jordan. He won't even be Scottie Pippen. If Kobe Bryant played anywhere besides LA or New York, he wouldn't go down as one of the all time greats. Just think if he stayed in Charlotte, the team that drafted him. Would we still look at him as one of the greats? Even if he had the same stats? I don't think so. 

So, as I close it out, I say again, you should have quit two years ago when you blew out your Achilles. You haven't been the same competitor in ten years and you've handcuffed the Lakers franchise for the next couple of years. I hope this make you happy and I hope you retire during the year instead of at the end because you won't make it. You're either going to get hurt again, or you are going to look real bad like you have the first quarter of the season. You aren't doing anyone any favors by staying in the league. It's best for you to leave now. I can't say it enough, go away and never come back. 

Kobe will NOT be missed.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He gave up Sprite and went to 7up when Kobe got his endorsement deal. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Ty tells you how each NBA team can win the title: Timberwolves, Suns, & Kings

I love basketball.

Continuing my NBA countdown, today I will be giving you my number 24,23, and 22 teams. We are getting to teams that are just on the outside of a playoff push. These teams are either too young, or have veterans that are too old. They may have been in the playoffs recently, but haven't been in awhile. They are still in the lottery, but in the later half of the lottery. Hell, the Heat picked in the late lottery last season. These teams are one or two players away from becoming competitive.

My number 24 team is the Minnesota Timberwolves. Yes, they had the worst record in the NBA last season, but they were fun to watch at times. They have young players throughout their entire roster. First, they traded Kevin Love last season to the Cavs in exchange for Anthony Bennett, who they just bought out, and Andrew Wiggins. Wiggins was excellent as a rookie. He showed his lock down defensive ability last season, and he found a jump shot midway through the season and he can jump out of the gym. He's probably my favorite young player to watch. Zach Lavine is a mystery to me. He has incredible hops, but can he shoot the ball? Can he play strong defense? Is he ready to take the next step? I don't know, but he's in year three, so he's either going to take a step forward, or slide back. Ricky Rubio cannot shoot the ball, doesn't want to either, but he's a wizard passing the ball. He plays out of control sometimes, and he seems to be on the trading block every year. Nikola Pecovic is not living up to his big contract. I think he's the only player on the Timberwolves that misses Kevin Love. He's been a disappointment. I think their first pick, and overall number one in the 2015 draft, Karl Anthony-Towns can slide into Pecovic's place. It's going to take time for him to develop because he's so young, but he has the look of a perennial All Star. The bench is okay, but nothing to write home about. Shabazz Muhammed has surprised me with how well he's adjusted to the pro game. He looked like a head case in college and part of his rookie year, but something must have clicked for him, and he looks like a decent bench player in the NBA. Unfortunately, for himself and the Timberwolves, they start him out of necessity. They also have Gorgui Dieng and Kevin Garnett come off the bench. Dieng was expected to make a leap last year, but it never really came together for him. He seemed nervous being the focal point of the second unit. I love Kevin Garnett, and him being back with the Timberwolves is strictly nostalgic, but he should've retired three years ago. He's going to be an excellent coach. Other than that, it's slim picking for the Timberwolves. This team is way too young to fight for any playoff spot, but give them three more years, they could be a powerhouse.

How the Timberwolves will win it all.

The Timberwolves will win the title if Wiggins becomes the elite player he will be in three years this season, Lavine becomes more than just a dunker, Pecovic regains his form from two seasons ago, and plays ten times better than that and Karl Anthony-Towns is an immediate All Star. That's not happening. The Timberwolves will be improved, but they will only get somewhere in the 20 win column. They'll be fun to watch, but give them time, about three years, they'll be legitimate playoff contenders.

My number 23 team is the Phoenix Suns. This is another team that seems to be falling apart at the seams, a la the Denver Nuggets. They were legit playoff contenders the last year and a half, but quit midway through last season. They had way too many point guards and traded Goran Dragic and Isiah Thomas for little to nothing. They did get Brandon Knight out of these trades, but I feel like they overpaid him this offseason. Who knows if he'll live up to that contract. They did sign Tyson Chandler, but that was in hopes of luring LaMarcus Aldridge, and that obviously didn't happen. Chandler is good, but who will throw him the alley oops he needs? Not Eric Bledsoe or Archie Goodwin. Bledsoe needs the ball in his hands at all times to be effective. He's really good, but not franchise player good. Archie Goodwin is young and inexperienced. He's a one and done kid, from Kentucky, so who knows what his future in the NBA holds. They did draft Devin Booker, another one and done from Kentucky, who looks to be a lock down perimeter shooter, but what else can he do? And he's not going to take shooting guard minutes away from Brandon Knight. Alex Len hasn't panned out like they hoped. He was the big man of the future, but he's been a disappointment so far. He can't guard any fives, and gets beat up by most when they're guarding him. They completely botched the Marcus Morris trade to the Pistons, pissing off his twin, Markieff in the process. I don't believe his talk of being happy now, after claiming he'd never suit up for the Suns again this summer. Other than these guys, the bench is another group of question marks. I don't understand what management is trying to do with this team. Are they going to try and make the playoffs, or are they going to tank? Who knows, but management hasn't made many good decisions the last half of this year.

How the Suns will win it all.

The Suns will win the title if Bledsoe gets the whole team involved, Knight becomes the star that they hope he will be, Tyson Chandler gets a time machine and goes back to his form during his first go around with the Mavericks, Alex Len suddenly becomes good at basketball and Booker hits 70% of his threes. They also need to trade Marcus Morris to achieve any success. The Suns are a 32 or 33 win team at best. Management needs to get their act together before this team is highly competitive again.

My number 22 team is the Sacramento Kings. Talk about a problem at the top. First of all, the coach, George Karl, doesn't like the star player, and one of the best centers in all of the NBA, DeMarcus Cousins. Their owner is out of his mind, going so far as to suggest playing 4 on 5 defense so they'll always be running fast breaks because it worked for his child's little league basketball team. And players can't wait to get out of there. They did sign Rajon Rondo, but he's not elite anymore, and he's a tough teammate. He's an extremely smart player and expects everyone on the court to be as smart as him. That's not happening, a lot of his new teammates are really athletic, and that's how they play the game, they use their athleticism. They drafted Wille Cauley-Stein number seven overall. That's way too high for a guy that only plays defense. He has no offensive ability. Ben McLemore and Rudy Gay are fine players, but not thriving within this offense. They also have Darren Collison, but what are they doing with two starting point guards. You can't play them at the same time, that won't work. They also signed Seth Curry, Steph's little brother, but he may have just been a summer league star. Who knows. The rest of the roster is not good, but not terrible. All this being said, they do have Boogie Cousins. He's a legitimate MVP candidate, and if he get his head on straight, who knows what this team's ceiling is. Unfortunately, I don't think that's happening with this team, especially after all the offseason drama. The Kings are going to win in the mid thirties once again.

How the Kings will win it all.

The Kings will win the title if Cousins becomes the newer, younger , better version of Shaq. It's possible people. They also need McLemore to continue to get better and for Rudy Gay to become a veteran leader. Cauley-Stein would have to become a double digit scorer, not happening, he's so bad at offense and Rajon Rondo somehow, some way returns to his Celtic days. That's a tall, tall order. Cousins is so good, but this team isn't ready to make the leap, especially in the West. It's just too tough. But, things can get better in Sacramento, Boogie Cousins just has to be the dominant force that he's capable of being.

There you have it, teams 24, 23 and 22. Come back tomorrow for 21, 20, 19. We are starting to get to the better teams in the NBA.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He doubled up his dependents today and all wish him the best. I said he could take a break, but NBA rankings keep him sane. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Ty remembers the greatness of Daryl Dawkins, Chocolate Thunder

We found one backboard spared by Chocolate Thunder

Last week, Daryl Dawkins, a true basketball legend unexpectedly passed away.

Daryl Dawkins was only 58 years old and died of an apparent heart attack. I didn't quite know how to digest this news. It's a real bummer that he passed away, but why was I letting it effect me? I didn't know him personally, I was just a big fan of his. I took the weekend to let it all sink in. I've come to the conclusion that, it upset me so much because he was one of the primary reasons I got into to basketball. I can remember being a young kid, maybe 8 or 9 years old, and starting to get heavily into basketball. This was right around the time that one of my all time favorite players, Shawn Kemp, was at the peak of his game. He was leading the Sonics to 50 plus win seasons and deep runs in the playoffs. What I liked so much about Kemp was how ferociously he dunked a basketball. He attacked the rim with fervor. That rim was going to bear the brunt of Kemp's anger. I loved it. My father, who was my basketball coach all the way up to high school, told me that if I liked Shawn Kemp and dunking so much, I needed to watch this former player, Daryl Dawkins. At that time, I thought, oh, this is just some old player my dad likes and he will show me how fundamentally sound he was as a player, and while he may be able to dunk, there's no way he'd be on Shawn Kemp's level. I couldn't have been more wrong. With my dad being the coolest person I know, he showed me videos of Daryl Dawkins shattering backboards. There was no fundamental talk, or coach speak coming from him, he wanted to show me who the first, true ferocious dunker they had in the NBA. For all the power Kemp brought to dunking, he was not on Daryl Dawkins level. I'd never seen a backboard shatter before. I had heard about it, but seeing it on a taped VHS video was insanely awesome. I couldn't believe that a player could do that.

Not only did my father want to show me videotapes of Daryl Dawkins, but I also learned from him that, Dawkins went straight to the NBA out of high school, much like Shawn Kemp did. This was way before the Kevin Garnett's, Kobe Bryant's and LeBron James of the world were doing it. Going to the pros straight from high school was a very foreign concept until about 15 years ago. The fact that Daryl Dawkins was ABA and NBA ready at the age of 18 is incredible. Basketball back then was rough and a grown mans game. Some 18 year old punk kid didn't belong in the league. Well, Dawkins and Moses Malone changed that idea. Instead of playing in the ABA, Dawkins renounced his NCAA eligibility and declared for the 1975 NBA draft. He was the fifth overall pick to the Philadelphia 76ers(this was when they weren't a joke of a franchise). He was so big and grown looking, that Walt Frazier, according to Wikipedia, said that he bets his high school teachers called him, "Mr. Daryl". That's insane. His first two years in the league were tough because he was so raw. He had huge expectations, but it takes players, especially 18 year old kids, to develop. Remember, Kobe and Garnett weren't stars right away either. But, by his third season, he was getting regular minutes and earned respect from former NBA legends like, Julius Erving, Doug Collins and World B Free. They were all on the same team too. The following season, Dawkins was part of a nucleus that led the 76ers to the Finals, which they lost in 6 games to the Lakers. He averaged 14 points, and almost 9 rebounds a game. That may not sound like a lot, but when you remember who his teammates were, that's pretty damn impressive. This was also the season that saw him shatter his first backboard. It was so amazing and had never been seen before, that he earned what might be the coolest nickname of all time in any sport. Teammates and opponents began to call him, "Chocolate Thunder". Damn, that's a kick ass nickname. He shattered another backboard that same season and the NBA made a rule that if you shatter the board, you'd be fined and suspended. That was a stupid rule.

Dawkins became so famous for his dunks, he started naming them. Some of the names were, "The Rim Wrecker" and the "Look Out Below". He was so innovative and cool. If he had played in today's NBA, he'd be ultra famous. Unfortunately for him and the 76ers, their postseasons were met with facing hall of famers. They lost to a Laker team led by Kareem Abdul-Jabbar, and they consistently faced the famous Larry Bird led Celtic teams. It was never easy for them. Dawkins was eventually traded to the Houston Rockets for Moses Malone. The year he was traded, the 76ers won the title, led by Moses Malone. After half a season in Houston, Dawkins joined the Nets. He played well for two seasons, but then injuries crept up on his body. He tried to make several comebacks, but he was never the electric player that he was while on the 76ers. He even played for the Harlem Globetrotters, spent time overseas and coached for awhile, but all us basketball fans remember him shattering backboards while playing in Philadelphia. So, when the news came of his death, as I said earlier, I was upset. I had heard him just recently on Bill Simmons former podcast, "The BS Report" during All Star Weekend and he sounded like he was in good health. I guess it goes to show, you never know what is going to happen.

Daryl Dawkins was a great, legendary basketball player and dunker. He was eccentric, smart and a star in his short career. I love that my father showed me those videos and I'm so happy that I got to see him shatter those backboards. He had the coolest nickname of all time too. You will be missed "Chocolate Thunder", and I hope you're shattering backboards wherever you are right now.

Rest In Peace.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and co host of the X Millennial Man. He named his biggest dunk The Duece. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Let me respectfully explain why your team stinks: Ty really dislikes the LA Clippers

It is never to early too think about basketball

Today I'm going to talk about my irrational hatred for the god awful franchise known as the Los Angeles Clippers.

I HATE THE CLIPPERS.

There's no amount of any love in my sports heart or brain for the Clippers. First of all, this is a franchise that's NEVER been to the Western Conference Finals. Not the Finals, they've never made it to their conference finals. They were mired in mediocrity for the majority of the 80's and 90's. They've become a playoff team in the 21st century, but they are best known for collapsing or flat out losing to teams that, on paper, they're better than. But, games are won on the court and not on paper. No matter what the people at ESPN say. I swear to you, when the Lakers were the best team in LA, everyone at ESPN loved them. Now that the Lakers are irrelevant and the Clippers are decent, all the ESPN employees have taken the Clippers as their "team". They all love the Clippers, but that will change as soon as the Lakers are relevant again. Bunch of sheep at ESPN.

Let's get back to why I hate the Clippers so much. Let's look at the players on the team. First, the starters. You have Chris Paul at point guard. He's a great basketball player, but I think he's extremely overrated. People always say that he is the smartest player in the game and runs his team to perfection. So, perfection to these pundits is, having a good regular season, only to crap out in the first or second round of the playoffs. I thought to be considered one of the greats, you have to at least make the Finals once and if you're lucky win the Finals. Not only has he never led his team to the Finals, they've never been to the conference finals, like I said earlier. He didn't do it with the Hornets and he sure as shit hasn't done it with the Clippers. He's also a whiny, crybaby on the court. He's constantly complaining to officials about calls or no calls. When he's not crying to the refs, he's yelling at his teammates for not doing what he told them to do. It's never his fault, it's always someone else's fault. That's not a leader, that's a whiner. He's also the dirtiest player I've seen since John Stockton. I swear. he punches someone in the balls at least 3 to 5 times a season. That's a punk move by a dirty player. Screw you Chris Paul. Shooting guard is manned by JJ Redick. This douchebag is a pile of garbage. First of all, he played at Duke, so if you're a fan of his, you're probably a rich, white privileged asshole that's never had to work for anything ever. Redick seems more concerned with how his hair looks during the game than actually playing the game. He's only good at shooting the three and, while the folks at ESPN will try to make you believe different, he's a terrible defender. He's constantly fouling people and James Harden made him his bitch in the final two games of the Western Conference Semis last season. Harden, who chokes on the biggest stage, destroyed Redick when he had the ball. Personally, I loved watching Harden own him in the playoffs. Redick is a subpar NBA player at best, but he has somehow managed to start for the Clippers the past couple of seasons. He's a glorified Jimmer Fredette. At small forward, they have a platoon of guys like Jamal Crawford or the rotting corpse of Paul Pierce or the newly acquired Lance Stephenson. Jamal Crawford is all but out the door. And good for him for getting out of that situation. This dude can shoot and, while he's a liability on defense, that's not how he's made his career. He's supposed to be instant offense off the bench. He shouldn't be a starter in the NBA. The Clippers signed both Pierce and Stephenson this offseason. While Pierce played very well for the Wizards last season, he's about 900 years old and he's played a lot of minutes in the NBA. He brings championship pedigree to this garbage franchise, but that was 7 years ago, and he had Ray Allen and Kevin Garnett on his team. I think he's well past his prime and he won't give the Clippers what they need. He's too old and has played way too much. I believe he used anything he had left in last years playoffs. The Wizards were beaten by the Hawks in 6 games during his run by the way. Lance Stephenson is a cancer and becoming a joke in the NBA. He is best known for blowing in LeBron James' ear during the playoffs two years ago. He can't shoot, he's not the defender he was three years ago and he doesn't get along with his teammates. The Pacers couldn't wait to unload him and the Hornets were more than happy to trade him one year after signing him to a three year deal. At power forward, they have probably one of the most overrated "superstars" in the league in Blake Griffin. This effin guy, I have a big problem with. First of all, the comparisons to LeBron James need to stop immediately. On his best day, Griffin isn't 1/100th the player James is. He's not even in Karl Malone's or Moses Malone's league. Those guys were all around good players. All Blake Griffin is good for is dunking. And, no matter how fancy it looks, it's still worth two points. He has gotten better at his jump shot, but he shoots it on a straight line and it's a disgusting looking shot. He plays little to no defense, he can only manage to get 5 or 6 rebounds a game and he's on the same whiner level with Chris Paul. He complains just as much, if not more, than Paul does to the refs. He's such a douche, he poured water on a Warriors fan two years ago during a playoff game. Did people call him out for this move of supreme asshole? Nope, everyone thought it was a funny joke by him. Not me. That's a bitch move of the highest caliber. He also seems more interested in his commercial acting than improving his game. He does have plenty of time to do commercials, because this team is always out of the playoffs early every year. I HATE Blake Griffin the player. He may be a good dude, but I can't stand him as a basketball player. Center position is manned by DeAndre Jordan. You know him, the guy who gave his word to the Mavericks, then changed his mind and instead of talking to the Mavericks and Mark Cuban like a grown man, he wouldn't so much as send a text message to them to tell them he changed his mind and wanted to stay in LA. I'd have no problem with his decision if he owned up to it properly, but nope, his "apology" was posted on twitter for crissakes. What have we come to in society if this is tolerated? This is what a child does, not a man making millions of dollars. But, in his "defense", he's never going to be a player to build your franchise around unless you want a team that can only win 20 to 25 games a season. All he does is dunk and rebound. He's a decent shot blocker too. Other than those things, he does nothing else good at all. People may read this and say, he's a new version of Shaq. Bull shit, Shaq was one of the best passing big men of all time and Shaq is a billion times better than DeAndre Jordan will ever be. If I were an opposing coach, I'd foul him on EVERY SINGLE POSSESION. I don't care if he shoots 100 free throws a game and the game lasts six hours long. I'd love to slow down their offensive tempo and make this joke of a free throw shooter beat me at the line. He's NEVER going to be better than a 40% shooter from the line. Never. I also hope he's happy with being Chris Paul and Blake Griffin's scapegoat for the rest of his career. It will never be their fault, it will always, somehow, be Jordan's fault. Congrats on having to deal with that for the rest of your basketball life. The bench is made up of guys like coaches son Austin Rivers, Jason Segel look alike Spencer Hawes and hotel trashing, girlfriend cheating Glen "Big Baby" Davis. Austin Rivers recently said that he was better than the majority of the guys participating in the recent Team USA scrimmage. He claimed to better than guys like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, John Wall and Steph Curry. Um, Austin Rivers, you wouldn't be the best player on the current 76ers team, so get your head out of you ass you stupid moron. The only reason he's still in the NBA is because his dad coaches the Clippers and, as any father would, wants his son to succeed. Too bad your son is a shitty basketball player Doc Rivers. Spencer Hawes is a terrible NBA player. He can't rebound, play defense, block shots or shoot. He's a bum that the Clippers overpaid last offseason and then under utilized him when he started to play poorly. He played poorly all season, but got worse as the season progressed. Glen "Big Baby" Davis is a joke and his nick name tells you everything you need to know about him. He looks like a grown up baby and complains like one too.

The coach is Doc Rivers, another one of the most overrated people in basketball. He's won a championship, but what people forget, the year before that title, he was almost fired. The Celtics wanted to get rid of him, but instead they traded for Allen and Garnett and won a title. After that team disbanded, Rivers was traded to the Clippers to be not only the coach, but the GM too. His coaching philosphy is, complain about officiating, call out reporters that bad mouth his team and to not worry about the defensive end of the floor. He's an average NBA coach that lucked into getting two of the top 100 players of all time in their prime and win one championship. As a GM, he's terrible. He's made bad decisions left and right. He may be the worst GM in all of sports.

The last thing I want to touch on, as to why I hate the Clippers, is their ownership. First of all, they were owned by HUGE racist and all around horrible monster of a human breath, Donald Sterling. He is a worse version of Donald Trump and I loathe Donald Trump. Now, they're owned by eccentric billionaire Steve Ballmer. Every time I see this weirdo jumping up and down and screaming into a microphone on TV, I want to punch him right in the chest. He has no idea what he's doing, but if he continues to show enthusiasm, the chuckle heads at ESPN will continue to say how great he is for the game of basketball. He's the opposite of that. He's a thorn in the side of basketball, and he has forever inflated the actual worth of a team by buying the Clippers for 2 billion dollars. He's ruined it for every other potential buyer or current owner in the league. Every team that's purchased from here on out will be bought for way more than they're worth. Lots of people are going to end up losing a lot of money.

This team, while it may not seem on the surface, is still in as much turmoil as they were when Sterling owned the team. It's a different turmoil. And, if you don't agree with me, look at what season ticket holder Bill Simmons has been saying on social media about the Clippers. He believes that they may be in worse shape. These are the many reasons I hate the Clippers. They're a franchise that hasn't won anything of importance ever, yet act like they're the best team in the NBA.

I hate you Los Angeles Clippers, and I'll always hate you.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the co-host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He did not get to talk about the Clippers, but hear Ty go over a few more overrated teams. When you are done listening throw Ty a follow on twitter @tykulik.