Ty Tells You How each NBA Team Can Win the Title: Suns, Magic, and Nuggets

Before I continue with my NBA countdown today, I want to wish my beautiful little baby girl a very happy first birthday. I can't believe that she is already one. Happy birthday princess, I love you.

Now, back to the countdown.

Coming in at number 27, the Phoenix Suns. First off, I heard some story yesterday that they are utilizing the "high five" because it will grow strength between teammates and make for a better work environment. They did a study on this. That statement alone should show you how far behind most of the league the Suns really are. Studying the good things about high fives. Yeesh. This was a team that just a few years ago barely missed out on the playoffs in the hyper competitive Western Conference. But now, that roster has been ravaged and there are only few holdovers. This was also the same team that went all in on LaMarcus Aldridge when no one thought they had a chance to sign him. Guess what, he signed elsewhere. The back court is the strength, but it is filled with untapped potential. Brandon Knight and Eric Bledsoe cannot stay healthy, and their style of play seem to clash when they are on the court at the same time. Devin Booker is a great, great shooter, but until he gets some more help, it will be for moot. But man, is he a great shooter. The rest of the roster is very mediocre and old. Tyson Chandler peaked about 4 years ago. I love Chandler, but he is done in the NBA. Jared Dudley, while being a good dude, he doesn't really have it anymore. PJ Tucker can't stay out of trouble on and off the court. Alex Len is a bust. And Archie Goodwin doesn't seem to have what it takes to make it in the NBA. They drafted Tyler Ullis and Dragan Bender. Ullis is lightning fast, but he is so tiny, and he couldn't really score that much in college. Bender may or may not be good, but this preseason, he has seemed more interested in his hair looking good as opposed to his jumper looking good. He also got owned by undrafted opponents in the summer league. The Suns are in the midst of a massive rebuild. They are pretty terrible, not as bad as the three teams from yesterday, but still pretty bad. They will win between 20-25 games.

So Ty, how will the Suns win the title? The Suns only shot at the title is if Bledsoe and Knight find a way to blend their skills and become all NBA caliber and the rest of the roster plays the best basketball of their lives. That isn't happening.

At number 26, I have the Orlando Magic. I thought that they may be on the up, but not so much after this offseason. Sure, they added Serge Ibaka, but is he a real threat anymore? Was he ever a threat? Now, he is the first option on this team. Yikes. Scott Skiles also quit on this team after one year. I think that speaks volumes on both ends. Skiles couldn't handle the new NBA, and the Magic didn't like his old school approach. They also traded away Victor Oladipo. While not great, he was still a double digit scorer and a very good defender. The Thunder won that trade. Aaron Gordon is a very good leaper, but he doesn't do much else. He needs to develop a jumper and play better defense. Elfrid Payton is just not living up to the hype. the game seems to fast for him. Nikola Vucivic is a stat stuffer, but that doesn't make him great. He fills the stat sheet, but it doesn't really matter. Evan Fournier is garbage. Mario Hezjona hasn't really had a real shot to prove himself. Jeff Green is a total anomaly, and one of the more frustrating players in the NBA. DJ Augustin is a career back up, and after that, all no names. I do like the Frank Vogel hiring, the dude is a good coach, but this team is a few years away from truly competing. 25-30 wins seems to be their ceiling. 

So Ty, how will the Magic win the title? The Magic can win the title if Ibaka returns to his old dominant self on defense, and stops settling for jumpers, and the rest of the team plays much, much better than they have since they've been in the league. The Magic are a team filled with players that have not lived up to their hype and draft position. Vogel will make a difference, but it will be in a year or two.

At number 25, I have the Denver Nuggets. I really, really like Kenneth Faried and Emmanuel Mudiay. The problem is with the rest of their roster, it is junk. Danilo Gallinari has never lived up to his expectations, and he is always hurt. Their first round pick, Jamal Murray, barely scored in college. I don't care that he made a bunch of un guarded jumpers in his workouts, what I saw in his short college career, he had a tough time scoring. Wilson Chandler is on the back end of his career, and the front end wasn't all that great to begin with. Mike Miller is one million years old. Why doesn't he just retire? Gary Harris is now getting into trouble left and right off the court. Jameer Nelson's career was over 3 or 4 years ago. And Darrell Arthur is a very below average NBA player. I like Faried and Mudiay, but my like for them is completely outweighed by my dislike for the rest of the roster. Mike Malone is a good coach, but I don't think even Gregg Poppovich could win with this roster. They may win 28 or 29 games, but that is it.

So Ty, how will the Nuggets win the title? The Nuggets could win the title if Faried develops a deadly offensive game, and Mudiay gets a legit jumper. Oh, and that dumpster fire of a roster actually plays good basketball. That is not happening.

That's it for today. Come back next week for my next 3 teams.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the X Millennial Man Podcast. His daughter is a prodigy since she is able to read at the age of one. Why else would Ty write a happy birthday message. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of generous donors. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Tells You How each NBA Team Can Win the Title: Nets, 76ers, and Lakers

In what will become a yearly tradition, I will count down all 30 NBA teams, from worst to best, prior to the start of the season. The regular season kicks off on October 25th, so I figured there was no better time than 2 weeks before to give you guys and girls my rankings and predictions. This will span the next 10 days, but I will sprinkle in some of my other stuff, i.e. "Ty Watches", and other pop culture things, but the NBA will be my main focus for the rest of this week, and most of next week.

Okay, enough foreplay, let's get to it.

Coming in at number 30, the worst team in the NBA in the 2016-17 season will be...the Brooklyn Nets. You thought I would pick the 76ers, they'll be on this list very soon, but I think the Nets will be slightly worse. The Nets are a dumpster fire. They have a few quality players, well, maybe only Brook Lopez, but other than him, this team is either too young, too overrated, or just plain bad. But wait you say, they signed Jeremy Lin and Luis Scola this offseason. I say, so what. Why Jeremy Lin worked in Charlotte was because he wasn't the first option. He was instant offense off the bench. In Brooklyn, he will be the guy, and that does not bode well for the Nets. Scola is old, slow, can't score anymore and is a liability on defense. Brook Lopez is a very good throwback center, but he is oft injured, but he will do his thing, but it won't matter because he has little to no help. He will probably miss some games too, as he always does. The fact that he didn't miss a game last year was a total outlier. That won't happen again. The rest of the roster is filled with guys like Randy Foye, Bojan Bogdanovic, Anthony Bennett and Grevies Vasquez. Does that sound like any kind of good NBA team? I didn't think so. The rookies they picked are so so. Caris Levert, who I root for because he played at Michigan, cannot stay healthy. Yogi Ferrell is smart, but slow and small. The NBA is going to be a grind for him. The Nets will be lucky to win 20 games this year. Bill Simmons should be thrilled because the Celtics are going to be picking in the lottery once again, the Nets owe their pick to them, because the Nets stink. This team is a mess and they will be a mess all year. I feel bad for Brook Lopez because he is legitimately good, he just has no help.

So Ty, how will the Nets win the title? The only way the Nets will win the title is if every other team decides to tank, and that is still a total longshot.

Coming in at number 29, the Philadelphia 76ers. I have been harder on the 76ers than most, but they finally rid themselves of the mess that was Sam Hinkie and "trusting the process". That was a complete waste of 4 years, the 76ers became a joke and I felt that I could play for that team. They are still a terrible team, but they have the look of a team that may, at the very least, try to win some games this year. I mean, they only won 10 all of last year, so there is nowhere to go but up. I know that their first pick, and the top overall pick in the draft, Ben Simmons, is out with a foot injury, but they should still be slightly better than 10 wins. The bummer with the Simmons injury, if you are a 76ers fan, that kid needs to play NBA games. He has no jumper and looks a tad slow right now. He needs that game experience because he is the type of player that will get better when he plays top level competition. But, the 76ers do get to finally see Joel Embiid, after 2 lost years. He has played in a preseason game, so I'm going to assume he will be playing when the season starts. He looked good during the preseason game too. He has great feet and is a decent low post scorer. He could be a decent defender too. Time will tell, but I'd be optimistic that Embiid could be a good NBA player. Nerlens Noel, who is forever on the trading block, is a very good defender and rebounder, but he has no offensive game whatsoever. He is a skinny version of DeAndre Jordan, but I think Noel is a better defender. He will probably be traded though. Jahlil Okafor is a good scorer, but he is an average rebounder and a terrible defender. He is also a hothead, so who knows how many games he'll play. Dario Saric is supposed to finally come over to the NBA, and he looks pretty good. He is a lot like Simmons, just 4 inches shorter. A lot of people have been waiting to see this guy play, me included, and he is supposed to be pretty good. But, who knows. Other than these guys, the 76ers roster stinks. Elton Brand is a million years old. Nik Stauskas is a bust. Jerami Grant cannot slow himself down and is always out of control. Jerryd Bayless is a poor three point shooter, which is his "specialty". This team is lousy. I do like the young guys, but they have too many big men, and Simmons is going to miss a lot of time. They 76ers will win more than 10 games, but they won't get to 20. They are, as I said before, only marginally better than the Nets, but both teams stink.

So Ty, how will the 76ers win the title? The same goes with the 76ers title chances as goes with the Nets title chances. They need every other team to have massive injuries and they still won't win anything close to a title.

Coming in at number 28, I have the Los Angeles Lakers. The Lakers finally got the Kobe Bryant problem off their books with his retirement. He was the main reason this historic franchise has been a gutter team for the past 4 years. I'm thrilled that he is done in the NBA. This roster is young, and could be good in about 3 or 4 years, but they do not have the players to compete right now. I do like the hiring of Luke Walton, but only for the Lakers. I thought Walton could have gotten a better job, but I'm sure he wanted to go back to the franchise that he played for. I get it, I just think it was a poor choice from Walton. Like I said, they have a good young nucleus, they just aren't ready to compete for anything important. Julius Randle is a very good low post scorer, and he could turn into a decent defender. Brandon Ingram was one of the few young guys I liked in the draft, but he needs to gain weight and start to look like he cares about basketball. He is a little too lax looking when he is on the court, and veterans will exploit that. Jordan Clarkson is a star in the making and he will thrive now that Bryant is gone. He can score anywhere on the court, and he can be a good defender, if he commits himself. The jury is still out on D'Angelo Russell. Will he learn from mistakes last year, or will he continue to be a locker room pariah? Can he score at an elite level? Can he defend the better point guards in the league? Can he play a whole season? Can he become a leader? These are all questions that have no answers right now. Russell will show this season if he is going to be worth the number 2 pick, or if he is going to be a bust. Then, their free agent class is a joke. Loul Deng, old and slow, Timofey Mozgov, couldn't see the court after the all star break for the Cavs last season, Yi Jianlian, who hasn't been in the NBA for years and was crushed by NBA players in the Olympics and Metta World Peace, didn't he retire a few years ago, just terrible. This team is going to be at the bottom of the league until the young players develop. The Lakers have proven to not be a free agent destiny in the past few years for star free agents, so they have had to build via the draft. They may be the first team to crack 20 wins, but that is it, 20 wins. The Lakers stink, and they will continue to stink until they land a big time free agent, or the young players develop.

So Ty, how will the Lakers win the title? The only chance the Lakers have to win the title is if they trade for Russell Westbrook, just re upped with OKC, Kevin Love, is he even elite anymore and one more big time player, and that is not happening.

That's it for day one. come back tomorrow for numbers 27, 26 and 25.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He was on the draft board for the 76ers, they just wanted him to sit for 15 years first. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Kevin Garnett Showed Us all that Anything is Possible

Another legend hangs them up

Last week one of my all time favorite NBA players decided to retire. In fact, he is probably my second favorite player all time behind only Charles Barkley. That player is Kevin Garnett. I am such a big KG fan, I knew this day was coming sooner rather than later, but I was still in shock when I saw that the Timberwolves were buying him out, and he was going to retire. He has been a staple in my NBA watching life for as long as I can remember. I have vivid memories of hearing about KG when he was in high school. He is only 6 years older than I am, so it was neat to see someone that was relatively my same age be so dominant at basketball, which is my favorite sport.

I remember hearing about him transferring out of his small high school in South Carolina for many different reasons. There was the whole fight situation, that I still believe he had nothing to do with, which seemed to be the main reason for his departure. I also remember hearing other reasons such as, Farragaut Academy was a basketball factory and he was next in a long line of stars that they loaded their team with. He was not a great student, and at his high school in South Carolina let him pass because he was so good at basketball. He needed to be challenged academically as well as athletically. But, no matter what we believe or not, transferring out of the smaller school to the mighty Farragaut Academy was the best thing for him.

I also followed him a lot because he had Michigan on his short list of colleges, and me being a Michigan fan, that would have been great. But, after leading Farragaut to an incredible record, and winning Gatorade Player of the Year in Illinois, he opted for the NBA draft. I think his decision was made a bit easier because he wasn't getting the scores he needed on his SAT's and ACT as well. He declared for the draft right before this whole "prep to pro" boom took off. In fact, Garnett was one of the first people to do this since Moses Malone or Shawn Kemp.

When he was taken with the fifth overall pick in the 1995 draft by the Timberwolves. I immediately became a T'Wolves fan. As I said, I loved Garnett's game, and the tenacity with which he played. You could tell just by watching him that he put his blood, sweat and tears into this game. He was a guy that was going to put in the necessary work to make himself better and better every year. He was going to mold his game to fit in the NBA. I remember people saying he was too skinny and he would get pushed around. Now, he never got huge, but he found a way to beat bigger guys with his quickness, his work ethic and his trash talking. He played a decent amount as a rookie, but it wasn't until about year 3 when he really became an all time great. His blend of speed, size, skill, quickness, the ability to go inside and outside, his rebounding and his defense, he became a force to be reckoned with.

Before the start of the 1997 season, that was when he got his huge deal. People didn't think he deserved it, but I couldn't have disagreed more. This dude had gotten better every year, and now, he was opposing teams biggest threat. To prove his doubters wrong, he worked extra hard after getting that contract, and the proof was in the pudding. He would go to multiple All Star games. He made the Timberwolves a perennial threat. He made people think that Stephon Marbury was a legit NBA point guard. He gave Flip Saunders, RIP, all he had and turned him into a much better coach. Unfortunately, the Timberwolves could not get any further than the West Finals, but that wasn't for lack of effort and skill on KG's part. He won me over during his first go round in Minnesota, and there was no other player I tried to mimic my game after. I started to rebound and focus on defense more. I developed a low post game. I even started to trash talk, something I never did.

NBA fans know of his otherworldly trash talking. He was an all time great trash talker, right up there with Gary Payton and Michael Jordan. He would cut you down any way possible so he could have any advantage. Trash talking is such an underrated part of the game, and KG is one of the best of all time.

In 2007, KG was traded to Boston. I think we all saw the tea leaves and knew that he had done all he could in Minnesota. They couldn't go any further. So, with his growing frustration, Minnesota traded him to Boston and he paired up with Paul Pierce and Ray Allen, to form the first "big three". This worked out great for all three of those guys. They won a title in their first season together. Garnett was the star of this "big three", but he never acted bigger than any of his new Boston teammates. That's another great trait of KG. He sacrificed and always did what was best for the team. While in Boston, if they needed him to score, he scored, if they needed rebounding, KG was their guy, if they needed to step up on defense, KG led the charge. He did it all. Even after that title, we all expected so much more from the first "big three", and the start of the 2008-2009 season looked like Boston would be an all time great team. But, injuries beset KG. They still made the East Finals, but they were ousted by a young Dwight Howard led Orlando Magic team. In 2010, led by KG again, Boston made it all the way to the Finals, even though they stumbled their way to a fourth seed during the regular season. They had the Lakers on the ropes, but they couldn't close it out, much to my chagrin. I'm not a Celtics fan, but I loathe the Lakers. I will say though, KG made me root for the Celtics during his 6 years there.

In 2013, on draft day, KG and Paul Pierce were traded to the Nets, as the Celtics went into full tank mode. This trade now looks horrible, but at the time it looked great for the Nets. They needed some tough veterans, and who better than KG and Pierce to be those guys. Well, this did not go as well as most predicted. the Nets made the playoffs, but KG was hurt a lot, and the Nets never made it past round 2.

After the failed Nets experiment, KG returned to his first NBA home, Minnesota. He looked older and a bit slower, but he was the perfect griseled vet for the young T'Wolves. He got to mentor 2 of the better young players in the NBA right now in Karl Anthony-Towns and Andrew Wiggins. If I were in my early 20's, and in the NBA, I would one hundred percent choose KG as my mentor. He knows the game in and out, and gave his all to basketball.

I will always be a big, big KG fan. I walk around my house yelling "ANYTHING IS POSSIBLE!" all the time. I called myself the "Big Ticket" when I played high school basketball. I developed a jumper at the free throw line because KG did. I started to play defense because KG talked about how it wins titles. He was my basketball mentor without him even knowing it, and I know that I'm not the only fan that feels this way.

This upcoming NBA season is going to be odd to not see him or Tim Duncan out there. Kobe Bryant, I could care less about you.

Thank you Kevin Garnett for 21 wonderful, All Star filled, MVP winning, title winning and perennial playoff appearances years of basketball. You are one of the greatest to ever play. I cannot wait for your Hall of Fame induction ceremony. It will be well deserved and great.

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Milllennial Man Podcast. Last year he ranked all the NBA teams, and got so very close to a true prediction. Will he do it again this year? Follow Ty on instagram and twitter to find out. 

Famous Fisherman and Tattoo Wearer Kevin Durant does not want to be Questioned about Basketball

All Durant fans know he averages 5.45 pounds per catch

On the most recent episode of "Any Given Wednesday with Bill Simmons", which has gotten so much worse with each episode, Kevin Durant was on as one of his guests, along with Nas. I was kind of excited because I thought Durant would shed some light on why he chose to go to the Warriors in free agency. Everyone that reads this site knows how I feel. I was hurt, I felt like it was a cheap move to get an easy title and it seemed a little weak. After a week or so of introspection, I started to think of other reasons why he might have left OKC. Maybe he wanted a change of scenery, may be he was tired of playing with Russ, maybe he thought OKC had gone as far as they could, or maybe he wanted to play in the most free flowing offense I have ever seen. I was still upset, being a former OKC fan, but I started to think outside of me being upset, and thought about why Kevin Durant, the basketball player, would want a change of scenery.

So, with his appearance on "AGW", I thought he just may give us a little bit of an explanation as to why he left. But, and this is a very recent development in Kevin Durant the person, he was quiet, and seemed angry any time the question of him leaving was brought up. Look, I understand that it is infuriating to answer the same question over and over again, I have a 4 year old, but, in this day and age of athletes being ultra famous, I'm sorry to say Mr. Durant, but that question will be asked one million more times. Get used to it. You can be gloomy and ask people to stop talking about it, but they won't.

Then, as he went into some kind of a half answer, he said that he was hurt by all the bad press. Really?! Hurt?! Of course people are going to be mad at your decision. Sports are irrational, and fans are the most irrational. We lose our minds at the smallest possible thing. My first reaction when I heard the news that Durant was leaving was to tell my family that he broke my heart. And when I say family, I don't just mean my wife and kids, we were on vacation and I told my parents and my brother, our head editor RD, and his wife and kid that Durant broke my heart. All these people did not care about the decision, but I did, because I was not only a huge OKC fan, but I am a huge Kevin Durant fan. I was as irrational as most people. I didn't burn jerseys or make videos chastising Durant, but I did say that he broke my heart. I don't know him personally. I have never met him. I've only ever seen him play live twice, but I felt like a kid who just lost his first crush to someone who was cooler than I am. So for Durant to say that he was hurt, get over it. Being a famous athlete means stuff like this is going to happen.

Then, he went on to complain that no one cares about him as a person. First off, that is not true. I'm sure the people he lets close to him care very much about him. Simmons seemed to care, and he is more plugged in than any NBA writer, with the lone exception being Zach Lowe. I'm sure his former teammates and his new teammates care about him. But, instead of pointing all that out, he seemed to be singling people out like me, the fan, as being people that don't; care about him outside of basketball.

Well, you know what, he is right. I could care less what he does with his free time because, as I have already said, I don't know him personally, I only know him as a basketball player. I do not care if he wants to go fishing on a Tuesday, one example he pointed out on the show, or how many Tupac or Rick James tattoos he has. That stuff does not interest me. To be quite callous, I only care how he performs on the basketball court. That is the one place that I can see him do his thing. I don't want to watch him fish. I don't want to go with him to the tattoo parlor and I don't want to be around when he is playing the victim, as he has done lately. Dude, you are an uber famous basketball player that makes millions upon millions of dollars. The common fan does not care about your personal life. that comes with the territory. When you get to the level that Kevin Durant is at, people only care about your game.

When LeBron left Cleveland the first time, I don't remember him complaining about being the villain, in fact, he took it on. It was unsuccessful, be he tried to be the villain. That made me like LeBron way more because he wasn't griping and complaining that no one cared about him as a person. LeBron understands that his personal stuff is of no interest to anyone outside of his inner circle. Kevin Durant needs to grow thicker skin it seems.

Look, I still love watching him play basketball, and even though I will be rooting against him now, I hope he is still as electric as he has been his whole career, but he needs to get over his personal pity party. You made your choice and you have to live with fans being upset. That comes with the job. I'm sorry that you may feel hurt, but I say, get over it. You are a great player, and stop trying to put the blame on other people, just go out there and play basketball as great as you've always been. People will boo you and cheer against you, and I hope that doesn't hurt your feelings, because it is coming in droves this season. You are a great player Kevin Durant, but right now, you are coming off as a bit whiny.

Get over it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He will one day leave SeedSing for the greener pastures of a big time sports blog, and he will be a villain to the head editor. Get over it RD. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

The NBA Hall of Fame Just Added Three of the Best Players Ever

I want to take my time today to point out how great this most recent NBA hall of fame class truly is. The three players that were enshrined last week are three of the biggest influences on me, growing up as a huge basketball fan and player. The class included Yao Ming, Shaquille O'Neal and Allen Iverson. I'm going to tell you why each one of these players were important for me. Some are much more important, thus they will get more words, but I truly think and believe that all three of these guys absolutely belong in the hall of fame.

First off, lets look at Yao Ming. I remember hearing about Ming when I was in high school. I heard that there was a 7 foot 6 inch guy that was coming to the NBA from China. I had never seen anyone that big before. I know Manute Bol was either 7'7 or 7'8, but he was a beanpole. Not only was Ming tall, but he was thick. I remember seeing him on draft day, and I could not believe how big he actually was. He was towering over his parents, and I just simply could not believe he was real. I thought that he would barely last in the NBA, as Bol had a very short career, because tall guys break down so easily. But, Ming had a pretty productive, and quite frankly, a great career. His body did break down, but it wasn't until the very end. When Ming was a rookie, he was already a beast. Another player I will talk about shortly, Shaq, said he was going to go straight at him, which he did, but Ming did not back down, blocking his first shot attempt. Ming immediately won my respect. From then on, Ming was a great rim protector, an excellent rebounder, a beast on the low block and a double digit career scorer. Ming was a very good, very underrated pro. He was a multiple all star, made the Rockets relevant again, and brought the NBA to China. Ming was a huge influence on many young big men that are playing in China now. I'm a big Yao Ming fan, and I'm very happy he is a hall of famer.

Next, we have Shaquille O'Neal. I remember hearing about Shaq when I was a pre teen. I was very heavily into college basketball, and Shaq was one of the best players in the mid 90's. He made me want to watch LSU basketball. He dominated in college, and he did much of the same in the NBA. When he was first in the league, he made the Magic relevant. He was the main piece of the puzzle that led that team to its one of only 2 NBA finals appearances. That whole team was built around Shaq. O'Neal was so good in the low post. He was basically unstoppable. The one thing I liked most about the Orlando Magic version of Shaq was how many times he broke the rims. He would dunk with such ferocity that the whole rim would come down, or the backboard would shatter. He was like a bigger version of Daryl Dawkins. After he left Orlando and signed with LA, I was mad, but I understood. The Magic went as far as they could, and Shaq wanted titles. When he was a Laker, that was when he became the most dominant player in the league. Shaq could not be stopped. He got bigger, yet his quick feet remained. He got stronger, but he was not much slower. Shaq could do everything, except shoot free throws. The whole hack a whoever, that started with Shaq. Teams could not stop him, unless they fouled him. He was one of the most battered stars of all time, but that did not stop him from dominating. He would still put up 30 points, grab 10 rebounds, block 5 shots and win. He was the reason the Lakers became great in the early 2000's, not Kobe Bryant. Even after he left LA, Shaq won another title, this time with the Heat. He wasn't the same, but he still commanded the respect and attention of opposing defenses. Shaq was a big part in helping Dwayne Wade win his first title. He bounced around to a few other teams, but Shaq got into the hall for his time with the Lakers and the Magic. Shaq was a monster of a player, he redefined rules and bent what a traditional big man could do. Shaq may be the second greatest center of all time, behind only Bill Russell. Shaq was a sure fire hall of famer. This was more than due and deserved.

The last, but most important person that got inducted, at least to me, was Allen Iverson. I mean, Iverson is the best pound for pound player to ever play the game of basketball. He did things that no one his size should have been able to do against high level NBA competition. Iverson would go into the trees and come out with points. I didn't know how he did it, I don't think his opponents knew how he did it, hell, I bet Iverson was even shocked, but he could score in the paint against any big man that was out there trying to defend him. But, he was also a wizard of the crossover dribble. He perfected it in college, and it only got better when he was a pro. He crossed up so many great defenders, but the time he crossed Jordan, as a rookie, that was the best. Michael Jordan, who is the greatest player of all time, was also an otherworldly defender, and Iverson shook him out of his shorts. It's still incredible to watch to this day. Iverson also made the 76ers relevant again. They were nothing for about a decade until they drafted him. He never really got the supporting cast he needed, but he had that team in the playoffs constantly, and thy even made the finals once, even stealing one game in LA, against the Shaq led Lakers. Allen Iverson was incredible on the court. He was also very influential off the court. He made the NBA hip. He was to the NBA in the early 21st century what the Fab five was to college basketball in the 90's. He was so cool, brash, in your face, did not care what others thought of him and he owned all this. He would say what was on his mind, and then some. This made me respect him even more than I already did. He was the coolest dude, playing the coolest sport when he was in his prime. He had a few forgettable seasons in Denver and Memphis, but he was electric when he was the man in Philadelphia. So many young players owe the way they play to Allen Iverson. He was the first to come and truly be the person he wanted to be. He did not answer to anyone. He did his thing, and he did it exceptionally. Allen Iverson is one of my personal favorite players, and he is one of the ten best players to ever play the game of basketball. Iverson was a beast, and him being in the hall of fame makes me very, very happy. Almost no one deserves it more than him. Go check out his hall of fame induction speech, it is incredible. 

This class was a great class and I feel like the NBA hall of fame ceremony, at least for the next couple of decades, is going to feature some truly great players that I got to watch when they were in their primes. This was just the beginning of much more greatness to come.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Podcast. The head editor wanted to practice some podcasts, but Ty said he is not talking about practice. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

What is Derrick Rose Thinking?

Maybe another year at Memphis would help Rose's ability to face reality

So, since Derrick Rose has signed with the Knicks, he has made 2 of the dumbest, most asinine and just flat out ridiculous statements I've ever heard.

First, a few weeks back, he says that "people are calling us and the Warriors super teams". Whoa, whoa, whoa, that is utterly absurd. What exactly makes you and your people think that the Knicks are a "super team"? Is it because they signed you and Jo Noah this offseason? Is it because you have the rotting corpse of Carmelo Anthony? Is it because we may not know if Porzingis is really good, or a one year wonder? Is it because of the hiring of Jeff Hornacek? I mean, does any of that sound like a "super team" to anyone but Derrick Rose? The Knicks will be lucky to be a 6 or 7 seed in the east next year, and that's if everyone, Rose, Noah and Anthony, are healthy all year. That will not happen, I would be willing to put money on those guys missing, at least, 10-15 games next year, and I'm not a betting man. When I can think of three teams out of the east immediately off the top of my head, the Cavs, Raptors and Celtics, that I think will be so much better than the Knicks, I don't think that makes you a "super team". Also, I didn't even mention all the teams that are better than them in the west, with the exception of the Warriors. Also, Derrick Rose is no Steph Curry. Carmelo Anthony is no Klay Thompson. Jo Noah is no Draymond Green. And Porzingis can only hope he's 1/10 the player Kevin Durant is. I only saw one Knick, Anthony, on team USA. I saw 3 Warriors, on the 12 man roster. The Knicks are not a super team, sorry Derrick Rose.

Then, earlier this week, instead of just letting his "super team" comment fade, he doubled down and said that he thinks the Knicks can win "every game" this year. I get that these guys are competitors, and they all think they are the best, but come on, it's impossible to go undefeated in any sport, with college football being the exception. And that is still very hard. The best teams in NBA history, the Warriors of last year, the 96 Bulls and the mid 80's Celtics, lost some games. The Warriors lost 9, the Bulls 10 and the Celtics, 15. And those three teams are considered all time great teams. It's just impossible to even think that you can win every game in the NBA.

I don't know what has gotten into Derrick Rose this offseason. He is not the player he was 5 or 6 years ago. He's not the fearless rim attacker he once was. He has tried to become a jump shooter, but his shot is garbage. And he doesn't play defense. If I were a teammate of his, especially Carmelo Anthony, I'd be so pissed at these comments right now. It's so much undue pressure for a middling franchise. He is clearly losing his mind if he thinks that this Knicks team is going to be anything but average. They'll be lucky to win 41 games. They are no super team, and they will not go 82-0. Sorry to burst your bubble Derrick Rose, but those are facts. Good luck in a contract year, but I'd be shocked if you play more than 50 games, and I'd be even more shocked if you guys win more than 25 of those games.

The Knicks are irrelevant, and Derrick Rose seems to be the only person that doesn't realize this. If he keeps up with these ridiculous comments, it's going to be a long season for his teammates and for Knicks everywhere. Being a writer, I hope he keeps it up, it's great fodder, but as an NBA fan, he needs to shut his mouth with this nonsense. It's absurd.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He thinks the Knicks may be more like the "super team" the NFL had in Philadelphia a few years ago. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The USA Men's Basketball Team may not be a Dream Team, but it will Still Easily Win the Gold in Rio

If Rio can build the rims, the US will dominate them.

Last night, and last week for that matter, Team USA basketball kicked off their preliminary games, en route to the 2016 Rio Olympics. I have watched both games, the first against Argentina and the second against China, and if they do not breeze to the gold medal, it will be a total and utter embarrassment.

I know the US doesn't have guys like LeBron James, Steph Curry, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Anthony Davis and Kawhi Leonard, amongst other stars, but they still have Kevin Durant, Klay Thompson, Draymond Green, Boogie Cousins, Kyrie Irving and a plethora of other future and current NBA all stars. The US is not hurting for talent when it comes to Olympic basketball. Sure, other foreign teams have some former and current pros, but it is nothing like what the US has. When they played Argentina the other night, I noticed that Manu Ginobli was playing. He is a great NBA player, and a possible hall of famer, but his best days were 4, or even 5 years ago. He is not the threat he once was to US basketball during Olympic competition. I didn't recognize anyone else playing for Argentina. When they played China last night, I saw one guy that looked familiar to me, but had it not been for NBATV, I would have not remembered that he played in the NBA for a few years. I don't even remember his name, and I just watched the game last night.

That US / China game last night was a complete bore to watch. I usually enjoy a good blowout, it makes the game that much less intense, but this was an absolute drubbing. Team USA won by 49 points, and it wasn't even that close. Team USA didn't shoot the three particularly well, but they didn't have to because they got to the basket at will, and China may be the worst shooting team in the entire Olympic field. They have size, but they cannot make a shot from 16 feet and out. And then, this happened to both Argentina and China, they have no one, and I mean NO ONE, that can guard players like KD, Draymond, Kyrie Irving or Boogie Cousins. KD, who is essentially a guard, is 7 feet tall. He can shoot over some of the best defenders in the world that are taller than him. I saw one play in the Argentina game where a guy under 6 feet was matched up with him on a switch and KD backed him down, and decided to shoot a fade away. The Argentine defender had no chance, and KD was laughing as he walked back down the court. Draymond is a total harbinger to what a lot of the international players see. He stands at 6'9, but he rebounds and defends like a center, and he can run the point. He will lead this team in assists one game, rebounds the next, drop a triple double in the third game, and for the hell of it, he may lead them in scoring in the gold medal game. Kyrie Irving is so much faster and such a better ball handler than any of his competition will have ever seen. He will get to the basket with little to no resistance and, now that he has a jumper, he will be able to shake bigger defenders for some of the most wide open jump shots anyone will have ever seen. Boogie Cousins is an absolute beast on the low block, and none of the international players will be able to contend with his size, his shockingly fast feet, his beautiful footwork in the post and he will out rebound anyone that comes his way. He may be a hot head, but he has seemed to have been able to keep a cool head in international competition.

After those guys, the US can throw Klay Thompson out there. He will lock down anyone on defense and he can shoot and drive with the best of them. They can throw Harrison Barnes at anyone. He is young, fast, plays defense and can get to the basket with ease. Jimmy Butler is on the team. He is another great defender that can score at the basket with some of the greatest players in the world. DeMar DeRozan and Kyle Lowry come off the bench. They can both catch fire at any moment, and with the three point line being closer, they can score in bunches very, very quickly. Paul George is back. He is another threat outside or inside on offense, and he is a very good defender.

The only 2 guys that won't really scare anyone will be DeAndre Jordan and Carmelo Anthony. Carmelo, while he plays very well in the Olympics, is old, plays no defense and only wants to shoot threes. He's on this team because he is never going to win an NBA title, so at least, he will have a few gold medals when he retires. DeAndre Jordan is only on this team because they need at least 2 big men. He is an average defender and rebounder for his size. He is a terrible shooter and free throw shooter. He is a very sub par passer. All he is good for is alley oops, that's it.

Team USA, as I stated at the top, should breeze to a gold medal. I think there are only two teams that may give them a bit of a hard time, and by hard time I mean, Team USA will only win by 15 or 20 points, are Spain and France. Spain has been a thorn in the US side since the 21st century, but a lot of their players are older and breaking down. Sure, they have the Gasol brothers, but Pau Gasol is about a million years old and Marc Gasol, he is coming off an injury that ended his season. I'm not even one hundred percent sure he is playing in these Olympics. France has some solid, current NBA players, but 2 of the three "stars" are very old and getting slower. Tony Parker is the point guard, and while he is great, he is not ready to guard Kyrie Irving, DeMar DeRozan or Klay Thompson. And Thompson himself can lock him down on defense. Boris Diaw is one of the best passers in the league, and he may be the only guy that can guard Draymond in all of the Olympics, but he will be tasked with having to guard Boogie Cousins and being the guy that switches in pick and rolls onto KD, Klay Thompson, Harrison Barnes, basically, any outside threat Team USA has, and they have a lot. Diaw is a very smart and capable defender, but he won't be able to get to that gear that he will need to, to keep up with those guys. Rudy Gobert is the wild card for France. He is an excellent rim protector and rebounder and a very capable low post scorer. He is also very young. But, how many block shot attempts is he really going to get when France and the US meet? I'm sure the coaching staff for Team USA will put together a game plan that all but eliminates the threat that Gobert brings, and I'm sure it will work. When you have the shooters that Team USA has, it is damn near impossible to stop them.

USA will, or at least should, win the gold medal and every game should be at least a 20 point margin of victory. I think a lot of summer league and D League teams would put up a better fight than some of the international competition will bring. This is going to be a bloodbath and one of the easiest gold medals the US will win in the upcoming Olympics. This is no 1992 "Dream Team", but it is nice to know that when 2/3 of the biggest stars in the game pull out of the Olympics, we can still field a team that is more than capable of breezing its way to a gold. I'll be watching every single blowout that I can, and if the US lets any team closer than 10 points, I would consider that a bummer. They should, and most likely will, crush everybody in Rio.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is sad that they could not find room for Christian Laettner on the team to bring back at least one Dream Teamer. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

In the Barren Landscape of Summer Sports, the NBA Summer League is No Oasis

Not much to look at.

I've been watching summer league basketball because there is, basically, nothing else sports related that I can get into. Sure, baseball is fun and all, and they have hit the 90 game mark, but that means there are still, at least, 70 games left to play. I mean, the Cardinals, my team, are barely over .500, but they still have a chance at the wild card spot if they finish barely over .500. Baseball is only fun, for me, when it gets down to the very end of the regular season, and the post season is great. I don't watch car racing, golf, soccer, tennis, all of that does not interest me.

But, basketball, and more specifically, NBA basketball, I enjoy quite a bit. Summer league seemed like a cool thing that I could watch to get me over my sports blues this summer. I had never really paid much attention to it until now. But I figured, better late than never. Well, I'm here today to tell you fine people that summer league is an absolute waste of time.

This doesn't mean that I will stop watching. I plan on watching one of the summer league's championship games tonight when the Bulls face the Timberwolves. But, after watching it for about 2 weeks straight now, it is so much worse than the D League or any other "pro" basketball that I have watched. I get that this is a good starting point for the rookies. They need to get their feet wet, and what better way than to play some games in the summer. I don't think any of the top rookies played more than 5 or 6 games, which is a nice start for them.

The competition these players are facing in the summer league is nowhere near what they will face when the regular season tips off. I watched a 76ers-Lakers game earlier this summer because I wanted to see Ben Simmons and Brandon Ingram play. Besides the two of them, the only players I recognized where Larry Nance Jr and D'Angelo Russell of the Lakers and Nik Stauskas of the 76ers. Those are not big time NBA players by any stretch of anyone's imagination. Russell has the ability to be a star, but he hasn't proven it yet, and most of the top picks from last years draft, Karl Anthony Towns, Kristaps Porzingis and Jahlil Okafor weren't playing in summer league. I think it's a little telling that Russell was playing. Maybe the Lakers aren't as high on him as some thought. But, the rest of the players that filled up the Lakers and 76ers rosters were guys that are on their last shot, undrafted rookies or guys just trying to make, at the very least, a D League team. I love the NBA and college basketball, but I hadn't heard of 65 to 70 percent of these other players. And, their games were not that good anyway.

One of the main problems I have with summer league is the fact that some of these guys are trying to get a full contract, so they play hero ball and shoot every time they touch the ball. It's no fun to watch players I've never heard of constantly go one on one and miss shot after shot. Then, the rookies, Ingram and Simmons, didn't really impress. I don't think Simmons was going full speed. I'm pretty sure he is saving himself for the regular season. But, he still does not have any jump shot, and until he finds one, he will be just an average NBA player. Possibly, a fringe starter. Ingram looked good at times, but he also looked really passive and tense at times as well. He passed on open threes, he didn't attack the rim and he got beat a lot on defense. He was probably going half speed as well, but still, he was getting beat by no names. That never looks good. Then, the other day, I watched a Pelicans summer league game to watch Buddy Hield. He looked fine, but his jumper seemed rushed, he seemed rushed and he didn't play much defense. His passing was fine, but it's summer league, and as I have already stated, the competition is not so good. The Suns were on the other day and I watched them because Devin Booker was playing, but so was Dragan Bender and Tyler Ulis. Booker looked great, but he should. He proved during his rookie year that he can score against NBA competition, so I expected him to dominate. Tyler Ulis looked decent, but competition, once again, is poor. He was fast and darted around the court, but what about when he has to go up against Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook? They will eat him up because he is very short and isn't much of a threat on offense. Then there's Bender. He is supposed to be like Porzingis, but he is not. He looked lost, got beat consistently by Jake Layman in a game, couldn't score and seemed more interested in his personal look than his game. Bender was disappointing. Other than those guys, nothing really important or mind changing happened. We have the players I mentioned, but guys like Denzel Valentine looked fine. Kris Dunn was up and down. Jaylen Brown has all the athleticism in the world, but he can't finish. Jamal Murray was non existent. The Greek center the Kings drafted looked awful. It was everything I expected, which was a bummer.

I was excited to give the summer league a chance, but it is very, very mediocre basketball at best. I'm just aching for the NBA and college football to come back, so this was a nice, albeit very garbage way, to watch a sport I love. I wouldn't read too far into anything other sports and pop culture writers are saying about the "winners and losers" from summer league. No one knows how good these guys will be until they play real competition in a real NBA game. The summer league is a tease. I won't stop watching it, but I won't stop complaining about it either.

At least I get to watch Olympic basketball in a few weeks, if that is any real consolation.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Who does Ty think are the 10 Greatest Athletes of the 21st? Download the latest X Millennial Man Podcast to find out. When you are done listening, follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Tim Duncan had the Career Every NBA Player can only Dream of

Sit and rest Tim. You have earned a happy retirement

After an incredible 19 year NBA career, Tim Duncan has decided to retire. Duncan's retirement has seemed like it was coming for the past two or three seasons, but it is still a shock to see an all time great hang it up. Tim Duncan is the greatest power forward to ever play basketball, hands down. It's not even close. Some people will throw out Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Daryl Dawkins, Moses Malone, anyone big time hall of famer, but Duncan has surpassed them all, and it's not even close. Duncan was the consummate pro. He was THE pro's pro. Every player should strive to have a career like Duncan had. His longevity, his ability to play highly competitive basketball all the way to the end, being the greatest teammate, being humble, not having any crazy off the court issues, I mean, everything about his career was almost perfect. He was so durable and so reliable and just flat out awesome.

Duncan was the first pick in the 1997 draft. He went to the Spurs the year after they tanked out after David Robinson got hurt. Going into the 97 draft, Duncan was a can't miss player. The fact that he got to play with David Robinson his first two years in the NBA is a highly overlooked aspect of him getting accustomed to the NBA life with another humble pro. He and David Robinson were great teammates as well. Duncan's second year, they won the championship, giving David Robinson his much coveted title.

After winning rookie of the year in his first season, then the title his second season, Duncan really took off. That's not to say he wasn't great in his first two years, he was exceptional. But, after Robinson retired, Duncan took over as the team leader and thrived. He won four more titles as a player. He won the NBA finals MVP in three of his five titles. He was a 15 time all star. He was a regular on all NBA and all NBA defensive teams. He was a double double machine, averaging 20 points and 10 rebounds with regularity. Even as his career wore on, he adjusted to the new pace of the game. This also has a lot to do with the one coach he played his entire NBA career for, Gregg Poppovich. These two were as perfect for each other as Robinson and Duncan were the perfect teammates. How many players, in the entire history of the NBA, can say that they played for one team and one coach for a very, very long career. I'd venture to say that list is less than 5 players. And, I'd venture even further and say that Duncan is the best of all those players.

Getting back to adjusting to changing his style of play to the changes of play in the NBA, Duncan did it best. When he was first in the league, centers were the man on offense. The ball and the plays ran through them. Duncan excelled as a back to the basket center and was one of the better scorers in the low post of all time. Then, as a defender, he was a world class rim protector and a very capable rebounder. He stood at 6'10, but his arms were so long, it made him unguardable and dominant as a defender. Then, as the NBA has kind of evolved from centers being the focal point to this new "pace and space" and shooters being the first option and the "point forward" position being invented, Duncan still found a niche. He became a great passer. He developed a mid range jumper. He still protected the rim when guards would drive and he was one of the better rebounders still in the league. Even in the last couple of seasons, with his knees going and his legs not as strong or as fast and his jumping ability non existent, he was still a threat. He could still hit the mid range jumper. He still made hook shots. He still was a beast on put backs. He still played all NBA defense. He was still a very capable rebounder. He was still great.

I will miss watching Tim Duncan play basketball. There will be no other player like him, probably ever. He was such a great player on the court and he was very famous, but he carried himself with a humbleness and a humility that is unmatched. Like I said, there is no scandals that involve Tim Duncan. He was never boastful of arrogant on or off the court. He keeps to himself and is a very quiet, non assuming person. He never raised his voice and he rarely complained to officials. He never seemed to foul out of games or get kicked out of games. I said it before and I will say it again, he IS the pro that everyone should strive to be.

The time has come for Duncan to hang it up, but what a way to go and what a great, all time career. Tim Duncan is, and always will be, the greatest power forward of all time and he is a top five player of all time, no doubt about it.  Enjoy your retirement.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He thinks you can be the greatest person of all time by supporting SeedSing. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Dwayne Wade to the Bulls is more Free Agency Nonsense from the Teams in the East

The moves of the East confuse me greatly

Dwayne Wade shocked the NBA world yesterday when he agreed to a 2 year deal with the Bulls. I assumed that if he left the Heat, he'd go play with LeBron and for the Cavs. Those 2 are the best of friends and they've achieved the highest success you can in the NBA. That seemed to make the most sense. I figured the other reports, places like Denver for example, where pipe dreams. But, the Chicago signing was just as shocking, at least to me.

The Bulls have made some interesting moves this off season. Some I've liked, trading Derrick Rose, but others are head scratchers, letting E'twaun Moore walk and signing Rajon Rondo. This Dwayne Wade signing is a head scratcher to me. I thought they'd be giving the keys to the team to Jimmy Butler, as they should, but Wade and Rondo are ball dominant players that can't consistently make jumpers, so there will be little to no spacing for Butler. It's all very weird.

This leads me to my main point today, why does the East think signing players well past their prime will give them any shot at beating the Warriors? The Warriors, by signing Kevin Durant not only stayed young, but they've got much, much better shooting than any team ever. The "big" acquisitions in East are laughable if they think they will even compete with the Warriors in the finals, and yes, the Warriors will be in the finals, mark it in pen. Do teams like the Knicks really think acquiring Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah and Courtney Lee really makes them title contenders? Rose is old and coming off a slew of injuries. Noah can barely jump or run because his feet are damaged. And Courtney Lee, he wasn't the top option in Memphis or Charlotte last year. I already mentioned all the problems the Bulls are going to face. I mean, they finally traded Rose, but the guys they are bringing in now, they'll be a 6 or 7 seed, at the very best. I feel so bad for Jimmy Butler. He deserves so much better. Now, the Cavs are, reportedly, acquiring Mike Dunleavy Jr in a trade from the Bulls. Is Mike Dunleavy Jr really any threat to anyone? Is he really going to help the Cavs repeat as champs? I don't think so.

The moves in the West have been so much better and trending towards athletes in, or nearing, their primes. There's the much talked about Durant to Warriors move. The Mavericks are bringing in Harrison Barnes. I know he didn't show up in the finals, but right now, I'd much rather have him than Joakim Noah. The Spurs got their Tim Duncan replacement by signing Pau Gasol. The Grizzlies re upped Mike Conley Jr and signed Chandler Parsons. Hell, even the Timberwolves went out and signed Cole Aldrich and Brandon Rush to small, easy to manage contracts. The West is going to be so much better than the East for awhile. I know the Cavs won the title, but that will just be a small blip in the radar in the long run.

What it all really comes down to, the NBA has two really, really good teams, the Warriors and the Cavs. And they will continue to face each other in the finals until LeBron leaves Cleveland, or the Warriors suffer some catastrophic injuries. The moves the teams in the East are making are bizarre, and no threat at all to the Cavs or Warriors. The finals, for the third year in a row, will be a rematch.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Hear all about his heartburn over NBA free agency on this weeks mini edition of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

NBA Free Agency Separates the Man from the Role Player

No matter the number of superstars, there is still only one ball

With the news that Kevin Durant has signed with the Golden State Warriors, that sound you are hearing is the NBA, and their super stars dying a slow, painful death. This all started back in 2008 when the Celtics signed Kevin Garnett and traded for Ray Allen to pair the two of them with Paul Pierce. Sure, it seemed cool and they had their "big three", but something about that whole deal irked me. I didn't like that Garnett, who is one of my all time favorite players, basically threw in the towel and decided that it would be best to team up with two all stars so he could win a title. They did just that, in 2008, and went to another finals the next season.

But, this whole idea of "super teams" and having a "big three", really took off in 2010 with LeBron James and his decision to join Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh and go play for the Heat. This was a cop out in every sense of the word. LeBron knew that he wasn't going to win a title on his first go around with the Cavs. Their roster was too old, or they weren't playoff ready. He knew, if he wanted to win the title, he would have to team up with some other star players. When LeBron, Wade and Bosh played together, they played great, but my distaste for where the NBA was headed really came to a head. I mean, of course the Heat were going to contend every year because they had 3 of the 15 best players in the NBA in their starting 5. This took all the drama out of the games. We all knew that the Heat would be the 1 or the 2 seed and cruise through the east and make the finals, it was a foregone conclusion. There was no need to watch the regular season or the first couple of rounds in the playoffs, we knew the outcome. The Heat were great with their "big three". They made the finals four times, and won 2 of them, but I was growing weary of all the "power" teams. After LeBron's decision, every big time free agent or team was looking to get their own "big three", thus watering down the game even more.

The super team did not always have immediate success like the Celtics or Heat. While Kobe was still playing, the Lakers went out and traded for Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. That blew up in their face, but they still made the playoffs with their "big three". When Chris Paul got traded to the Clippers, they had him, Blake Griffin and an emerging player in DeAndre Jordan. They haven't panned out like they hoped, but they still contend every year. Two years ago when LeBron returned to Cleveland, it was under the stipulation that they would trade Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love, thus giving LeBron another "big three" in him, Love and Kyrie Irving. Last off season, the Spurs went out and fooled everyone when they were able to land LaMarcus Aldridge. The Spurs have never star chased, but they needed an apparent to Tim Duncan, who I think I read that he is going to retire, so instead of drafting his replacement, they went out and got a proven commodity. The Spurs had their version of a "big four", with Duncan, Aldridge, Tony Parker and Kawhi Leonard. Cleveland did win the title in their second year, and we are still waiting to see where the Spurs go.

You may have noticed, I have only mentioned 5 total teams so far. That's because these are the only title contending teams that have been around since the idea of teaming up stars started 8 years ago. Well, now with Kevin Durant's decision to leave the Thunder, make that 6 teams I will mention. The Warriors, who won 73 games last season, made the finals for a second straight year, would have won if not for LeBron's complaining, have Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, also have Draymond Green, they now have Kevin Durant, for at least one season. This feels like a weak, cop out move from the guy that was my favorite player in the NBA. Durant was the first option, for the most part, on a very good Thunder team. He played with Russell Westbrook, a top guard in the league. He played with one of the better centers in the NBA in Steven Adams. They went out and got Victor Oladipo, who I think will thrive in their offense. The Thunder were/could still be a very competitive team. But, Durant decided that wasn't good enough for him. He chose to be the third, sometimes fourth option on the Warriors. Durant will not be the guy with the ball in his hands when it comes to the final seconds of the important games. The Warriors will go with Curry first, Thompson second, and Draymond Green, in certain situations, will be their third option. Then, it will be Durant's turn. I hope he is okay with that. Hell, maybe that's what he wants at this point in his career. I don't mind him chasing rings, but he will not be the most important, or the second most important player on the Warriors. The fans will not be cheering loudest for him either. Those fans in the Bay Area will always love Steph way more than they will ever love Durant.

This move just stinks of what the NBA is becoming. None of the star players want a challenge anymore. These guys get beat by someone, but instead of getting better in the off season, so they can beat them, they just figure, I'll just join them. There is no competitive spirit in the NBA anymore. And that is because the new stars have been told how great they are their whole life. They've never had to face adversity, and at the first sign of it, they get scared and get out of the situation. The NBA is dying a slow and painful death with these "super teams", and I never thought that Durant would join one. I guess he is not the killer he tries to appear to be on the court. Also, if the Warriors don't win at least 70 games and the finals, with ease, this season, it should deemed a failed season. It would be preposterous if they don't breeze their way to a title.

Finally, I have changed my allegiance from the Thunder and Kevin Durant to the Timberwolves and Andrew Wiggins, maybe Karl Anthony-Towns. The Timberwolves and those two young players have gained a new fan today. Go T'Wolves!

Ty  

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He has been a longtime Timberwolves fan, dating all the way back to the summer of 2016. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik. 

The Lakers will Continue to Go Nowhere with the Mozgov Signing

The Lakers continue on the road to nowhere

NBA free agency started this morning at midnight. Some big names have supposedly already signed contracts. Guys like DeMar DeRozan is, reportedly, staying in Toronto on a 5 year, 130 million dollar plus contract. Nic Batum is supposedly staying in Charlotte on a near max deal. Hassan Whiteside has supposedly signed a max deal to stay in Miami. Joakim Noah is probably going to sign with the Knicks on an absurd 4 year, 70 plus million dollar deal. Like I said, some big names have already signed, or are going to sign.

There are the big names on the market, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. LeBron isn't going anywhere. He will continue to do this every season until he retires in Cleveland. He will keep signing these 1 year deals, opt out, get more money and come back. That is what he does, and he can do that because he is the best player in the game. So, don't believe any garbage that he is going to LA or Miami again. He is staying in Cleveland.

Then there is Durant. Most people think, me included, that he will sign a 1 plus 1 and stay in OKC one more year and wait for Westbrook to become a free agent. It makes the most sense, both professionally and financially. I fully believe he will do this, and all the meetings are just a formality so he doesn't have to do it again next season when he inevitably opts out. He is just getting a feel for next season, when the cap will skyrocket.

The one contract that I want to single outtoday is the supposed 4 year, 64 million dollar deal the Lakers are giving Timofey Mozgov. I know I said the Noah deal with the Knicks is absurd, but, if this deal is legit, this will be the worst move in all of free agency. I'm calling it right now. This shows how far the once proud Lakers have fallen. They aren't even getting a meeting with Durant. They missed out on LaMarcus Aldridge last year because the Buss kids don't know what in the hell they are doing. They couldn't come close to landing Whiteside. Kevin Love, who is from LA, seems like a pipe dream now. This Mozgov signing is the icing on the shit cake though. Earlier in the day they re upped Jordan Clarkson, which I really liked, but they destroyed any good will I had for them with this horrid Mozgov deal. What good is Timofey Mozgov anymore? He was non existent for the Cavs in their title run this season. I barely saw him play at all throughout the whole playoffs in fact. Also, didn't the Lakers do almost this exact same thing last year when they signed Roy Hibbert? Why do they think these out of their prime big men are worth all this money? The league is going away from big centers and moving more towards a fast paced offense with bigs that can run and shoot. Mozgov cannot do either of those things. Also, how is going to keep up with Clarkson, D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram? Why did Luke Walton agree to this deal? He coached Andrew Bogut, but Timofey Mozgov is no Andrew Bogut.

This is a quagmire signing for the Lakers. They will immediately regret this when Mozgov is only playing 5 minutes a game and netting a plus minus in the negative. What a horrible, god awful move by the Lakers. Mozgov does not deserve, or fit in, with what the Lakers plan as a team will be. This is a fleeting move by a fleeting franchise.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He wants the Lakers to know that he can be signed for 10% of Mozgov's contract and Ty will give equal production. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Buddy Ryan and Pat Summitt - Legends who Defined their Sport

RIP both Pat Summit and Buddy Ryan. Both were phenomenal coaches in their respective sports. Buddy Ryan was one of the fiercest, most competitive defensive coaches that the NFL has ever seen. He was the guy behind the vaunted 85 Bears defense. Ryan may have been the greatest defensive minded coach of all time. He would get into it on the sidelines as well. He would yell and scream and even get into fist fights if he believed he was right. Buddy Ryan was a legend.

Then there's Pat Summit. Talk about a winner who's life was cut way too short. Summit had almost 1100 wins as a head coach. That is jaw dropping. Tennessee women's basketball was dominant for the majority of Summit's career. She is the John Wooden of women's basketball. She had one of the greatest basketball minds to ever grace the Earth. She was fiery as well. She was also flat out great at her job. Summit is one of the greatest basketball coaches ever, men's or women's. Summit is a true legend.

RIP to these two great sports minds. You'll both be missed.

Ty

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

The Bulls are Already Winning the NBA Offseason

The Knicks seem to be in the gift giving mood

I was going to do a greatest American band thing today, but I just got word on my phone that the Knicks and Bulls have agreed to what sounds like a pretty big trade just 2 days before the draft. The Bulls are going to ship Derrick Rose to the Knicks for Jerian Grant and Robin Lopez. I know, this sounds like it is a blockbuster trade for the Knicks. I'm sure Knicks fans know have visions of possibly being in the top four of the eastern conference next year. I'm sure the same Knicks fans are going to claim they have their own "big three" now with Rose, Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis. It's all peaches and cream right now, but I do not see it that way.

I have been negative about a lot of NBA stuff recently, but I'm going to be both, positive and negative today. Let's get the negativity out of the way first. This trade would have been huge had it happened 6 years ago. Derrick Rose was coming off an MVP season, the Bulls were the top team in the east and they looked like they would be there for a long, long time. But, it's 2016. Derrick Rose has suffered multiple injuries, including two torn ACL's and has proven he is not the explosive player that he once was. He cannot go to the basket with reckless abandon anymore. And to make matters worse, he is not a very good jump shooter and he was never a very good passer. To team him up with Carmelo Anthony is going to be terrible. Anthony does not want to pass the ball either. He is coming off a few injuries. He cares more about his brand than winning basketball games. When Anthony was thinking of signing with the Bulls a few years ago, I was not a fan of that because that would have teamed him up with Derick Rose. I just don't think those two can coexist on a basketball court. Both Rose and Anthony are also on the back half, maybe back 3/4ths of their careers. Neither is as good as they were 5 or 6 years ago. They are both well into their 30's and their best playing days are long gone. Neither of these guys are in the shape that LeBron James is in. Neither can shoot the ball like Chris Paul or Dirk Nowitzki. Neither play defense like Richard Jefferson just did in the finals. And neither are as good a facilitator with the ball as Tony Parker or Andre Iguodala are. They both don't have the energy to play 65 games, let alone 82, plus some playoff games, if they make the playoffs.

Then there is the whole Porzingis thing. Yes, I think he is an okay player that could be a nightmare to guard if he develops his game a bit more, but he is incredibly young and he will not see a whole lot of touches playing alongside Rose and Anthony. He will have to rely a whole lot more on his rebounding game to get his points. It's going to be a few years before he becomes the focal point that the die hard Knicks fans want him to be.

Plus there is the rest of the Knicks roster, this is my last negative today. The roster is a joke of an NBA roster, with the exceptions being Rose, Anthony and Porzingis. They just traded away a very good center in Robin Lopez. And while Grant looked lost and maybe played a bit too fast last season, he is a slasher and he can create shots for himself, he just needs a few years. The guys they have left on that team are people like Sasha Vuvajic, Langston Galloway, Derrick Williams and Aaron Affalo. Those names don't strike fear in any opponents, except maybe the 76ers. Their starting five will be Rose, Anthony, Porzingis, Affalo and Derrick Williams, if I had to make a guess. That is a starting five that may only play 50 to 60 games together, and they'd be lucky to win 30 to 35 of those games, add on a few more victories, and the Knicks will be lucky to be a .500 team. I do not like this trade for New York one bit.

But, I LOVE this trade for the Bulls. They finally have the Derrick Rose problem off their back. The team doesn't have to cater to his ego anymore. They don't have to rely on the "hometown hero" nonsense that they've been holding onto since they drafted him. They don't need to worry about him missing games, or not going full speed when he does play games. But, and most importantly, if they keep Jimmy Butler, which I fully expect them to do now, they can finally turn the team over to him. Butler is ready, and more than able, to lead the Bulls back to being a perennial playoff team. I'm a humongous Jimmy Butler fan. The dude has a very good offensive game. He can play both inside and outside and he is a creator. The dude is an all star. He is also a ferocious defender. He gets after it on defense. If I was Jimmy Butler, I'd be ecstatic right now. Then, bringing in Robin Lopez gives them the relief of letting Pau Gasol walk in free agency. Sure, Lopez isn't the offensive player that Gasol is, but he is younger and a much better defender than Gasol has ever been in the NBA. This also makes it easier for them to try and keep Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson around. Both are exceptional defenders and rebounders that play like Bulls play. This also gives guys like Bobby Portis, Nikola Mirotic and E'Twaun Moore more chances to play and improve. I think this deal for the Bulls is an absolute slam dunk. I think this makes them a much, much better team. The Bulls will be a real threat in the east next year. This was a great trade that they made.

If I'm a Knicks fan, I'm bummed. But, if I'm a Bulls fan, I'm thrilled. We will have to wait until next season to see if I'm right or wrong. But mainly, I'm so thrilled for Jimmy Butler right now. His stardom is going to explode next season.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. What did Ty think of the NBA Finals, come on in for a listen. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Why we got the the Cleveland Cavaliers and the NBA Finals so Very Wrong

The season ended not quite how we predicted

The NBA finals ended last night. There is no more real basketball to be played from now until late September. Both football and basketball are done, so this is the most dead period of sports that you can find right now. I'm counting down the days until college football starts. Baseball does not intrigue me, and everything else, Olympics included, bore me. With that being said, I will recount game 7 from the finals last night.

I, much like most writers, picked the Warriors to win. I picked them in 6 games. That, obviously did not happen. First things first, game 7 was phenomenal last night. For the most part, this series has been blow outs, and it has been not so great basketball. There were great individual performances, but the games, they were not that good. Game 7 changed that. I had no skin in the game last night, but my heart was beating fast and I watched every single second of that game with bated breath last night. It was a true back and forth. The Cavs would take a 5 or 6 point lead, then the Warriors would counter with a run and lead by 5 or 6 themselves. The game was decided by the stars as well. Sure, JR Smith made some big shots and Andre Iguodala did his thing on defense, but it was LeBron James and Kyrie Irving coming up big for Cleveland and it was Draymond Green, who was spectacular last night, and Curry and Thompson, although they both shot poorly. But, the stars made the difference. That's how I like my finals. Game 7 was everything I wanted this whole series to be, all the way down to Irving hitting that 3 with less than 1 minute left in the game.

Secondly, this series should have been over in 5 games. This is my "the NBA rigged this series" portion of my blog. Draymond Green did not deserved to be suspended for game 5. Yeah, he swiped at LeBron's man zone, and he did so much worse in the western finals against OKC, but it wasn't until LeBron bitched and moaned to the media and David Silver that they decided to suspend Green. I don't think it was the swipe, hell, I would have done something much worse than punch at a guy and call him names if he stepped over me on a basketball court, than it was the fact that the Cavs were down 3-1, the finals were getting record ratings, and LeBron used his stardom to get his way. David Silver, ESPN and ABC all wanted this series to go 7, if possible, and suspending Green did just that. The Warriors couldn't close it out in 5 because they couldn't stop James and Irving from getting in the paint and the Cavs pulled away. They then destroyed the Warriors in game 6, setting up last night's great game. Had Draymond not been suspended, the Warriors would have easily closed it out in game 5, but LeBron, the Cavs, and everyone in the media got their way and the series played on. Also, Steph Curry fouling out of game 6 was atrocious. In fact, the entire officiating crew in games 5, 6 and last night were as bad as the 2002 Lakers-Kings series. They were giving everything to Cleveland and nothing to Golden State. Curry hadn't fouled out of a game since college, but he somehow fouled out of a finals game. That is very, very fishy. The NBA has always had this shady cloud over it, but these last three games really made it almost too clear to me that the NBA may be as fixed as pro boxing and pro wrestling. It is becoming way too fascinated with the stars and they get so much better treatment from the refs than anyone else. It's disturbing.

Okay, got that off my chest.

Third, the Warriors did choke, but Cleveland also figured something out after Draymond got suspended. I won't say the Warriors lost the series, the Cavs definitely won. In game 5, they stayed big for most of the game, a la what the Thunder did. This rendered the Warriors rebounding useless. They had no one to block out Kevin Love or Tristan Thompson or even a guy like Richard Jefferson. The Cavs got so many second chance points and shots and that is how you beat the Warriors. They had no answer, especially after Andrew Bogut went down for the series. This was a smart move and it helped the Cavs win the title. Even last night, Love and Thompson seemed to grab every single rebound. They held the Warriors to one shot the majority of the night.  The Cavs also slowed the pace of the game to a snail. They held and held and held the ball in their half court set. They didn't seem to get into their set play until there were only 5 or 6 seconds left on the shot clock. This is another way to beat the fast paced Warriors. Make them play defense for all 24 seconds and it will slow their offense down because their players will get tired. Another smart move.

Which brings me to my fourth point. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, for the most part, did not show up in these finals. They both shot terribly from three. They were missing wide open three point shots that they had made all season long. It wasn't like the Cavs were playing lock down defense. Quite the opposite was happening. They would get held up on screens and leave shooter wide open, the Warriors just were not making their shots. Curry also got exposed as a very mediocre defender in the finals. He couldn't stay with Irving, he was too small and lean for LeBron, too short to guard JR Smith and when he had someone else, like Iman Shumpert, that guy screened and forced Curry to guard and he did not come through. And what on Earth happened to Harrison Barnes? He was so, so bad in the finals. He missed every shot he took it seemed. The Cavs would leave him wide open for corner threes, the easiest three and a shot he made all season, and he would brick it pretty much every time. This was supposed to be his coming out party. He was supposed to get a max contract from someone after the finals. He was going to be the man for another team next season if he left the Warriors. Now, I wouldn't even consider giving him anything close to a max contract. Not only was his offense atrocious, but he was man handled by pretty much everyone he guarded during the finals. Barnes had the worst possible finals that a free agent could have. He was worse in this series than Kevin Love and Iman Shumpert were, and they were both terrible. 

Then we have Kyrie Irving. Wow, was he great. He scored at will. He shot a very high percentage. No one on Golden State could stop him. He was just as important to this title win as LeBron was. Yeah, LeBron had a triple double last night, but without Irving in the third quarter and that three he hit in the fourth, no way does Cleveland win the title. Kyrie Irving was absolutely spectacular and he is rising very fast up the best players in the league chart right now. What an incredible performance he had.

Finally, LeBron. I have dogged him the whole season and during the playoffs. I still think he is a prima donna, a whiner and I'm fed up with his constant complaining to officials, but he did what he promised he would do for Cleveland. He delivered a title. He was great in games 5 and 6. He had a triple double last night. He was not good on defense, Draymond put up 30 plus on him last night, but he ran this team and they won because of his effort. This is, by far, the most impressive thing he has done in his very impressive career.

Congrats Cleveland. You guys won the title and proved a whole lot of people wrong in doing so. I'm very curious to see how this team looks next year, but for now, enjoy your victory, you guys earned it....with a little help from David Silver and the refs.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He says if Cleveland can get a title this year, then why not the Cubs? Get all of your winners by following Ty on twitter @tykulik.

A Bunch of the Wrong Kids will be Picked at the Top of the NBA Draft

We do not think the future of the NBA is the kind of bad kid sneaking smokes.

With the NBA draft one week from today, I have a few thoughts I'd like to float about this draft.

First off, publications like Deadspin, ESPN and Fox Sports need to stop giving Ben Simmons a free pass on everything. Simmons came out the other day and said that he did not want to work out for the 76ers. I'm sorry, but when did every single draft eligible player become so entitled that they get to choose which team they want to lay for? You should be extremely excited that you are about to be paid millions of dollars to play a game. Sure, the 76ers are really, really, really bad, but so are the Lakers, Nets, Timberwolves and Suns. Why do these guys want to be playing for some other moribound franchise. Sure, The Lakers are in LA, but the Lakers are just as bad as the 76ers, and they have a much worse team chemistry. The Nets are in Brooklyn, but they are horrific, and unless they trade some of their ancient "assets", they don't have a pick in the next couple of drafts. the Timberwolves are kind of looking like they may turn it around, but Thibodeau wants to trade that pick to bring in a veteran leader, maybe Jimmy Butler. The Suns have no one else besides Devin Booker, so why do these young guys want to play in the desert? It's extremely hot in Phoenix, all the time. So, especially Deadspin, whose owners filed for bankruptcy protection, need to stop giving this kid a pass and saying it is his right. Sure, he can say who he wants to play for, but if he gets picked by the 76ers, that's his team. I despise guys like John Elway and Eli Manning because they did this exact same thing. They bitched and moaned and griped until they got their way, like spoiled, rotten, bratty little children. It's so childish. If I was the GM or owner of the 76ers, I'd pick Simmons out of spite.

Next, why are Simmons, Brandon Ingram and Jamal Murray the only "top" prospects. the three of them are all 19 or 20 year old that didn't get past the round of 16 in the tournament. Jamal Murray's team, Kentucky, was bounced in the round of 32. Brandon Ingram and Duke lost to Oregon in the round of 16. And Ben Simmons, they didn't even play in the NIT, so none of that sounds desirable to me. Of these three players, I think Ingram has the most upside, but he is a ways away from being a big time NBA player. I don't care how many jump shots, with no defense being played, that they make in individual workouts, for the guys that workout. I don't care about their vertical or their cone drill speed, all this combine stuff is as useless as the NFL combine results. What I care about is the in game stuff. I watch a tone of NBA and college basketball, so I have seen these three guys play. Murray was lost among the loaded Kentucky team. When you have 5,6 or even 7 players that can be picked, it is hard to stand out, unless you are an Anthony Davis or Karl Anthony-Towns. Brandon Ingram was good to great at times for Duke, but he is rail thin and he tends to settle for way more jumpers than he should be taking. He also takes possessions off sometimes on defense, and I don't like that. Ingram can, and probably will, get bigger, but he has to fully engage before I deem him a star.

Then there is Simmons. While he looks like an NBA player, he is big, can handle the ball and has great court vision, he also did not lead LSU to any tournament and as the season wore on, he looked tired and not as aggressive as he was at the start of the season. Everyone told me that I had to watch this kid play, so I started with his game against Oklahoma, and I came away very unimpressed. A lot of that is coaching, but if Simmons is the superstar that people are making him out to be, he should have willed that LSU team to, at the very least, 20 wins and an NCAA tournament bid. Simmons doesn't look like he will live up to the hype, at least in my opinion.

Finally, why aren't more people talking about Buddy Hield and Denzel Valentine as top 3 to 5 picks. Both guys had illustrious college careers. Both guys are gunners from the three, which is where the NBA is trending. Both guys play formidable defense, Valentine more so than Hield, but when they engage, they are close to lock down. Both have led their respective teams to a final four bid. Both scored 20 plus points per game. Both ran their teams offense at the most crucial times during their college careers. But the main thing, both are 22 years old. They have matured over 4 years of college. They may not be as good, who am I kidding, there is no way they'll be as good, but Tim Duncan, Patrick Ewing and Magic Johnson all spent four years in college. Did that hinder their careers? Did they miss out on their prime of basketball by staying in school for four years? No and no. They all had great, hall of fame careers. This new era of the NBA drafting 18, 19 and 20 year old kids is watering down the NBA. The only one and done player from last years draft worth his salt in the NBA is Karl Anthony-Towns. Ever other freshman drafted last year, who knows.

If I had a team with a lottery pick, I'd definitely take Hield, but I'd also consider Valentine before I consider Simmons, Murray or Ingram. I prefer seasoned basketball players that are mature to teenagers that may or may not be ready for a big boy job. Basketball is a year round job and these young kids, who have never been pushed, are going to have a tough time adjusting. Take Hield or Valentine, not the freshman, your team will be better off in the long run.

Also, the draft is a waste of time and nobody should watch it, it's boring and ridiculous.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is available to be the gm for any NBA team, he knows most of the league could use a new GM. Reach Ty by following him on twitter @tykulik.

The NBA is Wrong with the Draymond Green Suspension

It is nice that LeBron has the NBA boardroom helping out this finals

So, I saw "Popstar" yesterday, but my review will have to wait until tomorrow because of the idiotic suspension that was handed to Draymond Green for tonight's game 5.

Yes, I think Green has proven during these playoffs that he is a very dirty player who flails at every opportunity, but why suspend him now when they did not suspend him for multiple kicks to the crotch in the western conference finals? What he did against OKC was so much worse and heinous than what he did in game four the other night. He consistently flailed his legs and arms during the series with the Thunder because they were frustrating him with their length and their quickness. He didn't have an answer, so he did every dirty thing he could think of. He repeatedly kicked Steven Adams in the groin region throughout the series. He blatantly tripped Enes Kanter during game 6. He was consistently throwing elbows and low blows in the post to whatever big man he was guarding. But, the NBA didn't think that any of that was suspendable.

Yet, during game 4 of the finals, Green came and set a perfectly legal screen on LeBron James. James took offense to this and shoved him to the ground. I must add, the Cavs were beginning to blow game 4 at this point. After physically throwing Green to the ground, James decided it was okay to step over Green, rubbing his man region all in Green's face. They then proceeded to go after a rebound, and while Green, after they both trash talked each other for a second, looked like he was legitimately boxing LeBron out, LeBron decided it was time to throw Green to the ground again and yell at him. He then started to get in Green's face, and like all NBA fights involving superstars, LeBron stayed about 10 feet away and had his teammates "hold him back". First off, LeBron isn't going to fight anyone. He is too big a star, and the NBA and his fans would not react well to that. I ask, what was Draymond Green supposed to do? If anyone thinks that it was okay for LeBron James to do what he did, you are wrong. Draymond Green had every right to swing at James. That was a total punk move from someone that was being a sore loser.

For the NBA to take LeBron James' side, once again, I mean come on, that is downright shady. The NBA badly wants this series to last as long as possible. So what do they do? They suspend one of the most important players to the Warriors. Never mind the fact that the Cavs have been whining this whole series about the refs, they have been not getting called for fouls just as much, if not more than the Warriors. The Cavs are the quintessential prima donna team, led by the biggest prima donna of them all, LeBron James. He bitches and moans to the media that "it is rough, constantly getting fouled, with no call every time I drive to the basket". I say, grow up. You are the biggest and best player on the floor, and it is the finals, refs have always let the players play a lot rougher in the finals.

Just because your name is LeBron James doesn't mean you should get special treatment. Did Jordan get calls when the Pistons were shoving him left and right in the 80's and 90s? No. Did Jordan complain? Not that I know of. He would just go out the next game and put up 40 or 50 points and will his team to win. Did Shaq get any calls during his prime? Absolutely not. The officials said it was impossible to officiate Shaq because everything was a foul. Did Shaq complain? Nope. He would still score 30 or 40 points, go to the free throw line 20 times and the Lakers and Heat won titles with him.

So, I ask again, why did the NBA decide to give James this preferential treatment? They are making the Warriors play without their best, and most versatile defender in a possible close out game tonight. If the Cavs do not win this game and LeBron blames it on someone other than himself, I will lose whatever respect I have left for him. The NBA has handed him this game on a platter. I know it's in Oakland, and it is very tough for a visiting team to win there, but don't underestimate how much the Warriors will miss Draymond Green tonight. He is not only their key guy in defense, but he runs a ton of the offense. He may not score in bunches, but he is the conduit for a lot of the things they do on the offensive end. This is sickening that the NBA has done something like this in the finals. I want to watch the best players play the best players. I know that the Warriors have good to great guys off the bench, but I don't want to see Shaun Livingston, Festus Ezeli or Mo Speights playing big minutes in a possible close out game. I want to see Draymond Green. I don't know who said this, but I totally agree, that if the series were tied 2-2, there is no way Green gets suspended for tonight's game. But, since the Warriors are up 3-1, the NBA front office chose to suspend a crucial guy to try and push this finals as long as they can.

This is a joke and, as I said above, if the Cavs do not win tonight, I don't know what else the NBA can do to give LeBron another advantage. First off, he doesn't need an advantage, or at least he shouldn't, if he wants to be one of the greatest of all time. Secondly, it is a shame that David Silver and the NBA are so blatantly pulling for the Cavs and LeBron. This stinks and it just made game 5 a little less desirable to watch. And I'm a huge NBA fan.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He wants to see the best players, not the best whiners, dictate the NBA Finals. Ty is not a whiner, see for yourself by following him on twitter @tykulik.

Kevin Love has Already Suffered the Biggest Loss of the NBA Finals

It is time for Kevin Love to pick up his ball and find a new home.

The other night, when the Cavs crushed the Warriors by 30, that was the worst possible outcome that Kevin Love could have ever imagined.

This all but proved, at least to me, this Cavs team is so much more better off without Love. He is a total liability on defense, and he cannot stay on the court with LeBron because they both essentially play the same position. LeBron was way off the mark when he came back to Cleveland 2 years ago and made the front office trade away Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love. Think of how much more dynamic this team would be if they had Andrew Wiggins instead of Kevin Love right now. They would have one of the more athletic starting 5's in the NBA. Wiggins is already a so much better defender than Love is, and his offensive game has improved his first 2 years in the league. The Cavs don't know how to use Kevin Love as well. He is a 6'10 power forward, who only a couple of years ago, had one of the better low post games and was a top notch rebounder. His defense was still pretty terrible, but he wasn't playing deep into May and June, so no one noticed. We all just saw wonderful numbers and assumed he would fit in perfectly with James and Kyrie Irving.

Well, both coaches that he has had in Cleveland have turned him into a "floor spacer". He just sits outside the arc and waits for LeBron to dictate where the ball will go. And that is fine, because LeBron is the best player in the NBA. The offense should run through him. But, it is a waste to just have Love sit outside, shoot barely 40 percent from 3 and play little to no defense. They should try some stuff in the low post, but they barely do because LeBron and Irving need that lane open to drive to the basket. That is their strength.

Then, the 30 point win happened after Love went down with a concussion in game 2 and did not pass concussion protocol, so Richard Jefferson got the start. The same Richard Jefferson that has been in the NBA for what seems to be about a million years. I remember Richard Jefferson being a veteran in the NBA when I was in college, over a decade ago. Then, when Tyron Lue was asked why he picked Jefferson to start over guys like Iman Shumpert, Timofey Mozgov and Channing Frye, he said it was due to defensive quickness. Shots fired directly at Kevin Love with that comment. The same can be said for Shumpert. Lue is straight up calling these dudes out in social and main media. Who does he think he is, Doc Rivers? Phil Jackson? Basically, he thinks he can talk as if he is a hall of fame caliber coach. Sorry Tyron Lue, you haven't proven a god damn thing yet. And Richard Jefferson is supposed to be your energy guy to spark the defense? Jesus Christ, that should be terrifying to every Cavs fan in the entire world.

Does anyone really think that he can keep it up against this incredible young and talented Warriors team? Yeah, it worked for one game, but the Warriors did not show up ready to play that night. And Kyrie Irving could not miss in the first half. A lot of things went Cleveland's way on Wednesday night. They shot more free throws, they made more difficult shots, their stars, LeBron more so in the second half, played wonderful and the Warriors got absolutely destroyed on the glass. Cleveland played a perfect game. And they did it with Kevin Love on the bench.

I don't know if he has passed concussion protocol yet, but he practiced the past couple days and every reporter says he looks good. I will be very curious, if he passes concussion tests, if and how the Cavs use him. What if they start him and the Cavs look bad again, will it be straight to the bench? Or, what if they start Jefferson, with plans to bring Love off the bench, but the Cavs excel again with Love not on the court? Or what if they start Jefferson and the Warriors run him off the court, and they bring Love out and he gets run off the court? I just don't know what is going to happen. I cannot put my finger on it, and it is kind of frustrating.

I do know that, regardless of the outcome, Kevin Love is more than likely done in Cleveland after the finals. He is clearly a bad fit on this team and the players, and probably the coach, don't like him. I don't know who will trade for him, but someone like Boston, who is starved for a past all star, may try all they can to get him. But, he is all but done in Cleveland. I bet that every time Cleveland scored on Wednesday night and got a defensive stop, Kevin Love cringed. He knows his time in Cleveland is limited.

With all this being said, and with the blowout, and no matter what they do with Kevin Love, the Warriors still hold a 2 games to 1 lead, and they are younger, faster, more explosive and more athletic. Oh, and Klay Thompson and Steph Curry haven't even played all that well yet. I still see the Warriors winning, and I still see it happening in 6 games. But, Cleveland is a much, much better team when Kevin Love is not on the court. We have visible evidence of this now.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Do you think Kevin Love is overrated,  just wait to see what other pop culture and sports figures Ty will tell you are overrated. Hear it all on tomorrow's X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty has twitter and you should follow him @tykulik.

The Pathetic State of LeBron James Fanboyism at ESPN

Being in the bag for LeBron must be cutting oxygen off to the ESPN anchor's brains

To wrap up my week of NBA talk, I am going to criticize two of ESPN's lead anchors that are completely in the bag for the Cavs, and more specifically, LeBron James.

The first anchor is the loud mouthed piece of garbage known as Stephen A Smith. You'll remember him as the same guy that said that Kevin Durant made an enemy for life when Durant questioned a report that Smith put out about his impending free agency. Durant said that himself and his people didn't, or do they ever, talk to Smith. He called him out on his false report and said he was a liar. Well, instead of owning up to his mistake that he was caught red handed doing, he decided to go into attack mode, making that dumbass "you don't want to get on my bad side" comment. That shit was laughable, and I'm sure Durant and his people had a hearty laugh over his all around nonsense.

Before last night's game one, Smith was on some show saying that LeBron is the most disrespected and one of the most underrated NBA players of all time, and that if Kobe Bryant was the leader of this Cavs team, they'd be favored. All of that is utterly ridiculous. Everything that comes out of Stephen A Smith's mouth is garbage. He is not good at his job and he isn't that smart either. First of all, no one that knows even a little bit about basketball has ever disrespected LeBron James. Sure, some people may not care for him, but we all know that he is one of the 5 best players to ever play in the NBA. He is a legend and an all time great. Second, LeBron is not underrated at all. In fact, he may be the most perfectly rated player to ever step foot on an NBA court. He had high expectations when he entered the league as an 18 year old, and he won rookie of the year. Then, the Cavs got better every year he was there, even making the finals once. Then, he bolted for Miami, won 2 titles and went to the finals four straight years. He did as expected there. He comes back home, takes the Cavs to the finals last year, and they are back this year. LeBron has exceeded expectations everywhere he has been. He is not, not even a little bit, underrated. He may be under appreciated, but he is not underrated.

And the whole Kobe Bryant thing. If this Cavs team had Kobe in his prime, they wouldn't even be able to have this argument because they would be a mid to lower level playoff team. People think Kyrie Irving can be a ball hog, but imagine if he played with Kobe. Kevin Love would barely ever see the ball. Tristan Thompson wouldn't even touch the ball unless it was an offensive rebound. And, they would be even worse on defense than they are now, and they are terrible on defense now. If this Cavs team had Kobe and not LeBron, they'd be lucky to be a 43 or 44 win team. They would be a lot like the Rockets are now.

There, I just disproved all of Stephen A Smith's nonsense in about 500 or 600 words, yet he is a millionaire and he still hasn't lost his job at ESPN. Stephen A Smith is a moron and a jerk and he needs to get his smug face off my TV. I'm sick of hearing his stupid voice. My TV cannot handle it when he starts to yell talk, which is whenever he is on TV.

The next target of my ire is Brian Windhorst. This guy is an absolute joke. Yeah, he is from Cleveland and he has been following LeBron's career since LeBron was in 8th grade, but he is one of the worst journalists I have ever read or seen on TV in my life. He is so in the bag for the Cavs and LeBron, it's almost sad. As I just said, he's been following LeBron since he was a 13 year old, but Windhorst was in college when he started following him. Think about how creepy that is for a second. Windhorst was in his late teens or early 20's and he was following this child around the AAU circuit. First off, he looks like a creep, so if I was a parent of a kid on that team, I would have reported him to the authorities immediately. Second, what kind of college student decides that they are going to follow the career of a child? Yeah, LeBron turned out to be an all time great, but what if he didn't? What if he was just average, or a complete bust? Brian Windhorst wouldn't have a job if that happened. He would be looked at as another vulture that tried to capitalize on a young kids talent. He is so much worse, in my opinion, than any AAU coach or a guy like Sonny Vaccaro. At least those people pushed LeBron to greatness and gave him things, all Windhorst did was show up to his games and write some bull shit columns about a young phenom. And now, he has followed him to the pros, all the while, writing shitty article after shitty article. He even moved to Miami when LeBron went to play there and moved back to Cleveland when LeBron went back. This guy is like the worst possible friend that the group cannot get rid of. He is always there, whether you want him to be there or not.

When Windhorst would go on TV to talk about the Cavs, or the Heat when LeBron was there, he would always put the blame on someone else. It was never LeBron James' fault, it was always his supporting cast or coach. When LeBron did win titles, it was because of his greatness. Never mind the fact that Ray Allen made one of the most improbable shots of all time, or that Dwayne Wade found the fountain of youth during their second title run, or the fact that Chris Bosh completely overhauled his game to fit in with LeBron, none of that mattered to Windhorst because he is so far in the bag for LeBron James that it disgusting.

In the ongoing Windhorst shit show, he goes on TV yesterday to talk about how LeBron will never admit to being an underdog because he "has the heart of a champion" and he "will never admit that anyone is better than he is". Yeah, we all agree that he is the best basketball player in the world. Why do guys like Windhorst and Stephen A Smith need to keep bringing up something that we already know? The fact is that LeBron is the underdog in this finals series, no matter how much that may hurt Windhorst to say. The Cavs are playing a 73 win team. No other NBA team has ever won 73 games in a single season. LeBron James is the underdog, deal with it. But Windhorst is just another douchebag that is still on ESPN's payroll and he is one of their lead NBA guys. What a shame. He is a moron with blinders for anything negative that people may say about his beloved LeBron James.

Brian Windhorst, much like Stephen A Smith, is a blow hard and a piece of human garbage. But, this seems to be the down direction that ESPN is heading with their anchors. They want fan boys that are only loyal to their teams. That's not what a journalist should be. They should be non biased, so other people can take them seriously. Well, I don't take anyone seriously that works for that garbage company in Bristol. The sad fact is that Stephen A Smith and Brian Windhorst are the biggest dummies in an office filled with dummies. Pathetic.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is going to continue his quest of pointing out overrated pop culture when the X Millennial Man talks about musicians that are not as good as people think. The newest episode will premier tomorrow, wherever your fine podcasts are sold. Also, make sure you follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The 76ers are the Best at Being the Worst Basketball Franchise

Let me know when the 76ers are good and then I will fly away.

This week will be all basketball talk from me, specifically NBA talk. I love basketball and this is the time of year where things are beginning to happen, or at least, people are talking about things that may happen. This time of year is basically basketball fans favorite time of year. Coaching changes, players being moved either via free agency or trades, talk of players being traded and the ramp up to the finals, which start tonight.

What I want to focus my time on today is the talk of players being moved. More specifically, I want to address the talk that the 76ers, the moribound, useless, once proud, but are now a joke 76ers, have made it known publicly that they would be willing to part ways with either Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor. I mean, WTF Philadelphia. How do they ever expect to put a team that is competitive out there if they continue to trade away all this young talent that they tanked so hard to get. A few years back they had the rookie of the year winner in Michael Carter-Williams. Sure, that rookie class wasn't that great and Carter-Williams did most of his damage on a terrible team and when he played against real defenders he got locked down, but he still did enough to win the rookie of the year. One year later, they traded him to the Bucks for some more draft picks.

This was all Sam Hinkie's doing. He told all the 76ers fans to "trust the process", he assured them that what he was doing was the right thing and they would soon be highly competitive again. With the pick he got from Milwaukee, he took Joel Embiid. Who can guess how many professional basketball games Embiid has played in his first two seasons? Anyone? He has played 0, and I'm including preseason and summer league games. He may even miss the beginning of this season and the front office has already stated that he will not play summer league as they are "taking every precaution imaginary". So, you trade away the reigning rookie of the year, in hopes of landing the next great big man, but you take a player that had known foot issues during his one season at Kansas, and he still hasn't played one single second in the NBA. What a joke. Also, the year before they drafted Embiid, they took Noel, who is now apparently on the trading block, and he tore his ACL during his one year at Kentucky. Two years in a row and the 76ers drafted injured players that had to sit out at least one full season before even stepping foot on a court. Yeesh, that is brutal.

Last year they took Okafor. Okafor "fell" to them at number 3. This pick perplexed me because they already had Noel and Embiid who play the same position and, I don't know if the front office watches modern basketball, but big men aren't the commodity they once were. But, I was willing to look past it because, you take the best available player, that's what teams do in the draft. And, to give Okafor a little credit, he played in about 60 games his rookie season and he was not terrible. Well, he was terrible defensively, but offensively, he was okay. He scored in double figures and was an average offensive rebounder and has some decent low post moves. But, he is also a 19 year old hot head that may not be ready for the responsibility of being a professional. Just look at the incidents he got involved in, at bars, during his rookie year. He may be a loose cannon. I guess not to worry 76ers fans because he may be gone as well.

This is what bugs me. Yes, I know that they won the draft lottery and that they plan to take either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram, but why are they making two of their young, half way decent players available for trades? Nerlens Noel has shown flashes of being an elite defender and, if he works on his low post game, he could be an all star. And yeah, Okafor plays no defense, but if he becomes, at the very least, a capable defender, he could also be an all star. He has the offense, he just needs to put it together on defense. Who knows with Embiid, but they seem to be putting all their eggs into his basket and they expect him to be immediately better than Noel or Okafor. I don't think that I would take that bet. I want to see Embiid play 30 or 40 games before I would even consider getting rid of any big men I have on my roster. Other people will tell me that Simmons and Okafor's game don't mesh or that Noel would clog the lane for a guy like Ingram. I say, who cares. At least Nerlens Noel has proven to be a decent enough defender and Okafor has shown that he can score double figures night after night.

The 76ers sound like they want to blow it up again, and that is not fair to the fans. They will not be able to attract any star players there because, whenever someone does something good on a basketball floor, the 76ers want to trade them for draft picks. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan or Kyle Lowry aren't going to want to go play for this franchise. Why would they want to waste the prime of their careers playing for this terribly run team. I naturally assumed that when Sam Hinkie stepped down that the 76ers would start to resemble a real basketball franchise, but the new people in charge are just doing the exact same thing. They want the fans to, once again, "trust the process". That's bull shit. That's unfair. Does the GM and the other higher ups making decisions realize how brutal it must be to be a 76ers fan right now? This team is an absolute joke. They are barely better than some of the D League teams. Hell, they may not even win the D League if they were relegated to play there because they are such an embarrassment to the NBA.

Which brings me to my final point and why I think this nonsense of making Noel and Okafor available is so stupid. First off, they want to take another 19 year old to be the face of the franchise. Well, its been reported that Ben Simmons would much rather be a Laker, and me personally, I don't think this kid will live up to the hype. He is an over privileged, spoiled brat that has never been pushed or told no by any coach and he carries himself with an arrogance he hasn't even come close to earning. He already acts like a Laker. Then there's Brandon Ingram. I think he will be a good pro, he could be a poor mans Kevin Durant, but it is going to take a few seasons, maybe even 4 before he is an all star caliber player. He has to put on weight, put in tons of time in the gym and become a much better defender before he is any kind of threat to the real stars in the NBA. I think Ingram will be a much better pro than Simmons, but I also think it will take much longer before he gets to that elite level. Just look at Durant's first few years in the league. It wasn't until James Harden and Russell Westbrook were drafted that Durant elevated his game and became the dominant player he is today.

If I were running the 76ers, I would either trade the top pick, not Noel or Okafor, for some established, semi decent pros, or I would take Buddy Hield. Hield would fit kind of perfectly with guys like Noel, Okafor and Embiid. He could come in and score points right away and his defensive game is underrated. But, since the 76ers only value assets, they will trade one of both of the guys I mentioned, draft either Ingram or Simmons, and be terrible for the next decade or so. The 76ers are the worst run team in any professional sport that I have ever seen. They are an embarrassment to the NBA and their fans.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He desperately wants to focus on good basketball and not bad management. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.