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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram.

James Harden Continues to Be James Harden

Surprise, surprise, James Harden has requested another trade. I’m foolish because I thought he would return to the 76ers and give it a real shot. I thought him and Joel Embiid worked well together. I know they each like to have the ball in their hands, but Harden is a productive passer when he knows he can accumulate assists, and Embiid is almost as automatic as it gets with the ball in his hands. But, much like his exits in OKC, Houston and Brooklyn, Harden is “extremely upset” with how the 76ers handled his impending free agency.

Look, I understand he’s a former MVP. I get he’s an all timer offensive player in the league. I understand his value as a premiere point guard. But at what point is this on him? I’m just saying, every stop has come with him complaining, the team trying to surround him with talent and the team, and Harden, playing poorly when the lights are the brightest. OKC was a Finals team with him coming off the bench. He didn’t like that role and asked out. The Thunder were still a legit contender when he left. Sure, Houston got better, and he achieved wonderful personal accolades. How many titles did the Rockets win with him as their star? Or, how did he do in close out playoff games? He shrunk, the team never won and he griped. The Rockets went out and traded for guys like Chris Paul and Russell Westbrook, guys Harden wanted to play with, and they still never got to the Finals. And when the Rockets were ready to reset, he played poorly, or not at all, until he was granted a trade to Brooklyn. He was reunited with Kevin Durant. He got to okay with Kyrie Irving. They looked incredible when they were all healthy. But they never stuck together, the pandemic happened and now all three are gone. Harden was solid when he played, but he was hurt more often than not. And with Irving being nuts and KD consistently hurt, Harden didn’t enjoy having the burden of running the whole offense. He cried his way to Philly. And then he said all the same stuff when he was traded to Brooklyn. He was going to stay, he wanted to win, he wanted to play with a great center. It was all roses. Then he had one of the oddest playoff performances I’ve ever seen this past playoff. He’d be great for a game, but then bad for two or three. It never coalesced. Embiid wasn’t exceptional, but he was hurt and he was carrying the load. Harden was along for the ride.

Now he wants out again. It seems like he wants to go to the Clippers. Kawhi Leonard and Paul George say they are onboard with adding Harden. Trading for him will mean parting with some ping guys, namely Terrance Mann. That will hurt the Clippers. But Harden wants this, Daryl Morey will try to fleece the Clippers and Harden will now be teammates with two other great players, albeit often injured players. If this trade goes down this will be the sixth and seventh upper echelon, possible hall of fame players that Harden would be paired with. I don’t think it will work, but I’m most curious to see how long it takes Harden to make an excuse and ask out yet again, maybe to go play with a young up and coming superstar. That seems to be his MO. At some point I’d hope he’d look in the mirror and see he is the one constant in all this. I doubt that will ever happen though.

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.

Is James Harden Worth Everything the Nets Gave Up?

I wrote about the best fit for James Harden yesterday, and like it was supposed to happen that way, he was traded right as I was finishing up my piece. I swear. Brooklyn was the best fit, I still believe that, and I did not write that after the trade. Since the trade is official now, the Nets announced it today, I do want to break it down, and why I personally do not think it will end in a title, or even a Finals appearance for Brooklyn.

This trade was involved. It was a three team deal, and the Nets gave up a ton of depth, and pretty much their future. I get that Harden is worth a lot, and he is a perennial MVP candidate, and he is one of the greatest scorers of all time, but the Nets gave up way, way too much. They offloaded Taurean Prince, Jarrett Allen, and the biggest piece in my opinion, Caris Levert. They also gave up, I believe, seven picks and pick swaps. They gave up a whole, whole lot to get a third star. Levert was later traded to the Pacers for Victor Oladipo, and Jarrett Allen ended up on the Cavs. I think, if I look at the trade as a whole, the Pacers probably got the best of the deal, getting a younger Oladipo. And the Cavs, I mean, they maybe have every center in the league on their roster, but getting Jarrett Allen is a big deal. He brings great rim protection, and he is young. The Cavs could be a threat in two to three years if they keep this young core together. The Rockets came out fine. I mean, they got Oladipo but he is on the last year of his deal. He has been awesome this season, and if he can keep it up, and John Wall stays relatively healthy, they could find themselves in the play in. They also have a treasure trove of picks. I feel like the Thunder, Pelicans and now the Rockets own the draft until 2026. This move may not have gotten the Rockets the "star" they coveted, but they got Oladipo, and all those picks I mentioned. They veered from the star chasing into more of a make this trade for the future of the franchise. They have endless options for trades, or just drafting some of the top prospects now.

Now to the big fish move, the name that everyone was talking about, the Nets added James Harden. I already mentioned who they gave up, but they still have a decent roster. You have Harden at the 2 now, Kyrie Irving at the 1, if he ever decides to come back, Joe Harris at the 3, KD, who is as good as ever, at the 4 and Deandre Jordan at the 5. This is a solid lineup. I do not know about the depth, but I am sure they have three guys that are real NBA players on that bench.

Here is where it gets tricky for me. This offense is going to be dynamic, especially when/if Kyrie comes back. They could put up 150 a night with ease. I'm serious. You have three guys capable of going for 40 any night. But, they do not have a very good defense. Deandre Jordan has been bad this year, full stop. He got flat out benched the other night. It was a DNP- Coach's Decision. He is not the same guy he was in LA or with the Knicks. He just doesn't have it anymore. We all know about Harden on defense. He chooses to forget that end of the floor. He puts in no effort at all. He is a zero on defense. His offense makes up for it, but man is he bad on defense. He is also very out of shape at the moment, and has looked disinterested in basketball. Maybe a change of scenery changes that, but it doesn’t get him in NBA shape. That is on him. KD is very good defensively, but he is going to be asked to do so much more, and he is going to be stretched very, very thin. Steve Nash and crew are going to need him to do everything. It may be a bit much. Joe Harris is fine, but I would much rather have Levert. Harris is a better 3 point shooter, but Levert is a better creator, and he is a longer defender. He can also guard multiple positions. And Kyrie, it all depends on where his head is at. Even when he plays, he isn't great on D, unless he is committed. Right now, he seems committed to every except basketball. And that is fine. I'm all for him doing whatever makes him happy. But this team just took a major hit on D. I said they could average 150 a night, and they may need too. Teams are going to score at will. Big men in the East, like Embiid, Giannis and Bam Adebayo are going to feast on Deandre Jordan. Opposing backcourts are going to pretty much get where they want on the floor. KD is the only guy I see on that roster that would give me a pause when game planning offensively against the Nets. I'm also concerned about the ball movement. Is the ball really going to fly around? How many touches will Harris and Jordan get? Are they going to become forgotten teammates? I think it's possible. I'm also concerned with how Harden has played the game since he has been in Houston. I do not know that he can just adjust to not being "the guy" in an offense when that has been his identity for almost a decade now. He is not the best player on this team. Not even close. That is KD. And KD I do not worry about. He is so adjustable and smooth and can do everything. He is a master of the game, and I think he will be fine. And finally we have Kyrie. How will he work with Harden? We barely know how he does with KD because they have barely played together. Harden is another dominant personality, and he is a better offensive player than Kyrie. I also think Kyrie is going to be frustrated playing with these other two because he is the third option now. The whole reason he wanted out of Cleveland and Boston was so he could be the guy. Well, he is definitely not the guy right, or second guy, right now with the Nets. I'll be very curious how he meshes with KD and Harden, if he does come back and play this season.

All in all, Harden got what he wanted, but I do not think it spells a title for them. They will still have to go through the Bucks, 76ers, Heat and Celtics in the East. And if they are able to do that, they will have either the Lakers, Clippers, Nuggets or some other West powerhouse team. The Nets got a star, they got better offensively, but they sacrificed far too much, and they got exponentially worse on defense. I'm excited to see them play, but I do not think they are a serious threat to win the title this year, or even next year.

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.

The Nets are James Harden's Only Good Option

Editor’s note: Minutes after Ty submitted his article, James Harden was traded to the Brooklyn Nets. Ty will have thoughts on the trade tomorrow.

James Harden did pretty much everything he could last night to get what he wants.

Harden wants out of Houston, he wants to go to the 76ers or the Nets and he made that abundantly clear in his post game press conference. He even ended it by saying he did everything he could for the team, and then he just left. This press conference was pretty loaded. Let’s discuss.

First off, "everything he could" for that team? He led them to the West Finals once (although Chris Paul was much more integral to that team), and he blew it. He played horribly against the Spurs when they were without Kawhi in a game 6 that ended Houston's season. He had great regular seasons and terrible postseasons. I mean, if that was "everything he could" do, Houston should have no problem, or no qualms, trading him. He did not get to the Finals, he won one MVP, he consistently demanded trades for stars, who he then immediately clashed with, and he does not know how to play true basketball anymore. Don't get me wrong, Harden is an all time great scorer. I won't say player, but as far as scoring goes, he revolutionized the game. But he is no fun to watch, and I would hate playing with him, as did Dwight Howard, Chris Paul, Russell Westbrook and now John Wall and Boogie Cousins.

Harden also seems selfish. He always wants the ball, wants things his way and if he doesn't like what is going on, he will just refuse, or do things that make it nearly impossible to keep him. I thought Houston would do a lot to keep him, and he even started out playing okay basketball. But this past week he has fallen way off, and he looks disinterested. Quite frankly, even if I were a contending team that needed a scorer, I would not actively pursue Harden. The asking price is far too much, he doesn't play defense, he has had the past six years plus playing the exact way he wants to, and I would not expect him to re-sign with my team in the next two years. Whatever team trades for him, and it may happen today, is going to pay a steep price, and I think they will regret it sooner rather than later.

The four teams that have been kicked around are the Raptors, Celtics, 76ers and Nets. Lets just wipe the Celtics and Raptors off that list. Their GM's are too smart, they won't give up young up and coming stars and they will not trade a massive amount of picks for him. I would also not want to pair Harden with either Jayson Tatum or Pascal Siakim. That would just diminish all their personal gains as top options. The 76ers is an interesting exercise, but I would not want them to do that to Joel Embiid. Embiid is playing some of the best basketball of his life right now. Simmons is doing what he does best, Danny Green and Seth Curry, along with Tyrese Maxey are providing the shooting they need and Doc Rivers has this team looking solid. I don't think I'd want to mess with that right now. The 76ers, maybe, just maybe, have found out what type of team they want to be, and they seem to be maximizing that. I also would not trade Simmons, who is, I believe, eight years younger than Harden. He has way more potential, and I would not want anything to happen to my man Joel Embiid. The 76ers should stand pat in my opinion.

This leaves us with the Nets. The Nets have two stars, Kyrie and KD, but who in the world knows what is going on with Kyrie right now. Hell, I don't think Stephen A Smith was out of bounds in saying he should retire. Kyrie has other interests, and he is clearly politically active, maybe he should go do that for a while. He may find he loves that. He doesn't need basketball in his life anymore, at least that is how it seems to me. But KD is back, and he has looked pretty good. He is looking more and more like himself. He is as dangerous as ever on offense, and his defense is getting back up to speed. I watched a little of the Nets-Nuggets game last night because I have not seen KD play yet this year, and he did look good. I also like the other guys the Nets have. Joe Harris is a solid 3 and D player. Both Jarrett Allen and Deandre Jordan have been solid pick and roll guys, and Allen is a dominant rim protector. Caris Levert has been feasting on second units, and he is a third shot creator, which is great for this team. Taurean Prince seems to be doing a little better. So, if I were the Nets, would I risk my future, hell they may have to mortgage it, just to have Harden for two years?

This is where I balk a little. Harden has played with KD, but that was a lifetime ago. They are two totally different players now. What if Kyrie wants to come back? Who runs point then? Would this relegate a guy like Levert or Prince to miniscule minutes? Would Harden be willing to change his style of play? There are a ton of questions, but Harden is an all time great scorer. You don't just hang up the phone if the Rockets come calling, But I think there are just far, far too many questions. Also, do the Nets want to do almost the exact same thing they did when they traded for KG and Paul Pierce? Are they willing to be really good for 2-3 years, then have to rebuild all over again?

I just don't know. I do not know that I would trade that much just to get a disgruntled James Harden. I guess time will tell. Maybe we will have an answer soon.

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.

Time For Another Idiotic, Semi-Racist, Take from Bill Simmons

Since I am in a crummy mood this week I do want to thank RD for telling me to check out Twitter the other night. He told me this after the Big 10 canceled their fall sports, and said to search for Bill Simmons. Oh boy.

It is no secret that I am not a fan of Simmons. I was, but then I grew up, realized he is a mediocre, front running writer and now I have come to realize that he is too, albeit not on the surface to some, a racist. This isn't a new development either. Noam Scheiber of New York Times wrote a great piece awhile back detailing not only his racism at ESPN, Grantland and now The Ringer, but he also pointed out his sexism and his want to be famous and how that makes him treat others as if they are beneath him. I know he read this, and the replies, even though he claims he never does because since that piece, all of the sudden, The Ringer podcasting network had shows that featured writers that are not white that are on staff. It was way, way too heavy handed the way he did this too. I listen, or used to listen, to a good amount of the shows on The Ringer, and all of the sudden guys like Tyler Tines and Van Lathan and Larry Wilmore just started "randomly" popping up as guests, or with their own shows. It was a bit much.

Yet, as he is want to do, Simmons was talking on his pod, again I don't listen anymore, and I guess he had made a statement with another white guy that works there, Ryen Rusillo, comparing Luka Doncic's assists to James Harden's. RD told me this, and I didn't think it would be much. I was reeling, upset about college football, just kind of mopey. But I went on Twitter, just to see what the hubbub was all about, and man oh man was this a very, very underhanded racist comment made by Simmons. He said, "Luka's assists are like Bird's- they're not cheap assists... like the James Harden type of assists".

Let that sink in for a minute. He is saying that a white point guard, who he is comparing to another white player, has better assists than a black man that has revolutionized the way offense is played in the NBA. Also, how is any assist cheap I ask? They all do the same thing. They all lead to a bucket. It doesn't have to be fancy or whipped around the perimeter or anything. An assist is an assist is an assist. Harden, Doncic, LeBron, KD, Russ, all of their assists are the same, at least to me. It's not like these guys are hunting assists. I am not a Harden guy too. He is a great, great offensive player, I just find his brand of basketball boring. But his assists are just as important or special as anyone else's in the league. His lobs are also very useful because he gets teams to collapse on him, leaving the dunker wide open. He is such a threat from the outside, that when he up fakes from three, he usually has two or more guys open, leaving them with wide open looks. If anything, Harden's assists are the opposite of cheap. He is getting guys the cleanest looks they will ever find in the NBA. And Doncic is a great player too, but he is not on Harden's level yet. Doncic is a fine young player, one of the better players in the league, but guys like Bill Simmons, and the majority of the staff at The Ringer are so horny for a white savior in the NBA.

Simmons has made the Ringer in his racist image. The majority of his hires are writers who have, at one time, worked for him already or for the Celtics. That's why they all loved the Gordon Hayward signing when it happened, loved the Brad Stevens hire, but bristle when Marcus Smart calls someone out, or when Jaylen Brown goes on TV and talks eloquently about systemic racism. People like Simmons don't want to see that because he grew up watching a player whose nickname was "The Hick from French Lick". And Larry Bird was great, one of the best. I'm not calling him out, I'm calling out Boston fans that opine for the days when he was the star of the team. For Simmons to say this, and to take the side of Doncic, to call Harden's assists "cheap", it is lazy and hackey and he is trying so hard to be cool. Simmons is no better than anyone that works at Barstool Sports, a horrendously awful website, he just has the ESPN recognition to his name. I have to assume there has always been an underlying racism within Simmons, and now that he is older, it is starting to rear its head. He is trying to be a hip guy, but he comes off as a wannabe and a dork. He makes these grand declarations, and then tries to backtrack immediately.

Simmons is a phony, a hack, the type of guy that reminisces of his high school days, and now, a blatant racist. Since I read this quote and did some more research, I have unsubscribed from anything and everything involving his company. I don't want anything to do with him, or the myriad of white men he tends to hire time and time again. I'm not sure my unsubscribing will do much, but hey, if half the people who read this do the same, maybe we can make Bill Simmons admit he is a racist, misogynistic dickhead one day, and he will get his comeuppance. Here's hoping.

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.  

Why Are the Houston Rockets Wasting Everyone's Time?

This whole thing going on in Houston with the Rockets and filing a grievance for a game they got beat in for a missed call on a dunk is one of the wilder things I have ever seen in my NBA watching life.

For those that may not know, James Harden went up for a fast break dunk with about 8 minutes left in the fourth quarter in a game they were currently leading by 13 points, he dunked it pretty hard and the ball flipped out of the top of the hoop. I have never seen anything like this before, and I was blown away that the refs said it was no basket. The ball went through the net, meaning it should have counted, and it whipped through the net up and out. Still, it went through, it should have been a basket. But, this is no different to me than when the refs miss a travel, or a foul or any nominal type call. It happens. Refs are human, and they make mistakes. But, the Rockets went on to blow that lead, and the Spurs won in double overtime. And somehow, well after the game, the Rockets decided that this one miss was the sole reason they got beat.

I mean, come the hell on with that nonsense. Sure, the game was close. I believe the Spurs won by a very slim margin, and one basket may have sent the game to a third overtime, but still, what is this nonsense all about? Why all the whining? Why all the bitching and moaning and filing a grievance? Is this one game, in the first quarter of the season, really going to screw up Houston's shot at a 3 or 4 seed. The facts are simple, the refs missed a call, but the Rockets blew the game. That call was not the deciding factor.

I feel like a lot of this stems from James Harden and Mike D'Antoni. They always have this air about them where they feel like they've been disrespected or screwed by some outside factor. The Rockets are an elite offensive team and a mediocre defensive team. That is D'antoni's MO, and that is how Harden plays. Defense is a nuisance that gets in the way of Harden pounding the ball for 20 seconds and shooting a three or drawing a foul. In this particular game, the defense let them down. I say again, they had a 13 point lead in the middle of the fourth quarter against a team that isn't very good right now. So, for the team, and the higher ups in that organization to think that filing this grievance, and either being gifted a win, or replaying the final 8 minutes, was a good idea, it is not. This is a waste of everyone not involved with the Rockets organization. The people who work for the NBA, the refs, the Spurs, all the fans that were there, will have to comb through pointless footage and have unnecessary meetings and be called out of the blue just because a ref blew a call and cost James Harden 2 points. I mean, that is absurd.

The Rockets, as they currently sit, are starting to remind me every single day of the "Lob City" Clippers. They are an entitled bunch of assholes that haven't won anything of importance. They are chokers. They are highlight chasers. They are ball hogs. They don't play defense. They aren't properly coached come playoff time. They are overrated as hell. I used to like James Harden, now I cannot stand to watch him play. He slows the game down to a grind. The dude is an incredible scorer, and does things I didn't even know were possible, but he is a drag to watch. Russell Westbrook is not near the lightening rod he was in OKC. He is being as misused as Chris Paul was, and he isn't half the defender Paul still is. PJ Tucker is about the only guy that tries on defense, but he uses all of his energy on that end because no one else does. Capela has completely fallen off. He was ascending big time 2 years ago, and now, he is no more than a screener and rebounder. Eric Gordon is hurt. Ben McLemore is playing big minutes. And Mike D'Antoni is a very, very, VERY poor man's version of Phil Jackson when it comes to hounding refs. The Rockets are the new "Lob City" Clippers, minus the high flying dunks, and I don't mean that as a compliment. And this latest stupidity just adds more fuel to people like me who think that they are an absolutely ridiculous franchise.

A team that would complain about a meaningless game in December clearly doesn't have the fortitude to care about the games in June, you know, the ones that matter. This is so pointless and dumb and whiny and will resolve nothing. It is an absolute waste of everyone's time.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Bad Basketball Bloggers and their Bad Russell Westbrook Takes

I written a good amount about Russell Westbrook recently. After the Paul George trade I talked about how, if he wanted out of OKC, they should let him go. Then, I wrote about the stunning trade to Houston the following Monday, and how much I disagreed with it, and how I do not think it will work out. I still do not think it will work, both Westbrook and Harden are so ball dominant, but I am sick and tired of the slander that is always thrown Westbrook's way.

This all comes about because I was listening to "The Mismatch" on The Ringer Podcast today. This is one of my favorite pods because I enjoy Chris Vernon. He is fun, has a good time, is right around my age and I usually agree with his takes. But, it is getting harder and harder for me to continue to listen to because of the other host, Kevin O'Connor. O'Connor is the prototypical "blog boy" for the modern NBA. All he cares about is analytics and drafting based on projected talent. He said on the show that I listened to today that Brandon Clarke slipped in the draft because he was "old". Clarke is 22 years old. That whole draft for projection thing is so stupid, and so is tanking, but that seems to be, when it comes to the draft, all that O'Connor cares about. And he did go on to say that he thought that Clarke was the steal of the draft, but I cannot get over him calling Clarke old. That is asinine.

When they got off the Summer League stuff, Vernon transitioned into the Westbrook trade. Vernon is a big time believer in Westbrook just like I am. He defends Westbrook and gives him all the accolades he has earned. But, whenever O'Connor talked about him, all he would say is "he is the worst elite point guard", and "he has easily fixable mistakes, if he would just put in the time to fix them".

First of all, I have never seen Kevin O'Connor play basketball. But, if I had to guess, the dude is a scrub. You can watch, and write and read all you want about the game, it does not make you a player. So, for a blogger to call out Westbrook's game, get the hell out of here. Westbrook is so much better than any single player that is on his beloved Boston Celtics team. I feel like he would kill to have a player as good as Westbrook in Boston right now. But, what makes his takes even worse, his takes that put him on a Skip Bayless, Colin Cowherd level, is how hard he goes to bat for Harden. James Harden is an elite, elite scorer. He is one of the best. No doubt about that. But, if you want to talk about easy to fix mistakes, Harden is a horrendous defender, he is a ball stopper and he is usually out of shape. Just because he scores 40 points on 30 shots, that doesn't make him the best player in the league. But the way O'Connor talks about him, you'd think he was the greatest ever. And what was so hilarious to me today, Vernon pulled up their playoff stats, because O'Connor inevitably went there with Westbrook, and they are nearly identical between the 2 guys. They both have nearly the same shooting percentage. They both have similar assists numbers. Westbrook is a far superior rebounder. And, they both have went exactly the same distance in the playoffs. They have both reached the Finals, when they were on OKC. Since Harden was traded, each have been to a conference finals. Last year, Houston lasted one more round than OKC. But if you only heard O'Connor talk, you would assume that Harden has been to the Finals multiple times, and was a champion and MVP.

Here is the truth on James Harden, and Vernon also brought this up, Harden is a known choker. He choked away a series to the Kawhi less Spurs, in Houston. He choked away game 7 of the West Finals last year, leading the charge in the 27 straight missed three point attempts. And this past season, after KD went down, Harden and Paul both choked away their best chance at a Finals appearance. So, don't give me the whole, all of OKC's problems are because of the way Westbrook plays Kevin O'Connor. And, he was insistent on Westbrook changing the way he plays to fit in with Harden. I wonder if he remembers that Harden was the sixth man on that OKC team that went to the Finals, and his job was to be the third option behind KD and Westbrook. I know things have changed since then, but I do not want to hear O'Connor talk about how "bad" of a player Westbrook is when O'Connor couldn't carry my jock on a basketball court.

This dude is just here to make shitty takes on a website that is the sports equivalent of Buzzfeed. The dude is a good writer, but I'm going to start referring to Kevin O'Connor as the "worst basketball blogger that gets paid to do it". That seems fair since he is always shit talking Russell Westbrook. His takes are god awful, and it makes it hard for me to listen to him and not yell at my phone. I feel for him for what he is going through with his dad, I too have a parent that had cancer, she is fine and clear now, and that sucks. But that cannot excuse his horrendous takes on professional basketball players.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Russell Westbrook Should Have Waited for a Better Team

Yesterday I wrote a whole thing about why I thought Russell Westbrook deserves to play where he wants next season, and I even gave a list of teams that I thought fit his style of play. Well, he got traded, but it was to none of the teams I picked, or to any team that most thought was even a contender. I was at my rec league basketball game when I got the news that Russ was headed to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul, 2 first round picks and 2 pick swaps.

This is insane. I thought it was a joke. I did not think it was true. I could not believe that the Thunder added 2 more first round picks, and by all accounts, they are going to offload Chris Paul as soon as they can, probably for more picks, or tradable assets. The Thunder, once again, got a great deal for a super star. And yes, Russ is a bona fide super star.

Before I get into the nuts and bolts of what I dislike about this trade, I want to touch on CP3. Man has he fallen off a cliff this past season, and offseason. He was once a darling of the league. He was the diminutive point guard that could run an offense, shoot and play great defense. He was the building block for the "Lob City" Clippers. He was the man while in New Orleans. He was even considered a great get when he signed with the Rockets 2 years ago. Now he is an added on trade, who is soon to be offloaded for picks. Age always wins, and we are currently seeing a Hall of Fame player age, and age badly, right before our eyes. He may end up on a solid team, but at what capacity? Is he a starter anymore? Is he a legit defender anymore? Will he really help a contender in the modern NBA? I'd say no, no and no. He would be best fitted playing in Miami alongside Jimmy Butler, or just retiring and get into coaching. How the mighty have fallen.

Now, why I dislike this trade so very much for everyone involved. I understand that Russ and Harden both wanted this. I know they are still good friends. I know that Westbrook is a younger and much more explosive version of Chris Paul. But, this back court is going to be rough to watch. Westbrook has been the guy in OKC ever since KD left. Even when they acquired Paul George, he deferred to Russ. In Houston, that is James Harden's team. That much was made wildly clear after they offloaded CP3 last night. Also, both guys need the ball in their hands to be most effective, and Harden, as he has done since he has been in Houston, likes to pound the ball for 20 seconds and shoot a three or try to draw a foul. How will that work with Russ? It won't. Russ, as much as I adore him, is not a good outside shooter, and with Harden pounding out the clock, he won't have time to get t the rim like he can if he is running the offense. Also, he and Harden are going to make guys like PJ Tucker and Eric Gordon just sit there and wait to try and get a rebound, or shoot a three. That is definitely not Tucker's game, and while Gordon is a solid three point shooter, just asking him to sit and wait would bother any player. Clint Capela should have fun with these guys, but now he is simply a pick and roll player on offense. Nothing more, nothing less. All they will want him to do is come up and screen for either Russ or Harden, and roll if he has it, or get ready to crash the glass. That may be what he is best at doing, but this will totally stunt his growth as a player.

Then there is Mike D'Antoni's offense, of which he has tailored to a player of Harden's skill. Now he is going to have to find a way to get Westbrook into the flow of the game. That will be asking a lot of a guy that has averaged a triple double the last three seasons. Also, they will have to get him to take a step back if they want to be as good as they can be.

On defense, the Rockets backcourt is going to be one of the worst in the NBA. We all know Harden's problems on defense. It has been well documented. Well, Russ isn't much better. Sure, he will grab a steal here or there, and get a few chase down blocks a season. But, more times than not, he takes plays off and relies on the help. Teams with a good to great back court could match them evenly. For all that is wrong with his game now, at least CP3 was a threat on defense. Russ, who is a much, much, much better player than CP3, has never played defense like him.

Finally, we have Daryl Morey. The star chaser. The guy that wants big names no matter how mismatched they are with his current roster. He tried this with Carmelo last year. That was a disaster. He tried this with CP3, and while they had a shot to beat Golden State, they didn't, twice, and haven't sniffed the Finals under his direction. And now he is bringing in Russ.

I dislike this pairing so very much. This is the cliché of "there is only one basketball" come to life. No matter how much these 2 like each other off the court, they are going to have to learn to share the ball if they want to be a contender. Neither has shown they can do that since they took over their respective teams. The Rockets will still be a good playoff team. But, I am not as on board as some other people are with Russ and Harden teaming up. I think it is going to be a super clash, and it will not end well for someone, or possibly both guys and the coaching staff. We will see. At least this has made this offseason even more crazy. I'm down for that anytime. But, I am not a fan of this trade. Not one bit.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Jimmy Butler to the Rockets is a Terrible Idea

With NBA free agency on the cusp, it starts on Sunday, I have heard a ton of rumors about a ton of players. I don't know what is real, what is a smoke screen, and where these guys are going, but I'm excited to see all the player movement that is going to happen this summer. RD and I just did a pod about this, and I feel like you can hear my excitement.

One story that I read last night left me shaking my head. I wanted to believe that it wasn't real because it is so asinine that I couldn't believe it. Then a bunch of other reputable reporters came out and confirmed the news too. That news you ask, the Houston Rockets are going to actively pursue Jimmy Butler in a sign and trade as soon as free agency starts.

The whole sign and trade is now a big part of the free agency period, and some big moves have come this way. But, I am at a loss as to why a team like the Rockets, what with all the offseason turmoil, be that true or false, would want to pursue another ball dominant, head strong player. Butler also plays a totally different style of basketball than Mike D'Antoni coaches, and the Rockets have built a roster around.

As I read the story even further, I looked at some of the players that have been named as to who the 76ers would want for Butler, if this were to happen. Names like Eric Gordon, PJ Tucker, and most shockingly to me, Clint Capela, have come up as the names that the 76ers want, and who the Rockets would be willing to give up to get him. I know that earlier this summer Daryl Morey, who is a blowhard and wildly, wildly overrated in my opinion, said that every player on the team is on the trading block. But, to give up on guys like Gordon, Tucker and Capela is nuts. These three guys fit perfectly with what the Rockets do, but they are willing to offload them for a guy, while being a really, really, really good basketball player, may think a little to high of himself. Sure, he torched the Timberwolves other starters while he was there, but come on. Butler is good, but he is not worth completely changing your style, and giving up players that fit with James Harden so well. I mean, Eric Gordon is an elite knock down three point shooter. Without him, the Rockets would have lost the Warriors series in a sweep. He seemed to hit the big shots that they needed to keep leads, or build leads, in the 2 games they won. PJ Tucker is the best defensive player they have, and he is a better three point shooter than Jimmy Butler right now. Yes, Butler is a better defender, but he can't guard big guys like Tucker can. And Tucker, like I just said, can hit the corner three with great precision. I don't think he missed during the series against the Warriors. And Capela, while free throw shooting is a problem, and he was kind of played off the floor in the most recent playoffs, he is still so young and so talented. He is one of the better rim runners in the league, and he can be, if he is locked in, a defensive force against modern centers. Also, he still has time to develop a three point shot. I am a big, big fan of Capela's.

So, to give up on 1, 2 or all 3 of these guys for Butler makes no sense, as far as the Rockets are concerned, to me. Adding Butler to a roster that has James Harden and Chris Paul is only going to cause more problems. If you believe the reports, Paul and Harden despise one another. Paul doesn't think Harden has the drive of a champion, and Harden thinks Paul is old and not as good anymore. Both are right, but they need each other to win, or even compete, for a title. Add Butler to this mix. and I just don't know, or think, that this works out at all. Butler for one is not a three point shooter. He attacks the rim, but he is a mid range guy. The Rockets don't want anyone shooting mid range shots. They want threes, layups and free throws. That is not Butler's game. He would also be the only guy willing and capable to play defense on this roster after the trade, where it to occur. I also think he would get fed up with standing in the corner and watching Harden pound the ball for 20 seconds and shoot a three, or try to draw a foul. That is miserable to watch, and I feel like it would be even worse to be a player relegated to watching one guy run the offense. I also think he and Paul would gang up on Harden by the midway point of the year, and that would be awful. Harden is younger, and much more talented on the offensive end, than both of them combined. But I feel like they would try and ice him out. That is the worst case scenario for the Rockets.

This move makes zero sense to me. I don't like the Rockets, and I think it would be hilarious to see them self implode. But, they have a real shot with the current roster construct to win the title this upcoming season because of the Warriors injuries. I'd love the move for Philadelphia, but I think the Rockets should look in the mirror, I'm talking mainly to you Daryl Morey, and realize they don't need to add another toxic, alpha male to a roster that already has 2 of them. That would be a mistake.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

The Love for James Harden and the Hate for Russell Westbrook Makes No Damn Sense

Two years ago I felt like I was one of the people driving the Russell Westbrook for MVP debate.

What he did that season, with the roster that was put around him, was astounding. The fact that, a season after losing KD mind you, he averaged a triple double, with his best teammate being Steven Adams, was one of the most MVP worthy things I have ever seen. He was must watch TV that year. I watched more Thunder games than usual that year just to see what Westbrook would do. I have said, to people that will listen to me, I would not enjoy playing with him, but I LOVE watching him play. He is a whirling dervish of athleticism. It's like the most insane ballet that you could ever watch. And while he's not the greatest shooter, he is really bad in fact, the way he created shots for himself and others was awesome. To see a 6 foot guard rebound like that, again, amazing.

So when major journalists, some I like, some I dislike, were saying that he wasn't deserving of the MVP I was floored. I couldn't believe it. I didn't know what else he had to do to prove that he was the MVP. A lot of these journalists actually pushed for James Harden that year. LeBron was mentioned a ton as well, but he always is. When I listened to them, or read why they felt this way, it made me even angrier. They called Westbrook a "stat hunter". They said he was bad. They called him selfish. They said he wasn't deserving because he only led the Thunder to a 6 seed and something like 45 wins that year. They said the first round series proved that he wasn't the MVP.

Well, one Mr. James Harden is currently putting up absolutely ridiculous numbers, with his 2 best teammates out injured right now, and these same journalists are praising him. They are talking abut him "carrying" his team. They are saying what he is doing is something they haven't seen since Kobe Bryant or Michael Jordan. They are calling him the MVP. And while I don't refute that, I do think he has surpassed Giannis as the MVP, why does he get so much love doing almost exactly what Westbrook did 2 years ago, when they were all shaming him?

Here are the facts. James Harden is one of the most boring NBA players to watch. If Westbrook is a "stat hunter", Harden is a "foul hunter". That guy gets so many calls in his favor, calls that are absolutely and utterly insane, that is drives me up the wall. The other night he shot 27 free throws. Not the Rockets, Harden himself took 27 free throws. How is that more fun, or any better than what Westbrook was doing?

Also, lets compare the rosters were they currently are right now with the Rockets to the Thunder from 2 years ago. As I said, Westbrook's best teammate was Adams. He then had guys like Victor Oladipo, before he was a star, Domantas Sabonis, when he was a rookie, Kyle Singler, Nick Collison, Dion Waiters and Terrance Ferguson, among others. Meanwhile, Harden has players like PJ Tucker, Austin Rivers, Eric Gordon and Gerald Green. Oh, and Chris Paul will be back soon, and Clint Capela will miss a couple more weeks before he is back. I'd take that Rockets roster any day.

While Harden is putting up okay assist numbers, he is as selfish a player as there is in the NBA. I saw a stat the other day that said on his last 150 points, he has been assisted on 0 of them. You may read that and say, well no one is passing him the ball, false, he is dribbling the clock down and jacking up threes that somehow are going in. He is a ball stopper and he is a ball hog. The records also, at this same time 2 years ago when Westbrook was the MVP, are almost exactly the same. But where Harden gets credit, Westbrook got blasted. That is so unfair.

The biggest shit talkers are every single basketball writer and podcaster at The Ringer, especially their owner, Bill Simmons. Look, I get it, you guys very much dislike Westbrook. But you have got to stop making excuses for Harden because you like him. These guys and girls have trashed Westbrook since he won the MVP, but when Harden plays the exact same way, they love it. It is clear this company hates the Thunder. I mean, Simmons won't shut up about the Harden trade, which seems like a million years ago. He has KD on his podcast so much, that was one of the reasons I stopped listening to it. Simmons is a star chaser, except when it comes to Westbrook. Other writers at The Ringer always bring up how great Harden has been this past month, then I think they feel like they need to trash Westbrook just because they can.

The biggest indictment of this whole Harden Westbrook debate is something that Simmons and his buddy Joe House kept saying 2 years ago. They said anyone that voted for Westbrook as MVP was "basketball pervert". Well, if you guys thought we who rode the bus for Westbrook are "basketball perverts". what does that make you guys this year with Harden? I think that makes you, in your own words, "basketball perverts". Oh, and I cannot forget that Simmons said on "The Lowe Post" that he is more impressed by guys that average 27 points, 7 assists and 7 rebounds. I believe he called it "The LeBron". Well dip shit, Westbrook, and for that matter, your boy Harden, are averaging more in all three categories. How dumb are you? How out of touch do you have to be? What happened to you as a credible writer? I'd much rather have the guys that average a triple double, or 40 points per game.

While I think Harden, where we stand right now, is the MVP, I also think these journalists need to lay the hell off of Westbrook. It was 2 years ago. Harden won his MVP. And what Westbrook did hadn't been done since Oscar Robertson was in the league. Journalists are supposed to be unbiased, and a lot of you are being exposed now. Get over it. Westbrook deserved his MVP, and if Harden keeps this up, he will deserve it too. I just want you shills to admit that he is a pain to watch, that he is selfish and that he is a better scoring, but worse passing and rebounding version of Russell Westbrook.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

By Signing Carmelo Anthony, the Rockets Have Given Up on the 2019 NBA Title

Carmelo Anthony has verbally agreed to sign with the Houston Rockets. I know that I have been hard on Anthony lately, and today will be no different. But, all the hate will not be thrown his way, the Rockets are going to take the brunt of it today.

Lets get the Carmelo hate out of the way first. As I stated about a week or so ago, Carmelo is washed. He is no good to any  team anymore. He is a horrendous defender. He is not nearly the lethal scorer. He is still not willing to come off the bench. He still thinks he is a top 15-20 NBA player. All of this is crazy. As I have stated many times, I used to love Carmelo. When he was in Denver, he was must watch TV. But, for about the last 4 or 5 years, he has become a shell of the player he once was. He is a joke. Sure, there a tons and tons of videos of him hitting jump shots in rec league games and pickup games and playing one on one against other pros, but so what. Any player worth their salt can do the exact same thing, and do it better. In one of the videos I saw, where he played with Chris Paul and James Harden, his new teammates, he did nothing that impressed me. In fact, what I noticed most was his unwillingness to pass the ball. The video was about 90 seconds long, and every single time he touched the ball, he shot it. I mean, even Harden was dishing it here and there. Also, Carmelo was trying much, much harder than any of those other guys on the court. Then this morning I saw him playing one on one against Brandon Jennings, and then Stanley Johnson. Those are not big name guys, and while he was scoring at will, so were Jennings and Johnson. Johnson was beating him up, and Jennings was hitting step back after step back on him. Jennings is about 5 inches shorter than Carmelo.

Had this latest Carmelo move happened a few years back, when the Big Three in Miami broke up, I would have been stoked. The fact that he is joining the Rockets now, I just see it messing up what they did so well last season. Which leads me to my Rockets hate portion today.

Last year the Houston Rockets had one of the best offseason, and trade deadline moves. They picked up Paul in the offseason. He was the big name on the free agent market last year. They got him to come in and play alongside Harden, and it worked so well. They also picked up PJ Tucker, and he added the exact toughness that the team needed. He can also hit the corner three, so that was just an added bonus. They also integrated Clint Capela perfectly. He became the perfect big man for their pick and roll that they love to run. They also started to phase out Ryan Anderson because he is now a defensive, and quite frankly, an offensive liability. They crushed it last year.

This offseason and summer has been the exact opposite for the Rockets. They let Trevor Ariza leave. I know they weren't going to be able to give him all the money they wanted, but they could have tried to work with him. They decided not to, and now he is gone. Then after he left, they gave Chris Paul a 4 year 140 million dollar deal. I know, again, they had to do this, but this deal is going to look absolutely awful next season. They gave him a max deal that is really only viable for one season. Paul is continually hurt, especially in the playoffs, and he is a very tough teammate by all accounts. He will also be in his mid to late thirties when the deal is in the final year, and they will have to pay him the 30 million plus. That is a disaster. They then made Capela wait and wait and wait for a deal. This apparently upset him, which is never good for the future, and by all accounts, they were only a minuscule amount of money apart, but this was where they decided to not budge. They dumped money on Chris Paul's lap, who is almost my age, but they waited to give their center, who is one of the better modern centers in the game, and who happens to also be very young, his contract. If I were Capela, I would still be pissed off.

But, the cherry on top of their crap offseason and summer is the Carmelo news. Why do they want him? Do they really think this is a new Big Three? Why do they need him? What does he add? Did they even watch him play at all last year, or the year before that, or the year before that? He is washed. He is not going to be Olympic Carmelo. That was what everyone thought he would be for the Thunder last year, but after refusing a bench role, he had a disaster of a season. So I just don't get why the Rockets want to do this. As I said awhile back, they were phasing out Ryan Anderson. Now, they basically have a Ryan Anderson clone, who isn't as good a three point shooter. Carmelo is also refusing to come off the bench once again, so for those saying the Rockets will get Olympic Carmelo, that dream is out the window. Carmelo also proved last season that he is not a viable Big Three guy. I know it is hard to play with Russell Westbrook, but he couldn't even coexist with Paul George. George is a decent passer and great defender, and all Carmelo did was bitch about him. Putting him next to Paul and Harden will fare much worse in my opinion. The Rockets proved me wrong last year, when I said that Harden and Paul would fight to be primary ball handlers. But, I have zero doubt that Carmelo will be happy only taking 6-7 shots a game. He will want double figure attempts at least. The Rockets also do not need him. They needed to keep Ariza. Ariza was their best three and D guy. And I know his defense has taken a bit of a step back. But, wait until you get a load of how little Carmelo plays, and cares to play, defense. Rocket fans will be opining big time for Ariza.

Finally, we have already seen a team coached by Mike D'Antoni that featured Carmelo Anthony, and it was a nightmare. They hated each other. They openly expressed their dislike for one another to the media. The system D'Antoni runs does not fit what Carmelo wants to do. I saw a Bleacher Report article that said, "This time it will be different" in reference to Carmelo playing for D'Antoni. I didn't even read the article because that headline was dumb enough. It won't be different. Carmelo Anthony is who he is, and he hast changed since entering the league.

The Rockets had an awful offseason, they will regress this year, and it will be because of Carmelo Anthony. What a stupid decision by the one team that may have actually been able to challenge the Warriors.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

How the Rockets are Beating the Warriors

Last night the Rockets took a 3-2 series lead on the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals.

I have to admit I was wrong first of all. After game one I wrote that the Warriors were locked in, and that should run away with the series now that they were actually trying. Well, the Rockets have muddied up the game, James Harden and Chris Paul, and the Rockets bench, are playing much better, and they have total control of the series. They can close it out on Saturday night, and it would not surprise me. I know that Chris Paul is officially out of game 6 with a hamstring pull, but I do not think it will matter much. I also realize that the game is in Oracle, but again, I don't think it will matter much.

The problem, after game one, the Warriors returned to how they have played this entire season. They have only really showed up when they need to, and they have played bored and careless almost all season. It is all coming back to haunt them now. After game one, they have only played one other game, game 3, where they have looked like the team that they are supposed to look like. In games 2, 4 and 5, the Warriors have looked helpless and lost. They are playing way too much isolation basketball. They are playing right into the Rockets hands. They are doing everything that the Rockets want them to do. The Warriors are letting the Rockets shoot threes. They are letting Harden get to the hoop unimpeaded. They are letting Clint Capela constantly burn them on pick and rolls. Their bench, or lack there of, is hurting them. Their old school centers are pretty much unplayable. And the Rockets are taking total advantage of all this, and more. Props to Mike D'Antoni for letting his team play like they have all year, and letting Harden run the show. Props to Harden for getting the playoff choking moniker off his back. Even if the Warriors wake up and win the series, Harden has been very solid. Props to Chris Paul for going out there, playing his game and not letting the moment get to him. I'm actually a little bummed that he is out of the next game because I want both of these teams at full strength. This series has gone the exact opposite of how I thought.

Maybe I should have seen this coming. As I said, the Warriors have lacked the killer attitude all year long. They do not seem to care, no matter how big the moment. Steph is playing better, but he is still getting exposed on defense. Every night there is a highlight of him getting shook by Harden or Paul. Klay Thompson is hurt, and has gone ice cold from the field. He cannot hit the ocean, and he is getting torched on defense. KD has been scoring a ton, but that is really it. He has a very small amount of assists. Besides game one, his defense has been mediocre at best. And he is playing far too much iso ball. Dare I say, he has become the Warriors version of Russell Westbrook. Draymond Green has been horrendous in this series. He cannot score, he is getting dunked on every night, and he keeps talking shit as if he is doing something. Even his own mom called him out on Twitter for his poor play.

The most egregious performance, at least to me, is Steve Kerr's coaching. He is being wildly outcoached by D'Antoni. His willingness to let his players play through big runs is shocking. His decision to not call timeouts has been Andy Reid bad. Then his attitude, for example his, "I feel like we are in a great situation" quote after last night's game, has shocked me. This team is on the brink, and he is acting as if it is game 30 of the regular season. And I say again, that has been the problem all year. They just do not seem to care. They look like they will be just fine going on vacation after tomorrow night's game, if they do not win. They just seem disinterested. And the Rockets are taking full advantage of it all.

Hopefully the Warriors find their mojo again, because I'd love this series to go 7. But, the way the Warriors have come out the last 2 games, I wouldn't be surprised at all if the Rockets end it tomorrow night. We will just have to wait and see.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty Predicts the 2018 NBA Award Winners

As I promised yesterday, today I will be giving out my 2017-18 NBA regular season awards.

Now, for starters I am not going to do All NBA, All Rookie and All Defensive teams. That would be too much, and to be quite frank, I don't care about those teams. I know the players do, because of contract stuff, but I honestly could care less about it.

Also, I need to give a quick congratulations to Russell Westbrook for doing the unthinkable again. The fact that he went out and averaged a triple double for a second straight season is truly amazing. I know people call him a stat chaser and what not, but come on, 2 seasons averaging a triple double is something that will never, ever happen again. He is an otherworldly athlete and basketball player, and instead of always shitting on this guy, people need to start respecting what he is doing. He is an amazing talent that we are taking for granted right now. He will be so much more appreciated when he retires, but right now, respect what this man has done because it is wonderful. I only say this because he won't be winning any of my awards, but I had to shout him out because he is awesome. All kinds of props to Russell Westbrook. He is great.

Okay, now to the awards for the regular season. I'll start with the "lower" level awards and work my way up to MVP. So, the first award that I will be giving away is Sixth Man of the Year. There are not too many candidates for this award this year. Guys I thought about at first were Eric Gordon and Cavalier Rodney Hood. But, Gordon isn't doing what he did last year this year, and Hood has started more games than coming off the bench. I also tried to find a way to get Manu Ginobli in the conversation, but he just doesn't put up the numbers like he used to. When I actually thought about it though, the Sixth Man of the Year is Lou Williams. This dude is instant offense off the bench and every team he has been on, he does good things on offense when he comes in. Lou Williams is a shooter and nothing more, but the dude can fill it up. He is easily the winner of this award for the year. Hopefully next year he is on a team that he can help in the playoffs.

Lets move to Defensive Player of the Year next. When the season was at the midway point, I might have picked Kevin Durant. He was playing out of his mind on that end, but he got hurt and he was out of the race. Draymond Green was another possibility, what with him still being able to guard all 5 positions, and guard them well, but he also missed a myriad of games, thus pulling him out of the race for me. Anthony Davis was another possibility, but he has had to take some plays off on defense because he has done so much on offense since Boogie went out. No, when I actually got down to it, Rudy Gobert is the Defensive Player of the Year. You may say, he missed games too, but not as much as KD and Draymond. Also, when Gobert is out there, he is, by far, the best rim protector in the game. He is the key to what the Jazz want to do, and he is awesome. Gobert wins this award by a mile. We have three awards left to give out.

Next, Coach of the Year. This category is stacked. There are so many candidates. Guys like Gregg Poppovich come to mind. He has the Spurs back in the playoffs, and Kawhi Leonard only played 9 games all year. Nate McMillan has done a wonderful job of turning the Pacers into a legit threat. Brad Stevens is quickly climbing up the ladder as one of the best minds in basketball, and boy have the Celtics suffered crucial injuries too. Dwayne Casey finally got his team into the modern game, and the Raptors are the number one seed in the East. Hell, even Erik Spoelstra, with a garbage roster, has his team in the playoffs. But, when I really pored over it, how does Quinn Snyder not win this award? He lost his best player, he lost George Hill, Gobert missed time and he turned the keys to the offense over to a rookie. And, the Jazz won 45 plus games and are the 5 seed in the West. Snyder has bypassed any expectations I had when he became an NBA coach, and he has done a wonderful job. He is my Coach of the Year.

Rookie of the Year was a contest until recently. It was really down to 2 guys, Donovan Mitchell and Ben Simmons. I know that Dennis Smith Jr had some highlight dunks, Jayson Tatum is a key cog for the Celtics, Frank Ntilikina has been amazing on defense and Lonzo Ball has really come into his own. But, Mitchell and Simmons are clearly better than all these guys by a mile. I was pulling hard for Mitchell because of all the things he has done all year with the Jazz, but Ben Simmons, in this 16 game win streak for the 76ers, has grabbed this award and he is not letting it go. He has been, not just the best rookie, but one of the ten best players in the league right now. And for all the people who say he isn't a rookie, stop. This is his first year playing pro basketball. Sure, he was drafted last year, but he played zero minutes. This is, for all intents and purposes, his rookie year, and he will walk away, easily I might add, with the Rookie of the Year award.

Finally, we have MVP. Much like Rookie of the Year, this is a 2 man race. There were times during the year that guys like LaMarcus Aldridge, DeMar DeRozan, Damian Lillard and even Russ got some love. But, all that petered out due to various reasons. And for the people that want to float out Joel Embiid, or any Warrior player, nope. Embiid will be one of the best players soon, but he is not an MVP yet, and the Warriors guys have all missed too much time throughout the year. The MVP is between LeBron James and James Harden. And, James Harden will finally take home his first MVP award. He has been absolutely amazing this year. The things he is doing on offense are so wonderful. He has worked so well with Chris Paul. The pick and roll with him and Clint Capela is nearly unstoppable. Harden has had a great year and he will get his much deserved MVP. James has put in a hell of a season though. He has put up amazing numbers too. He played all 82 games, something he has never done. He has carried a bad team with a bad coach all year long. He has taken over games against better competition recently. But, what separates him and Harden is the fact that the Cavs are the 4 seed in the East and the Rockets are the 1 in the West, and number one overall seed in all of the NBA. That is due, mainly, to

Harden. There you have it, my 2017-18 NBA regular season award winners.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Don't Believe the Chris Paul to the Rockets Hype

This still may not be enough balls for Harden and Paul.

Today I'm going to be talking NBA, but no I will not be talking about the mercy firing of Phil Jackson. That was a long time coming. He may have been worse than Isiah Thomas, minus the sexual assault stuff, and he will go down as one of the worst executives in NBA history. He was a great coach, but a horrific evaluator of players, and his decisions on players was awful. Good riddance.

Instead, I want to talk about the Chris Paul trade to the Rockets. On paper this looks great. On paper you need more than one star to win, or even compete, for titles. On paper this makes the Rockets the second best team in the West, and maybe in all of the NBA. On paper this could catapult the Rockets to a place they have not been since the early to mid nineties.

But, the games are not played on paper. In fact, I see this trade as one of the biggest paper tigers in all of pro sports. Now, to get it out of the way immediately, both Chris Paul and James Harden are 2 of the best players to play the game. Harden attacks and scores and gets to the free throw line like almost no other 2 guard I have seen. He also became an excellent facilitator in Mike D'Antoni's offense last year. And Chris Paul is one of the greatest point guards to ever step on a basketball court. He knows all the tricks, setting illegal screens, getting away with multiple fouls and running a team, and he is, maybe a better word is was, a great defender. So yes, these 2 guys are great basketball players. But, unless this team adds Paul George, I do not care one way or another about them getting Carmelo Anthony possibly, he is beyond useless now, I do not think this will work out for the Rockets and blowhard Daryl Morey.

I remember 2 years ago, when the Rockets signed Ty Lawson, I loved that move. I thought he would pair perfectly with Harden and Beverly in the back court. Well, that famously did not work out, and about halfway through that season, Lawson was let go, and now, he is a ghost. Chris Paul is much, much, much better than Ty Lawson, but, he is also more ball dominant. James Harden is also very ball dominant. We have seen this from both for the majority of their careers. Harden wasn't as ball dominant while in OKC, but since he was traded to Houston, he has needed the ball in his hands. He needs to run the offense. He wants to be the face of that team, and for the most part, it has worked for them. They haven't won, or even made a Finals appearance, but they did get to the conference finals a few years back, and they regularly win 50 plus games.

Chris Paul also needs the ball in his hands. He is the epitome of what a point guard is. He needs the ball in his hands to see the floor and run the offense. It has been like this for him, I'd feel safe to say, since he was in high school. He also ran the offense and always had the ball in his hands in his 2 years at Wake Forest. And since he has been in the NBA, at both of his stops, he has been giving the keys to the offense, thus putting the basketball in his hands and letting him dictate how the offense runs.

So, how will the fact that there is only one ball work for this team? I have heard people say that they will stagger minutes, these 2 guys won't be on the floor together all the time and maybe they will buy into what the Warriors do, and be happy sharing the ball. I don't think any of this will work. Why not have your 2 best players on the floor together as much as possible? Why stagger their minutes? Why is this okay with some sports writers when they lambasted the Thunder for doing this when they had KD and Westbrook? Your 2 best players need to be on the floor together whenever possible. That is how you win. Also, I don't see either Chris Paul or James Harden being okay with sharing the ball. These 2 guys have been the guy on their main teams, and they have made it well known that they want to be the one that their teams count on. I don't think they will be okay spreading the ball around like the Warriors. The Warriors, and mainly Steph, Klay and KD, did not care who was the guy to get the last shot or bring it up the court during crucial moments of important games. They all trusted each other, and they can all shoot and handle the ball. Harden can shoot and handle the ball, but he is quick to just hold the ball for 20 seconds of the shot clock and either jack up a three or try to get to the rim for a layup or floor. Chris Paul is a good mid range shooter, but he can't get to rim that well, he is not a great three point shooter, and the Rockets don't like shooting mid range shots.

I know that these guys played well on the Olympic team together, but the NBA is a whole different monster. One of these guys needs to be the guy to come up big in the playoffs. I ask, which one of these has had any big time moments in big time playoff games. Harden is the consummate choker. He may be the Dan Marino of the NBA. He has had ample opportunity and he has choked each and every opportunity away. Chris Paul, what has he done since college? I don't think Wake Forest ever got passed the Sweet Sixteen while he was there, and we all know about the lack of success with the Clippers. They never made it out of the second round with him running the team. So yeah, good luck Daryl Morey and Mike D'Antoni. You got 2 guys that have proven to be very unclutch in their NBA careers.

Also, how will Harden deal with Paul's aggressive approach to running a team? Harden seems like a very loose, laidback dude, and Chris Paul may be the most intense player in the NBA. Chris Paul is famous for his tirades against teammates. It is never his fault when his team doesn't make it passed the second round. It is always the ref, the coach or his teammates. He is never to blame. How will Harden handle that? I'd guess, not that well.

The one thing I do agree with Paul on with this trade is his relationship with Doc and Austin Rivers. I do think that Doc the GM is atrocious, and if he really held back a trade that would have made the Clippers better because his son was involved, that is real shitty.

I will say, the Clippers did get something in return for someone who seemed to be out the door in a few days. Free agency starts at 12:00 AM July 1st. The Clippers were able to sign and trade Paul for Patrick Beverly, Sam Dekker, Montrez Harrell and some picks. They did not walk away empty handed.

With all this being said, I do not like this trade at all. The Rockets got a great point guard, but they already had a great point guard that just happens to be a little too soft. Harden needs to be coddled, and Chris Paul will not coddle him. He will verbally abuse the shit out of him. And the Clippers, while realizing that they weren't going anywhere with their "Big 3" of Paul, Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan, unfortunately traded the most reliable one of the group. Now Griffin, who is always hurt, and might leave too, has no one to throw him alley oops or get him open jumpers, and what on Earth is Jordan going to do without a guy that consistently got him open lobs. I feel worst for him. He was locked in a house 2 years ago by Chris Paul, among others, to re up with the Clippers, and now, Paul has left him high and dry.

While this trade may look good on paper, I don't see it making a real difference. I actually think it will blow up in their faces. Also, I don't think adding Chris Paul really makes them a threat to the Warriors, but I also think the Spurs are still better, and whatever team LeBron James is on will beat them. This trade is not as great as some may have you believe. Prove me wrong Houston, but I'm just waiting for this to be a total disaster for them, and for Paul to leave in free agency after the 2017-18 season.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

LaMarcus Aldridge and the Spurs are Better Together

The Spurs and Aldridge need to put a ring on it

With the Warriors sweeping the Spurs out of the playoffs last night, to no one's surprise, the question of trading LaMarcus Aldridge has been at the top of a lot of sports websites today. And we here at SeedSing are no different. I want to talk about how I think this is not a viable option for a team like the Spurs.

Yes, Aldridge has not been as productive in the 2 years he's been with the Spurs as he was in his first 7 with the Trailblazers. Sure, he has disappeared in the playoffs. Yeah, when Kawhi went out and he was the focal point of the offense, he struggled. But, what do the Spurs think they could get for him, and it is just not in the Spurs nature to do something like this. When was the last time they just traded away a very good player? They traded George Hill away a few years back, but that was to get Kawhi. Other than that, nothing comes to my mind. This is a team that builds through the draft and signs players near the end of their career that can give them one or two more years. They also love to take foreign players in the draft, stash them and have them come over in a few years. They also always draft late in the first round, and they take guys that fit their system that can sit behind an already established NBA player. The Spurs are a smart team is what I am saying. 

When they signed Aldridge 2 years ago, that was the biggest move I have seen them make since tanking and taking Tim Duncan first overall. Aldridge was supposed to be the heir apparent, but it is wildly clear that Kawhi is the guy now for the Spurs. But, Aldridge is still a very good and competent big man in the modern NBA. He can shoot, rebound and is an okay defender. He is also very coachable and doesn't seem to complain too much behind the scenes, at least to the public's knowledge. He is also best fit to be a second or third option on a team. He is the second guy in San Antonio, and he was the second fiddle in Portland. Some may say that he was the first option, but that team was being built around Damien Lillard. That should have been made very clear when he was free to walk 2 seasons ago. Portland always wanted Lillard to be the guy. 

If they do trade him, who could the Spurs go out and get that can replicate what Aldridge brings to the team? Like I said, he is a modern NBA center. So, if the Spurs want to trade him, who should they look at getting? I'm sure they would want a young guy like Karl Anthony-Towns, Anthony Davis or Boogie Cousins. That is not happening in a million years. Those guys are number one guys, and I don't think they'd want to leave to go be the second option behind Kawhi.

So maybe a second tier center you say. Okay, Nerlens Noel is very happy and fits perfectly in Dallas. None of the 76ers young guys fit what the Spurs want to do, and Embiid is not available. The Rockets aren't going to trade away Clint Capela or Nene, they are great fits in Houston. Steven Adams is not leaving OKC. He is beloved there, and while his style of play is a fit for the Spurs, OKC is not giving him up for Aldridge.

That would leave the Spurs with guys that aren't a tenth of the player who Aldridge is for them. They could go out and get a Zaza Pachulia, Al Horford, Marcin Gortat or a Willy Cauley Stein type guy. That is not the route I think the Spurs would want to go. It is definitely not the route that Pop wants to take.

The Spurs need to keep Aldridge. They are most likely going to lose guys like Tony Parker and Manu Ginobli to retirement. And when those 2 do officially retire, I will write pieces on them and how great they were. Patty Mills will most likely leave in free agency. Pau Gasol is probably gone, either to retiring or signing elsewhere. And, Johnny Simmons and Dewayne Dedmond might get extremely overpaid this offseason. If they were to trade Aldridge, and lose all these guys, they'd be very, very thin, especially in the front court. If they do trade Aldridge, I'm sure they'd do everything to keep Dedmond, but he is not LaMarcus Aldridge. The Spurs have guys to replace the Ginobli's and Parker's of the world. Dejounte Murray and Kyle Anderson are ready to be starters in the NBA. Brinn Forbes is a decent defender and three point shooter. Johnny Simmons, as long as they keep him, is extreme energy off the bench and can score and defend. I'm sure they have some guys on their deep bench that are just awaiting their turn. But, they do not have that front court depth. Gasol will be gone. David Lee is done. Dedmond is inconsistent and unplayable at times. In my opinion, they need to keep Aldridge no matter what.

I've grown tired of hearing about how LaMarcus Aldridge is a trash player and a choker. How is his playoff performances in the past couple of years any different than James Harden? Harden has laid 3 straight eggs in the playoffs, yet no one is saying that the Rockets need to trade him. All this, "we need to trade guys after 2 years because they aren't who they were with their first team" is nonsense. LaMarcus Aldridge is a damn good NBA player. Give him at least one more season, paired up with Kawhi, and I bet he will play his role to near perfection. It wasn't his fault that Kawhi got hurt. It's not his fault that he plays a mid range game. He is too good, and young, to give up on right now. I hope the Spurs keep him because he and Kawhi are the West's best shot to beat the Warriors. The Rockets don't play enough defense. The Thunder only have Westbrook. The Clippers are about to blow it up. The Jazz are good, but not that good, and they may lose some key guys this offseason. The Spurs though, they can play with the Warriors when fully healthy. They would have won game one if not for Kawhi's injury. But, Aldridge was also very good in that game.

Don't give up on Aldridge San Antonio and your fans. He is still a very, very good NBA player.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

James Harden and Mike D'Antoni Choked in the Playoffs, Again

Maybe some playground hoop practice will help D'Antoni and Harden next time

I, much like any NBA fan, assumed that the Rockets would win game 6 last night. Kawhi was ruled out for the game. The game was in Houston. The Rockets were going to make a million threes. Tony Parker has been out since game 2. Everything was in the Rockets favor. Then, the Spurs went out and won by 39 points.

The Rockets, in a potential season ending game, at home, with one of the 2 MVP favorites, the Spurs down their 2 best players, lost by 39 god damn points. That is pitiful. I already wrote yesterday about how bad these NBA playoffs have been and last night was a prime example why. So no, the Rockets loss is not the basis of my piece today. The question I want to pose this afternoon, is James Harden and Mike D'Antoni overrated, and why do they always choke in the playoffs?

First, let's take a look at D'Antoni. Mike D'Antoni will be the Coach of the Year this season. There is no doubt about that. The Rockets had a great regular season. They played a real fun style of basketball and they won a lot more games than I, or a lot of people, foresaw. His decision to put Harden at point guard and surround him with great three point shooters and great bigs that are perfect for pick and roll basketball was genius. But, when he needed a great game from everyone last night, himself included, he laid a total egg. D'Antoni had that game on a silver platter for him. I already mentioned all the reasons as to why they should have been the team to win by 39 points. But, by the middle of the third quarter, D'Antoni looked beat. Go check out the memes and everything on the internet from last night. There is a picture of him where he just looks like he had given up.

So, we have last night as a reminder of his notorious choke jobs in the playoffs. His time in both, LA with the Lakers and New York with the Knicks, are not something we need to look at. He was put in bad situations in both places and he did not use his personnel correctly. Both he, and those franchises, are to blame for his failures as the head coach. But, when he was with the Suns in the mid 2000's, those teams were fun as hell to watch. They were like watching this current iteration of the Rockets. Steve Nash was the perfect point guard for his system. He had guys like Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion and Raja Bell that played their specific roles perfectly. But, those Suns teams never made it out of the West Finals. Yes, they were royally screwed by the refs one season, but other than that, those Suns teams had great regular seasons only to bow out of the playoffs with a whimper.

D'Antoni has won coach of the year awards and has a great offensive mind, but his defense is atrocious, and he sticks to his style of play to a fault. That Rockets team had no shot from the tip last night. But, even when they were down 20 plus points, they just kept jacking three after three. They could have cut into the lead if they ran some more pick and roll or drove to the basket looking to score or draw a foul. But, they just kept bombing threes, no matter how many they were clanking. To me, that is on Mike D'Antoni. He is a good regular season coach, but I do not think he is a good playoff coach. He couldn't beat Phil Jackson or Rick Carlisle when he was in Phoenix, and now, Greg Poppovich absolutely owns him. I guarantee that D'Antoni has nightmares about coaching against Poppovich.

The coach only draws up the game plan. He does not play in the game. That is on the players, and the Rockets best player, an MVP favorite, James Harden was MIA last night. He was absolutely abysmal. This was probably the worst game by a "top ten" player that I have ever witnessed. I do not know what he was thinking, but to have only attempted 2 shots by halftime, what was he thinking? I don't know if he was hurt, scared, playing possum, shaving points or just mad at his teammates and the media for saying how shitty he has been all playoffs. Don't get it twisted either, he was garbage throughout the 11 games the Rockets played in the 2017 playoffs. He was a complete disaster. After witnessing his 10 point, 6 assist and 7 turnover game on something like 2 of 10 shooting, I started to think back to his time in OKC and his first couple of years in Houston, and I remembered how unreliable he is in crucial games.

Lets first look at his 2 years at Arizona State. In is freshman year he was fine, but ASU went 21-13 and lost in the third round of the NIT. I do not even remember him during his freshman year. Then he exploded as a sophomore, averaging around 20 ppg and guiding ASU back to the tournament. But, in the second round he shot 2 of 12, or something like that, and ASU bounced out of the tournament with little to no consequence. So, we should have known that maybe he wasn't a prime time player back then.

Then, while with OKC, he was a great sixth man. He was instant offense off the bench. When came in and teamed up with KD and Westbrook, man were they fun and hard to stop. In his third year he won sixth man of the year and the Thunder made it to the Finals, in large part due to Harden's play early in those playoffs. But, when he was looked upon to come in and neutralize the Heat, he was a no show. He was so bad in those Finals. He disappeared. It got so bad, he looked scared to shoot whenever LeBron or Wade would come out and guard him.

Harden was traded, much to the chagrin of a lot of people, most notably Bill Simmons who still won't stop talking about it. He wanted to be "the man", and Houston provided him that option. He has had 5 great regular seasons with the Rockets. Well, maybe only 4, but still, he has been good to great in the regular season. He has made 5 All Star games, been on the All NBA first team a couple of times, and has been in the MVP conversation 2 of his 5 years there. But, every year, when he gets his chance to shine, he chokes.

One of his first playoffs with the Rockets, they played the Thunder, and the Thunder wiped the floor with them. This was the series where Patrick Beverly cheap shot Westbrook and knocked him out for the playoffs, but KD won that series. Harden was so so, and couldn't capitalize on Westbrook's backups that came in to guard him. Then, with the Rockets looking dead, mainly due to Harden's play, Kevin McHale benched him and the Rockets came back fro down 3-1 against the Clippers. The "Clippers Collapse" had nothing to due with James Harden. It had more to due with guys like Josh Smith, Corey Brewer and dare I even say, Dwight Howard. When the Rockets completed the comeback, they faced the Warriors in the West Finals, and we saw all we needed to see from Harden in game 1. He had multiple chances to win that game, but both Steph and Klay flat out stopped him. He was busy looking for his mouth piece as opposed to hitting big shots. The season after that, when Harden came in out of shape and dated a Kardashian, he was bad all year, and so were the Rockets. That season was dreadful and they bowed out easily in round one. The team followed the lead of their leader, Harden, that whole season, and they stunk.

Coming into this year no one knew what to expect from Harden and the Rockets. Well, Harden looked locked in and the Rockets were humming. The Rockets and Harden looked awesome. He was putting up great numbers and leading his team to 50 plus wins. He is a legit MVP candidate. But, then the playoffs started, and he played like garbage, as I have said. Yes, the Rockets beat the Thunder in 5, but it wasn't anything that Harden did. He played well in game 1, but that was it. Westbrook balled out, but he had zero help. I wrote an article about that last week. Looking back at that series, I still feel like Westbrook was the MVP.

Then, after the last 6 games, I am even more certain that Westbrook deserves the MVP. Harden never really played all that great. He never seemed locked in. The block in game 5 was tremendous for many reasons. Harden got a good look. He probably offensively fouled to get open. He played half decent in that game. But, 40 year old Manu Ginobli perfectly timed his jump and ripped the ball out of Harden's hands with no time left. I think that stayed with him, especially after watching him last night. Harden was just dreadful last night. I cannot state that strong enough. He looks so terrible. I still am baffled at his play. I guarantee that Westbrook wouldn't have gone out like that. Hell, in game 5 against the Rockets, Westbrook did all he could, he just had no help. What Harden did last night further proves to me that he is not a prime time, big shot, the guy that strikes fear in opponents hearts type of player. He doesn't seem to care how his team does in the playoffs. He just looks kind of aloof and careless in the most important moments of the biggest games on the biggest stage.

Finally, last night proved to me that Mike D'Antoni is an okay coach, in the regular season. Last night also showed me that James Harden is a great player, in the regular season as well. But, the main thing I took away from last night, both guys are chokers and cannot handle when the most important games ae happening. They are not clutch. They are not MVP caliber player and coach. They just cannot be counted on to win the big time. They no show when they are needed most. Maybe this will change, but it hasn't changed for D'Antoni since 2004, and it hasn't changed for Harden since 2008. I think they are who they are, and that is 2 guys that clam up when they are counted on most.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

I am Going to Say it One More Time, Russell Westbrook is the NBA MVP.

If need be, will start speaking this truth out of air raid sirens

Now that the Thunder's season is officially over, I have to write one more piece as to why I think, without anymore doubt, that Russell Westbrook is definitely the MVP of the NBA this year.

Yes, his team lost in 5 games, and yes, he took a lot of shots. But, I watched every minute of all 5 of those games and I was left with the thought of, who else was going to score, or do anything of worth on offense for the Thunder? I mean Andre Roberson was their second leading scorer for gods sake. Steven Adams offense completely disappeared in the 5 games. Victor Oladipo just could never get his outside shot to go down with any consistency. Enes Kanter is such a liability on defense, the coaching staff could not count on him to play any big time minutes. After those guys, there is no one else, at all. Norris Cole was playing big minutes for them. That is a problem.

So, for the Bill Simmons of the world to go on Twitter rants after game 5 about what he would have done, I say, shut your god damn mouth. First off, Simmons has had it out for the Thunder since they traded Harden a million years ago. He has bashed them at every opportunity that he has had, and he has a lot of them. He clearly hates this team, and I'm pretty sure he dislikes Russell Westbrook the basketball player. But, for him to sit there and still argue that Westbrook's supporting cast was just fine, enough with that nonsense. They lost the third best player in the league, and it was Westbrook that single handily made that team a 47 win regular season team.

But, just to be some kind of hot take douchebag, Simmons continues to talk about how right he was all along that the Thunder just can't win a title this way, as if he was the only writer in America that predicted this. I'm a Thunder fan, at least I was until KD left them high and dry, and I picked the Rockets to win this first round series. In fact, I'd say about 95 percent of the basketball writers across the country picked the Rockets. So no Bill Simmons, you are not some kind of cleric that was the only one to pick the Rockets. The majority of people that write about and watch basketball picked the Rockets, and it is solely because they have a much, much better supporting cast. Flip these 2 players Harden and Westbrook, and I think the Rockets are just as good, and the Thunder would be lucky to be a .500 team. James Harden is an elite talent, a great scorer and very good at drawing fouls, but he plays no defense, doesn't have the heart that Westbrook has, and has proven to be a choker in big games up to this point in his career. Harden is not a closer, Westbrook is.

Another point that needs to be made, Harden has so much more around him now. His supporting cast is miles and miles ahead of the Thunder. He has shooters all over the floor, plus some big men that don't mind rebounding, playing defense and getting the occasional lob or 2 a game. When you compare the rosters, Harden has guys like Ryan Anderson, Eric Gordon, Trevor Ariza, Nene, Clint Capela and Lou Williams. That sounds a hell of a lot more enticing to me than the Thunder players I mentioned earlier. Russell Westbrook did everything that he could possibly do for this team. He scored a ton, I know he took a lot of shots, but he was still pouring in 51, 32, and 47 in 3 different playoff games. He was still attacking the glass as he has done his whole career. He was still somehow, with piss poor shooters everywhere around him, getting 10 assists a game. There were only 2 guys, Taj Gibson and Roberson, that were doing anything, and Roberson is one of the worst shooters in the league, statistically speaking. And while I love Taj Gibson and the toughness he brings to this team, he is a million years old. Steven Adams was just flat out a no show. That was disappointing to me because I thought he's take the next step. He did not. The bright lights of the playoffs seemed to have gotten to Oladipo. And, imagine how tired Roberson was from guarding Harden.

Also, imagine how tired Westbrook was from carrying this team for 87 games. People will gripe about his field goal percentage, but coming from a guy that plays basketball once a week, by the end of the night my legs are gone. The fact that Westbrook was still out there giving his all makes me love him and his game that much more, and also solidifies the fact that he is the MVP.

The MVP is a regular season award given out to the player that is their team's most valuable guy. No one this year was more valuable than Westbrook was to the Thunder. If he had skipped town like Durant did, the Thunder would have been a 15 win team at the absolute best. But, he stuck with the team that drafted him, averaged a triple double, led the league in scoring and was the guy in every game, especially their 47 regular season wins. So, I do not care what Bill Simmons, Howard Beck, Zach Lowe, Joe House, Tony Kornheiser, any of those guys have to say about him being selfish, a ball hog or obsessed with stats. Westbrook is the MVP, and a damn deserving one at that. I will argue anyone on this.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. When writing about other basketball writers, Ty always puts on his "Come At Me Bro" t-shirt. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Everyone Needs to Accept the Fact that Russell Westbrook is the NBA MVP

Westbrook at least will get our MVP Award for his season

The other day James Harden was asked how he felt about all the talk of Russell Westbrook being the new front runner for the MVP. It seemed like a fine question. Westbrook was/has been on a tear lately, putting up monster numbers and single handily winning games for the Thunder. I said on Facebook, and to anyone that would listen, after he put up his third 50 point triple double of the year, breaking Oscar Robertson's record of triple doubles in a season and beating, and eliminating, Denver from the playoffs on a last second three the other night that he wrapped up the MVP, in my opinion. Harden's team won that night too, and he put up a triple double as well, I think his 12th of the season, I'm not sure, and when asked the question Harden said, "I thought the MVP was all about winning games".

That is a very fine, and maybe even true statement in past seasons. I don't think anyone would argue that Steph deserved his 2 straight MVP's the last 2 seasons after leading the best team in basketball, but this year is different. First off, Harden was kind of miffed at the question. It was a fine question, and reasonable, as I have already stated. It is not like the reporter said that Harden wasn't deserving, he just asked what he thought of Westbrook possibly taking the lead. Then, Harden's answer, while plausible, does not justify why he should win the MVP. I've gone on record twice on this site now that if I had a vote, it would easily go to Westbrook, with Harden being a distant second. The Thunder lost KD and they are still a playoff team. They will not get to 50 wins, but they have 46 right now, and I did not think that they'd win more than 42 or 43 games. They are the 6th seed in the West. Westbrook is the Thunder's only option as well.

I think it's hilarious that reporters like Bill Simmons, who has done nothing but trash the Thunder since they traded Harden, try to justify that the Thunder's roster is just as good, if not better than the Rockets. Well, it is not. Westbrook has guys like Doug McDermott, Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams, Andre Roberson and Taj Gibson as crucial guys. Harden has Eric Gordon, Ryan Anderson, Lou Williams. Clint Capela, Sam Dekker and Nene on their roster, and they got rid of Dwight Howard. Harden has so many better shooters around him than Westbrook does. And while Gibson and Adams are tough, Capela is more athletic than Adams and Nene is tougher than Gibson. The Rockets roster is much, much better than the Thunder. So Bill Simmons, stop with the whole, the Thunder aren't as bad as some think. You thought they were going to stink, and Westbrook is proving you wrong. Stop bashing the Thunder.

Also, Simmons is the main guy that says this as well, that he thinks averaging a triple double is not that impressive. I could not believe him when he said this. If Westbrook were a Celtic doing this, he would only say glowing things about his play and demand that he was the MVP, even if the Celtics had the same record as the Thunder. Averaging a triple double is wildly impressive, especially in the modern NBA. Bill Simmons needs to get off ripping on the Thunder because it has become tired and hackey, just like his now cancelled TV show. 

Lets get back to Harden's comments from the other night. He said the MVP is all about wins. Okay, than by his logic, he should finish, at best, third in the overall MVP vote behind anyone of the 5 starters on the Warriors and Kawhi Leonard on the Spurs. Both those teams have more wins, 7 more for the Spurs and 12 more for the Warriors, than the Rockets do. So, if we go by that logic, the voting in Harden's theory would be something like Curry/Klay/Draymond/KD number one, Kawhi 2, then himself. So, even his own theory blew up in his face. Also, teams like the Celtics only have 2 less wins, the Cavs are sitting players left and right, and they only have 4 less wins, as do the Clippers and Jazz. All these teams are 50 plus win teams. So, if he wants to do the math, the best he can finish is third. I mean, I have him second behind Westbrook, but if he wants to talk about wins being all that matters, than my vote would be KD 1, and he has only played in 60 games, Kawhi 2, then Harden. Harden's "logic" makes no sense. Also, both KD and Kawhi are one million times the defender that Harden could ever dream of being. I mean if we are going off wins for the MVP, it should be my preseason pick, Kawhi, by a landslide. He is the best defender, hands down, in the league and he has upped his scoring a lot. He is the best Spur since Tim Duncan, and I think he has a real shot at being better overall.

Anyway, I just do not see a just world where Westbrook is not the MVP this year. What he has done is anything beyond what anyone imagined, Westbrook included, in their wildest dreams. The Thunder are not a bad team, but no one else on that team is any real threat, yet they have still managed to get in the playoffs and be a well above .500 team after losing the third best player in the NBA. When the Cavs lost LeBron the first time, the next season they won 19 games. Look at how bad the Lakers have been since Kobe got hurt, then retired. The Celtics were dreadful after they traded away Paul Pierce and KG and Ray Allen left. The Suns have been horrendous since Isiah Thomas and Goran Dragic got traded. It took the Jazz forever to rebound when they let Deron Williams leave in free agency. The Nuggets haven't been good since Carmelo was traded. So, the fact that the Thunder are this good the year that KD left them high and dry is more than enough for me to give Westbrook the vote. The triple doubles, playing in every game, winning in the high 40's and going out and giving his all every night is just icing on the cake.

I'm sorry James Harden, but just like 2 years ago, when Curry beat you out for the MVP, the same should happen again this season, and Westbrook should win the MVP over you. No matter how many more wins the Rockets may have than the Thunder. A side note, I cannot wait for the Rockets-Thunder first round matchup coming in the next week. It should be epic.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He once averaged a triple double for a rec league season. Double digit turnovers, shots that were blocked, and somehow ten or more fouls a game. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

If You Do Not Think Russell Westbrook is the MVP, You Have Lost Your Damn Mind

You say that Westbrook is not the MVP. What the hell is wrong with you?

The other night Russell Westbrook had just an incredible performance against the Magic. I know it was the Magic, but still, 13 rebounds, 11 assists and 57 points.

57 POINTS!

That's the most in a triple double ever, which Westbrook now has 38. Westbrook has been putting on a show all year long. I had very little faith that the Thunder would be any good going into this season. I figure they'd be a playoff team, but it would be fringe and they'd be an easy out.

Well, with Westbrook completely running the show, the Thunder have been very competitive. They have clinched a playoff spot, and they could climb as high as the 4 or 5 seed in the West. This is all due to Westbrook's play this season. The fact that he will, I'm calling it now, average a triple double is amazing. No one since Oscar Robertson has done this, and most thought it would never happen again. I remember people joking that he'd do it, but no one believed it. It is happening now. Throughout this whole season he has been a one man wrecking crew, physically winning and willing his team game after game.

With this being said, why is he not the favorite to win MVP? Not only do people with votes say he's not a shoo in, a lot don't have him in their top 3. That's insane. James Harden seems to be the favorite, and he's had an incredible year, but he has a much better supporting cast and coach. Harden has been great after a tough season last year, but I'd have him second behind Westbrook. LeBron James has gotten a lot of love, but the Cavs have been horrendous lately, and James sits out too many games to be eligible, in my opinion. Kawhi Leonard, my preseason pick, has had his moments, but he's not quite at that level yet. He's fantastic, but he's not an MVP right now.

It's basically those 4 guys, and how most sports writers have Harden ahead of Westbrook is just wrong. MVP stands for Most Valuable Player. Take Harden off the Rockets and they would be bad, but I'd still pencil them down for 30-35 wins. They'd be a lot like the Magic or the Heat. Take James off the Cavs, but keep Love there, they'd still be a playoff team in the East. Take Kawhi off the Spurs, I'm sure they'd still be awesome because they're the Spurs. But, take Westbrook off OKC, they're as bad as the Nets, 76ers and Lakers. No disrespect to guys like Victor Oladipo, Steven Adams and Andre Roberson, but without Westbrook, this team would be lucky to win 15 games. That screams MVP to me. The fact that he averages 30 points while averaging a triple double is equally impressive. He is their one and only threat. And with teams game planning strictly for him, he is still putting up ridiculous numbers and his team is a playoff team.

Unfortunately for Westbrook, I don't think he'll win MVP. Voters seem to have already made up their minds on Harden because his team will have 4 or 5 more wins. That's a shame. Russell Westbrook is the MVP. He is far and away the most valuable guy to his team. This team lost KD and they are still a playoff team and a threat to win a series. That is all due to Westbrook. If I had a vote it would go to Westbrook and Westbrook alone. He has been nothing short of incredible and reliable and insanely durable this year.

Russell Westbrook is the MVP, whether the voters give it to him or not. He definitely deserves this award.

Ty

Ty Tells You Who Will Win the NBA Finals and All the Other Awards

Lots of game balls to give out

I finished my 10 day NBA preseason countdown yesterday, so today, I will give you my finals prediction, award predictions and some surprises, be they good or bad, that I think will happen this upcoming season.

Let's start with the finals.

I don't see how this is not part three of Cavs-Warriors. They are both the superior teams in their respective conferences. They have no real challengers. Some will say the Cavs will be pushed by the Raptors, Celtics or Pacers. The Raptors are perpetual underachievers. The Celtics don't have a super star, ball dominant, get you the tough points when you need them type of guy. The Pacers have no one that can defend both LeBron and Kyrie Irving. The Cavs are just so much better than any team in the East. The Warriors have no one, and I mean no one, that should slow them down one bit. They have the 3 of the 4 best players in the league in their starting five. They have scorers and playmakers all over the floor. As far as the Spurs being a threat, Kawhi Leonard can only guard one of those guys. The Clippers can't stop a pick and roll to save their lives, and the Warriors own them. OKC lost KD, and Westbrook will not be able to beat them alone, even though he will certainly try. The Trailblazers are just not on their level. The Warriors have such an easy path, it's ridiculous.

As stated, we will have a third straight rematch. The Warriors should win this title in no less than 5 games. LeBron will get one, he always does, but the Warriors are absolutely stacked, and anything less than a title would be deemed a disappointment. They will try and talk down the high expectations, but with a team like this, they should be huge, huge favorites.

As far as MVP goes, I mean, LeBron should probably win every year, but he won't this season, unless he wants to. All he has to do is try and play hard every night, and he could walk away with it. But, he has a ton of mileage on his legs, so I don't think he will play as many games this year that would be needed to win the MVP. As far as other contenders, Steph and KD and Klay will all cancel each other out. Those three on the same team will be lethal, but none will separate themselves as MVP. James Harden will score a ton, but he will play no defense, so that will not get him many votes. Russell Westbrook may put up ridiculous numbers, but he will play out of control a lot, shoot too many shots and that will cost him the MVP. He will be fun to watch, but I bet very infuriating at times as well. All these guys are great, but I think that Kawhi Leonard will take the next step and win the MVP this year. The Spurs are now his team, I think he will take that next step offensively and he is the best defender in the league. It may sound crazy, but I think Kawhi is going to become that superstar that we all expect him to be.

Coach of the year is going to go to Tom Thibodeau, unless the T'Wolves fall flat on their faces. Everyone has already penciled him in, so the award is his to lose. The T'Wolves have looked really good in the preseason, and if they finish above .500, he is a shoe in for the award.

I think Kawhi Leonard will double down and not only win the MVP, but also defensive player of the year. As I have said too much the past two days, he is the best defender, hands down, in the NBA. There is no equal.

Rookie of the year is going to go to Kris Dunn. He will usurp Ricky Rubio as the starter in Minnesota, and he looks ready to play right now. I do like Buddy Hield, he will score a ton, Joel Embiid, he has looked unstoppable in preseason and Brandon Ingram will get looks, but he is too skinny and needs to toughen up. But, Dunn will pass all these guys and play important minutes on a team that could possibly push for the playoffs, and he will play well.

As far as some surprises, I think OKC will struggle, but still get in the playoffs. Losing a player like KD is going to hurt a hell of a lot more than they are letting on. Westbrook will play like a man on fire, but he needs help from guys that haven't had this much on their plates in their NBA careers. The Celtics will be the third best team in the East. A lot of people have them as the surefire 2 seed, behind the Cavs, but I think the Pacers will snatch that 2 seed from them. The Pacers have scoring all over the floor, and with Nate McMillan as their new head coach, they will run up and down the court and score tons of points, while playing high level defense. The dunk contest won't be as good as last year, but it is starting to become must watch TV for NBA fans again. The dunk contest was in the toilet for almost a decade, but last year was one of, if not the, best dunk contests ever. I also love that Vince Carter is saying that he might enter this year. I'd love that.

And one last thing, the NBA is so watered down, I would suggest to everyone out there, only watch the Cavs, Spurs and Warriors, as well as your team. There is no point, if you are not a fan of either of these teams, to watch a midseason game between the Nets and Hornets. Neither of those teams will make any difference in the final outcome, so who cares. There are only 3 really good teams, then the rest. Get ready for a third straight rematch, and a lot of the same stuff we have seen for the last few years.

That's it for the NBA. Thanks for reading, and tomorrow, I will have my NCAA men's basketball preview. I will also have my "Eric Andre Show" and "Bar Rescue" recaps next week for everyone, I have just been hyper focused on basketball, since the season is right around the corner. It's very exciting.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. The NBA may be watered down, but Ty believes in drinking plenty of water. Make sure you get the good stuff. The Warriors would be like the Fiji of bottled water. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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