Ty Watches "The Last Dance" Parts 6 and 7

I just finished up the most recent episodes of "The Last Dance", and this is why I was so interested in this doc. This is the stuff I was here for. These are the episodes I have been waiting for. This is the kind of new information I wanted to see, and hear from the man himself, in Michael Jordan. I was so enthralled by everything I watched.

The first episode talked about the first three peat. The team, and Jordan getting to that level, and all the stuff they went through after the third tit;e. This was when Jordan retired the first time. This was when his father was tragically killed. This was when all the theories came out that he was "forced" to retire by David Stern due to his gambling. All the people refuted everything, but still, seeing them questioned, and seeing them kind of shift and look around when they answered, it was glorious. I don't believe that Jordan was forced into retirement, but I also don't think he left to simply play baseball. He was at the top of his game, he was winning every year, he was making a ton of money and he was the biggest star in the world. I think he wanted a new challenge. He mastered the game of basketball, so I think he wanted to try to conquer a different sport, a sport he grew up playing, and falling in love with due to his dad. I think the passing of his dad was the main reason why he walked away. That, and that he was so tired from carrying the Bulls to three straight titles. The stuff with his dad was so upsetting and sad and just miserable too. To see the media drag him the way they did back then, that was disgusting. I cannot fathom what the media would do today. It would have been ten times worse. I will say, to see Jordan, his mom and brother talk about this was pretty upsetting, but I respect that they did it. It had to be really tough for them, but they still did it.

Then they shifted to his demeanor with his teammates. This was the stuff I have been waiting for. They touched on it a little in episode 7, but they really went into it in episode 8. In 7 we got to see Jordan going after a young rookie, Scott Burrell. The stuff he stood up to, the stuff he dealt with, the way he handled it, he is a much better dude than I am. He was a pro, and he knew why Jordan was doing what he did. We also got stories of him and Steve Kerr getting into it. He used to shit talk guys like Jud Buechler and Luc Longley. He went in on anyone that he felt didn't meet his standards. Jordan is the GOAT, and I would have hated playing on his team. But, he did win, and he helped to squeeze out every ounce of talent his teammates had.

They also talked about him coming out of retirement the first time, and how he had to reshape his body multiple times because of switching sports. Jordan was nothing if not maniacal when it came to getting the best out of himself. We also got to hear about the incredible pick up games that would go on while Jordan was filming "Space Jam". The people who made that movie built him a gym, and he had players fly in from everywhere to compete with him so he could get back into basketball shape. This was the season after the Magic ousted the Bulls in the playoffs. The only time I believe a Bulls team MJ was on, after getting past the Pistons, that didn't win a title. Reggie Miller, during a talking head interview talked about how MJ must have been a "vampire" because he filmed the movie all day, played games at night, lifted and did this everyday during the course of making "Space Jam". That was a special moment from this doc.

We also got a look into the 72 win Bulls team. This was the year after Jordan came back, the fight with Kerr during practice, and the way that Bulls team ran roughshod over the rest of the NBA. That team still irks me because they beat my team, the Supersonics, but damn it were they impressive. We also got more of the asshole Jordan during this season, and this part of the doc. I mentioned Burrell and Kerr, but he did this to everyone on the team. They asked him if he ever regrets being so mean, being described as a "mean person", and he said no, very bluntly I might add. He didn't care if he hurt your feelings, as long as you helped him win. I also liked that we got to see Gary Payton heavily interviewed during this episode, he is my second favorite Sonic ever behind Shawn Kemp. He was a great defender, and an even better shit talker. He talked about how he locked Jordan up to help the Sonics win two games in the Finals, and they showed the film to Jordan, and he kept laughing, and simply stated, "Payton didn't stop me, I had other things on my mind for those two games". We come to realize that Father's Day was the day of game six, and this was the first season, and Finals his dad wasn't at. The Bulls proceeded to dominate the Sonics to win the title, and they show Jordan just collapse in the locker room. I would be lying if I didn't say I teared up at this moment. It was a gut punch indeed. They finished the episode off with the East Finals in 1998 against the Pacers, and Reggie Miller saying that he was going to be the guy to retire MJ. Another great line from Reggie Miller.

These were the two best episodes to this point, and it has me so excited for the last two. It's bittersweet though because I don't want this doc to end, but I am so excited to see how they finish it. I imagine it is going to go out with a bang because, with every episode to this point, it has just gotten better and better and better.

This is an amazing docu series.

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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Help Ty Find a New NBA Team

I come to you all today asking for help.

Last night I was watching summer league basketball because there is no other sports on to watch. This part of the summer is my least favorite sports time because all that seems to be on is baseball, and baseball is boring as shit. So while I watched the Spurs summer league team dismantle the Hawks summer league team, side note, Trae Young has been dreadful his first 2 games, I was stuck trying to figure out who is my new team.

When I was a kid I was a big time, die hard, Seattle Super Sonics fan. That was my squad. I loved Gary Payton and his brashness and amazing defense. I enjoyed the hell out of Detlef Schrempf. I liked when they signed Xavier McDaniel, every team in the 90's needed that enforcer. I even liked Sam Perkins. But, it got no better than Shawn Kemp. He was, by far, my favorite NBA player. I loved his thunderous dunks, his rebounding, his physicality and his overall skill. He was a big dude that could move fast. He was amazing to watch in his prime. Some of his dunks are truly breathtaking. He and Payton were my guys. I had both their jerseys. I had the newer Shawn Kemp jersey when the Sonics changed their logo a bit. I had Shawn Kemp's shoes. I pretended to be him on the court. I rooted so hard for the Sonics. I really loved that team. They were not Wolverines football level, but they were probably my second favorite team. And even when Kemp, Schrempf, Perkins and Payton all moved on, I still rooted for them. I was one of the people stoked when they took Nick Collison. Things got even better when they drafted KD. Hell, I was even on board with them taking Jeff Green. The team was awful, but I still watched them whenever I could, and rooted hard for them.

The NBA then moved the Sonics, in a very, very controversial move, to Oklahoma City. Though I was skeptical at first, Seattle really does deserve an NBA franchise, it is a crime they still do not have one, I eventually gave in and became a Thunder fan. I liked KD, I liked Nick Collison, and in the next 2 drafts they would end up taking Russell Westbrook and James Harden. And soon after those guys, they would begin to develop Serge Ibaka, who many forget, he was good while with the Thunder. So, I became a Thunder fan. I started to buy t shirts and shorts with their logo on it. I was too old for jerseys, so they were out of the question. But, I still had plenty of NBA apparel that had the Thunder logo on it. Then they got real good real fast. I mean, they played the Heat in the Finals in, what I believe, was KD's fourth year in the league. I was astonished. I bought in even harder after that. Sure, they let Harden go, but as I have said before, no one knew he was going to become the guy he became. They still had KD and Westbrook, and they were good and fun. I loved watching them play. Even with Scotty Brooks as their head coach, the Thunder were always a threat. And, I bought into this new basketball of space and pace. I had never seen anyone like KD, someone that big that could shoot that well, and Westbrook gave me the hyper athletic and reckless play fix that I had been missing since Kemp left the Sonics.

Then, KD left. I immediately dropped the Thunder as my team. He was my guy and he went and joined the 73 win Warriors squad. The move hurt, but in hindsight, and 2 years removed, I get why he did it. I still love watching Westbrook play, but he is much too frustrating to be the guy that makes me want to stick with the Thunder. I do have mad respect for him for sticking it out there. That is a class move. But, I felt like a man with no team. I said, on the podcast and site, that I was going to be a Timberwolves fan, I like their young talent, but they are a mess and just no fun to watch. I learned that the hard way.

Last night, while watching the summer league game, I asked my wife, she is a saint for watching with me, who I should root for. She doesn't know much about basketball, so she said what about the Warriors. She knows I like KD and Boogie. But, I just cannot root for that team. They are too stacked, and they are unbeatable. She asked me about the Spurs because she has heard me talk about Kawhi Leonard. But, with his whole situation in flux, I just can't, even with my love for Greg Poppovich. She ran out of teams after that because she knows I will never, ever root for the Lakers, even with LeBron. I asked my dad, he and my mom came over for dinner last night, and he said I should root for his team from his youth, the Bucks. I do really, really like Giannis, but I can't root for the Bucks. They are way too inconsistent and rough. I then retreated to my phone and took a bunch of "who should I root for in the NBA" tests. I took 6 of them, and 5 came back as the Spurs. The other team was the Heat. If Kawhi stays, I may be a Spurs fan, but that seems unlikely. And no way am I becoming a Heat fan.

So, I ask you, my devoted readers, who should I root for? My priorities for a team are few, but important. I like teams with young talent that plays well together, and they are on the rise. They do not have to be a playoff team yet, but they should be on the cusp. The team also doesn't need to necessarily have a mega star, but that doesn't hurt. I also love hyper athletic, almost freakish type of players. I'm talking guys that when you see them play, they do something that makes your jaw drop. And my final priority, no team in LA, or even California for that matter. I just can't with those teams. So please, flood my Twitter and Facebook and the website with your recommendations. I know the Warriors are going to win the title, so I need a reason to watch another team. Send your suggestions ASAP, and thank you in advance. I'm sure you all will help me find my new NBA team.

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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Last Generation Gamer: NBA Jam

Last Generation Gamer is Seed Sings way of reflecting on the greatest video games that were released before the current gen systems.  These are not necessarily reviews.  Let's look at these thoughts as a walk down memory lane.  If you have any ideas for Last Generation Gamer contact us seedsing.rdk@gmail.com

Today I'm going to talk about what I consider to be the greatest sports video game of all time. Now, first off, I do not play a whole lot of video games. When it comes to non sports games, I played stuff like Crash Bandicoot, Sonic the Hedgehog, Mario Brothers and fighting games(i.e., Streetfighter, Tyson's Punchout and Tekken).But, I used to play mainly sports games when I played video games. Tecmo Bowl was the very first football video game I played and fell in love with. Then, Madden came out and that was the greatest thing ever. I'm not a hockey or soccer fan, but I played a ton of Blades of Steel and Fifa on any system I could. I'm not a golfer, but I love me some Wii golf. I played a lot of baseball games on various systems. I loved all the EA baseball games that were released for the Xbox and PlayStation. I was a huge fan of early baseball games like RBI Baseball and the Ken Griffey Jr baseball game for the Nintendo.

Then, I found basketball video games and college football. First of all, this was the hardest part when I was debating the best sports game of all time in my head the other day. I loved, and was pretty damn good at, NCAA Football for the PlayStation and the Xbox. That was my jam. I figured that game out pretty early on and I was dominant. Just ask our editor RD about my acumen at NCAA Football (Ed note: Ty has a cheat code). He has thrown more than one controller at me during games. NCAA Football was the best, until they discontinued the making of the game. That broke my heart. I've heard rumors that they may bring it back, and I hope they do, but I deeply miss that game. That was the one game I would buy on the day it came out. NCAA Football was so much more important to me than games like Halo or World of Warcraft, or whatever other shooter or strategy games that came out that my friends played.

NCAA Football was great, but not the best. I have, for the most part  liked every basketball video game I have played. I love basketball, so it's a natural fit for me. I played a ton of Bird vs. Magic whenever I could get on the Nintendo at home. I adored the game Double Dribble. As I got older I got really into the Streetball series of games they made. RD and I had crazy, epic battles, that where even, at those Streetball games. Those games were a ton of fun. I play, very occasionally, maybe once or twice a year, the NBA2K games. Those are fun, but they are a bit harder than some of the other games I mentioned. But, the game that I keep going back to and continue to play, wherever I can find it, be it my Xbox or my iPhone, is NBA Jam.

NBA Jam is the greatest sports video game that has ever existed. NBA Jam was a genius moment by the creators of that game. I love that it is a 2 on 2 battle with the best players on each team, except for the Bulls. Michael Jordan wouldn't appear on the game because he had his own game, but that is negligent, because NBA Jam still ruled. I remember when it first came out, I was always, and only, the Supersonics. I found out that I could play a video game with my favorite team, with my two favorite players, and I was immediately hooked. The fact that I could be Gary Payton and Shawn Kemp was heaven to me. I would run up and down the court with Payton, freeing space for Kemp, throw Kemp an alley oop, and he would do the most fantastical slam dunk that I could ever dream up. Kemp would grab the ball, put it between his legs, go around his back, put it through his legs and jam it home. And I would do that 50 times a game.

I was pretty damn good with Kemp, Payton and the Sonics, especially when Kemp would catch fire. Everyone that has played the game knows what catching fire means. You make three shots in a row, without the other team making a basket, you are on fire. Being on fire meant that you could make a jumper from almost anywhere on the floor, or if you chose to dunk, you could do things like multiple flips and jump so much higher than anyone trying to defend you. When I would catch fire, I jacked up so many threes from near half court, and they were all cash. When I chose to dunk, it was the best. Catching fire on NBA Jam is the best power up or boost that any video game has ever created.

I played NBA Jam a lot in the 90's on Super Nintendo. When I wasn't the Sonics, I would pick other teams with one small, fast guard and one big leaper that was just as good at blocking shots as they were at dunking. The Magic were great for this with Penny Hardaway and Shaq. You could run with the Knicks with Ewing and John Starks. The Houston Rockets, with Kenny Smith and Hakeem Olajuwon was nearly unstoppable. The 90's era NBA was great for NBA Jam. The teams worked perfectly.

When I went to high school and college, I lost touch with the game. The NBA went through a lull in the early 2000's, and the game wouldn't have been as fun. This also coincided with the 3 or 4 years I stopped watching the NBA because it just wasn't that good. But, as recent as 5 or 6 years ago, I rediscovered NBA Jam while searching for old school games on my iPhone, and I instantly fell back in love. I was also getting heavily back into the NBA at this time as well, so it was kismet. I downloaded the game and I've been playing it ever since. It's really cool with the updated teams and rosters. Now, the best teams are the Warriors, Thunder, Cavs, the Heat and the Spurs. You can run with Curry and Thompson, shoot the lights out from three, especially when you catch fire. The Cavs have LeBron, and he is the greatest player on Earth. Put him with Kyrie Irving and you get that great dual threat of an awesome dunker and blocker with the quick footed, decent enough shooting guard. The Heat have Dwayne Wade and Bosh, pre injury. That gives you two very good shooters, one great defender and Wade gets to the basket with ease on the game. The Spurs have any number of players you could imagine. You can run with Duncan and Parker or LMA and Kawhi or Ginobli and Duncan, basically, the Spurs are really great in the newer NBA Jam. My team is the Thunder. As I said above, I was a Sonics fan, so when they moved to OKC, I followed them. Now, I can play NBA Jam and run with Durant and Westbrook. Durant has a great jump, good for blocking shots and dunking. He can also shoot from outside. Kevin Durant may be the best all around player not named LeBron on the game. Then, you get the fastest player in the NBA, Russell Westbrook, who is also a very good defender in the game. I love running with the Thunder and I have won many virtual titles with them.

What it all comes down to, NBA Jam was the perfect creation for all NBA fans out there. The game isn't that hard to figure out and you don't have to worry about a 5 man team. You get to choose just your two favorite players from your team. It's a perfect sports world. The graphics and the gameplay, as far as sports games goes, is second to none. NBA Jam is at the top of the mountain as far as sports video games, or for that matter, just video games goes. NBA Jam is the best and I'm so glad that they keep making it and keep updating it. I love this game and I will always love this game. Thank you for all the fun you have provided me NBA Jam.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. When he could not be the Sonics, Ty would settle for playing as Bill Clinton. Make sure you follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Jerry Sloan is One of the All Time Greatest NBA Coaches

With the news yesterday that former player and coach, Jerry Sloan, is now suffering from Parkinson's disease and early on set dementia, I found myself profoundly upset. I didn't expect this reaction to come from me. When he was coaching the Utah Jazz in the early to mid nineties, I disliked everything about that team. The Jazz were the only team that I disliked more than the Bulls back then.

To give you a point of reference as to where I was in my life at that time, I was a middle school aged child that was a Seattle Supersonics fan. So, naturally, I really, for lack of a better word, hated the Jazz because the Sonics couldn't beat them and I hated the Bulls because, when the Sonics finally beat the Jazz, they ran into the vaunted Bulls teams of the mid nineties. The Jazz and the Bulls exemplified two great, but two very irritating teams to a younger me. In fact, looking back at that time in my life, I think I disliked the Jazz even more than the Bulls.

The Jazz were led by Karl Malone and John Stockton. These two were world class butt heads in my opinion. I still believe that Stockton is the dirtiest player of all time in the NBA and Malone was so arrogant, it drove me nuts. They were coached by Jerry Sloan. As a young kid, he was the leader of this horrible dictatorship that they had going on in Utah. He put those guys out there and he coached them to play dirty, in my opinion at that time. Now, this blog isn't just to bust on the Jazz, but all this is needed to get to the main point. I'm not here to rip apart a guy that is very ill. I promise, I'll get to the good stuff soon, but this preamble is very necessary.

As I keep saying, I did not like this team or their coach when I was a child. I guess a better way to put it would be, I didn't appreciate or understand the game of basketball back then as much as I do now. Looking back at it now, the coaching and the ability to get the best out of the players you have on your roster was done masterfully by Jerry Sloan. Look, all of us, when we were pre teens, hated these teams that our team couldn't beat. We didn't understand the nuance and the spectacular coaching it took to get players that weren't as athletic or as gifted to play better and to game plan better. That all goes back to coaching.

I still, in my 30's, don't care for John Stockton or Karl Malone, but, damn, do I respect the hell out of Jerry Sloan. This didn't just come up yesterday when the news was announced, I've been on the Jerry Sloan bandwagon ever since he led a Jazz team led by Deron Williams to multiple payoff appearances. Those teams, in the early 2000's, had no business even being relevant, but, once again, Jerry Sloan got the best out of a mostly mediocre roster. I mean, look at what happened to Deron Williams when he left the Jazz for a max contract in New Jersey, his career imploded. I feel like a lot of that has to do with coaching. Williams left a great coach to get paid and to play for an inferior coach.

A couple of years after Williams left, Sloan retired. When he retired, much like I felt yesterday, I was stunned and a bit upset. I was sad that an all time great coach was leaving the NBA. There were, and still are, so few great coaches left and when Sloan retired, there was one less great coach. As I started to gain more knowledge of the game and the wit and will it takes to be a coach, that's when I earned respect for Sloan. Granted, this all came after he retired, but looking back, he was a great motivator and a great coach. To will teams with guys like Byron Russell, Jeff Hornacek, Tom Chambers and Mark Eaton to 50 plus win seasons and two finals appearances is incredible. Sure, he had two hall of famers in Stockton and Malone, but basketball is a 5 player team sport and no matter if you have two hall of famers, you have to get the other three starters and the bench players to be equally invested and Sloan excelled at that. He drew up some of the greatest pick and roll plays when he had Stockton and Malone. Those plays were deadly. Teams knew they were coming, but they still couldn't stop it because it was so well run and drawn up. Coaches still use his pick and roll philosophy today. It has lasted decades.

Jerry Sloan's best teams were the Stockton and Malone teams, but as I said before, he also led teams with players like the aforementioned Deron Williams, Carlos Boozer and Andrei Kirilenko to 50 win seasons and multiple playoff appearances. They still ran the pick and roll, with Williams and Boozer, and while it may not have been as devastating, it still worked. It was a thing of beauty to watch when the Jazz would run their pick and roll. Go back and watch some footage of the play, it's wonderful. He continued to coach all the way until 2011 and he was still as fiery and competitive as he was when he was a player and very early in his coaching career. That's another thing that I respected later on about Sloan. He was so competitive and fiery, he would run up and down the court and constantly argue with the officials to stick up for his players. He'd get so fired up at times, it looked like he wanted to be on the court. I didn't like it as a child, but I love it as an adult. So, when he left in 2011, I was shocked, as I said earlier, and he left to little fanfare. He just resigned and was gone. Rumors would pop up occasionally that he may come back and coach again, but they never materialized. I feel like that's a good thing. He did such a good job and stuck with one team his whole career. I like that he left and didn't try to get back in the game, a la Phil Jackson and his current deconstruction of the Knicks.

This news yesterday though, it stinks. Sloan is an all time great, a hall of famer, and now he is suffering from not one, but two horrible, life threatening diseases. I've seen, first hand, what dementia can do to someone and it's not pretty. To throw Parkinson's on top of that, that is a bummer. I hate that an all time great like Sloan has to suffer like this. His body and his mind will soon deteriorate and he won't remember his great career, but fans of the NBA will always remember how great he was. Sloan is a once in a lifetime coach. He was Gregg Poppovich before Gregg Poppovich. He was the surly genius that all other coaches feared. I hope Sloan can somehow get better and live some sort of a normal life, but I just don't see that happening. It's unfortunate. I don't want to lose another NBA legend. We've already lost Daryl Dawkins and Moses Malone, please don't take another NBA legend from us way too soon.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

Ty remembers the greatness of Moses Malone

Another legend lost

Last week I wrote about the surprise passing of NBA legend Daryl Dawkins, AKA "Chocolate Thunder". Today, I come bearing more bad news on the NBA legend front.

As most of you know by now, Moses Malone unexpectedly passed away yesterday at the age of 60. This one hit me just as hard as Daryl Dawkins. I even mentioned Moses Malone in my article about Dawkins. If you remember, Malone was who the 76ers traded Dawkins for, and they won the title that year. Moses Malone was the first professional basketball player to make the jump from high school to the pros. He led his high school team to two straight, undefeated championship seasons. He signed to play at the University of Maryland, but gave up his college career when he was drafted in the third round by the Utah Stars of the ABA. He signed a five year contract, but spent only three seasons in the ABA. The Utah Stars folded after his rookie season and he caught on with the St. Louis Spirits for the next two years. He put up pretty good numbers while playing in the ABA, averaging 17 points and grabbing 13 rebounds a game. When the ABA and NBA merged, Malone was drafted by the Portland Trailblazers, but never played a regular season game for them. He was traded to the Buffalo Braves, but only played two games with the team. He finally found a semi permanent home after being traded to the Houston Rockets.

During Moses Malone's first full season in the NBA, he put up decent numbers again. Malone averaged 13 points a game, but where he shined was rebounding, and more specifically, offensive rebounding. He finished third in the league in total rebounding at 13 a game, but he set a new offensive rebounding record, grabbing 437 total offensive boards. He would later break that record. He was also a stalwart on the defensive side of the court, blocking almost three shots a game. Malone led the Rockets to the Eastern Conference Finals, the Rockets were once in the East, only to lose to his eventual team, the 76ers in six games. During that playoff, Malone set a record with 15 offensive rebounds in one game. The 78-79 season was peak Moses Malone. He averaged 24 points and 17 rebounds a game on his way to winning the league MVP at the tender age of 23. This was the season he broke his own offensive rebounding record, grabbing 587 of them. Once again though, the Rockets were swept in the Eastern Conference Finals, this time by the Boston Celtics. Malone and the Rockets couldn't seem to get over the hump. The Rockets finally made the NBA Finals in 1981, Malone coming off another MVP season, but they were beat by the Sonics.

During the 1983 season, Malone was traded to the 76ers for Daryl Dawkins, as I mentioned before. New ownership wanted new players and Malone fit in perfectly with what the 76ers wanted to do. During the 83 season, Malone led the league in rebounding for the third straight season, collecting 15 boards a game. He also averaged 25 points per game as well. During the 83 playoffs, the 76ers only lost one game and swept the Lakers in the Finals. Malone won NBA Finals MVP and got his first, and only, NBA title. A couple more seasons and a couple more runs in the playoffs with the 76ers followed, but in the 85-86 season, the 76ers traded Malone to the Washington Bullets. His first season with the Bullets had Malone making the All Star team for the tenth consecutive season and putting up 24 points and 11 rebounds. Ultimately though, despite Malone's big numbers, the Bullets were swept in the first round by the Pistons. The same thing happened the very next season. Malone put up big numbers, but the Bullets were swept again by the Pistons in the first round.

Moses Malone played for three more teams, the Buck, Spurs and the Hawks. He put up okay numbers, but he was starting to get hurt more and he played a lot of basketball by this time in his life. He was even brought back by the 76ers to help tutor Shawn Bradley. He had a long, successful NBA career. He was such a good rebounder, he was dubbed "Chairman of the Boards" by his fellow players.

What drew me to Moses Malone was his tenacity and love for basketball. Sure, he was a great scorer, but he seemed to love playing defense and his rebounding is unmatched. He took more pride in rebounding than anything else. As a kid, I wanted to be Michael Jordan or Charles Barkley. As a I got older, into my twenties, I studied players like Daryl Dawkins and Moses Malone, and that's who I try to model my game after. Yes, I like to put the ball in the hoop, but I'd rather start a fast break with a defensive rebound, or get an offensive rebound for a put back. That's more satisfying for me.

It's a shame that Moses Malone passed away yesterday. In the past two weeks, we've lost two basketball legends that a lot of my generation, the Millenials, have little to no knowledge of. That's depressing to me. Instead of watching Blake Griffin or Kevin Love and saying that they're some of the best big men rebounders(they are not), go watch old games of Moses Malone. He's the best rebounder of all time. You will be missed "Chairman of the Boards". I hope you and Daryl Dawkins are playing one on one wherever you are now.

Rest in Peace.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and co-host of the X Millennial Man podcast. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

Ty remembers the greatness of Daryl Dawkins, Chocolate Thunder

We found one backboard spared by Chocolate Thunder

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

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

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

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

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

Rest In Peace.

Ty

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