An Ode to Trail Running

After my son's orthodontist appointment this morning I took him to school and went to a trailhead to do my longish run of the week. I go every Wednesday to a trail and run anywhere from 5-8 miles. It is my time to get away for the week and just relax. I'm usually gone for an hour or two and it is one of the best things about my week.

I do all kinds of running. My two main interests, as with most people, are trails and road running. I like road running because I am faster on the road. I get better times. I usually do better on races that are on the road. I recently just ran my fastest half marathon at a road race. Road running is good for timing.

My true love in the running world is trail running. I go back to when I did my first half with my buddy Kirk. We both had very different responses. He loved it, and pretty much loved any kind of running. I was miserable and told him, during the race, that I was going to focus on trail running. Now, to give Kirk some credit, he has fully embraced trail running and he is very good at it. I love it for a myriad of reasons though, and a lot of those came to mind this morning.

Trail running is better because it is technical. You have roots and rocks on good portions, depending on which trail you pick. You have to really pay attention. I took my eyes off the trail for a few minutes today and almost busted my ass. I have busted it many times before, but it has never been a deterrent.

I also love the quietness and solitude. I always wear headphones when I run on the road. I hardly ever wear them when I trail run. I like to listen to nature. There are animal sounds at every turn. I like to hear my shoes press on the rocks and the paths created. I like to know where I'm going. I want to be cognizant of every little detail. It is relaxing. That is another thing, trail running is very relaxing for me. I can go out there and just get lost and not have a care in the world. I kind of just let the trail guide me. I go where feels best at that moment and that is cathartic for me. I can go out to a trail for hours and have the time of my life. It is one of the best things for me. It is also excellent therapy. I can go and cram out any anxiety or anger. I can go out and have a nice talk with myself, or if Kirk is joining me, we can have a good chat together where we sometimes just vent to one another about whatever we feel needs to be vented about. It is very good for my talk therapy.

Above all though, trail running makes me really feel like I have accomplished something for the day. I can run anywhere from four miles to a full marathon, which the only one I've done was on a trail, and be very tired. Today I did six miles, but climbed a big hill and my thighs and calves are currently feeling it. In opposition, I ran five and a half miles yesterday on the road, and while I was tired, I was still able to do all the normal things I would do any other day. But today, the idea of relaxing on the couch until it is time to get my kids sounds like the best thing I could do because of the excellent workout I got on the trails.

Trail running is the best and I am going to do it until I cannot walk anymore. 

Ty

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

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Florida State Got Robbed

The College Football Playoff is all set. Michigan is the 1 seed, Washington 2, Texas 3 and Alabama 4.

I do think all four teams had some good reasons for being picked. Michigan won every game and the Big 10. Washington won every game and the Pac 12. Texas won 12 games, won the Big 12 and beat Bama. They did get beat by Oklahoma, who is very good, but that was early and they more than made up for it. And Bama ended Georgia's 29 game win streak, lost to Texas early on in the season, but won every other game. So, do I think these teams are deserving of a playoff spot? Yes. But, do I think the committee got it right? Absolutely not.

This has been a topic of much debate since the four playoff teams were announced yesterday. People have had takes either way, supporting the decision or disagreeing with the decision. I wanted to sit on my thoughts for a day before I made up my mind. And I absolutely believe that Florida State was snubbed big time. This may be the biggest snub in the history of college football bowl games. That may sound like a bit much, but to the players, coaches and that university, this is a big deal. Florida State won the ACC. They won it going away in fact. They beat three top 25 teams. They beat LSU, who will most likely have the Heisman winner this weekend, in a humongous prime time matchup this season. The main thing that FSU did this season though, they won every game. Texas did not win every game. Alabama did not win every game. But FSU did. They had their schedule set, they played the teams on that schedule and when those games were over, FSU was the winner of each and every one of them. That is their job as a power 5 football team. That has been the unwritten rule of the college football playoff committee. They have said time and time again that if you play in a power 5 conference, win the conference title game, and win every other game on your schedule, that should be more than enough to get you in the playoff. But for some reason this season the committee decided to change things up.

Now, I fully understand, as does the committee, that the playoff is a television event. They want to get as many viewers as possible. And putting Michigan up against Alabama is going to bring a ton of viewers. But it is not like FSU is some also ran. They are blue bloods themselves. They have won multiple national titles. They have had multiple first round picks. They have a storied history. So to pass over them for Alabama, that shows the bias that the committee and ESPN, where all the playoff games will be broadcast, have. This is clearly ESPN and the committee cowtailing to the SEC and Bama. They want them in these games to get the talking heads and fans all riled up. During the SEC title game they kept showing a placard on the screen saying that the winner of the SEC title game has never missed the CFP. No one on ESPN, CBS, Fox or NBA were talking up FSU at all Saturday night, even as they were winning the ACC title game. And when ESPN premiered the final playoff game reveal and rankings, of course most of their talking heads were saying this was the correct choice, to leave FSU out in favor of Bama. Rece Davis, a Bama grad, loved it. Kirk Herbstreit, who I like, said weeks ago that if FSU finished undefeated, they'd be a shoe in. He immediately disregarded that statement and praised the committee for their choice. Paul Finebaum basically said he could care less about FSU and that Bama deserved the spot. He hosts a show on ESPN's SEC network. The only analyst that seemed to be bothered by this was Booger McFarland. He made some real good points I thought too. If anyone that is a college football fan is on the fence about this choice, go watch what McFarland had to say yesterday. It was the best argument for FSU being in the playoff that I saw. But after yesterday it is more apparent than ever that this committee and ESPN could care less about what occurs on the field. They are going to bend over backwards to get a team from the SEC in this field if there is the slightest possibility.

I do not like FSU, not one bit, but they were snubbed, and snubbed hard by the CFP committee yesterday. This is not what is supposed to happen when you win every game and win your conference as a power 5. This is clearly a move motivated by viewers, not players. 

Ty

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

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Thoughts on Where Zach LaVine Should Play Next

The Bulls and Zach Lavine have decided that they are going to look for a trade that benefits both parties. This has been a long time coming. I'm not much for breaking a team down and fully rebuilding, but this current iteration of the Bulls needs to do something. They are more in the mud than the Magic were when they were pretty much the 7 or 8 seed for three or four straight years. The Magic went for the full rebuild, and they finally look like they are getting better, doing it through the draft. I think that is the route the Bulls should go. But, for the time being, trying to trade Zach Lavine is a very good start.

Lavine is a very, very good offensive player in the NBA. He can score and he can score in bunches. When he catches fire there are few in the NBA that can stop him. But he plays no defense. He has also lost a step. He doesn't jump out of the gym anymore. And he seems to get irked at the little things. I do think there are a few teams out there that could use him as a pure scorer, but I don't think he really moves the needle much for a true contender.

I saw that the 76ers were one of the first teams mentioned that may go after him. He would be a nice scoring addition, but I personally do not like the fit. Tyrese Maxey is finally playing free and loose and he is thriving. He just scored 50 the other night. His shot looks better and he is much, much younger than Lavine. Joel Embiid also seems to be having fun playing with Maxey as the second option. Tobias Harris is solid as a rock with the touches he gets. I just don't like the idea of Lavine coming in and taking touches from Maxey and messing with Embiid's happiness and taking touches from Harris. The 76ers are in a good place and they would be wise to keep it this way.

I also read that the Knicks may look into a Lavine trade. Why would they do that when they have a competent squad for the first time in forever? Jalen Brunson has earned the right to be the driver of the Knicks. Julius Randle seems to be coming out of his slump. RJ Barrett is doing what suits him best. Immanuel Quickley is a good 6th man. Donte DiVencenzo is thriving with his former Villanova teammates. And Josh Hart is their jack of all trades. The Knicks finally have a competent and competitive team. There is no need to rock the boat there.

The Kings were mentioned on a podcast the other day as a possible Lavine destination. I ask again, why? They have a fun, fast and young team. De'Aron Fox is back and looks amazing. Damontas Sabonis is back to his dominant ways. Keegan Murray is getting better and better. Kevin Huerter is a good bench scorer. Harrison Barnes brings a veteran and championship winning pedigree. Adding Lavine makes no sense, and makes an already mediocre defense even worse. Other than that, what other contender would really need Lavine?

As for the rest of the league. The Nuggets are out. The Mavericks have nothing left to trade. Neither do the Lakers or Clippers. The Timberwolves have a fine enough squad as well, and they have nothing to trade. The Bucks can't afford him and have Damian Lillard. I could go through a bunch of teams that are playoff contenders and give you a reason why they should pass on Lavine. I also think the Bulls are going to have to take a lowball offer from a non playoff contender team to offload Lavine. That would be a good start to the rebuild. The Grizzlies could trade some young guys, picks or salary to land Lavine and he may make them fun again when Ja Morant comes back. The Pistons could trade salary to land Lavine to help some of their youth. The Jazz may look into getting Lavine to pair him up with Markannen. The Bulls could take on Collin Sexton in a deal with Utah. These are the teams that the Bulls and Lavine are going to have to make a deal with in my opinion. Both may not like it, but that seems to be best for them all.

I am interested to see what happens to Lavine because I do enjoy watching him play. I just really think he will have to end up playing on a lower level team. That makes the most sense to me. 

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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Jimbo Fisher Got Paid A Lot to Be an Average Football Coach

Texas A&M has relieved Jimbo Fisher of his head coaching duties. Let’s discuss.

I have to say, I am kind of shocked by this news. It wasn't as if Fisher was lighting the coaching world on fire, but it felt like he kind of had carte blanche since taking over the job. I guess I was wrong to assume such. They did just give him an extension, and he seemed to pull in top ten recruiting classes with ease, but here we are. The recruiting may have been gang busters, but the results were not coming in the form of as many wins as the boosters and AD's wanted. When Fisher left Florida State to take this job I thought it was a bad move on his part. If anything it felt like a lateral move. FSU and TAMU are kind of similar in the college football world. In fact, FSU may be a better football school. But after winning a national title and having a couple of ten win seasons, Fisher turned that into a humongous payday and left to go coach the Aggies. But he was never really able to turn the Aggies into a national title contender like they all hoped when they hired him.

Since taking over in 2018 the Aggies never won more than nine games under Fisher. They always had the hype. They always had the next big star in college football. They always had a high preseason ranking. They always have had a major home field advantage. But it never fully seemed to come together. The best player on his 2018 team was tight end Jace Sternberger. Sternberger was fine, but not the game changer they hoped for. They also beat the teams they were supposed to, but could not get over the hump. They played number two Clemson close, but couldn't pull off the win. They got smoked by Alabama that season. And Mississippi State and Auburn beat them back to back. They did win their bowl game to get that 9th win against NC State. The season was off to a good start, but they never really built off that.

In 2019 they ended up 8-5, taking a step back. They were beaten by Clemson again. Auburn also beat them. Alabama smoked them again. Georgia took it to them and LSU throttled them. Their best player that year was a defensive tackle.

The COVID shortened 2020 season was Fisher's best. The Aggies finished 9-1 and finally beat some good teams. They still got smoked by Alabama. But, they did beat number 4 Florida. They also beat LSU and Auburn. And they took down UNC in their bowl game. Their best player that season was QB Kellen Mond. He had a very, very good year that turned him into a 3rd round draft pick. Then the regression came on strong.

They followed up their nine win season returning to 8-5. Arkansas beat them. Unranked Mississippi State beat them. They finally beat Alabama. But they were beaten by Ole Miss and LSU. They had an amazing recruiting class, but it never really panned out. Zach Caldaza was the QB. De'Von Achane was their running back. DeMarvin Leal seemed ready for a breakout. None of that happened. They never really put it together.

Last season was their worst though. They had all kinds of preseason hype. They were picked to finish second in the SEC. They had preseason all conference picks. They had an elite recruiting class. It just never worked out the way they planned it. App State beat them in week 2. TAMU was ranked 6th overall at this point. They did win two straight, over ranked opponents. But then they got beat in six straight games. Mississippi State smoked them. Alabama beat them in a close game. South Carolina won by six. Ole Miss beat them by a field goal. Florida smashed them. And Auburn beat them by three. The bleeding stopped, but barely, when they beat a very bad UMASS team by a field goal. And they closed out the season by upsetting number 5 LSU. But they never really looked all that good in 2022. Haynes King and Max Johnson split time at QB and neither was great. De'Von Achane was the lead back, but he never really got going. The wideouts never got much of a chance. The defense spent too much time on the field. It was a blown season. I do think the LSU win gave the fans and front office hope, but it was false hope.

A&M came into this year with less hype, but still predicted to be better. They had another very good recruiting class. They brought in solid transfers. They had some returning talent. But it didn't work. Miami beat them in week two by 15. Alabama beat them again. Tennessee shut them down. And Ole Miss took them down by a field goal. Sure, they have six wins, but the wins are kind of hollow. They did win their last game, 51-10, thus making the firing even crazier, but here we are.

Fisher was never able to find the success he achieved at FSU with TAMU. They hype was there, they had all the preseason love,  but it never fully came together. I think hiring people like DJ Durkin never helped as well. Jimbo Fisher tried to surround himself with elite coaches, he just picked the wrong ones. He could get elite recruits, but they either transferred or never panned out. They probably deserved better coaching.

I am curious to see where Fisher goes from here. I wonder if he will stay out of coaching for awhile, he has an extremely high payout, and I wouldn't blame him. But if he does come back to coaching I will have to think he will have to go to a mid-major style school, or become a coordinator at a power 5 school. Fisher got paid, big time, by TAMU. He took a chance on himself when he left FSU, it just didn't work out. Now we wait to see the next move. It should be interesting. 

Ty

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

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Thoughts on the Jim Harbaugh Suspension

The Big Ten commissioner has suspended Jim Harbaugh for the remainder of the regular season effective immediately. Obviously I have some thoughts on this. Here we go.

First off, I firmly believe Michigan is going to take this to court. They have stated as much prior to today and I would be astounded if they just sat there and accepted this.

Second, to levy the punishment while the team is flying to their game in State College tomorrow, that is some cowardly shit right there. I'm sure the plane has wifi and I'm sure the staff heard the news when it came across, but to wait until they have left, that is spineless. That is also very petty. The Big 10 commissioner has had more than enough time to hand out a punishment. I read that it was going to happen yesterday. But then they waffled and said it may take another week. And then news sprouted that it was going to happen in the early afternoon today. But to wait until 4pm local time to Ann Arbor, that is akin to challenging to fight someone when you are a kid, and never showing up. This is cowardly, and this whole thing has been cowardly.

To say that Michigan gained any type of competitive advantage for the “crime” is absurd. I hate to burst every other fan's bubble out there, but your team does this too. They just are better at keeping it discreet. And any fan that comes at me and tells me I'm wrong, I have a bridge I'd love to sell you. This is how the game is played in this era. And if your signs are that easy to figure out, change your goddamn signs. It shouldn't be put on the commissioner of your league and the lying ass NCAA to levy punishment.

This also sets a dangerous precedent. Michigan found that the university of Ohio State and Rutgers helped Purdue figure out their signs last year leading up to the Big 10 title game. They provided evidence. They showed everything that reporters and other schools showed during their investigation. So does this mean Ryan Day and Greg Schiano and Ryan Walters are going to be punished too? It should. That is what this ruling from the Big 10 is going to start. We've already seen other coaches ever since this blew up saying that they know other teams are stealing signs. Lincoln Riley made mention of it after Utah beat USC for a third straight time. Matt Rhule, who first said it was no big deal I remind you, has come out and said that his team is 5-4, and they own that, but one team had an advantage. I think we all know who he is speaking about. Greg Schiano made a reference to all this during halftime of Rutgers' game against Michigan. This is going to become a common thing now for coaches at major jobs. No one wants to get let go from being a head coach, and with the Big 10 suspending Jim Harbaugh, they can go to their commissioner and say that the team that has beaten them a few years in a row knows their signs and they want that coach suspended. This is a slippery slope.

The problem is that no one can admit when a team is better than them now. I coach my son, who is 11, in basketball. He will never admit a team is better than us when we get beat. I can say things until I'm blue in the face, he always has an excuse. The same thing happened during his recent football season. The only reason he says that the team that won the 6th grade title this year was because they had 7th graders. It is not true, they had all 6th graders, it was confirmed by his coaches, but he had to find a reason why his team got beat that didn't involve some other team just being better.

What irks me the most about this, besides the fact that Michigan was guilty before anything was proven, and the NCAA has said they aren't including Harbaugh in their investigation anymore because they found no evidence that he knew this was going on, is the language of "competitive advantage" that the spineless commissioner used in his wording today. To say that, while handing out a suspension while Michigan is in flight, is asinine. How does saying that not instantly give Penn State an advantage tomorrow afternoon? I've been nervous for this game all season. This was my tentpole game going into the year. Penn State is a very good football team, and they get this game in State College, which is a very tough place to play. And now Michigan doesn't know if their coach will be able to coach tomorrow, they've been called "cheaters" by major reputable organizations, the players have had to field questions for weeks now, and now they have to play their toughest game of the year with this news coming down at 4pm. That is a whole lot for a group of 18-23 year olds to deal with over a game.

But hey, whatever happens tomorrow, I will always love and root for this team. I will go to bat for them no matter what. I think the way this unfolded, and how ruthlessly adults on major networks have talked about these kids is some of the wildest reporting I have ever witnessed in my life. We are talking about "sign stealing" here. This is not covering up sexual and physical abuse. This is not overworking players to the brink, or in some awful cases the actuality of death. This is not covering for players accused of having weapons. This is not fixing tests. This is the dumbest "scandal" I have witnessed in my 40 plus years being a rabid college football fan. Now we have to see how this all plays out.

Forever, Go Blue. 

Ty

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

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Somehow Carson Wentz is on an NFL Roster Again

I was talking to my son about football stuff yesterday and he told me that Carson Wentz was signed by the Rams. I did not believe him. I thought he was pranking me. We make up fake stuff all the time about players that have retired or been cut. It is a weird thing we do to have fun. That's what I thought this Carson Wentz "news" was. I just assumed he was messing with me.

When he was pretty adamant that he was not joking, I went and checked it out online and he was 100 percent correct. Carson Wentz is now a member of the Los Angeles Rams. And I do not get this signing one bit. Look, I have been as big a defender of Colin Kaepernick as there is. I fully believe the NFL black balled him, that he will be remembered in a much better light than the jerks who black balled him and that he more than deserved a shot to come back. So hearing, then reading, that Carson Wentz is back in the NFL first made me angry, then made me laugh.

Wentz is not 1/10 of the QB that Kaepernick was in the league. You can throw that one season out to me all the time, when the Eagles went on to win the Super Bowl after he got hurt all you want. As my son told me, he was playing at an MVP level prior to him getting hurt. Great. Carson Wentz had one good season while playing in the league. Big freaking deal. There are other guys who had one, maybe even two good years in the NFL that never came back or got another chance. Daunte Culpepper was a prized free agent after a few good seasons in Minnesota. He signed with Miami and was cut pretty quick after that. Dough Flutie somehow managed to stick around the league for far too long. How many good seasons did he really have in reality? Not any that I can remember. Or what about Ryan Fitzpatrick. I mean, he was more a beard than a viable NFL starting QB. And I'm sure there are guys playing right now, Tyson Bagent to name one, that will be out of the league very soon. But Carson Wentz can still get an offer and Colin Kaepernick cannot. That doesn't sit well with me.

After his one solid season, he was a total non factor. He went to the Colts after Phillip Rivers retired. He was awful. They were a trainwreck due to his poor play. He then went over to the Commanders. He was going to be their "game manager". He was going to lead this team back to the playoffs. He got beat out by Sam Hartmann and was cut pretty quickly. He was then more known for posting workout videos with gear from each team he had already played for prior to this season. He was also very vocal about his distaste for the COVID vaccine. This is just another in a long line of poor decisions made by the former number two overall pick. He is super christian, won't get vaccinated and cannot stay on the field. But the Rams saw him, after an injury to Matthew Stafford and the poor play of Brett Rypien, and thought he was a viable option to come in and play QB for them. Yet Colin Kaepernick, who had a much better career than Carson Wentz could ever dream of, is still trying to get reps from teams to come watch him workout. And they won't because Kaepernick peacefully protested police brutality by kneeling during the anthem. But since Carson Wentz loves Jesus, and I think we all know why else he is getting a fourth shot, he can slide into a starting role due to some injuries.

This is a crock and a waste of time. If I were a Rams fan with a conscience, I'd be frustrated by this signing. He is not going to win many games and he will probably say some nonsense during pre and post game interviews. This is dumb and will not work out. 

Ty

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

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Not a Great Start to the NBA Season for the Grizzlies

The Memphis Grizzlies are having a very rough start to the 2023-24 NBA season. They are currently the only winless team in the NBA. The Rockets have a win. The Pistons have two. The Trailblazers, tonight's opponent, have two.The Spurs have three. Even the Wizards have a single win. But the Grizzlies have that big goose egg. They are 0-5 and they have looked bad in almost every game so far this year.

I think a lot has caused this to happen. First off, missing out on Ja Morant, who deserved his suspension, has been very clearly an issue. The Grizzlies cannot generate much at the rim. The guards are not getting to the basket. There is no one to suck the defense into the lane and open up the outside. These are the things that Morants excels at as a basketball player. They are clearly missin Tyus Jones as well. He was the best backup point guard in the NBA and he helped to stabilize this team when Morant would miss games here and there. He was a vet the entire team trusted. I do like that they went out and traded for Marcus Smart, and I do think that it will work in the long run. But right now he has not had any impact. The Grizzlies were also dealt a blow when Steven Adams went down before the season with surgery. Losing Adams the whole year is going to make it difficult to scrounge out some wins due to his toughness. They cannot rebound the basketball without him in the lineup it feels, and him being gone has caused way more of a problem than I ever imagined it would. Brandon Clarke has not recovered from his torn achilles yet either. These two guys are crucial to their front court and it is showing how important they are without them playing. The Grizzlies are so thin in the front court that they went out and gave Bysmack Biyombo five million to finish out the season there. That is a desperate move in my eyes.

With Morant being suspended for 20 more games, with Adams done for the year, with Clarke not being ready until well after the all star break, I do not know how they recover from this bad of a start. I don't know how they are going to salvage the season. Smart has been average since the trade. His defense is still very good, but his shot looks bad. Jaren Jackson Jr is still fouling far too much. He is the reigning DPOY, but if he cannot stay on the floor it doesn't matter how good he is on that end. Desmond Bane is being asked to do way, way too much. The dude can score, but the number one option is not a suit that fits him well. He is so much better when he is not the focal point of the opponent's defense. Luke Kennard has been a total zero. I fear Kenny Lofton Jr was a nice story last season but is now being exposed. David Roddy doesn't play defense. Jake LaRavia can't get minutes. Ziaire Williams has been below average. Xavier Tillman has not progressed. Derrick Rose is older and hurt. Sant Aldama looks like he has taken a step back. The Grizzlies have a myriad of and it has shown in the first 5 games. The offense is stagnant. The defense is slow and fouling too much. Taylor Jenkins is a good coach. He should be able to fix this. But whatever his game plan is right now, he needs to change some stuff up. I know he didn't expect to see Morant suspended for 25 games to start the year, but they have won without him before. I know he was hoping one of Brandon Clarke or Steven Adams would be on the floor to start the year, but he found a way to stay the 2 seed last season when they both got hurt. I know he wants to trust some of the younger guys, but they haven't proven trustworthy. I feel like they can get out of this funk, but it needs to happen very fast. Being 0-5 in the Western Conference, and I fully realize it is very early in the season, can be a death blow to your playoff chances if they don't start stringing together some wins right now. I still have faith, but it is dwindling with each passing day. Hopefully they right the ship. 

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 Watches Flavor Flav Perform The National Anthem

The other night the Milwaukee Bucks invited Flavor Flav to sing the national anthem. This may seem like a weird artist to choose, but we must never forget that the Bucks did invite Ja Rule to perform at halftime of one of their games after the release of the Fyre Festival documentaries. They like to take chances in that front office and I am here for it.

I did not see Flavor Flav's performance in real time, but a bunch of people reached out to me afterward to see if I saw it. It was also plastered all over sports pages that I follow online. But it wasn't until RD texted me and asked if I watched it did I actually sit down and watch it. At the time of the text coming across my phone I had not seen it though. And RD told me it was "iconic". That was the push I needed to sit down and take it in. So I did.

You know what? It was exactly what I expected from Flavor Flav singing the national anthem. Sure it was off key. Sure it felt like he didn't know all the words. Sure he was either too quiet or too loud when he sang. But I loved it and I loved that he went out and did it with no fear. He sang his heart out. He gave it everything he had. He tried his hardest. And he seemed like he was having a damn good time.

I also appreciate that the people within the Bucks organization who decide these things tried to get a hip hop legend to do this. And Flavor Flav said yes. I can't imagine Chuck D doing this. No way is Busta Rhymes going to do the anthem unless he is trying to see how fast he can rap it. I don't see many modern hip hop artists clamoring to go do this. But Flavor Flav did, and he gave it all of his gusto. He had his big clock on and everything. I love that. He is also a very committed sports fan. Flavor Flav loves to go to live sporting events. I have seen him at college and pro football games. I'm sure he has gone to a number of baseball games. He would talk about his love for pro sports when he had his crazy dating show on VH1. And he has always loved basketball. The guy is a true hoop head. So I bet that when the phone call came across to do the anthem at an NBA game he jumped at the prospect. The fact that he got to do it and then watch Giannis and Dame play together so early in this new season was probably icing on the cake for Flavor Flav.

As for the people out here bad mouthing him and the Bucks, get over it. Also, what did you expect? This is not some polished singer. This isn't Adele. This isn't Taylor Swift. This isn't Josh Groban. Flavor Flav was the hype man for one of the most important hip hop groups in the history of music. And he was the best at his job. So for people to be giving him a hard time, I'd like to see any one of them go out and do the anthem any better. At least Flavor Flav gave it his all too. He went out there and did the song the best way he knew how and he did it with a smile never leaving his face.

I applaud you Flavor Flav and the Bucks front office. You all took a chance on a rap icon and I thought he did a very commendable job. 

Ty

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

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Let's Talk About the James Harden Trade

James Harden has been traded to the Los Angeles Clippers. Let’s discuss.

This was a long time coming, and at 2 am my time last night, it finally went through. The Clippers are receiving Harden and PJ Tucker. The 76ers got a bunch of picks and a good amount of mid level players. They got Marcus Morris Sr, Nic Batum and KJ Martin. There may be other players involved, maybe even picks, but these are the big names moving teams. The Clippers got the guy they wanted and they did not have to move another first round or Terrence Mann. The 76ers got rid of Harden and regained draft equity and mid level players to possibly move in a deal for a bigger name to pair with Embiid.

Looking at this trade from far out, if I just focus on the names, the Clippers got what they wanted and did not have to move much. Sure, the draft pick is a big deal for them, but in a win now move that is a decision you make 100 percent of the time. The Clippers now have four future hall of fame players on their roster. The defense is still very solid, and got better with the addition of Tucker. They have four guys that can create a shot at any time and they will score a bunch. Harden will also be a good stopgap when one, or let's be more realistic, both Kawhi Leonard and Paul George get hurt and miss time. This is the move they wanted to make all summer long and they now have a ton of time to integrate Harden into their offense. The 76ers got rid of their biggest headache. They don't have to worry about where Harden is, if he will show up, if they have to fine him, all of that is out the window now. He is not their problem. Embiid will get to roam the court with nobody blocking him or stopping the ball. Tyrese Maxey is going to get more and more of an opportunity to grow and get better as a scorer within their offense. And let's not overlook the players they acquired. Batum brings veteran leadership, an okay enough 3 point shot and solid defense. Marcus Morris Sr is tough and not afraid of anyone. He could be the enforcer they have needed for some time. And KJ Martin is a high flying, super athletic player. He will find himself open near the rim so much more now that he will be playing with a dominant guy like Embiid. Both teams, looking at it this way, achieved what they wanted in this trade.

This trade is not all roses. The Clippers have four guys that want to have the ball in their hands at crucial moments. Westbrook has finally found a game that works in his older age in the NBA. But it only works with the ball in his hands. Paul George is a wonderful shot creator, a great 3 point shooter and a very good mid range guy. But, he likes to create more often than not, and that requires the ball being in his hands. Kawhi Leonard is a true big game player. He may be one of the best clutch players in the game. But he, much like George, needs the ball in his hands to do those things. And then there is Harden. He has made no qualms about how much he wants, and needs, the ball in his hands to be as effective as possible. He is one of the biggest ball stoppers in the NBA. The whole cliche of "there is only one ball" has never been much of a thing for me, but this time it truly applies. As for the 76ers, they lost one of the best lob passers and pocket passers in the NBA. Harden is a magician passing the ball to willing shooters and Embiid was finding himself so wide open near the free throw the past two seasons due to Harden's passing. Now he has to rely on a guy like Maxey, who has shown flashes but is not ready for that yet. There is also Patrick Beverly who is pretty much just a defender in the league now. Tobias Harris has never been a fully willing passer. And De'Anthony Melton is so much better being an instant scorer off the bench. Without Harden, Embiid's shots may become tougher.

I'm excited to see how this all ends up for both teams. As for picking a "winner" in this trade, both teams won. They both got what they wanted. Now we have to see the long term effects. I can't wait. 

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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Welcome to the NBA Victor Wembanyama

Last night the much anticipated NBA premiere of Victor Wembanyama finally happened. Let’s discuss.

I haven't purposefully tuned into Spurs games the past couple of years because they haven't been very good. That was most likely on purpose so they could draft this kid. But I have watched many Spurs games in the past. My dad was a fan during the David Robinson era, so I was a fan. I adored Tim Duncan in college, so when the Spurs drafted him, I watched them as much as I desired. I was always a Sonics, then Thunder fan, or as I have been for the past four years, a Grizzlies fan. But the Spurs have always been the lone team from Texas that I'll root for openly. I loved Robinson and Duncan when they played, and I fully believe that Greg Poppovich is the greatest to ever coach basketball. Seeing Wembanyama, I get those same feelings.

This kid has got the goods. He should, barring injuries, live up to the hype, if not surpass it. He has all the tools and the skills to thrive, especially in the modern NBA. If you were to just look at his stats, nothing really jumps off the page. He played 23 minutes, shot 6-9 for 15 points, grabbed 5 rebounds, had 2 assists, 2 steals and a block. Nothing too crazy, right? I disagree. First off, his lone block came about 20 seconds into the game, and it was a sign of things to come for years in the NBA. Kyrie Irving had the ball, was doing his magic creating and got to the free throw line for a mid range. This is right in Irving's wheelhouse. But, as the shot was going up, Wemby sailed to the point of the shot and swatted it into the air to start a fast break for the Spurs. He did this to Kyrie Irving everyone. That is insane. Irving, while being a whack job, is one of the best mid range guys in the league. He is showered with praise at how well he can create shots for himself, at his size. Wemby made lightwork of one of the things Irving does best. I mean, come on. It was wild to see him read what was happening, react to change his positioning on the floor, to elevate and then to block the shot. This is a teeanager erasing a champions shot 20 seconds into his first game. I was hooked instantly. Then he made his first shot. I want to state very clearly that Wemby is a teeanger and he is 7'4 before going into this basket. The Spurs ran a high pick and roll with Wemby popping out at the 3 point line. Again, he is 7'4. The guard took the screen, dribbled into traffic and fired a pass to an open Webanyama. Without hesitation he rose and fired. The ball was all net. I was aghast again at what he was doing so quickly into his first NBA game. Being in the right spot, pulling up with no fear and burying a three pointer, as a 7 foot 4 rookie, that is crazier than his block. This kid has the skills to become unguardable in the NBA. And it is not like that was the only 3 he attempted all night. In his 23 minutes, 5 of his 9 shots were threes, and he made 3 of them. I say for what seems like the millionth time, he is 7'4! This is nuts.

He definitely had his hiccups. He turned the ball over four times, he was in foul trouble, but the upside is incredible. We have not seen a prospect come into this first game and look this ready since LeBron. I know that is high praise, but Wemby has earned it dammit. I have fully bought in. I'm a Grizzlies fan through and through, but the Spurs now have my attention once again. Pop is still there, they have a nice young core and Webanyama seems like a once in a generation talent, a la David Robinson and Tim Duncan. Watching this kid play basketball for the next 10-15 years is going to be awesome.

This kid is good, with the potential to be great. I’m stoked to watch it.

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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Let's Talk About the Michigan Football Controversy

Okay, I have to weigh in on the Michigan sign stealing allegations. It has been long enough. I am bummed. Right off the bat, I do not like when the only team that I love is doing shady stuff. It makes me feel bad. I hate it, and that is a word I hardly ever use. It stinks.

I went through all the emotions when the news broke last week. I was very scared at first. I thought of all the worst things that could happen. Then I started to find excuses. The NCAA is fully out to get Harbaugh. That much I fully believe. I do not think that anyone could truly disagree with me on that. Then the video stuff came out and I figured that all teams do this. I still think that as well. But with this staffer buying tickets seemingly all over the country, that seems weird. I also saw the main video being passed around. The one where the Michigan staff changes things up after an audible. I don't see anything truly wrong with this, I see it every Saturday from a bunch of other teams. But, still weird with the accusations out there. Then I saw what other coaches have said and I agree with some and think others, Kirby Smart and Mike Norvell, are being a little holier than thou. And now the staffers' text messages have been revealed and they are damning.

So, taking all of this in, I am still feeling things, but I feel like I will be on the other side after I talk about it on the site today. As stated above, this stinks. I was very against the Astros when they were accused, and then found guilty, of stealing signs. Baseball is a different sport, and what the Astros did was wild, but still, stealing signs is stealing signs. It is definitely a gray area within college football, but if I'm going to chastise the Astros, I need to chastise Michigan football. This is shady. I don't like it.

I was wearing a Michigan shirt today, I will never stop loving this team, and I went to a sporting goods store. A worker told me that they were having a good season and I smiled and said thanks. But as I walked away, I thought maybe he was trolling me. I have felt like sports fans have seen me out with Michigan gear since the story leaked, and they are all judging me. I am sure that is not the case, and most people probably don't care, but that is how my brain works. I feel like I am going to be judged for writing about it today.

What hurts most though, Michigan has simply been accused and an investigation is currently going on. Michigan has not been found guilty of anything. I also do not think they are going to get in much trouble if they are found to have done this. But in the public perception, on the horrific message boards and on major sporting networks, Michigan is guilty. According to a bunch of people, they did the crime and they should do the time. Most people don't care what the outcome will be. And that is the problem with this internet age. The big time sports writers want as many clicks as possible, so if they have a story, they are going to put it out there with little to no credible sources. If you read the original story, the writer mentions "anonymous sources" and "credible big ten sources". He never mentions a name. He wanted to get this story out before anyone, he did, and he is now getting massive clicks on his stuff. I even looked him up the other day.

What else bums me out about this scandal is the whole gray area of it all. Sign stealing is not illegal, but it is gross. I know a ton of teams do this, some much better than others obviously. That doesn't make it any less gross. I get it that teams change signs all the time as well. But some people know how to decipher this stuff, and changing it up a bit does next to nothing.

All in all, this stinks. I hate that it is Michigan being targeted in the investigation. This football team is the one thing I love that I have no affiliation with at all. But I also truly believe that Michigan will get what equates to a slap on the wrist. The public will always have their opinion of them, and that will be that they are college football's Astros. And I think that is what hurts me, as a fan, the most. Michigan's football program, regardless of how long Harbaugh sticks around, will be mentioned as the team investigated as the sign stealers. That hurts me the most. 

Ty

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

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Ty' 2023 - 2024 NBA Season Predictions

Today will wrap up my preseason NBA predictions. I'll pick my playoff teams, the west and east finals, the championship and the winner. I'll also do my awards predictions afterward.

Let's start with the East.

The East is a three team race, depending on the third team's fighting becoming a problem or not. The Bucks, Celtics and 76ers are the three best teams by a pretty wide margin. I think the Bucks will secure the 1, like last year, the Celtics will be 2 and 76ers 3. The only one I am a little weary of is the 76ers. They have a lot of off court issues. Following the 76ers I have the Knicks at 4, Cavs at 5 and the Heat at 6. Those are the teams that will secure playoff spots. The play in tournament will have the Hawks at 7, Magic at 8, Bulls at 9 and Pacers at 10. I think I'm putting the Pacers and Magic in because I think they have very bright futures, and it will all start this season. The 7-10 game will feature the Hawks securing the 7 seed by beating the Pacers. The Magic will secure that 8th spot as well, with the Bulls being too old and the Pacers not nearly as talented as the Magic just yet. In the 1-8 the Bucks will easily beat the Magic. I think it will be a sweep. I think the experience will be nice for the Magic, but they are not even close to the upper level of the East. The 2-7 could be fun if the Hawks figure it out, but the Celtics are too damn good to get beat by this team. I think the Hawks can get a game, maybe 2. But the Celtics talent will win out. The 3-6 will give us the 76ers facing the Heat. The Heat will win. They are a superior playoff squad and the 76ers find ways to get beat in the playoffs all the time. And the 4-5 will give us a rematch, but the Cavs will win this time. It will go seven, it will be ugly and tough, but the Cavs learned from last season and they will use that to their advantage. The second round will have the Bucks playing the Cavs and the Celtics facing the Heat. The Bucks will win, maybe in another sweep. They are the better team, they got better this offseason and they will shut down the Cavs. The Celtics will have a tougher go in round 2. The Heat are a problem for every team in the NBA, and they beat the Celtics last year as an 8 seed. I think the Celtics will win here, but it is going to be a tough seven game series. So, my East Finals feature the top 2 seeds. The Bucks and Celtics will face off in an epic East Finals. I have the Bucks winning with Damian Lillard having a humongous series. I also do not think Al Horford will be able to fully slow Giannis down. The Bucks will represent the East in the Finals.

Now to the West.

The West is much tougher to figure out for me. Every team has some kind of postseason aspirations. The Nuggets are going to be the 1 seed. That is almost inevitable. From there it gets tricky. I'm going to put the Suns at 2, the Kings at 3, the Lakers at 4, the Grizzlies at 5 and the Warriors at 6. Those are my guaranteed playoff teams. The play in is going to be a blast. I have the Clippers at 7, Timberwolves at 8, Thunder at 9 and Mavericks at 10. The Timberwolves are going to find a way to get the 7 seed. The 8 seed is going to be the Clippers, but they are going to really struggle to get there. So the 1-8 gives me the Nuggets and Clippers. The Nuggets will win in five games. They are younger, better and not as hurt. The 2-7 gives us the Suns facing the Timberwolves. The Suns are a much better offensive team and they will be able to neutralize anything Rudy Gobert tries to do on defense. Anthony Edwards will be awesome in the series though. The 3-6 has a rematch. The Kings will face the Warriors, but this time the Kings will win. They are younger and De'Aaron Fox will stay healthy this time around. The Warriors old legs will be too much to deal with running with the Kings. The 4-5 is another rematch, with the Lakers facing the Grizzlies. I would love to watch this series again, especially to see how Morant plays after his suspension. It should go seven games, but the Lakers will prevail. The second round would give us the Nuggets facing the Lakers and the Kings facing the Suns. The Nuggets and Suns will both win their respective series with ease. The Nuggets are much better and younger than the Lakers and the Suns have more firepower than the Kings. That would give us the Nuggets and Suns in the West Finals. The Nuggets will win this series as well. They are as good offensively and they are so much better defensively. It should go six or seven games, but the Nuggets are better.

That means I have the Nuggets and Bucks in the Finals. The two number 1 seeds facing off. And I have the Nuggets going back to back. They are in a great place as a team and organization right now. They are built for the modern NBA and they are in their sweet spot. The series will go seven games and the Nuggets will prevail at home.

As for awards, since I just picked the Finals I am going to go with Jamal Murray as the Finals MVP. He is about to have a great season. As for regular season MVP I'm going with Giannis Antentekoupmo. He is going to re-announce himself as the best player in the NBA. Rookie of the Year is going to be Victor Webanyama. He is too good to not be awesome. Scoot Henderson will give him a push though. Mike Malone will win coach of the year. He will lead the best team all year long and people will award him for multiple seasons of excellent basketball. Sixth Man of the Year is going to be Norman Powell. He is treated like a starter, and he finishes every game. He will be rewarded with his play off the bench. And to wrap it up the defensive player of the year is going to be Giannis Antentekoumpo. He is going to double dip this season. I expect him to have a wonderful, jaw dropping, memorable season.

That is it for basketball stuff for a bit. Enjoy the season everyone. It is almost here. 

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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Ranks the 2023 - 2024 NBA Teams - Watching Your Favorite Act Perform in a Stadium with 100,000 of Your Closest Friends Division

Welcome back to my preseason NBA countdown. This is the final day of the countdown. I will be giving you my top five teams heading into the season. I'll do awards and postseason predictions tomorrow to wrap it all up. Now, to the final five teams.

At 5 I have the Philadelphia 76ers. I don't know that a team with this much offseason turmoil is deserving of this high of a ranking, but the team on paper is very, very good. They have really good, star players. Hiring Nick Nurse was a home run as well. This team is stacked, if they stick it out. James Harden is still here, much to his chagrin. He is becoming more and more of a baby, but when he is dedicated and trying hard, he is a 25 ppg guy and a double digit assist guy. Joel Embiid is the reigning MVP. He is the best big in the NBA. He is as smooth as it gets on offense and a total menace near the rim on defense. Embiid is awesome, except for the playoffs. He needs to stay healthy during the playoffs and perform better. Tyrese Maxey is an up and coming star. He is on the path to being an all star. He is also a knockdown shooter and excellent shot creator. Tobias Harris is solid. He may not be worth his contract, but he is steady. I also watched him live twice last year and was super impressed. PJ Tucker is still a very feared defender, but he is an absolute goose egg on offense. De'Anthony Melton proved to be a great offseason addition last year. Danuel House Jr can still shoot a bit too. They also revamped their bench this offseason. I think Patrick Beverly will prove to be a good vet to have in the locker room. Kelly Oubre will bring extra offense. Mo Bamba can give five or six decent minutes a night. Danny Green looks okay. The 76ers have a very good team. Their season will all depend on how they come together, but they have the talent to win, and win big.

At 4 I have the Phoenix Suns. The Suns went for it all last season and ate it hard against the eventual champs. They decided to make some changes this offseason. Devin Booker is still here and still awesome. He is fast becoming one of the top players in the NBA. He is very good. Kevin Durant will have a full season with Booker now and hopefully he doesn't get hurt in warmups again. He is still an upper echelon player on both ends. They moved on from Chris Paul and went out and got Bradley Beal. Beal is a good player. He had big moments in Washington. I am still concerned how he fits here, but either way he brings scoring. Then they decided to make more changers. They got Jusuf Nurkic in a trade. He is not as good as Deandre Ayton, but if he is on the floor he will set hard screens. Eric Gordon brings three point shooting. So does Yutu Wantanabe. He has made a mark for himself in the NBA. Bol Bol will be interesting here if he plays at all. Keita Bates-Diop may start, but he will be a screen setter as well. Grayson Allen is here, but who cares. Damion Lee and Josh Okogie stuck around, which will help with some continuity. The Suns have a weird roster, but they will score in bunches. They need to hope for health since they are so top loaded, and if that happens, they will be lethal.

At 3 I have the Boston Celtics. This team almost fully changed their roster and yet they look even better than they have the past couple years. Jayson Tatum is awesome. He is elite. He is one of the best overall players in the NBA. He may be the future face of the league. Jaylen Brown, while solid, is not as good as Tatum. He is not as dependable either. But he got paid and I wonder if the security of his massive contract will let him play more freely. Derrick White is a very good perimeter defender and 3 point shooter. Al Horford, while old, is still one of the better big man defenders in the NBA. He can slow down almost any other center. The Celtics went out and traded for Kristaps Porzingis. He had a career year last year. If he can stay on the floor he may put up very big numbers. They also got Jrue Holiday who may be the best perimeter defender in the NBA. He can also bring extra scoring. And guys like Oshae Brissett, Lamar Stevens and Wenyen Gabriel are better bench guys than they had last year. The rich changed, got richer and got better. The Celtics are going to win a ton of games this year.

At 2 I have the Milwaukee Bucks. The Bucks made the deal of the offseason. I fully understand that they traded Jrue Holiday and Grayson Allen, two starters from last season's team, but they got Damian Lillard. Lillard brings everything they need on offense. He is a knockdown shooter, can create and can get to the line. He will also give Giannis an open lane. Speaking of Giannis, Antetokounmpo is the best basketball player in the world. He is a do it all machine and he is very good at almost everything on both sides of the floor. Khris Middleton, if healthy, will get crazy wide open looks playing alongside Giannis and Lillard. He will be astonished at how open he will be. He is also a very solid defender. Brook Lopez is one of the best defensive players in the league and he can really shoot the 3. Jae Crowder is back, and I think with a more defined role he will look like his old self. Bobby Portis is one of the best bench and role players in the NBA. Pat Connaughton, if he can get out of his own head, can stroke the three and be a defensive menace. I love that they brought in Cam Payne to backup Lillard. And I am very curious to see MarJon Beauchamp get some run. He crushed in summer league. The Bucks are a very good team who got much better by adding Lillard. I cannot wait to watch them play this season.

My number 1 team going into this season should be no surprise. The number 1 team is the Denver Nuggets. They have it all and are coming off a dominant playoff run that ended in a title. They were barely even pushed. Expect more of that this season. Nikola Jokic is a great basketball player. I'm sick of all the coverage and love and how people like the "curmudgeon" he is, but the dude can play. Jamal Murray is very awesome. I think he will finally get on the all star team this year. I feel like he is really going to announce himself super loud this season. Aaron Gordon fits perfectly here. He is a great pick and roll guy, he is their best defender and he can still jump out of the gym. Michael Porter Jr is almost unguardable from the perimeter and he is a solid shot creator. But he is always hurt and kind of took a step back last season. Christian Braun played a nice bench role as a rookie. I'm sure he will get more minutes. Kentavious Caldwell-Pope continues to produce and win wherever he plays. Reggie Jackson seems to have finally bought into being a backup and it fits for him. Peyton Watson should get more time this year. Zeke Nnaji is an interesting player. And Justin Holiday was a solid pickup. The Nuggets should be overwhelming favorites heading into the season. They have pretty much everyone back and they are ready to go.

That is it for my countdown. As I said earlier, tomorrow I will have my postseason predictions and my awards predictions. The regular season is almost here everyone. 

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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Ty Ranks the 2023 - 2024 NBA Teams - Hanging Out at a Great Music Festival Division

Day five of my preseason NBA countdown brings us the start of the top ten. These are the top teams. These are the teams with real title aspirations.

At 10 I have the Memphis Grizzlies. This is my team. This is who I root for. I want nothing but the best for them. The hard part is they have floundered in the playoffs and Ja Morant, due to his own fault, is suspended for the first 25 games. They are going to miss him a lot. He is a very important guy to this team and their playoff hopes. They did get Marcus Smart in a trade. I like the defense, grit and willingness from him to shoot. Desmond Bane is getting better every year, he is their best shooter and he is a solid enough defender. Steven Adams should be back from injury. He brings toughness and much needed rebounding. Brandon Clarke should, hopefully, return at some point this season, and he is a great glue guy and bench player. Jaren Jackson Jr is the reigning defensive player of the year. He is also a good stretch four. He just needs to stop making dumb fouls. I like the addition of Derrick Rose. He is a solid vet and he is returning to the place that he dominated basketball. Kenny Lofton Jr should get spot minutes. Luke Kennard is a decent shooter, but he is inconsistent. Ziaire Williams has looked better this preseason. Santi Aldama is an okay backup big. The Grizzlies have a ton of talent. Now that talent needs to translate to the playoffs. They also need to play big while Morant is suspended.

At 9 I have the Sacramento Kings. The Kings are fun and good again. I feel like it is the late 90's, early 2000's all over again. De'Aaron Fox is awesome. He is fast, he is clutch and he is the perfect point guard to run this offense. Domantas Sabonis is a bruising big man who is one of the better low post passers in the league. Keegan Murray played well above his years last season and was dominant in summer league. Davion Mitchell is a superior perimeter defender. Malik Monk is a microwave shooter. Harrison Barnes is still around and still productive. Kevin Huerter is better than people give him credit. Chris Duarte has got range. This team has gotten better over the years and hiring Mike Brown was a wonderful decision by the front office. They are tried and true and will be for a good long time now.

At 8 I have the LA Clippers. The Clippers have so much talent on their roster. They have stars almost everywhere. Will that talent be healthy all year though? That is the million dollar question. Kawhi Leonard is an amazing basketball player. He is one of the best defenders in the league. His offense has gotten so much better. He is a terror for opponents. He can single win games single handed. But he has to play more than 20 games. Paul George is a bit more durable, but not by much. But when he is out there, boy oh boy is he awesome. He can shoot from anywhere. He is one of the best shot creators in the league. He is an awesome defender. There is not much he cannot do, except stay healthy for long stretches. Russell Westbrook rebuilt himself going to the Clippers. It seemed like an odd fit, but he slid right into that sixth man spot and was a great addition last season. I see that getting even better. Norman Powell is awesome when he isn't the first option. The dude can score in bunches, and when the Clippers have their stars on the floor he is always open. Ivica Zubac is a very good rebounder and a solid defensive presence. He just gets kind of dazed on offense from time to time. Terance Mann is amazing. I enjoy watching him play basketball. I also loved how he was messing with Chris Paul in the playoffs last season. Mason Plumlee and Nic Batum add veteran leadership. And Kobe Brown looks like a nice draft pick. The Clippers should be very good this year, but it all depends on health.

At 7 I have the Golden State Warriors. The names are all the same and they should win a lot of games. But man are they getting old. Steph Curry is the greatest shooter in the history of basketball. He is amazing to watch play and I am so happy that I am around to witness his greatness. Klay Thompson is still recovering from two horrendous knee injuries, but the guy puts up buckets. He has also started trash talking a lot, which I appreciate. Draymond Green is still a pest and the best system player this league may ever see. He is also still a top tier defender in the league and he is the only guy that I truly believe can guard all five positions with no drop off. Kevon Looney is the best rebounder in the NBA and he is the perfect center for this team. He just isn't much of a scoring threat. Johnathan Kuminga is seemingly getting better. Moses Moody may have a make or break year for this team. Andrew Wiggins should be fully back all season and he should be engaged. I love them bringing over Rudy Gay on a small deal. Gary Payton II should be full go and he had his best years within the Warriors system. And they brought over Chris Paul. I don't know how or if that will work, but I do know that he is maniacally trying to win a title. The Warriors will win a ton, but the old legs may be their downfall in the playoffs. I wouldn't bet against them though.

The final team for the day, another old team, at 6 I have the LA Lakers. The Lakers got so much better this offseason, and last year they made the conference finals. LeBron James is back and looks as good as he always has. He is the second greatest player of all time. He does amazing things with the ball in his hands. He is the best modern leader this game has ever seen. James rules. Anthony Davis looked awesome in the playoffs last season and I think that will translate to this season. He is such a good player when he is engaged and focused. He just needs to stay on the floor. I do not like, nor do I get the cult of Austin Reaves. But, the dude can shoot and playing alongside James is in his best interest. Rui Hachimura really found himself as a bench player with the Lakers. He looks like a trade steal. D'Angelo Russell is not as good as advertised. He can shoot, but he is often a minus on defense and can be a turnover machine. Getting Gabe Vincent is going to be big for their bench units. He can shoot and defend. Cam Reddish may actually be an okay bench player for this team. Jaxson Hayes is going to love grabbing lobs from LeBron. Jarred Vanderbilt is a long, switchy defender. The Lakers went out and found guys that fit around LeBron and AD. That is what they have needed to do for quite some time now. They did it and I think it will work in their favor.

That is it for today and for the week. Come back Monday for my top five teams. 

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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

Ty Ranks the 2023 - 2024 NBA Teams - Watching a Pretty Good Cover Band Division

Day four of my preseason NBA countdown continues with five teams that I feel have real, legitimate playoff spots. They should avoid the play in and be in the top six in their respective conference.

At 15 I have the Minnesota Timberwolves. I was very high on them last season but they kind of fell on their face. They never really got it together all season, but they did make the play in and they played the Nuggets kind of tough in round one. This team has massive talent, but I want to see how it comes together, if it does at all, this season. Anthony Edwards is awesome. He is one of my new favorite players in the league. He has major confidence, he had a wonderful summer and he has gotten better every year. Karl Anthony Towns is a great shooter, but he is kind of soft everywhere else. He also missed a ton of time last season. I'll be curious to see if he sticks with the team all season, but while they have him he needs to let it fly. Rudy Gobert is not close to the player he was in Utah. He never fully melded with the team last season and he had a tough summer. I think he may struggle even more. I like Naz Reid as a backup five. He needs more playing time, and if he were to get more, he could do some nice things. Mike Conley is a good point guard, and he has camaraderie with Gobert, but he is older. I like that they got Nickiel Alexander Walker on a good contract. I think he can help this team. Shake Milton was a decent addition as well. The Timberwolves should be a very good regular season team that parlays that into a top six spot in the West. We will see.

At 14 I have the Atlanta Hawks. This team is a mystery. They have loads of talent, but they had an even tougher time playing together than the T'Wolves last season. Trae Young is a great scorer and passer. He is also a complainer. He seems to rub teammates the wrong way far too often. Dejounte Murray is lethal, but he seems to be not as good as he was when he was in San Antonio. He is still an awesome defender. Clint Capela is a great pick and roll guy, as long as Young is a willing passer and Capela stays on the floor. De'Andre Hunter is an okay player, but his skills from college haven't translated to the NBA yet. I like that they went out and got Saddiq Bey last year. He is a good, tough addition to this team. Onyeka Okongwu needs to play to show he is a good five in the league. I think Kobe Bufkin was a very good, smart pick for this team. Jalen Johnson has some solid skills, he just doesn't see the floor enough. This team is highly talented, but they have chemistry issues. They should win enough to get in the playoffs, but it may look ugly at times.

At 13 I have the New York Knicks. This is a very solidly built team with very solid NBA players. They don't have any super duper stars, but they have good team players. Jalen Brunson proved his worth tenfold last season. He is a very good point guard with ice in his veins. He's awesome. Julius Randle is a very good regular season player. He can score a ton. Josh Hart does all the little things really well. He is also a fan favorite. RJ Barrett may be the player he will always be already, and that is fine. He is a solid 16 ppg game guy. No more, no less. Immanuel Quickly had an up and down year, but the dude can score. Mitchell Robinson is a very good defender and rebounder. He is a menace too. They have high hopes for Quentin Grimes. And they went out and got Donte DiVincenzo on a good deal. He can really let it fly. The Knicks are built for regular season wins. They can also give a few teams a run for their money in the East.

At 12 I have the Miami Heat. Remember how they made the finals as an 8 seed last season? That was nuts. It shouldn't have been that surprising though. Jimmy Butler is one of the best, and most underrated superstars in the NBA. He is a killer and a winner. Tyler Herro is a good shooter and shot creator. Duncan Robinson is a knock down 3 point shooter. Neither plays a lick of defense. Kyle Lowry is a great veteran leader, but he is older. He was so good in the playoffs last season. Caleb Martin really showed out last season in the playoffs last season. Bam Adebayo is one of the best modern centers in the league. He is a tank as well. Kevin Love is still here and he is still a great outlet passer and rebounder. Josh Richardson might find his form being back with his original team. And the people I listen to are very high on Jaime Jacquez Jr and Nikola Jovic. The Heat are about as solid as they get in the NBA. They aren't going anywhere.

The final team for the day, at 11 I have the Cleveland Cavaliers. Donovan Mitchell is a legit scorer. He can shoot from every level. He is almost impossible to guard. He just needs to do that in the playoffs. Evan Mobley is a great young player. He has shown strides both years in the league and I think being humbled by Mitchell Robinson in the playoffs last season will be highly beneficial for him. Jarrett Allen is a great old fashioned center. He is tough to guard and is willing to take on anyone. Darius Garland is so good. I was so wrong about him and I am happy about that. Garland is one of the better up and coming guards. Caris Levert provides scoring from the perimeter. I like that they went out and signed Georges Niang for bench scoring, Ty Jerome as a solid backup point guard and Max Strus as a three and d guy. I am also a big fan of the Emoni Bates draft pick. He will do some nice things off their deep bench this year. The Cavs are a fun team to watch.

That is it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next five teams. 

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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

Ty Ranks the 2023 - 2024 NBA Teams - Good Band Playing in a Bad Venue Division

Day three of my preseason NBA countdown gets us into the playoff team mix today. As I continue this countdown I am getting more and more excited about the upcoming season.

At 20 I have the Chicago Bulls. This team needs to pick a lane. They should probably rebuild, but they seem to want to stay in the play in mix. They are also older, so I am kind of confused as to what their long term plans are. I am a fan of DeMar DeRozan. He has been a solid player his whole career and he continues to put up solid numbers. I think DeRozan will not be fully appreciated as a player until he retires. Zach Lavine is still here and he can still score in bunches. He doesn't have the hops that he used to, and he is not a very good defender. But, the guy can score. I don't know that he will finish the season with the Bulls, but they have him for now. Lonzo Ball is out all season and that is a bummer. Alex Caruso has never been able to find the guy who he was with the Lakers. Coby White is an okay enough player, but his talent hasn't really translated in the NBA. Andre Drummond likes to make wild proclamations, and while he is a good rebounder, he doesn't do much else. Ayo Dosunmu is a good backup but he starts too often here. Jevon Carter could easily take his spot. Nikola Vucevic is still around, but he just seems like a warm body at this point. And I wonder if Patrick Williams will ever put it together. As I said, I think they should rebuild and get young, but if they keep this core together they will be a 35-38 win team and might be out of the play in conversation.

At 19 I have the Toronto Raptors. This is another team in the same vein as the Bulls. I don't know what their plan is, but I have to think they may be better off rebuilding. Pascal Siakim is the best player on their team. I like Siakim a ton, but take that statement as you will. He is a decent scorer and defender, but he is not much of an outside shooter. And his contract is up after this season. Scottie Barnes is really good. I know he took a step back last season, but he is too talented to be down for long. I hope they let him run the show this season. OG Anunoby may be more of a trade chip than anything else right now. He is a very solid all around player, but I don't get the obsession. Jakob Poeltl got a contract this offseason, but I don't get the appeal of him. He is fine, but not great. Gary Trent Jr is an okay enough bench scorer. Jalen McDaniels was a nice offseason signing. I am not a humongous fan of the Gradey Dick draft pick. I don't have a ton of faith in him. And Dennis Schroeder can bring some veteran leadership, while rankling some people the wrong way. Toronto will be a tough out, and they could push 40 wins, but not many more than that.

At 18, my first playoff team, I have the New Orleans Pelicans. This is purely based on availability with this team. If they are healthy they could be a top 10 team. Unfortunately they are barely ever healthy. Zion Williamson is unguardable. He also looks to be in shape. But how many games will he play? How effective will he be on defense? Can he stay on the floor for 30 minutes a night? There are a lot of questions surrounding him. Brandon Ingram had a tough FIBA and I am curious to see how he performs after that. He is also in a contract year, so I am genuinely curious how he plays. Jonas Valincunas is an okay enough big man, but he is a dinosaur at center. He will bruise you and try to beat you up, but he is going to find it tough to guard the younger faster players. Herb Jones is already hurt. I haven't heard much from Larry Nance Jr this offseason. Trey Murphy may be in for a leap. Jose Alvarado is a very menacing defender, but I wonder if his bit is up. CJ McCollum can still score, but I wonder if he is more concerned with his duties as president of the players union. Then it is a grab bag of players. The Pelicans were in the top 3 after the first quarter of last season, and then injuries ravaged this team. I want them to stay healthy so I can see what they are fully capable of this year.

At 17 I have the Dallas Mavericks. This team is totally different from what they were two seasons ago. They only have one dude, Luka Doncic, from that team that played significant time. Doncic is a good player, I just despise watching him play basketball. He is whiny, a ball stopper and bores me with his methodical play. He is a younger James Harden. Kyrie Irving is a space case. He never seems to have his head fully into basketball. Grant Williams started to miss games last season due to a coach's decision. I think a change of scenery may help, but I also wonder if, when he played, it was due to Boston's system. Seth Curry is back and I have no feelings either way about them signing him. Jaden Hardy should get ample playing time this season. Dereck Lively Jr was a good pick, but he is raw. He needs time. Tim Hardaway Jr, as much as I root for him, has regressed. They signed Dante Exum. He is a very good defender, but he is a ZERO on offense. Omax Prosper has serious potential, as long as he gets on the court. And Maxi Kleber and Dwight Powell will split the center minutes. Whoopdedoo. The Mavericks are an oddly constructed team, but they do have two great backcourt players. I wonder how many wins that will result in though because they play no defense.

The final team for the day, at 16 I have the OKC Thunder. The Thunder may be the most fun team to watch all year long. I have high expectations for them too. They really came on strong last season, and I think they will only build upon that. Shai Gilgeous Alexander is a burgeoning star. He is going to be a perennial MVP candidate. He is such a good point guard and he is only going to get better. Jalen Williams had a real shot at rookie of the year last season and he has looked great in preseason so far. Josh Giddey is getting a little stronger and a little nastier. That is good for him. I'm curious to see how Chet Holmgren does. He is soft, but he did get bigger this offseason. He was kind of worked by Webayama the other night though. Cason Wallace looks really good. They have ambitions to play guys like Tre Mann, Isaish Joeand Lu Dort big minutes. Time will tell on that. But this team has been building through the draft, they have picks for days and they have a very solid core of guys. The Thunder are going to be legit in two to three years. But they will show another step this season.

That is it for today. Comeback tomorrow for the next five teams. 

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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

Ty Ranks the 2023 - 2024 NBA Teams - Aging Rockstars Playing Some of Their New Music Division

Welcome to day two of my NBA countdown leading up to the new season. The teams still aren't great, but they are getting better and the teams today have some players I am excited to watch this upcoming season.

At number 25 I have the Houston Rockets. I don't think any team this offseason went for it harder than the Rockets did. They are clearly trying to do some things to win games and compete right now. That is good. It is also good that they did not give James Harden a max contract. That was the right move. Who they got instead at point guard was Fred VanVleet. They may have given him too much money and he may be past his prime but he brings a veteran leadership this team hasn't had in years. He is going to be an excellent role model for their young core. They also went out and signed Dillon Brooks. They gave him too much money also, and too many years, but he is a solid defender. He also had a good FIBA showing. If he can stay humbled on the court he will give opposing stars headaches. Then we have the young core. Jalen Green has all the tools in the world to be a big time NBA scorer. He just has to give it 100 percent all the time. I think Jabari Smith Jr is going to be a legit all star. He is big, can defend and rebound and his shot is coming along. Tari Eason is dope. That kid can really play and he brings massive energy. I like the Amen Thompson pick. He was the better twin and he could flourish with a big role. Alperen Sengun is a wizard with the ball, but a total zero on defense. Cam Whitmore fell to them in the draft and he could play the role of the revenge rookie. They also acquired Jeff Green in a trade and he wins almost everywhere he goes. The Rockets will be better this year, but they are not a playoff team yet. Hell, they aren't even a play in team yet. But they are making some interesting moves.

At number 24 I have the Indiana Pacers. I really like what this team is becoming. They have some really good and young talent. They have a solid coach. And they made some excellent moves in the offseason. Tyrese Haliburton is awesome. He is an all star. He was one of the better FIBA players for the US. He can pass with the best of them and his shooting gets better every year. Myles Turner is still here and they gave him an extension. He is still one of the better rim defenders in the league. He can also stretch the floor. Ben Mathurin had a solid rookie year. I expect him to be their sixth man and feast on opposing second team defenses. I love the Bruce Brown signing. The season will tell if he is ready for a bigger role, but that guy has only gotten better every year he has been in the league. I love them acquiring Obi Toppin. He is going to thrive with additional playing time. Drafting Jarace Walker looks like a home run for their defense. TJ McConnell is a solid backup point guard. Andrew Nembhard had some big moments last season and will build on that. Jalen Smith and Aaron Nesmith continue to be decent second team options. And I love that they signed Oscar Tshiebewe as an undrafted rookie. He is going to be a rebounding beast. The Pacers could threaten for a play in spot this year. And next year they should slide into being a solid playoff lock.

At 23 I have the Utah Jazz. Who could have foreseen this team playing as well as they did last season? Not me. And they could be better this year. Lauri Markkanen had a career year last season and looks like the real deal. I was wrong about him. Jordan Clarkson became a better passer last year while keeping up his scoring pace. Walker Kessler had a very good rookie year and looks like a possible lock down center on defense. Collin Sexton got out of Cleveland and looked good in the minutes he got last year. Ochai Agbaji is going to play a bigger role this year and I am curious to see how he does. Keyonte George looks like a very good incoming rookie. They traded for John Collins and he sounds like he wants to wreck the league this year. Kris Dunn is around, and he is as good a perimeter defender as there is in the league. The Jazz are a good team that may fight for a playoff or play in spot. If they were in the East I might pick them to make it. But they are in the West and the West is loaded.

At 22 I have the Brooklyn Nets. The Nets actually did a good job in the Kyrie, KD and James Harden aftermath. They recouped quite well. The prize of that trade was Mikail Bridges, and he is awesome. He blew up last season. He was excellent in FIBA. He seems to like being the first option. Bridges is great. Cam Johnson got a big deal and he seems to enjoy playing in Brooklyn. He has an edge to his game now that I really like as well. I have zero faith in Ben Simmons. I'm over all of the offseason stuff with him. Cam Thomas is a great bench scorer and nothing else. Nic Claxton is a good pick and roll and defense first guy, but he cannot shoot. I like the addition of Lonnie Walker IV. He had a good year last year and could be better with more minutes. Dennis Smith Jr had a great comeback year in Charlotte and the Nets are going to give him another shot. Dorian Finney-Smith can defend, but he hasn't been able to recreate his success from two years ago. The Nets are a weird team with one player, Bridges, that I love. But they will not be as good as they were last season.

The final team for the day, a team I really thought hard about putting into my playoff mix, at 21 I have the Orlando Magic. This team is ready to take a leap and become a true playoff threat. I just think it may take one more season. Paolo Banchero is legit. The kid has all the tools to be the number one option and a perennial all star. He got better as the year went along and he is going to be a star in this league. Franz Wagner is their jack of all trades. He can do a little of everything really well. He was a steal for them in the draft. Markelle Fultz has reignited his career. He is never going to be the star some thought, but he is a solid point guard in the NBA. Anthony Black may be their point guard of the future. He looked excellent in summer league. Cole Antony can also play. He has been a solid starter for the past two years. Jalen Suggs can't shoot, but he can defend. Jett Howard will bring bench scoring. Wendell Carter Jr has been a great big man for them and looks like he could make another leap. Chuma Okeke can play too. The Magic have a good, young team that will win more games than some think. They are going to make a playoff push and may even win a play in game. I love what they are doing over there. They have a decent team.

That is it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next five teams. 

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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

Ty Ranks the 2023 - 2024 NBA Teams - Opening Band at the Local Dive Bar Division

The NBA season is right around the corner, so that means I am here to rank the teams from worst to best, in my own opinion. This is based on my knowledge of the game and how the teams changed in the offseason. When I did my initial rankings I found it kind of tough. The NBA has some really good teams, and even the teams that aren't very good, they have a bunch of fun players that I cannot wait to watch. I'll do five teams a day and finish up with a prediction blog. Without further ado, let's get started.

At 30 I have the Washington Wizards. They are finally going into full rebuild mode. It is about time. They let Bradley Beal go. They let Kristaps Porzingis go. They gave Kyle Kuzma money to keep the new core young. And they traded for Jordan Poole. Poole will score a lot and do not much else. Kyle Kuzma will have solid games from time to time, but counting on him to be one of your top players seems odd. Tyus Jones was a great pickup in a trade, but I would bet money that he will be on a contender really soon. I love the Bilal Coulibaly pick. He looks like he could be a steal. Deni Avdija is there and plays solid defense, but is a zero on offense. Then there is a major fall off. Johnny Davis hasn't figured it out. Landry Shamet keeps getting traded. Corey Kispert is a wash. Taj Gibson is still here. It is a real mishmash. But, I like that they are finally embracing a rebuild. Jordan Poole will score a ton, but this team will not win many games.

At number 29 I have the Detroit Pistons. I don't know how to gauge this team. They have some really good players, but those players are super young and wildly unproven. They cannot stay healthy either. If they get these guys on the court and some pop, they could be better than this. Cade Cunningham is awesome, when he plays. The dude can shoot and has a very high passing IQ. He is even a solid defender. He just has to stay on the court. Jaden Ivey is fast and looked like he was figuring it out near the end of last season. He is like a young Russell Westbrook. Jalen Duren is big and imposing. He is also only 20 years old right now. I love the Ausar Thompson pick. That kid looks legit. They took a flyer on James Wiseman, and maybe playing with no pressure will wake him up, a la Markelle Fultz. Bojan Bogdanovic is a great shooter and a hot trade asset. Joe Harris is here somehow. Isaiah Stewart is imposing, but not much else. Isaiah Livers has moments. And Marvin Bagley got paid and may get to show some stuff this season. But the team is too inexperienced and doesn't have any kind of continuity yet. Time will tell, but I don't think they have it figured out yet. Maybe in two or three years.

At 28 I have the San Antonio Spurs. I love what this team has done. They struck gold in the last lottery. They got Greg Poppovich to sign an extension and they can do a whole lot of stuff in the trade market if they choose. But this team is so very young and they will need a few years to be a perennial playoff team again. Victor Webayama is the future here. He was the lottery win. He is long, lean and blocks so many shots. He will put on weight and get tougher. But he is already a demon on defense, can rebound and he will stretch the floor. Just give him time. Keldon Johnson is a very good, very little known player. He is a perfect Spur. Jeremy Sochan is one of my new favorite players. This kid does all the dirty work and seems to enjoy it. He is a blast to watch. Malaki Branham is going to become a better known name this year. That was a steal in last year's draft. Devin Vassell just got paid and is their best, most pure scorer on the roster. Tre Jones is a serviceable point guard. Then they went out and acquired Reggie Bullock. They still have Zach Collins. Doug McDermott is still around. The Spurs have guys, too many right now. But this team is all about the youth. They will have growing pains, but this team is on the rise. Just not yet.

At number 27 I have the Portland Trailblazers. This team is rebuilding much like the Wizards, they just have better players. Scoot Henderson is the real deal. That kid is going to be amazing from day 1. I think he has a real shot to average 20 plus points a game, and win rookie of the year. Shadeon Sharpe is good as well. He has so much bounce, can rebound and his shot is improving. I love watching Sharpe play. Anfernee Simons is going to score a ton. He is the vet on this team and I think he will like the constant green light to shoot. Jerami Grant is around too, and he is going to really feed off the players on the roster now. I love that they got Deandre Ayton and Rob Williams in recent trades. Those two will make for a nice front court, with major health and will issues. I like both dudes, but Ayton isn't always engaged and Williams is constantly hurt. They have other vets like Malcom Brogdon and Matisse Thybulle, who are okay. And then they got this Toumani Camara rookie in a trade and people seem to love him. The Blazers will not win a ton, but they will be one of the most fun teams to watch all year. They should have massive highlights all year long.

The final team for the day, at 26 I have the Charlotte Hornets. LaMelo Ball is their dude. He looks good right now, but he still has a funky shot and cannot stay on the floor. He is so much fun to watch play, when he plays. He has kind of regressed into a ball hog a bit, but maybe that will change this season. Brandon Miller looks like a very good pick, but his fit is weird here. He will start because he is very talented, but I don't know how much he will help the team win. PJ Washington is around for a bit longer, and while he is solid, he doesn't get enough touches to tip the scale. Terry Rozier can score a lot if given enough shots, but he will do nothing else. After those guys the roster is bleak. Nick Richard is an okay backup center, but he might have to start here. Mark Williams is too raw. James Bouknight has never been solid enough to garner big minutes. Cody Martin is the second best Martin in his family. JT Thor, while having a dope name, is not the best big man in the league. The Hornets are not a very good basketball team. They have a star in LaMelo Ball, but he is not the massive, massive star they hoped they were getting. This team has some pieces to figure out on the roster. Maybe they will address some of that in next year's draft.

That is it for today. Come back tomorrow for the next five teams. 

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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

I am Not Very Pleased with Aaron Rodgers

I want to start this blog off by apologizing to my folks, but I want to say this loudly so that dickhead can hear me, FUUUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCCK Aaron Rodgers.

This dude is becoming more irrelevant by the second. He makes a stink to get traded to the Jets this offseason and gets his way. He wants to be on tv and HBO does "Hard Knocks" with the Jets right as he is being traded. He gets to be on the first Monday night football game of the season and runs out with the flag. He then proceeds to rupture his Achilles four plays in and is out of the season. So long

Not to be outdone, when the Jets played the Chiefs the other night, Rodgers made sure he was on the sideline and even threw a pass, just to get his dumbass face on the tv. But what he did after that game, going on yet another podcast to show how desperate he is, was totally uncalled for and shows how out of touch and pointless he is now. To go on whatever pod he went on, and then call Travis Kelce, "Mr Pfizer", as if that is an insult, and then to dig himself further in a hole, he made claims that his Achilles is healing at a rapid pace.

This dude just needs to stop. He has got to stop opening his mouth because every time he does he says something stupid and makes himself look worse. Rodgers is a grade A moron. He is the worst of the conspiracy theorists and the people who say they are "doing their own research". Why go after Travis Kelce? I don't get it. Is Rodgers trying to upset the Swifties, because that would be an epic mistake on his part. He would get obliterated by her fans. And who cares if Kelce wants to get vaxxed? For one, it is smart and courteous. For two, he is protecting himself and those around him. For three, FUUUUUUUUCCCCCCCK you Aaron Rodgers. Let Travis Kelce live his life man. There is no need for you to go on a podcast and try to make Kelce look bad.

The only people who agree with Aaron Rodgers are dangerous, dumb people. He seems to think he is some kind of deity to these people. And if he is, that is a very frightening thing. Rodgers spews nothing but falsehoods and misinformation. People please, do not listen to the nonsense coming out of his mouth. And then to claim he is healing at some kind of rapid pace, okay dipshit. I'd love to see him come back too soon and blow his achilles out again. I know it may not be the best thing to wish ill will on someone I don't know, but Aaron Rodgers hasn't earned respect. He is a total butthead who thinks he can come back from a horrific injury faster than any human ever? Okay dude. Come back and see what happens when a linebacker comes at your legs. Come back and see what a d lineman who has free reign to wreck you does. Come back and try and make a cut off that injured leg. You may rupture the achilles fully out of your body. Then what kind of nonsense would Aaron Rodgers spew then? What kind of dumb shit would he say on his next podcast appearance? How would he spin it then?

Aaron Rodgers is a crazy person who is dangerous to society. Kids look up to this dude and he goes out and says some wild stuff that they may take as truth. He has got to stop, and unfortunately for him, getting injured badly enough to force him to retire may be what is best. But that won't stop him from going on podcasts, and that may be even worse.

Don't take anything that Aaron Rodgers says seriously at all. He is an idiot who just spews constant nonsense. Aaron Rodgers is a total idiot. 

Ty

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

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Ty Predicts the 2023 MLB Postseason

The MLB playoffs are upon us. I'm still not as into baseball as I was when I was a kid, but it is more fun with some cool players I enjoy watching now. I'm going to give it my best shot today and do a postseason preview. Again, take this with a tremendous grain of salt. Here goes nothing.

I'll start with the AL. The Orioles are the number 1 seed, which totally shocked me. I didn't realize they were good again. Good for them regardless. The number 2 seed is the cheating ass Houston Astros. I know that was awhile back, but come on, that is hard to forget. From there the 3-6 match up features the the Twins facing the Blue Jays. I'd love to pick the Twins here. I have family that lives in Minnesota and they are Twins fans. But the Twins always facepalm in the playoffs, and they have the worst record of the division winners. The Blue Jays also have a very good and fun team. They hit a lot and have some solid pitching. They have enough to beat the Twins in round one. The 4-5 features Tampa Bay and Texas. I don't know much about these teams. I know the Rays lost a key player because he is a monster. I know the Rangers traded for Max Scherzer, but he is hurt. I know Texas hits a lot of home runs. I know the Rays play old school manufacturing baseball. I'm going to go with the Rays as they have been pretty consistent all season long. The Rangers had too many ups and downs all year. So that would give us the Blue Jays facing the Astros and the Rays facing the Orioles. This is where it gets tough for me. I'd love to see the Blue Jays beat the Astros. I like the Blue Jays. I am a fan of Vlad Guerrero Jr. I like the way they play the game. But the Astros are a better team. They have better pitching and more overall talent. They are also way more experienced. As much as it stinks, I have the Astros winning this series. I do believe we will get some kind of redemption in the other series. It is not like the Orioles are underdogs, but they still have that feel about them. But they are a very good baseball team. They have the skills to go all the way. They could do some real damage. They are better than the Rays. I think they could sweep. That gives me Orioles-Astros in the ALCS. This feels very much like the previous round for me. I'd love to see the Orioles win and go to the World Series. It would be way more fun. But the Astros are better and the experience is going to be critical here. They will have no fear and I think the Orioles will play tight. I have the Astros returning to the World Series.

Now to the NL. The Braves are the best team in baseball and they are the 1 seed. The Dodgers are right behind them at the 2. In the 3-6 we have The Brewers facing the Diamondbacks. I didn't know the D'Backs were good again. They were World Series winning good when I was in college. But they haven't been relevant in awhile. Good for them for getting back to the postseason. The Brewers I saw a lot of this season. And they look very solid. They don't wow you when you watch them play, but this team wins a ton of games. They also happen to be my dad's favorite team, so I will stick up for them here. I do believe they will beat the D'Backs in round 1. The 4-5 is going to be the most fun match up in the playoffs. We have the Marlins and Phillies. The Phillies were in the World Series last season. The Marlins are young, fun and playing with house money. Both teams can hit and both teams have pretty solid number 1 starters. This is going to be a fun series to check in on. Do to the fact that the Marlins are playing with house money, and because when they get in the playoffs they seem to do something crazy, I have them winning this series. The Marlins reward will be facing the Braves. The Braves will roll them. They are about as complete a team can be in MLB. They literally have it all. They will coast. The Brewers will face the Dodgers, and while I think the Brewers will be able to hang around, the Dodgers are too loaded and too deep. They are almost as good as the Braves. The Dodgers should be able to dispose of the Brewers in five, maybe six games. That gives me the Dodgers and Braves in the NLCS. The Braves will win this series in rather resounding fashion. They are a better team with better players and Ronald Acuna Jr is so damn good at this game. I think the Braves are good enough to sweep the Dodgers, which will makes the Dodgers fans incredibly upset.

That means I have the Astros and Braves facing off in the World Series. This is going to feel like some kind of excellent karma for the cheating ass Astros. The Braves are going to throttle their punk asses. I'd not only love to see the Braves sweep them, but to win every game by seven or eight runs. I want them to utterly embarass the Astros. I want the Braves to show no mercy. While they won't do that, I do think the Braves will win it all this season and they will only need five games, maybe six to do it. The Braves will win the 2023 World Series and Ronald Acuna Jr is going to win the MVP. They are legit. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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