Ty's 2019 NBA Finals Preview

The NBA Finals tip off in 2 days. I'm coming to you today with one of my favorite blogs to write, and that is my finals preview and prediction.

I will say, in the entirety of this website, I am pretty sure this is the first time that the Warriors are not going up against the Cavs. The Warriors are still there, but after the debacle that was the Lakers season, and LeBron going out West, this year, the Toronto Raptors exorcised some demons, traded for Kawhi Leonard, and they are there as the East's representative. Unfortunately for them, I don't think Kawhi will be enough to dethrone the Warriors. He is also hurt. And, along with Kawhi, the Raptors acquired Danny Green for his three point shooting and defense, but in the past 2 series he has been pretty much unplayable. He isn't making shots and he is getting beat regularly on defense.

It also needs to be said that the Warriors will, most likely, be without KD for the Finals, and even though he has hinted at playing, I think it would be better for both parties if Boogie Cousins didn't play either. But, last week I wrote a piece on how much fun the Warriors have looked since KD went down with a calf injury. They are certainly not better, no team would be better if their best overall player was out. But, they are so much more balanced, and fun, to watch again. This current iteration, as I said last week, reminds me of the first Warriors team led by Klay and Draymond and Steph and Steve Kerr that won the title in 2015. They play a lovely brand of space and pace. They are a faster version of the Spurs, with much, much more prolific shooters.

So, while I don't think this series will go very long, I do think it will be a tough played and hard fought Finals. Kawhi Leonard has been otherworldly in these playoffs. He has been a scoring machine. He has held up like the boss he is on the defensive end of the floor. He definitely got into Giannis' head in the last series, and shut down Ben Simmons. Who's to say he won't do that to a player like Steph or Klay. But, therein lies the problem with the Raptors, and what benefits the Warriors. Kawhi can only stop one guy. Whoever he isn't on has the ability to go off, especially if they are a perimeter player. Look, I love that Kyle Lowry has played better in these playoffs, but either Steph or Klay will torch him. And who's to say that he won't regress in the Finals. I hope he doesn't, but that seems to be his move every year in the playoffs. He's also going to find it hard to score on Klay, who I imagine the Warriors will put on him. Draymond is the biggest X factor in this series. He has been wildly impressive during these playoffs, running the offense and playing exquisite defense. His scoring hasn't been there, but they haven't needed him to score. Does he guard Kawhi, or do the Warriors basically let Kawhi get his, and dare everyone else on Toronto to beat them? I'd say they let Kawhi go off because, outside of him, no one on Toronto has put together a solid stretch of games. Pascal Siakim has been better of late, but he has been very inconsistent, and this is, by far, the biggest stage he has ever played on. How he reacts to the big stage will say a lot about Toronto's hopes for pulling the upset. Serge Ibaka has been to a Finals before, but he has only gotten older and slower since then. He is also a mid range shooter now, and the Warriors will use their speed to get him off the floor. This is also the furthest that Marc Gasol has ever been in the playoffs. He has also been a reluctant shooter all playoffs. He will have a height and weight advantage on whoever plays center for Golden State, with the exception being Andrew Bogut, but he is well past his prime. But, I don't think that will matter. I don't think he will be able to keep up with the speed that Golden State has been playing with since KD went out.

Kawhi Leonard is great. He has reestablished himself as a top five player. He is going to make a ton of money this offseason, and this postseason from him has been a joy to watch. That will only be good enough for 1 game to me. I am picking the Warriors to win in 5 games. But, I think it will be 5 hotly contested games. I get the same feeling from this matchup as I did from the Blazers-Warriors West Finals. The Blazers are a good team, they just aren't at Golden State's level, even without KD. But, no team is as good as the Warriors are. They are a dynasty. They are the 21st century Bulls. And the fact that I don't even think they need KD to win their third straight finals should speak volumes as to how good I think they are.

The Warriors are the dominant NBA team, and they will win their third straight finals to really cement their status. I cannot wait for Thursday. Lets get back to some NBA playoff basketball.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

The Raptors are a Frustrating, and Predictable, Playoff Team

I feeling embarrassed that I had faith in the Raptors going into the playoffs this year. They had a great regular season, got the one seed in the East, changed their style of play to be more modern and just looked like a real threat. And even though Washington took 2 games from them, I was impressed by how they closed out that series. They were matched up with Cleveland, who was coming off a rough 7 game series with Indiana, and I figured they had a chance. I know I picked the Cavs, but I thought it would go 6 or 7 games.

Once the games started, and the Raptors reverted to being the Raptors. It was tough to watch. They stopped doing what was so successful all year long, and they let LeBron get in their head. They haven’t been able to beat him, and that has stuck. LeBron was amazing in this series. He had one “bad” outing, game one, but other than that, he was incredible. The Raptors had zero answer for him. They had a rookie on him, OG Anounoby, but he’s a solid defender. What was so frustrating though, they gave him zero help. He was one on one with the best player in the game right now, a rookie, and the Raptors never adjusted. I’ll never understand that as long as I live. And LeBron carried that team for those first three games. He did any and everything that was asked of him. He scored at will. He made amazing buzzer beaters. He got to the rim with ease. He was amazing.

Then, last night in game 4, he got the help he’s been waiting for. Everyone, be it JR Smith, Kevin Love or George Hill, they all contributed last night. What helped them was how poorly the Raptors came out and played last night. They were an embarrassment. They phoned it in. They gave up. They bought into the fact that LeBron owns them. Kyle Lowry was horrendous all series, and he was horrible last night. DeMar DeRozan decides it would be better to watch from the locker room and got himself ejected in the second quarter. Jonas Valenciunas was unplayable in this whole series. Same for Jakob Poertle. Serge Ibaka was a no show. Hell, the only guys who seemed to be trying where Anounoby and Fred Van Vleet. That shouldn’t be the case in a potential season ending game. They needed their best players, and none of them showed up. In fact, they all gave up. That’s sad. To lose that game, by that much, that’s pathetic.

I don’t know where the Raptors go from here. They can’t run it back because it will be fools gold again. But they also can’t really trade anyone because they won’t get a good return. I wouldn’t fire Dewayne Casey because he’s a good coach, but man does he choke in the playoffs. The Raptors are the 21st century’s version of the Sonics, but even they made a Finals appearance. This team needs to really look within and find out what they can do to compete at a higher level. After last night, they need to do a deep soul search.

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.

What is Kyle Lowry Worth in Free Agency?

I'll touch on how dominant the Warriors and Cavs have looked in the playoffs so far in a day or 2. Today, I want to talk about Kyle Lowry and his pending free agency.

First off, I have to state that I'm a Kyle Lowry fan. I like his game a lot, and I feel like he's an intense dude. I needed to say this because what I'm about to write might sound like I don't think he's a great player. He's a very, very good player.

With that being said, I do not think the market is going to be as open to him as he and his agent may think it will, or even should be. He will not be in that high demand. While he is a great regular season player, he has choked time and time again in the playoffs. His numbers dip dramatically during the playoffs. Teams that are perennial playoff teams probably won't go out of their way to sign him. The only regular in the playoffs that might try to sign him is his current team, the Raptors. I don't see someone like the Spurs, Thunder or even the Rockets trying to get him. I only named Western Conference teams because he's said he wants to go out West.

The only team on that list that truly needs a point guard is the Spurs, but the Chris Paul rumors keep getting stronger and stronger, and even though he's 4 years older, I'd rather have Paul than Lowry. Both are playoff chokers, but Paul's fate is more about the team and Lowry's is all on him. The Thunder have Westbrook and the Rockets have Harden and Patrick Beverly. Any other West playoff team is set at guard. The Warriors have Steph, Klay and Draymond. The Blazers have McCollum and Lillard. The Grizzlies have Conley. And teams just on the outside, like the T'Wolves and Nuggets have Wiggins, Rubio, Dunn, Mudiay and Murray. They also each have high draft choices in a draft filled with guards.

The market in the East isn't much better. The Cavs have Kyrie and LeBron. The Celtics have Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, just a plethora of guards. The Wizards have Wall and Beal. Even the Pacers have a guy like Jeff Teague. The East playoff teams, save for Toronto, are set at guard.

Another problem, Kyle Lowry is also hitting the free agent market at 31. That's old in the NBA. He is well past his prime, especially with the awful "one and done" culture taking over. I do not hear a high demand to give a big contract, especially the max, to a guy that may only have 2 or 3 more years left.

Lowry would be best, if it's all about the money, to just go back home and play for the 76ers. He's from the Philadelphia area and played his college basketball at Villanova. That makes the most sense. It's the very low rent version of going home, a la LeBron 3 years ago. He would be given a hero's welcome if he signed with the 76ers. He'd even make them semi competitive, if Embiid can stay healthy for half a season.

If he doesn't want to play for Philadelphia, his choices will be slim. He can sign for much less money, and a diminished role, if he wants to go to a contender. If he wants the big contract, it has to be a team like the 76ers, or another low rent team. He could go to Orlando or the Lakers, the Knicks or even the Suns. They'll give him the money, but the playoffs will be a distant memory.

I wish Kyle Lowry would've performed better in the playoffs this year, it would make his free agency much more interesting this summer, but he did what he has done his whole career. That will be his undoing. I hope he does well, as I stated, I'm a fan, but his best days, and being the second option on a good team are done. He's older, slower and not clutch. That's the bottom line.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty Tells You How each NBA Team can Win the Title: Raptors, Clippers, Celtics

Day 9 of my NBA countdown. These next 6 teams are the cream of the crop. The best of the best. Whatever you want to call them, they are the best teams in the NBA this season, in my opinion. They all have a legitimate shot at the title, but some, actually all, have some possibly fatal flaws. Anyway, lets get to it.

At number 6, I have the Toronto Raptors. This team was in the East Finals last year, and they return pretty much everyone from that team. The problem with this team though, they choke in the playoffs. They did beat the Cavs twice last season in the East Finals, but it did not matter, everyone knew that they were going to get beat in the next 2. I really like this team, as a regular season team. They have a loaded roster, but it just cannot take the next big step to being in the Finals. DeMar DeRozan shocked me, and most everyone else, when he re signed with the Raptors. I was certain, especially when he opted out, that he was going to sign with LA. He did not, and I like that. DeRozan is a very good scorer. He is an excellent slasher, can get the mid range shot and will score 25 a night. He is an okay defender, but not great. He also seems to be out of control sometimes when he has the ball in his hand. I like DeRozan a lot, but he seems destined to be a good scorer, but nothing more. Kyle Lowry is basically in a contract year. He had a great regular season last year, but tanked in the playoffs. He came into last season in shape, and it showed during the season. He was putting up good numbers and helping the Raptors win. But, something weird happened in the playoffs, and he was a complete no show. He looked okay in the Olympics, but I think he is going to explode this season. He is betting on himself, and I think he will have a great regular season. I think we all know what Jonas Valenciunas is now. He is a good rebounder, a good low post guy and an okay defender. He has trouble staying healthy, and has never lived up to the hype. He's good for about 12 points and 8 rebounds a night. He's fine, but he is not elite. Corey Joseph, with some extended playing time, looked pretty good last year. He is a heady point guard, finds the open guy and can make the open shot. He's a good defender too. Terrence Ross had an okay year last year. He is young and athletic, just inconsistent. Jared Sullinger coming on board is fine, but not a big deal. He is not a great scorer or defender. He is a very average NBA player. Patrick Patterson is a fine bench player. They drafted Jakob Poertl a bit too high, so I don't think he will play all that much this season anyway, unless Valenciunas gets hurt, which could happen. The Raptors will be the 2 or 3 seed in the East, and win about 51 or 52 games.

So Ty, how will the Raptors win the title? The Raptors could win the title if Valenciunas plays up to his hype, Lowry and DeRozan explode for 70 points a night and they beat the demons that have haunted them in every playoffs since Lowry and DeRozan have been there. The Raptors are like the Bengals. a great regular season team that chokes in the playoffs.

At number 5, I have the LA Clippers. Everybody knows how I feel about the Clippers, but my god, this roster is talented. At least 4 of their 5 starters are very good. Chris Paul, while being one of the dirtiest players in NBA history, is a great point guard. He controls that offense and is a great floor general. He is older, and starting to get hurt, but he is still great. Blake Griffin, while being a violent man child, is hyper athletic. He settles for too many jumpers and doesn't play as reckless as before, he's too busy using that energy to beat up Clippers staff members, but he is good. He is a below average defender and rebounder, but he can score. This may also be his last year in LA, so maybe he will focus a bit more. DeAndre Jordan is a one trick pony, but that one trick is unstoppable. He is a beast on the low post, and running the pick and roll and slamming home alley oops. I wish he were a better rebounder and defender, but he is great for some highlight reels. That doesn't necessarily make for a lot of wins though. Jordan did look okay in the Olympics though. He actually played better than Boogie, even though Boogie is way better than him. JJ Redick has redefined his game, but I think he is way overrated. He is not as good a defender as some people at ESPN will have you believe and he can't get to the rim, but he can shoot. He is deadly from three. He is one of the few Duke players that has had some success in the NBA. After those 4 guys though, this team is, dare I say, mediocre. The rest of the roster has players like Paul Pierce, once great, but so old and not durable anymore, Austin Rivers, completely overrated and overpaid, Jamal Crawford, who is a great scorer, but horrific defender, Luc Mbah a Moute, a ninth man on any team's bench at best, but a starter in LA, Wesley Johnson, average at best and Ray Felton, who was washed up in New York. There has to come a point when you realize that you will not get any better when you keep running it back. This team will win 56 or 57 games, but more than likely, they will get beat in the second round of the playoffs. They may actually blow it up after this season, if they don't get past the second round.

So Ty, how will the Clippers win the title? The Clippers can win the title if the 4 main guys play like they actually care about winning titles. Chris Paul will do that, but will Griffin, Redick and Jordan do the same? It hasn't happened yet, so why would it now. This is their last, best chance at a title, but if I were a betting man, I'd put a ton of money on them to get bounced in round 2.

At number 4, I have the Boston Celtics. This team has gotten so much better every year that Brad Stevens has been their head coach. He is a very, very good coach. The Celtics also don't have any super stars, but they have a great collection of players that know their role and play perfectly within the system. I also love the Al Horford signing. He is going to be a perfect fit. He is a good scorer, rebounder, defender and teammate. This was the best team for him to go to. Isiah Thomas is like the poor man's Allen Iverson. He is a great, small scorer. He can't play defense, but he can get buckets against anyone, any size. He's really, really good. Marcus Smart's offensive game hasn't gotten much better, but he is so damn good at defense. He is a lock down defender. Jae Crowder is a very underrated player. He is very good on both ends of the floor, and he is probably the heart and soul of this team. Avery Bradley is an even better defender than Smart, and his offensive game is way better. RJ Hunter and Gerald Green are bombers, that can hit a lot of threes. Kelly Olynk is very average, but he knows his role on this team. I love Jaylen Brown, their lottery pick. He is like this years version of Stanley Johnson. He is a tank, he's hyper athletic and he will do anything and everything for this team. He has also had some highlight dunks in preseason so far. I like him as much as I like Kris Dunn for best rookie. See, this team doesn't have many, if any, household names, but they are a damn good team. I could see them easily winning 57 games and being the 2 seed in the East.

So Ty, how will the Celtics win the title? The Celtics can win the title if they get to the East Finals against the Cavs, and LeBron gets shut down but either Smart, Bradley, Horford or Crowder. Or, all four of them take turns shutting him down. They also need Thomas to score 25 to 30 a night. This could all very well happen. The Celtics are the only team in the East, maybe the Pacers too, that can match up with the Cavs. The Celtics could very well find themselves back in the Finals this year, or next.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for the top three teams in the NBA.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Will his top three tomorrow look like his top three from 2015? Tune in tomorrow to find out. Follow Ty on instagram andtwitter.

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

The USA Men's Basketball Team may not be a Dream Team, but it will Still Easily Win the Gold in Rio

If Rio can build the rims, the US will dominate them.

Last night, and last week for that matter, Team USA basketball kicked off their preliminary games, en route to the 2016 Rio Olympics. I have watched both games, the first against Argentina and the second against China, and if they do not breeze to the gold medal, it will be a total and utter embarrassment.

I know the US doesn't have guys like LeBron James, Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard, amongst other stars, but they still have Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Boogie Cousins, Kyrie Irving and a plethora of other future and current NBA all stars. The US is not hurting for talent when it comes to Olympic basketball. Sure, other foreign teams have some former and current pros, but it is nothing like what the US has. When they played Argentina the other night, I noticed that Manu Ginobli was playing. He is a great NBA player, and a possible hall of famer, but his best days were 4, or even 5 years ago. He is not the threat he once was to US basketball during Olympic competition. I didn't recognize anyone else playing for Argentina. When they played China last night, I saw one guy that looked familiar to me, but had it not been for NBATV, I would have not remembered that he played in the NBA for a few years. I don't even remember his name, and I just watched the game last night.

That US / China game last night was a complete bore to watch. I usually enjoy a good blowout, it makes the game that much less intense, but this was an absolute drubbing. Team USA won by 49 points, and it wasn't even that close. Team USA didn't shoot the three particularly well, but they didn't have to because they got to the basket at will, and China may be the worst shooting team in the entire Olympic field. They have size, but they cannot make a shot from 16 feet and out. And then, this happened to both Argentina and China, they have no one, and I mean NO ONE, that can guard players like KD, Draymond, Kyrie Irving or Boogie Cousins. KD, who is essentially a guard, is 7 feet tall. He can shoot over some of the best defenders in the world that are taller than him. I saw one play in the Argentina game where a guy under 6 feet was matched up with him on a switch and KD backed him down, and decided to shoot a fade away. The Argentine defender had no chance, and KD was laughing as he walked back down the court. Draymond is a total harbinger to what a lot of the international players see. He stands at 6'9, but he rebounds and defends like a center, and he can run the point. He will lead this team in assists one game, rebounds the next, drop a triple double in the third game, and for the hell of it, he may lead them in scoring in the gold medal game. Kyrie Irving is so much faster and such a better ball handler than any of his competition will have ever seen. He will get to the basket with little to no resistance and, now that he has a jumper, he will be able to shake bigger defenders for some of the most wide open jump shots anyone will have ever seen. Boogie Cousins is an absolute beast on the low block, and none of the international players will be able to contend with his size, his shockingly fast feet, his beautiful footwork in the post and he will out rebound anyone that comes his way. He may be a hot head, but he has seemed to have been able to keep a cool head in international competition.

After those guys, the US can throw Klay Thompson out there. He will lock down anyone on defense and he can shoot and drive with the best of them. They can throw Harrison Barnes at anyone. He is young, fast, plays defense and can get to the basket with ease. Jimmy Butler is on the team. He is another great defender that can score at the basket with some of the greatest players in the world. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry come off the bench. They can both catch fire at any moment, and with the three point line being closer, they can score in bunches very, very quickly. Paul George is back. He is another threat outside or inside on offense, and he is a very good defender.

The only 2 guys that won't really scare anyone will be DeAndre Jordan and Carmelo Anthony. Carmelo, while he plays very well in the Olympics, is old, plays no defense and only wants to shoot threes. He's on this team because he is never going to win an NBA title, so at least, he will have a few gold medals when he retires. DeAndre Jordan is only on this team because they need at least 2 big men. He is an average defender and rebounder for his size. He is a terrible shooter and free throw shooter. He is a very sub par passer. All he is good for is alley oops, that's it.

Team USA, as I stated at the top, should breeze to a gold medal. I think there are only two teams that may give them a bit of a hard time, and by hard time I mean, Team USA will only win by 15 or 20 points, are Spain and France. Spain has been a thorn in the US side since the 21st century, but a lot of their players are older and breaking down. Sure, they have the Gasol brothers, but Pau Gasol is about a million years old and Marc Gasol, he is coming off an injury that ended his season. I'm not even one hundred percent sure he is playing in these Olympics. France has some solid, current NBA players, but 2 of the three "stars" are very old and getting slower. Tony Parker is the point guard, and while he is great, he is not ready to guard Kyrie Irving, DeMar DeRozan or Klay Thompson. And Thompson himself can lock him down on defense. Boris Diaw is one of the best passers in the league, and he may be the only guy that can guard Draymond in all of the Olympics, but he will be tasked with having to guard Boogie Cousins and being the guy that switches in pick and rolls onto KD, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, basically, any outside threat Team USA has, and they have a lot. Diaw is a very smart and capable defender, but he won't be able to get to that gear that he will need to, to keep up with those guys. Rudy Gobert is the wild card for France. He is an excellent rim protector and rebounder and a very capable low post scorer. He is also very young. But, how many block shot attempts is he really going to get when France and the US meet? I'm sure the coaching staff for Team USA will put together a game plan that all but eliminates the threat that Gobert brings, and I'm sure it will work. When you have the shooters that Team USA has, it is damn near impossible to stop them.

USA will, or at least should, win the gold medal and every game should be at least a 20 point margin of victory. I think a lot of summer league and D League teams would put up a better fight than some of the international competition will bring. This is going to be a bloodbath and one of the easiest gold medals the US will win in the upcoming Olympics. This is no 1992 "Dream Team", but it is nice to know that when 2/3 of the biggest stars in the game pull out of the Olympics, we can still field a team that is more than capable of breezing its way to a gold. I'll be watching every single blowout that I can, and if the US lets any team closer than 10 points, I would consider that a bummer. They should, and most likely will, crush everybody in Rio.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is sad that they could not find room for Christian Laettner on the team to bring back at least one Dream Teamer. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The 76ers are the Best at Being the Worst Basketball Franchise

Let me know when the 76ers are good and then I will fly away.

This week will be all basketball talk from me, specifically NBA talk. I love basketball and this is the time of year where things are beginning to happen, or at least, people are talking about things that may happen. This time of year is basically basketball fans favorite time of year. Coaching changes, players being moved either via free agency or trades, talk of players being traded and the ramp up to the finals, which start tonight.

What I want to focus my time on today is the talk of players being moved. More specifically, I want to address the talk that the 76ers, the moribound, useless, once proud, but are now a joke 76ers, have made it known publicly that they would be willing to part ways with either Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor. I mean, WTF Philadelphia. How do they ever expect to put a team that is competitive out there if they continue to trade away all this young talent that they tanked so hard to get. A few years back they had the rookie of the year winner in Michael Carter-Williams. Sure, that rookie class wasn't that great and Carter-Williams did most of his damage on a terrible team and when he played against real defenders he got locked down, but he still did enough to win the rookie of the year. One year later, they traded him to the Bucks for some more draft picks.

This was all Sam Hinkie's doing. He told all the 76ers fans to "trust the process", he assured them that what he was doing was the right thing and they would soon be highly competitive again. With the pick he got from Milwaukee, he took Joel Embiid. Who can guess how many professional basketball games Embiid has played in his first two seasons? Anyone? He has played 0, and I'm including preseason and summer league games. He may even miss the beginning of this season and the front office has already stated that he will not play summer league as they are "taking every precaution imaginary". So, you trade away the reigning rookie of the year, in hopes of landing the next great big man, but you take a player that had known foot issues during his one season at Kansas, and he still hasn't played one single second in the NBA. What a joke. Also, the year before they drafted Embiid, they took Noel, who is now apparently on the trading block, and he tore his ACL during his one year at Kentucky. Two years in a row and the 76ers drafted injured players that had to sit out at least one full season before even stepping foot on a court. Yeesh, that is brutal.

Last year they took Okafor. Okafor "fell" to them at number 3. This pick perplexed me because they already had Noel and Embiid who play the same position and, I don't know if the front office watches modern basketball, but big men aren't the commodity they once were. But, I was willing to look past it because, you take the best available player, that's what teams do in the draft. And, to give Okafor a little credit, he played in about 60 games his rookie season and he was not terrible. Well, he was terrible defensively, but offensively, he was okay. He scored in double figures and was an average offensive rebounder and has some decent low post moves. But, he is also a 19 year old hot head that may not be ready for the responsibility of being a professional. Just look at the incidents he got involved in, at bars, during his rookie year. He may be a loose cannon. I guess not to worry 76ers fans because he may be gone as well.

This is what bugs me. Yes, I know that they won the draft lottery and that they plan to take either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram, but why are they making two of their young, half way decent players available for trades? Nerlens Noel has shown flashes of being an elite defender and, if he works on his low post game, he could be an all star. And yeah, Okafor plays no defense, but if he becomes, at the very least, a capable defender, he could also be an all star. He has the offense, he just needs to put it together on defense. Who knows with Embiid, but they seem to be putting all their eggs into his basket and they expect him to be immediately better than Noel or Okafor. I don't think that I would take that bet. I want to see Embiid play 30 or 40 games before I would even consider getting rid of any big men I have on my roster. Other people will tell me that Simmons and Okafor's game don't mesh or that Noel would clog the lane for a guy like Ingram. I say, who cares. At least Nerlens Noel has proven to be a decent enough defender and Okafor has shown that he can score double figures night after night.

The 76ers sound like they want to blow it up again, and that is not fair to the fans. They will not be able to attract any star players there because, whenever someone does something good on a basketball floor, the 76ers want to trade them for draft picks. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan or Kyle Lowry aren't going to want to go play for this franchise. Why would they want to waste the prime of their careers playing for this terribly run team. I naturally assumed that when Sam Hinkie stepped down that the 76ers would start to resemble a real basketball franchise, but the new people in charge are just doing the exact same thing. They want the fans to, once again, "trust the process". That's bull shit. That's unfair. Does the GM and the other higher ups making decisions realize how brutal it must be to be a 76ers fan right now? This team is an absolute joke. They are barely better than some of the D League teams. Hell, they may not even win the D League if they were relegated to play there because they are such an embarrassment to the NBA.

Which brings me to my final point and why I think this nonsense of making Noel and Okafor available is so stupid. First off, they want to take another 19 year old to be the face of the franchise. Well, its been reported that Ben Simmons would much rather be a Laker, and me personally, I don't think this kid will live up to the hype. He is an over privileged, spoiled brat that has never been pushed or told no by any coach and he carries himself with an arrogance he hasn't even come close to earning. He already acts like a Laker. Then there's Brandon Ingram. I think he will be a good pro, he could be a poor mans Kevin Durant, but it is going to take a few seasons, maybe even 4 before he is an all star caliber player. He has to put on weight, put in tons of time in the gym and become a much better defender before he is any kind of threat to the real stars in the NBA. I think Ingram will be a much better pro than Simmons, but I also think it will take much longer before he gets to that elite level. Just look at Durant's first few years in the league. It wasn't until James Harden and Russell Westbrook were drafted that Durant elevated his game and became the dominant player he is today.

If I were running the 76ers, I would either trade the top pick, not Noel or Okafor, for some established, semi decent pros, or I would take Buddy Hield. Hield would fit kind of perfectly with guys like Noel, Okafor and Embiid. He could come in and score points right away and his defensive game is underrated. But, since the 76ers only value assets, they will trade one of both of the guys I mentioned, draft either Ingram or Simmons, and be terrible for the next decade or so. The 76ers are the worst run team in any professional sport that I have ever seen. They are an embarrassment to the NBA and their fans.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He desperately wants to focus on good basketball and not bad management. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

DeAndre Jordan Does Not Belong on the NBA First Team

DeAndre Jordan should not even be warming the first team's bench

Yesterday the NBA released their all NBA teams. The teams were pretty much what we all expected. The first team had LeBron, Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, Kawhi Leonard and DeAndre Jordan. The second team had Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Damien Lillard, Boogie Cousins and Chris Paul. The third, and final team, had Klay Thompson, LaMarcus Aldridge, Paul George, Andre Drummond and Kyle Lowry.

They got it right for the most part.

As far as snubs go, maybe flip Durant and Westbrook, but I don't think it really matters, they are both great and they both deserve a spot. Anthony Davis was hurt, but when he was in there, he was great, and he lost 24 million dollars by not making the team. If Kyle Lowry made all NBA, I think DeMar DeRozan deserved equal consideration. Other than that, they got everything right except for one humongous, glaring, gaping hole on that first team.

How on Earth does a player like DeAndre Jordan make first team all NBA? He shouldn't be on any of these all NBA teams. All he is good for is rebounding and dunking. His defense isn't anywhere near elite. His offense is a joke. His free throw shooting is even worse. His demeanor on the court is garbage. He carries himself so poorly. He isn't even the best player on his team. He isn't even the second best player on his team. When you look at the other first team players, those players were the best players on their team this year, and yes, Westbrook was better all year than Durant, that is a fact. DeAndre Jordan is way behind Chris Paul, and even though he is an abusive man child that whines and complains and blames everything on everyone else and never comes up big when the Clippers need him most, Blake Griffin is still better than DeAndre Jordan. Hell, guys like Paul Pierce, Jamal Crawford, and at times, even Jeff Green were more crucial to the Clippers than DeAndre Jordan.

DeAndre Jordan is a problem for this Clippers team. He cannot be counted on late in games because his low post game is non existent and his free throw shooting is the worst that I have ever seen. He is worse than Drummond. Hell, he is a worse free throw shooter than Rajon Rando, and Rajon Rando is a garbage free throw shooter. His defense is not nearly as threatening as it was a year or two ago. People attacked him way more this year and would score or draw fouls on him more often than him getting a block or altering the shot. And on offense, unless it is a lob from Chris Paul for an alley oop, he is completely useless. He is a poor screener. He rolls away from the rim way too often on pick and rolls. He cannot move in the low post. He can't shoot free throws, so he obviously is no threat to shoot jumpers. When he gets the ball in the high post, he is so quick to give it up for fear of getting fouled, or having the ball stolen from him. He is a problem on this Clippers team when they have to run half court offense.

With all those problems, the people that vote on all NBA put DeAndre Jordan on the first team. What a joke. Why was he even considered? Is it the LA thing? Since the Lakers are a dumpster fire, do the writers, most of whom live in LA, feel like they need to have someone, no matter how crappy they are, from an LA team be on the all NBA first team? That's not fair. With DeAndre Jordan being first team all NBA, I'm surprised these dip shit voters didn't put Kobe Bryant on any of the all NBA teams. Then, to vote DeAndre Jordan over guys like Boogie Cousins, LMA, Andre Drummond, what a crock and slap in their faces. LaMarcus Aldridge completely overhauled his game to fit in with the Spurs, and they were a great regular season team, due to him and Kawhi Leonard. LMA definitely deserved that spot more than Jordan. While Andre Drummond is an equally terrible free throw shooter, he is a much better rebounder, defender, low post threat and teammate than Jordan will ever be. I'd take Andre Drummond 10 times out of 10 before I'd take Jordan if I were starting a team and I had to pic between the two of them for my center spot. Then there's Boogie Cousins. While he may be uncoachable and a very tough player to play with, Cousins is the best center in the NBA. He has all the tools that the old time centers had and he can also run and shoot the way the newer bigs can. Boogie Cousins is a tremendous talent that deserves that first team spot so much more than DeAndre Jordan. Cousins is a better rebounder, defender, and is so far ahead of Jordan on offense, it is almost laughable that he didn't get the first team spot. If I were Boogie Cousins I'd take this very personal and go at DeAndre Jordan every shot I get for the rest of my NBA career. Then there are guys that didn't make any all NBA teams that I would take well before I take Jordan. I'd take Anthony Davis, Steven Adams, Serge Ibaka, Bismak Biyombo, Al Horford, Paul Millsap and many more centers and power forwards before I'd even consider DeAndre Jordan.

The love for Jordan needs to stop and stop now. He is a very marginal NBA center. If he did not have Chris Paul throwing him passes, he may be out of the league, that is how overrated I truly think DeAndre Jordan is. The voters got this one terribly wrong. I don't think anyone could pose an argument that would sway me on this. This is a joke and this proves how useless and pointless all these all NBA teams are. Who in the hell cares, all the fans know who are the best players in the league, and Deandre Jordan is not one of the top five. He isn't even one of the top 25 players in the league. What a crock is truly is that he made first team all NBA. He should be getting rewarded for his mediocre play all season. This was a huge mistake.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He looks forward to the day when NBA writers value the players skill more than their geographical location. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Ty tells you how each NBA team can win the title: Celtics, Raptors, & Wizards

I really like the NBA, but I love playoff caliber basketball.

A new week is upon us and that means we are back to my NBA countdown. We got our first playoff team at the end of last week, but this week, it's all playoff teams, ending on Friday with my number one overall team and my pick for the Finals, MVP of the season, Coach of the Year, Defensive Player of the Year and Rookie of the Year. Let's get on with numbers 15, 14 and 13.

Coming in at number 15, we have the team that surprised me the most last season, the Boston Celtics. I was shocked and impressed how well they played the second half of last season. They finished with one of the best, if not the best, record after the All Star break and made the playoffs. They got swept out of the first round by the Cavs, but the fact they made the playoffs was a big surprise. I really like their coach, Brad Stevens, and I think he's on his way to becoming one of the best coaches in all of basketball. Their roster leaves much to be desired, but it's playoff caliber, especially in the East. Isiah Thomas is a great player. I like how fiercely competitive he plays and he's a threat to put up 40 on any given night. His back court mates are good, not great, at one specific skill. Avery Bradley is an elite defender and guards the oppositions best scorer every game. He is not that good of an offensive player though. Marcus Smart is also a very good defender, he was exceptional in college, but he's also lacking on offense. That puts all the pressure on Thomas to score and while he may be up to it, it won't happen night after night. Drafting RJ Hunter was a good move by the Celtics because this kid can flat out score. I didn't know much of him until the NCAA tournament last season, but when I watched him play, he made shot after shot. He has the tools to be a good bench scorer in the NBA. Evan Turner is a bust in every sense of the word. He can't score, he can't rebound and he gets dunked on with consistency. He's not that good of an NBA player. The frontcourt is just okay. Jared Sullinger is fine, but he's too small to guard fives and too slow to guard fours. Kelly Olynyk plays out of control. He hasn't brought the three point shooter and post scoring he had in college to the NBA, and his play on Kevin Love in the first round of the playoffs was dirty. There's no middle ground on it, it was flat out dirty, he meant to hurt Love. Tyler Zeller may be a fine NBA player, but I don't know, not a big enough sampling. They signed Jae Crowder and traded for David Lee and Perry Jones this offseason. Jae Crowder is a good big man that does the dirty work in the NBA. He rebounds, plays post defense and doesn't care about stats, only wins. I like Crowder to supplant Olynyk in the starting lineup by midseason. David Lee was, at one point, an All Star. He definitely helped the Warriors win a title, but he hasn't been an impact player in the NBA in a couple of seasons. His best days are behind him. Perry Jones is an enigma. He has loads of potential, but he couldn't get off the bench in OKC, and when he did get playing time, he didn't produce. He may be good, and getting out of OKC will be best for him, but we will have to see how he does with an expanded role. The rest of the roster is young and unproven. The Celtics will win anywhere from 42 to 45 games and are a lock for the playoffs.

How the Celtics can win it all.

The Celtics will win the title if, Thomas becomes an All Star, that may happen, RJ Hunter becomes a 20 point per game scorer, that won't happen and the frontcourt plays way beyond expectations. The Celtics are getting back to good basketball, but they still need a couple of years before they are on the same level with the elite teams from the East.

My number 14 team is the Toronto Raptors. this team is sliding back. They're still good enough to be the fifth or sixth team in the East, but they seem to get a little worse every year. Their roster is full of talent, but it doesn't seem to come together to put this team in the top of the East. Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan are two of the best young guards in the league, but DeRozan can't seem to stay healthy for a full season, and Lowry finally showed up this offseason in shape, but that should've happened last year when he signed his big extension. Jonas Valanciunas has been an okay player, but he hasn't lived up to the hype surrounding him when he was drafted. He looks afraid to take big shots or come up with big rebounds of defensive plays. He shies away from the big moment. James Johnson and Patrick Patterson are fine players, but they're nothing to write home about. They don't really affect the game too much. They did a lot this offseason, but it seems like too much and a bit desperate. DeMarre Carroll is a pretty decent NBA player, he proved that last year with the Hawks, but he's not worth the money the Raptors gave him. Corey Joseph finally gets his shot to play after spending his first couple of seasons on the Spurs bench, and he's looked good in the preseason, but is that smoke and mirrors, or a sign of things to come? Also, will he really steal minutes from DeRozan and Lowry? I don't think so. They signed Anthony Bennett after the Timberwolves bought him out, and while it may be nice for him to play in his home town, he's from Toronto, we are talking about one of the biggest, if not the biggest, busts of all time in the draft. I really like their pick of Delon Wright in the most recent draft. In fact, I think that was their best offseason move. The Raptors have gotten better every year under DeWayne Casey, but they seem to fall apart at critical and crucial times. Toronto seems like a 45 or 46 win team to me, good for the sixth spot in the East.

How the Raptors can win  it all.

The Raptors will win the title if DeRozan can stay healthy all season and play at an extremely high rate, Lowry and Valanciunas play to the level of their contract, DeMarre Carroll proves he's not a one season wonder and the supporting cast plays much, much better than expected. The Raptors stink of a team that will start hot, fade late and shit the bed in the playoffs, basically what they've done the past two years.

My number 13 team is also from the East, the Washington Wizards. I really like the Wizards, but I just don't think they have enough talent on their roster to be better than fourth or fifth in the East, probably fifth. Now, the starters are where all the talent lies. John Wall is one of the best point guards in all of basketball (what would Colin Cowherd say?). He's the fastest basketball player I've ever seen, he lays really good defense, finds the open man all the time and is becoming a pretty good shooter. Bradley Beal is one of the best young scorers. Otto Porter JR is going to have a huge season. He's been on the verge of breaking out, and I think that happens this season. He will finally live up to being the third overall pick. Nene Hilario is one of my favorite players to watch. He's a throwback in every season of the word. He plays awesome defense, rebounds at a very high rate, has excellent post moves and does all the dirty work. Marcin Gortat is a good scorer, and he pairs well with Nene in the frontcourt. Gortat is a scorer and Nene does everything else. The bench is the problem for me. First of all, they lost Paul Pierce. While he's a million years old, he hit big shot after big shot and gave this team a swagger they didn't have before. The Wizards will miss him. The bench has guys like Drew Gooden, DaJuan Blair, Kris Humphries and Ramon Sessions. Not world beaters and past their primes, if they had one. I do like their pick of Kelly Oubre JR. He's another one and done, and who knows with these kids, but being on a veteran team and not having to have an immediate impact will benefit him. He's going to be good. The Wizards will win close to 50 games, probably 48 and be the fifth seed in the East.

How the Wizards can win it all.

The Wizards will win the title if the starters can play all 48 minutes in every regular season game and playoff game and not have to rely on their bench. The starters are great, but the bench is very weak and will be their undoing. Another second round exit is in the cards for the Wizards.

So, there's my 15, 14 and 13 ranked teams. Tomorrow we get into the top 10 and things will become very interesting.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. His NBA League Pass is mostly for the OKC Thunder, but he enjoys some low tier eastern conference playoff teams. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik