Ty Tells You How each NBA Team Can Win the Title: Rockets, Trailblazers, and the Jazz

Day 7 of my NBA countdown has us finally getting to the top 10. It will be team number 10, but we are on our way to the elite. The best of the best. What separates the teams from being elite today are any number of things. Some don't think defense is important. Others are a bit too young, and don't have the necessary experience to go any further than round 2. Some are just one or two players away from being truly competitive. These teams are good, and may make some noise, but none will go any further than round 2 of the playoffs this year. Here we go.

At number 12, I have the Houston Rockets. Man, did this team underachieve last year. They were a year removed from the West finals, and they went out of the playoffs last year with barely a whimper. They did finally get rid of Dwight Howard, but I don't think he was the sole problem. This team does not care about defense at all, and it all starts with their star player, James Harden. Harden is one of the best scorers in the league right now. He can make shots from anywhere. He is deadly from down town. He gets to the free throw line regularly and he will always have the ball in his hands. The problem, he simply thinks that defense is optional. Harden is a horrendous defender. He doesn't even try, which makes it worse. Sure, he can go for 30 any given night, but the guy he is guarding is just as capable of putting up 30. The hiring of Mike Dantoni won't help out his, or the team's defense for that matter. Dantoni is an offensive wizard, but he, much like Harden, thinks defense is optional. This team will score a ton, but they will give up a ton of points too. There are some other decent pieces on this roster. Patrick Beverly is a pesky defender and okay point guard. He may be the only guy on this team that tries on the defensive end. But, when you have Harden as your point guard, having Beverly is kind of pointless. He won't do all that much for the Rockets this year, except annoy their opponents. The Donatas Montejunas hype is over. He is never healthy. He can't score like projected, and he, like most of the roster, could care less about stopping his man. Montejunas is kind of a waste. They signed Ryan Anderson and Eric Gordon this offseason. Both are good offensive players. Anderson is a great shooter, but he is just as bad on defense as Harden is. Gordon, when healthy, is a very good, all star caliber player, but he can't stay healthy, and he too thinks defense is optional. They signed Nene, who will bring some toughness to this team, but he looked a step slow in the Olympics. Montrez Harrell will try and take the Nene slack, but he is very inconsistent. Trevor Ariza is a good shooter, but he has lost a step or two, and he doesn't attack like the rim like he used to. He also plays no defense. Clint Capela is the new big man, with Howard gone, but I don't think he is ready to be a starter in the NBA just yet. This team is going to score a ton of points. They may average between 115 and 120 points per game. But, they will give up 110 to 115 points a game. That will net them 43 or 44 wins, but no more. Unfortunately for the Rockets, defense is a very important thing in the NBA.

So Ty, how will the Rockets win the title? The Rockets could win the title if they average about 140 points per game. The only way they can win is if they outscore every other team. That will not happen.

At number 11, I have the Portland Trailblazers. This team surprised everyone last year, including me. They were supposed to be rebuilding, yet they made the second round last year. Damien Lillard is one of the 10 best players in the league. He is clutch, can score from anywhere and is the man on this team. He could be a little better on defense, but man oh man is he elite on offense. CJ McCollum is about to become a perennial all star. He is a great, clutch shooter as well. He also has a very calming demeanor. He is never flustered and plays well within his limitations. This is one of the better backcourts in all the NBA. Allen Crabbe proved to be a decent shooter and a good defender last year. Who knew. Meyers Leonard has been a waste. He is too big and talented to be this mediocre, but he is just average. He also gets hurt way too often. I did not like the Evan Turner signing, but I don't think it will hurt them. He is an okay player, but when you have Lillard and McCollum, I see no reason for Turner. Al Faroq-Aminnu has proven that he is a good enough scorer and defender. He stretches the floor and plays heady defense. Maurice Harkless seemingly came out of nowhere to be a pretty reliable player last year. He doesn't do one thing exceptional, but he seems to do everything pretty well. He's a good basketball player. Mason Plumlee is an average big man, They have a big discrepancy when it comes to big men. Noah Vonleh has also been relegated to bench duties. The lack of a true big will hurt them. This team is so much better than anyone thought they would be. They will continue to win between 44 and 47 games because they have an excellent back court. I love Damien Lillard and CJ McCollum.

So Ty, how will the Blazers win the title? The Blazers will win the title if, much like their first round series last year, every team they run into in the playoffs has a star player get injured. They won't get lucky like that again, but this team is good. Don't sleep on the Trailblazers.

At number 10, I have the Utah Jazz. I know that I have them in my top ten, but I'm not as high as some other people are on them. I think they will be good, but they will go no further than the first round this year. But, they do play some incredibly good defense. I love teams that play good defense. Gordon Hayward is a good NBA player, but I don't think he is as good as others. Some people seem to think he is all star caliber, I don't. I think he is a fine NBA player. He can get you 16 points a night, and he will play some good defense. I do however love Rudy Gobert. He is an excellent big man. His offensive game is coming along quite nicely and he is already a great rim protector and rebounder. Gobert is an all star caliber player. I also really like Derrick Favors. He doesn't jump off the page, but he is consistent and reliable. He is a good low post player. Getting George Hill will be huge for this team. He is a solid point guard and he does everything the right way. This was a great pick up. I also like the addition of Boris Diaw. Sure, he is older and looks a bit out of shape, but he will make open shots and he will find the open man. He is an excellent passer. Joe Johnson was a fine addition too. He doesn't play much defense, but he will be instant offense for a team that needs some instant offense. Alec Burks is a good young player, he is just a but inconsistent. He can fix that. Trey Lyles seems to be coming along just fine. He is a big that can go inside and out. He needs some more time, he is very young, but he looks like he will be a solid NBA player. Rodney Hood has gotten better every year, and I think now is his chance to break through. He's a good shooter and a good defender. This Jazz team is good, and they are on their way back to being a regular in the playoffs. They will win 46 or 47 games this year, about good enough for the 5 or 6 seed.

So Ty, how will the Jazz win the title? The Jazz can win the title if they, much like the Blazers, strike injury luck with their opponents and a star gets hurt on every team they face. They also need Hayward to be more assertive and Gobert's offensive game to drastically improve. They aren't there yet, but they are going to be good for awhile if they all stick together.

That's it for today, come back next week when it is all elite teams that all have a legitimate shot at the title.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The Head Editor can not get behind the Jazz and Quinn Snyder's pass the ball thirty times and miss a three type of offense. Hey, Ty knows more about these things. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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D'Angelo Russell, Nick Young, and the Disaster that is the LA Lakers

Current state of the LA Lakers

I was going to write about one of my favorite TV characters today, but that will take a backseat until next week because I have to talk about this insane LA Lakers story that broke yesterday. If you don't already know, rookie D'Angelo Russell released a recording of him talking to teammate Nick Young, I refuse to call him by his stupid nickname, of Young basically saying that he cheated on his fiancée.

Now, where to start with this whole can of worms? First of all, what Young may or may not have done or been accused of doing or joking about what he said he did, it was wrong. Don't cheat on people that you have promised to spend the rest of your life with. Only scumbags do this and it makes you a terrible, gross person. Cheaters are some of the worst people on Earth. I HATE everything when it comes to cheating. It's gross and causes a distrust you can never earn back, no matter what you do and say.

With that being said, let's get to part two. What D'Angelo Russell did was one hundred percent unethical and is every bit as wrong and as bad as cheating on your significant other. You want to talk about losing trust and faith from people, go out and secretly record a conversation with a friend and a colleague. See how much trust you can get back when you do something this shady. This is so wrong on every level. Why would Russell record this conversation? What did he stand to gain from this? Does he want to be with Young's fiancée? Does he not really like Nick Young and did he think if he leaked this conversation people would think he was a saint and a hero? There are so many questions that I would love to personally ask Russell. Let's look at each of these questions I posed here.

Number one, why record this? The only reason I can really think of, he wants Young off the team because Russell was the number two pick in the last draft and was told that the future of the Lakers would be built around him. Well, I don't know how many free agents the Lakers will attract now, when the "future" of this team is secretly recording contracts. If I was a big time free agent next year, like Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, Andre Drummond, DeMar DeRozan, Al Horford or Harrison Barnes, I would stay away from the Lakers with a very wide breach. I wouldn't even give them a meeting, as long as Russell is still on that team. Now, these guys most likely wouldn't say stupid shit like Nick Young did, but I wouldn't want to walk into that locker room everyday fearing that someone was secretly recording me. No way.

Question two, what did he think he'd gain from this? This one, I have no idea. I don't know if he thought he'd be looked at like a good guy or a guy that catches cheaters in the act, like that host from the show "Cheaters". Side note, that show is entertaining as hell. This one question, I believe, only Russell knows the real and true answer and he will never reveal it to the public.

Question three, does he want to be with Young's fiancée? I'd say, sure, why not. She is a famous rapper with a lot of money. She is also an attractive young lady. She has a lot going for her, so why wouldn't he want to be with her. But, how many girls that were cheated on go out and be with the guy who told her that her old boyfriend was cheating? As I said before, Russell recording this conversation is as bad as what Young said he did. Why would she trust Russell when her fiancée and his teammates can't even trust him. It's a no win situation.

The fourth question seems, at least to me, was the main reason he released and recorded this conversation. He wants Young off the team. Young is a ball hog that plays no defense and has shown no signs of turning his game or attitude around. He plays with a swagger that he doesn't have. Young thinks he is a star, but he is one of the worst players in the league. He is supposed to be a shooter, but he is not very good at that. He should be in the D League, but he is a starter in the NBA for some unknown reason. Young isn't good, but neither is Russell. One, he's a rookie. Two, he also shows no sign of wanting to play defense or share the ball and he's a point guard. He'd rather drive to score than drive to pass. He is a very, very poor man's version of James Harden. Russell has shown flashes, but he has a very long way to go before he is any kind of threat in the NBA. He is not very good right now and he will need a lot of time to develop his game. He is not on other rookies from his draft class level like Karl Anthony-Towns, Kristaps Porzingis, Devin Booker or even a Trey Lyles. Those guys are so much better and have improved so much more over the year. Russell needs a lot of work, a lot more than the guys I just mentioned.

All this brings me to my main point and main problem with the current and future state of the NBA. D'Angelo Russell is 20 years old. He is still a kid, but he was given the keys to this historic franchise at way too young an age. He has also been surrounded by the Kobe Bryant retirement circus. How is any young player on that team going to develop when Bryant still wants to be the main star and story of the franchise? It's impossible and that's the way Bryant likes it. He doesn't care how bad or how much of a hole he has put the Lakers in, as long as everyone tells him how much they love and adore him. But, aside from Bryant, the only other players that are any good on this team are Julius Randle, Jordan Clarkson and Larry Nance Jr. Young stinks, as I have mentioned a couple times, Roy Hibbert stinks and is a billion years old, Brandon Bass best days are behind him, Lou Williams doesn't want to be there and hogs the ball too much and the rest of the roster is filled with guys that should be in the D League. And, the front office gave the keys to a lying, sneaky and conniving 20 year old when they drafted Russell number two overall last year. This was a HUGE misstep from a front office that has made misstep after misstep for the past three or four years. The Lakers have been a joke for a couple of years now, but they are becoming a dumpster fire. They seem to be worse off than the much maligned and much ripped apart 76ers right now. If I were a big time player, I'd rather go to the 76ers than the Lakers right now. At least on the 76ers I know my teammates won't be secretly recording me. If I were a player in the upcoming draft, I would hope and pray that the Lakers passed on me. I can't think of a worse situation for a player like Buddy Hield or Ben Simmons than to be drafted by the Lakers and have to be on the same team as D'Angelo Russell.

If I've said it once on this site, I've said it one thousand times, don't draft teenagers to be your franchise player. Teenagers and early 20 year olds do stupid shit like secretly recording conversations with their teammates because they think they can gain something from it. The whole NBA is guilty of this new trend of drafting based on potential, but with potential comes childish behavior. Like I said before, if I were a big time free agent I'd be very wary of signing with the Lakers this summer because I would not trust or want to play with Russell. He has lost any credibility that he had, if he had any at all. These established players don't want or need to worry about what a child does and this story will make it very tough for the Lakers to become relevant again. No big named free agents will sign there because of this and, as long as Russell is still there, it will be tough for the Lakers to compete again. I don't buy his "apology" that he gave yesterday, and when you get me siding with Nick Young, you've clearly done something horribly wrong and horribly shady. I'm not a Lakers fan and this story makes it that much easier for me to dislike this team. They are interrible, big time hole that may take years for them to dig out of. They stink and their players are shady people.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He will be very happy when Kobe and is 9% shooting nights are gone from the NBA. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.