The Knicks are Not Actually Bad Right Now

RD may not want to hear this, hell a lot of resident New Yorkers might not want to hear this, but the Knicks look like a solid team. They are currently on a six game win streak, they are fifth in the East, Julius Randle is finally living up to the hype and they are playing really solid basketball at the exact right time.

I agree with LeBron when he said the NBA is better when the Knicks are good. It makes sense. I am not a Lakers, Celtics or Knicks fan, but when they are all good teams, playoff teams, the NBA is better. Those are some of the biggest market teams, and if Chicago would get their act together, this could be like the NBA of the 90's, which is the NBA I watched and fell in love with.

Now, not to temper things down for Knicks fans that are excited, they are currently fifth in the East, and they would get destroyed by the 76ers, Bucks or Celtics. Hell, I'd even take the Heat or Raptors, teams far behind them, to win a seven game series over them. The Knicks are a nice story. That is what this whole season will be for them. But they are not ready to compete with the upper echelon of the East. If you all will remember, Tom Thibodeau went to Minnesota a few years back and turned them into a playoff team in year two. Then they totally went down the drain and he was gone well before his contract was done. He was not only the coach in Minnesota, but also the GM. He made all the player personnel decisions. He chose who they drafted, who they traded for and who they signed as free agents. He signed all the guys he likes and only played them, with few exceptions, and the Timberwolves fell back into obscurity.

What the Knicks have going for them is Thibodeau is just the head coach. He excels in the regular season as just the head coach. He won in Minnesota for a few years, and he had some really good teams in Chicago. But he overworks his players and he is sometimes unwilling to play younger players. So far that has not been the case in New York. Julius Randle is a vet, but this is his first real time being "the guy" for an offense, and Thibodeau has made it work. He is being forced to play RJ Barrett, and he is looking more and more like the player some GM's and scouts envisioned when he left Duke after one year. He is hitting shots and getting to the rim. Obi Toppin isn't getting a ton of playing time, but when he gets in, he is a good defender and good rebounder. Immanuel Quickley was kind of forced into the lineup, but he has been a revelation. He has more than earned his spot in the rotation. Derrick Rose is becoming the super sub for them. That is a perfect role for where he is in his career right now, and he is doing great. I think with the roster construct before he got there, he doesn't have a choice but to play the young kids, and it is working.

We will see what happens from here, how they finish out the year. But right now, Thibodeau has no other choice but to roll the best players out there, and a lot of them are younger guys. The Knicks are going to make the playoffs this season. Where we sit right now they are 32-27, firmly in the fifth spot in the East. They only have 13 more games left in the regular season, I think they will hold on to that 5 seed, meaning they will not have to play in the play in tourney, and I wouldn't be surprised if they win a round. As it stands today they would face the Hawks in the first round. I could see them winning that series in six games. But then they would get one of the buzzsaw teams. One of the three teams at the top that will destroy them. But, as if right now, the Knicks should be proud of what they have done this year. I had no faith in them, and I know a ton of other writers were right there with me. They have proved all of us wrong, and I have loved seeing Julius Randle, who I am a big fan of, turn into this force, especially on the offensive end.

This has been a nice season so far for New York, and they could make it more fun by winning in the playoffs.

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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Tom Thibodeau is Not What the Knicks Need

Awhile back I talked about the New York Knicks and their opening at head coach. I went through the candidates I thought were viable and through my research I thought that Mike Brown was the best fit. He has coached a super duper mega star, he has been to the Finals, he has been to the playoffs and he has helped start a rebuild. Recently he has been the main assistant to Steve Kerr in Golden State. I felt he was owed his next shot at running a team, and I felt he would fit in perfectly with the Knicks.

Well, the Knicks are going to do what the Knicks are going to always do, and they went ahead and hired Tom Thibodeau. The deal was made official yesterday I believe. He is now the head coach of a very young team, younger than when he took over the Timberwolves, without a player of Jimmy Butler's caliber, or KAT's of that matter, who doesn't play much defense and is trying to build around RJ Barrett, who is okay, but I don't even think he is all rookie caliber. The best player the Knicks have is Mitchell Robinson in my opinion, and while he fits the mold of an old fashioned Thibodeau player, he is not going to be the offensive weapon that they need. And while they may try to mold Barrett into that kind of guy, he did not look to have the goods to be a great offensive player in the NBA. Also, Kevin Knox looked lost last season, they waived Alonzo Trier, they won't get a great college guy and the rest of the roster is, well, underwhelming to put it nicely. This should be a full rebuild. But, I just don't think Thibodeau is the guy for that. He wants to win and win now. To his credit, everywhere he has been, he has had teams that are in the playoffs, that make the game gruff and he has always had at least one guy that can score in the crucial moments. In Boston, as an assistant, he had Kevin Garnett to run the defense, and had KG, Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, plus Doc Rivers as the head coach, to run the offense. They won a title. In Chicago he had Joakim Noah to play brutal defense, and a young Derrick Rose, the youngest MVP in the history of the NBA, to run offense. He played those guys way, way too many minutes at a very young age, never got out of the second round of the playoffs and Derrick Rose destroyed his knee. In Minnesota he had Butler, who was the do it all guy on both offense and defense, and he had KAT playing good enough D, and scoring in bunches. That team had to fight to get the 8 seed in the playoffs, and then got their asses blown out and Jimmy Butler pushed his way out. Minnesota wasn't very good after that, and Thibs was let go. He has a decent track record as a head coach, but he cannot build a team, he plays his starters far too many minutes and he burns guys out. He has also had, at the least, one all star caliber player at his disposal everywhere he has been. As I pointed out, the Knicks don't have that yet, and they don't have a lot of the other things teams need to compete, even in the East. And I understand that Thibs and Leon Rose are buddies. I get that they hired World Wide Wes, and he knows people. I understand that, at least at the beginning, Knicks fans will like Thibs because he is old school and will work these kids. But what happens if they go 20-62 next season, and strike out on big time free agents? What happens if Mitchell Robinson pans out, but goes the Butler route and wants out? What happens if RJ Barrett is never more than an inconsistent scorer? What happens if Kevin Knox is fully a bust? The list of questions could go on and on, and you may say that these questions can be asked of other teams, successful teams at that, but this has happened everywhere Thibs has coached. Butler pushed his way to the 76ers. Derrick Rose was played far too much and he has never been the same. Rookies in Minnesota never got any real time to show themselves because Thibs wants to play vets. The Knicks biggest score in free agency in the past decade has been guys like Enes Kanter and Julius Randle. This just seems like a situation where Thibs will get frustrated, the Knicks won't get the meetings they want, the Nets will be more enticing, the guys Thibs will want are either too old, or simply not stars and the Knicks will be right here in two or three years again, looking for a new coach to go through yet another rebuild.

I want the Knicks to be good. Basketball is way more fun when they matter. The Lakers haven't been good for eight years, but this year, as much as I dislike them, has been better because they are a legit title contender. We need that from the team in New York, the team that plays at the most famous arena, the team that pushed the 90's Bulls. I just don't think it will work with Tom Thibodeau as their head coach. I feel like I have been ragging on him since he took the Minnesota job, but hey, that turned out to be one thing I was correct on. And this situation in New York is much, much worse than what he walked into in Minnesota. I wish the Knicks would think like a modern NBA team, but that just doesn't seem to be the way they do business. They need to get with the modern game, and Tom Thibodeau is not the head coach to do that. Oh well, maybe they will prove me wrong, I just don't see it. Not with him as the head coach and the current roster they have. 

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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Who Should Be the Next Head Coach for the New York Knicks?

Another day another basketball story from me.

Today I want to talk about the New York Knicks and their coaching search. They fired David Fizdale, unfairly I still think, and this team has been in the tank for too long now. The Knicks are a flagship team, and the NBA is better when they are a good team. The last time I can remember them being good was eight years ago, when Carmelo was still good and they won fifty games. They then immediately went out and got washed by the Pacers in the first round of the playoffs. Since then it has been a dumpster fire. They have not been a good team. They have made some odd draft choices, and odd trades. They've made some questionable signings. And they have missed out on some big time free agents they thought they may be getting. And even when they make a good draft choice, Kristaps Porzingis comes to mind, he wants out and they trade him. And Mitchell Robinson is very good, but I am at a point where I think they will trade him when his stock is high. They won't let him stick around long enough to become the all star I think he can be.

The Knicks recent downswing has resulted in them becoming a laughingstock, they need James Dolan to be gone, they need to get a solid draft pick and they need to start making sound free agent choices. I think a lot of that depends on who they hire as their new head coach, and what Leon Rose brings to the team. Rose will get them meetings. He will get guys in the room. He was a super agent. Now the Knicks need to get the right coach.

I've seen so many names connected. It seems like every coach, be it a current head coach, former head coach or upcoming assistant is being mentioned, or have an interview coming up. The last three names I heard recently are Mike Brown, Jason Kidd and Tom Thibodeau. These are the three guys they seem to be honing in on.

I wouldn't hire Tom Thibodeau. I wasn't a fan of his in Chicago. I thought he overworked his best players and I still throw a little blame his way for Derrick Rose's knee exploding in the strike shortened season. He played him far too much. I also wasn't a fan when Minnesota hired him to be the coach and GM. I wrote a whole thing about it. He didn’t do much of anything until the Timberwolves signed Jimmy Butler, and we all saw how that turned out. I am not a Thibodeau guy, and I don't think he has it in him to coach a team that needs to be developed. He needs a team that is laden with vets, and I still would be hesitant to hire him.

Jason Kidd has come on strong as of late because of his relationship to Giannis Antentokoumpo. He coached him in Milwaukee, Giannis likes him and those Bucks teams were solid under Kidd. Unfortunately what I remember most from his tenure there is the water spilling incident to try and save a timeout. Also, it appears that he wears out his welcome quick. Milwaukee let him go after three years and the Nets job, I don't believe he finished one season there. He may also want to stay in LA because LeBron may want him to become the head coach if Frank Vogel screws things up. And, all this talk of Giannis leaving Milwaukee, and teams trying to set up how they will sign him or trade for him, getting the right players to pair him with, I truly believe Giannis wants to stay in Milwaukee. They are always going to be a threat with him, he seems like he likes it there, he started a family there and they can offer him as much money as any other team. He reminds me of a guy that wants to play for just one team his whole career. And if he can bring them a title, man would that make my dad happy.

So we are left with Mike Brown. I actually do think this would be a homerun hire for the Knicks. He has had major success as a head coach. Sure, it was with a young LeBron, but still, he coached a Finals team. He has also been doing wonders as an assistant in Golden State. He has stepped up, stepped in when needed and the players there love and respect him. I know things didn’t go great in Cleveland after LeBron left for Miami, but it hasn’t gone good for anyone else whenever LeBron isn't on that team. They are the Browns of the NBA. Cleveland is a waste land without LeBron. So I don’t knock Mike Brown for that. I also think his time in Golden State has opened him up to the modern NBA, he has helped develop some great players, he has taken the role of head man when Steve Kerr has had to sit out, he has done it all. I also think Knicks fans, and more importantly, players, will adore him. He can coach vets as well as he can develop raw talent. Mitchell Robinson could reach the all star level under him. Maybe Dennis Smith Jr would buy into being more of a distributor than a shooter. Frank Knilitina may be able to work on his jumper and become a poor man's Draymond. They could get a solid draft pick, maybe Tyler Haliburton, that they can turn into a swiss army type guy, because Mike Brown knows how to coach and develop guys like that. I think he is more than deserving of his second chance, and I think the Knicks would be foolish to not give him the job.

We shall see, but I feel that Mike Brown is far and away the best candidate for the vacant head coaching job for the Knicks right now. 

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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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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The Rockets and Kings are Coachless and Uncoachable

If this was on fire, it would represent the Rockets and Kings

As it happens every NBA season around this time, coaches are being fired and hired. It always goes on during the playoffs and, more often than not, it's usually smaller named coaches taking jobs. Guys like Kenny Atkinson taking the Nets job or Earl Watson taking the Suns job. See, not that big of names. Sure, Thibodeau took the Timberwolves job and, to a much lesser extent, Scott Brooks took the Wizards job, but that's about as splashy as it gets this time of year. And yeah, Luke Walton took the Lakers job, which is a potential disaster worse than taking the Knicks job, but most teams wait until after the playoffs, or during the finals to really get into their head coaching search.

Two such teams currently searching for a coach that I want to talk about today are the Rockets and the Kings. Let's tackle the Rockets first. This team is an absolute dumpster fire. This team has absolutely no chemistry. James Harden is becoming a world class prima donna. Dwight Howard needs to leave that team as fast as possible, and, he's not really that good anymore. The other starters, guys like Terrence Ross, Corey Brewer, Patrick Beverly and Donatas Montejunas need to try their best and get out of there because Harden is no fun to play basketball with. Also, Daryl Morey needs to be let go. He put this team together through analytics nonsense and they are a complete mess because of him. Morey was the one that figured pairing Howard and Harden was a good idea. This was the guy, and I totally agreed with him at the time, that thought bringing in Ty Lawson was a good idea. This is the guy who trades away picks and young players with the "win now" attitude and it has not worked out. Sure, they miraculously made the Western Finals last year, after the Clippers epic collapse, but they got outworked, outplayed and outclassed by the Warriors. And the true James Harden showed up. The guy that shrinks the bigger the moment gets. The Rockets are a total mess. Even their interim coach, JB Bickerstaff said he'd rather be an assistant than the head coach of this team. Bickerstaff has been with this team for a long time, got his chance to be the head coach after they fired Kevin McHale 11 games into the season, and he looked and acted like he hated every single second of it. I would too if I were him. The coach of the Rockets is basically just a figure head that has to deal with players that aren't as good as they may think. Nowhere is it truer than the NBA where the coach, for all intents and purposes, doesn't matter. The only coaches that demand the respect and attention of their players are Gregg Poppovich and Steve Kerr, other than that, none of you guys really matter. If I were a coach at any level, be it high school, college or the pros, I would not touch that Rockets job with a ten foot pole. They are going to lose a lot of players, mainly Dwight Howard, and the new coach will have to deal with all the nonsense that comes with James Harden. Harden is uncoachable and that team is going to get blown up. The Rockets will be a rebuilding project, and an established coach will not touch that job. The Rockets may have to dip into the college ranks and we all saw how well that worked out for Fred Hoiberg and Billy Donovan. Sure, Donovan won 55 games, but he has Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant at his disposal and his "coaching" didn't really play any part in their success. And Hoiberg, the Bulls, with all the talent in the world, didn't even make the playoffs in the East. So, good luck to whichever low end NBA assistant or college coach that takes that Rockets job, it's going to be tough.

Then, there is the Kings vacant head coaching job. They have reached out to some big name guys. Guys like Kevin McHale, Mark Jackson and Stan Van Gundy, but they all seem to be turning the job down, and they all seem to turn it down for one reason. That one reason is Boogie Cousins. First of all, I love Boogie Cousins the player. I think he is a wonderfully skilled big man. He can play in the low post and run the floor with equal success. He is definitely a once in a lifetime good to great low post player, but he clearly has a very bad attitude problem and he is un coachable. Not one single coach that he has had in the NBA seems to last longer than one and a half season. Hell, if he had stayed at Kentucky more than one year, I bet he and Calipari would have ended up having problems. Calipari may be the one guy that can coach him, but he isn't leaving Kentucky for a NBA rebuilding job, so those rumors need to stop. I love love love Boogie Cousins, but I totally understand why all these coaches are turning down the job. I mean, George Karl, who made it work with strong personalities like Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton, couldn't reach Cousins. From the start, Cousins did not like Karl. Before they even met, he was down on Karl for some past accusations. It was a broken marriage from the jump. There have been other head coaches, but the only one that seemed to work, Mike Malone, was inexplicably fired after one season and 11 games into his second season. Malone was making it work, but Cousins went down with an injury and the Kings lost a couple of games in a row. That was enough, according to the front office, to fire him. It was a joke that Malone got fired so quickly when it seemed he was turning that team around. But, that's another problem with this franchise. The front office thinks that the team is better than it actually is. Vivek, the new owner, is an idiot. He is the one pulling the trigger so quick on coaches. He is the one that keeps drafting players that play the same position over and over again. One year he takes Ben McLemore, the next year he takes Nick Stauskas. One year he drafts Boogie Cousins. A couple of years later, he takes Willie Cauley-Stein. Vivek also said, on live national television, he wanted his team to play five on four so they could get quick fast break points because that's what his fifth grade daughters team did, and they were good. He compared an NBA team to a fifth grade basketball team. That's insane. No coach worth their mustard should touch this job with a ten foot pole as well. The Kings are a mess akin with the Rockets. The only selling point in the Kings favor is the fact that they will get a decent draft pick, but who really cares, that's just more rebuilding.

These two jobs are not good jobs. I don't think anyone with any sense is wiling to take either one of these jobs because these jobs are a stomping ground. There is no success to be had at either spot. Yes, the Rockets have James Harden, but he plays no defense, he is a ball hog, he holds the ball for 20 of the 24 second shot clock and he is a prima donna. The Rockets won't have much else going into next season. And yeah, the Kings have Boogie and Rondo, but what coach in their right mind really wants to deal with those two headaches. As I said, I love Cousins, but I would not want to deal with Rondo at all. He is past his prime and he may be a crazy person and he is too big a headache.

While other teams will fill their vacancies with relative ease, I think the Rockets and the Kings will have a long, tiring and troubling time trying to fill their head coaching jobs. Both teams are dumpster fires and no coach with a good head on their shoulders will give those jobs a second chance. Those jobs will be filled by lower level assistants, college coaches, or more likely, a crazy person.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He coaches pre K basketball and is ready to be called up by the Kings or Rockets. He fully expects to be fired in less than a year, like any other big time NBA coach would be. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Tom Thibodeau Took the Wrong Head Coaching Job

The sign Tom Thibodeau should have heeded in Minneapolis 

The Minnesota Timberwolves announced earlier today that they are finalizing a deal to hire Tom Thibodeau as the coach and the president of basketball operations. Now, I think Thibodeau is a good, possibly even a great head coach, but I don't like him taking over this team and I don't like that they made him the president. Sure, it seems nice on paper, and I'm sure Timberwolves fans will be jumping for joy, but he puts players to work. He grinds every last ounce he can get out of his players, but with a roster this young, I don't know how that will work.

Thibodeau achieved pretty good success with the Bulls, even taking them to a conference finals once, but those teams, by that time of year, were spent. Thibs worked them, maybe, a bit too hard. These guys are pro athletes and they should be used to a heavy workload, but Thibs can push a bit too far. Derrick Rose was great when the Bulls hired Thibs. He won an MVP one year, but his body has completely broken down on him. I'm not saying that it's all Thibodeau's fault, but if he let him rest a bit more and gave him a few off days, maybe he wouldn't be as frail as he is now. Joakim Noah was a beast defensively and on the boards during Thibodeau's first year. He was even being mentioned as a possible MVP candidate himself, but his body has worn down too. He barely played last year or this year. Jimmy Butler is a star in the making, but Thibs never let him run the show, and he too has started to get injured. All of this simply cannot be a coincidence. Yes, the Bulls letting him go was one of the dumber decisions last offseason, I mean look at how bad they played this year, but Thibodeau seems like a coach that will wear out his welcome in three or four years. The Bulls also had a roster of veterans when Thibodeau came in. They knew what it took to be NBA players. They knew the dedication and work it took when he was hired.

This Minnesota team is very talented, but they are also very, very young. Rick Rubio is considered the veteran and he is in his mid twenties. The players on this team, guys like Andrew Wiggins, Karl Anthony-Towns and Zach Lavine, among others, look like they may have what it takes to succeed, but I worry about the amount of pressure that Thibodeau will put on them. Don't get it twisted, I don't want these players to be treated with kid gloves, but they also shouldn't be treated like freshman on a JV or varsity team in high school. Coaches make so much less than players in the pros, so if Thibodeau comes in and punishes some of these young guys, they can walk after their contract is up. That would be a disaster for Minnesota. I really, really like this Timberwolves team. As I already said, they are loaded with young talent. Wiggins looks to be a perennial all star. Towns can be the next Anthony Davis. Lavine can sky out of the gym and Rubio is very crafty with the ball. But, what if Thibodeau rears his ugly head and over works these guys? That would be dreadful.

In today's NBA, guys leave when they don't like their current situation or they get a coach fired. That's what happened to Thibodeau when Chicago let him go. That's what happened to David Blatt when the Cavs fired him. That's what happened to Scott Brooks in OKC. It happens all the time now. Chicago grew tired of a very stressful workload. LeBron didn't want Blatt to be the coach anymore. Scott Brooks couldn't utilize two of the five best players in the NBA properly. Coaches today get let go for miniscule details.

Another question, why would Thibodeau want this particular job? He clearly had choices. He was the hottest commodity in the coaching market by far. He could have went anywhere with a vacant head coaching job that he wanted. Hell, I bet some teams with a head coach would have fired their current coach and taken him. I'm looking at you Memphis. But, he has chosen the Timberwolves. That is puzzling to me. Thibodeau seems like the type that wants to win right away. That's how it was when he took the Chicago job and that's how it was when he was an assistant on Doc Rivers staff in Boston. Those teams where built to compete and win right away. This Timberwolves team though, they seem content to be mediocre for the next couple of years and then try to make a free agency splash. I don't think that will work for Thibodeau's demeanor. Like I said, I love watching this team, but they are not ready to compete for anything, especially in the West, for at least two years. How is that going to make Thibodeau feel? What is he going to be thinking when he is in year three of his five year deal and the Timberwolves are at home during the playoffs for the 13 or 14th straight year? He seems like the kind of guy where something like that would drive him insane. It just doesn't make sense to me at all.

I feel like there were two better options for Thibodeau to take over as head coach. I already mentioned one, and that's Memphis. They are staggering right now. Yes, they have lost a ton of players to injury and yes, they look absolutely dreadful in the playoffs right now, but their roster, when fully healthy, is pretty good. They also have the look and feel of a Thibs team. I know they have a coach, Dave Joeger, but they are looking for any reason to get rid of him. Had they had a shot at Thibodeau, I bet they would have taken it. The roster is good, as I said above, too. They have Mike Conley Jr, who is a free agent, but hiring Thibodeau would keep him in Memphis I bet, and he is a good, gritty point guard. They have Marc Gasol, who is a younger, better version of his brother, whom Thibodeau coached for one year in Chicago. They have some decent vets that play gritty defense and get good shots at the wing. Guys like Matt Barnes and Tony Allen, who Thibodeau coached while at Boston. The Memphis roster just seems like a Thibodeau roster and I think, had they tried, they could have hired him.

The one team with a head coaching vacancy that would be perfect for Thibodeau is the Washington Wizards. This is clearly a veteran laden team in need of a defensive minded coach. Two years ago they were on their way to a conference finals until John Wall broke his hand. This year, they forgot how to play defense and where terribly coached and stunk it up. Tom Thibodeau could have done wonders with the Wizards. They have all the pieces, they just need a good, hard nosed coach. That's Tom Thibodeau. He could have done for John Wall what he did for Derrick Rose. He could have turned Bradley Beal into a poor man's Jimmy Butler. His bigs, Marcin Gortat and Nene, I feel like they would thrive with a coach like him. Otto Porter Jr is already better than Mike Dunleavy Jr. And, all these guys are multi year vets. They wouldn't mind being whipped into shape by a tougher coach. The Wizards made the most sense to me of any team. But, he has apparently chosen a reclamation project in the West. I think it will be very tough sledding for him, and I wouldn't be surprised if he doesn't last his entire reported contract.

I know a lot of basketball people will disagree with me, but I think, both Thibodeau and the Timberwolves, have made a not so good decision. Hopefully they prove me wrong because I like Thibodeau and I love this Timberwolves team, but I don't think that will happen.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is thinking all about coaches while the useless first round of the NBA playoffs commence. That is the type of guy he is. It is your destiny to follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.