Ty Tells You How each NBA Team Can Win the Title: Hornets, Thunder, and Hawks

We are on day 6 of my NBA countdown. From here on out, it's all playoff caliber teams. These teams have the players to, at the very least, make the playoffs. We got started yesterday with the Wizards, now, it's all playoff teams, all the time. On with the countdown.

At number 15, I have the Charlotte Hornets. Two really quick things before I get into meat of what I like and dislike about this team. First, I love that they are called the Hornets again. I know this started last season, but it just feels right. Second, I don't know why some people think they will take a step back because Jeremy Lin is gone. Lin is a good offensive player, but I do not think he will missed all that much. If he was that important, I think the Hornets would have tried harder to keep him. Anyway, let's take a look at this roster. I love Kemba Walker. The dude just has guts and plays with a passion that is nearly unparalleled. He has always been told he was undersized, too slow, wouldn't be able to adapt to the pro game, basically he's been told he wouldn't make it, but he has been a pretty good pro, especially last year. He has become a legitimate threat on offense and his defense has stepped up. I think Kemba Walker has the potential to be an all star. Marvin Williams finally played like he was supposed to last season. It was impossible for him to live up to where he was picked when he was drafted, and he was on the wrong team. The Hawks, back then, needed him to be the star. He is so much better fitted to be the fourth or fifth option on a team. He is an incredible athlete, and he uses that to his advantage when playing defense and getting rebounds. He needs to work on his jumper, but he looked really good last year. I see that continuing. If Michael Kidd-Gilchrist could stay healthy at all, I think he would be a good bench player for this team. He's not a great shooter by any means necessary, but he can attack the basket and he plays decent defense, which is what this team is built around. Nic Batum got a big contract, and he did look good in the Olympics, at times, but he needs to stay focused all season. He is a good player, but he doesn't seem to have that killer instinct. They do not have any great big men, so that could pose a problem. When you are relying on Jason Maxiel, Tyler Hansborough and Roy Hibbert to be your guys, that won't work out all that well for you. Those guys don't have any really good, specific skills, they are just big. The bench is fine, with guys like Marco Bellinelli, a great three point shooter, Frank Kaminsky, seems too slow, but can take big guys outside and Jeremy Lamb, he hasn't figured it out yet and I don't see him figuring the NBA out. The bench is just okay. I love Kemba Walker and Marvin Williams though, those guys are really good. The Hornets bench and lack of a true rim protector will be their downfall, but they will win between 42 and 45 games and be in the playoffs.

So Ty, how will the Hornets win the title? The Hornets can win the title if they get a true big man and play the most suffocating defense in the history of the NBA. It would be ugly, but that would be their only chance at a championship, to completely slow the game down to a halt.

At number 14, I have the OKC Thunder. KD is gone, and that is a huge, huge blow to this team. Had he resigned, I think I would have picked them to win it all this year. But, they do have Russell Westbrook back, and when he plays angry, he will not be stopped. That is a good and a bad thing. He will play with reckless abandon and put up huge numbers, but will that translate to wins? They do have a much better roster than two years ago when Durant was out and Westbrook was the man, so I don't think they will be that bad. Steven Adams is on his way to being one of the better true centers in the NBA, He doesn't have an offensive game like Boogie, but I think he is the best defensive true center in the league. He is also a beast on the boards and he is world class trash talker. Andre Roberson is non existent on offense, but he is an incredible defender. He always guards the oppositions best player, and more times than not, he slows them down. Victor Oladipo was a great pick up for them. He is a great slasher, has a sembalance of a jump shot, and he, much like Roberson, is a lock down defender. They did lose Serge Ibaka, but I don't think he will be terribly missed. Enes Kanter is a great offensive big, but he is a horrific defender. He barely played at the end of the Western Finals last year because his defense was so bad. Anthony Morrow is a great spot up shooter, but he brings nothing else to this team. And with KD gone, he will not find himself as wide open as usual. Cameron Payne is a fine young point guard, but he is Westbrook's back up, so he barely sees the floor. Mitch McGary seems like he'd rather get high than work on his game, so he will be relegated to bench duty as soon as his suspension is done. Kyle Singler is trash and Nick Collison is about a million years old and way past his "prime". But, with guys like Westbrook, Oladipo, Adams, Kanter's offense and Roberson's defense, I still see the Thunder as a playoff team, getting about 42 or 43 wins. It may be the eight seed in the West, but still, a playoff team. And Westbrook is going to be on an absolute mission this season.

So Ty, how will the Thunder win the title? The Thunder can win the title if Westbrook goes for a triple double every night, and the numbers have to be huge, I'm talking about 30 ppg, 15 rbg and 15 apg and Adams offensive game takes a huge step and the rest of the roster scores a ton of points. The Thunder would have been so much higher if KD was still there, but he is not, oh well.

At number 13, I have the Atlanta Hawks. Some may say this is too high, but I feel it is just right. I don't think they will regress as much just because they don't have Al Horford anymore. They still have Paul Millsap, who may be the most underrated player in the NBA. Millsap is an all star, a double double machine and a great teammate. He is an excellent basketball player, Some will say, well they don't have Jeff Teague either. I say, I like Dennis Schroder more. He plays with a cockiness that he needs to play with. He thinks he is the best point guard in the NBA. That's not true, but when he is on, he's on. He just needs to stay that way more often. He plays a little too out of control, but he can learn to slow his game down. Kyle Korver is getting way too old to be any threat anywhere on a basketball court, except the three point line. He is still a deadly three point shooter. Kent Bazemore has gotten better the more he's played, and he is becoming a really good NBA player. He is a great slasher, and his jumper is coming along. He also plays very good defense. Thabo Sefolosha is a world class defender, and he can hit the open shot. Other bench guys like Kirk Hinrich, Tim Hardaway Jr, Mike Scott, Kris Humphries and Jarret Jack are all very ho hum. Hinrich's and Jack's best days are way behind them. I'd be shocked if either plays more than 10 minutes a game. Hardaway Jr could be good, but his confidence was wrecked by playing with Carmelo Anthony, and he doesn't see the floor that often for the Hawks. Kris Humphries, when you take away the Kardashian thing, is a pretty decent basketball player. He isn't a world beater, but he isn't a liability either. Mike Scott is their best bench player. He plays hard and smart. And, I cannot forget to talk about their signing of Dwight Howard. I don't know what Dwight Howard they are getting. Will it be the Laker, end of Rockets tenure? Or will it be the Magic, beginning of Rockets tenure? I think they'd like something in the middle. He is not dominant like he was early in his career, but if he engages and plays like he cares, he can be a very big spark for this team. He is still relatively young and can still play, he just has to want to. The Hawks will be in the playoffs again, and they will probably go out with a whimper, like they always do. I see them winning anywhere from 44-47 games this year.

So Ty, how will the Hawks win the title? The Hawks can win the title if Millsap becomes the league MVP, Korver hits 65 percent of his threes, Schroder becomes a team first player, Bazemore becomes an all star and Dwight Howard plays like he did in Orlando, at the beginning. That's asking way too much. Millsap is the only one that may/could play like that.

That's it for today, come back tomorrow for the next three teams.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He would really love the Hornets if they also brought Grandmama back. Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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Ty tells you how each NBA team can win the title: Hawks, Bucks, & Heat

Before I continue my NBA countdown I want to take a second to talk about two college football coaches. First, get the help you need Steve Sarkisian. You clearly have a problem and you need the rehab that you're reportedly going to get. Your AD, Pat Haden, is doing you a disservice, but get your life together before coming back to coaching. You can't be drunk and be around young college athletes, that's wrong. Secondly, have a great retirement Steven Spurrier. Your teams haven't been great lately, the Gamecocks are 2-4 right now, but you're one of the greatest college football coaches of all time, terrible NFL coach, but great college coach. You turned Florida into a powerhouse and South Carolina wasn't relevant until you took over that job. Enjoy retirement.

Now, back to my NBA countdown. Did I mention that I love basketball.

Today we have teams 12, 11 and 10. All three are East teams and that means that almost all of the Eastern Conference playoff spots will be filled. To give you a comparison, we've got, after today's blog, 7 playoff teams, and 6 are from the East. Clearly, the West is way better right now. On with the countdown.

At number 12, I have the Atlanta Hawks. Yes, the same Hawks team that played in the East Finals last year. They're going to take some steps back. They have a good roster, but last year was a total fluke. They played out of their minds and won 60 games, but they fell flat when it mattered most. I think the same sort of thing will happen this year, but it will come before the playoffs. I've got them going from the first seed in the East down to number four, which would pit them against the Wizards in round one, and that would be a great playoff matchup. They also lost their best defender in DeMarre Carroll. I know that I called him a one season wonder, but he is a great defender, the scoring output was surprising to me. The roster is good, but not good enough to push past the second round. The backcourt is led by Jeff Teague. He's a solid point guard. He can get to the rim, shoot a little bit and finds the open three point shooter more times than naught. Kyle Korver joins him in the backcourt, but, while he's one of the best three point shooters in the game, that's all he does. He doesn't play defense, reference to the playoffs last year when LeBron James exploded through the lane went up for a dunk and Korver literally ran away from the play, can't drive and isn't that good of a passer. They traded for Tim Hardaway Jr and while I think getting out of New York will benefit him, what does he do besides shoot for a low percentage and gripe at officials. I loved Hardaway Jr while he was at Michigan, but he wasn't the best player any of his three years there and he won't be the best player on any NBA team, except the 76ers. Dennis Schroder is a good player, but he's being under utilized in Atlanta. He doesn't get enough playing time, and in the right situation, he could be an All Star. Kent Bazemore and Thabo Sefolosha round out the backcourt. Bazemore is a fine player, but nothing special and Sefolosha has a huge criminal case, he was wrongly targeted and hurt by the NYPD because they're a bunch of racist assholes, and that will effect his play this year. He's a lock down defender, but provides nothing on offense. The Hawks frontcourt is their strength, led by guys like Al Horford and Paul Millsap. Horford, when healthy, is one of the best fours in all of basketball. He's got great low post skills, plays excellent interior defense and can step back and hit long jumpers. Paul Millsap is finally getting the credit he deserves, getting his first All Star appearance last year, and is a great player in the NBA. He's the better version of Horford, and Horford is pretty good. The Hawks got Tiago Splitter in free agency, but he reminds me a lot of Aaron Baynes, with the exception being that the Hawks coach was a Popovich understudy. The Hawks run the same system as the Spurs, but Splitter will struggle since there's no Tim Duncan to take the load off him. Mike Scott comes off the bench, but he's pretty blah. The Hawks are going to take a step back this season and while they'll win somewhere in the range of 45 to 48 games, they won't achieve the success of last season.

How the Hawks will win it all.

The Hawks will win the title if Al Horford and Paul Millsap can stay healthy all season and average 40 plus points and 25 plus rebounds combined, that could happen, Jeff Teague becomes an elite point guard, in the same class as Chris Paul or Russell Westbrook, Kyle Korver hits threes at a record level and the bench gives them big time production. This team was a conference finals away from playing for the title last year, but they are destined to take a step back.

Coming in at number 11, we have one of my new favorite teams to watch, the Milwaukee Bucks. First of all, while he may be a crummy person in his personal life, Jason Kidd is an excellent coach, much to my surprise. His team totally buys into defense and spacing on offense. The Bucks get Jabari Parker back after tearing his ACL during his rookie year. He looks to be a good scorer in the NBA, and under Kidd's tutelage, he will become a good defender. Joining Parker in the back court you have guys like Michael Carter-Williams and OJ Mayo. Carter-Williams isn't much of a shooter, but he's explosive going to the rim, plays good defense and usually finds the open man. OJ Mayo came into the NBA with huge expectations, struggled to score, play defense and stay in shape his first couple of seasons, but has found a good place for him in Milwaukee. He thrives coming off the bench, providing the Bucks with instant offense. In the frontcourt, they got one of the better offseason signings in Greg Monroe. Most people, including me, thought he was going to either New York or Los Angeles, but he surprised everyone and signed with the Bucks. He's an excellent rim protector and rebounder, and if he can get some skills in the post, he will be unstoppable. Khris Middleton is an emerging star. He hit some clutch shots last season and is becoming a legitimate 20 point a game type player. Next to Andrew Wiggins, the Bucks have my second favorite young player to watch in Giannis Antetokounmpo. His nickname is the "Greek Freak", so that's what I'll call him. Anyway, he is long and rangy, explosive to the rim, can shoot the midrange jumper and is pesky on defense. He is an All Star and All NBA player in waiting. He's awesome. John Henson and Miles Plumlee come off the bench in the frontcourt, and while I like Henson's game, he's a decent defender and a decent shooter, Plumlee provides nothing for this team. Other guys off the bench are Jerryd Bayless, a castoff from Memphis, Greivas Vasquez, who hasn't been that good since college, Chris Copeland, who's a fine three point shooter, but that's it and Tyler Ennis, a kid who should've stayed in college. The Bucks are getting better and better, but are still two or three years away from competing with the Cavs and Bulls in the East. They will win 48 or 49 games and be third or fourth in the East.

How the Bucks will win it all.

The Bucks will win the title if Greg Monroe becomes an MVP caliber type of player, Parker stays healthy and puts up huge numbers, Antetokounmpo puts everything together and is an All Star and the bench provides huge sparks every night. The Bucks are good, just not elite yet.

Finally, let's get into the top ten. Coming in at number 10, I have the Miami Heat. You've got to give it up to Pat Riley, the guy loses LeBron James, has one bad year, gets the best young player in the draft in Justise Winslow, gets Dwayne Wade to come back, and Chris Bosh is healthy. Also, he resigned Goran Dragic after trading for him last year. This team, if they can stay healthy, has the horses to compete with the Cavs and Bulls, and may actually be better than both. First, the back court is loaded. Dwayne Wade may be old and only plays half a season, but when he's healthy, he's one of the 15 best players in the league. He's also won three titles, so he knows how to perform in the clutch. Goran Dragic is an excellent point guard, and getting out of Phoenix was the best thing to happen to him. He's an All Star caliber player, and with the teammates he has in Miami, he will flourish. Like I said before, I like Justise Winslow a lot. The fact that he dropped to Miami at number 10 in the draft is appalling to me. He was the best player on the national title champion Duke Blue Devils that had guys like Jahlil Okafor and Tyus Jones. He is going to be great in the NBA. With the return of Chris Bosh and the emergence of Hassan Whiteside, the Heat's front court is ferocious. Bosh is one of the best shooting big men and while he may be a bit soft, he gets clutch rebounds and plays okay defense. Whiteside has the potential to get a double double every night. And I'm not talking points and rebounds, I mean blocks and rebounds. He loves playing defense and that's what the Heat need him to do. Loul Deng, A'Mare Stoudamire and Udonis Haslem, while pretty old and not as good as they once were, are capable back ups and provide the Heat what they need off the bench. Mario Chalmers and Chris Anderson are still there, but these guys are trade chips. The Heat are good and can be elite this year. If they stay healthy, I see a 50 win team, and competing all season long with the Bulls and the Cavs for the top spot in the East.

How the Heat can win it all.

The Heat will win the title, and they're the first team that I feel has a legitimate shot, if these guys can all stay healthy and produce like they've produced their whole careers. Getting Bosh back healthy is huge. He's the leader of this team, and gives them the leadership they need. I really, really like this Heat team, but they are no higher than tenth overall unless they can stay healthy and that's a big if.

So there you have numbers 12, 11 and 10. Come back tomorrow for numbers 9, 8 and 7. Things are starting to get real.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He made a bid to buy the Milwaukee Bucks, his offer of being awesome was turned down. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.