Who is to Blame for the Coaching Mess With the Nets?

I, much like many other people, was stunned to see Kenny Atkinson lose his job, near the end of the season, with a Nets team that is going to make the playoffs again. I thought he was one guy that was safe. After what he oversaw at first, all the losing and no first round draft picks forever, to what they did last year, and I know they weren't great, but they had a winning record, won a game in the playoffs and looked like a fun team. And then they signed KD and Kyrie Irving this offseason. I assumed Kenny Atkinson was set in stone. I didn't, not even once, expected this to happen.

Sure, this season has been different. They traded away guys that clicked last year to clear the space for two stars. The cohesion hasn't always been there this year. They have suffered a rash of injuries to starters and key bench guys. Kyrie, when he was playing, was saying dumb shit again, to reporters in the locker room so everyone could hear him. He also wasn't playing all that well. They have tried to play DeAndre Jordan far too much. Jarrett Allen is younger and much better. KD hasn't stepped on the floor at all this year, which was expected. But still, when the news flashed on Saturday, I was shocked.

Then stories started to trickle out that neither KD nor Kyrie wanted him to be the coach, that Atkinson didn't want to coach them, that Deandre Jordan was upset that he wasn't playing as much as he would like, you know, the typical stuff when this happens. My first thought was, well it's true, Kyrie is a coach killer. But, as I sat back and thought about it, Brad Stevens is still in Boston, and Ty Lue was still the coach after Kyrie left, and LeBron was gone anyway, so why would he want to leave.

Look, I know all the stuff that is out there about Kyrie, and I agree with most of it. He is a cancer to the locker room. He isn't as great as he would like us to think, or he thinks. He has never won anything without LeBron. Yes, he hit a humongous shot in the Finals, one of the biggest shots ever, but a lot of stuff that didn't involve him led to that moment. Teams do seem to play better when he is out, or injured. Again, it's all true. But, Kyrie is a magician with the ball, and when he is on the floor, he is great. He can score, he can handle, he is an average defender. But, if I look at all the top point guards in the league right now, he is right up there. I don't know if I would want him on my team, but I don't necessarily think this was all on him.

I feel the same with the KD noise. First off, KD is a much better teammate, more coachable and is a better player than Kyrie. I know he has this new, wannabe "bad boy" image to the media, but I have never once thought he was a coach killer. He played for Scott Brooks, Billy Donovan and Steve Kerr, and none of them have said a bad word about him. He has also been out all year, so why would his words hold any bearing over this season. Next year, when he is back, sure, but this year, no way. So I don't blame this on KD either.

Deandre Jordan's opinion holds absolutely zero bearing on anything of importance. He is well past his prime, the Nets have better and younger guys at the same spot and he is a total non factor. If his anger at playing time had anything to do with this that is absurd.

I don't think it is Kenny Atkinson's fault either. I think Atkinson is a good coach, who can get the very best out of guys that were castoffs, or rookies. D'Angelo Russell was a pariah when he came to Brooklyn, and Atkinson helped turn him into an All Star and a max player. Caris Levert was oft injured at Michigan and skinny coming into the league. Now he is a key cog to this team. Spencer Dinwiddie has bounced around the NBA, and now he has found a spot that has helped him get to where he is today. Joe Harris was your typical white shooter when he came to the league, now, while he can still shoot, he can play defense, drive to the rim and handle a little bit. Most of the praise goes to the individual player for working on stuff, but I also give some praise to Atkinson. He has to believe in the player, and harbor their want to get better. I just think that Atkinson doesn't want to coach super stars. Not everybody can be Phil Jackson or Steve Kerr or even Mike D'Antoni. Look at a guy like Greg Poppovich. Yes, he had Tim Duncan, but Duncan is the most understated star the league has ever seen. While Atkinson is no Pop, far from it, Pop has won with, for the most part, guys willing to play roles. Billy Donovan is doing that in OKC right now, and I know they have Chris Paul, but he is a billion years old. Kenny Atkinson has way more Rick Carlisle than Doc Rivers in him, if you ask me.

So, while you have been reading this, I'm sure at this point you are asking me, who's fault is this then Ty? Well, I'll tell you now. I feel this is totally, and completely on the front office. They feel a ton of pressure now, and it will only get bigger next season. They want to appease their stars. They want to become the team in New York. Side note, that will never, ever happen, no matter how bad the Knicks are, or will be. They feel like they need to be much better than a 6 or 7 in the East. The front office panicked, listened to outside people talk and made a rash, and impulsive decision. I simply don't know who the Nets are going to get that will appease the stars. Maybe, maybe Ty Lue. After that though, most of the big name guys are set. Rivers isn't leaving the Clippers, Jason Kidd will soon be the Lakers head coach, Budenholzer will stay with the Bucks as long as Giannis is there, Carlisle and Donovan have a plethora of young talent they want to mold, Nick Nurse is beloved in Toronto, I mean, the Nets options are small and, maybe, bleak.

This was a puzzling move, and I am very curious to see what direction they go in. This is a wild story in what is usually a down time in the NBA.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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Who Should Draft Tua Tagovailoa?

The NFL draft is a little over a month away. Come April I will do my type of preview, where I pick players I like and dislike. But today I want to spend my time talking about Tua Tagovailoa.

First things first, Tua is a very, very, very good QB. He came in as a backup in a title game two years ago and won the game for Alabama. His pass in overtime was one of the most perfect throws I have ever seen. The fact that he took a sack earlier in that series, dusted himself off, and made that throw, that was when I knew he was a special football player.

Tua then comes back the next year, beats out Jalen Hurts as a starter and takes Alabama to another title game. This made his legend grow even further. But, the title game showed some flaws. Sure, it is not his fault that the Alabama defense gave up a million yards and tons of points. Still though, Tua got outplayed by a true freshman, and he looked a little overmatched when playing a defense that had pros on it.

He came back for this season, and he started like a house on fire. He was great. He looked like the Tua from two years ago. Then the minor injuries started. He missed a game here and there for knicks and bruises. He then suffered a pretty severe ankle sprain. Still, he came back, won a few important games and looked like he was going to be just fine.

Then Tua got brutally injured in an unimportant game during the regular season. I don't remember who Alabama was playing, or what game it was, but I remember after hearing about the injury I had two thoughts, uh oh, and why was he in there. Then I heard more and more about the injury, and the more news that came out, the worse it got for Tua. It appeared he had broken his hip. This is one of the worst injuries a football player can sustain. I immediately thought of Bo Jackson. Bo Jackson is one of my all time favorite athletes. He played two pro sports at All Star level. He was lightening in a bottle. He is a once in a generation talent. He is the type of player where the word "legend" is the only proper way to describe him. Tua suffered a very similar, if not the exact same injury. That injury ended Bo's career. He was never the same after that. Now, I know that Bo was a little older, and maybe more susceptible. But, no disrespect to Tua, Bo is a much, much, much better athlete than Tua could ever dream of being, and this injury did him in. I understand all the stories. The stuff about his injury is healing way better than expected, that he was crushing interviews at the combine, that he will be able to do drills starting March 9th, and he will have a pro day and that Washington, who is picking second, and took a QB in the first round last year, might draft him if he has a good pro day. I get all of that. I also have watched enough football to understand that these stories are leaked by people that will benefit from Tua being a high pick, and keeping his name in the news.

Again, Tua was, maybe still is, a great QB prospect. But, I would be so, so hesitant to take Tua anywhere in the first round. I spoke to my father earlier today and I told him that Tua needs to go to a team where he can sit, watch, practice and heal even more. I look at teams like New England or Indianapolis or even a spot like Tennessee. All these teams will provide him all the things I think he needs to be a starter level QB in the NFL. But, if a team like Miami or Washington or Cincinnati, a place where he will have to play immediately, it will doom him. I mean, this injury took out Bo Jackson. I cannot overstate enough how big a deal that is. Tua is great, but he is no Bo.

This injury is brutal, I feel for Tua that he has to deal with this, but if I were a GM, I would try to find any other player to take, especially in the first round, before I would take Tua. He has a long, long way to go before he is back to himself, if he ever gets back.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Where Will Tom Brady Play Next Year?

A report was released this morning from the NFL combine that said that people are thinking Tom Brady is more likely to leave the Patriots at this point than to come back. I cannot disagree with this statement more. I think the NFL is so obsessed with keeping its name in the sporting news year round that they will make up stuff just to get people talking.

For example, there was a story, I think two days ago, about how small Joe Burrow's hands measured at the combine. It was one of the top stories on "PTI". ESPN covered it as it was the biggest story of the day. The NFL Network was all abuzz at this news. I mean, it is the size of his hands. Who in the hell cares about this nonsense that much? Who was tuning in to see how big Joe Burrow's hands are? The only person who handled this non story the right way was Burrow. If you haven't seen it yet, go check out his tweet after all these sports stations and websites ran the story about his hand size. It is perfect. And now we have this Brady story.

I haven't thought for a second that he is leaving New England. Why would he? They are apparently out there right now looking for players to add that would compliment his skills. They are also, while horrible, horrible people, one of the more established and well run NFL franchises. They are insane, and filled with monsters, but they know how to run a football team. And then I look at some of the "preferred destinations" for Brady, and none of them make sense, for him at least.

Where is Brady rumored to go? One place mentioned the 49ers. That isn't happening. Yes, Brady is a much better QB than Jimmy Garroppolo, but they have less talent at receiver than the Patriots, their defense will regress and their division is the most competitive in the NFL. Sure, it would be nice for him to play for his favorite team as a kid, and his hometown team, but they are not suited to his style of play. Another website mentioned that he, and the Raiders, had mutual interest. This is wrong on so many different levels. First off, they are moving to Las Vegas, and I don't think any 40 plus year old man that is married with multiple children wants to go play in Vegas. They also have little to no talent on the outside. They also want to run the ball. They also have a subpar defense. But worst of all, they have Jon Gruden at head coach. This idea would have been great maybe a decade ago, but now it is just nonsense. The Chargers seem to be another team that people mention, and maybe Brady wants to play in a warmer climate closer to home. But that team doesn't draw at all, they are another team that wants to utilize their running backs more. And while Keenan Allen is really, really good, he has taken far too many hits waiting on ducks from Phillip Rivers, and he is a bit slower than he used to be. They are also not a legit contender. Same thing with the Raiders. I also heard that Tampa Bay is a "sleeping giant" in all the Brady talk. This is the only team that "makes sense" because of the talent at receiver. But, outside of that, they have a ton to work on to be a truly competitive team. They also haven't given up on Jameis Winston for some reason. They also need to retool their defense to be any kind of a threat, and their coach, Bruce Arians has said as much. Yes, Arians is a master with QB's, especially older ones, but Brady doesn't really move the needle for this team. Carson Palmer was put into a great situation, with playmakers everywhere, the last time Arians took on an older QB. Brady has the playmakers on offense, but this defense is far from legit.

So, when I sit back and just try to think about it, and make arguments for other teams, I always come back to many facts that favor the Patriots. They are working to get him some talented dudes. He has been with the same coach his whole career. Josh McDaniels, who is a coward, has been his best coordinator his whole career. The Patriots have done everything for him. They gave him his shot, and he has rewarded them with six rings. I just don't see him leaving now, when he will be 43 during next season, to try and help some middling team sell some tickets. I would be stunned if he signs elsewhere, and I will come on this website and eat crow for days. I still fully believe that, come the 2020 NFL regular season, Tom Brady will be the starting QB for the New England Patriots.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Pelicans vs. Lakers in the Playoffs Would Be Awesome

Before  really get into the meat of my topic today I was to put some stuff out there first. I want everyone to know that I have adopted the Memphis Grizzlies as my favorite NBA team. They are closest to me, I have been to multiple games, I love the city and the arena and they are a fun team to watch. I also believe without a shadow of a doubt that Ja Morant is the Rookie of the Year, and that it shouldn't even be a close vote. Hell, I'd go as far to say that he could, and maybe should, be the unanimous choice. I also find the entire team a blast to watch, I think they will be a perennial playoff team sooner rather than later, that Morant is going to become even more of a star and that they are ahead of schedule, in a very good way.

Okay, with all that being said, and please keep that in mind as I write my piece today, I want to see New Orleans and the Lakers face off in a first round playoff series. I know this means the Grizzlies would get pushed out, they have little to no shot of catching up with Dallas or OKC, and I am fine with that. They will be in the playoffs next year. But, with the game between the Pelicans and Lakers tonight, and with the Pelicans at full strength, I think this would be the absolute dopest first round playoff matchup. It has so many elements that would make this so awesome. We have AD having to go back to New Orleans to play, at least, 2 games. That crowd is going to boo the absolute crap out of him. It won't matter because he is incredibly talented, and a super gifted basketball player, but it would be almost cathartic for the Pelicans fans to have that moment, and maybe prove that they don't need AD after all. On the other side, we'd have Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and any other player the Lakers traded to get AD. They would all get their chance to prove to the Lakers front office that they maybe gave up too much. Again, AD is a generational player, and if he gets the Lakers a title it will be totally worth it. But still, they gave up their future to get this guy, and some of those guys, Ingram I feel especially, will want to stick it to them. Just like AD getting booed, it won't matter, but it would be so much fun to watch. Then we have Zion versus LeBron. We have the current best player, and face of the league for the past almost two decades versus the guy everyone figures will be the new face when, and if he can stay healthy, LeBron retires.

Forget the playoffs for a moment. I'm excited to see them matchup tonight. I saw a picture on Bleacher Report earlier today asking the question of which one is more likely to dunk on the other one, and I got pumped at the idea. During a regular season game. Imagine that energy in a 7 game series. I mean, I'm sure it would be a sweep, maybe the Pelicans get one, but still, it would be fun. It kind of reminds me of when AD pushed the Pelicans into the playoffs and they played the Warriors. The Warriors won the series with ease, but AD was amazing. I feel like Zion can do that, but he has a much better supporting cast. I also like some of the other cross matchups. I love Ingram going against a guy like Avery Bradley. Or seeing Jrue Holiday face up with Rajon Rondo. I want to see how AD would guard Zion. This series would be great.

Again, the Grizzlies are my team. Ja is my dude. They're going to be a real player in the West very soon. But, just for one season, I want to see the Pelicans get swept by the Lakers. It will be a quick, but absolute blast of a series. Lets see it happen.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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John Beilein and Cleveland Did Not Work

I know that I have talked a ton about John Beilein on this site ever since he shockingly took the Cavs job last summer, but I have to talk about him yet again. Look, I made it very, very clear that I didn’t think he would make it the full five years of his contract, but for him to resign fifty-four games into the first season of his contract, during All Star break, is as shocking as him taking the job.

The Cavs job is clearly a wasteland. Hell, they fired a coach that took them to the Finals in his first season. They have had, I believe, six coaches in the past seven seasons. If I’m being totally honest, I don’t know who the coach was before Beilein took this job in the summer. In fact, besides David Blatt and Tyron Lue, I cannot name one other coach except for Beilein. But, this seemed like a good hire got them at the time, and man did it deteriorate much faster than anyone expected.

When Beilein was hired there was support all over the place. Apparently Cleveland did their homework and found a guy that is good at rebuilds. He was also considered a guy that could coax the best out of guys that may not be the greatest. I even thought they would give him time to build the roster his way. Then a bunch of wild stuff happened. His son resigned from Niagara University before coaching a single game. The Cavs, as expected, started very, very slow. In fact, they sit at 14-40 as I write this today. Then we have Kevin Love throwing fits during games. Look no further than him yelling at Collin Sexton to pass, getting the pass, chucking the ball at Cedi Osmann and then yelling at the whole team right before halftime. We also have Tristan Thompson coming to Beilein’s defense after the Love thing, then one night later, the two of them are caught on camera yelling at each other. Then we have anonymous players questioning his tactics to media and teammates. Then we have the “slugs/thugs” thing. Then we have a report a few days ago claiming that Beilein was “miserable”. And then the reports came out during All Star weekend that the two sides were coming to a decision for him to resign. Oh, and in the midst of all of this they kept Love and Thompson during the trade deadline, and inexplicably traded for Andre Drummond, who I am a fan of, he just doesn’t fit on this god awful Cavs team. Then yesterday Beilen announced he was stepping down.

This, I guess, was doomed from the start. Some guys aren’t pro head coaches. They don’t have the mindset. They’re used to being the judge, juror and executioner. They are the end all be all. Beilein was used to this way. He coached college for, pretty much, his entire career. Then, in his mid 60’s, he decides its time to try the NBA. I don’t fault him, but his ways are not conducive to professional basketball players. He’s too rah rah, too focused on fundamentals, too entrenched in getting time to develop. That doesn’t happen in the NBA for many reasons. Kevin Love doesn’t need to work on passing and rebounding. He’s already proven he can do that. Collin Sexton and Darius Garland are way too young, and have never been told that they need work. Cedi Osman is a vet, why would he listen to a career college coach. Andre Drummond is an All Star and a great low post guy. Why would he want to sit around and watch game tape for hours on end? And that Cavs front office is a total mess. They’ve proven multiple times that, sans LeBron, they’re a garbage NBA team. It has happened twice now.

I’m sure Beilein will have his pick of college jobs, some that may not even be open yet. I’ve already heard that schools like Indiana, Northwestern and Vanderbilt, all with coaches, are interested. But this NBA experiment has been an unmitigated disaster, and it will be one thing that’s always mentioned now. I mean, he couldn’t even get through one season. That is rough stuff. This is one of the predictions I got right that I wished I would be wrong. I’m still a little stunned he already gave up.

What a rough, downer half a season for Beilein. This is a stain on an otherwise stainless coaching career.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet.

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What to Think of This Whole Astros Cheating Thing?

As I have stated many times on this site, RD is the baseball guy. But today, I feel like I need to give my take on this whole Astros cheating scandal.

First and foremost, and I guess this is kind of sad since I loved baseball so much as a child, I honestly don’t have any real feelings on it. To be honest, I don’t really care. I know what they did was very wrong. You should never, ever cheat to get an edge. That doesn’t make you a winner, it makes you a cheater. They will go down as one of, if not the, most undeserving champions in any professional sport ever. But, when I try to get upset or angry or want to say how bad this is, I just kind of shrug. It honestly has no effect on me either way. I could care less about what they did. It was a careless and wrong way to gain an advantage, but so were steroids, and people have just kind of let that all go by the wayside. Who’s to say the same thing won’t happen with the Astros. I wouldn’t be shocked if in, say three years, most people will have totally forgotten about it, and some will even claim that they are real champs.

Second, everyone that was involved, that was in very deep, I have no problem with them being relieved of their duties. Any person who worked for the Astros during this time, especially coaches and the front office that knew about it, and supported it, they needed to go. The coach, GM, all the front office people, they deserved to be fired. They cheated and they should have to pay a punishment. As for other people involved they moved on to different jobs, like Carlos Beltran and the former Red Sox manager, they also deserved to be let go. They cheated, and who’s to say they wouldn’t do it again at their current jobs. That’s the way it is in sports. Cheaters should not prosper. I get furious when college teams get caught cheating in recruiting, and this was happening in the pro game. That’s not cool.

Third, if I really truly cared, I’d be super pissed off of I were a member of the Dodgers when this was at its height. They got to the World Series fair and square, and they lost to a team that was, at the time, cheating their asses off. I’m not a Dodgers fan, I’m not a fan of any LA team, but still, that’s not cool and not okay. The Dodgers may have a super high payroll, and can lure stars, but that’s not cheating, that’s pro sports.

Fourth, I think the players involved deserve the same punishment Pete Rose has gotten. Pete Rose gambled, even on his own team, while coaching, and he’s banned for life. What the Astros did, to me, is much, much worse. They stole signs. They knew what was coming from opposing pitchers. They gained an unfair advantage. All Pete Rose did was gamble. He never stole signs, forced guys to do something unethical or immoral, he just wanted some extra cash. The Astros straight up cheated.

Finally, I do think they need to be stripped of their title. They didn’t win their World Series fairly. They had an unfair advantage, and that’s not cool. It needs to be taken away or have an asterisk forever.

So, while I am not an MLB guy, this story is unavoidable, and I felt like I wanted to give my 2 cents. The Astros cheated, and they will never be deserving of their lone title.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ty Watches the 2020 NBA All Star Weekend

This was one of the best All Star weekends in NBA history.

Scratch that, this was the best All Star weekend in NBA history.

It needs to be said, I was only 6 when MJ and Dominique had their dunk contest showdown, I wasn't alive for, I don't think, any of Dr. J's exploits, I don't have many memories from the early to mid 90's all star weekends and I know that I said the Aaron Gordon and Zach Lavine dunk contests from a few years back was second only to the show Vince Carter put on in the late 90's. But this weekend, this was the absolute greatest I have ever seen. I have become quite disillusioned with recent all star games and weekends. It was becoming a mockery to be quite honest. I am an avid NBA, some would say obsessed, and I was struggling to figure out why I knew the names of the players in the events leading up to the game. As for the games, they were awful. I desperately wanted a team to score 200 points because it would have been amazing, but the games were very boring and took way, way too long. But this year something changed, and it started on Saturday night.

Side note, I did check into the "celebrity" game and the rising stars game on Friday night, but those were not of any real importance, although, the Ja Morant lobs to Zion were beautiful. But, when Saturday night came around we had my folks over, my daughter was still getting over a virus, my dad and I decided to check in on the Saturday night events. My son also was interested in the skills challenge because he is, finally, starting to take some coaching in basketball, and he wanted to see pros do their thing. So we watched the skills competition, not expecting much.

Boy was I wrong to not get excited. It was fun as hell. I loved seeing the big men beat the guards. It was rad that Damontas Sabonis went up against Bam Adebayo for the trophy. And when Bam hit that three to win, I threw my hands up like I bet money on it. It was a total blast. We then decided to stick with it because the skills comp was so fun. The three point contest didn't disappoint either. It started slow, with Trae Young missing a lot. But then Devin Booker, Davis Bertans, Buddy Hield, Duncan Robinson and Joe Harris all went for 20 plus in the first round. In fact, the three guys that made the finals did because they had such high first round scores. And then for Buddy Hield to win it, on the last shot mind you, again, I threw my hands up in excitement. I had no cheering intentions going into this event. I was just looking for a fun, good matchup. what I got was so much more fun, and better. It was great to see it come down to a final shot.

Then I forced my dad to stick around for the dunk contest because, as I told him, the whole night has been awesome, and the dunk contest is the best. He did, and I think he was glad he did. This dunk contest was unreal. I never thought anything would top Vince Carter, or the Lavine-Gordon contest. This one did. This was, hands down, the best dunk contest I have ever seen. Even Dwight Howard and Pat Connaughton were fun. Dwight Howard did a nice thing for Kobe, and even though I didn't want him to perpetuate the stereotype, Connaughton's "White Man Can't Jump" inspired dunk was dope. But this night belonged to Derrick Jones Jr and Aaron Gordon. The things they did were, as my wife put it, balletic. The way they glided through air and did things that I have never seen done before and how hard they hammered the ball through the rim and the flair with which they did it, it was amazing. Aaron Gordon's one handed 360 off the side of the backboard is the best dunk I have ever seen, and may ever see. That was incredible. Derrick Jones Jr proved to me why his nickname is Airplane Mode. The way he glided through the air, put the ball between his legs with ease, looking like he was flying to the rim, it was tremendous. I will say, I agree that Aaron Gordon was robbed, and I get why he won't do the contest again, but what a way to go out. It was incredible. I'm not much for ties, but they should have given both of them a trophy. It was such a spectacular show. It was the perfect way to end the night. It was explosive and fun and entertaining, and simply put, perfect.

I didn't think the actual all star game would be as fun, and for three quarters, I felt justified. Then the fourth quarter happened. I have said it once about the events leading up to the game, and I will say it about the game itself, this was the best all star game I have ever seen. The fourth quarter alone was worth the price of admission. I was so riveted I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. To see the best of the best going toe to toe, playing actual defense, taking charges, denying the ball, forcing bad shots, it was incredible. This showed the true intensity these guys have. It showed fire. It felt like a game 7 playoff game. It was tremendous. The way each team traded blows, it was awesome. Giannis' defense on LeBron, especially that block near the end, was incredible. Kyle Lowry doing his thing was rad. To see him take charges in an all star game was so cool. Joel Embiid playing like the true big man he is was awesome. To watch Team Giannis attack James Harden on defense was like watching a real game. To see the emotion with which LeBron was playing with was so cool. To see him and AD argue with officials, that was what I have been craving. I don't even care that it ended on a made free throw. To see AD hit that second one, with the pressure on, that is how all star games should be played.

This was so tremendous. I hope the NBA keeps up with this. I mean, Kawhi looked like playoff Kawhi last night, and he was a much deserving MVP winner. I also love that they renamed the trophy to the Kobe Bryant All Star game MVP trophy. This whole thing was a great way to honor someone like Kobe, who took these games almost as serious as Jordan did. I loved everything about this all star weekend. This needs to continue to happen. The NBA found a formula that works, and they need to stick to it.

What a great, great, great all star weekend. I will not soon forget it. It was awesome. Well done NBA.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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Devin Booker was Always an All Star

When it was announced that Damian Lillard was going to miss the All Star game this weekend, I assumed the NBA was going to be lame, cop out and put Paul George in in his place. I’m not saying George isn’t a great player. He’s one of my favorite players in fact. I love his two way game, his athletic ability, the way he goes hard all the time, I am a fan. But, he’s missed a ton of games, and he hasn’t had an All Star season this year. That’s facts.

So, when I saw that Devin Booker got the nod instead, I was pleasantly surprised. He is averaging over 27 points per game, he is in full control of the Suns offense and he deserves to be in this game. I know his team isn’t great record wise, but the Suns are far better than they have been in quite some time. They started the year hot too, winning 7 of their first 11 games. They are a long shot, but they’re still, technically, in the playoff race in the Varsity conference. And it’s because of Booker’s play. Not only is Booker doing his thing offensively, but he’s gotten far better on the defensive end this season as well. He is, at the very least, putting in effort. He’s trying to make plays. He’s getting steals here and there.

This nod is much deserved for Booker. I mean, the fact that he wasn’t picked as a reserve is puzzling to me. Jayson Tatum has had a great season so far, and the Celtics are good, but I’d take Booker before him. Brandon Ingram is having his best season to date, but his team has pretty much the same record as Phoenix, and Booker’s been this good since he got in the league. I am a humongous Russell Westbrook guy, but Booker is having an overall better year, full stop. Damontas Sabonis is a fine player, but if I’m starting a team tomorrow, I’d take Booker way before Sabonis. Even a guy like Trae Young, and I know he was voted a starter, I think Booker is a better overall player. Young is a great shooter, and a wizard with the ball. Booker would own him in a one on one matchup. He’s just as good a shooter, can handle the ball, is a solid passer and a far superior defender. His team is also wildly better, due to him, than Young’s team is right now.

I guess it goes without saying that I’m a Booker fan, but still, he shouldn’t have to be a replacement All Star. It’s not like last year when D’Angelo Russell was added right before the game. Devin Booker is a much more deserving player, and it shouldn’t have even come to this. As I have said, he’s gotten better every year. He goes into the gym and works on where he needs improvement, and also adds to his game. He’s become one of the leaders of a very, very young Suns team that may be better sooner than we thought. This is long overdue for Booker. I think this is also one of many All Star games he will be a part of. He’s earned this. He’s paid his dues. I mean, this wouldn’t even be a question if he was in the East. I bet he’d be voted an All Star starter if he was on a team like Orlando. But since he plays in the West, on the Suns, he has to be picked as a replacement.

Bright side, at least Devin Booker’s there, and will continue to be as long as he keeps improving and being the catalyst on a soon to be perennial playoff team.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Men's College Basketball is Unwatchable

I don't know, or remember if I have done a men's NCAA college midseason redo, and I want to talk about why I haven't today.

I have been quite critical of men's college basketball for some time. I am not a fan of the whole "one and done" era. I feel like it has made the sport nearly unwatchable. I also think, if a kid feels like they are good enough to go straight from high school to the pros, let them. Also, if they don't get drafted, let them go to school for a couple of years to hone their skills. While the college game isn't in a good spot right now, it is better than the G League. I also have zero problem with star high school players going overseas for a year. At least then they are getting paid to play, and as you all know, I love the whole pay to play idea being floated right now.

Lets get back to why I didn't do a midseason redo. I didn't do one because this particular season of men's college basketball has been a very, very bad season. I don't know most of the top players because, as is the case with "one and done", I have had no time getting to know these kids. I know who is on Michigan's team because they are my team. But, if someone told me they would give me 100 dollars to name just one single player on Baylor's team, the current number one team in the nation mind you, I couldn't do it. Hell, I can't name a single player on Gonzaga, and they are the number 2 ranked team. In fact, of the top 10 teams, I can only name a few of star players on these teams. I know Azubuike from KU because he is a third year player. I went and saw Obi Toppin from Dayton when they came to Saint Louis to play SLU. And I know the names Carey and Stanley and Jones from Duke, but that is because Duke is always on TV. As for the other teams, San Diego State is undefeated, and I can't name a single player. Louisville is a top 5 team, no idea who they have. FSU is ranked highly, and again, I thought Johnathan Issac was still on that team until I saw a Magic game on League Pass the other night. And Maryland, who is inexplicably in the Big Ten, I don't know anyone they have, and I have watched them once or twice this year. Hell, it takes until I get to Kentucky, the 12th ranked team, before I recognize a guy that could go high in the draft in Tyrese Maxey. From there on out, I am totally lost, especially since Michigan State and Michigan aren't ranked.

This is my biggest problem, and I don't know if this year is an anomaly, or if this will become the new normal. Starting next year they are getting rid of "one and done", and while I like that, I think it will water down the college game that much more. There is no continuity. There are no real star players right now, or if there are guys considered "stars" this season, they are hurt or play for bad teams. I see this Edwards kid on the top of most mocks, and he is supposedly great, but he plays for Georgia. They aren't making the NCAA tournament this year. Cole Anthony, who I watched super close this weekend, is on a 10-13 UNC team. Side note, I was very, very wrong about them being a title contender this year. James Wiseman has already left college after the NCAA made it their mission to get him out of Memphis. And the rest of the "top" guys are overseas, hurt or playing for Dayton. This Toppin kid is great, but no one knows who he is. I only heard of him a couple of weeks ago. LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton are in New Zealand and Australia. And Tyrese Haliburton, from Iowa State, is going to miss extended time with a hand injury. It's such a bummer to see these top guys on bad teams or hurt.

When I sit back and try to figure out why the college game is so bad, I keep coming back to the fact that the NCAA is corrupt, and they only care about these kids as long as they go to the Kentucky's and Duke's and KU's of the world. I thought KU was supposed to get hammered with sanctions by the way. What happened to that? Also, Duke isn't as good as they were last year, and Kentucky hasn't been a legit contender since KAT was there. But again, all of this leads me back to the NCAA and how ridiculous they are. What men's college basketball has become is a kind of farm system for the NBA for all the "one and done" guys. This has totally watered the game down. And if you look at the recent champs, with few exceptions, the teams filled with "one and done" guys hasn't won anything of importance. Zion and RJ Barrett at Duke last year only got to the Elite Eight. When Ben Simmons was at LSU they didn't even get in the tournament. The Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid KU team, they got bounced in the second round. In fact, the only two teams filled with "one and done" guys that won were Kentucky, who had an otherworldly talent in Anthony Davis, and a Duke team that had Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and some other dudes.

Honestly, I don't think the men's game will get any better until they have put pay to play in fully, and let the high school kids who didn't get drafted come back. They need to do what the MLB does. There would be so much more incentive to these kids to stick around, for at least two years, if they are getting paid a stipend, and getting to refine the skills they need to to become better, more NBA ready players. Take a guy like Jahlil Okafor. He is a dinosaur in the modern NBA, and he can barely see the floor. If he had the option to return to Duke, and work on his jumper, maybe he is a sixth man. Or take Andrew Wiggins. He has struggled mightily since being the number one pick a few years back. Say he was able to make some real money while at KU, get info from the NBA on what he needed to work on, and was able to do that at KU for another year or so. What would his career look like now. Or think about all the high draft picks that spent one, maybe 2 years in college. Take a guy like Anthony Bennett. He was total flop. But, he was only at UNLV for like a year, and he needed to go pro to make some money. Say he was getting some cash for jersey sales at UNLV, and he could've stayed and worked, gotten better, and maybe, just maybe he wouldn't be a footnote. Or go back to when high schoolers could still declare. Take someone like Kwame Brown. Say he gets the intel while in the draft process, decides to go to school for a few years, I think he comes out as a much better pro, and imagine how dominant he would've been in college for a few years. It would have been awesome.

I'm very down on men's college basketball. I have been for a few years. But this season has been especially awful, and I feel like it will continue in this direction until we give these student athletes some real compensation, and open up the draft process a little more. I don't know that I necessarily agree with the "draft experts" that this isn't a "good" draft. I just think that the college game is so bogged down with players are filled with "potential", but don't get the adequate time to prepare for life as a pro basketball player, and that is on the NCAA and NBA to change that.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Andre Drummond Deserves Better

I know that I touched on the NBA trade deadline yesterday, and RD even put up the fact that D’Angelo Russell got traded to the Timberwolves much to the delight of Karl Anthony Towns, and that the Warriors are ready to turn Andrew Wiggins around, but there’s one other trade that I want to focus on today, and it’s an egregious one. Russell was probably the biggest name moved, you could throw in Clint Capela maybe, but he has not been an all star, but that Andre Drummond was traded, to Cleveland, for what amounts to peanuts, has me shaking my head.

I get that Drummond is a dinosaur in the modern NBA. He might be the 21st century version of Roy Hibbert, except not as good on defense. He also has tried, but he simply isn’t a good enough shooter to become a stretch player. But, Drummond has been an all star. He’s been on the US national team. He’s been to the playoffs a few times. He is a savage rebounder. He’s relentless on the boards. He does have a solid low post game. Drummond isn’t great, but he’s no slouch. I actually feel kind of mean calling him a modern Roy Hibbert. Hibbert was good for maybe two seasons. Drummond has been a solid player his whole career. He’s just been languished on a team that is in NBA purgatory, and I think that has clouded people’s judgement on him as a player. If he was playing in a bigger market, or on a better team, Drummond would be a commodity. Mitchell Robinson, who I really, really like, is a similar player, but since he’s the only decent Knick, the media adores him. He plays a very similar game, is only a few years younger, and is on a very bad team as well, but he plays in New York, and people look at him like a prized possession. Drummond on the other hand, he’s a player that I’ve heard media members describe as a “stat hunter”, “lazy”, “not willing to adjust to the modern NBA” or “not good”. I don’t agree with any of that. I still believe that Drummond is a good player if he’s put in the right situation. I don’t think he’s a stat hunter. He’s a big guy that has been trained his whole life to rebound. That’s what’s in him. I don’t think he’s lazy at all. I watch too many Pistons games, I am a League Pass subscriber, and he looks like he’s going hard all game. He just doesn’t yell or scream or show up dudes. He does his job, and he does it well. I already said that he’s tried to get a jump shot, but I go back to the fact that he’s a big man. I’m sure he was big when he was young, and I’m sure he was told to rebound, block shots and stay in the post. It’s hard to move on from that when it’s been your identity forever.

The whole not good stuff, that’s just blasphemy. Drummond is a very good NBA player. A guy that’s no good wouldn’t be able to consistently grab 20 rebounds and pour in 20 points. I really think the people who say he’s no good are these analytical and stat nerds. They have no respect or sympathy for throw back centers. These are the same people who don’t think prime Shaq would be a good modern NBA player. Prime Shaq would dominate in the modern game. Giannis is like prime Shaq, just skinnier, and he’s looking at possible back to back MVP seasons. I don’t like that analytics have become such a part of the NBA. To me, it’s ruining the game.

Back to Drummond. I’ve already stated many reasons why I think he’s a solid player, but this trade is a slap in the face to him. He’s solid, and he was traded for two salary dump guys and a second round pick. That’s ridiculous. He is worth so much more than that. I personally think it should have been a comparable player swap, or multiple role player swap. A team like the Celtics could’ve used him. They would have had to give up Marcus Smart, or Daniel Thiess, or a few bench guys, but it would’ve been worth it. The Rockets would’ve been better off going Capela for Drummond straight up. I think the Clippers could’ve used Drummond, and they would have only had to part with players like Ivan Zubac and Mo Harkless, maybe Derrick Walton Jr too. Hell, Denver could’ve put him next to Jokic, and that would be a better front court pairing than Jokic and Paul Milsap.

I don’t like this trade for either team, and I feel bad for Drummond now. I hope he balls the hell out and gets a nice contract offer from a playoff team for next season. He’s a consummate pro, so I know he’ll try, and play hard. The Cavs are so bad, it might not matter. But, if Drummond goes out there and gets 20 and 20 every night, someone smart will sign him ASAP this offseason. I promise you that.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Ty Watches the 2020 NBA Trade Deadline

The NBA trade deadline is today. All trades, prior to buyout candidates, and salary fillers, need to be submitted and agreed upon by 2pm my time.

So far there has been one major trade in my eyes. It was a four team deal, but it was pretty much Clint Capela going to Atlanta and Robert Covington joining the Rockets. Sure, the Timberwolves got a few solid role guys that will get to show what they can do with extended minutes in Juancho Hernangomez and Malik Beasley, and they also got a pick. But, Capela and Covington are the big names. All in all, I don't get this trade for any team involved really. As I said, the Timberwolves got some guys to give extra minutes to, but they will, most likely, not be able to retain either of them in the offseason. The Nuggets, I think, got Evan Tuner and a pick. That is very ho hum for a contender. Capela going to the Hawks is good and bad. It's good for him because he gets to leave Houston. It is no fun to watch Houston, so I can't imagine it is any fun, especially for a true center, to play there. It's also good for him because he will get to play, and show the league what he can do when he isn't under James Harden's thumb. It is bad because he is going from a surefire playoff team to a team with 13 wins. That is a true bummer. As for the Rockets, Covington is a solid three and d guy, that they covet, but he is a guard. They have a roster full of guards. They have no real center anymore. Sure, Tyson Chandler is on the roster, but he is as old as me. This Rockets team is going to trot out a starting 5 with no one bigger than 6'6. They are going to get murdered on the boards, and their interior defense is going to be atrocious. They are going to get killed by the Lakers, Clippers, Bucks, any team with a viable center is liable to go off any night. This trade seems like a big deal, but it doesn't really move the needle, to me, for any of the four teams involved.

As for the "other" big trade, Andre Iguodala, who I have really soured on this year, was traded from Memphis to Miami. This looks very good on paper for Miami. They also got Jae Crowder as well. Crowder and Iguodala bring even more toughness and defense to an already great defensive team. But, Crowder's shooting has been iffy, and Iguodala is my age, and hasn't played competitive basketball in almost a full year. He is going to be rusty and need time to get back into playing shape. As for Memphis, they got rid of a headache, got Dion Waiters in return, who I am sure they will waive, and now they can go play and have fun. Oh, and I almost forgot, they also acquired Justice Winslow. I know he is hurt, and hasn't played much all year, and hasn't lived up to the hype, but maybe all he needs is a change of scenery. I think this could really benefit him, and the Grizzlies, as they make a playoff push.

Another deal went down last night, the Warriors traded Alec Burks and Glenn Robinson III to the 76ers for some picks. The Warriors aren't going anywhere this season, so why not take picks, and the 76ers need shooters and depth, both of which Burks and Robinson III can bring. This is a solid deal with no real big named players.

I just read that the Danilo Gallinari trade from OKC to Miami has stalled, but it could still work itself out. Also, with Iguodala and Crowder, and if they can add Gallinari, they will be legit contenders. They can beat the Bucks.

Now that we are a few hours away, I wonder if any other big names will get moved. I’m sure role players and buyouts will happen, but what about the big names? As far as I can tell, some of the big names being mentioned lately are LaMarcus Aldridge, Jrue Holiday, and for some reason, and it’s been going on all year, either Ben Simmons or Joel Embiid have been brought up. First of all, I don’t think the 76ers are going to blow up their team right now. I know they’re struggling right now, but they’re in the playoffs, and these are the dog days of the NBA season. Every team goes through a rough stretch. It might be better for Philadelphia to get this out of the way now. They should not trade either of these guys. As far as LMA, I don’t think he’ll get moved because San Antonio is still in the playoff race, and Greg Poppovich likes to win and play in the playoffs. He needs LMA for that. Also, he’s been playing much better as of late. If the Spurs are to move anyone, I don’t see it being LMA or DeMar DeRozan. It will be a bench guy to get a veteran, if they trade anyone at all. And then we have Jrue Holiday. He seems to be the biggest name, and a player all the contenders want. The only problem, I don’t think the Pelicans want to move anyone because Zion is back. I think New Orleans really wants to see what they have now that they’re fully healthy. They’re also not totally out of the playoffs yet. I don’t they they’ll move Holiday unless they get an absolute king’s ransom for him. I’m talking a player of equal caliber, or players, and picks upon picks. They’d have to get a lot to move him.

I guess this is all to say, I think that Capela-Covington is the biggest trade to happen this deadline. Seems boring, and I think it is too. I see most teams staying pat because the league is so wide open this year. All the big stuff went down during the offseason. This trade deadline will, most likely, end with a dud. Sorry to all those who were expecting fireworks.

Editor’s note: After Ty sent in his article, he texted to say another trade has gone down. The Warriors sent D’Angelo Russell to the Timberwolves for Andrew Wiggins. Looks good for both teams, but Ty thinks Minnesota and especially Karl Anthony Towns will be very happy to welcome Russell. We will see.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

Should We Care that Mark Dantonio Has Retired as the Michigan State Football Coach?

Yesterday, as a shock to me, but maybe it shouldn't have been, Mark Dantonio stepped down as the head coach of the Michigan State football team. Now, since Kobe Bryant tragically died, I am trying to not be so judgmental about sports figures. They are people just like me, who happen to have their entire lives on camera. They are constantly in the limelight. But, this was a hard one for me to not be cynical, or laugh about.

First off, the entire Michigan State sports program is guilty of some seriously heinous crimes. I know they locked up that one monster, but still, many, many stories have come out about the other teams there, and the football team is one of the biggest culprits, and it all happened under Dantonio's watch. He has recruited, and stood up for, student athletes that have been accused of things like sexual and domestic assault, robbery and not going to class. He has stood up for these kids. He said glowing things about them. Hell, this season his best defender was suspended for steroids. And what did Dantonio do you ask? Well, he stood up for him, said the test was wrong, then when it was revealed that it was true, and only then, was he forced to suspend him. Note, he never kicked him off the team, just suspended him for the season. That player is gone now, but still, he should have been kicked off the team. But Dantonio never did that, and stuck by his side. You may read that and think, what a class act, but remember, he was standing up for a player that was knowingly taking steroids. Hell, I wouldn't be shocked if Dantonio himself not only knew about this, but encouraged this.

That is one of the many reasons why I find it so hard to say nice things about him. I will say, he did lead his team to the College Football Playoff one season, but their QB that year was a known racist, and he had a few sexual offenders on the roster of that team. And he did have a winning record against Michigan, but look at who was coaching those teams. In Dantonio's first year, he said some garbage, had a 14 point lead, but Michigan came back and won. This spawned the whole "little brother" thing, of which I am not a fan of, and Dantonio used this to amp his team up. And it worked. But, it worked against Wolverines teams coached by Rich Rodriguez and Brady Hoke. He got fat off of two of the worst head coaches that Michigan has ever hired. Harbaugh was 3-2 against him, and if it wasn't for a ridiculously muffed punt, he would have easily been 4-1. Also, the one was when Michigan had John O'Korn at QB. Take that as you may.

Outside of the Michigan rivalry, Dantonio was a fine coach, but a coach that constantly made excuses, and blamed everyone but himself. When the University of Ohio State would beat his good teams, he would blame officials, or injuries. Injuries have been his biggest gripe these past couple of years while MSU has struggled. I can't take this seriously because every team has injury problems. Alabama lost their star QB this year and still won 11 games. The University of Ohio State lost two QB's one season, and won the CFP. Clemson's star receiver, Tee Higgins, was in and out of both playoff games this year, and Clemson still made it to the title game. Every team suffers injuries, and most coaches don't blame their downfall of the team on that. Dantonio did all the time.

This resignation isn't all too wild given the accusations lobbied against the university I should suppose. I feel like this may be the start of something big, not in a good way, at MSU. I heard a report, and this is all conjecture at this point clearly, that Tom Izzo is thinking about stepping after this year. That wouldn't shock me. Izzo has been fervent that he isn't going anywhere, but so was Dantonio. He got his bonus, and two days before national signing day, he bounced. Who's to say Izzo won't do something similar when the basketball season is over.

Also, I feel like Dantonio is leaving the football team in a bad place. He said some nonsense when he took the job about never leaving them in a bad spot. But, they are coming off two very subpar years, they are still stuck in the past offensively, their defense isn't as feared as it used to be, and the Michigan State football job isn't a super desirable one. I already saw that Matt Campbell, Iowa State's head coach, has declined to interview. And looking at the names that are on their list, well, Luke Fickell is the "best" name on there. I honestly don't know why any major head coach, or coordinator, would want to take on a job like this. As I said, I feel like Dantonio saw the writing on the wall, got his money and bounced before his name could be dragged. It will still get dragged, but he is so oblivious to any of that, he probably thinks this will clear his name.

Finally, Dantonio compiled a nice record as a head coach, but he was also a major asshole, a curmudgeon that blamed everyone but himself and was starting to fall off. So, while this surprised me at first glance, after I thought about it for a day, it makes sense, and I am curious to see what happens from here. As I stated, I think this is the first of many dominos to fall at MSU. It has taken too long, but I think the walls are starting to close in now.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Ty's Thoughts on The Chief's, a Team from Missouri, Big Super Bowl Win

The Kansas City Chiefs are the Super Bowl champs.

Oh, and by the way, they play in Kansas City, Missouri, for any idiots out there that may have tweeted a congratulations last night, and saying what a great example they are for the state of Kansas. What a giant, colossal moron. I mean, my 8 year old even knows they are in Missouri. What are we becoming as a country?

Anyway, I am here to break down the game today.

So, for the first three and a half quarters, this Super Bowl was almost as dull as last year. It was a sloppily played game, that featured nothing of excitement. This is exactly what the 49ers wanted as well. They were in total control of this game right after they tied it at 10. The Chiefs took an early lead, at 7-3, but the 49ers kind of took over after that. They were running the ball like they have all post season, Jimmy Garroppollo was making the easy throws, of which his receivers would turn into solid gains and their defense was suffocating the Chiefs offense. I was a little confused as to why the 49ers didn't try to, at the very least, get a field goal before halftime. They had all three of their timeouts, they were rolling and this was their chance to deliver a crucial blow to the Chiefs hopes. And even when they completed that big pass to George Kittle, it was nullified by his dumbass for pushing off. He one hundred percent interfered with the defender. I'm tired of hearing 49ers fans saying they were robbed by this one call. He offensive pass interfered, full stop. But even without using their timeouts, and trying to get a late first half score, they still came out and scored 10 points pretty easily, and seemed destined to win this game 20-10. They couldn't be stopped, their defense was clutch and Patrick Mahomes was having one of his worst games as a pro.

Then, with about 6 and a half minutes left, something switched. The Chiefs were faced with a third and 15, and I think we all kind of thought they were done. Then Mahomes whipped a 44 yard pass to a streaking receiver, and they scored four plays later, and this was a game. The Chiefs had that second chance they were looking for all game. They got the explosive play that they needed to propel themselves to the finish line. After that 44 yard throw, Mahomes was a different QB. Oh, and when the Chiefs scored to make it a three point game late in the fourth, the defense stepped the hell up. Also, the 49ers play calling, I'm looking at you "boy wonder" Kyle Shanahan, was wild. They tried to run, but KC was stacking the box, and actually, for once last night, stopping the run, thus forcing Garroppollo to beat them. And, he did not deliver. Jimmy Garroppollo is a fine game manager, but he is not the type of QB that can go out and win you a game. Sorry to break the news to you 49ers fans, but you know it's true. He didn't show any of that during the first two playoff games, and when he was needed most last night, he threw errant passes, some of which turned into picks. When the Chiefs got the ball back with about 3 and a half minutes left, I knew it was a wrap. Mahomes led them right down the field for the go ahead TD, and he made it look easy. This is what makes Mahomes great. He never got flustered during the first three quarters. He knew he was having a rough game, but he kept his head into it, never got too down on himself, and after he completed his long pass, he had that spark he needed to finish it off. He is the best QB in the league, hands down. I really like how quickly the Chiefs got the ball back very late, and let Damien Williams finish the game off for them as well.

The 49ers blew their chance at a Super Bowl, and who knows if they can get back. The NFC is very tough, and they play in a very good division. But, I'm happy for Andy Reid, and I think this could be the beginning of the Patrick Mahomes, and Chiefs, dynasty. They have the main guys coming back, they are young and they are the most explosive team in the NFL. They also exorcised any playoff demons Reid may have had, and the Chiefs franchise may have had. Also, the AFC is easier to get through.

I'm glad the Chiefs won, it was nice to see Mahomes get the MVP and I'm stoked for Andy Reid. Now I say to all my football fans out there, we better get used to seeing this team be a contender for a long, long time. Last night felt like the start of something big for the Chiefs.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Hatred, Respect, Admiration, and Heartbreak. Ty's Thoughts on Kobe

Yesterday while driving home from a very nice weekend visit to Cincinnati, at around 1:30pm, I started to get text messages from the group of guys I play basketball with asking if the Kobe Bryant news was true.

I had no idea what they were talking about because I was on a road trip, spending time with my wife and kids. I started to check some sports websites, to see what they may have been talking about, and no news had been released. All the sports sites only had stories about the Pro Bowl and the Super Bowl. I started to ask more questions on the text thread, because I was curious as to what they were talking about. I did not expect to read what I read next. Some of the guys showed some stories that were circulating around tabloid style sites saying that Bryant had been killed in a helicopter crash.

My first thought was that this was a hoax, one of those fake death things that comes out about the uber famous from time to time. I kind of said as much in the text chain. But, the more texts, and stories that were being sent made this feel more and more real with each passing minute. Pretty soon I got a notification from Bleacher Report on my watch, that Kobe Bryant had, indeed, been killed in a helicopter crash. In fact it said that as many as 9 people were involved in the crash, and that there were no survivors.

I was stunned. I didn't really know how to feel at first. I have never been silent on this site, to friends, on the pod, about my feelings towards Kobe Bryant. I was not a fan of his, not at all. I didn't like him as a player or a person. He seemed selfish on the court, and reportedly did heinous stuff off the court early in his career. But still, I had this unsettling, sad feeling deep in my gut. I was shocked by the news. I didn't really process it at first because I didn't think it was real. I mean, he was only 41 years old, and he always, always took his helicopter to places. This was one of the many things he was famous for doing. He used to helicopter into practice when he was still in the NBA.

As this news sat with me all day, I started thinking about how I would tackle the story for the blog today. I had one million different thoughts racing through my head. Like I said, I rooted against him, but maybe I did that because he was such a great foil and villain to the teams I liked. Make no mistake, Kobe Bryant was an all time great NBA player. He had the rare tenacity needed to be wildly successful as a pro. His work ethic was second only to Jordan. He spent infinite hours honing his craft, and it showed on the court. He put up ridiculous numbers, won MVP's and won titles. He is one of the greatest players ever. I rooted against MJ early in his career too, so maybe that was why I had so many conflicting feelings. Then the personal life stuff came up. Bryant was accused of a heinous crime, of which he was never convicted of. It is wildly believed that he did it, but the only people that will ever know are him and the woman in Colorado. This made me root against him even more when he was a player. But, as he got older, had some kids and settled everything with his wife, it felt as if he had redeemed himself. He seemed like he had tried to put that rotten past behind him. He became a great husband, and a doting and loving and caring father. I am a dad myself, and I follow a ton of dad centric websites, and Kobe Bryant always popped up as a person who was totally invested in his kids lives. He was there for all of them whenever he could be. He also became a champion for players standing up for their beliefs when the Colin Kaepernick stuff happened. He mentored young players trying to get in the league, or veterans trying to get better. He had a TV show where he dissected the games he watched, and dare I say, it was super informative. And he even showed great humility and graciousness when LeBron James surpassed him on the all time scoring list, just one day before his untimely death. Kobe Bryant seemed like a changed for the better man in his post basketball life. I look at all these young guys in the league now, how much they looked up to him, respected him and wanted to be him. That was me when I was younger, watching guys like Charles Barkley and Shawn Kemp. There is a whole new generation of players, currently in the league, who play because they watched Kobe play. I am stunned that I am saying this, but I had grown to respect who Bryant had become since his retirement. I looked at him differently more recently because he seemed like he had calmed, and was a champion for young guys, and the league. I recognized his importance to a sport that I have loved my whole life.

What made this horrific news even worse was when they started to identify the rest of the passengers, and one of them was his 13 year old daughter Gigi. In fact, they were going to one of her practices in the helicopter when this all happened. I, again as a father of 2 myself, was completely heartbroken when this news scrolled across my screen when I got home. As I said before, Bryant was a doting father, and he was taking one of his daughters to her practice, of which he ran, in the helicopter. I simply cannot imagine the terror that they both had when they realized what was happening. I cannot fathom what his widow, who has been with him since they were both 17, and his other remaining children are going through as I write this. This is the type of thing that I wouldn't wish upon my worst enemy. Not only was a legendary basketball player lost yesterday, but more importantly, and more devastating, a father and husband and a daughter and sister were lost yesterday.

This is a tragedy unlike anything I have seen involving people I have no personal connection to. For my generation, this is like when John Lennon died. I wonder if this is how RD felt when Prince died, except he was a huge fan of his. This is worse than when Magic confirmed that he was HIV positive. Kobe Bryant was a worldwide super star. Everyone knows who he was. I received texts from many other people, people I hadn't heard from in ages, asking me if I had heard this news yesterday. This is something that is going to linger, and stay with people forever. We all saw LeBron's reaction. We watched Dwayne Wade's moving video. We saw Carmelo tear up in a post game press conference. We saw all the tributes, the 24 second and 8 second violations that happened yesterday. We saw Trae Young come out wearing number 8. We all witnessed this, and we will remember this forever.

This is a truly devastating event that occurred. I feel for everyone involved in this wreck, and I simply do not know how the families of the victims carry on. Just know, you are in mine, and everybody else's thoughts. This is devastating. I hope everyone finds peace. Rest in Peace Kobe Bryant and Gigi Bryant. You were taken far, far too early. You will be tremendously missed by so, so many people. This stinks.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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I am Already Sick of the Eli Manning Hall of Fame Conversation

Eli Manning officially retired from the NFL today. Eli will go down as a two time Super Bowl champ and MVP of each game, undeserved in my opinion. He has something near a .500 winning percentage as a starting QB. He has a lot of career TD’s, but also a lot of interceptions as well. He also griped his way to the Giants, refusing to play for the Chargers if they took him.

If you haven’t figured it out yet, I’m not a fan. If his last name wasn’t Manning, and he didn’t play in New York, he wouldn’t have near the shine, or love that has been poured all over him today. I like to think of players I put in his class, guys like Trent Dilfer, Nick Foles, Joe Flacco and Jim McMahon. They all won Super Bowls, had a few good years, but none of them are considered hall of fame players like Eli has been talked about lately. They’re all mid level starting QB’s that played on teams with otherworldly defenses, Nick Foles being the lone exception. The fact that Manning won the MVP twice is lip service to the people who vote on that, and almost always give it to the QB. The first year the Giants won the MVP should have been David Tyree for that insane catch, or even better, the Giants D line should have gotten it for attacking Tom Brady all game. The second MVP should have been Mario Manningham, or Wes Welker for dropping that gimme that would have won it for the Patriots. So, no I don’t think he was anywhere close to deserving of either award.

As for his case as a hall of famer, I don’t think he should even be considered. Take away his two Super Bowl seasons, he is an average, at best, NFL QB. I don’t ever remember him leading the league in any major statistical category. I don’t ever remember him being a real MVP candidate. While the starting QB of the Giants, they were never a contender, even when they won the Super Bowl. They were a wild card team each time. Eli was never must watch TV. He’s more a meme, for those stupid faces he makes on the sideline, than anything else. He was also a dreadful “SNL” host. Everything about Eli Manning, except his last name, screams average. He wasn’t even a real star in college. You may say, but Ty, he was the first pick in the draft. So was Jamarcus Russell. So was David Carr and that dude Tim Couch. Eli Manning was a teeny tiny better version of Jay Cutler, a high draft pick as well, in college. Everywhere he has played, he’s been just okay. I say again, if his name was Eli Jones, with the exact same resume, he doesn’t even get a second thought as a hall of famer.

What’s a shame though, I bet he becomes a first ballot hall of famer, and people point out that he beat the undefeated Patriots, and then beat another Patriots team in the Super Bowl. Eli will benefit from beating this dynasty twice. For no other reason will he get into the hall of fame. Eli Manning is average, doesn’t belong in the hall of fame, I’d rather have 20 guys before I’d even consider him as my franchise QB, but will get in based on his name alone. That’s a real bummer. And call me a hater all you want. But after you do that, look at his stats, and then come back at me to tell me I was right.

My point? Eli Manning does not belong anywhere near the hall of fame.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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In One Quarter, Zion Williamson Gave Us an Exciting Glimpse into His Future

I don't feel like I would be being a responsible sports/pop culture blogger if I didn't give my first impression of the debut of Zion Williamson last night.

I, much like the rest of the NBA watching world, have been waiting with bated breath for Zion to suit up. I know that the Pelicans are going to take every precaution, dot all the i's and cross all the t's, make sure he is more than 100 percent healthy before they were going to let him play. From what Zion said, he was ready to play a month ago. But, the Pelicans have a ton invested in him, so I get why they waited so long. I wasn't thrilled about it, but I get it.

Anyway, after 44 games, the Pelicans finally trotted Zion out last night. This was must watch TV. But, for the first three quarters, it was kind of a tease. The Pelicans started him, but he only played 8 total minutes in the first half. He took 2 shots, made 1, had a few rebounds and an assist. I said to my wife at one moment, "he looks a little awkward out there". He already has a weird gait, but it seemed more pronounced every time he ran. He almost immediately got rid of the ball when it was in his possession. He didn't appear as springy as we have all become accustomed to. He had a few wild turnovers. He seemed to avoid contact. Even in the second quarter, when he looked like he was finally getting in the groove, the coaching staff would take him out to get him some rest. All of this is expected, especially when it comes to a rookie, and a rookie coming off of an injury, but still, I felt a little disappointed after the first half. Even early in the third, it felt a little bit the same. He still looked somewhat tentative. I was kind of stunned because he has never shown this side of himself. He has always seemed to be an uber confident player, and when the lights shine brightest, so does he. He has a ton of followers on all the major social media platforms, he has since he was in high school, so to see him play, dare I say scared, was wild.

Then the fourth quarter happened.

The Pelicans were down, they needed a push and I think Zion sensed the moment, and that was when he took center stage. You could just tell by the change in his gait and face that he was ready to take over. He then went on to score 17 straight points, showing off all of the skills that he has been honing since high school. He ripped down rebounds. He bounced back up for tip ins. He made precise passes to start fast breaks. He dunked. He even hit a mid range here and there, and it was glorious to watch. I, and I cannot believe I am about to write this, felt the same as when I first saw LeBron in his first game as a rookie. Now, LeBron exploded right away, and he is now the second greatest player ever, and I am not saying that Zion will reach that stature, But, I had that same feeling that I watching a once in a generation talent. I was watching a guy built like Charles Barkley, but dunking and rebounding like Shawn Kemp ad passing like Chris Paul. He was playing defense like a vet against other vets. It was like the switch flipped, and he remembered he was playing a game he loves that he happens to be exceptional at. It was lightening in a bottle. All the wear and tear and rust, or whatever you want to call it, it went away in the fourth quarter, and it was so worth the wait. I thought while he was going off, this is what we have all been waiting for. This is what we all thought he could do. This was the fun player that I have been waiting to see. I know the Pelicans didn't win, but damn it if Zion wasn't a treasure to watch. He is part of this new generation that is going to continue to make the NBA the most fun professional sport to watch. I'm so happy he is healthy, playing and looks like he is having fun doing it all. And I'm glad that he is back on a court.

The wait was long, but if he continues to do what he did last night, and gets better and better every year, it will be completely worth it. Zion is a treasure.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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Ty's Midseason NBA Redo

Okay, finally time to do my NBA mid season redo. I definitely got some stuff wrong, but I think I also hit on a few things, mainly how awesome Ja Morant was going to be right away. Let’s get going.

I will start with the East, the JV of the NBA. I will touch on each team very quickly, where I had them preseason, and why I was wrong or right. For the East, the Bucks, like we all thought, sit atop, and share a very comfortable lead. They are clearly the best team in the conference with the most dominant player. The Bucks are good. Now lets see them make it to the Finals. Going from there, the current playoff teams are as follows, the Heat, Raptors, Celtics, 76ers, Pacers, Magic and Nets. I thought the Heat would be good, but not this good this quick. They will be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time. The Raptors are being bolstered by Pascal Siakim taking the next leap, and a really, really good coaching staff. The Celtics are kind of just hanging around, but after what they did to the Lakers last night, they may start climbing up in the conference very soon. The 76ers are worrying me right now. I had them in the Finals, but Embiid is injured yet again, Ben Simmons has only taken 2 threes, Josh Richardson is not a poor man's Jimmy Butler. They need shooting, and they need it now. They can still turn it around. The Pacers are staying in the race, and they soon get Victor Oladipo back. I thought they would be much better, but the fact that guys like Damontas Sabonis and Malcolm Brogdon are playing this well, plus getting Oladipo back, will help this team stay in the hunt. The Magic are okay, but they are in basketball purgatory. They can't trade for anyone, can't lure stars and they have far too many bigs on the roster. They are destined to be a 7 or 8 seed for a long time. And we have the Nets. Man this team was so much fun last year. They are not fun at all this year. I think they will be dynamite when KD comes back, but Kyrie Irving is becoming more and more clear as a locker room cancer. He has destroyed every place he has played, and been super miserable about it. I don't know why I expected something different.

As for the rest of the East, The Pistons, with Derrick Rose being the lone exception, are awful and boring, the Bulls had promise, but they have an awful head coach, and their young talent isn't meshing, the Wizards are better than I anticipated, and Bradley Beal is awesome, but man do they stink on defense, like big time.

Now for the bottom of the bottom, the Hornets just can't figure it out. They started strong, but they have really fallen off as of late. The Knicks are the worst run franchise in sports, and they are a bad basketball team. The Cavaliers have so many problems off the court, and that is compounded by how young, and bad they are as a team. They're not good. And then we have the Hawks. Can they get Trae Young any real help please. He is so good, and so is John Collins, but outside of them, it is rough. Cam Reddish isn't good, Deandre Hunter is up and down, Kevin Huerter cannot hit enough open threes and Vince Carter, while I adore him, is showing his age.

Now to the varsity. The West is so much better, and it shows. I will admit it right now, I was very, very wrong about the Lakers. LeBron is playing at a super high level, AD is a monster and the roster, right now, is really clicking. I thought Dwight Howard would be a problem, he is not. I thought guys like Danny Green and Avery Bradley would struggle, they have not. The Lakers are very good, and a real threat to go to the Finals. The rest of the West playoffs goes like this, Nuggets, Jazz, Clippers, Mavericks, Rockets, Thunder and Grizzlies. The Nuggets are super deep and very well coached. They lose a guy like Jamaal Murray and just plug in Malik Beasley or Michael Porter. They have the goods to take the next step. The Jazz started slow, but they have figured it out lately. They score a ton and play very, very good defense. I will be curious to see how they do when Mike Conley gets back, but right now, Donovan Mitchell is running the show, as he should be. The Clippers are kind of sleep walking right now, but I don't think it really matters where they end up. This is a team made for the playoffs, and when that time comes, they can "flip the switch". Also, they have Kawhi freaking Leonard. The Mavericks have shocked me by how they have played, and by all the wins. Kristaps Porzingis has been a non factor, but Luka Doncic is the real deal. He is legitimately a top five player currently in the league. It helps that guys like Tim Hardaway Jr is hitting threes, and Seth Curry is really stepping up. The Rockets are struggling, and I picked them to go to the West Finals, thinking that Harden and Westbrook would click, but it just isn't working. They don't play defense, they have very lousy shooting nights more often than not and they don't seem cohesive. There's still time, but they look like a first round out right now. The Thunder are my most surprising team. I thought they would be fun, but not good. They are, in fact, both fun and good. Chris Paul has really taken on a leadership role and Shai Gilgeous Alexander is becoming a star. This team is, shockingly, very good and a playoff team. And then we have the Grizzlies, my Grizzlies. I wrote a whole thing about Ja, but this team is so fun, and playing very well right now. I don't know if they can keep this up, but dammit are they an absolute blast to watch.

As for the rest of the West, we have the Spurs, who are now shooting threes, and starting to play like they want to make the playoffs, the Trailblazers, who I assumed would be far, far better, but do not play defense and need someone besides Dame, CJ or Carmelo Anthony to step the hell up, the Suns, who started hot, cooled off and are playing well again recently, they just don't have the depth they need, the Pelicans, who have really turned it around since their awful start, and tomorrow night they get Zion back, and he could be the difference in them making the playoffs or not. We then have the Timberwolves who just cannot figure much out. KAT is all world on offense, but plays no defense, Andrew Wiggins has totally cooled off and they just traded Jeff Teague for scraps to try and get a better player before the deadline. The Kings are next, and I thought they would be so much better. Sure, they have dealt with injury stuff, and that is a bummer, but maybe Luke Walton really isn't a good head coach. This team just doesn't look, or feel, the same as last year. That is a bummer. And finally, we have the Warriors. Well, I don't think any of us expected them to be this bad, but they lost KD, there has been no Klay and Steph got hurt in, like game five of the season. This has to be hard for their fans, after so much success, but just look at this as a lost year, where you will get a super high pick, and then you can come out blazing next season when your core is back.

So at the current moment, if I had to pick conference finals, in the East I will go with the Bucks and Celtics, and the Bucks winning in 5. As for the West, I want to see both LA teams play each other, and that is what I think will happen. And I am going to go with the Clippers to win in 7. As for the Finals, I got Kawhi doing his thing yet again, and bringing a title to the Clippers in 6 games. As for the awards, Ja is ROY. Etch that in stone right now. I think Nick Nurse should be coach of the year considering how well that team has played after losing their best player. Defensive player of the year is Rudy Gobert. Sixth man of the year is Lou Williams. And MVP, it will be Giannis winning it once again. As for Finals MVP, I'm going with Kawhi.

Okay, there is my mid season NBA redo. I'm very excited to see how things play out from here. The NBA rules.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

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NFL Playoffs Quick Hits: Conference Championship Games

I was going to do my NBA mid season redo, but it is going to have to wait another day because I want to talk about the NFL championship games that were played yesterday.

We now have Super Bowl 54 set. The Chiefs are playing the 49ers. I feel like this is right for how this season has gone. The 49ers, and I will eat crow in a bit, played bully ball better than any other team this season, and they are healthy at the right time. The Chiefs had an easy enough path to get to the Super Bowl, and Patrick Mahomes is cementing himself as the best offensive player in football. I don't think that can be questioned at this point. How did we get here though?

The first game of the day was the Chiefs-Titans game. The Titans had a great, memorable run. They beat the Patriots and the Ravens, both on the road, and held a 10 point lead twice yesterday. But, as a person who had no rooting interest, I never feared for the Chiefs or their fans. I was more worried last week when they were down 24 to the Texans. The Chiefs, and Mahomes, turned it on in the second quarter, and it was a wrap from there. The Chiefs were the only team, shockingly, that has been able to slow down Derrick Henry and make Ryan Tannehill beat them. And the Titans D had no answer for Mahomes. He made his incredible throws, that we all expect now, with ease, and he ran the hell out of the ball. That 30 yard TD run he had, to officially take the lead late in the second quarter, was one of the most athletic plays, and smartest plays, I have ever seen. To see him find the hole, take, then juke a few defenders and then drag 2 guys in the end zone, that was a magical football play. Mahomes owned this game. He has owned their 2 playoff games. He is playing on an extremely elite level right now. He is the most dynamic player on the field every time he steps on the field. The Chiefs have their dude, now we will see if they can win a Super Bowl.

As for the late game, I did have rooting interest in this one because the Packers were playing. Well, I turned this game off at halftime. I love the Packers, not as much as the Wolverines though, so I had no problem checking out. Hell, the Packers and Rodgers checked out in that awful first half. Green Bay, after one drive, was completely outmatched, outmanned and out played all game long. Matt Lafleur was made to look like Kyle Shanahan's little brother. San Francisco's defense controlled the entirety of the game. I know Green Bay pulled within 14, but it was never really that close. And that run game the 49ers put out there yesterday, my god was that a great plan that was perfectly executed. when the game was still scoreless, and the Packers pushed the 49ers back to a third and eight, I thought that it would be a close game. Then the 49ers handed the ball to Raheem Mostert on a quick draw and he proceeded to run untouched for a 25 plus yard TD. That was my first inkling that this was going to be rough. Mostert than put in 2 more TD's, both double digit runs, and I was done, as were the Packers. They could not stop that run game at all. And I don't want to hear from the ESPN's and Bleacher Report's and Sports Iluustrated's of the world about how this is all about Jimmy Garroppolo. He didn't do a damn thing because he didn't have to. Garroppolo is Alex Smith 2.0, except not as mobile. The 49ers are great because of coaching, defense, and most importantly, their run game. Not because of their handsome QB. Colin Kaepernick is a much better all around QB. Anyway, the 49ers did what they have done all year to the Packers and bullied their way to the Super Bowl.

As for the upcomming Super Bowl. I think this is the best matchup on paper. It is strength on strength. The 49ers are a defense, ball control team, and the Chiefs are a quick strike, lets score as many points as fast as possible team. This will be a good matchup, and if someone asked me right now who is going to win, I'd go with the 49ers. I will be rooting for the Chiefs, but if the 49ers can control the ball and the clock, and keep Mahomes off the field, basically what they have done all year, they will win a close one.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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Ja Morant is Must Watch NBA

I was going to do a big mid season NBA redo, like I do every year, but I want to wait for Monday to do that. I really want to pore over that, and really dig deep. When I do my redo's, I also like to really pore over each team. Take a real deep dive if you will. With that being said, I do want to talk about one player this year that has been very good very fast. That player you ask, it is Ja Morant.

Earlier this year, before the NBA season started, I decided to change my allegiance yet again, it has been so hard to stick with one team since the Sonics left Seattle. But I decided I was going to stand by the Memphis Grizzlies. I have, full stop, thrown my hat into their ring. They are my NBA team now, and there is a plethora of reasons. It is the closest city to Saint Louis with a pro basketball team. I love the city of Memphis. They have the best BBQ and music.

If you all remember my pre draft ranking, I had Morant as my number one overall prospect. I have believed in this kid from the first moment I saw him jam on some dudes while he was at Murray State. So, when the Grizzlies secured the second pick in the lottery, and Morant was the clear choice there, it made my decision to back the Grizzlies even easier. And watching this kid play half of this season has been an absolute wonder. He is a whiz with the basketball. He has very solid handles already, and runs that team like he has been in the league for five or six years already. His passing is insane. The other night I watched him on League Pass make two passes that reminded me of Magic Johnson. It is almost as if he has eyes in the back of his head. He found guys cutting to the basket that I think only he knew were open. Sure, Luka Doncic, rightfully so, gets a ton of hype and airtime for what he does, and Russ is a triple double machine and LeBron has been doing this for years, but there is something so enticing, for me, watching Morant do what he does. He has flair and an arrogance and a cockiness and a gravity that just draws me in. For example, the other night when he hit those threes on Harden, and said, sorry mom and dad, "tell that mother fucker about me", I grew to like him even more. He is not even close to Harden's level as a scorer, and may never get there. But, he wasn't going to let Harden punk him by playing no defense and giving him a WIDE open three. It shows that he is becoming more and more confident in his jump shot, the biggest knock on him pre draft, and that he is making them now. It also shows that he isn't scared of anyone in the league. He made it there, and he feels like he belongs, and he sure as hell does.

Above all though, it is his pure athleticism that makes him my favorite player in the league at the moment. I was a KD guy for awhile, I loved Shawn Kemp and Kevin Garnett growing up, and Charles Barkley is my favorite player of all time. But, Ja has me rethinking my whole past, of being a power/small forward guy, to being a point guard guy. Along with Ja, I enjoy watching Doncic and Devin Booker and Brad Beal and Eric Bledose and Jimmy Butler. Most of those guys, if not all, are guards. But none of them do to me what Morant does as a basketball fan. And when he went up to try and dunk on Kevin Love earlier this year, I mean, he didn't even make the dunk, but it was still a top highlight. The fact that a skinny, 6 foot something guard went to dunk on a 6 foot 10 inch center, you have to respect the moxie. I personally loved it. I mean, had he made the dunk, it would've been the highlight of the year, full stop. And still, he has already dunked on a ton of dudes in his half of a pro career at the moment, and that list is only going to continue to grow the older, and better he gets. Ja Morant has been everything I expected, and so, so much more. He is fun, easy to root for, clearly loves the game, and has shown that he is putting in the work to be a star in this league. I cannot wait to continue to watch him, to see him live and to pat myself on the back when he walks away with the Rookie of the Year award this season. Hell, he may be an All Star this year before the voting is all said and done.

Ja Morant is amazing, and I am so glad that he plays for my new, official favorite team in the NBA. He is a true wunderkind.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the greatest basketball writer on the internet. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

SeedSing is funded by a group of awesome people. Join them by donating to SeedSing.

LSU is a Champion that Makes Us All Awestruck

Last night, after what seemed like an eternity between games, the college football playoff, and season, came to a close.

If you had told me before the season started that a team like LSU would revolutionize their offense the way they did, go 15-0 and make it look easy against a team on a 29 game win streak, with one of the greatest QB prospects of all time, I would have laughed directly into your face. But, that’s pretty much what happened. LSU hired a great offensive mind to put this team into the modern era in college football, and boy did they do some magical and astounding things on that side of the ball. Also, seeing Joe Burrow transform into a super accurate, mobile and efficient QB was a thing of wonder. I remember watching LSU get beat by UCF, I think 2 seasons ago, in a New Years 6 bowl, and Burrow getting absolutely bullied by their defense. Hell, last season he threw for 16 TD’s, and LSU looked as stagnant as ever. Then, Joe Brady comes along, Ed Oregeron goes and recruits supreme athletes and Burrow threw for 60 plus TD’s this year. I can’t even do that in video games. And the speed, and up tempo-ness with which this offense played this year, it was a blast to watch, and I’m not even a fan. Also, that running back, Edwards-Helaire, man is he like a super strong version of Darren Sproles. He was so good all season, and was extra sensational last night. Even the defense, which has been their calling card, while not great, is still very, very good. Grant Delpit is a star. And that D line, my goodness are those kids big and fast and nasty, in all the right ways. That Clemson even made this a close game into the third quarter, was impressive. Clemson is a great team, an elite team, an all time great team, but LSU was special this year. I feel like this season’s LSU football team should go down as one of the greatest college football teams in history. The way they modernized their offense, the players they had that won all the awards, the defense figuring it out after the Ole Miss game, the coaching staff being as productive and efficient as they could possibly be, beating all those top 10 teams, and taking down this Clemson dynasty, it was truly incredible. They were must watch TV all season. I stayed up late to watch this whole game last night because I wanted to see if they could actually pull this off. I wanted to really see if Burrow could do it again. I wanted to see those receivers against top notch defensive backs. I wanted to see what Edwards-Helaire would do. I wanted to see Coach O, or hear him is more like it. And, like I said, I had zero rooting interest. But I am a college football fanatic, and when a team this dominant and fun and likable comes along, I want to take it all in because it doesn’t happen that often. Sure, Alabama has been dominant, but they were never this fun. The University of Ohio State is elite, but they cheat and I hate that team. Georgia is bland. Oklahoma is one dimensional. Even Clemson is kind of blah at this current time. To see a team like this, it’s magical. I’m also happy for my friends that are LSU fans. I know they’ve waited awhile to see their team play this well.

My hat is off to LSU. They earned this title, and then some. This is a season that will go down in history, and man was it fun to watch. Congrats LSU. It was a well deserved title.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

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