Ty's Not Mock 2023 NBA Draft

The 2023 NBA draft is tonight. I used to watch the draft very closely. I wanted to see where these college and high school and overseas players were going to start their pro careers. I don't watch it now, but my son does. He loves it. He is excited. He has to record the first part, but he has a plan and he is ready to implement it as soon as we get home.

As I have done for the past couple years, I will point out some prospects I like, some I'm not so high on, a few sleepers and discuss the Michigan guys in the draft. This is not a mock draft, more so my opinion on some prospects. Here goes.

It is no secret that this is a three player draft. There are other solid prospects, but the top three guys are the best. They could each be the first overall pick. They are that talented. And I fully believe in all three players' abilities on the court. Victor Webanyama is 7'4. He can handle the ball. He can shoot. He is an excellent defender. He is a solid rebounder. He will put some weight on as he continues in his career. The expectations are expected and he will most likely exceed them. He is a generational talent and he is going to the best run franchise in the NBA. The Spurs and Webanyama are a perfect match. This kid is going to be great. Brandon Miller has some off court stuff, but that seems to have been taken care of. On the court this kid is a great scorer. He can create and spot up on the floor. He can rebound. He needs to get a little better on the defensive end, but that can be coached. This kid reminds me a lot of Banchero from last year. He should be an 18-20 point scorer the moment he walks on an NBA floor. Scoot Henderson may be the most pro ready prospect in this draft. He is built like a tank. He can handle the ball. He is an okay defender. He is ready to run a team. He played in the G League, and when the lights were bright, he showed out. Henderson is my favorite prospect in the draft. If he falls to 3, the Trailblazers should draft him instantly.

Outside those three guys I also like Amen Thompson and Jordan Hawkins. Amen is the better of the Thompson twins. He had excellent workouts and interviews. He has all the tools and the skill. This kid is going to make some GM outside of the top three very happy. Hawkins burst onto the scene this past college season at UConn. He was the best player on the best team. He is a do it all scorer and good perimeter defender. He is going to land in the late lottery most likely and whatever team gets him will be getting a Buddy Hield type player, except a better defender.

As for the prospects I'm not so crazy about, let's start with Cam Whittemore. I kept seeing his name pop up in the early lottery and I didn't know who he was. I also did not know where he played this past season. I'm sure he is a solid basketball player, but I had never heard of him up until about a week ago. Some stories are being floated that his medicals are concerning too. That is not ideal for a kid that is going to be a lottery pick. Time will tell, but this is not a good start. Gradey Dick is not Christian Braun. Not by a long shot. He isn't the shooter, cutter or defender. Just because he played the same position at KU does not mean he is going to be the same player. I feel like a team is going to reach a little too early and he is going to end up like Jimmer Fredette or Nik Stauskas. Finally, I'm also out on Dereck Lively from Duke. He is big, and that is nice, but he was something like the fifth option on an okay Duke team last season. He never did anything amazing. He never stood out. He wasn't the first, second or third option on his college team. That is not a player I would spend a lottery pick on.

Now for the Michigan players. Jett Howard can shoot. He was probably the only reliable and dependable scorer on that team at all last season. He is also an okay enough rebounder. But he is not much of a defender. He is also kind of a non creator. He is great at spot up shooting, hell, even catch and shooting. But he has a way to go as a defender and scorer. I have faith that he can stick in the league, but he may not be more than a role bench player. Kobe Bufkin has only gotten better since he got to Michigan. He showed major flashes in his freshman season in his limited playing time. When he got out on the court, I would be stunned watching him play. I was scared he may transfer, but he stuck it out and became the only reliable player on the team all year. He was the only guy I wasn't worried about on the team. His jumper improved. His defense was, hands down, the best on the team. He was the only creator. When he had the ball in his hands, good things happened. Bufkin is going to make for a very good pro. I think the late lottery is perfect for him. I would love to see him go to OKC or Toronto. That would be ideal.

There you have it, my draft preview. Can't wait to see how all these guys end up doing in their careers. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

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Thoughts on the 2022 NBA Draft

I know it has been almost a week since the draft, but with the country taking a tremendous step backward, and seeing two very good movies, today is the day I am going to talk about my NBA draft thoughts. It may seem out of date, but I have had a very good amount of time to sit and think about the draft. I'm not just going off the cuff. This isn't a rapid reaction. This isn't a grade the day following. And I have thought about this draft a good amount. I use the draft to forget about the horribleness that is our country right now.

With all that being said, the Pistons came out as big time winners from draft night. They got the guy they wanted at five in Jaden Ivey. He fits like a glove with this squad. He can be inserted at the two, next to Cade Cunnigham, from day one. He is a good slashing guard, will fix his shot and can play defense. He is also happy to be there. He was crying tears of joy. It was the best fit of the night. They also traded for the rights to Jalen Duren. He is an extremely athletic center. He will eventually stretch the court. He is a rebound machine. He can block shots. I love his addition to this young core. They got a stash project in Gabriele Procida. They can bring him along super slow and he is the prototype 6-7 wing forward combo the NBA covets right now. They also just traded for Alec Burks and Nerlens Noel. Those guys may not stay, but if they do, that is two extra vets to help out this young team. The Pistons are going to be a fun team to watch next season, and then they should, if they can coexist, become a playoff threat in the next two to three years. They nailed draft night.

I also love what the Houston Rockets did. They got Jabari Smith Jr at three. He was the consensus number one guy on everyone else's mock drafts, but he "fell" into the Rockets lap at three. They can play him right away at the five. He can shoot, defend, rebound and create shots. He and Jalen Green make for a great young duo. They also have Kevin Porter Jr and Alpernun Sengun. This is a young team loaded with potential and talent. They also got TyTy Washington in the late first to be a backup point guard, which is perfect for him to learn. They also got Tari Eason from LSU in the late teens. He is big and switchy and has a bit more experience coming in. Houston is building a team with so much talent, it just has to find a way to come together and coalesce. They have a few years ahead of them before they are true competitors, but they are going to be fun as hell to watch.

Another draft I liked was the Spurs. They got some good pieces. They got Malaki Branham and Blake Wesley in the late first round. These guys were considered lottery talent and they fell into the Spurs lap. They will get the best out of those two guys. They also had a lottery pick and took Jeremy Sochan at nine. I love this pick. He is such a Spurs guy. He is going to be one of the better players in this draft, and going to San Antonio is like a dream destination for NBA players. The Spurs made sure their "rebuild" won't take as long as other teams.

Finally, for a team I liked, the Magic got the best overall guy at number one. Paolo Banchero is a 20 ppg guy from day one. He is so gifted offensively. And adding him to a roster with Franz Wagner and Jalen Suggs is wonderful. They went out and took the best guy on the board. They also got potential in round two with Caleb Houstan. The kid can shoot, he just needs to grow up a bit. He is also barely 19. He is a young dude.

There were only a few teams that puzzled me. First off, the Knicks did some wild stuff during the draft. They traded picks for future picks. They cleared cap space. I get that they want a big name free agent, but Jalen Brunson, as much as I like him as a player, is not the "big name" guy they want to reel in. They have also traded away good vets to clear more space. Maybe that will work next season, but for this year, I don't know. I like when the Knicks are good because it is good for the NBA. But draft night was a real head scratcher.

And then we have the Kings. I mean, this just seems like this is what they do. They had two picks. They took Keegan Murray at four. He is an okay enough shooter, but I think he is what he will be. He is also a bigger guard now on a team filled with guards. This pick does absolutely nothing to move the needle for me. The Kings are just kind of stuck in the mud. They also had a decent pick in round two with Jaden Hardy, but then they traded him to Dallas. I don't even know what they got in return. It was baffling. Hardy could have helped the Kings but now he will help the Mavs. The Kings are going to Kings things on draft night I guess. I will say,

I am excited to watch these kids play next season. I watched a good amount of them play in college or in the G League and I am stoked to see how they adjust to the pros. The NBA has the best draft night coverage and this year was no different. Now we just need to get to the 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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

Ty's 2022 NBA Draft Preview

The NBA draft happens this evening. I used to get super pumped up for this when I was a kid. I don't watch anymore, but my son is as hype as I used to get. I love that he is this involved with basketball now. Anyway, I am going to do my annual draft preview. I'll give you five guys I like and a few sentences why, five I'm not so high on and a few sentences why, and finish it off with a sleeper or two that I'm high on.

This draft is pretty solid. The top three picks, maybe even four, are pretty set, but I have one of those guys in my dudes I'm not so high on. But this draft is deep and there looks to be some solid rotation players that will be picked tonight. Here we go.

As for the guys I like, first off, I adore Jaden Ivey. He is going to be very good. He is fast and can get to the rim. His shot is not great yet, but that could come with time, just look at Kawhi Leonard. Ivey also plays defense. He is as ready to go from day one as any prospect in this draft. I think that, even if the Kings draft him, he is going to have a very, very good career.

I also really like consensus number 1 pick Jabari Smith. He is 6'10 first off. He has a calm demeanor. I watched him play a few times this year and he was always the best player on the floor. He can shoot. He is a great rebounder. He has all the skill set you want in a modern big. And he is very young. He is only going to get bigger. Smith is a top tier prospect.

Speaking of top tier prospects, I love Paolo Banchero as an NBA player. He is also 6'10. He is as good, maybe even better, at cutting to the rim than Ivey is. He is a bully going to the rim. He is bigger than a good chunk of NBA players now. He may loaf off on defense from time to time, but he is also only 19. He will get better at that. I also like his attitude. He is not cocky, he is confident. I usually do not like Duke guys, but Banchero is different. He has been ready to play in the NBA for a few years now. College was just another year to grow and learn. I truly think he will end up being the best player in this draft.

I'm pretty high on Ochai Agbaji. I've always been a fan of guys that stay in school longer to get better. He was also the best player on the team that won it all. Even when he wasn't shooting well he was old enough to do other things to help his team win. He can shoot. He can play defense. He is ready to go. He will be a late lottery pick which means he will end up on a team fighting for the playoffs, which will only help him more. This kid is good and will be a very good bench player in the NBA.

My final prospect I like is Johnny Davis. I watched this kid a ton this year since he played in the Big Ten and he is legit. He can score from anywhere. He has confidence for days. Without him Wisconsin would have been a below .500 team. He took over games at times. He made me so mad because he always seemed to make big shots against teams I was rooting for. He is an offensive machine already. I could see him, depending on which team drafts him, scoring 16-17 points a night in his rookie year. Johnny Davis is an elite level scorer. He is a very, very poor man's Devin Booker right now who will only get better.

Now to the prospects I'm not crazy about.

First off, and most importantly, I have Chet Holmgren here. I have been hearing about this kid since his senior year in high school. I heard all of the KD comparisons. I heard people say he could be like Giannis. I even heard Anthony Davis stuff. But when I watched him this past season at Gonzaga I was left unimpressed. He wasn't even the best player on that team. Drew Timme and Andrew Nembhard were better. There were times where Holmgren looked lost. He fouled a lot. He can block shots because he is so tall, but he had to track the block more than actually make it. He was not an impressive scorer. Going to Gonzaga let him play against lesser college level competition. And when he played the best of the best he disappeared. He is too skinny and will need, at the very least, two years to put on real weight. He is going to get destroyed in the paint by most centers in the NBA. He needs to bulk up and he needs time. I don't know that he'll get either.

I'm not crazy about Keegan Murray. This is another guy I watched a lot, Big Ten team, and he did not leave me feeling like Johnny Davis did. Murray would not do stuff for long stretches. There were games where he'd get numbers, but they felt hollow. His release is slow. He is not a great defender. He flops a lot. He is a lot like Jimmer Fredette, but doesn't shoot threes at the clip Fredette did in college. Keegan Murray is going to be a high pick, but I do not think he has the goods to be a starter or early bench guy. He feels like a deep bench player at best.

I do not know what to make of Shaedon Sharpe. This kid is high on all the "experts" lists, but I have never seen him play basketball before. Darius Garland at least played a few games at Wake. Michael Porter Jr got some run at Mizzou. The G League guys are playing against former pros every day. Sharpe has not played a real game in over a year. I simply do not know what type of player he will be, and I am not going to lose my mind over some high school highlights from two years ago. I would not take a risk on a player like Sharpe in the lottery. I do not know what I am getting at all. I would not want to wager the future of my team on a kid that hasn't played a real game since he was 17 years old. There is too much unknown about Shaedon Sharpe.

I am flabbergasted that Chritian Braun is being mocked in the late first round. This kid is a late second rounder at best. He doesn't shoot the three like a Duncan Robinson or Buddy Hield. He can't get to the rim with ease like other guards can in the NBA. He isn't much of a defensive guy. He has energy, but so did Matthew Dellavedova. I just don't see him being more than a deep bench guy at best. I saw him mocked to the Warriors at 28, and people said they could stash him in the G League for a few years, akin to what they did with Jordan Poole, but Poole was a proven scorer in college. I don't think the same can be said for Braun. I just do not see first round talent in this kid.

Finally, as much as I like his name, TyTy Washington has a long road ahead of him before he is a real NBA player. He was oft injured at Kentucky. He would get hit lightly on drives to the basket and went down like a heap. He isn't a sharp shooter. His defense is average. He is short for his position in the NBA. He has a ton of work. Of the five kids I mentioned in this group I will be rooting for Washington the most, but he has a ton of work to do. I have noticed that he is slipping down draft boards as of late too. Maybe these teams are seeing what I saw all season. Washington is a major work in progress.

To end this draft preview I want to point out two "sleepers" in this draft. My first is Bryce McGowens, yet another Big Ten player I saw a ton of this past season. Nebraska was a nightmare to watch, with the exception of McGowens. This kid is a pure scorer. He may be one of the better offensive players in the entire draft. He is going to be an absolute microwave off the bench. I think a player like McGowens has way more in common with someone like Jordan Poole than a player like Christian Braun does. McGowens is going to need to gain weight and learn to take and use contact. But when he does he is going to be a nightmare to guard in the NBA. He is going to be a top bench player in about three or four years, when he is only 21 or 22 years old. McGowens is an elite scorer, and whatever team takes him in round 2 is going to be thrilled.

Finally I'd like to point out David Roddy from Colorado State. He is big. He can score. He can shoot. He is a good rebounder. He is an okay enough defender. He was the all around leader of a team that won 25 plus games last year and earned a 6 seed in the NCAA tournament. I saw him in the tourney and he nearly torched Michigan. This kid is good. He is a big body who can out muscle guys and pull 4's and 5's out of the post due to the threat of his shot. I feel like he may go undrafted, or be picked very late, but he will end up having a PJ Tucker type career with a little more scoring. Roddy is a good ball player.

Alright there is my 2022 NBA draft preview. Hopefully there will be crazy trades and the kids I am not so high on prove me wrong. And I know my son is stoked to watch. Should be a good 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.

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

Ty's 2021 NBA Draft Preview

The NBA draft is tonight.

I'm pumped.

This class is really, really good. There are three dudes that all could be the number one overall pick. I watched a ton of college basketball last season because I missed the tournament when they rightfully canceled it last year at the start of this ongoing pandemic. I know a good amount of these players because I watched them all play last season. And I devoured the NCAA tournament, where a good amount of these guys made deep runs. I will do my preview like I do my other previews. I am not doing a mock draft. I like to talk about some prospects I like, some I'm not so high on and a few "sleepers". This was kind of tough because, as I said before, this draft has great top talent, solid middle ground players and some good sleepers that could go much later in this draft than they should. I do fully believe this class will have multiple all stars, guys will long NBA careers and, maybe, an MVP caliber player or two. Let's get to it.

I will start with the players I like most in this draft. For starters, all of the G League Ignite guys I like. I am on board with what all of them did. I love that they skipped six months of college to get paid and play against former pros and guys still trying to make it in the league. They got real experience against players that are better than pretty much everyone in college.

I, like most other people, love Jalen Green and Johnathan Kuminga. Kuminga may need a bit more time to develop, but he did average double figures in the G League bubble, and given the right situation, maybe the Warriors, he could really thrive. Green has been ready to go from the jump. He was the first to join the G League, and he was just as advertised. He is a scorer, a play maker, a willing defender, a good passer and he will be a day one starter. He is one of the few that I think has the ability and talent to be a multi time all star and possibly an MVP.

As far as college players, I love Evan Mobley, Cade Cunningham, Moses Moody and Usman Garuba. Mobley has the skills to be a more talented Dwight Howard. Howard was once great by the way, but Mobley has the jumping ability, the dunking, the rim protecting and he can shoot. He may be a little too thin right now, but when he puts on weight he is going to be a force. I think he may be the best player in this class.

Cade Cunningham is, quite possibly, the most NBA ready player at the moment. He dominated in college, was dominant in high school, seems humble and coachable and can score in bunches. He is really, really good. He should be the first pick. If Detroit passes on him that would be a big time mistake.

Moses Moody is a good scorer and he can be an instant offense off the bench guy right away. I see a lot of Immanuel Quickley in Moody. Whatever late lottery team gets him, maybe Memphis, is going to get instant bench scoring.

Usamn Garuba is going to go in the late teens to 20's, and whatever playoff level team gets him is getting the best defender in the league. He was playing professionally overseas, so like the Ignite guys, he has been facing top level talent for at least a year now. Garbua is going to be a very good late first round pick.

Now to the players I am not so crazy about. This first one pains me because you all know I love my Wolverines, but I do not get the lottery love for Franz Wagner. Wagner is a great defender, a willing defender, coachable and a very solid passer. But he does not have a very good shot. That can be worked on, but what if he ends up with the Kings? Or Pacers? Or Magic? He is going to be asked to do too much too fast. He needs time to develop a jump shot. He is going to play right away because of his defense, but he would be so much better off going to a team like the Spurs or Grizzlies or Warriors. He needs to find a team loaded on offense so he can focus on defense.

I watched Scottie Barnes completely disappear in a tournament game against Michigan. So the love for him, especially lately, baffles me. He is hyper athletic and has a non stop motor, but for him to be mocked as high as five, I don't get that at all. He is another guy that needs time. He needs the right team. He needs to go somewhere he can develop. He is about two to three years away.

Corey Kispert is Jimmer Fredette 2.0. He is no more than a shooter. He offers no defense, no passing, no ball handling. He is just a shooter. So for him being mocked in the 10-14 area, that is wild. I do not doubt he is going to be able to score, but his ceiling is JJ Redick, except Redick used to be a competent defender. Just look at some guys in the Kispert mold. We have Fredette and Doug McDermott and Nik Stauskas. Those guys were not worth their draft position, and two of them are out of the league. And McDermott is a bench guy. That is Corey Kispert to me.

Jalen Johnson is a complete mystery to me. I get why he left Duke early last season, but I have not heard about him since. Is he as good as his recruiting ranking? Did he leave Duke to prepare for the draft? Do teams like him? Has he been promised a spot in the lottery? None of this is known to me and many other NBA fans that do not have access some other writers do. Any team that takes him will have a total project on their hands, and that doesn't always work out well.

As for my sleepers, I do have a few. First it is time to give love to my Wolverines. I think however Isaiah Livers gets into the league, he is going to be a beast of a bench player. Livers was the heart and soul of Michigan the past two years. He can shoot, rebound, defend and plays hard every night. He was the guy on Michigan that I was never nervous or worried about. He has this calming nature when he plays basketball. I also think that Ayo Dosunmu is going to be a great fit for whatever playoff team takes him late in the first round. He would be an excellent backup to Mike Conley in Utah. He would be a nice complement to James Harden in Brooklyn. The Lakers would kill to have him take over for Dennis Schroeder if he doesn't re-sign. Dosunmu is a very good player. I mentioned the G League Ignite team, and they have Isaiah Todd and Dashien Nix to go along with Kuminga and Green. Nix is going to be a solid rebounder and Todd, if he develops a decent shot, could be a solid player on a good team.

I am pumped to see where everyone lands tonight. I love the draft and I love seeing who picks who. The draft is great, and the NBA does it best. Let's go.

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 and twitter.

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

Thoughts on the 2020 NBA Draft

I wrote about my top prospects, my busts and sleepers prior to the draft last night, and now I am here to talk about what I liked, and disliked from the draft. I do want to say, every player I talked about yesterday was picked. That might be a first for me. I hope the ones I considered a "bust" prove me wrong, and some of my sleepers went way before I thought they would.

With that being said, I have some thoughts. The top three went as expected. Edwards was one, Wiseman two and Ball three. Two of these guys I had in my "busts" category. But, if you remember, I said if the Warriors drafted Wiseman my point was moot. That was exactly what happened, I think it is for the best for Wiseman, and even with the unfortunate news about Klay Thompson today, he tore his ACL again, Wiseman will still get to play on a very good team, and he won't be asked to be the star. This is the perfect situation for him. Ball to the Hornets may be what is best for him too. He is in a small market, not many people will be entirely focused on what he is doing and now Michael Jordan can beat his dad's ass in one on one. He still has some things to work on, but being out of the limelight might be best for him. Edwards is in a fine position too. He goes to a team with two all stars, they won't be expected to make the playoffs, and he will be able to display his athleticism without having to be the reason to watch the Timberwolves. These three kids ended up in probably the best case scenarios they could. That was nice to see.

Outside the top three, the draft went kind of off the rails. I do not like the Bulls taking the big from FSU, Patrick Williams. He is raw, he is also athletic, but he has a ton of work to do. Hopefully Billy Donovan will bring him along slow. The Cavs took the Okoro kid from Auburn, and I don't know much about him. The Hawks, who I thought were trying to make a trade, took the Okongwu kid from USC. I think he will fit in nice for the youth, but he won't turn many heads. The Pistons appear to still be in tank mode taking Killian Hayes at seven. They now have him and Blake Griffin. They will be lucky to win 20 games this year. The Knicks did the best thing, in my opinion, last night when they snatched Obi Toppin. He gets to pair up with Mitchell Robinson in the front court, and the two of them can make the Knicks relevant again. I loved this pick, and I texted RD to tell him how much I liked it, and that the Knicks better now screw this kid up. This was great. Then we had the Tel Aviv kid go to Wahsington, solid pick, the Suns got another hard working big in Jalen Smith, the Spurs took another young shooter in Devin Vassell, although I think they might make some moves, the Pelicans got a steal in Kira Lewis Jr and the lottery wrapped with Aaron Nesmith going to Boston, where I think he will see little to no playing time.

Outside the lottery, I love Cole Anthony to Orlando. He should start over Markelle Fultz from day one. The Heat got a solid three or four in Precious Achiuwa. I really like the Jazz taking Adoka Uzobuike. He will be a great backup to Gobert, if he stays. I wasn't so high on the Celtics taking Payton Pritchard. He is a college guy who just won't translate to the NBA. That was a reach. I wasn't too crazy about the Bucks taking RJ Hampton. Now that the Bogdanovic trade has fallen through, I thought they would go after a shooter, but they took a middling point guard instead. And I don't get the Thunder trading Ricky Rubio back to the Timberwolves for more picks. They have all the picks seemingly, but they could have used Rubio next to SGA.

The second round went faster, and I love that the Grizzlies took Xavier Tillman. He was another guy I didn't like in college, because he abused Michigan, but he will be good next to Jaren Jackson Jr, and he will be a nice spark off the bench. The Knicks hit another home run when they took Daniel Oturu. He will be a great bench player for them, and he adds depth and size. Cassius Winston didn't go until very late, pick 53, but he ended up with the Wizards, and I think he will be an exceptional backup to John Wall, and Bradley Beal will adore him. Nico Mannion may finally learn to shoot properly in Golden State, but I don't think he will see the floor much. And as for the Duke players, some got picked, and may be okay. But they won't be counted on to do much of anything.

This was a weird draft, but a fun draft. If I had to pick a team that "won", I'd actually go with the Knicks. They got my top prospect, and added one of my favorite sleepers. I also appreciate that the Warriors took Wiseman. Now I want to see how these players do in their first season, and I wish them nothing but the best.

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 and twitter.

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

Ty's 2020 NBA Draft Preview

The NBA draft is on tonight.

I know it feels like the season just ended, and that is because it basically just did. If you have been under a rock, the NBA had to stop play for three months, then finish up the 2019-20 season in the Orlando bubble. The season concluded in, I believe, late September. Then the NBA announced they were going to do a 72 game sprint season, with no all star game or festivities, and that the season would start on December 22nd. They have now let teams make trades, the draft is tonight, free agency starts on Friday and training camps and preseason start in early December. It has all been a whirlwind, but I am happy to know that I will be watching NBA games in just over one month. It's like a late birthday gift for me. I did my take on trades yesterday, and today I want to do my version of a draft preview.

I don't like doing mock drafts either. I feel like they are a waste of time. What I do like doing is picking five prospects I really like, five I think will "bust" and five sleepers. I usually give the players a sentence or two on why I have them where I do, and then it is on to the next one. Also, I'm not a big fan of calling these kids "busts". They are about to become pro basketball players, something I only ever dreamed of. But until I can find a better word for it, I guess I will have to use "bust".

Let's do the five prospects I really like in this draft. As you all know, I am not a big fan of the "one and done" thing, and I am not particularly high on teams that draft a 19 year old over a 22 year old because they think the 22 year old is "too old". That will be reflected in my five favorite prospects.

Number one for me is Obi Toppin. I love this kid's game. I actually saw him live before the world went to hell. I saw SLU almost beat Dayton in fact. But it was Toppin who wouldn't let his team lose. He is long, athletic, can shoot the three a bit, is a great, and smart offensive player and will get better on defense. I would take him number one overall. He did play three years of college ball, but who cares. This kid is the real deal, and he is my favorite player in the draft.

My number two prospect is Tyrese Haliburton from Iowa State. I know he missed a chunk of the year, but when he played he shot the hell out of the ball, and he is the best passer in the draft. He has two years of college basketball behind him, and he seems to have a natural feel. He will have to fix his release point, it is a bit low right now, but he will come in right away and be a top notch passer in the NBA.

At number three I have Anthony Edwards. I know he has gotten flak for kind of disappearing in games and practices, but this kid is built, can score from anywhere and he has an NBA body. He is a freshman, and he will struggle, but with gifts like he has on the offensive end, I think he will instantly be better than guys like RJ Barrett or Colin Sexton. He is ready to score.

At number four I have Kira Lewis Jr from Alabama. I didn't know much about him early in the season, but I watched him play Kentucky one afternoon, and I was blown away. He is an excellent ball handler, a pass first guard and has the size to match up with almost any other guard in the league. If he gets put in the right spot, he could be a future all star.

My number five prospect I like is Sadiiq Bey from Villanova. To me he is the Draymond Green of this draft, except a better shooter. He isn't the most athletic, or the best ball handler, but the kid can score, he can spot up and shoot and he plays defense. He may be a guy who tumbles a bit, but he will make the teams that pass him regret it. He has the tools to be a very good modern small lineup "big" type player.

Now to the "busts".

At number one I have LaMelo Ball. Now, I know I have written in the past how much I dislike the father, but this is not me dunking on this kid. I think he is too entitled, doesn't have a solid shot and won't thrive when he is asked to be the do it all man. I think he is an excellent passer and has a good feel, but I just think whatever team takes him in the top three will ask him to be the star, and he is not ready for that. That will take years, and NBA teams don't give players the time anymore.

At number two, and this is really hard for me because I want this kid to succeed so much, is James Wiseman. If he gets drafted by the Warriors, my point is moot. That would be perfect. But if any other team takes him, it is just like Ball. He will be asked to do it all, to be the reason fans, when allowed, come to watch the game. He hasn't played a real game in over a year, and the pressure just seems too much. I hope the Warriors take him, but if they don't, it will be tough sledding.

At number three I have Killian Hayes. Some people love this kid, but his shooting percentages are not good, his turnovers are way too high, he struggled on an average team overseas, it just doesn't add up to me. I could see him falling way down in the draft, which might be the best thing for him. But for some people to have him as the top prospect, or a top five guy, I just don't see it.

At number four, give me any Duke player that declared for the draft this year. They did not have one of the greatest freshman classes of the past. There is no Zion or Barrett or Jahlil Okafor or Jabari Parker. But the majority of that team declared for the draft, and I wouldn't be surprised if none of them were first round picks.

At number five I have Nico Mannion. This kid was the talk of the town going into last season, and he did absolutely nothing to move the needle in my opinion. He is a worse version of Nik Stauskas if you ask me. He's a spotty shooter, not much of a passer or ball handler, and he will get abused on the defensive end of the floor. Hopefully he can prove me wrong, but I just don't see it at all with him.

Now for the sleepers.

I don't watch much international basketball, and when I do it is usually clips on YouTube, but Deni Avdija from Maccabi Tel Aviv is legit. It may seem ridiculous that I have him as a sleeper, most mocks have him top five, but for me he is a sleeper. I didn't know who he was a month ago, and now I watch his highlights as much as I did Giannis and Thon Maker's when they were coming up. Hopefully he finds a middle ground between those two, but he is going to be solid.

My number two sleeper is Cassius Winston from Michigan State. I do not like watching this kid, and he carved up Michigan for four years. But I have seen him play so much, and I am stunned he isn't a first round lock. The kid can score, he can shoot from anywhere, he attacks the rim and he orchestrated a very complex offense in college to a T. He is also a very solid defender. If he falls to a contender in the late first or early second round, that would be a gift for that team. He is ready to contribute right away, and he will have a very solid NBA career.

At number three I have Cole Anthony. This kid went to UNC with a ton of fanfare, then got hurt, then UNC had a very bad year and I think people forgot about him. He is a prototype point guard, he is strong and he will be a much better NBA player than he was a college player because he feels like the type of player that thrives when playing better competition. I think teams will really regret passing on him. I look at him a lot the way I looked at Ben Simmons. And while Anthony is no Simmons, their college careers were similar, and they both just wanted to get to the league. I like Cole Anthony a lot.

At number four I have Daniel Oturu from Minnesota. Yeah it is my second Big Ten guy, but that is the conference I watch. This kid is big and athletic and will be a solid rotation guy on a good team. If he could fall to someone like Dallas or the Clippers, he will be a much needed punch off the bench. He will probably be a second round pick, but he is a first round talent.

My final sleeper, at number five I have Udoka Azubuike from Kansas. This kid is big, strong and not afraid of anyone. Think Montrezl Harrell, but 3 inches taller. He will be a great rim protector, a good old fashioned center and will be a very solid spot minutes guy until he lands as a sixth or seventh man on a playoff team.

There you have it, my fifteen players in three categories to look out for tonight during the draft. I know I left a ton of guys out, but college basketball ended abruptly, these kids haven't played real games in close to a year and these are the guys I remember most, good and bad. I am pumped for the draft tonight. The NBA offseason is in full swing people. This is great.

Ty

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

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The Timberwolves Should Trade the Number One Pick

The Minnesota Timberwolves won the draft lottery last night.

I am happy for them, their fans and management. Unfortunately though, I don’t see a player that is worth that spot, especially for the Timberwolves. They traded for their point guard for the near future when they got D’Angelo Russell. They got rid of Andrew Wiggins in that deal too, which they were hoping to do. They have their modern big man for the future in Karl Anthony Towns. He’s amazing on offense, he’s a great rebounder and if he tries, he can play defense. They got their perimeter defender and, hopefully for them, future spot up three point shooter in last year’s draft when they took Jarrett Culver. They also have solid bench scorers in Malik Beasley and James Johnson. I think Josh Okogie can still be a solid bench guy, Juancho Hernangonez needs some real minutes and Naz Reid definitely showed flashes after being undrafted. I feel like the Timberwolves have an okay, and very, very young roster. I also think KAT is going to be a man on a mission next year after losing his mom to Covid. I think he’s going to have a monster year.

Then when I look at this draft class, the top guys just don’t jump out to me. LaMelo Ball is a talker version of his brother. James Wiseman is so skinny, even though he is my favorite prospect. Obi Toppin plays the same position as KAT, and is he a one year wonder perhaps? I know nothing about the overseas guys except Ball. Who knows about all the freshman that declared. And while Anthony Edwards is a great, great scorer, he has to be ready to go and go hard every night if he’s the number one overall pick. There’s no nights off. He also plays a similar position to Culver, and he’s not as good on defense. Not a lot of good choices for Minnesota.

If I were Minnesota I’d be doing everything in my power to trade the pick for a proven veteran, or if they can, a higher echelon player to team with Russell and KAT. They could try some of the other lottery teams. Maybe they can get Blake Griffin, even with all his injury history I think him and KAT would be awesome together, from Detroit. They could swap picks and Griffin, or even just the pick for Griffin. Maybe Chicago would be willing to part with Lauri Markanen, or send Zach Lavine back and build around Coby White and whoever they take number one. They’re clearly rebuilding anyway. Cleveland is less likely to give up on a guy like Collin Sexton or Darius Garland, but maybe another reunion sending Kevin Love back to team up with KAT, and they can get a younger big at number one. I’d even entertain some kind of idea involving Atlanta and John Collins and Kevin Huerter. The Timberwolves have options. There is no Zion or LeBron in this draft. Hell, there’s no Kyrie or KD or Anthony Davis in this class. There is no transcendent player. There’s no one that is a franchise guy, at least on paper.

My opinion? I think Minnesota would be better off trading out of that top spot. They have power, they have the top overall choice and they have options. I think they’d be best off exploring all of them instead of just sitting on this pick. We shall see.

Ty

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

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Should Michigan's Isaiah Livers Go to the NBA

Even though we have no sports going on right now, there are still a ton of prospects declaring for the upcoming NBA draft.

Quick little side note, I have never been as excited as I am to watch current NBA players play each other in NBA 2K this Friday. I know it's just them playing a video game, but it is going to feel so cool to see these guys, some of them super stars, playing a basketball video game. I'm pumped. Anyway back to my original point.

This is always the time of year when players declare for the NBA draft. In fact, the only guys who don't at this time are the ones still in the tournament. Since there is no tournament this year though, which still feels so god damn weird, it seems more and more guys are declaring. One such player, who declared yesterday, took me by surprise though.

Isaiah Livers, from Michigan, declared yesterday. He did leave the door open to return, which I like. But still, he has potentially entered his name in the upcoming draft. I am surprised for a good amount of reasons, but none more so than how important he is to the team currently. I watched them all the time this past year, and Livers was, by far, the best player on the team. He was also the most important, and I felt like he was going to be the perfect upperclassmen leader for the incoming group of pretty solid to very good freshman that Juwan Howard has recruited. You could tell just how important he was when they rushed out to a quick 7-0 start, beating Gonzaga along the way, and pushed themselves all the way to number 4 in the country. Livers then got hurt a little bit after that, and they struggled. They missed his shooting, defense, free throw shooting and leadership. Having him out there, with Zavier Simpson, was comforting. When Livers missed time, it was frightening as a fan. He came back after they struggled, and he healed, and Michigan then went on a solid winning streak, which secured them a spot if there was a tournament this season.

Livers is a solid team player that I was counting on, for whenever basketball comes back, for the next generation of players coming to Michigan. I looked to him as the guy that was going to be the captain, the coach on the floor, the leader. And, he still has that chance. He hasn't signed with an agent, he said he is leaving the door open to return. He has talked about how he could easily be convinced to return. He is truly "testing the waters".

Now, and I am not going to dump on this kid because he is a great player, and I wish nothing but the best for him, but I do think, if he stays in the draft, he is going to have a similar outcome that some former Wolverines have had when they left, what I consider, a little too early. Nik Stauskas and Trey Burke were lottery picks, and leaders on a team that went to the title game. Trey Burke was National Player of the Year. Stauskas was a killer from three. They both left after two years, and Burke is already a journeyman bench guy, and Stauskas is out of the league. Mitch McGary was on that team as well, and he was out of the league before his third season. Those guys weren't fully ready, with Burke maybe being the only exception. But he is just so small. Even take a guy like Glenn Robinson III. He seemed to be most NBA ready, and he is best known as a bench guy, and won a pretty awful dunk contest two years ago. Even last season, when Ignas Brazdeikis and Jordan Poole left, I didn't hate on them for it, but I also didn't think they were ready. And I think I was proven right, at least so far this year. Both have been, mostly, in the G League all year while it was still going on. They just didn't seem ready.

In fact, the only recent guys that have had a career that has lasted are two guys that stayed until, at least, their junior season. Both Tim Hardaway Jr and Caris Levert are solid NBA players that have been in the starting lineup for the majority of their careers. But, they had all that time in college. I would hope, if Livers stays in the draft, he has a career like they do, but I think he has stuff to work on still. He is an okay three point shooter, but not consistent enough. He is a good defender, but he does get beat up by bigger guys. He can slash to the rim very well, but that seems to be how he has gotten himself injured this past year. I'd like him to stay, work on his jumper a bit more, get a little thicker and show that he can lead a team filled with top prospects. He wouldn't be the household name, if all the kids that verbally committed stay with it, but he would be the most important guy. He would be the glue to a team that could be a potential top 10 team.

Who knows what is going to happen with this particular draft. There may not even be one, and this could be a moot point. But, if there is one, and Livers stays in it, I will miss him greatly. I didn't know how much I actually liked him as a player until he declared for the draft. And not only do I like him, I truly appreciate all the things he does for my favorite team. I now get why he is so important, and why this team needs him so much. I hope he comes back, but if he doesn't, I wish him the best of luck.

Ty

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

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Ty's 2019 Mock NBA Draft

Tonight is the NBA draft. I love the NBA draft. I used to watch all the picks when I was a kid, and even through my first few years of college. I still, to this day, follow every pick on my phone on one of my sports apps. I, for some unknown reason, am enamored by where the top players get drafted.

For example, I  was a stunned as everyone oelse when the Cavs took Anthony Bennett first overall. I was rooting hard for guys like Hasheem Thabeet and Brandon Jennings were lottery picks. I'll never forget that I fought hard that the Bucks won the trade that sent Dirk Nowitzki to the Mavericks for Robert "Tractor" Traylor. I vividly remember thinking the Vancouver Grizzlies totally blew it when they selected Bryant Reeves in the top three. My exact words were, "don't take that country fed white boy". Needless to say, the NBA draft, and only the NBA draft, has played a big part in ,y sports fandom. I also love the pageantry that goes into the whole night. I also like how fast paced it is. It is fun. For something so ridiculous, I love it. So, much like I did with the NFL draft in April, I will be ranking my top 10 prospects, and give you 5 guys that I think will not live up to the hype. I'm not going to do a mock draft because that is an exercise in futility. It is like picking the perfect March Madness bracket. No one has ever gotten even close to 90 percent of the draft correct. I like doing the top 10 and not so top 5 instead. I will also do in descending order. Alright, lets get started.

My number 10 player is PJ Washington from Kentucky. He is big, physical, can shoot, and will get better in the NBA, and he is one of the few Kentucky guys that benefited from coming back for another season. That made his draft stock soar. I feel like he will be a better version of David West, who was a multiple All Star. Washington is legit.

At number 9 I have Darius Garland. I know a ton of people have him much higher, and I am falling in that "potential" trap, but this kid was amazing in high school, and his 4 games at Vanderbilt were pretty good. He reminds me so much of Damian Lillard. He can shoot from anywhere on the floor. You have to guard him. He is also a good passer with a high IQ. The only knock, and why I have him at 9 and not 4, is the fact that he tore an Achilles, and only played 4 games. He has so much potential, but he will have to prove that he was not just a high school wunderkind. He has a whole lot to prove.

At number 8 I have Brandon Clarke from Gonzaga. I think I might be higher on him than any of the other "draft experts". You all know I love older college players. I pushed for Buddy Hield to be the number one pick in his draft. Well Clarke was a transfer from SDSU, refined his jumper and became a solid all around player while at Gonzaga. He was the best player on a team that spent a good amount at the top of the rankings last year. He will also understand that he has a role to play. He doesn't need the ball all the time. He doesn't have to score. He doesn't need to be flashy. He is the exact player that every team should want. He is going to be so good, and I think, because I believe he will slide past the lottery, that we will all look back in 3 or 4 years and think, damn Brandon Clarke is a good professional basketball player.

At number 7 I have Coby White. This kid is a flash of lightening, can shoot the three and plays like a traditional point guard. He is like Russell Westbrook, except his is a much more willing passer. He had a great ACC and NCAA tournament, and has been apparently lights out in private workouts. I also love his afro. Coby White is going to be good, but he has potential to be great. If he could land with Phoenix or Chicago, that would be best. Coby White is good.

At number 6 I have Jaxson Hayes from Texas. You cannot teach height, and this kid has a ton of it. He also proved to be a solid rim protector and rebounder in his one year in college. He can also score in the post, and shoot a little from the outside. But, he is very raw and young. It will take time, but I see him as being a better pro than John Collins, who I think is already pretty good. Hayes willingness to defend will keep him on the court as a rookie, and from there on out, he will only get better with coaching. I feel like he is the best traditional big in the draft.

At number 5 I have Nassir Little from UNC. Hear me out. I know he did not live up to the recruiting hype in college, but this kid is freakishly athletic, and if you want to take a chance, and hit a grand slam in the mid to late lottery, I wouldn't hesitate for one second in taking Little. He is the type of player, given the proper coaching, could turn out to be a star. Remember when Dwayne Wade went 10th overall? Or when Rashard Lewis didn't get picked until round 2? I feel like Little has that type of star potential if he is put in the right position.

At number 4 I have Little's teammate, Cam Johnson. Again, I know this is much higher than most have him, but the kid can shoot threes at a high clip, and isn't that what you want from a 6'7 guard in the modern NBA? He could very well be the next Klay. He has the ability to be that good of a shooter. He was lights out in college, and I can see that easily projecting to the NBA. If he gets picked by a team like Sacramento or Cleveland, I think they'd be delighted to have a knock down shooter from outside.

At number 3 I have a tie between Jarrett Culver and Deandre Hunter. Maybe this is unfair, or I should have done a top 11, but I don't care. After watching these 2 face off in the title game, I loved both of their games. Culver may not have had the best shooting game, but he can get to the rim, and he can shoot the jumper. He can also get to the line. And his defense is legit. He is such a good defender. Again, if you can defend, you can stay on the floor and learn the rest of the game. Culver will be  longtime pro. Hunter is almost as good a defender, and he can hit the open shot. He made so many big time threes in the biggest game of his college career. He was the reason Virginia won the title. That game, even though I already loved him before, put him over the edge for me. I have so much faith in Hunter and his ability to become not just a good pro, but an All Star.

At number 2 I have Zion Williamson. Again, here me out. Zion is one of the best athletic talents I have ever watched in the college game. He has thunderous dunks, which I love, and he plays hard defense. He is going to single handily going to save the New Orleans franchise. My only questions are, will he get into better shape because he will not be able to over power pros, and can he develop a shot. I think he can do both, but I keep going back to these 2 things when I think about the draft. I know he will be the top pick, and he will sell tickets, and I think he will be good, I just don't see him as the top player in this draft.

My top player, coming in at number one, is Ja Morant. I love this kid. I love his motor. I love his dunking ability. I love his relentless will to get to the rim. I love that he made his jumper more consistently this year. I love that he is a willing passer. I love that we got to see him, the national we that is, in the tournament this year. I love that he is a small school kid. I do not dislike anything about Morant. I have zero doubts that he will be an absolute star, and I love that Memphis is going to take him because they are the closest professional basketball team to me, and I can watch him play a ton next year. Morant is my guy. He is legit.

Now lets get to the guys that I don't think will be as good as projected.

At number 5 I have Rui Hachimura. Now, I like Hachimura, I just think he should have gone back to school for one more year to really hone his skills. He tested the waters last year, but came back to improve. But, he didn't really improve on the things I was hoping he would improve on. Sure, he is an okay rebounder, and can score in the post. But, his jumper is weak, he got exposed on defense, and the fact that Clarke surpassed him as the guy shows me that he needs more work. I hope I'm wrong on Hachimura, but I don't see it with him.

At number 4 I have Bol Bol. I know he has plummeted down draft boards, but I feel like that is for dumb reasons like, he has outside hobbies. So what? That shouldn't matter. But what worries me about him is the injury he sustained this year, and his frail upper body. He is so tall, but he is rail thin. Guys like Draymond Green or Serge Ibaka or Marc Gasol are going to destroy him when he is defending them, and they aren't even the best of the best. Bol is about as raw as they get in this draft.

At number 3 I have Romeo Langford. This kid was supposed to be the savior in Indiana, and they stunk this year. I watched him get bullied by Michigan this year. He couldn't do anything until the game was already decided. He needs a ton of work and time. He is not a lottery pick, and at time during the college season, he looked a step slow and confused. I think whoever takes him, especially if he goes in the lottery, is going to be upset when they trade or cut him in two years.

At number 2 I have Cam Reddish. If Little didn't live up to the hype, Reddish was a total "one and one" bust. He flat out disappeared at times during this past season. I forgot he was on Duke. I then forgot that he was the top recruit on that team. He is nothing more than potential. He didn't show me anything that jumped off the screen when I watched him play last year. He was non existent during the season, and in the tournament, when he could've really made a name for himself, he did nothing. I cannot believe this kid is a surefire lottery pick.

And my number one guy that I have no faith in is RJ Barrett. Yes, I understand he will be a very high lottery pick, but come on, how is he not a very, very, very poor man's Kobe Bryant? He has serious tunnel vision and only looks to score. There were times, and I loathe Duke basketball, where I would yell at him to pass the ball to Zion. He just puts his head down and tries to score. His jumper is also wack as hell. It is broken. He may have averaged 4 assists a game, but that was pure luck, or leak out passes to Zion for a dunk. It was a very hollow 4 assists. Barrett is going to go to New York, and he and Dennis Smith Jr will be fighting over shots all season, and the Knicks will win 15 games again. I just cannot get on the bandwagon for this kid. He is too self focused for me. I don't see it.

Okay, there is my "expert" opinion on 15 players that will get picked tonight. We will have to wait a couple of years to see if I was right. But, I am very excited to see where everyone gets picked, and I will have my eyes on the three Wolverines in the draft tonight. Yeah, the NBA draft is here. Get pumped people.

Ty

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

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Some Thoughts on the NBA Draft Lottery and the New Lakers Coach

Before I get into movies and TV the next 2 days, I’ve got 2 more basketball things I want to touch on today.

First, I want to talk about the NBA lottery last night.

The NBA won last night. More clearly, the commissioner, and the new flat odds rule won last night. The Knicks, Cavs and Suns tanked all year. The Lakers, when they realized their season was over, tried to tank. The Hawks, while fun to watch, didn’t win too many games. Despite all this, the Pelicans got the first pick, and Memphis got the second pick. The Knicks and Lakers finished out the top 4, but neither got the pick they were hoping for. The Pelicans now hold every single advantage in the whole AD thing now. They can ask for a kings ransom to any team trying to get AD, or a team that may want presumed number one pick, Zion Williamson. This was the absolute best thing that could’ve happened to New Orleans, David Griffin and Alvin Gentry. They don’t have to tear it all down now. They can get a tremendous package now, stay relevant and get back in the playoff picture ASAP. Also, I don’t think this was rigged at all. If it was rigged, the Knicks or Lakers would’ve gotten the number one pick. The fact that neither is in the top 2, of a seemingly 2 player draft, speaks volumes to the possibility of this lottery being rigged. I think it’s hilarious that some think it was fixed. I don’t think the NBA was begging for Zion to go to New Orleans. That’s nonsense. Anyway, congrats New Orleans. You not only won the draft lottery, you regained, and added, a ton of power in the AD saga. Hilarious.

Secondly, I want to talk about this whole Frank Vogel being named the new head coach of the Lakers. I mean, what the hell? This is absolutely absurd. This is a consolation “prize”, after Monty Williams took the Phoenix job and Ty Lue walked away. Frank Vogel was an okay coach when he was in Indiana, but basketball was much different back then. Roy Hibbert was an all star and a guy you needed on the floor. He’d be unplayable in the modern NBA. After getting fired from Indiana he took the Orlando job, and boy oh boy was their team not very good. He didn’t work well with the young talent, and they let him go after only three years. And when you look at the Pacers and Magic now, they’re both better off. They’re both playoff teams. Hell, the Pacers fought for homecourt in the first round until Victor Oladipo got hurt. Frank Vogel is an okay coach, but not worthy of coaching a team LeBron is on.

Which brings me to my next point. The fact that Jason Kidd is the lead assistant is very prophetic for who will be the head coach by Christmas Day. This is almost exactly what happened in Cleveland when LeBron came back. David Blatt was hired before he decided to come back, took them to the Finals, then the next season Ty Lue was named lead assistant, and 20 games into the year, he was the new head coach. LeBron may not be saying anything about this hire right now, but a few months into the year, if the Lakers are still struggling, LeBron will say some stuff to the media, and within a week Kidd will be the new head coach. It’s so easy to see this in the tea leaves. Vogel is a scapegoat. He’s a figurehead. Since James signed with LA, Jason Kidd’s name has come up for head coach a bunch. It is clear that he, Maverick Carter and Klutch Sports are running this Lakers team. That’s what LeBron does. Teams that sign him should know that the moment they sign him, he’s in control. Much like the lottery, the Frank Vogel hire is hilarious to me. He’ll last one full season if he’s lucky. Honestly though, I think he’s gone before Christmas, and Kidd is introduced as the head coach. And I think both LeBron and the Lakers will seriously regret it in about 2 years.

This has been a wild few days in the NBA. But, it’s also been fun to watch since I have no rooting interest in most of the teams I mentioned today. Gosh, the NBA is so much fun. 

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

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Why in the Hell Did the Utah Jazz Pick the All Hype, No Talent, Grayson Allen

Why Utah? Why?

A new week, but I still have some basketball stuff I want to get off my chest. As I said, after my draft recap last week, I have a big time problem with Grayson Allen being a first round pick, and with the team that chose him.

First of all, Allen never got better while at Duke. In fact, he got much worse as his career went on. Now, if all you do is watch ESPN, you probably think that I am just a "hater", or misinformed. But, I am one of the very few people out here that still watch, and pay close attention to, NCAA basketball. And when it comes to Duke, I hate watch them. I have talked about hate watching before on the site. I watch them with hopes that they will, not only get beat, but get crushed. I watch them to root against them. I do not care who they are playing, I root against them no matter what. So, I have been very, very aware of Grayson Allen since he was a freshman. I feel as if he played his best game as a freshman, and it just so happened in the title game. Allen kind of burst onto the scene on a team that featured pros like Jahlil Okafor, Justice Winslow and Tyus Jones. I know none of those guys have been great in the pros, but they were all first round picks, lottery picks in Okafor and Winslow's case, and they are all still in the league. Well, Allen played right up to their level in that game. And, from the moment he stepped on the floor, with his stupid, smug face, I immediately despised him. He just had that look, He looked like a Duke player. If you watch college basketball, you know exactly what I am talking about. He had this look of superiority, like he was better than everyone else. He looks like a kid born with a golden spoon in his mouth, who was never told no. I just despised him.

Then, when all those freshman at Duke left for the pros, I had to hear ESPN shout to the mountains that Grayson Allen was going to be the second coming of JJ Redick, or dare they say, Christian Laetenner. This made me dislike him even more. But, I still paid attention. I wanted to see if this kid was the real deal, or if he was a flash in the pan. And, while he showed flashes, he was always overshadowed by some other incoming freshman on Duke it seemed. He would go into each year, his sophomore, junior and senior year, and he was always the preseason ACC, preseason All American and preseason consensus player of the year. He won all the preseason awards. But, when it came to actual games, he was more known for his antics than his play. He was also, as I said before, overshadowed by incoming recruits. Where Allen didn't grow as a player, he grew as a joke. He was the guy that tripped and kicked players. He was who opposing crowds booed the most. He was a third and fourth and fifth option. He was just a guy that was around. And had it not been for ESPN, he would have just faded into the background. Guys that he played with, guys like all their stud freshman when they won the title, then players like Marvin Bagley, Trevon Duvall, Wendell Carter, Jayson Tatum, Luke Kennard, Harry Giles and Brandon Ingram, just to name a few, where all better than him in college. Allen became a joke, like I stated. He never, ever lived up to the hype. He never won player of the year, or even ACC player of the year. He was never the top player on his own team. He never took the last shot. He was never trusted. He just never really did anything of note, besides trying to inflict bodily harm on players that were besting him. That, and his constant temper tantrums on the Duke sideline.

It all should have stopped there. But no, the freaking Utah Jazz, who I was just starting to like, decided he was worthy of a first round pick. I despised both the Jazz and the Bulls in the 90's. I was, and always will be, a Supersonics fan. I didn't like the Bulls because I didn't appreciate their greatness. I now understand, and very much appreciate, what the Bulls did. And, MJ is the GOAT. Fight me on this. I also despised the Jazz because I did not like John Stockton or Karl Malone. Malone shrunk when the lights were the brightest, and Stockton is most definitely the dirtiest player ever. I CANNOT stand either of those guys. Yes, they are well deserved hall of fame players, but I still loathe them both. Then, the Jazz kind of had this mini renaissance with guys like Gordon Hayward, Derrick Favors, Rudy Gobert, Alec Burks and Trey Burke. I kind of enjoyed this team. I also like Rodney Hood on this team. And even last year, when Hayward left, I loved that they went out and got Ricky Rubio, and they drafted my new favorite player, Donovan Mitchell, and it all worked. Hell, I am even rooting for Mitchell to win ROY tonight, and Snyder to win COY. But, they had to go and screw all of this good will I built up for them by taking this overrated, no more than a bench player that will never average double figures in what I'm most assured will be a very short NBA career. And to watch him put that hat on, and see that stupid smug smile again brought back all that dislike I had for him.

Grayson Allen is a scrub. Grayson Allen is a poor man's Jimmer Fredette. Grayson Allen will not even be a viable G League player. I hate this pick so much, and I hope that it will not mess with all the good that Donovan Mitchell did last year. Mitchell is the star of that team and that is the only major player they should cover on all sports networks. Him, and Rudy Gobert too, and a little Ricky Rubio coverage is fine too. But, I swear, if ESPN tries to shoehorn Grayson Allen as a reason why the Jazz are a playoff contender, I will lose my shit. This pick really pisses me off to no end. What a dumb choice, that will bite them inn the ass sooner rather than later.

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.

The Homeruns and Uncertainty of the 2018 NBA Draft

The draft came and went last night, and not unlike everyone else, I was pretty off in my mock draft. I expected there to be some things wrong, but I didn't expect my later round picks to be that off. But, as I said, it wasn't just me. I know a lot  of people, even big time journalists, were stunned by some of the picks. I'm going to give my thoughts on some of the picks, good and bad. But, I do not do a "losers and winners" thing, or a "hits and misses" thing. We don't know yet. We have not seen these players play one single second in an NBA game. They haven't even played in a summer league game yet, which I am mad excited to watch this year. So, we don't know which teams got the best players yet. Time will tell us that. But, I do have some thoughts on what I deem homerun picks, and uncertain picks. That is how I will view this piece. I will call it, "Homeruns and Uncertainty". There RD, I did some of your work for you.

First off, the first 2 picks, Ayton to the Suns and Bagley to the Kings, were foregone conclusions. I like both these picks. I feel like both of these players will put up numbers, and I think they both have bright futures, Ayton more so than Bagley, simply because of team.

After that, the madness kind of started. Luka Doncic went third, as predicted, but he was part of a package that sent him to the Mavericks, and the Hawks got Trae Young and some future picks. I LOVE this deal for the Mavericks. I LOVE a back court of Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr. I think the Mavericks, even though they have a bunch of monsters working for them, have their back court of the future. This is a step in the right direction, as far as putting a good team on the floor goes. I have mixed feelings about Young to the Hawks. He won't have to play savior, which is good. But, he will be expected to put on a show for fans that are starved for an elite level scorer. Young isn't ready for that yet, and he is atrocious on defense. At least he wasn't picked by the Cavs or Knicks though. He will be able to hide out in Atlanta.

The Grizzlies hit the homerun of the draft when they took Jaren Jackson. This was the best fit in the draft, and it will greatly benefit them. They have an NBA ready player to pair alongside Marc Gasol, and he will help Mike Conley in the pick and roll, and get him open looks. I HATE Michigan State, but Jackson is one hell of a basketball player. This might be the pick of the draft.

I am not so stoked about Mo Bamba ending up with the Magic. For his sake I hope they find someone, anyone, to take on Bismack Biyombo's contract so he can step in and play right away. I also hope they resign Aaron Gordon, because he may be the only offensive threat they have, outside of Vucevic. This pick puzzled me, so it is one of my uncertain ones. I just don't understand why they took an offensively challenged big man. All that being said, I still really, really like Bamba. I just don't like him on the Magic.

The Bulls kind of shocked me, in a good way, when they took Wendell Carter. I thought they'd jump at the opportunity to get Michael Porter, but they resisted, and they drafted a much better fit for their team. They now have a true modern big man, and I think he pairs up very nicely with Lauri Markanen. With those 2, and a back court of Zach Lavine and Kriss Dunn, the Bulls are putting together a solid squad. I also love, and yes, it is a homerun pick to me, the Bulls taking Chandler Hutchinson at 22. The Bulls grabbed players in areas of need. They did a great job.

I'm more in the uncertain camp when it comes to Collin Sexton going to the Cavs. I just don't know how he fits there, especially if LeBron leaves. I've made it no secret that Sexton was my absolute favorite player in this draft. But, going to the Cavs is just odd. They do need a point guard, but if LeBron leaves, Sexton will be in NBA purgatory, throwing low post passes to Kevin Love, and trying to find JR Smith and Kyle Korver for open threes. That doesn't sound like a fun life in the NBA. Hopefully Sexton will make the most of it.

I am not a fan at all of the Knicks taking Kevin Knox. I know that he is a big swing man, and I know he can play offense, but how does he fit with this team? How is he going to play off Kristaps? How will he pair next to Frank Nkilitina? There are just far too many questions. It seems like the Knicks got seduced by the workouts, and took a chance. I do not think it will pay off.

It looked at good for Mikal Bridges when he was picked by the 76ers at 10. He got to stay in the same city where he played college ball, his mom works for the team, and he seemed like a solid pick. I was fully on board. Then, 5 picks later, he was traded. All the good will I had for this pick went out the drain. The 76ers did trade him for a very good player, Zhaire Smith, but I just don't understand why. This is another uncertainty for me. Bridges seemed like a much better fit than Smith, the 76ers have a great point guard in Ben Simmons, but they decided they needed a back up to him. I do like Bridges on the Suns, but the trade left a bad taste in my mouth.

The Hornets traded up one spot so they could take a marginal swing man/big in Miles Bridges. I'm pretty sure he would have been there at 12, but they felt the need to trade up one spot to get him. I don't get it, and I don't get Bridges fit in Charlotte. Will he start? Will back up guys like Cody Zeller and Frank Kaminsky? Will they trade those guys and team Kemba up with young talent? I just don't know. This was another in a long line of odd draft choices by the Hornets.

The Clippers hit a homerun when they drafted Shai Gilgeous Alexander with the very next pick. They finally have a true team leader and a true point guard. They got a younger, and quicker Chris Paul. And. while he is no Chris Paul, he is going to be a very good pro. I really like this pick from a franchise I despise. The Clippers then eschewed getting a replacement for Deandre Jordan, and took another guard, Jerome Robinson. I'm indifferent about this pick. I just don't care.

Michael Porter's slide finally ended when the Nuggets took him 14. I guess, with all the good point guards off the board, the Nuggets went with the top player on their board. I don't like this pick, I don't like this fit, and for him to say, "I'll be the best pick the Nuggets have ever made", makes me even more skeptical. This kid has a ton to prove, and I don't think he will be able to do it in Denver.

After the lottery, the first 14 picks are the lottery, there were some odd picks, but some solid picks to. I don't understand Donte Divencinzo going to the Bucks. How does he fit in there? Where will he play? Is he their 2 guard of the future? I don't know. Lonnie Walker struck gold when the Spurs took him. This kid is good, and the Spurs will make him great. He is their point guard of the future. Kevin Huerter to the Hawks is bland and boring. Josh Okogie should be the starting point guard for the Timberwolves next year. I despise the Jazz taking Grayson Allen for far too many reasons today. I will most assuredly be writing a piece next week why I hate this pick so much. Aaron Holiday to the Pacers is a solid building block for a team on the rise. Anfernee Simons to the Blazers is just odd. Will he be backing up McCollum or Lillard? Is he one of their replacements if one is traded? Does he even have a future with this team? Who knows. I'm torn about Mo Wagner to the Lakers. I'm stoked he was a first round pick, but why did it have to be the Lakers. I'm sure he is excited to play in LA, and he does give their front court a solid floor spacer, but again, why does it have to be the Lakers. Best of luck to him though. The Celtics grabbed a random guard, Landry Shamet. But, as I said yesterday, this was a total vanity pick. Shamet will not be the reason the Celtics are title contenders next year. The exact same thing can be said for the Warriors taking Jacob Evans. He is mature, and very solid, and will probably play some decent regular season minutes. But, in the end, Jacob Evans will not be a deciding factor in the Warriors quest for a three peat. The last 2 picks of the first round were very ho hum as well. The Nets took Dzanan Musa, who I'm sure they took with the intention of him staying overseas for awhile. And the Hawks took big man Omari Spellman, who will be no more than a bench player for them.

The first round was wild and crazy, and fun. I do have a few thoughts on some second round picks. Jevon Carter to the Grizzlies is a match made in basketball heaven. He is the modern Tony Allen. The Grizzlies had a great draft. I do like that the Knicks took a chance on a true big man when they took Mitchell Robinson at number 36. I really think this kid can be good, possibly great. The Nets are giving Hamidou Diallo a chance, and, while this kid is hyper athletic, his stock dropped like a lead balloon this past year. The Rockets got a great, quality pick in De'Anthony Melton. He is a first round talent, and he fell to them at pick 46. He is a great backup to Chris Paul and James Harden. Tony Carr kind of flew under the radar, but if the Pelicans core stays together, I think he will be a contributor. He is a scoring machine off the bench. And finally, the Magic took Giannis' younger brother, Kostas, with the last pick in the draft. This kid won't be as good as his brother, there are very few players in the league as good as his brother, but he is long and athletic. He should be fun to watch grow.

There you have it, my thoughts on the draft last night. I am now excited to see these players play as soon as possible. Come on summer league.

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.

The SeedSing 2018 NBA Mock Draft

As promised yesterday, today I come to you with my 2018 NBA mock draft. The draft is on tonight at 7pm, and I am going to go out on a short limb and say that all of this will be moot, but I still like doing these. And, just like I did with my NFL mock draft, I am only going to do the first round, I will only write a short review as to why I think this team will pick this player, I will not be doing trades, although I think there will be plenty of them tonight, and this mock is who I think they should pick, I am not basing it on any other mock that I have seen.

Okay, here we go.

1. Suns- Deandre Ayton. Even though I think they should take a point guard, Collin Sexton, they are going to go with the local big man. He is an immediate 20-10 guy, and he will be able to learn on this team. The Suns aren't looking to make the playoffs yet, so they can take yet another chance on a big man. I also like the pairing of him and Devin Booker. They could become an All Star duo.

2. Kings- Marvin Bagley III- I don't understand why they wouldn't take Luka Doncic, more on him next, but Bagley will help them put fans in the seats. He, much like Ayton, will put up big numbers as a rookie. He is a tremendous question mark on defense, but his offense cannot be doubted. Bagley will make a ton of highlight dunks, and score in the high teens, but he will be on the Kings, and it won't really matter. He is also the only prospect that wants to play there, so they'd be dumb to pass him up.

3. Hawks- Luka Doncic. Doncic is the supposed number one prospect, yet he will "fall" to the Hawks, and they should be ecstatic by this. He will immediately come in and be their point guard of the future, and the fans will love him. He can shoot and pass, he has been playing against pros since he was 16, and he has dominated them. He has to get better on defense, but every one of these 19 year old players needs to get better on defense. Doncic has the makings to be a very, very good to great NBA player. The Hawks will be more than thrilled with Doncic.

4. Grizzlies- Jaren Jackson. If they don't trade this pick, Jackson is the best fit for the Grizzlies, and next to Marc Gasol. He has an NBA ready body, he can rebound and he can play defense. He hasn't gotten to show his full arsenal on offense yet, Tom Izzo is not great at letting his best players flourish when he has upper classmen on his team, but give him time and he could be great. Jackson is the most NBA ready player in this draft, and the Grizzlies will not pass him up. Again, all of this is moot if they trade the pick.

5. Mavericks- Mo Bamba. This pick is almost as certain as Ayton to the Suns. Bamba is the best defender of all the big men in the draft. He has a 7 foot 10 inch wingspan, which is otherworldly. He has quick feet. What gives me pause is his offense, but maybe he can learn under Rick Carlisle. And, Bamba is immediately the best big man on the Mavericks the moment they pick him.

6. Magic- Trae Young. This is the best case scenario for Young. He won't be expected to be the savior, and he can just kind of hide out in NBA purgatory while he figures out the game. It is going to take him some time because teams will prep for him, and we all saw what happened in college when teams double and tripled teamed him. Orlando should be his dream destination. I hope for his sake, they pick him.

7. Bulls- Michael Porter Jr. I have so many red flags with this kid, but the Bulls are obsessed with him. They have wanted this kid from day one. There are rumors that they are even trying to trade up to get him. I don't get it, but if they just stay put at 7, Porter Jr should be there waiting to be picked. Porter Jr is the definition of a "project", and I know the least about him as a player. I know he is cocky, I know he is coming off a back injury and I know he was a great high school player. Will any of that translate into NBA success? I don't know, but the Bulls will take a big time swing here.

8. Cavs- Mikail Bridges. The Cavs are going to need a lot, especially if LeBron needs, and who better than an upperclassmen coming off a NCAA title, that can hit the three, than to get the rebuild started. While I think Doncic is the best player, I like Mikail Bridges more. He is cool, calm and collected. He can shoot and he can play defense. I also think, if LeBron were to stay, he would be thrilled to play with Bridges. Either way, with or without LeBron, I think Mikail Bridges is the best player for the Cavs.

9. Knicks- Miles Bridges. The Knicks will take this Bridges about 5 picks too soon because he is the 21st century version of Carmelo Anthony. He is an okay 3 point shooter, he can attack the rim and he will love playing in a big city. But, he is not that good on defense, he didn't get too much better his second year in college, and his first step is a little too slow. I do like the pairing of him and Kristaps, but the Knicks need a better player here. But the Carmelo comparison will be too big for them to pass up.

10. 76ers- Wendell Carter. Carter is the perfect backup to a player like Joel Embiid. Where Embiid is a more modern big man, Carter can play old and new school basketball. Carter is also a very good post passer, can defend and can play defense. He will also not back down against guys bigger than him. He will also be able to seamlessly step into the lineup when Embiid gets hurt, or takes some time off. I think Carter is going to be a good pro, and I think the 76ers will be pleased to have him.

11. Hornets- Collin Sexton. The Hornets will most likely need a new point guard, there are new Kemba Walker rumors everyday, and Sexton is my absolute favorite player in this draft. He is an explosive point guard that can score, a la Dennis Smith Jr. He is also always going 100 percent, no matter the situation. A young back court of him, Malik Beasley and Malik Monk sounds very intriguing to me. Hopefully Michael Jordan doesn't screw this up and take another big man. If Sexton is still there at 11, he should snatch him up.

12. Clippers- Robert Williams. The Clippers will need a new big man, Deandre Jordan is old, and he wants out, and Robert Williams is basically a younger version of him. He can rebound, he can dunk, and if he wants to, he can play a little defense. The only thing that gives me pause, he isn't always engaged in the game. He comes and goes, and that is unsettling, especially in the NBA. Williams is good, he just has to be 100 percent committed to the NBA, and I don't see that yet.

13. Clippers- Lonnie Walker. The Clippers also need a point guard, and lucky for them, they have 2 picks in a row. They can get 2 positions of need in less than 20 minutes. Walker is a good point guard that can get better. He does need some work, but he is a poor mans version of Sexton. Walker will be fun to watch grow in the NBA. I think he will also enjoy LA. The Clippers, barring any trades, can get better in a very small amount of time tonight. Lets see if Doc Rivers and Jerry West decide to go young.

14. Nuggets- Zhaire Smith. The Nuggets need a point guard to put them over the top, and if Smith is still here at 14, they should snatch him up. He is a good, multi faceted guard, and he will be the cure to what ails this team. The Nuggets have everything else to be a perennial playoff contender, they just need a true point guard, and that is what Zhaire Smith is.

15. Wizards- Kevin Knox. A lot of people are much higher on Knox than I am. I am actually kind of bored with all the Kentucky players, with one exception coming up soon. I know he played out of position at Kentucky, and he looked better near the end of the year, and he has been great in these workouts, but I just don't see him as being more than a fifth starter on an okay team, or a bench player. He is a long wing, which is very en vogue in the NBA right now, but I don't buy the workout stuff or the end of the season stuff. To me he is more Tyler Ulis than Devin Booker.

16. Suns- Troy Brown. The Suns need a real point guard. They can't rely on Tyler Ulis, or anyone else to be a point guard. Booker is a 2 guard, they will take Ayton as their new center, so I feel like Brown may be the answer at point guard. He is a solid all around player, still kind of young and will fit in with what the Suns want to do. I feel like this draft will be the start of something good for the Suns, and taking Brown in the mid first round will be another step in the right direction.

17. Bucks- Shai Gilgeous Alexander. You know how I just said I was sick of the whole Kentucky thing except for one guy? SGA is that one guy. He took over the team last year when they needed a real leader, and he was, by far, the best player on that team. The Bucks need a real point guard, no disrespect to Eric Bledsoe, but his best days are very far behind him, and SGA is just the young dude they need. He and Giannis would make for a great one two punch. I feel like this might be the best fit in the entire draft too. Lets see if he falls this far.

18. Spurs- Jerome Robinson. The Spurs are one of the best drafting teams ever, and that will continue with a little known, but very solid point guard. Robinson will be able to take over for Tony Parker sooner rather than later, and even if this team loses Kawhi, they will get their guard of the future. Robinson will be the type of player that will thrive in the Spurs system, and a year or 2 from now, when Robinson is suddenly being talked about as a fringe All Star, people will look back and think it is because he was drafted by the Spurs.

19. Hawks- Kevin Huerter. Huerter is a good, tall three point shooter. He can spread the floor. He won't be counted on to lead any team to new heights. He will basically be a niche player, and after taking Doncic in the lottery, the Hawks will find their niche guy. The Hawks can view Huerter as a poor man's Lauri Markanen, a guy I was totally wrong about, and play him spot minutes as a spot up three point shooter. This will help the in the long run, and that is all the Hawks will want to do tonight.

20. Timberwolves- Aaron Holiday. The Timberwolves need better guards, and Holiday is already better than any guard they have, with Jeff Teague being the only possible exception. Holiday is fast, has good feet, can play defense, can find the open man and can hit open shots. Hell, he may already be better than Teague. He will also know his role, and he will defer to Andrew Wiggins, Jimmy Butler and KAT. This is the type of point guard the Timberwolves need if they want to return to the playoffs.

21. Jazz- Donte Divincenzo. The Jazz will need their successor to Joe Ingles because, seriously, how long can he keep this up? And, the MOP of the title game this year can step right in. The only thing Ingles has on Divencinzo is his three point range, but this kid will start hitting the NBA three very easily, very soon. He is a better athlete, a better defender, and I love a back court that involves him, and my new favorite player, Donovan Mitchell. No one's stock has risen higher after one game than Divincenzo's, and he will cash in on that tonight.

22. Bulls- Chandler Hutchinson. After swinging for the fences with the Porter Jr pick, the Bulls will go a bit more conventional with this pick. Hutchinson is a lot like Markenan, but not as good at the three point shot yet. But, he is better than a guy like Doug McDermot or Bobby Portis, both of whom the Bulls drafted recently. I feel like Hutchinson will take over the Mirotic role, and while he might not be as good as Mirotic right now, I think he will easily make the Bulls fans forget about him. This would be a solid pick.

23. Pacers- Josh Okogie. The Pacers have a very solid roster, so they can just grab the best available player in their minds. I feel like they will love Okogie. He is a pass first point guard, who can fill in as a backup right away. He will also deliver to the Pacers bigs, and he can run the offense with Oladipo at his side, if need be. Okogie is this year's Fred Van Vleet, except he will be drafted. This is a solid late first round pick, which is exactly what the Pacers need.

24. Trailblazers- De'Anthony Melton. With all the insecurity, and the talk of the Blazers trying to decide between trading CJ McCollum or Damien Lillard, they should trade McCollum, Melton would be a wise choice as a backup plan. He is the type of guard that doesn't always need the ball in his hands, and I feel like he would play much better off Lillard than McCollum does. He also plays better defense than both of those guys do right now. The Blazers need a young, true point guard, and this late in the first round, Melton is the best option. 

25. Lakers- Keita Bates Diop. Here is another guy, like Divencinzo, who had a spectacular year, and will now reap the benefits. Diop is a bit of an old school big, and that is what the Lakers need. He can also shoot the three, which helps him in the modern game. And, if the Lakers continue to go young, I feel like Diop will fit in even better. Diop would go quite nicely alongside Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle, and I feel like he will really enjoy Luke Walton's run and gun offense. If the Lakers do not land a big time free agent, taking a player like Diop makes their immediate future a bit brighter.

26. 76ers- Jacob Evans. At this point in the first round, teams picking this late are usually playoff teams, and they just need bodies. That is the 76ers to a T, and a guy like Jacob Evans would be a big upgrade if they were to lose TJ McConnell to free agency, or a trade. Evans was very good at Cincinnati, and he would be a nice back up, or even put him alongside, to Ben Simmons. He has been in college for four years, and he is mature, and I feel like he is ready for life in the NBA. Evans will be a solid role player, and he will have a long career, and I feel like being picked by the 76ers would do him a world of good.

27. Celtics- Anfernee Simons. The Celtics don't need much. They are in talks with the Spurs about Kawhi. They get both Gordon Hayward and Kyrie Irving back. I know LeBron is on their radar. They have great young players in Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. They have a great center in Al Horford. They have one of the best defenders in the NBA in Marcus Smart. This pick is just a vanity thing for them. So, why not take a chance this late in the first round on a 19 year old that didn't play college ball? Who really cares. Whoever the Celtics pick here will not be a determining factor on if they go to the Finals next year or not. This pick is irrelevant, so why not swing for the fences?

28. Warriors- Mo Wagner. I just want this to happen because I want a Michigan guy to go to the champs. But, he also is a position of need for them. He is a center, technically, and that is what the Warriors lack most. He can also shoot the three, so he would fit right in, right? I know he is a liability on defense, I watched it for three years, but the Warriors have guys that can make that up for him. This would be the ideal spot for a guy of Wagner's talents. He wouldn't get to play too terribly much, but the fans would love him, and he would know his role. I hope this happens for him.

29. Nets- Mitchell Robinson. I think the Nets will get the steal of the draft if they are able to get this kid. He is another player that didn't play any college ball, who basically sat out for a year, but he is a monster on the inside. He is so big and so strong, and he is only 19 or 20 years old. He and Johnathan Allen can team up for a very intimidating front court. Robinson is also going to be out to prove a ton of people wrong, and he seems like the type of player that something like that will make him go extra hard. I think this kid is going to be good, and I think he would help the Nets get out of the wasteland they are currently stewing in.

30. Hawks- Elie Okobo. Here we have the French James Harden. Now, I only compare him to Harden because both are left handed, and both can get to the rim. As I have said before, the Hawks are building for the future, and Okobo could be a part of that plan. The Hawks can draft and stash him, send him overseas for a few more years, or bring him right to the league, let him play spot minutes his first couple years, then let him loose. This is a pick where they can basically do whatever they want. This Okobo kid is good too. He is a slashing guard that will be hard to defend because he is left handed. He will be a building block for the future of the Hawks.

Okay, there you have my 2018 NBA mock draft. The NBA draft is the only draft I get excited about still, so I will be in and out of it all night. I'm very curious to see where these players go, and to see how many I get right. Tune in tonight to see as well.

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.

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Some Big Time NBA Draft Prospects have Big Time Question Marks

On the eve of the 2018 NBA draft, and yes, I will have a mock draft up tomorrow, I want to point out a few question mark prospects, in my mind. When the draft order was released, I wrote a piece about who I thought the Suns should take at number one, Colin Sexton. But today, I have a few players that I either, don't get why they are so high on everyone else's board, or guys that I feel are much to risky to take in the lottery, or even the first round.

The first player that gives me pause, and this guy was included in my Suns story, is Mo Bamba, and I really like Bamba, I'm just afraid he will never fully form into a dominant NBA player. First off, he is rail skinny. I know guys like KD and Damien Lillard were also deemed too skinny when they entered the league, but both of those guys had jumpers, and were far more polished offensively coming into the league. I do not doubt the defense, and I love the 7 foot 10 inch wingspan, but man is this kid rail thin. He can always gain muscle, especially in an NBA training program, but it is going to take some time. What gives me real pause is that he, right now, is much more Willie Cauley Stein than say a Joel Embiid or even a Johnathan Allen. Both of those guys, and I know Embiid is a star, can finish around the rim against current NBA talent. Cauley Stein cannot do that yet. He is great defensively, and I think Bamba will be even better right away, but his offense leaves so much to be desired. He is going to go in the lottery, probably no later than 5. But, the team taking him should know that it is going to take some time before he is a fully developed all around NBA player. His offense is going to take awhile to come around. I hope he has a very long and successful career, but he is the definition of a "project", just like Cauley Stein.

The next player that I am very hesitant on is a guy that I openly rooted for in college because he played for Michigan. Mo Wagner can shoot the ball, that cannot be denied. But, what else can he do right now? I watched him for three years, and my thoughts on him fluctuated between happy and angry constantly. He would hit some of the most improbable threes I have seen, then get torched on defense. He would get a thunderous dunk, then get out rebounded by a guard. He would be the catalyst to get the Wolverines going, but then he would be immediately gassed. All of this is going to rear its head in the NBA. Wagner can shoot, and having an almost 7 footer that can hit threes is crucial nowadays, but he is a real liability on defense right now. He is a bit too slow, and he gets pushed around by guys bigger than him. He can put on muscle, just like Bamba, but that will only make him slower. He will most likely be a late first round pick, but if I were a GM, I'd wait until the mid second round to take him. He is going to need to work a ton on his defense and footwork. But, his shooting will get him drafted.

The next guy I want to talk about is another big man, Robert Williams. Robert Williams would come and go his 2 years at Texas A&M. Sometimes, see the UNC game in the tournament last season, he would be completely dominant. He was a total force on both ends. He would grab rebounds and throw jams in other players faces. He would also protect the rim as if his family was under it. Then though, look at the very next week in last year's tournament game against Michigan, and he was a total non factor. He should have pushed Wagner and any big guy Michigan threw at him, but as soon as Michigan built up a 15 point lead, he just seemed to stop caring. Sure, he put up decent numbers in that game, but it was all basically garbage time. Michigan was in total control, and when they built that big lead, he just kind of dunked and quit on defense. Will that happen in the NBA? Probably, because when a player is already 20, it is hard to break bad habits. He is also more of an old school center, and that won't work in the NBA right now.

The last player I want to talk about today is the biggest question mark in this draft, and I have seen him mocked as high as number 2 overall in the draft. That player is, and I'm sorry to RD and my older brother Ross, Michael Porter Jr. The fact that he is being discussed as a lottery pick, that the Kings are considering him at 2, that the Bulls are trying to trade up for him, that Dallas is said to like him, that the Cavs really want him, all of this blows my mind. All of those teams are picking in the top 10. What did Porter Jr show last year, and during the pre draft stuff, that have pushed him this high? I really don't get it. I watched him sit pretty much of all of last season after having back surgery. I then saw him come back for 2 games, both losses, where he shot poorly, got exposed on defense, and just looked kind of overcome by the better competition. He has also canceled pre draft workouts based on doctors orders. He still has back problems. I think his knees, or maybe his hips, have been bothering him. But then he comes out and calls himself a mix of KD and Giannis. He comes out and says he is the best prospect in this draft. He claims that the injury stuff is overblown. He seems like he may be a bit too cocky, especially for someone that hasn't proven anything since high school. And I know, he won all the major awards as a high school player. I know he was the consensus player of the year, I know he was the McDonald's game MVP, I understand that he was rated by most publications as the top high school player. So was Dajuan Wagner. So was Eddy Curry. So was, insert name here of many a bust in the NBA. The fact that multiple GM's are considering this kid in the top 8 because he was so great in high school baffles me. Sure, he dominated the high school game because he was playing against kids much smaller than him. I say again, look at his 2 games at Missouri. I know he was coming off an injury, a big time injury, but he was dreadful. He didn't take over the game like many, myself included, thought he would. He was a problem for Missouri when he came back for those 2 games. They had something decent going, but then they had to shoe horn Porter Jr in, and it blew up in their, and his, face. His brother, who is going back for his sophomore year at Missouri, is a better prospect than him, at least in my opinion. I'm shocked that he is going to be a lottery pick. I'm shocked that some stupid GM is going to fall for this. I hope he ends up in Sacramento, because that is what he deserves. Michael Porter Jr may turn out to be great. Maybe all the stuff in high school wasn't a fluke. Maybe the 2 games at Missouri were the fluke. But, I feel like he is going to be an Anthony Bennett level bust in the NBA. I just don't see it with Porter. I'd take a good 10-15 guys before even considering him. That is just me though.

Come back tomorrow to see where I have all these "questionable" picks in my mock draft. They will all, most likely be first rounders, I'm just not sold on them yet.

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.

With the Number One Pick, the Phoenix Suns Should Take...

The NBA had its draft lottery last night and the Phoenix Suns “won” the first pick. I did some research and found out this is the first time in the franchise’s history that they’ve ever gotten the first pick. I will do a mock draft when we get closer to the draft, but today, I just want to focus on what I think the Suns could, and should, do.

First off, there are maybe 5 guys that could be real good NBA players in this draft. The rest, some will be fine, have solid careers or be busts, as with every other draft. The 5 players that I think can be great are DeAndre Ayton, Jaren Jackson, Luka Doncic, Collin Sexton and Mo Bamba. I feel like these are the 5 guys the Suns should focus on. Also, they should not trade this pick for veterans. This team is young and building through the draft, and that is what they should continue to do. So, let’s take a closer look at these 5 guys.

First off, Mo Bamba. I like Bamba a lot. He is long and athletic. He is already a very good rim protector. He has the tools to get better on offense. But, he reminds me a little too much of Nerlens Noel. Now, Bamba will be better, he’s not so injury prone, but he is super skinny. He needs to bulk up, and to be honest, Josh Jackson is better, thicker and has a year under his belt. While I like Bamba, I do not think the Suns should take him first overall.

Next, Luka Doncic. Doncic is the European sensation that everyone loves. I don’t know much about this kid, but by all accounts, he has it all. He has also been playing professionally overseas for the past couple years. He has been playing against grown men, and playing well. He, by all accounts, is ready for the NBA right now. The problem in Phoenix, they already have Devin Booker, who plays the same position, and he is on his way to stardom. Booker is already awesome, can improve defensively and is an elite scorer. The Suns don’t need Doncic because they already have Booker. 

Number three guy, Jaren Jackson. He is the “safest” pick in the draft. He has an NBA body, can play defense, has a good high low game and is a solid rebounder. He is ready for the NBA. He has been prepping his whole life for the NBA. But, the Suns have a glut of guys at his spot. They could get rid of some of those guys, but why give up on them now? Dragan Bender hasn’t been great, but he’s like 20 years old. Marquiss Chriss is out of shape, but an offseason can change that. Josh Jackson had a solid rookie year and will continue to get better. It feels like I can go on and on. So, while Jackson is safe, the Suns don’t need him.

Number 4, DeAndre Ayton. Ayton is my personal favorite player in this draft. I know there’s questions about his defense, but this kid is an elite scorer. He is so big, so long and can stretch the floor. He is going to be a 20 plus point per night guy the moment he steps foot on an NBA floor. He is that good already. He is the new generation’s Patrick Ewing. I love Ayton. But, much like the case for Bamba, the Suns don’t need another big man. They have plenty. They make regret not taking him, but they don’t need him.

Which brings us to my last guy. He’s my dark horse. He won’t be drafted number one overall, but I think Collin Sexton is the best fit, by far, for the Suns. Sexton is an explosive point guard, who likes to pass as much as he likes to score. He’s also a solid defender. He is this year’s De’Aron Fox. He has all the tools to be a starting point guard right off the bat. And who do the Suns have at point guard you may ask? Outside of Tyler Ulis, who I like, I don’t know. So, why not take a chance on Sexton? He fits in perfectly with what they’re doing in Phoenix, and I feel like they’d love him there. Collin Sexton is who I think the Suns should go with number one overall. I know it won’t happen, but I think it’s what should happen.

Those are my thoughts on what the Suns should do with the number one pick.. We will have to wait until draft night to find out who they pick. I cannot 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 all the internet.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Are the Chicago Bulls Incompetent, or Just Plain Stupid?

The Bulls front office plans for next season

Around this same time last year I was praising the Bulls for offloading Derrick Rose and letting Joakim Noah leave in free agency. These were tough moves, but they needed to be done. Rose was well past his best playing days, and Noah, well he cannot stay healthy at all. That was all proven last season. Well, I'm here today, almost one year to the date, to eviscerate the Bulls.

What the Bulls did last night, with their draft day moves, was some the dumbest front office decisions I have ever witnessed. Bill Simmons said it on his podcast this morning, an I will reiterate it right now. Everyone involved with the Bulls needs to be let go. The moves they made last night made absolutely no sense whatsoever. They looked even worse than the Kings, who had a decent draft, and, dare I say, the Knicks. The draft itself went pretty much as expected. The top 5 guys were the top five guys, and other than what the Bulls did, every team stayed pat.

When my phone buzzed and said that the Timberwolves were trying to make a move to acquire Jimmy Butler, I thought it was just going to be talk. Then, I shit you not, 2 minutes later the trade was announced that the Bulls traded away Jimmy Butler and the 16th pick to the Timberwolves for Zach Lavine, Kriss Dunn and the 7th overall pick.

I was floored.

This move made absolutely no sense to me at all. I love it for the Timberwolves, as many of you might remember, I became a T'Wolves fan the moment KD signed with the Warriors. So, to see my new team get one of the top 15 NBA players to pair up with Karl Anthony Towns and Andrew Wiggins, that made me ecstatic. I kept saying to my wife, "I can't believe the T'Wolves got Butler for basically nothing". I said it so much she told me that I needed to chill out on the NBA draft talk. She doesn't care about this stuff like I do.

So, while still in awe of what the T'Wolves had done, and getting excited that they will most likely be a playoff team next year, and a tough out at that, I started to think about it from the Bulls perspective. Why would they do this deal? Was there not a better offer out there? Are the front office people morons? Why give up on Jimmy Butler so soon? Did they just want him out of the East? I had a lot of questions.

I already answered the one about the front office. They are either trying to tear this team about and rebuild from the bottom up, or they are stupid and think a guy coming off one of the worst rookie years ever and the other guy coming off a torn ACL were good enough replacements for Butler. That is patently false. I thought the Bulls might make up for it by taking someone like Malik Monk or Donovan Mitchell or even Justin Jackson, but nope. They used the 7th overall pick on Lauri god damn Markkenan. What a waste. I was hyper critical of him in my mock draft yesterday. He is way too soft. He is not a big time rebounder or rim protector. He can barely even finish at the rim, even though he is 7 feet tall. All he can do is hit the open three. This dude is destined to be a bench player, maybe the 9th or 10th guy off the bench, and the Bulls took him in the lottery.

To once again answer the question about the front office in Chicago, it seems to be filled with incompetent morons. What a stupid, stupid draft and an even worse pick. As far as why would they do this deal, I still have no idea. It still makes no sense, from the Bulls point of view. They got nothing near equal value for Butler, and they also gave away a first round pick. Both of those gone to acquire Kris Dunn, Zach Lavine and a lottery pick? It is mind boggling.

This leads me to my next question I asked. Where there not better deals? I'm sure Boston could have sent a much better package to get Butler. I know Cleveland wanted him, so why not trade Love for Butler straight up. That is much better than what Minnesota gave them. Or maybe gauge what kind of young talent they could've gotten from the Lakers or the Suns if they really wanted a lottery pick. there had to be better deals on the table, I just think they jumped on the first offer so they could offload a disgruntled player.

As far as giving up on him, I don't think they did that, I just think his time in Chicago was up, and they knew that, so they traded him away. It was a poor offer, but they pulled the trigger anyway. And with getting him out of the East, I do not think that was taken into account at all. No team in the East is going to beat Cleveland, even if they don't acquire Paul George at some point, because LeBron is still going to be there at least one more season. Like I've said time and time again, I just think they jumped on one of the first offers they were given.

Finally, just when I didn't think their night could get any worse, they made another very bad choice in the second round. It was announced that they had drafted Jordan Bell from Oregon, and I thought, okay, at least they will get something decent out of this draft. Then, inexplicably, they traded him away to the Warriors for cash. That is such a terrible, horrible, atrocious deal. Bell is the perfect player for the Warriors, who did not have pick in this draft, and the Bulls gift wrapped him for cash. What the hell! Again, I was shocked at the stupidity I was witnessing. They had a great second round value pick, to make up for the awful trade from round one, and they gave him away for nothing.

The Bulls are going to be so dreadful next year. They're going to be trotting out a starting five of Dwayne Wade, Robin Lopez, Rajon Rondo and 2 dudes that no one has ever heard of. They will be lucky to win 30 games next season. Fred Hoiberg will, and should, be gone mid season. Wade will probably demand a trade. I'm sure Rondo will become annoyed and want out as well. The Bulls will be a Knicks level joke, but at least the Knicks have Porzingis, for now, and drafted the big and gifted point guard from France. The Bulls might be as bad as the Nets next year due to what they did last night. This was a horrific decision, and it will haunt them as much as when Jordan and Pippen left the team and they were winning 20 to 25 games a year for about 5 straight seasons. The Bulls, by far, had the worst draft night that I have seen since the Grizzlies took Hasheem Tabheet with the second overall pick years ago. This was a train wreck.

To end it on a happy note though, good job by the T'Wolves. This instantly makes them a playoff team, and I think putting Butler in the back court with Ricky Rubio and Andrew Wiggins is going to go over swimmingly. I love this move for Minnesota.

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 SeedSing 2017 NBA Mock Draft

As I did with the NFL draft this year, I'm going to do a mock draft for the NBA draft tonight. I've waited so long because there has been a ton of movement prior to the draft and I wanted to make sure nothing else happened before I went about picking players. This is a loaded draft and I'm going on what the draft order looks like today. If stuff changes before tonight, a lot may change, but, we will have to wait and see. For the record, I think there is going to be some more crazy stuff that happens during the draft tonight, but that will not affect my mock today. Enough with the preamble, lets get to it.

1. 76ers-Markelle Fultz. This was written in stone the moment the Celtics and 76ers swapped picks. This is the best thing that the 76ers could've wished for, and it seems like, if all the guys stay healthy, a big, big if, this could be a fringe playoff team in 3 or 4 years. They will be a ton of fun to watch, especially when they add Fultz.

2. Lakers-Lonzo Ball. I've been on record saying all the talk is just talk and the Lakers, especially after trading Russell this week, are taking Ball. He has great court vision and is an exceptional passer, but I do think he will be a bust. I do not have the faith in him that other do. He is a bench player at best. 

3. Celtics-Jayson Tatum. Here is another guy that I do not think is going to be as great as some other scouts do. Yes he can create and score, but, he is a ball hog that ices out teammates. That will not mesh well with this Celtics team. He is also a very average defender. He also could not lead Duke like some thought he could. I have almost as many doubts about him as I do with Lonzo Ball. But, the Celtics seem pretty set on picking this kid.

4. Suns-DeAaron Fox. The Suns are going to snatch the top point guard, in my opinion, in the draft. Eric Bledsoe is going to be moved, and the Suns are going towards a youth movement, especially with Kentucky players. They already have Devin Booker, Tyler Ullis and Bledsoe, but Fox will take his place. He is super fast, a great defender and will learn to shoot. Fox is probably my favorite player in this draft, and if the Suns are smart, they will snap him up at 4.

5. Kings-Johnathan Issac. The Kings will miss out on the guy they wanted in Fox, so they will panic and take the long and athletic forward. They already have a lot of these guys, but that hasn't stopped them in prior drafts. I do like Issac's game though. He is a good stretch 4 that just needs to gain some weight. I think he will be a very, very poor man's KD when he is in the league. If that happens with the Kings, only time will tell. But, they will panic pick Issac a few spots too early for him.

6. Magic-Malik Monk. Monk is probably the best shooter in this draft and the Magic need shooters. They have some pieces, I like Aaron Gordon, but they don't have many good outside shooters. Monk scored 40 plus in a college game, and while he may not be an elite NBA scorer, I see a lot of Dion Waiters in him. He is the type of scorer that can go off at any time. He will be a great heat check type shooter in the league.

7. Timberwolves-Josh Jackson. This will be the guy that "falls" in the lottery. He has made some questionable decisions leading up to the draft, and I think that will make him drop 3 or 4 spots. But, I actually feel like this will be a great spot for hi. He's already a great defender, and that is what the T'Wolves need. He can become an offensive threat in the league, but he won't need to be that guy on this time right away. They already have Towns and Wiggins for that. So Jackson can be plugged in to play defense and eventually he will become some kind of offensive threat.

8. Knicks-Frank Ntilikina. Ntilikina is the big time foreign prospect in this draft. He is a tall and athletic point guard. I do not know a whole bunch about him, but I feel like this is exactly what the Knicks will do. They do need a guard, but who knows with this guy. Also, if they inexplicably trade Porzingis, I will immediately feel bad for this kid because he will have no one to play with. This kid could be good to great, but time will tell. I hope if he is taken here that he comes to the NBA right away instead of staying in France for another year or two.

9. Mavericks-Dennis Smith Jr. I really like Smith Jr. This dude is built like a linebacker and he is an all around good point guard. He can really do a lot of things, and I love the fit with the Mavs. He can become the first of any young guys that Cuban and Carlisle can build around. He plays with a tenacity like no other prospect and the guy just wants to win. I am higher on Smith Jr than others, and I think he is going to be great. This is the second best fit, behind only Fultz, in the lottery. I really, really like Smith Jr.

10. Kings-Donovan Mitchell. After missing out on Fox and panic picking Issac, the Kings will finally do something right and grab their future point guard at 10 with Mitchell. I watched this guy very closely in the tournament when Michigan faced Louisville in round 2 of the tournament. He didn't have the best game ever, but he controlled the Louisville offense, and when he was hot in the first half, he was a scoring machine. The Kings really need a point guard, and I think they will get a steal at 10 with Mitchell. He will be a long time starter in the NBA.

11. Hornets-Lauri Markkenan. This is a reach of epic proportions in my opinion. Markkenan keeps getting compared to Porzingis, and that is so unfair to Porzingis. Markkenan is not near the level that Porzingis was at this point in his career. Markkenan is soft and will get battered in the low post. Again, I watched him in the tournament, and yes, he can shoot from outside, but he was a poor rebounder, and like I said, he looked soft. He is young, so he can get tougher, but he just doesn't look to be as great as some think. He is a very poor man's Kevin Love, minus the rebounding and outlet passing prowess. I do not like Markkenan, but Michael Jordan has made poor draft choices in the past, and I thin he will do that tonight.

12. Pistons-Zach Collins. This kid should have stayed in school, but since the NBA is obsessed with "one and done" players, Collins will be taken in the late lottery. He did play well in the tournament, but he needed some more time to refine his game. The Pistons do have a center, Andre Drummond, but Collins bring that floor spacing to that offense. He is still a bit too thin, but can, and will, gain weight. He is an okay rebounder, and if he isn't pushed into early playing time, he could turn out to be a decent rotational player.

13. Nuggets-OG Anuouby. Anuouby is coming off a bad injury and may miss a lot of the year, but he is talented and the Nuggets will take a chance on him. When healthy, he is super athletic and can play some defense. The Nuggets are continuing with the youth movement, and Anuouby adds to that. There is no in between with him. He is either going to be great or going to be a journeyman. I hope he is great because he is from Missouri.

14. Heat-Luke Kennard. The Heat don't really need much, so they will draft a floor spacing guard. Kennard isn't great, but he isn't terrible. He can shoot, plays hard and will be just fine as the 8th or 9th guy off the bench. He was the best player on Duke last year, but that isn't saying much. I don't think he will be any kind of starter in the NBA, but he can shoot, and teams want guys that can shoot.

15. Trailblazers-Jarret Allen. The Trailblazers need a real center for the modern NBA, and Allen is immediately better than Meyers Leonard and Noah Vonleh. Allen can run the floor, can rebound and protect the rim. Sure, Texas wasn't that good last year, but Allen was. He can become a better Andre Drummond in my opinion. He is a bit faster and will fit in better in the modern game. He's young too, and pairing him with McCollum and Lillard could be great.

16. Bulls-Terrance Ferguson. Young, athletic and played professionally in Australia instead of wasting 6 months in college. He has already played with grown men and he did okay. The Bulls need to get some guys that can replace Jimmy Butler, I'm almost certain he will be traded, and Ferguson can come in and try to be the scorer and playmaker they will need. He is a fine young player and I do like the fact that he played professionally overseas. Brandon Jennings and Emmanuel Mudiay did the same thing, and while they are not great, they have solid pro careers. I see the same with Ferguson.

17. Bucks-Justin Jackson. The Bucks need a legit point guard, but since most are gone, they will settle for another long and athletic, defensive minded 2 guard. Jackson guarded the best layer on the other team every tournament game, and he did great. He also proved that he can create his own shot and hit the open three. He made the right choice coming back for his junior year, and he will reap the benefits by going to a very good, very young team.

18. Pacers-Justin Patton. The Pacers are about to get blown up, Paul George is all but gone, and they will rebuild around 2 young and athletic big men. They already have Myles Turner and Patton will be the next piece. He is young, athletic, can stretch the floor and rebound. They will have a good, young front court, the it will be time to rebuild their back court. Patton is raw, but so was Turner and Turner is only getting better. This pick might not make sense right now, but in a year or 2, it will look good.

19. Hawks-John Collins. Now that they have traded away Dwight Howard, and seem to be blowing it up, the Hawks will take a good, young center. Collins got so much better from his freshman to sophomore years at Wake Forest, and I see him as a day one starter with the Hawks. They are going the youth movement like a lot of other teams, and Collins is going to be very good. I love his game and I am glad he went back for another season to get better in college. He's going to be a good pro.

20. Trailblazers-TJ Leaf. Again, they need guys in the front court to get better, and just like their earlier pick of Jarret Allen, they will add another big man in TJ Leaf. He doesn't have the rebounding ability like Allen does, and Allen is a better defender, but Leaf can shoot. He was a decent knock down shooter at UCLA, and maybe that will translate to the NBA. I don't like that he left UCLA after one year, but that is what the NBA and college basketball is now. He could have gotten bigger and better, but he will still be a first round pick. These guys that get picked later in the first round are specialist that will be bench guys, and Leaf will be a big three point shooter off the bench.

21. Thunder-Ike Anigobu. The Thunder, and Russell Westbrook for that matter, need scoring everywhere, and picking this late, they will grab Anigobu. He is a power forward that can score in the post and outside, and he could possibly help out Westbrook. He can run and shoot and Westbrook needs all the help he can get, especially in the post. Steven Adams is the only viable low post option, and he is not the runner that Anigobu already is.

22. Nets-Tyler Lydon. The Nets don't matter, and neither do their picks. Lydon didn't really do much at Syracuse, but he is a big guy that can shoot, so the Nets will take a shot. They are so bad, it doesn't matter who they pick. This might be the most pointless pick of the first round, and the Nets will make it even more pointless by taking a random big.

23. Raptors-Semi Ojeleye. Ojeleye will be a younger PJ Tucker replacement. He is big, strong, a good defender, rebounder and a very good scorer. He is very underrated in my opinion, and I think he will be a great fit in Toronto. He was the man at SMU, and I think he fits in great with the Raptors. They won't be able to retain Tucker, he is going to get overpaid by someone, so Ojeleye, to me, seems like the perfect replacement.

24. Jazz-Jawun Evans. The Jazz will probably need a new point guard, so they will take Evans from Oklahoma State. He may be short, but he is a great creator and can shoot from outside. This is another guy I watched closely in the tournament, they were Michigan's first round opponent, and he was incredible. He's so fast, yet plays under control. He can step in right away and start from day one, especially if they lose George Hill.

25. Magic-Bam Adebayo. The Magic need a lot, and after taking Monk in the lottery, they will draft his college teammate late first round. Adebayo is a great, modern big man. He is a decent pick and roll player and a decent rim protector. He can rebound and he doesn't need the ball in his hands all the time. He is big and strong too. I think he will turn out to be a good, low post big man in the NBA. The Magic will bet a steal late in the first round.

26. Trailblazers-Isaish Hartenstein. Hartenstein is the big man from Germany, and the Blazers will draft and stash him. This will be their third big man, but this guy will go back to play professionally in Germany for a year or 2 before the Blazers bring him back to the NBA. He is big, but needs to develop his game. The Blazers will take a flier on him because of potential, but like I said, we won't see him for a couple years in the NBA.

27. Nets-Harry Giles. Giles needed to stay in college for one more year, at least. He may have been the top high school player last year, but he was either injured or inconsistent in his one season at Duke. He will get picked based on potential, but he is very, very raw. almost too raw. The Nets don't matter, like I said, so neither does this pick. But, Giles needs time to develop, so don't count on him to be any kind of big time player in the NBA, maybe ever.

28. Lakers-Ivan Rabb. Continuing the youth movement, the Lakers will take the other local kid, Rabb, late in the first round. He is a decent power forward that is coachable. He will hustle and try hard every night. He could have been a higher pick if he left last year, but he went back to Cal and built some muscle and added to his game. He is a very decent player and I think he can become a bench guy in years to come. He should have an okay NBA career.

29. Spurs-Caleb Swanigan. This is my favorite pick of the first round. Swaningan is a great player that tries hard and works ta his game. There is no better team than San Antonio for him. He will get the best coaching and get to learn behind some great players. He won't have to start right away and he will be put in the best NBA system. This kid deserves the best, and I love, love, love the fit with the Spurs.

30. Jazz-DJ Wilson. With the last pick, the Jazz will take the big man from Michigan. He is a bit too skinny right now, but he can rebound and shoot the three. He had a great tournament and that will be why he is taken as the last pick of the first round. He will have to sit for awhile, but in his limited minutes, he will score, run and rebound. It may take some years, but he could be the 7th or 8th guy off the bench for 10 plus years in the NBA.

There you have it, my first NBA mock draft. Like I said there will probably be some movement, but this is how I see the first round if nothing changes. This will be a fun draft and I can' wait to see where a lot of these good players end up. Enjoy the draft.

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. He also spent one semester at a D 1 college like most of the players in the first round. When will his name be called?

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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There are Only Winners in the Celtics - 76ers Draft Pick Swap

I know I said last week was NBA week for me, but there was a big trade this weekend, that will become official today, and I have some thoughts.

As most of you know by now, the Celtics traded the number pick in this Thursday's draft to the 76ers for the 3rd pick in this draft, and a first rounder in 2018 and 2019. On paper, and when I first heard about it, I was not moved either way. I know that a lot of Celtics fans were up in arms. They were furious is more like it. People all over the internet were talking about how, "the Celtics got fleeced", "what did they get in return of any value", "has Danny Ainge finally lost his mind", "why do this now". Basically, it was all doom and gloom.

I wish that Celtics fans would remember that they were just in the Eastern Conference Finals this year, and they already have a very good team. Getting the number one overall pick was just icing on the cake after they fleeced the Nets so many years ago. This is a team that doesn't truly need to build through the draft, they just need a true star. And I love Isaiah Thomas, but he is not a superstar that can be the guy on a title contending team.

That being said, with a real superstar, they could compete with whatever team LeBron is on in the East. They need a Jimmy Butler, Paul George or Anthony Davis, and they instantly become a threat. I don't necessarily think that Markelle Fultz, who I think is going to be really good, is the player to put the Celtics over the top. He would have helped, but they can get an almost equal value player at number 3. It's not like they completely traded out of the first round to acquire Jahlil Okafor or Robert Covington. They got a lottery pick, and more than likely, they got 2 more over the next 2 drafts.

Now, I do think that Danny Ainge's stock piling of picks is getting a little to Sam Hinkie-ish for my taste. But maybe he is finally, actually going to try and trade for that superstar I mentioned earlier. Maybe they are going to package all these picks to go after an Anthony Davis, Boogie Cousins, Jimmy Butler or Paul George. Also, they have a real shot at signing Gordon Hayward this offseason. If they add Hayward, then trade these picks for any of the guys I just mentioned, or even Blake Griffin, they would instantly become the best team in the East. Yes, all of that would make them better than the Cavs to me. Sure, they might lose an Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart or Jae Crowder, but to replace them with Gordon Hayward and an Anthony Davis or Jimmy Butler, that is an absolute homerun. Also, like I said earlier, they can get a pretty good player at number 3 if they choose to keep the pick.

The 76ers are going to take Fultz with the number one pick. They have already made it well known. Hell, Joel Embiid put a picture out there of him and Dario Saric in the 76ers locker room next to an empty locker with Fultz's name on it. That means, if the Celtics don't trade the pick, the Lakers are going to take Lonzo Ball second. That leaves guys like Josh Jackson, DeAron Fox, Johnathan Issac, Jayson Tatum, Dennis Smith Jr, any of the big time foreign prospects. The Celtics options are endless. If they want length and athleticism, they could grab Jackson or Issac. If they want a pass first point guard to pair with Thomas, Fox is right there. If they want a bull dogesque point guard that can score and distribute, Dennis Smith Jr is flying up draft boards. If they want a younger Carmelo Anthony, Tatum is there. They will be just fine if they keep the pick. I'm not all up in arms is what I'm trying to get at, like some Celtics fans I have seen on social media. They seem to have a plan, and they have a lot of second and third and even fourth options if their first plan falls through. The Celtics will be just fine.

Now, the 76ers. They struck up a hell of a deal. I feel like, even though I just laid out why I think the Celtics will be fine, the 76ers definitely won this trade because of how they are building their team. They want youth and to build around that youth. This is what "trusting the process" is all about. Yes, they got rid of Nerlens Noel last year, but they have Okafor, and if he can stay healthy for 75 percent of the season, Joel Embiid is going to be a star. He is so god damn good at basketball, he just needs to stay on the court. Ben Simmons will be at full strength next year, and he looks to have great court vision, he is a very good passer and he can get to the rim. He has no jump shot, but he can learn to shoot. Russell Westbrook didn't have a jump shot, and he should be getting the MVP here in a week or so. Same thing with Kawhi. He didn't have a jump shot, but he had everything else, then learned how to shoot a proper jump shot. These guys are professionals, and their job is to get better at basketball. Ben Simmons can, at least, become a halfway decent threat from outside. And the role players they have, guys like Covington, Nik Stauskas, Dario Saric, even TJ McConnell are good enough bench players to be in the NBA. Add Markelle Fultz to this bunch and they will be a fun team to watch this season, and in a year or two, or maybe three, they could become a fringe playoff team. They have coveted Fultz all along, and they did what they had to do to get the player that is looked at as, not only the best player in this draft, but the surest thing in the draft.

Something else not many people are saying is that Fultz will be a good NBA player. He was very good on a very poorly coached Washington Huskies team last year. Yes, they only won 9 games, but every team game planned simply for him, and he still scored 20 plus a game, handed out assists and did what he had to do on that awful, awful team. I really like Fultz's game, and I like him on the 76ers more than on the Celtics or Lakers or Mavericks or any other team picking in the lottery. He fits in so perfectly with the core players on the 76ers.

So, while some see the sky falling, Bill Simmons, and others think this is the greatest thing ever, Stephen A Smith, I think both teams come out of this trade just fine. Each team is going to get what they want, or try to, and both teams will be just fine. And, in the 76ers case, this could turn out to be the best thing that has happened to them since they drafted Allen Iverson. I like this trade for both teams.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Even a Fixed NBA Lottery Cannot Save the Lakers from Themselves

Amidst the Warriors blowing out the Kawhi less Spurs last night, we also had the NBA Draft Lottery Show. Now, just to put it out there, I did not watch the show. I was playing basketball. I think the lottery show is pointless, and I can see where every team picks on the internet later in the night.

With that being said, I do think that this lottery was fixed, much like the 2003 and the 1985 lottery shows. I was only 3 in 1985, but I know my NBA history. This was the year that Patrick Ewing was becoming a pro, and I have heard, and agree with, all the theories that the envelope was frozen, or at least cold, and it was fixed so the Knicks could take him. I fully believe this to be the truth. I also like the fact that Ewing was a Knick. It made all the sense in the world, and I rooted for the Ewing led Knicks team when I was a kid. The Sonics were my team, but I also enjoyed the Knicks back then.

The other fixed lottery, the 2003 one, was so blatant, people just bypass even talking about it. This was the LeBron year, and of course the hometown Cavs got the number one pick. Why would the NBA want it any other way? Of course this was great for the league, for LeBron, for David Stern, for the Eastern Conference, it was all just a little to perfect. Again, I had no real problem with this either. It's always nice when a hometown kid can stay home and turn the team around. LeBron was going to thrive anywhere, but it was nice that he was able to start his professional career in Cleveland.

Well, last night's lottery now has me convinced they fixed it for, at least, the third time in my life. And no, I'm not talking about the Celtics getting the first overall pick. They earned that right when they fleeced the Nets a few years ago. That is what happens when you give up asset after asset to try and chase a title with an aging Kevin Garnett and Paul Pierce. The Celtics did the exact right thing, and they reaped the benefits last year, getting the third pick, and even more so last night, getting the first pick. I'm also not talking about the 76ers getting the third pick. This has been their "process" for the past 5 years, and they keep getting top 3 picks every year. I'm also not talking about the Kings getting 2 top ten picks. They, much like the Celtics, earned that right when they traded Boogie to the Pelicans, and asked for an unprotected top 10 pick. All of that stuff, and all the other teams, like the T'Wolves, Knicks, Suns, they all "earned" their right to draft in the top 10. That's is what teams get for tanking nowadays. As much as I dislike the whole tanking thing, it works for these teams.

The reason I think this particular lottery was fixed was the fact that the Lakers got the second overall pick. Yes, they were bad. Yes, they "earned" the right to pick top 5. Yes, they can get a possible transformative player in this upcoming draft, which is loaded. But, they could have lost a whole lot if they didn't get a top 3 pick. The NBA did not want their beloved Lakers to have to go through a full on rebuild, even though that is currently what they are doing, and they made sure they did not lose this pick. Had they been given the fourth pick, they would have had to give it up, and they would have lost their first round picks for the next 2 years. That would have been a brutal blow to this blue blood franchise. Can you imagine how angry Magic Johnson, Adam Silver and Jeanie Buss would have been had they not gotten their top 3 pick? It would have been an absolute nightmare. So yes, I do think the people involved with the NBA and the lottery made sure that the Lakers got one of the top 3 picks.

The NBA is still trying to deal with the Knicks being horrendous, the Bulls constantly being in flux, the 76ers being one of the worst franchises in all of sports. They could not have the Lakers going through a massive rebuild as well. Never mind the fact that the NBA is as popular as ever, the powers that be want the Lakers to, at least, be relevant. Teams like the Warriors, Cavs, Spurs, Celtics, they are all great, but the NBA does not want the almighty Lakers to continue to be a 20 win team.

I do not care about them fixing the lottery, and I think it is fine. I also think it will be hilarious when they draft Lonzo Ball second overall. This is going to cause almost as much drama as if they lost a top 3 pick. There are much better players that fit what the Lakers want to do, but they will be told to take Ball. The NBA, ESPN, TNT and NBA TV will want to have the Ball family in LA. They will make it so.

To make things even more interesting, the Lakers already have a point guard. Sure, D'Angelo Russell is inconsistent, but he is only 21, he has only been in the league for 2 years and he showed flashes of being a decent point guard last year. Players need time to grow, especially guys that are only 21.

The Celtics will either trade the first pick for a superstar, or take Markelle Fultz. So, when the Lakers pick, Fultz will most likely be gone. That opens up a lot of options for the Lakers. Ball will be there, but so will guys like Josh Jackson, Jayson Tatum, Johnathan Issac, Lauri Markenien, De'Aron Fox and Malik Monk. A lot of these guys would be a much better fit on the Lakers than Ball, and from what we know, they don't bring the baggage of Lavar Ball.

I think a guy like Josh Jackson would be a perfect fit in LA. He is long, can guard, will learn to shoot and seems to have a good head on his shoulders. I also love pairing Brandon Ingram with Johnathan Issac. Issac is another long guy that can defend, he's a better shooter and, again, brings no known baggage. Hell, I'd even look at Jayson Tatum before Ball. Tatum didn't really show out, but he looks like he could be a poor mans Carmelo Anthony in the NBA. He can get his own shot and usually knocks it down. If I were the Lakers and Luke Walton, I'd look at someone in the front court as opposed to a back court guy in this draft.

Now that I gave LA some sound advice, I would bet a whole lot of money that the Lakers will take Ball, trade Russell and that will put them back even further. No one will want to sign there because no bona fide star will want to deal with the circus that is the Ball family. Luke Walton, who looks like he will be a good coach, will get very irritated and aggravated at having to deal with Lavar Ball. And, this means they will have to break up their young core of Russell, Julius Randall, Brandon Ingram and Jordan Clarkson to make room for Ball. The Ball family will not settle for his son sitting and learning, he will demand playing time right away. This will be the main problem with this pick. Lonzo Ball will set the Lakers back.

Congratulations Lakers. You guys got your top 3 pick, but I'm pretty sure you will blow it by drafting Lonzo Ball. The NBA did what they could to keep you relevant, but your front office will most likely screw it up. I guess that is what happens when you fix a lottery.

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty 

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