Ty's 2024-2025 NBA Preview: Title Favorites Division

Welcome to day six of my 2024-25 NBA countdown. Today I have the top five teams in my countdown. Tomorrow I will do my postseason predictions, including awards and Wednesday will be my men's NCAA basketball preview. Anyway, let's get to the top five teams.

At 5 I have the Philadelphia 76ers. The 76ers won the offseason. They got the biggest prize of all. Paul George is now a 76er. I know he has a hyperextended knee right now, but by all accounts, he should be good to go at the start of the season. George is a perfect fit with this team. He will add late game scoring and very good defense. This was a great move. Joel Embiid is going to scale back all the games he has played during the regular season since he became an all NBA player. I think this will help him out. He will be able to go all out all the time and he shouldn't get hurt nearly as much. I love this move and it should help keep him on the floor more often than not. Tyrese Maxey has vaulted into an upper tier caliber NBA player. He is such a good scorer, he fits wonderfully and he has gotten better every season since he has been in the league. Kelly Oubre Jr returned and he has looked very good since he joined Philadelphia. Kyle Lowry will be a very good, very pesky backup guard. They got Caleb Martin at one hell of a deal. He is a wonderful role player and he is gritty as hell. They also signed Reggie Jackson and Eric Gordon. The 76ers have been making solid moves to get great vets to add to their roster. They also signed Guerschon Yabusele, who was awesome in the Olympics. The 76ers made excellent offseason decisions and they could reap the rewards. They need to stay healthy.

At 4 I have the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder are ahead of schedule. They were the number 1 seed in the West last season, and they will probably be there again this year. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is elite. He is going to win an MVP, maybe even this season. He has elevated his play every season, and I don't see that changing anytime soon. Lu Dort is a tank of a defender and he can shoot, well he can shoot sometimes. Getting Alex Caruso for Josh Giddey was a total robbery of the Bulls. Caruso is an upgrade in every possible way for the Thunder. Chet Holmgren shocked me and a bunch of other people when he played all 82 games last season. I don't see a repeat of that, but he is a pretty darn good rim defender. He does still need to bulk up though. Jalen Williams has taken a few steps each season. I now expect him to take a leap. He has all the tools to be a great second or third option on this team. Isaiah Hartenstein is going to add toughness and rebounding. He should be a nice change of pace for this team from Holmgren. Isaiah Joe is a pretty good shooter. Cason Wallace is fast as hell. The Thunder are young, good and ready to make the jump to a finals favorite. They're that good.

At 3 I have the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Timberwolves are a threat to the Thunder, and all other West teams for that matter. Anthony Edwards is awesome. He is one of the best young players in the league. He has confidence and the ability to crush in the NBA, which he is already kind of doing. AE is one of my favorite players in the league. He is endlessly watchable. Rudy Gobert is a head case, but the dude can play defense. He is big and strong and can move. He is the best rim protector in the NBA. Mike Conley has fit in quite nicely as the head vet in the league. He is constantly mentoring the younger dudes, and they seem to love it. Jaden McDaniels is an elite defender. He is as lockdown as they get in the league. Naz Reid is coming off a Sixth Man of the Year award, and he will get more responsibility now, which he can definitely handle. They got Donte DiVincenzio and Julius Randle in the KAT trade. This is a good deal for all teams. Randle brings scoring and DiVincenzio brings space and shooting. And I really like the Rob Dillingham pick for depth. The Timberwolves are relevant, they have a superstar and they are fun as hell to watch play basketball.

At 2 I have the New York Knicks. When doing this countdown I couldn't believe that I had them ranked this high, but here we are. Jalen Brunson is a superstar. All he needed was the correct amount of minutes and a front office and coaching staff that believed in him. He got both with the Knicks. They got Karl Anthony-Towns in the aforementioned trade. He is going to do pretty well with this team. He is a solid defender, he loves to shoot and he has a past with Tom Thibodeau. They also acquired Mikal Bridges via trade this offseason. He adds a ton of what they need. He is a shooter, a slasher and a very good defender. OG Anunoby, when he is healthy, is a very good Swiss army knife of a player. He is one of the best defenders in the NBA. Josh Hart does it all. And he never leaves the floor. Mitchell Robinson is hurt yet again. But, when he is on the floor, he is a strong rebounder and defender. Precious Achiuwa and Jericho Sims are nice backup bigs. And Miles McBride had a pretty good playoff appearance last season. The Knicks are a very good basketball team. They have a very well constructed roster. They have pretty much everything they need to win big this year.

And finally, at number 1 I have the Boston Celtics. I don't think this is a surprise to anyone. They're the best team in the league and they return pretty much everyone. Jayson Tatum is one of the most underappreciated stars in the league. He is a willing and good defender. He is an excellent scorer. His passing has gone up a level. Tatum does it all. He needs the proper credit. Jaylen Brown was amazing in the playoffs and he seems to play with a chip on his shoulder. He has gotten so much better every year. That should terrify opposing teams. Al Horford has fit in nicely as the calm vet on the team. He also has become a pretty damn good 3 point shooter over the past couple seasons. Kristaps Porzingis is hurt, no surprise, but when he is on the floor he helps this team go. I was wrong about his fit. It works. Derrick White is a great shooter and a wonderful defender. He is the ultimate role player. Jrue Holiday is the best perimeter defender in the league, and when his shot is falling, he is lethal. The bench is good enough to keep the team afloat in their limited minutes. The Celtics should be favored to win it all again this season. They have it all and they have it all coming back. They're the best team in the NBA by a wide, wide margin.

That's it, that is my 2024-25 NBA countdown. I hope you all enjoyed it. I cannot wait for the season to tip tomorrow. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Thoughts on the Big KAT Trade

The Knicks and Timberwolves made a pretty massive trade last week. It wasn't fully finalized until yesterday, so I wanted to wait until it was official. The Timberwolves traded Karl Anthony-Towns to the Knicks for Julius Randle, Donte DiVencenzo and a first round pick. The Hornets also got involved, getting a few second round picks from the Knicks. Let’s discuss.

Trades like this do not happen all that often, especially right before the season starts. I have been ranking my teams for my upcoming NBA preview, but I have to reconsider some things now because this trade shakes it up a bit. Karl Anthony-Towns was destined to be moved. It has been in the works for a bit now it seems. The Timberwolves weren't going to be able to keep all the players they had and expect everyone to be paid a fair price. It wasn't financially sound. But, trading him one season after making a run to the Western Conference Finals seems, at least to me, a bit rash and quick. I know KAT had his issues in the playoffs. He fouls too much. His shot comes and goes. He dips in and out of games. But, he had a rhythm with Anthony Edwards, who by all accounts is very bummed about this trade. He had seemed to figure out a way to play with Rudy Gobert. His defense went up a level playing with such a good rim protector. His three point shot was a weapon for the Timberwolves. He guarded Nikola Jokic better than anyone else in the league. But I guess the front office of the Timberwolves felt the time had come and that the Knicks were offering the best package.

The Timberwolves replace KAT with Randle and DiVincenzo. This does make the T'Wolves deeper. It also adds a very explosive offensive player in Randle, when he is healthy. He is also in the last year of his contract, so maybe they have more plans to trade him for someone else. DiVincenzo came on very strong during last season, is a solid shooter and shot creator and he has a wonderful contract. Adding these two guys to the roster helps their bench immensely. Mike Conley, Edwards, Jaden McDaniels, Randle, for the time being, and Gobert make up the starting five. That means they have DiVencenzo, Rob DillinghamNaz Reid and PJ Dozier, among others they can count on for a second unit. This gives Edwards even more of a runway to be the offensive leader, McDaniels showed some nice flashes on offense last season and DiVencenzo is going to feast on second unit defenses.

Trading KAT almost felt like a necessity, but it is still wild that they did it this offseason. The Knicks got a big man shooter, who has played for Thibodeau before, and he will fit in nicely with this squad. It might bum Jalen Brunson out a bit that one of his Villanova guys is gone, but that isn't as big a deal as it seems at first glance. The Knicks have an identity now. They had an issue at center, due to Isaiah Hartenstein going to the Thunder and Mitchell Robinson always being hurt. They addressed that, and then some, acquiring KAT. KAT is added to a starting five of Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby. That is a really, really good starting five, when they are all healthy. That will be a real fear here. Brunson has thumb stuff. Anunoby has never played a full season. KAT has leg and ankle stuff all the time. But, if they can stay relatively healthy, the Knicks can be a real threat to the Celtics. Their bench, if Thibodeau would ever give extensive bench minutes, is very good as well. Deuce McBride proved himself last season. Precious Achiuwa is a big body backup five. Jericho Sims showed flashes last year. Landry Shamet and Cam Payne are solid veteran backup guards. They have some decent youth. The Knicks have a nice group of players that make sense on paper.

Pulling away and looking at this trade for both teams, I think it works for both the Knicks and Timberwolves. The Timberwolves added depth and shooting. They also have the flexibility to make more moves that could benefit them. And they still have Anthony Edwards, who is an incredible player. The Knicks solved their center issue, they have a big that can truly stretch the floor and KAT makes sense with this roster. Both teams are going to be playoff teams and both teams can make a real run. This is the rare trade that actually makes sense that includes big name players. I'm excited to see these dudes on their new teams as well. What a wild, but, on paper, successful trade. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Anthony Edwards is Elite

Anthony Edwards announced himself as one of the next big NBA superstars last night. He didn't really have to do too much more for me to notice, he is one of my favorite players, but boy oh boy did he let himself be known to the casual NBA fan after this first round series. Let’s discuss.

Edwards was the first overall pick in the 2020 draft. This was the COVID lockdown draft. He was the consensus number 1 guy, but there were questions. Georgia wasn't very good, he seemed to float in and out of games, his jumper wasn't great and his tenacity on defense was yet to be seen. And when he started playing, it was a lot of the same. But, Edwards has always had freakish athleticism. What attracted me to his game was his dunking ability. He reminded me of a guard version of Shawn Kemp. He dunked on people and he dunked hard on people. The dunk he had against the Raptors a few years back was one of the best in game dunks I'd ever seen. But the Timberwolves, while getting a little better, didn't really look like they would be much more than a first round out in the playoffs.

Then the T’Wolves traded for Rudy Gobert. The trade was maligned, and in year one it looked like the critics were right. The Timberwolves were not very good. They came off a season where they pushed the Grizzlies in round 1 to six games, and it was a hard fought series. The next season, the first with Gobert, they struggled to make the play in and were easily disposed of by the Nuggets in five games. But this season has felt different. And Edwards has looked different. You could see him starting to figure things out in that series against the Grizzlies two years ago. Last season he was the sole reason they got one game from the Nuggets. The athleticism and the ability was still there, but other things were clicking. I feel like this is the year where it has almost fully come together for him.

Minnesota finished as the 3 seed in the West, but they had a shot at number 1. They are a dominant defense, with Edwards fully buying in on that end this year. Edwards doesn't always go one on one anymore. He plays more within a flow of an offense built around his skill set. Karl Anthony-Towns, another number 1 overall pick, has started to relent and make note that it is Edwards' team. Gobert understands that he is there for defense. Mike Conley has taken Edwards under his wing and he looks like a proud basketball dad watching him grow into this supernova talent. Kyle Anderson seems to be really enjoying the ride. The Timberwolves have given Anthony Edwards the keys, and he is running with it all. And it is glorious to watch as a fan.

What Edwards did in this series, the way he dominated, it was one of the more impressive things I have seen on a basketball court. He went out there on a mission every year and he decided he wanted this series over in four games. The Suns were betting favorites in this series. The analytic nerds loved them. Kevin Durant wasn't ready to pass the torch. Rudy Gobert wouldn't be able to stay on the floor. Anthony Edwards was going to have to wait another year. People even mentioned that Devon Booker was possibly better. I'm sure Edwards heard all of that, and he decided his time was now. He was tired of waiting. He went out there on that floor and snatched it all away from the Suns, from KD, from Devin Booker, from Frank Vogel and from ESPN and their analytical staff. Edwards took over each and every game. He mentioned, before game 1, how KD was his favorite player and how cool it would be to beat him in this series. He did just that. Anthony Edwards was the best player on the floor by a wide, wide margin. In the first round sweep, Edwards had games of 33, 36 and 40 points. In game two, the one game he struggled in to score, he was lock down on defense. He also had 9 rebounds in three of the four games. He averaged 6 plus assists per game. He never took more than 24 shots to get all of his points. He played good defense in every game. He took over when he was asked to take over by his coaches and team. He did all the right stuff. And it was amazing for me to watch this kid ascend to these new heights.

I don't like to watch Luka Doncic because I find his game very boring and he whines all the time. Nikola Jokic is, for me, also very, very boring. Giannis cannot stay healthy lately and he is not much of a shooter. LeBron James is amazing, but he is very old now. Ja Morant was hurt most of last season, and he has the whole gun thing. So, for me, watching a player like Anthony Edwards make this leap, watching the same from Shai Gilgeous Alexander, it makes me hopeful for the future faces of the NBA. Not all of these up and comers are zeroes on defense or want to turn the game into a free throw shooting contest. Not every star has to gripe to the officials. Not every star has to be friends with the other stars. A player like Anthony Edwards gets me hyped because he is uber talented and he wants to rip your heart out on the court.

I hope this run continues and Timberwolves continue to develop Edwards into an even bigger star because I want to see him play more than any other player in the playoffs right now. While I'm still a Grizzlies fan, I think Anthony Edwards is my new current favorite NBA player. He is the most fun to watch. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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It's Time for Minnesota to Say Goodbye to the Rudy Gobert Experiment

I feel like I have to address the whole Rudy Gobert situation in Minnesota right now. I will do a full NBA playoff preview when the play in is done, but for now I want to talk about what happened the other night.

Rudy Gobert punched, well attempted to punch, Kyle Anderson on the bench during the final game of the regular season. This resulted in a suspension for last night's play in game against the Lakers. The Lakers won by the way. Gobert has come out and apologized, apparently he and Kyle Anderson have made up and they want to move forward. They do have another chance to make the playoffs if they beat the winner of the Pelicans-Thunder game tonight. But this whole season, and trade, has been a complete disaster for the Timberwolves.

I thought the trade was going to work. I figured they'd be a shoo in for the playoffs. I did not think they'd have to fight through the play in. I did not expect them to be 42-40 at season's end. I did not expect them to go scoreless in the last three minutes of the fourth quarter last night. I thought KAT and Gobert would work well together. Gobert is a great defensive player and KAT is a great scorer. It made sense to me. It never worked. They barely played together due to KAT's long term injury this season. But Gobert also took a major step back. He was not the all world defender he has been before. His pick and roll game has fallen off. He is a step slower. Anthony Edwards was asked to do far too much for this team. He is not ready to shoulder a load like that just yet. I am as big an Edwards fan as there is, but he needs more time to be the face of this team. He also had a great season by the way.

The signing of Kyle Anderson seemed fitting this offseason for the T'Wolves. I was bummed the Grizzlies didn't keep him. He is a good vet player who knows his role and speaks his mind. That seems to be the issue that caused the problem the other night. Anderson told Gobert to get some blocks. Gobert chastised him back and told Anderson to get more rebounds. Anderson started to yell back and Gobert decided he had enough. Apparently Gobert was playing through back spasms and he felt like his toughness was being called out. But to try to throw hands, come on dude.

Gobert seems to have a pattern. We all remember how he dealt with COVID. I mean, he is the match that lit the shut down of the NBA in 2020. He felt sick, swore up and down it wasn't COVID, touched a ton of mics, hugged teammates and laughed it off. Guess what? He had COVID. The season shut down. Donovan Mitchell tested positive shortly after all of this nonsense. His teammates came out and complained about his behavior. You could already see the cracks. I wrote back then that the Jazz were going to have to trade one or both of them. They eventually traded both and are doing a full rebuild. But then we have the on court issues with Gobert that I already mentioned. He also came out earlier this year and called out officials for being biased. I agree that refs are biased, but the T'Wolves have stars. They have players that fans want to watch. I could watch Anthony Edwards play all day long. And it is not like the teams he mentioned are world beaters. The Suns are the 4 seed. The Lakers are the 7 seed. They both can go all the way, but I assumed the T'Wolves could too. And now this punching incident. I do not know how the Wolves don't trade him at this point. They have to try and recoup something, anything from the trade this past offseason. The T'Wolves gave up so much. So many players and so many picks. The T'Wolves should try to get picks back. They have two stars, Edwards and KAT. They have a veteran point guard in Mike Conley. Naz Reid may be the best backup big in the league and he should be fully recovered from his injury in time for next season. Kyle Anderson is a more liked player, and that is now very clear. Gobert is not the answer. He may be toast in the league. His best days are clearly behind him, and he has some issues he needs to deal with.

I think it would be best for the T'Wolves to move on no matter what happens during the remainder of the play in. This trade has already run its course and it was not good. The Timberwolves must keep KAT and Edwards and build from there. That would be the best for this franchise's future. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

Ty's 2022 - 2023 NBA Season Preview: Raptors, Timberwolves, Hawks

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

Ty's 2021-2022 NBA Preview: Cavs, Kings, Timberwolves, Hornets

Welcome to day two of my NBA countdown.

Coming in at 26 I have the Cleveland Cavaliers. The Cavs do have a feeling of a team trying to win, but it’s just not working out. I’m a big Colin Sexton fan. The kid can play ball. He’s a good scorer, good at getting to the rim and has improved both of his years in the NBA. All the trade talk and everything else surrounding him is nonsense. Darius Garland is proving me wrong. I thought he’d need more time, but he’s shown he belongs. He’s a good guard and I feel like he’s going to take a leap. I love love love Evan Mobley. I fear he’ll get buried on the bench but this kid needs to play. He’s got all the gifts and tools to be a great modern big in the NBA. Isaac Okoro had a solid rookie year. I’m a big Jarrett Allen fan. I love his Afro but I love his rim protecting even more. Then it gets iffy. Denzel Valentine is not great. They need to trade Kevin Love. I don’t like the Lauri Markannen signing because he’s taking minutes from Mobley. I don’t get why they signed Ricky Rubio. They already have better, younger guards. Tacko Fall will barely see the floor. And Dylan Windler is just Jimmer Fredette 2.0. This is a weird roster. They need to go fully young and build around those guys. The off-season suggests they may go in a different direction though. Either way they’re a lottery team.

At 25 I have the Sacramento Kings. This team is in purgatory. They’re stuck. De’Aron Fox deserves so much better. He is so good but he’s going to go nowhere with the Kings. He’s an all star stuck on a very poorly run team. Buddy Hield clearly wants out. He almost got his way, but now he’s back to shoot threes and do little else. Richaun Holmes should be a glue guy on a playoff team. In Sacramento he’s a starter playing far too many minutes. Marvin Bagley cannot stay healthy and it seems like he wants out. Davion Mitchell was a good pick, if this team didn’t have Fox. He’s barely going to play. Tyrese Haliburton had a great rookie year, and I see him blossoming if he gets to leave this team. Harrison Barnes’ talent is being wasted. And then it’s a bunch of G League guys. The Kings need to make a ton of changes to get this team back to relevance. Maybe a trade for Ben Simmons could wake this franchise up.

At number 24 I have the Minnesota Timberwolves. I think they could be in the play in with their talent. Their talent just cannot stay on the floor together. Karl Anthony Towns is amazing. He went through hell this past year too. He’s so skilled offensively. He knows how to score. He’s a great rebounder too. He’s just not very good on defense. He needs to be better. D’Angelo Russell can score and run an offense, but he’s been injured more than not, and he’s a zero on defense. I am a big time Anthony Edwards fan. That kid is awesome. He’s got the right attitude for the NBA. He dunks the hell out of the ball. His shot got better. He went toe to toe with Steph in a game last year. I have nothing bad to say about him. Patrick Beverly was a nice addition who will play a ton of defense. He’s no good on offense. Taurean Prince had one solid season but he hasn’t played that well in awhile. Malik Beasley is a good bench scorer but he thinks he should start. Josh Okogie played so much better with Team Nigeria in the Olympics than he ever had with Minnesota. Naz Reid is a good big man, he just needs more time. Like I said, this team can make the play in if they stay healthy. That’s a big if.

The final team for today, at number 23 I have the Charlotte Hornets. LaMelo Ball is legit. That kid can play. He is the player to build around. On the other hand I despise Gordon Hayward for so many reasons. The main one is that he’s not that good anymore. He’s oft injured and seems to have a bad attitude. I love that they took James Bouknight in the draft. He’s instant offense off the bench for them. He’s going to light it up. Miles Bridges is a good pick and roll guy who works great next to Ball. Terry Rozier made bank after one good season. He hasn’t lived up to that season, but he’s still getting paid she he can still score. I like that they’re taking a chance on Kelly Oubre Jr. He’s got some good skills, he just needs to okay more. He’ll get that opportunity in Charlotte. PJ Washington is a solid reserve. He usually starts in Charlotte. Mason Plummer was a wasted signing. Kai Jones will bounce between the G League and the NBA, but he has a ton of upside. Other than that it’s all question marks. The Hornets were in the play in last year, and they were crushed by the Pacers. If Ball takes a leap I could see them back in the thick of the play in again. That’s it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next 4 teams.

Ty

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

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Ty's 2020-2021 NBA Preview: Not This Year

Day 2 of my NBA countdown features five better teams than yesterday, and again, I think the Thunder are going to be a force in a few years, but not that much better. The NBA really is down to about five or six teams, honestly maybe just three teams, that are true title threats. But at least it isn't like when the Warriors had KD and it was already a done deal that they would win when healthy. Let's get to it.

At number 25, and I cannot believe I have a team coached by Greg Poppovich this low, and I hope he proves me wrong, is the San Antonio Spurs. The Spurs have been one of the most reliable franchises in my entire two decades of fervently watching the NBA. They were always a playoff team, usually a threat to win a round or two, and would win titles from time to time. First it was teaming up Duncan with David Robinson, then drafting and developing Kawhi and then surrounding Kawhi and Duncan with some of the greatest role players ever. Then Duncan retired. Then Kawhi asked out. And here they are now. They were invited to the bubble, but they did not make the playoffs for the first time in forever. And while the Spurs have big names, DeMar DeRozan and Lamarcus Aldirdge, they are older, DeRozan wants out and they cannot keep up with the modern NBA. I am a DeRozan and Aldridge fan, I like both guys, but there is no way around the fact that they have aged, and not very well. I also like Rudy Gay, but I think he is as old as me, and he doesn’t have the juice he used to. I love the younger guys they have, like Lonnie Walker, Dejounte Murray and Derrick White, but they can't all be on the floor at the same time. I think Keldon Johnson has talent, he just has to be groomed, and it may take a few more seasons. Jakob Poeltl, Trey Lyles and Patty Mills are solid vets, but at this point they seem more like trade bait now. The Spurs have the greatest basketball coach of all time, and they will be competitive. The simple fact is, they don't have the talent needed, especially in the West, to make the playoffs.

At number 24 I have the Minnesota Timberwolves. I know they have playoff aspirations, and they took Anthony Edwards number one overall, which will help scoring, and they paired KAT with D'Angelo Russell, but I just don't see this team getting over the hump quite yet. They do have all that young talent, throw Jarrett Culver in there too, but they play in the West, and they don't play much defense. If the Timberwolves were in the East, maybe they have enough offense to overcome their defensive deficiencies. But they don't, and the top teams in the West will eat them up. For all the great things KAT and Russell do on offense, they are flat out bad defensively. Edwards is a brick house, and a walking bucket, but he didn't play much D his one year in college. Culver was supposed to be the defensive guru, but he didn't have the greatest rookie year on that end. I think he can be better, but it will take time. The rest of the roster is ho hum to me. Josh Okogie is fine, but no better than a bench player. They have Ricky Rubio again, but he is only older and slower. Malik Beasley can score, I just don't know how much time he will be on the floor. Naz Reid dominated the G League, but now he is going to have to play against the best of the best. And Jake Layman is so blasé. The Timberwolves are moving in the right direction, and I love that Flip Saunders son is the head coach, but they are still a few years away, and they need to keep this core together to reach any vision of what they expect their future to hold.

At number 23 I have the Charlotte Hornets. The Hornets did a few things right this offseason. They took Lamelo Ball, which was a smart pick, and were finally able to get off Nic Batum's contract. They found out Devontae Graham is a solid player, and were able to get rid of Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. They also finally shed Tyler Zeller and Frank Kaminsky. But then they took these moves, and the money left over, and went out and gave Gordon Hayward way, way too much money. They also gave Terry Rozier far too much money. For as great a player Jordan was, the GOAT, he is not a very good GM. They seemed to be doing correct stuff, then they did that deal for Hayward, and it just took me right back to the Batum deal. Hayward is a shell of the player he was in Utah, and only got worse, and bypassed by better players in Boston. Rozier is a solid offensive guy, but he is so much better in a Lou Williams role, than as a starter. Ball is going to be okay, and I think playing in Charlotte is big time for him, but he is a rookie, and a young rookie. Malik Monk is not the scorer I thought he would be coming out of college. PJ Washington is good, and he should get the bulk of minutes at the 4. Miles Bridges is hyper athletic, but I still don't know if he can shoot. Outside these guys it is a really mishmash of players. I thought they could compete for the playoffs this year, but it just doesn't look likely. I will watch them on League Pass because they should be fun, but fun doesn't equal wins.

At number 22 I have the Sacramento Kings. The Kings are still just an absolute mess. They cannot get out of their own way. They missed, at least so far, on the Luke Walton hiring. When he doesn't have guys like Steph and Klay at his disposal, it is a lot harder to coach. DeAaron Fox is awesome, and I am stoked that he got a max deal, but I do not see much else that is desirable about that team. Buddy Hield wants out, and his shot was off last year. Marvin Bagley cannot stay healthy. Harrison Barnes is going down the Rudy Gay path. Hassan Whiteside is a head case. Jabari Parker has been a bust, and he got COVID a few months ago. Richaun Holmes plays hard, but he just doesn't have that "it" quality. I like Tyrese Haliburton, but I feel like the Kings are going to screw him up. The Kings need to play fast and space the floor. The only problem, the only guy they have that can do that is Fox. No one else plays like that, or if they do, they cannot stay healthy. The Kings are in NBA purgatory.

My final team of the day, at number 21, I have the New Orleans Pelicans. Some may say this is too low for them, that they should be a playoff team, but I am not ready to put them there yet. I love the Stan Van Gundy hire. I think he will do very good things with that team. I also love how many picks they have in the near future. The Pelicans and the Thunder will own the draft for the next decade. And I like their young, talented core. But, they have issues with health and defense and depth. Zion Willamson is an other worldly talent. He is a once in a lifetime player. He is amazing. But, he has had issues at Duke and during his rookie year with injuries. I want him to stay healthy because I love watching him play. Lonzo Ball is a solid defender and very good passer, but he is a bad shooter. Brandon Ingram is an awesome offensive player, and I personally think he is their best overall player. He deserved his max deal. Jaxson Hayes is as raw as they get, but I bet Stan Van Gundy can mold him into a defensive force. I like the addition of Steven Adams, and I think Zion will too. But Adams doesn't add much space. And Eric Bledsoe and Josh Hart are okay enough to get some minutes. The big problem with this team for me is health. If they can stay healthy, and that is a humongous if, they could fight for the playoffs. I don't think they will, and I think they are still a bit young. They also have the West to deal with. New Orleans will be good, a perennial playoff team, just not yet.

That is it for today. Come back tomorrow for 5 more teams. We are starting to get to the better, possibly playoff bound teams.

Ty

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

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The Timberwolves Should Trade the Number One Pick

The Minnesota Timberwolves won the draft lottery last night.

I am happy for them, their fans and management. Unfortunately though, I don’t see a player that is worth that spot, especially for the Timberwolves. They traded for their point guard for the near future when they got D’Angelo Russell. They got rid of Andrew Wiggins in that deal too, which they were hoping to do. They have their modern big man for the future in Karl Anthony Towns. He’s amazing on offense, he’s a great rebounder and if he tries, he can play defense. They got their perimeter defender and, hopefully for them, future spot up three point shooter in last year’s draft when they took Jarrett Culver. They also have solid bench scorers in Malik Beasley and James Johnson. I think Josh Okogie can still be a solid bench guy, Juancho Hernangonez needs some real minutes and Naz Reid definitely showed flashes after being undrafted. I feel like the Timberwolves have an okay, and very, very young roster. I also think KAT is going to be a man on a mission next year after losing his mom to Covid. I think he’s going to have a monster year.

Then when I look at this draft class, the top guys just don’t jump out to me. LaMelo Ball is a talker version of his brother. James Wiseman is so skinny, even though he is my favorite prospect. Obi Toppin plays the same position as KAT, and is he a one year wonder perhaps? I know nothing about the overseas guys except Ball. Who knows about all the freshman that declared. And while Anthony Edwards is a great, great scorer, he has to be ready to go and go hard every night if he’s the number one overall pick. There’s no nights off. He also plays a similar position to Culver, and he’s not as good on defense. Not a lot of good choices for Minnesota.

If I were Minnesota I’d be doing everything in my power to trade the pick for a proven veteran, or if they can, a higher echelon player to team with Russell and KAT. They could try some of the other lottery teams. Maybe they can get Blake Griffin, even with all his injury history I think him and KAT would be awesome together, from Detroit. They could swap picks and Griffin, or even just the pick for Griffin. Maybe Chicago would be willing to part with Lauri Markanen, or send Zach Lavine back and build around Coby White and whoever they take number one. They’re clearly rebuilding anyway. Cleveland is less likely to give up on a guy like Collin Sexton or Darius Garland, but maybe another reunion sending Kevin Love back to team up with KAT, and they can get a younger big at number one. I’d even entertain some kind of idea involving Atlanta and John Collins and Kevin Huerter. The Timberwolves have options. There is no Zion or LeBron in this draft. Hell, there’s no Kyrie or KD or Anthony Davis in this class. There is no transcendent player. There’s no one that is a franchise guy, at least on paper.

My opinion? I think Minnesota would be better off trading out of that top spot. They have power, they have the top overall choice and they have options. I think they’d be best off exploring all of them instead of just sitting on this pick. We shall see.

Ty

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

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Ty's 2019-2020 NBA Preview: Timberwolves, Kings, Spurs, Magic

Day 4 of my NBA countdown gives us, in my opinion, the best 18 teams. We will get into my top 16, or playoff teams if you will, but that doesn't mean that I have 8 teams from the West and East. I simply put who I thought wee the best 16 teams in that order. I am all for the playoff being conference less, and that is how I looked at my countdown when I took all my notes. So, with that being said, lets get into it.

At number 18 I have the Minnesota Timberwolves. The T'Wolves are kind of in a no man's land. If they were in the East, they would be a playoff team easily. But, the West is a whole different animal, and Minnesota just doesn't have quite enough to break through. What they do have is a bona fide star on their team. Karl Anthony Towns is legit. He is so good on the offensive side of the ball. He is a great scorer, and now that he has extended his range, he is a matchup nightmare. He is also an excellent rebounder and a solid passer. But, he needs to get better defensively. When he is engaged on that end he is good, he just needs to be engaged always. Then he will become a top 10 player in the league. But, outside od Towns, the T'Wolves are a mystery. I think I was the last person on the Andrew Wiggins hype train, and even I have jumped off. He just isn't consistent, disappears far too much and isn't the defender I thought he could be coming out of college. Jeff Teague is old, and ready to be replaced. Josh Okogie looks like he will be the guy, but he needs to become more consistent in every phase. I like Jarret Culver, and think he could be a good player for a decade, but he still has a ways to go on offense. Robert Covington is a solid veteran, and a good role player, but he is a starter in Minnesota. He is so much better off the bench. They took some flyers on free agents like Jake Layman and Jordan Bell, and I just don't know with those guys. Layman barely saw the floor in Portland, and Bell regressed last year in Golden State. Minnesota will win close to 40 games, but I fear that Towns is getting into Kevin Love territory, and that is not where you want to be if you want to win titles.

At number 17, and I really, really wanted to put this team in the top 16, but they play in the West, and they're too young, I have the Sacramento Kings. The Kings have totally remade themselves, and they are no longer the laughingstock that they have been for the past decade plus. The Kings have a cohesive, and fun team. I love DeAron Fox. He is so fast, good with the ball, finds the open guy, plays hard, plays tough and has only gotten better since he has been in the league. He is one of my favorite young guys in the league. Marvin Bagley played far better than I thought he would last year. He looked to be stronger, played smarter and got better in his rookie year. That is a great sign. Buddy Hield, as you all know I love, has found a proper NBA home. The Kings allow him the freedom to shoot and be a playmaker, and that is what he needed coming out of college. He is quietly one of the better three point shooters in the NBA. I think Bogdan Bogdanovic is going to be this version of the Kings Peja Stojakivic. He is a solid outside shooter, and he is fun to watch. Harrison Barnes, who I think gets unfairly criticized, is a solid veteran that this team needs. He knows what it takes to win in the NBA, and he does the little things fairly well. Harry Giles, who has been hurt seemingly forever, looked good in limited minutes last year. He looked athletic and rebounded and ran the floor well. The Trevor Ariza signing here could be what I expected it to be in Phoenix. Ariza is also one of the better defenders in the league. Dwayne Dedmon is a solid center, and a rim protector they need. I find the Kings to be very fun, and I think they will be at, or above ,500 this year, which is huge for them. They just need one more year before they are a playoff team.

At number 16, my first "playoff" team, I have the San Antonio Spurs. I know, this team plays old style dinosaur basketball, they have no real super stars and they may seem boring. But, they still have Greg Poppovich as their head coach, and as long as he is there, the Spurs will always be a playoff team in my eyes. And, without having stars, they do have LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan. Sure, those guys may not pop, but they are really good, really solid NBA players. Aldridge had a very good year last year, and he is finally finding his groove as a Spur. And DeRozan is a proven scorer and shooter, even if he doesn't take a million threes. He is still a really good player. Outside those 2, this team is relatively young. Yes, Patty Mills is still there, and he is their best shooter. But, after that, this team is young. Derrick White had a great playoff run last season. He really showed out, and I think that is a sign of things to come. Lonnie Walker had to do some time in the G League last year, but I think it helped him. He looked unstoppable in summer league, and he has been solid in the preseason. Dejounte Murray, who is going to be awesome, is back after missing last year with a knee injury. Murray was on his way to being "the guy" there, and I think that will come true this season. Jakob Poeltl is a big lumbering center, but he is what this team needs under and around the hoop. Rudy Gay is still there, and he was super efficient and really good last season. He is the epitome of a consummate pro. I also like the addition of Trey Lyles, I think he helps them. And even if he isn't the defender he was in Toronto, DeMarre Carroll still offers value on that end of the floor. The Spurs dynasty of the past is over, but they still have a solid roster and the best coach in the history of the NBA. They are still a playoff team to me.

My final team for the day, at number 15, I have the Orlando Magic. The Magic are back. Well, not back to being a title contender, but they will be a perennial playoff team in the East. This roster is stacked with talent, but it is raw and it is young. Aaron Gordon has really turned himself into so much more than a dunker. He is a great defender, he has a shot that you have to respect and he is becoming the team leader, and he is only 24 years old. Mo Bamba has been really good in the preseason, and if he can put on some weight, and continue to improve around the rim, he will be worth way more than the sixth overall pick that he was two years ago. Johnathan Issac had a solid year last year, and has the look of an improved jumper. He, like Bamba, is rail thin, but he can be a problem for opponents on defense. He is also super long, and plays hard defense. Nikola Vucecvic got his big deal after an All Star season, and now I think he will play with freedom. He is also the prototypical modern big. He heled me make the finals in my fantasy league last year because he stuffs the stat sheet. I see more of that. Markelle Fultz, knock on wood, has looked okay. His jumper looks better, not fixed, but better and he is attacking the rim so far in the preseason. If he can give them a tenth of what was expected from him coming out of college, that would be great. Evan Fournier was awesome in FIBA this summer, and the dude knows how to get bucket. Terrance Ross is s solid all around guy. They signed Al Faroq Aminu, and that guy has been a playoff player forever. And DJ Augustin is back, and even though he has been around forever, he won their only playoff game for them last season. The Magic have a glut of players at power forward, and no real point guard, but they play defense and they spread the ball around. I see them easily making the playoffs again, and maybe this time they will win a series. Also, they could pull a big trade with all the assets they have, and that would be big time.

That is it for today. Come back for the next 4 teams tomorrow.

Ty

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

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A Few Thoughts on the Jimmy Butler Trade

Jimmy Butler finally got what he wanted. He is no longer on the Timberwolves. He got out. All his whining and griping and bitching and moaning and poor attitude and disgusting behavior paid off. He is not on the team that he seemed like he would finish his career with after leaving the Bulls. Now, he has destroyed 2 locker rooms and he is on to his third.

First things first, I do not think Jimmy Butler is the type of player that can act like this. While I do think he is one of the better 2 way players in the league, he is not the type of player that can yell and demean his teammates and demand a trade and expect a big time contract. He is 29. I know that is not old, but in basketball years, with the amount of time he plays in games, and the playoff games he has been too, that is pretty old. He also has a history of lower body injuries. He seems to get hurt quite a bit. He also complains when teammates don't play or practice to his "level". He is also a mediocre shooter. Yes, he can create shots and get to the rim, but as a floor spacer, I don't buy it.

Second, the way he has conducted himself for the past 2 years is loathsome. As I said, while he is a great player, he is not as good as he thinks. He is not LeBron James, Steph Curry, Kevin Durant, James Harden, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, Anthony Davis or Giannis Antentokoumpo, just to name a few. Those guys are upper echelon players. Those dudes can come to a team and easily make them a contender. Those guys can demand trades and find a way out if they see that the current team they are on is not going anywhere. Jimmy Butler, to me, lands more in the Blake Griffin, Carmelo Anthony, Andrew Wiggins, Rajon Rondo category. While great, he isn't a top tier player, although he acts like it. Jimmy Butler, as a basketball player, I like. That's it, just like. As a person, I cannot stand what he has become. He is entitled. He thinks too highly of himself. He is more about money than titles. It is obvious.

Now, for how I see this as simply a basketball trade, I am not convinced. I liked the young core the 76ers had. I actually thought that "The Process" was working out. They seemed ahead of schedule. With this trade, they got to keep the important components, but they traded away 2 great locker room guys. Everyone seemed to like Robert Covington's work ethic and his fit on the team. From what I have heard, Dario Saric was the funniest guy on the team and he cheered everyone up when he showed up to practice. The other 2 guys in the trade, Jerryd Bayless and a 2022 second round pick are of no consequence to me. The 76ers got a young big man, Justin Patton and, of course, Jimmy Butler. Patton won't play much. Butler is going to be a starter. He is going to be a focal point of that offense and the go to defensive guy. He will guard the other team's best player every night he plays. He will also be the creator on the offense for the team. He does make the 76ers a top 3 team in the East right away. But, does this trade make the 76ers better than the Bucks, Raptors or Celtics? Maybe just the Celtics. The Raptors have a much better version of Jimmy Butler in Kawhi and the Bucks have Giannis.

As far as being a teammate, this is going to be a disaster for a 76ers franchise that was on the come up. Jimmy Butler will think he runs the team, but this is Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid's team. That is not even up for debate. I'd go so far as to say that this is Embiid's team, and Simmons is the second most important player. They are the 76ers. They have built this team around those 2 guys strengths. They have added the players they deem best to suit Embiid and Simmons games. Guys like JJ Redick give them the shooting they need. He is the only shooter they have, but he is a solid shooter and a bad defender. They have some young talent, specifically Landry Shamet, that will grow into his role as the future point guard of the team. TJ McConnell is the energy guy they need. And then we have Markelle Fultz. This trade is going to destroy Fultz's already shaky game. He has been an absolute disaster as a NBA player. While I had hope that he could get out of this funk, he has seemingly gotten worse. Take his free throw shot from last night, where he pumped faked. I fully, fully believe that he was thinking about Jimmy Butler during that shot. He knows that Butler is going to give him the business if he shoots like that in practice. We have all seen what Butler is capable of doing when he is mad at players on his current team. He will demean and yell at them, and then make it public knowledge. He will make sure he dominates them as well. Fultz is not going to be able to handle this. Guys like Simmons and Embiid will be able to, not only take his shit, they will be able to give it back ten fold, especially Embiid. Redick won't stand for his nonsense, he is a veteran, and he has played with Chris Paul and Blake Griffin. Shamet has his head on straight, and anything Butler says will just roll off of him. But Fultz is going to crack. He looks so out of sorts, the last thing he needs is a guy like Butler publicly calling him out in practice and games. It would be in his and the 76ers best intentions to trade him immediately, but I don't think anyone else wants him. Again, look at his free throw attempt from the other night. This dude has issues, and Jimmy Butler will only make it worse for him.

While this trade makes the 76ers better right now, I am not a fan of it. And just when I was started to get into this team they do this. The Timberwolves, the other team in this trade, if they fire Tom Thibodeau, this may benefit them. Wiggins and KAT don't have to worry about Butler's bull shit. The guards will get to play freely. Saric and Covington are solid NBA players that can play. And Josh Okogie looks like a real point guard. When/if they get a new coach, the Timberwolves could be the West's version of the Pacers.

In the end Jimmy Butler got his wish, but it comes at a big time cost. For the 76ers case, I hope they win or are able to resign him. Also, I hope they trade Fultz for his case. I'm not a fan of this trade because I do not think Jimmy Butler is top notch, build your team around style player. The 76ers should have stuck with what they were doing. That is my take.

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

Ty's 2018-2019 NBA Preview: Clippers, Timberwolves, Heat

As we move into day 5 of my NBA countdown, we finally get our first playoff team, and it isn't even a West team. The West is going to be heavily featured from here on out, but my first playoff team is from the East.

Coming in at number 18 I have the Los Angeles Clippers. Congratulations on, definitely now, being back to being the second, or maybe even third team, that anyone even talks about in LA or California. The Clippers are a shell of what was once the incredibly overrated "Lob City". None of those guys remain. They are all on new teams. They also got rid of Austin Rivers, which I think was one of their better moves in a long, long time. But, what is left over, I am not sold on. I do really like Shai Gilgeous Alexander. That kid became the face of the Kentucky team by the middle of the season, and he ran with it all the way to being a lottery pick. He has also looked good in preseason, and crushed summer league. He should be the point guard on opening night. But, they will roll out Patrick Beverly instead. I know that Beverly is a great and annoying defender, can run a team and doesn't need to shoot all the time. But, he is coming off some big time injuries, doesn't need to shoot because he can't really shoot and is old in NBA terms. If the over under until Danilo Gallinari gets hurt is 20 games, I'd take the under. That dude always gets hurt. Tobias Harris is a fine player, and has shown flashes of being a capable third or fourth option on a playoff team, but the Clippers are hoping he is their "guy". They replaced Deandre Jordan with Marcin Gortat, but what can he really do anymore than set a screen. He may not have liked John Wall personally, but he is going to miss him dearly when he is out there with Beverly or Milos Teodosic. As with Teodosic, he is old and will get hurt very quick too. Boban Marjanovic is their other option at center, but he is more known for his size than his game. He is the modern Gheorge Muresean. Lou Williams can score in bunches, but it won't matter for this team because they will not be playing for anything important after All Star break. I bet he gets traded. They resigned Avery Bradley, and while he was once a very good three and D guy, I think that was a one season deal. He has never played that well, and he is now coming off multiple injuries. Montrez Harrell is another option at the 5, but he is too plodding to face up against the top centers in the league. They also signed Luc Mbah AMoute, but he will not do for them what he did in Houston last season. The Clippers are back to being also rans. Maybe they will be able to lure Kawhi or Jimmy Butler, but that will not happen until next offseason. For now, they are a 38-40 win team at best.

At number 17 I have the Minnesota Timberwolves. Now, a lot of this depends on the whole Jimmy Butler thing. If he were to stay, as I think he should, they would be higher in my rankings. But, he has openly demanded a trade on way more than one occasion. That is why they are just outside of the playoffs for me. He will most likely get traded, I have heard that talks have been heating up, but if he doesn't, I still think, especially in the West, there are 8 better teams. And, who's to say that, if he stays, Butler would be fully engaged? He may tank just to get traded. As far as the rest of the roster, I love KAT. I think he is a great modern center. He can score from inside and out. He is a solid rebounder. He can score against the best of the best. But, he struggles defensively. Some of that is him, some of that is the coaching staff. He gets put in bad situations far too much due to their defensive scheme. Andrew Wiggins is one of the most bashed upon players in the league. I think he is okay, but others just seem to really dislike him. I think he is a very good slasher. I like his jump shot. I think he plays hard. But, just like KAT, he has not been able to play defense at any kind of level in the NBA. He is far too often on highlight reels for the wrong reason. I like both rookies they took, Keita Bates-Diop has looked great so far, and Josh Okogie is the point guard of the future. But, this staff will not play them enough. Thibs would rather play guys like Derrick Rose, he's washed, Luol Deng, I forgot he was in the league, Taj Gibson, who is okay, but real old and slow and Jeff Teague, who seems to hate playing in Minnesota and playing for Thibs. Thibs runs these guys into the ground for no reason. He is also taking on his former players about 5 years too late. Tyus Jones is okay, but he is much more suited for a back up role on a contender. And then there is the albatross that is the Gorgui Dieng contract. While this guy can play a little D and is an okay rebounder, he is making way too much money for a guy that cannot stay on the floor for more than 10 minutes a night. There is a reason they are trying to add him in the Butler trade talks. The Timberwolves are a mess right now. They finally broke their playoff drought last year, but now, they have so many problems, I just do not see them making a return, even if Butler sticks around for one more year.

My final team for the day, my first playoff team, coming in at number 16 I have the Miami Heat. Again, Jimmy Butler has a lot to do with this team, but I am going to judge them on my countdown as if he is not on this team because he isn't at the moment. I like the roster here, but they just don't have the guys to be any higher than this on my list. They have players, but they are mid level at their positions. I like Goran Dragic. I think he is a solid point guard. He is just fine running this offense. But, he is probably around the 10th best point guard in the league. Dwayne Wade is on his retirement tour all year. He will get a ton of the attention, and it is well deserved, he is a sure fire first ballot hall of famer. But, he is not the guy he was the first time around in Miami. Hasan Whiteside should be a top 5 enter in the league, but the dude has some issues. First off, he cannot shoot free throws and his jumper in nonexistent. What he does great is rebound and defend. But, he is too prone to getting into scuffles on and off the court, and he just isn't totally reliable. I like Whiteside's game, I just wish he didn't let the little things bother him. Justise Winslow can defend and can get to the hoop. But, he gets hurt far too much, and his jump shot has not looked good since he was drafted. He also may be traded at some point. Josh Richardson is a fine outside shooter. He's not too flashy, but the dude can fill it up if he needs to. Dion Waiters is coming off an ACL injury, and at his age, that may be the end. He won't admit it, he probably still thinks he is the best 2 guard in the league, but he is not, and I like Dion Waiters. I'm sure the Heat are regretting giving Tyler Johnson the contract the gave him 2 years ago. While he is a fine player, they over paid for him, and he has just not lived up to the money. I really like the high flying Derrick Jones Jr. All he needs is some playing time, and I think the Heat will give it to him. Watch out for this kid. He has been biding his time, and I feel like he is going to explode soon. James Johnson is a bad dude. He is big and mean and tough and I adore watching him play. He isn't anywhere near the best at his position, but I bet every star that has to go up against him dreads it. I think, especially with the uncertainty that Whiteside brings, that Bam Adebayo can be their center of the future, if he doesn't get traded. He has good feet, a nice touch around the rim and can rebound and defend his spot. Outside of those guys the rest of the roster is pretty blah. But, what makes the Heat a playoff team to me is Erik Spoelstra. He has a group of guys that know what they can and can't do, and he squeezes the most out of them that he can get. Spoelstra may be the most underrated coach in the league right now. The Heat will make the playoffs because of guys like James Johnson, Bam, Goran Dragic and Derrick Jones Jr. But, they will mainly make it because of the coaching job that Erik Spolestra does every year.

That's it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next three. It is all playoff teams from here on out.

Ty

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

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Jimmy Butler Does Not Fit with the Miami Heat

Last week Jimmy Butler said he wants to be traded. I wrote a piece basically saying I wanted him to stick it out one more season in Minnesota. That seems like a real no go. He’s already talked to Tom Thibodeau twice, and he still wants out. He has given a list of teams he’s willing to go to. He has already said he will sit out training camp if he isn’t dealt. I’m pretty sure he’s not at any of the media stuff going on right now. Even the Timberwolves GM has said they are taking calls, and he is very available. I’m still perplexed why, maybe it’s because he’s an old school player playing with young kids that don’t take it as seriously as he does, but his new preferred team really makes no sense to me.

As I said last week, Butler named 3 teams he would go to. Those teams, the Knicks, Nets and Clippers. I wrote why I think the Timberwolves are a better fit than all 3. But, the other day, Butler and his agent, David Falk, have now said his preferred team, the team he really, really wants to play for now, the Miami Heat.

Hear me out as to why I think this is an odd fit for Butler.

The Heat are already a playoff team. They play in the East, they have a solid core and I like their current core. To get Butler, they are going to have to break that all up. I know a third team has to get involved, and the Kings seem like the popular choice right now. Why I don’t like this, the Heat will have to give up key players to an already playoff ready roster. Adding Butler will instantly push the Heat into the top 4 in the East. But, with what they’ll have to unload, they would be far behind the Celtics, 76ers and Raptors for sure. Each of those teams have much better units than a Miami Heat roster with Jimmy Butler.

Now, let’s get to what the Heat will have to give up. From what I’ve heard, Justice Winslow is the coveted young guy, Goran Dragic is the vet and then some random salary dump player. I don’t like this for the Heat at all. I know Winslow’s shooting hasn’t really translated to the pros, but he can defend, and he’s still super young. He also closed out the year much better than I expected. He looks like he may be a late bloomer. Dragic finally looks like he is on the right team for his skill set. He’s a great penetrating and kick point guard. The Heat don’t have great shooters around him, but they do have guys that can score. Dragic is also real good finishing around the rim. As far as the salary dump players from the Heat, I feel like it would be either Hassan Whiteside or Tyler Johnson. Both guys haven’t lived up to the hype after their one good season, but both are integral to the Heat’s success last year. So they’d have to lose 2-3 key players to get Butler.

Now, I do think Butler is one of the 20 best current NBA players, but he’s not worth that much. Butler would replace Winslow’s defense, Butler is one of the best defenders in the NBA, but he’s much older, and we know what type of player he is. Butler will not replace Dragic due to position. Butler is not a point guard. He’s a 2 or a 3. The Heat would need a real point guard. Then, if they lose Whiteside, who I know was unplayable in the playoffs last year, they have only Bam Adebayo, who has potential, but isn’t the defender Whiteside is. Losing Tyler Johnson wouldn’t be so bad at least. Jimmy Butler is a much, much, much better player, and they pretty much play the same position.

But say this happens. Say the Heat give up Winslow, Dragic and Whiteside to get Butler. When looking at the rest of the Heat roster, it doesn’t seem more hardcore than the Timberwolves. Look, I love Dion Waiters. I still draft him in fantasy leagues. But, I would much rather play with Andrew Wiggins. Dwayne Wade is a champ and Hall of Famer, but this is his last year, and what does he give you that a guy like Jeff Teague or Wiggins or Tyus Jones can’t? And, all those guys are way younger than Wade. And while I love Adebayo’s old school game, and his potential, KAT has proven that he’s one of the best young players in the league. When he figures it out on defense, he’s going to be a top 5 player.

So I say a week later, I don’t like this fit for Butler. I really want him to stick it out, for just one more season, in Minnesota. That team was real, real good before Butler got hurt. I think they could do it again if he were to stay. He will likely be dealt, but I just don’t see any other fit that is better than what is currently happening with the Timberwolves. I just want him to stay.

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.

Jimmy Butler Should Stay in Minnesota and See What Happens

So I have a few thoughts about the whole Jimmy Butler situation.

If you don’t know, Butler has asked to be traded away from Minnesota. Apparently he has had enough, after just one season, of the young kids on the team, mainly KAT. First off, I have no problem if he wants to go to a team that has a chance to be competitive right away. It took KD leaving OKC for me to realize this. But, if you want a ring before your career is done, I say, go for it. Players careers are so limited now, get it while you can.

With that being said, I liked the fit of Butler with KAT and Wiggins. I also liked him alongside vets like Taj Gibson and Jeff Teague. He also got to go play for his first coach in the league, Tom Thibodeau. It seemed perfect. And at first, it was. The Timberwolves looked pretty good with their starting five, including Butler. They were rolling. I believe at one point they were at the 3 seed in the West.

Then Butler got hurt.

The Timberwolves stopped playing defense. Then Wiggins struggled. Then KAT started to struggle. Then Thibodeau started to play the vets way, way too many minutes. And then Butler said something about the young guys not having the will and the grind to be high caliber NBA stars. I agreed with him, but I felt like this was something they could have been said in the locker room, not to the media. That’s when the cracks started. I heard and read things saying he wanted out of Minnesota. I heard he was floated during the trade deadline. He then turned down a massive extension. This all shocked me.

And now, here we are today.

Butler gave the Timberwolves one last meeting, in LA, the other day, and this was when he asked to be traded. This was clearly a courtesy move by Butler, because he had no intention of sticking around. Now comes the hard/fun part.

Butler has given the three teams he prefers:

The Nets

Why?

The Knicks

What the hell?

And the Clippers

Please god no.

I don’t get why Jimmy Butler would want to leave the Timberwolves for one of these three teams. I know they have the most money, and can easily resign him next summer, but why the Nets, Knicks or Clippers, I may never know. One guess I have, Kyrie Irving has said he wants to team up with Butler, and he’s expressed interest in playing for the Knicks next year. As far as the Nets, I guess, it would be his team. They would have to build around him. With the Clippers, maybe he’s willing to miss the playoffs for one year until Kawhi Leonard signs there, that’s his preferred team.

But I say, what of all these fall through? What if Kyrie and the Celtics click, make the Finals and he loves playing for Brad Stevens? Also, they need a center, and I’d be salivating I’d I were Kyrie at the prospect of playing with Anthony Davis. I love Kristaps Porzingis, but AD is so much better than him. What if the Nets are permanently stuck in this mediocrity hell they live in now? What if Butler is the only guy they can get, and he ends up being a good stats, but team guy? That would be brutal for his legacy. The Clippers are the Clippers. They’re the quintessential underachieving overrated NBA team. Will Butler change that? Maybe, if they get Kawhi. But then he is the second best guy on a team? Will that be what he wants? Doesn’t a trade request mean you want to be “the guy”? That won’t happen if he goes to LA and they get Kawhi. Also, what if Toronto, somehow some way convince Kawhi to stay? Then Butler is left with a bunch of castoffs. Also, especially with LeBron now a Laker, the Clippers will always be the little brother, no matter the records.

I liked the fit of Butler in Minnesota, but I’m just an outside fan. There could be way more stuff I know nothing about as to why he wants out. But for now, it seems to me, he wants to go from a team that could be a perennial playoff contender to some teams with a ton of questions that won’t be answered until next year. We shall see.

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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What the Hell is Thibodeau Doing with the Timberwolves?

With the recent NBA news that Loul Deng was bought out by the Lakers and then signed by the Timberwolves, I just cannot help but wonder will happen, now that Joakim Noah is about to be released by the Knicks. I'm not the first person that has noticed that the Timberwolves team this coming season look a lot like the Bulls did in the early 2010's, when Tom Thibodeau was the head coach there. If he signs Joakim Noah, or even thinks about it, I will be all out on the Timberwolves.

Look, I have made it pretty clear that I have struggled to find an NBA team to root for since KD left the Thunder and signed with the Warriors. I eventually decided on the Suns, as I wrote awhile back, but for a moment, the team I was going to choose was going to be Minnesota. I had a history, what with Kevin Garnett being one of my all time favorite players while he was there, and I loved the young talent they had. They then let Ricky Rubio go. I know that they had to. He had run his course, and they needed to free up space for better, scoring point guards. They also traded Kevin Love, which I was also fine with because they got Andrew Wiggins and I felt like he was going to be a solid building block. Then they had the number one pick a few years back, and they took Karl AnthonTay-Towns, who I am a big, big fan of, and it just seemed like a good time to stick up for them. Even when they hired Thibodeau, which I wasn't a fan of, and then traded for Jimmy Butler, which I really liked, I was about to go fully on board with my fandom.

Then, they went out and signed Taj Gibson. I have nothing against Gibson, he seems to be a great team and locker room guy, but his best playing days are far behind him. He played his best when he was last coached by Thibodeau on the Bulls. That was about 5 years ago.

The Timberwolves then, after the Knicks dumped him, inexplicably signed Derrick Rose. Derrick Rose was once great. He won an MVP award. He had flashes where he looked like the next big star. But, he got derailed by two horrible knee injuries. He hen started to make wild claims in New York. He then disappeared for no reason while a Knick. He did the exact same thing when Cleveland signed him a year later. Derrick Rose is clearly not the athlete he once was, and there is certainly something mentally wrong with him. But Tom Thibodeau ignored all of the things we all see, and signed him anyway, and then kept him this offseason.

Now, he has decided to bring on Luol Deng. Deng is like Gibson. He was once a solid NBA bench contributor. He did things that helped the mid 2010 Bulls win games. But, he barely saw the floor last year. The Lakers did almost everything they could to get rid of him last year. His best days are clearly far, far behind him. But, Tom Thibodeau wanted to get the band back together as they say.

So, this whole meme and blog generation, and yes, that includes me, have started to call the "new look" Timberwolves, the Timberbulls. I mean, they now have Deng, Rose Gibson and Butler. Butler is the only one worth having, and he wants out. Go read some of his recent interviews, or just look at the fact that he opted to not sign a mega extension. But it doesn't seem like Thibodeau cares. And now, with Noah out there, I wouldn't be shocked if Thibs gets the itch to sign him. That would be horrible. How any of this fits, with Butler being the exception, with guys like Jeff Teague, Wiggins, KAT, is way beyond me. I feel like Thibodeau is a lesser version of Doc Rivers. He likes guys that used to be good on his teams, or against him, no matter how far past their primes they may be.

The only thing these signings, and the possibility of a Noah signing, does is push back the growth of their young stars. Wiggins hasn’t hit his stride, but he still can. Now though, he has to split time with Derrick Rose. Jeff Teague has proven himself a quality NBA point guard, but he also has to split time with Rose. KAT should be “the guy” for the Timberwolves, but Thibodeau is going to throw Luol Deng, Taj Gibson and, if he signs him, Joakim Noah out there to only stunt KAT’s growth. I wanted to like the Timberwolves. I wanted to be a fan. But, with what GM Thibs has done, I just cannot. He is signing over the hill has beens to play with budding stars. He is going to ruin the young players on this team, just so he can have some former Bulls around him.

What a waste.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is a great GM and has NBA 2K rosters to prove it. Call him up T’Wolves.

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The SeedSing 2018 NBA Playoff Preview

The NBA playoffs are set, and the games kick off on Saturday. I'm am here today for my annual playoff preview. I'll go through the East and the West, pick a winner for each series all the way down to the finals. I will give my finals matchup, the winner and the MVP of the series. Tomorrow I will do all my awards, but today is strictly for just the playoffs. Alright, here we go.

In the East the seeding is as follows, Toronto is 1, Celtics 2, 76ers 3, Cavs 4, Pacers 5, Heat 6, Bucks 7 and Wizards 8. So, that gives us first round series of Toronto-Washington, Boston-Milwaukee, Philadelphia-Miami and Cleveland-Indiana. Truth be told, these are some good series. In the Toronto-Washington matchup, I am going with Toronto, but it will be tough. I know Washington is dysfunctional, everyone on that team seems to dislike John Wall, they have limped to the playoffs, they don't play great defense, but they will make it tough on Toronto. They have always struggled with this team because Wall and Beal give Kyle Lowry and DeMar DeRozan all they can handle on both ends. But, I think the mixture of Toronto's bench and the mess that is the Wizards right now will give the Raptors the series in 6 games. They will be 6 tough games though.

In the Boston-Milwaukee series, it would be so much easier to pick if Kyrie Irving was still healthy. I'm still going with Boston, but Milwaukee, mostly Giannis Antentekoumpo, will make it hard. Giannis is a beast. He is an upper echelon star now. And, with Irving out, he is, far and away, the best player in this series. He can single handily win 3 games. The fourth one will be the problem. Also, Boston has Brad Stevens as head coach, Al Horford is still out there, Jaylen Brown is playing good basketball and Jayson Tatum seems to have gotten past the rookie wall. Boston will win, but it will take 7 games.

I love the 3-6 matchup of Philly and Miami. Miami can matchup with Philadelphia everywhere. Miami can play any style of basketball needed to win. Miami has more playoff experience. Miami has the much, much better coach. And, Joel Embiid may not play in the first round. But, Ben Simmons is on a whole other level right now. He doesn't seem like he is going to be taken down by the moment. He might be forced to shoot jumpers, but the dude can get out of that by driving and kicking. And, the shooters around him are hitting shots at the right time. Again, this will be a long, hard fought series, but I have fully bought into the 76ers hype, and I have them in 7 games, 6 if Embiid plays at all in the series.

Finally in the East's first round we have Cleveland-Indiana. This series could go a number of different ways. Cleveland can steam roll them. Indiana can muddy it up and make it a slog. Cleveland could decide to not play defense. Cleveland is almost as dysfunctional as Washington. Indiana was not even supposed to be here. They are young. They have surprised everyone this year. Now, I like the Cavs simply because of playoff LeBron. He will not allow his team to lose in the first round. If they do, he is gone. But, he will not let that happen, and I have the Cavs in 5. LeBron is just too good and he is great in the playoffs.

The second round will pit Toronto against Cleveland and Boston against Philly. Toronto is stuck with another team that they struggle with. Cleveland owns Toronto, and I don't see that changing now. Again, LeBron will impose his will, and the Cavs will outscore Toronto on their way to a fourth straight Eastern Conference finals appearance.

In Philly-Boston, I have to say, I love the 76ers. Irving is out, as previously mentioned. Embiid will be back 100 percent. No one on Boston can guard Ben Simmons. Philadelphia's shooters will be open. The Celtics just don't have the guys to compete this year. I have Philly in 6 in this series.

So that would pit the 76ers against the Cavs in the East Finals. The 76ers are way ahead of schedule, but this is where all the hype ends. Cleveland has LeBron, and LeBron will not allow his team to get beat by such a young team. These 2 teams played a great regular season game a couple weeks ago, but it was regular season. The game didn't really matter. LeBron will once again be in the Finals. That would make it 8 straight.

Now, the West. The seeding in the West is as follows, Houston 1, Golden State 2, Portland 3, OKC 4, Utah 5, New Orleans 6, San Antonio 7 and Minnesota 8. The matchups are Houston-Minnesota, Golden State-San Antonio, Portland-New Orleans and OKC-Utah. Houston will beat Minnesota, but it will be tougher than expected. I guarantee they wanted Denver because of their lack of defense. While Minnesota isn't much better, they do at least try on that end. Also, Towns is much better than Clint Capela. Jimmy Butler can give James Harden fits. But, Chris Paul will be there to help out Harden, Eric Gordon and Trevor Ariza will hit threes and the discrepancy in talent on the rosters is widely in Houston's favor. They are also having a "magical" year. The Rockets will win in 6 games, but it will be a bloodbath.

Golden State is going to blow the doors off the Spurs, and I love the Spurs. But, no Kawhi is going to kill them against he Warriors. And I know that Steph isn't playing in the first round, but KD, Klay and Draymond are all there. I also think the Warriors are playing possum right now, and I think they are going to come into the playoffs with their heads on fire. I have the Warriors in a sweep.

Portland-New Orleans is going to be a good series, with very high scoring games. The Pelicans have no one that can stop Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum, but who do the Trailblazers have that can stop Anthony Davis? No one. He is going to EXPLODE in the playoffs. I'm so excited to watch him play. I'm excited to see Lillard and McCollum too. This is going to be the best first round series in my opinion, and I think the Pelicans will win in 7 simply because Anthony Davis is playing on a whole other level right now.

OKC-Utah is the second best series. These 2 teams couldn't be more different, and it will make for a fun matchup. Russell Westbrook is playing pretty great right now. But, he will find it hard to get open looks at the rim with Rudy Gobert down low. Donovan Mitchell has had an amazing season, but he will have to beat Paul George on defense. Steven Adams can stop Gobert down low, but Gobert can do the same to him. Carmelo has been dreadful this year, but maybe he turns it on for the playoffs. He hasn't been in awhile too. This is going to be a fun series, and I have OKC grinding out a 7 game series victory. Westbrook is too good, and Paul George is one of the better defenders in the league. I love Mitchell and Gobert, but they aren't ready just yet.

That gives us a second round of Houston-OKC and Golden State-New Orleans. Houston-OKC will be fun. OKC gets up for the better teams in the league, and they just beat Houston in a game, but Houston trounced them in the playoffs last year, and the Rockets didn't have Chris Paul last year. Also, Adams is way too slow to keep up with Capela, and Carmelo will be torched on defense. Chris Paul will finally make his first trip to a conference final in his career, as the Rockets will win in 6.

Golden State is again, much like their first round matchup, going to squash the Pelicans. Sure, AD will go off, but who is going to stop KD, Klay and Steph, who will be back? Oh, and Draymond too. This series will be a wash. Golden State in a sweep once again.

These outcomes will give us the much anticipated Houston-Golden State West Finals. And we all know how poorly Harden, Paul and Mike D'Antoni play and coach in the most important series. The Rockets will choke. Everyone wants to pick them. Everyone says they are finally ready to take the throne from the Warriors. Everyone seems to think that D'Antoni is doing a better job than Kerr. Well, D'Antoni's recent remarks, the whole "winning a title does not define how good this season was" said all I needed to hear. He is already bracing himself for when his team gets beat. Golden State will take their first 2 playoff losses, but I have them winning the series in 6.

This gives us a fourth straight Cleveland-Golden State finals. And, much like last year, Golden State is going to smoke them. I think they will sweep them out this year, and it won't even be that close. Golden State is so much better, they play defense, they will care and they will crush the Cavs to win their third title in 4 years. As far as the Finals MVP, I will go with Steph. It is his turn.

There you have it, my 2018 NBA playoff preview. I love this time of year.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty's 2017-2018 NBA Preview: Pelicans, Raptors, Heat, Timberwolves

To change things up just a bit, for a surprise type ending if you will, I'm going to do 4 teams today and tomorrow, then back to three on Friday, saving Monday for my number 1 overall team. It may be a bit odd, but hey, it's my blog and I will do what I want. Anyway, here we go.

At number 12 I have the New Orleans Pelicans. I am much, much higher on this team then some of the so called experts seem to be. I love the trying to be the twin towers thing that they are doing. Boogie Cousins is one of my favorite NBA players. I know he can be a hot head at times, and he may whine a bit too much, but he is so god damn good at basketball. He is nearly unstoppable in the low post, and he has gotten himself, for a guy his size, an okay jumper. He is also a tenacious rebounder. If he is fully engaged on defense he is a force to be reckoned with. This is probably his last year as a Pelican too, so I expect him to ball the hell out. Anthony Davis is a once in a generation player. When healthy, there is no better center in the league. He literally does it all. He can dominate the post, he can shoot all the way out to the three point line, he is a great rebounder and one of the best rim protectors in the NBA. He has all the tools and he is only going to get better. He just needs to stay healthy. I could see him make a real push for MVP this year, especially if the Pelicans are as good as I think they will be. I am not a big Rajon Rondo fan, but I love the signing. I know he is hurt, but he will be back before they even hit the quarter mark of the season. He cannot shoot, at all, but he will put Boogie and Davis in the best possible position to each average at least 20 points a game. And if he is engaged on defense, well, we all saw what he did in the playoffs before he got hurt last year. Jrue Holiday got too much money, but I get why the Pelicans did it. He is very important to this team, and he has played through some bad injuries and bad family stuff for this franchise. He is also not that bad too. I like that Ian Clark is going to get some real playing time for the Pelicans. He showed flashes here and there when he got in games for the Warriors last year, but he was way too far down the depth chart. Now, he will get 20 minutes plus a game. Omer Asik needs to go, especially since Boogie is now on the team. He is a zero gain for this team. His contract was an atrocity and they need to move on. Soloman Hill is a fine role player. Nothing more, nothing less. Tony Allen is going to bring some much needed toughness and defense to this team. Cheick Diallo, who I thought was going to be a bust, looked okay in his limited playing time last year. He can spell either Davis or Boogie when they need a break. The Pelicans may not have many big names besides Boogie and Anthony Davis, but I would be happy about having those 2 guys if I were a Pelicans fan. Look for them to return to the playoffs this year.

At number 11 we have the Toronto Raptors. What is there to say about the Raptors that I didn't say last year, or the year before that. They are running it back once again, and while that will be good for 50 plus regular season wins and a playoff berth, will they make it passed the second round? I don't know. Depends on who they play I suppose. But, getting Kyle Lowry to return was big. He is an important player and a good playerfor the Raptors. He just needs to play better in the post season. DeMar DeRozan is a great scorer. He is one of the better mid range shooters and rim attackers. The problem with him, he cannot shoot threes. He has never been a good three point shooter. He will still get 24 or 25 points game though. Serge Ibaka is back. He kind of tailed off at the end of last year, but I like his fit with Toronto. He is a good third option, he has expanded his touch and he can still be a good rim protector. Jonas Valenciunas is back, but he hasn't gotten better every year like so many other younger players have. He is good for 12 points and 8 rebounds a night, but if I had to pick between him and Marcin Gortat, I'd go with Gortat. Valenciunas just hasn't shown the full potential so many expected out of him when he came into the league. Losing PJ Tucker and Patrick Paterson will hurt. But, this gives guys like Norman Powell and Lucas Nogueira more playing time. They could replace some of what the other guys are leaving behind. Jakob Poertl is a mystery to me. I expected him to be good, but he had a rough rookie year. Maybe he will bounce back, maybe he will be a bust, but this season will let us know for sure. They signed KJ McDaniels and CJ Miles this offseason. McDaniels was pretty mediocre in Detroit. But, CJ Miles was the Pacers second best option last year. He is a very good, long and left handed scorer. Don't sleep on Miles. The Raptors also drafted OG Anounoby. He will miss the first part of the year recovering fro, his injury, but I do see him as a lite version of Victor Oladipo. The Raptors will be a good regular season team and coast to the playoffs, but matchups will be a determining factor as to how far they go.

At number 10 I have one of my new favorite teams, the Miami Heat. I love what the Heat did in the second half of last year, and I think they will only get better this year. Erik Spoelstra is a good coach. Last year made that wildly clear. I am a big fan of Hassan Whiteside. I'd put him second to only Rudy Gobert as the best rim protectors in the NBA. He is also a beats on the boards. And now he is figuring out the offensive end. That is scary. Goran Dragic is a solid NBA point guard. He can pass, score and even defend a little bit. Dion Waiters has finally found a perfect spot for himself to just let it fly and fly as often as he wants. I would not be shocked at all if he is 20 point per game scorer this year. James Johnson looks like a linebacker and runs like a running back. He is so big and strong and can get to the rim. Tyler Johnson, after getting a crazy contract, wasn't all that bad last year. He surprised me with how okay he was. This is the make or break year for Justise Winslow. Either he fixes his jumper, or he is destined to be a bench guy the rest of his career. He still does play some solid defense though. We will also see how he does coming off an injury. I love the pick of Bam Adebayo. He looks like he is going to be a solid center in the NBA for awhile. He is big and can run the floor. All he really needs is a competent jumper. Josh Richardson isn't all that bad either. This Heat team reminds me a lot of the early 2000's Pistons. They don't have any "star" players, but they do have guys that bought into playing team basketball. They won't win the title, but I do like them to be a top 4 seed in the East come playoff time.

And for the fourth and final team of today, I have the Minnesota Timberwolves. Last year I was reluctant to call this team a playoff team. This season, I would write it in pen. First off, they got Jimmy Butler. He was one of the prize guys this offseason, and he is reuniting with Tom Thibodeau, and he is the veteran super star this team needs. The fit is perfect. Karl Anthony Towns is becoming one of the better big men in the league. I know his defense needs work, but he is already a big threat on offense, and he will learn to play defense. I love the way Towns approaches the game. Andrew Wiggins is getting, in my opinion, unfairly dubbed as a bad defender. I think a ton was asked and expected from him when he came into the league, and he is still kind of figuring it out. He is so explosive though, and I really love his game. Besides Butler, the Timberwolves also signed Jamal Crawford, Jeff Teague and Taj Gibson. Crawford brings some instant offense for this team. Jeff Teague is a good point guard that will run the offense and play some defense and hit some open shots. And Taj Gibson is a great rebounder and a great veteran leader. All three of these guys bring something that the Timberwolves were missing last year. Shabazz Muhammed has been a fairly decent player in the league, much to my surprise. He is a good bench player. Gorgui Dieng is a fine backup center. He does need to play better defense, but he is still a solid backup. Tyus Jones has finally made his way to an NBA roster. He has become a solid player too. I also like their pick of Justin Patton. He can learn behind Towns and Gibson before being pressed into action. The Timberwolves will be the team that everyone thought they were going to be last year this year.

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

Ty

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

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Are the Chicago Bulls Incompetent, or Just Plain Stupid?

The Bulls front office plans for next season

Around this same time last year I was praising the Bulls for offloading Derrick Rose and letting Joakim Noah leave in free agency. These were tough moves, but they needed to be done. Rose was well past his best playing days, and Noah, well he cannot stay healthy at all. That was all proven last season. Well, I'm here today, almost one year to the date, to eviscerate the Bulls.

What the Bulls did last night, with their draft day moves, was some the dumbest front office decisions I have ever witnessed. Bill Simmons said it on his podcast this morning, an I will reiterate it right now. Everyone involved with the Bulls needs to be let go. The moves they made last night made absolutely no sense whatsoever. They looked even worse than the Kings, who had a decent draft, and, dare I say, the Knicks. The draft itself went pretty much as expected. The top 5 guys were the top five guys, and other than what the Bulls did, every team stayed pat.

When my phone buzzed and said that the Timberwolves were trying to make a move to acquire Jimmy Butler, I thought it was just going to be talk. Then, I shit you not, 2 minutes later the trade was announced that the Bulls traded away Jimmy Butler and the 16th pick to the Timberwolves for Zach Lavine, Kriss Dunn and the 7th overall pick.

I was floored.

This move made absolutely no sense to me at all. I love it for the Timberwolves, as many of you might remember, I became a T'Wolves fan the moment KD signed with the Warriors. So, to see my new team get one of the top 15 NBA players to pair up with Karl Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, that made me ecstatic. I kept saying to my wife, "I can't believe the T'Wolves got Butler for basically nothing". I said it so much she told me that I needed to chill out on the NBA draft talk. She doesn't care about this stuff like I do.

So, while still in awe of what the T'Wolves had done, and getting excited that they will most likely be a playoff team next year, and a tough out at that, I started to think about it from the Bulls perspective. Why would they do this deal? Was there not a better offer out there? Are the front office people morons? Why give up on Jimmy Butler so soon? Did they just want him out of the East? I had a lot of questions.

I already answered the one about the front office. They are either trying to tear this team about and rebuild from the bottom up, or they are stupid and think a guy coming off one of the worst rookie years ever and the other guy coming off a torn ACL were good enough replacements for Butler. That is patently false. I thought the Bulls might make up for it by taking someone like Malik Monk or Donovan Mitchell or even Justin Jackson, but nope. They used the 7th overall pick on Lauri god damn Markkenan. What a waste. I was hyper critical of him in my mock draft yesterday. He is way too soft. He is not a big time rebounder or rim protector. He can barely even finish at the rim, even though he is 7 feet tall. All he can do is hit the open three. This dude is destined to be a bench player, maybe the 9th or 10th guy off the bench, and the Bulls took him in the lottery.

To once again answer the question about the front office in Chicago, it seems to be filled with incompetent morons. What a stupid, stupid draft and an even worse pick. As far as why would they do this deal, I still have no idea. It still makes no sense, from the Bulls point of view. They got nothing near equal value for Butler, and they also gave away a first round pick. Both of those gone to acquire Kris Dunn, Zach Lavine and a lottery pick? It is mind boggling.

This leads me to my next question I asked. Where there not better deals? I'm sure Boston could have sent a much better package to get Butler. I know Cleveland wanted him, so why not trade Love for Butler straight up. That is much better than what Minnesota gave them. Or maybe gauge what kind of young talent they could've gotten from the Lakers or the Suns if they really wanted a lottery pick. there had to be better deals on the table, I just think they jumped on the first offer so they could offload a disgruntled player.

As far as giving up on him, I don't think they did that, I just think his time in Chicago was up, and they knew that, so they traded him away. It was a poor offer, but they pulled the trigger anyway. And with getting him out of the East, I do not think that was taken into account at all. No team in the East is going to beat Cleveland, even if they don't acquire Paul George at some point, because LeBron is still going to be there at least one more season. Like I've said time and time again, I just think they jumped on one of the first offers they were given.

Finally, just when I didn't think their night could get any worse, they made another very bad choice in the second round. It was announced that they had drafted Jordan Bell from Oregon, and I thought, okay, at least they will get something decent out of this draft. Then, inexplicably, they traded him away to the Warriors for cash. That is such a terrible, horrible, atrocious deal. Bell is the perfect player for the Warriors, who did not have pick in this draft, and the Bulls gift wrapped him for cash. What the hell! Again, I was shocked at the stupidity I was witnessing. They had a great second round value pick, to make up for the awful trade from round one, and they gave him away for nothing.

The Bulls are going to be so dreadful next year. They're going to be trotting out a starting five of Dwayne Wade, Robin Lopez, Rajon Rondo and 2 dudes that no one has ever heard of. They will be lucky to win 30 games next season. Fred Hoiberg will, and should, be gone mid season. Wade will probably demand a trade. I'm sure Rondo will become annoyed and want out as well. The Bulls will be a Knicks level joke, but at least the Knicks have Porzingis, for now, and drafted the big and gifted point guard from France. The Bulls might be as bad as the Nets next year due to what they did last night. This was a horrific decision, and it will haunt them as much as when Jordan and Pippen left the team and they were winning 20 to 25 games a year for about 5 straight seasons. The Bulls, by far, had the worst draft night that I have seen since the Grizzlies took Hasheem Tabheet with the second overall pick years ago. This was a train wreck.

To end it on a happy note though, good job by the T'Wolves. This instantly makes them a playoff team, and I think putting Butler in the back court with Ricky Rubio and Andrew Wiggins is going to go over swimmingly. I love this move for Minnesota.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Ty Tells You Who Will Win the NBA Finals and All the Other Awards

Lots of game balls to give out

I finished my 10 day NBA preseason countdown yesterday, so today, I will give you my finals prediction, award predictions and some surprises, be they good or bad, that I think will happen this upcoming season.

Let's start with the finals.

I don't see how this is not part three of Cavs-Warriors. They are both the superior teams in their respective conferences. They have no real challengers. Some will say the Cavs will be pushed by the Raptors, Celtics or Pacers. The Raptors are perpetual underachievers. The Celtics don't have a super star, ball dominant, get you the tough points when you need them type of guy. The Pacers have no one that can defend both LeBron and Kyrie Irving. The Cavs are just so much better than any team in the East. The Warriors have no one, and I mean no one, that should slow them down one bit. They have the 3 of the 4 best players in the league in their starting five. They have scorers and playmakers all over the floor. As far as the Spurs being a threat, Kawhi Leonard can only guard one of those guys. The Clippers can't stop a pick and roll to save their lives, and the Warriors own them. OKC lost KD, and Westbrook will not be able to beat them alone, even though he will certainly try. The Trailblazers are just not on their level. The Warriors have such an easy path, it's ridiculous.

As stated, we will have a third straight rematch. The Warriors should win this title in no less than 5 games. LeBron will get one, he always does, but the Warriors are absolutely stacked, and anything less than a title would be deemed a disappointment. They will try and talk down the high expectations, but with a team like this, they should be huge, huge favorites.

As far as MVP goes, I mean, LeBron should probably win every year, but he won't this season, unless he wants to. All he has to do is try and play hard every night, and he could walk away with it. But, he has a ton of mileage on his legs, so I don't think he will play as many games this year that would be needed to win the MVP. As far as other contenders, Steph and KD and Klay will all cancel each other out. Those three on the same team will be lethal, but none will separate themselves as MVP. James Harden will score a ton, but he will play no defense, so that will not get him many votes. Russell Westbrook may put up ridiculous numbers, but he will play out of control a lot, shoot too many shots and that will cost him the MVP. He will be fun to watch, but I bet very infuriating at times as well. All these guys are great, but I think that Kawhi Leonard will take the next step and win the MVP this year. The Spurs are now his team, I think he will take that next step offensively and he is the best defender in the league. It may sound crazy, but I think Kawhi is going to become that superstar that we all expect him to be.

Coach of the year is going to go to Tom Thibodeau, unless the T'Wolves fall flat on their faces. Everyone has already penciled him in, so the award is his to lose. The T'Wolves have looked really good in the preseason, and if they finish above .500, he is a shoe in for the award.

I think Kawhi Leonard will double down and not only win the MVP, but also defensive player of the year. As I have said too much the past two days, he is the best defender, hands down, in the NBA. There is no equal.

Rookie of the year is going to go to Kris Dunn. He will usurp Ricky Rubio as the starter in Minnesota, and he looks ready to play right now. I do like Buddy Hield, he will score a ton, Joel Embiid, he has looked unstoppable in preseason and Brandon Ingram will get looks, but he is too skinny and needs to toughen up. But, Dunn will pass all these guys and play important minutes on a team that could possibly push for the playoffs, and he will play well.

As far as some surprises, I think OKC will struggle, but still get in the playoffs. Losing a player like KD is going to hurt a hell of a lot more than they are letting on. Westbrook will play like a man on fire, but he needs help from guys that haven't had this much on their plates in their NBA careers. The Celtics will be the third best team in the East. A lot of people have them as the surefire 2 seed, behind the Cavs, but I think the Pacers will snatch that 2 seed from them. The Pacers have scoring all over the floor, and with Nate McMillan as their new head coach, they will run up and down the court and score tons of points, while playing high level defense. The dunk contest won't be as good as last year, but it is starting to become must watch TV for NBA fans again. The dunk contest was in the toilet for almost a decade, but last year was one of, if not the, best dunk contests ever. I also love that Vince Carter is saying that he might enter this year. I'd love that.

And one last thing, the NBA is so watered down, I would suggest to everyone out there, only watch the Cavs, Spurs and Warriors, as well as your team. There is no point, if you are not a fan of either of these teams, to watch a midseason game between the Nets and Hornets. Neither of those teams will make any difference in the final outcome, so who cares. There are only 3 really good teams, then the rest. Get ready for a third straight rematch, and a lot of the same stuff we have seen for the last few years.

That's it for the NBA. Thanks for reading, and tomorrow, I will have my NCAA men's basketball preview. I will also have my "Eric Andre Show" and "Bar Rescue" recaps next week for everyone, I have just been hyper focused on basketball, since the season is right around the corner. It's very exciting.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The NBA may be watered down, but Ty believes in drinking plenty of water. Make sure you get the good stuff. The Warriors would be like the Fiji of bottled water. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Ty Tells You How each NBA Team Can Win the Title: Heat, Timberwolves, and Wizards

Day 5 of my NBA countdown, and we will finally get our first playoff team. Finally, I'll get to write about one team that will be playing some meaningful basketball. Tomorrow is when I start with all good teams, but today, we finally get our first playoff spot. On with the countdown.

At number 18, I have the Miami Heat. Oh how the mighty have fallen. This team played in four straight finals, and were a few Dwayne Wade jumps shots form being in the East Finals last season. But, LeBron is gone, Wade is gone, and now, after some news I read today, they are going to let Chris Bosh go. I feel so bad for Chris Bosh. He has taken so much heat from the media, but the dude is a perennial all star, played big time minutes for the Heat when they had their "big three", grabbed huge rebounds and made some big time shots. He was such an underrated, great NBA player. Totally under appreciated as well. I hope his blood clot problems clears up so he can play again, but he needs to make sure he is fully healthy before he tries to play pro basketball again. So, that leaves this team in the hands of Hassan Whiteside, Justise Winslow and Goran Dragic. While those guys are good, I would not want them to be the core of my team. Dragic can be a wizard with the ball, but he plays a bit out of control at times and he is not a great jump shooter. He also seems to get weary of being on the same team for more than 3 years. Justise Winslow is a very good defender, but he does not shoot the ball like he did his one year in college. I think that he relied a bit too much on Wade being his mentor, so he didn't work on his jumper as much as he should have his rookie year. He is going to become an elite defender, but he needs to get some kind of offensive game going to be a starter in the NBA. Then we have Hassan Whiteside. This dude is a beast. He dunks on everyone. He blocks shots and rebounds at an elite level. He is a very good low post guy. But, he has terrible attitude problems and he can flip at the switch of a hat. He has a worse temper than Boogie Cousins, and that's saying something. I don't think I would have given him a max contract because I don't think that he is a franchise player. He's good, but he can be a headache. The rest of the roster shakes out like this, Udonis Haslem, who is way, way past his prime and frankly, I can't believe he is still in the league, Tyler Johnson, who they massively overpaid, and should probably be a good bench guy, but will start on this team, Wayne Ellington, who has been nothing but inconsistent his whole career, Josh McRoberts, who cares more about his look than his game, and has also had a decline in minutes every year that he has been in the NBA and Jason Richardson, who does some nice things, but I don't think he is ready to fill Wade's shoes. The Heat should be in rebuild mode. They can lure top free agents, so maybe they won't be so good this year, but they can get some top guys next year. I see them winning about 32 games this year.

So Ty, how will the Heat win the title? They could win the title if Whiteside stops being childish. Dragic scores at will and Winslow starts to hit the three like in college. That is not happening, but don't be dour Heat fans, they will be good again in a year or 2.

At number 17, I have my new favorite team, the Minnesota Timberwolves. I am still a little shocked by the Thibodeau hire, but hey, maybe he is the best fit for the job. I love their roster, but I think it is still a year away from being in the playoff picture in the hyper competitive Western Conference. Karl Anthony Towns is an incredible basketball payer. While he may not be as good as Anthony Davis yet, he is damn close. He is unstoppable in the post, he plays good defense, he is a good rebounder and a great teammate. Towns is on his way to super stardom. Andrew Wiggins is hyper athletic. He moves so seamlessly and effortlessly on the court. He is a joy to watch, and he is one of the best young defenders in the league. He needs to work on his jumper and focus a bit more, but man, he is super athletic. Zach Lavine is a better version of Aaron Gordon. Lavine has incredible leaping ability, but he has worked to make his jumper better and worked on his handles as well. He is doing what a pro should do. Ricky Rubio is a wizard dribbling and passing, but he is horrendous on offense. It may not matter, because the T'wolves drafted Kris Dunn, who is great, and they may trade Rubio so Dunn can take over the point guard duties. Kris Dunn was my second favorite player, behind Buddy Hield, in last year's draft. Dunn is going to be good. Shabazz Muhammed has surprisingly stayed out of trouble and stayed in shape, and is a great bench scorer for this team. The additions of Jordan Hill, Cole Aldrich and Brandon Rush, while it may not sound glamorous, will be huge for this team's depth. The NBA needs to watch out for the Timberwolves because they are coming and they look like a team that will be good for awhile. I don't think they are a playoff team yet, but they will win 42-44 games.

So Ty, how will the Timberwolves win the title? The T'Wolves can win the title if Towns takes that next step to super stardom, Wiggins unleashes hell on the league, Dunn becomes an elite point guard and the bench helps out immensely. I love this team, but they are a year or two away from being a legitimate threat.

At number 16, aka my first playoff team, I have the Washington Wizards. They have fallen on hard times, but John Wall is too talented to let this team miss out on the playoffs again this year. And, as frustrating as it was to watch a Scotty Brooks coached team in OKC, he is definitely a step up from the disaster that was Randy Whitman. John Wall is awesome. He is one of the best point guards in the league. I love how fast, yet controlled he plays the game of basketball. He is great, and he is definitely one of my personal favorite players. Bradley Beal, on the other hand, has proven time and time again that he can't stay healthy. I do not understand the contract they gave him, and if I were John Wall, I'd be upset that the Wizards seem to value Beal more than him. When in there though, Beal is a great shooter. He doesn't play a whole lot of defense, but man can he score. Marcin Gortat is still there, but no more Nene. I think they will miss Nene's toughness, but Gortat is a better offensive player and a better fit to run the pick and roll with Wall. Otto Porter is in now or never mode. He looked really good two years ago, but last year was a bit of a step back. I think he is a good player, but he needs to show it. He can score and defend pretty well, but he needs to put it all together for a full season. This may be his last chance to do that with the Wizards. Kelly Oubre is still incredibly young and needs work, but he could be a very good bench player. They traded for Trey Burke, but he just hasn't been able to translate his college game to the pros. He is a bit too short, and bigger defenders completely shut him down. Markieff Morris is still there, and while being a good player, he is a total head case. They also signed Ian Mahinmi, but that was a pretty blah signing. This team is playoff good, especially in the East. They won 40 games last year, and I don't see how they don't up that to 44 or 45, especially if Wall stays healthy for most of the year. I like them to be the 8 seed in the East.

So Ty, how will the Wizards win the title? The Wizards can win the title if they have a miraculous run through the playoffs and beat everyone as the underdog. That won't happen because Brooks could not do that with a really good team in OKC. I love John Wall, but his team is destined to be a first round out for a long time in the playoffs if they keep giving guys like Bradley Beal max money.

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

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He knows it is fall not by the leaves changing color, but by the reemergence of Colin Cowherd's inexplicable racism towards John Wall. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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