Ty Tells You How each NBA Team can Win the Title: Pistons, Grizzlies, and Pacers

We are on day 8 of my NBA countdown. We are on the final 9 teams. These teams are all pretty good, each of them coming off a decent season last year. These teams will make noise, especially in the playoffs. One thing before I continue my countdown, I know that Michael Carter Williams and Tony Snell got traded for each other. After some thought, I still like where I have the Bulls and Bucks. I don't see this trade causing any kind of shift for either team, either positive or negative. Anyway, on with the countdown.

At number 9, I have the Detroit Pistons. Now, I am fully aware that Reggie Jackson got hurt, and will miss extended time, but I am not as worried about this injury as some other people are. I watched Reggie Jackson squander chance after chance while he was in OKC, and last year, that dreadful air ball to end the Pistons season in round one, shows me what kind of player he really is. He is a very good guard, but he is often selfish, clashes with coaches and teammates and thinks he is the best player on the court. He is not. He's a good starter, but he will never be an all star, and until he realizes that he has better players around him and starts to distribute more than shoot, I will always look at him as an overrated player. On the other hand, I love Andre Drummond. The dude can do everything, except shoot free throws. He is a TERRIBLE free throw shooter, but he is a world class rebounder, he's an incredibly good rim protector, and he is basically unstoppable in the low post. Drummond has gotten better every year he's been in the league, and I see that continuing for most of his career. The dude is awesome. Brandon Jennings is gone, which is kind of a bummer, but they do have Reggie Jackson, but until he gets back, the point guard duties will be in the hands of Ish Smith. This may be disconcerting. Smith is not a good scorer, so hopefully he will be a good distributor, which Jackson is not. Stanley Johnson is on his way to becoming a very good small forward. He has the confidence, calling out LeBron in their first round series last year, now he just needs the game to be at the same level. He is getting better, and that should scare the NBA. He is a tank, he is getting a better jumper, and he is a pretty good, young defensive player. Kentavious Caldwell Pope should be a much better shooter, but he hasn't been able to put it all together in the NBA. Tobias Harris is a good swiss army guy for this team. He does almost everything pretty well. He isn't dominant on one single thing, but he can give you some scoring, play a little defense and get the team going when need be. Marcus Morris is a good inside out forward, and he is not a head case like his brother. Win win. Aron Baynes is a fine back up center. He will mix it up with opponents. They signed Boban away from the Spurs, and I think, with some playing time, he could actually be a pretty good bench guy. This Pistons team should take the next step this year. I know Jackson is out, but that doesn't worry me. They will win about 46 or 47 games and be firmly in the playoffs.

So Ty, how will the Pistons win the title? The Pistons will win the title if Drummond becomes as dominant as Shaq. That isn't happening yet, but it could happen in the next few seasons. Also, they need Stanley Johnson to become a major offensive threat. Detroit is still a few seasons away from being a legitimate contender.

At number 8, I have the Memphis Grizzlies. This is a team where health, above all else, will determine how they finish. I think they will stay relatively healthy, so that is why I have them this high. Mike Conley is a very good point guard. He knows exactly how to run this team. He gets his big guys the ball when they need it. He feeds the wings at the right time and he gets his when he knows the team needs him to. He just needs to stay healthy. Z Bo and Marc Gasol are 2 great big men. Z Bo may be getting older, but he has figured out a way for his game to work every year he has been in the league. He may not be a good jumper at all, but he has a good shot, he gets crucial rebounds and he plays aggressively every night. He is the epitome of this team's toughness. Gasol, coming off a major injury, is one of the better big men in the league. He is a great inside out player, he ruffles opponents when it's needed, he is a good rebounder and a serviceable defender. He, much like Conley, just needs to stay healthy. Tony Allen may be the best defensive guard in the league. He guards the best player every night, and those players will say that he gives them the toughest times. He's a tough dude. He's not much on offense, but he more than makes up for it on the defense. Giving Chandler Parsons a max deal was kind of a head scratcher, but if he can stay healthy, which is a big if, he is exactly what this team needs. He's a good slasher, can shoot the three, plays good defense and knows his role. Jaymychael Green is a good back up center. He was asked to play too much last year because of injury, but in the right circumstance, he is a serviceable guy. Vince Carter is still plugging away. He doesn't leap like he used to, but he has found a jump shot, and can still score 20 on any given night. The rest of the team is very ho hum. This team needs their main guys to stay healthy. They will be a very good team, perhaps even a 50 win team if their core plays most of the 82 game season. I think Gasol and Conley are all stars and Z Bo and Allen do the best things they can do for this team.

So Ty, how will the Grizzlies win the title? The Grizzlies best chance at a title is to make every game a slug fest. The NBA has become a bit soft, but not the Grizzlies. They remind me of a not as good version of the "Bad Boy" Pistons teams. They will beat some dudes up, and that may be the only way they win a championship.

At number 7, I have the Indiana Pacers. I think the Pacers might be one of the most overlooked teams going into this season. Sure, they fired Frank Vogel, a good coach, but I think Nate McMillan will do just fine with this roster. Paul George is back. He was back last year. He looked like he never had that gruesome injury from two years ago. He was flying around the court on offense and defense. He was filling up stat sheets. He looked great at the Olympics. George is one of the top 10 players, easily, in the league right now. On any given night, he is the best player on the floor. They did lose George Hill, but they got Jeff Teague. Teague and George will make for a deadly back court. Teague is quick, can make shots and find the open man. He is going to thrive in Indiana. Monta Ellis is another guy that can score a ton of points. He is not the best defender, and he sometimes takes too many shots, but the older he has gotten, the better of a teammate he has become. And, as I just said, he is capable of going for 50 any night. Myles Turner is going to be a handful for opposing teams. He got so much better as his rookie season carried on, and I see no signs of his improvement slowing down. He is a great big man. They also went out and got Al Jefferson this offseason. Hardly anyone has talked about this, and that is crazy to me. Jefferson is a very good, dependable NBA player. He is great in the low post, and he can score a ton, if need be. Aaron brooks coming over is going to be a good deal for the Pacers too. He is instant offense off the bench, and you could pair him with any of the other guards on this team and not miss a beat. Thad Young is also a very athletic, yet inconsistent player. I really like this Pacers team, even with the signing of Ty Lawson. They will score a lot of points, but unlike the Rockets, they will also play some good defense. The Pacers are the first team on my list that I truly think will win 50 plus games. They are really good.

So Ty, how will the Pacers win the title? The Pacers can win the title if George can lock down LeBron for a full series. I know I haven't gotten to the Cavs yet, but they are a shoe in for the East Finals, spoiler alert, and if the Pacers have any shot at a title, they need George to shut him down. They will score and score and score, but they will need to beat a few teams that a tad better than them. The Pacers could do it though. They are the first team on my list where it wouldn't shock me if they made the finals.

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 loves to talk about basketball, his favorite sport. The one where they dribble the ball up and down the court. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

Ty tells you how each NBA team can win the title: Magic, Pacers, & Hornets

I love basketball.

Continuing my NBA countdown, today you'll be getting my number 21, 20 and 19 teams. We are just on the outside of the playoffs. These teams are okay, have been good recently but are in a downswing or they are rising, but there just not a playoff team yet. I like these teams, but they're a year or two away, or past their prime. On with the countdown.

My number 21 team is the Orlando Magic. I really like what they are doing in Orlando right now. They are building a strong, youthful team that's full of potential. They drafted my favorite player from last years draft, Elfrid Payton. First of all, he has the best hairdo in the league, but aside from that, he's a really good, really young point guard. He's going to be a star in this league and he will continue to get better and better. Victor Oladipo is a fantastic defender and he's one of the most athletic players I've seen in a long time. He may have been the best overall player in his draft class from three years ago. Nikola Vucevic looks like a really strong player. He made a huge leap last season and he should continue to get better each season. Aaron Gordon is extremely athletic, but he needs to stay healthy if he wants to become a consistent starter in the NBA. They resigned Tobias Harris last season after many, many teams tried to get him. I think he's one of the most underrated players in basketball. He's an all around great player. He's more than just a scorer now. They drafted foreign prospect Mario Herzonja, and while I don't know how good of a player he is, he's extremely confident in himself and his abilities. That's half the battle. The problem with the Magic is their bench. It's pretty thin, filled with unproven players. Guys like Shabazz Napier and CJ Watson and Evan Fournier have shown me very little in their early careers. Everyone else on the bench is average at best. They have a decent, but very young roster. They remind me a lot of the Timberwolves. They'll struggle to win 30 games this year, but if they stay together, this team will be really good in three years.

How the Magic will win it all.

The Magic will win the title if every single player takes a huge step forward and become All NBA caliber players. That won't happen this season, but Oladipo and Payton are destined to be stars. Give them three years.

My number 20 team is the Indiana Pacers. Yes, the same team that was in the east finals two years ago. They really struggled without Paul George for almost all of last season. Their roster is pretty thin as well, with a lot of cast offs from other NBA teams. George Hill is s good point guard, but he's not an All Star and he's only getting older. Paul George is back and he's a top 20 NBA player. The only problem, they'll regret playing him at the four this season, and that won't work for him on defense. Fours are too big and strong for him to guard. They'll beat him up. He'll get his on offense, but defense will punish him. They signed Monta Ellis, but I feel like his best days are behind him. He doesn't really care to play defense. Usually a rookie wouldn't be an upgrade, but Myles Turner, right now, is a better player than Roy Hibbert. That sentiment would have been crazy two years ago, but Hibbert is pretty rough to watch now a days. I think Turner can be a competent center in about three or four years. He does run awkwardly, but he has decent post skills and can rebound and be a rim protector. Their bench, with the exceptions of Jordan Hill and Rodney Stuckey, is either rookies or second and third year players, aka, my buzzword, unproven. I do like Stuckey and Hill though. Stuckey is instant offense and Hill is a good player that got out of LA(he was a Laker) so he can blossom. The Pacers are destined to take a step back. I see 34 or 35 wins this season and they will win ugly.

How the Pacers will win it all.

The Pacers will win the title if George is somehow, some way, able to handle fours on defense, George Hill plays the best basketball of his life, Myles Turner becomes all NBA defense and averages double figures, Monta Ellis contributes on both ends and Stuckey and Hill become starter quality players. I like their roster, but all that stuff isn't happening. Sorry Pacer fans. How they handle this season and offseason will say a lot about the direction the Pacers are going in.

My number 19 team is the Charlotte Hornets. With the injury to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist you may think 19 is too high, but that injury, in my opinion, doesn't change too much about this team. MKG will be hard to replace though, that's for sure. He was definitely coming into his own and his injury will be a tough pill to swallow for the Hornets. The rest of the roster is decent, but not great. They also drafted Frank Kaminsky way too early. He has bust written all over him. Another poor GM decision by Michael Jordan. Kemba Walker is an All Star in waiting. I love the intensity and passion he plays with. He's a really good basketball player. Walker is almost good enough to make the MKG injury a moot point. Almost. Al Jefferson is a good big man that's finally getting the credit he deserves. He plays the game with a mix of old and new school moves. He's an awesome basketball player. He should be a perennial All Star. They traded for Nic Batum before the draft, but I don't know how he fits. He's a good shooter, but there's no Damien Lillard to help take the pressure off. Kemba Walker is good, like I said before, but he's not on Lillard's level yet. They also traded for Jeremy Lamb, who couldn't get off the bench in Oklahoma City and signed Jeremy Lin. I think it's fair and reasonable to stop the hype on Jeremy Lin. He hasn't been very good since he left the Knicks, and he was only good for about 25 games with the Knicks. I like Jeremy Lin the person, I love the pranks he plays on people, but I don't like Jeremy Lin the basketball player. He's not that good. PJ Hairston has a lot of promise, but he can't seem to stay out of trouble. His problems will doom his career. The rest of the roster is not very good. You're grasping for straws if your ninth player off the bench is Tyler Hansborough and your tenth player is rookie Aaron Harrison. Hansborough was a college star, but his game doesn't translate to the NBA and he's an extremely dirty player. Harrison regressed in his sophomore year of college and I don't see him getting much better in the pros. The Hornets may flirt with a .500 record, but are more likely to win 35 games.

How the Hornets will win it all.

The Hornets will win the title if MKG has a miraculous recovery, Walker scores 40 points a game, Jeremy Lin finds the form he had during "Linsanity" and plays like that all season and Nic Batum becomes an All Star. Al Jefferson will be great because he's a great player, but he's in a similar situation as Boogie Cousins. At least Jefferson has a teammate almost as good as him in Kemba Walker.

So, there you have it, teams 21, 20 and 19. Come back tomorrow for teams 18, 17 and 16. We get our first playoff team tomorrow.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He enjoys writing about basketball, but is looking forward to writing about good basketball. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.