The Lakers will Continue to Go Nowhere with the Mozgov Signing

The Lakers continue on the road to nowhere

NBA free agency started this morning at midnight. Some big names have supposedly already signed contracts. Guys like DeMar DeRozan is, reportedly, staying in Toronto on a 5 year, 130 million dollar plus contract. Nic Batum is supposedly staying in Charlotte on a near max deal. Hassan Whiteside has supposedly signed a max deal to stay in Miami. Joakim Noah is probably going to sign with the Knicks on an absurd 4 year, 70 plus million dollar deal. Like I said, some big names have already signed, or are going to sign.

There are the big names on the market, LeBron James and Kevin Durant. LeBron isn't going anywhere. He will continue to do this every season until he retires in Cleveland. He will keep signing these 1 year deals, opt out, get more money and come back. That is what he does, and he can do that because he is the best player in the game. So, don't believe any garbage that he is going to LA or Miami again. He is staying in Cleveland.

Then there is Durant. Most people think, me included, that he will sign a 1 plus 1 and stay in OKC one more year and wait for Westbrook to become a free agent. It makes the most sense, both professionally and financially. I fully believe he will do this, and all the meetings are just a formality so he doesn't have to do it again next season when he inevitably opts out. He is just getting a feel for next season, when the cap will skyrocket.

The one contract that I want to single outtoday is the supposed 4 year, 64 million dollar deal the Lakers are giving Timofey Mozgov. I know I said the Noah deal with the Knicks is absurd, but, if this deal is legit, this will be the worst move in all of free agency. I'm calling it right now. This shows how far the once proud Lakers have fallen. They aren't even getting a meeting with Durant. They missed out on LaMarcus Aldridge last year because the Buss kids don't know what in the hell they are doing. They couldn't come close to landing Whiteside. Kevin Love, who is from LA, seems like a pipe dream now. This Mozgov signing is the icing on the shit cake though. Earlier in the day they re upped Jordan Clarkson, which I really liked, but they destroyed any good will I had for them with this horrid Mozgov deal. What good is Timofey Mozgov anymore? He was non existent for the Cavs in their title run this season. I barely saw him play at all throughout the whole playoffs in fact. Also, didn't the Lakers do almost this exact same thing last year when they signed Roy Hibbert? Why do they think these out of their prime big men are worth all this money? The league is going away from big centers and moving more towards a fast paced offense with bigs that can run and shoot. Mozgov cannot do either of those things. Also, how is going to keep up with Clarkson, D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Brandon Ingram? Why did Luke Walton agree to this deal? He coached Andrew Bogut, but Timofey Mozgov is no Andrew Bogut.

This is a quagmire signing for the Lakers. They will immediately regret this when Mozgov is only playing 5 minutes a game and netting a plus minus in the negative. What a horrible, god awful move by the Lakers. Mozgov does not deserve, or fit in, with what the Lakers plan as a team will be. This is a fleeting move by a fleeting franchise.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He wants the Lakers to know that he can be signed for 10% of Mozgov's contract and Ty will give equal production. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Brady and Gronk - The Dynamic Duo Making the NFL Fabulous

These flowers represent how beautiful Brady and Gronk are together

So, for all of my posts this week, I wanted to try something a bit different. My wife and I were talking the other day and she told me that I should argue a point that I don't necessarily agree with. All five posts this week will be topics given to me that I have expressed a dislike for to, either my wife or everyone who reads my blog, but I have to give the opposite view. I have to explain why these things are actually true, or that they at least have some good qualities. This is going to be a weird, but also very fun, and maybe even a bit difficult, but I'm up to the task.

Now for my second day of topic sentences from my wife, "the NFL would be a little less fabulous without the dynamic duo: Tom Brady and Rob Gronkowski".

Now, first things first, I'm not going to say anything about "deflategate", that has been covered more than enough on the site. Okay, here goes.

First off, let's look at Tom Brady. While I don't think he is necessarily a "dynamic" person, I think his playing is dynamic. He is one of the top three quarterbacks of all time. Love him or hate him, you cannot say that he isn't one of the greatest QB's of all time. He has 4 Super Bowl rings, and if not for two lucky catches he would have six. He has humongous touchdown and yardage numbers. He has a very low interception number. He has been deep in the playoffs the whole time he has been a starter in the NFL. He has come up huge in the biggest moments. The dude is a straight up winner. The way he fits passes into the smallest of windows is absolutely incredible. The receivers and running backs that he has won with is incredible because of how average they are/were. The best receiver he has ever had is Randy Moss, and yes he is a sure fire hall of famer, but other than him, it's slim pickings at receiver. He has won with guys like Deion Branch, Troy Brown, David Givens and Brandon Lloyd as his number one target. Those guys are/were good, but they are nowhere near hall of famers, let alone all pros. The running backs he's had are guys like Fred Taylor, Steven Jackson, Corey Dillon, Kevin Faulk and Laurence Maroney. Again, some good players, but no hall of famers. Brady has won with all of these guys, He helped their game as much as they helped his game. He turned these running backs into some of the best receivers out of the backfield. He also turned those receivers into clutch receivers. But, the one constant, dynamic player for the Patriots, who I believe, along with the San Antonio Spurs, are the best run franchises in all of pro sports, has been Tom Brady. He has been the starting QB, save for one injured season, in New England since 2001. And he has been consistently great. There is no denying his incredible play. He is the epitome of a winner. He is a maniac when it comes to film study, practice and staying in shape. He takes multiple pay cuts to make his team better. He will gladly take less money if it means that the Patriots can bring in a big time player. The fact that he was a sixth round draft pick, an afterthought by the "experts" and not even the primary starter while at Michigan makes his amazing NFL career that much more dynamic. We cannot deny his greatness anymore. Tom Brady is an all timer, no ifs ands or buts about it.

A few years ago the Patriots got this little known tight end from the University of Arizona named Rob Gronkowski. This is where the "dynamic" applies to both, his game and his personality. The first time I saw Gronk play, I couldn't believe how big he was. He was so much taller and stronger than the poor defensive backs and linebackers trying to guard them. Not only was he taller, but he was stronger and faster than them too. He runs like a gazelle and he is as strong as JJ Watt. He also has incredible hands. If the ball is anywhere near him, he will catch it. The ball can be a little high or low or to his back side, if he gets a hand on it, it is a catch. He is also, possibly, the greatest redzone weapon of all time. As I already stated, he is bigger, stronger and faster than anyone guarding him, and he can leap and get open in the redzone with an ease that seems unfair. People are literally trying to injure him to get him out of games. No one ever tackles him fairly. Everyone goes after his knees or ankles, intent on hurting him to get him out of the game. Gronk was a godsend to Tom Brady and the Patriots. No matter what mid level receivers or running backs they have, they still have Gronk. He, much like Brady, is a first ballot hall of famer and an all timer at his position.

Then, look at his personal life. This dude just has a great time living his glamorous life. He has his own yacht party with live music and beer pong tournaments. He is super close with his family, that seem just as crazy as he is. He knows his limits when it comes to partying, and he goes right to the edge, but never over it. In season, he is the consummate professional. Out of season, he's a party animal, in every som Brady and Rob GroTense of the word. He is who Johnny Manziel wishes he could be. Manziel doesn't know when to stop where Gronk knows when and how to stop. I usually don't like "bros" like Gronk, but he is almost impossible not to like, both as a football player and a person. He loves his life and he knows that his time in the NFL will be short, so he is living it up both on the field and off. Gronk is just an all around fun dude.

I know that my wife and I will get heat about this because a lot of people hate the Patriots, but I don't think you can read this and tell me that I'm wrong. These two are dynamic, all time great football players and Gronk has a very dynamic personality. It's true, and even the haters can't deny that. Try as they might.

Ty with a little help from his wife

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Like Gronk, Ty is known to walk around shirtless and has had softcore fan fiction written about him. Learn all about it by following Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Buddy Ryan and Pat Summitt - Legends who Defined their Sport

RIP both Pat Summit and Buddy Ryan. Both were phenomenal coaches in their respective sports. Buddy Ryan was one of the fiercest, most competitive defensive coaches that the NFL has ever seen. He was the guy behind the vaunted 85 Bears defense. Ryan may have been the greatest defensive minded coach of all time. He would get into it on the sidelines as well. He would yell and scream and even get into fist fights if he believed he was right. Buddy Ryan was a legend.

Then there's Pat Summit. Talk about a winner who's life was cut way too short. Summit had almost 1100 wins as a head coach. That is jaw dropping. Tennessee women's basketball was dominant for the majority of Summit's career. She is the John Wooden of women's basketball. She had one of the greatest basketball minds to ever grace the Earth. She was fiery as well. She was also flat out great at her job. Summit is one of the greatest basketball coaches ever, men's or women's. Summit is a true legend.

RIP to these two great sports minds. You'll both be missed.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.
 

The Law does not Apply to Sweaty Alabama Football Players

Justice is not always blind. Sometimes it is bought.

A few weeks back I wrote about 2 Alabama football players, Cam Robinson and Hootie Jones, that were caught with marijuana and a stolen firearm. The question I posed was what would Nick Saban do about this because these two guys, especially Robinson, are integral parts to an Alabama team that will once again be a title favorite. Would Saban suspend them, I asked. Would Saban kick them off the team, I asked. Would the NCAA have to step in and do something about it, I asked. But, when I thought more about it, I figured he would kick Hootie Jones off the team because he is a spot starter and key back up, but I assumed Robinson would see nothing but a slap on the wrist because he is the left tackle. He is the blind side protector. He is the preseason all American. He will be a future first round draft choice.

Nick Saban didn't have to do anything, or maybe he was a critical person involved because the high ups involved dropped all charges against the two football players. Their reasoning was, and I quote, "who are we to take this sport away from these kids that have to play in the hot sun, while we sit in the air conditioning". What a bull shit response that was. First off, these kids are playing a game, you are supposed to sweat, and be in the heat. That doesn't excuse the fact that they had a stolen firearm. As I stated in my previous blog, I don't care one bit about the marijuana. Marijuana should be legal everywhere, RD has made that point already on the site. It is the firearm that truly terrifies me. They had a stolen firearm. I don't care how hot and sweaty they are playing football on a full scholarship, that should not excuse the fact that they stole a weapon. That is dangerous and the DA's response is utterly ridiculous.

Another thing, what the hell do they mean, "while we sit in the air conditioning". I was in the air conditioning at my house a few hours ago, but I was cleaning the house and now I'm sweaty, does that mean it would be okay if I went and stole a firearm? Well, probably not, because I don't live in Alabama and I don't play football for the university. The way adults treat college sports now, with way, way too much at stake, has become sickening. these football players, if they are good, can get away with almost anything. I'm sure the person who made this final decision is a big time Alabama fan, and they didn't want to see a chance at another title go to waste, but I'm just as sure that boosters and the devil himself, Nick Saban, were in these people's ears, trying to get the charges dropped. The boosters give big money and they do not want to see an inferior product go out on that field on Saturday's. Boosters are the scum of the earth and they need to be pushed to the side so they stop infecting these kids brains. They are good for nothing wannabe's that figure, if we give enough money, we feel as if we are part of the team. You are not part of the team, and you never will be. You are lower than dirt.

Then there's Nick Saban. He doesn't have to do any dirty work now. The DA took care of his hard work for him. What a punk and a chump. He can just tell the media that the people in charge handled it. Screw you Nick Saban. I 1000 percent am sure that you had something to do with this final decision you piece of garbage. Now ESPN can push this story to the side and continue to praise you and call you a shaper of young men. What a crock.

This is a big, big problem in college sports today. No one has the guts to do anything big to a big time talent. These kids think, and for the most part do, get away with whatever they want because they are good at a sport. That is wrong on so many levels. I guarantee that if these were just two random students, say one a business major and the other a communications major, they'd be kicked out of school without a second thought. The way these athletes get treated is disgusting and it cheapens my favorite sport, college football.

Get your shit together, adults that are so heavily involved in these kids lives. Giving them a free pass is only going to hurt them in the long run. Yes, you may have to suffer through a 6-6 or 7-5 season, but kids that do something wrong need to be punished, not given chance after chance after chance. It's not fair to the rest of the student body that doesn't play sports.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Hear him talk about his 160 gig iPod on tomorrows new X Millennial Man. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Bill Simmons is Back with "Any Given Wednesday"

There is some new TV in the air

Last night, Bill Simmons new show, "Any Given Wednesday" premiered on HBO. This show was a long time coming for me. I'm a very big Bill Simmons fan. I like his takes. He is one of the most knowledgeable NBA writers on the planet. He isn't afraid to attack morons like Roger Goodell. And he seems like a pretty genuine, cool person.

I watched the show this afternoon, and it was just fine. I don't know why I was expecting it to be like "Real Sports", which is a great show, but I thought it as going to be more like that. "Any Given Wednesday" is the opposite of a show like "Real Sports". "Any Given Wednesday" is sports and pop culture, mixed with elements of comedy. There is no panel on this show. Simmons has people come on and talk, but it is more interview and less talking head type stuff. What the show all boils down to is, it is a live taping of his podcast. The show is very free flowing. There is a looseness to the show that I found refreshing. Simmons looked totally calm and in his element. The show is a perfect way to get his view across.

Last night, he had Charles Barkley come on to talk about LeBron James. Simmons asked, after doing a great opening monologue about why he now thought James belonged in the conversation as the best NBA player ever, and Barkley shut that notion down immediately. Barkley is definitely stuck in his old view of the NBA, but that is one of the many things that makes Charles Barkley so great. I personally agree with Simmons. I think LeBron is a top 5 all time player, but I liked hearing Barkley say he had to win a couple of more championships before he would put him past Kobe Bryant and Tim Duncan. I also enjoyed Barkley letting Simmons, the studio audience and everyone watching know that his top five all time players will never change. He is set in his way. Barkley seemed just as comfortable as Simmons was, even when Simmons pushed him on stuff like Barkley holding Larry Bird's arms back so Dr. J could punch him in the face, or Barkley's many past gambling stories. After the Barkley interview, Simmons did a kind of funny spoof on the Under Armor and Steph Curry commercials. There was some decent humor in it, but it was just okay. The commercial Simmons and his writers created was a very funny closing bit to the joke.

Then, Simmons had another one on one interview with Ben Affleck. They talked about the Batman stuff and what drove Affleck to becoming a director, but when Simmons brought up the Patriots and Tom Brady and "deflategate", Affleck went off. This was at times funny and very revealing. Affleck is a true sports fan and a true Boston fan. This dude loves Tom Brady and thinks, like most of the sports watching public, that "deflategate" is so dumb and so unimportant. His speech was impassioned. I recommend people seeking it out on the internet to watch, it is bizarre and telling. I know that I was enthralled.

Once Affleck has done speaking the truth, Simmons did his first of what I'm sure will be a weekly segment, where he gave the "championship belt" to the best thing of the week. This week was the year 2016 and how it has become so unpredictable. He mentioned the Cavs winning the title, the fact that the Cubs have the best record in baseball and that he now has his own show on HBO, among other things. I very much enjoyed this part of the show. Like I said, it was basically a live taping of his podcast, and that is a good thing, in my opinion.

I will be curious to see how future episodes attack sports and pop culture news. I also hope, at some point, he goes off on ESPN. I know he did that recently in a magazine interview, but I want to see him do it live on his TV show, curse words and all, since it is on HBO. I also hope he brings on some of his recurring guests from his podcast for face to face interviews. I don't think it will happen, but I'd love to see Jalen Rose and Zach Lowe on his show, but they both work for ESPN. He can have his buddy Joe House on, or Chuck Klosterman or even more famous NBA players, like Charles Barkley. Anyway, it was a decent premiere of a show that I will watch every week because I am a Bill Simmons fan. Don't go into "Any Given Wednesday" expecting "Real Sports", it is a totally different show.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He may not have the slurred passion of Ben Affleck, but Ty is also not a fan of "deflategate". Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Bulls are Already Winning the NBA Offseason

The Knicks seem to be in the gift giving mood

I was going to do a greatest American band thing today, but I just got word on my phone that the Knicks and Bulls have agreed to what sounds like a pretty big trade just 2 days before the draft. The Bulls are going to ship Derrick Rose to the Knicks for Jerian Grant and Robin Lopez. I know, this sounds like it is a blockbuster trade for the Knicks. I'm sure Knicks fans know have visions of possibly being in the top four of the eastern conference next year. I'm sure the same Knicks fans are going to claim they have their own "big three" now with Rose, Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis. It's all peaches and cream right now, but I do not see it that way.

I have been negative about a lot of NBA stuff recently, but I'm going to be both, positive and negative today. Let's get the negativity out of the way first. This trade would have been huge had it happened 6 years ago. Derrick Rose was coming off an MVP season, the Bulls were the top team in the east and they looked like they would be there for a long, long time. But, it's 2016. Derrick Rose has suffered multiple injuries, including two torn ACL's and has proven he is not the explosive player that he once was. He cannot go to the basket with reckless abandon anymore. And to make matters worse, he is not a very good jump shooter and he was never a very good passer. To team him up with Carmelo Anthony is going to be terrible. Anthony does not want to pass the ball either. He is coming off a few injuries. He cares more about his brand than winning basketball games. When Anthony was thinking of signing with the Bulls a few years ago, I was not a fan of that because that would have teamed him up with Derick Rose. I just don't think those two can coexist on a basketball court. Both Rose and Anthony are also on the back half, maybe back 3/4ths of their careers. Neither is as good as they were 5 or 6 years ago. They are both well into their 30's and their best playing days are long gone. Neither of these guys are in the shape that LeBron James is in. Neither can shoot the ball like Chris Paul or Dirk Nowitzki. Neither play defense like Richard Jefferson just did in the finals. And neither are as good a facilitator with the ball as Tony Parker or Andre Iguodala are. They both don't have the energy to play 65 games, let alone 82, plus some playoff games, if they make the playoffs.

Then there is the whole Porzingis thing. Yes, I think he is an okay player that could be a nightmare to guard if he develops his game a bit more, but he is incredibly young and he will not see a whole lot of touches playing alongside Rose and Anthony. He will have to rely a whole lot more on his rebounding game to get his points. It's going to be a few years before he becomes the focal point that the die hard Knicks fans want him to be.

Plus there is the rest of the Knicks roster, this is my last negative today. The roster is a joke of an NBA roster, with the exceptions being Rose, Anthony and Porzingis. They just traded away a very good center in Robin Lopez. And while Grant looked lost and maybe played a bit too fast last season, he is a slasher and he can create shots for himself, he just needs a few years. The guys they have left on that team are people like Sasha Vuvajic, Langston Galloway, Derrick Williams and Aaron Affalo. Those names don't strike fear in any opponents, except maybe the 76ers. Their starting five will be Rose, Anthony, Porzingis, Affalo and Derrick Williams, if I had to make a guess. That is a starting five that may only play 50 to 60 games together, and they'd be lucky to win 30 to 35 of those games, add on a few more victories, and the Knicks will be lucky to be a .500 team. I do not like this trade for New York one bit.

But, I LOVE this trade for the Bulls. They finally have the Derrick Rose problem off their back. The team doesn't have to cater to his ego anymore. They don't have to rely on the "hometown hero" nonsense that they've been holding onto since they drafted him. They don't need to worry about him missing games, or not going full speed when he does play games. But, and most importantly, if they keep Jimmy Butler, which I fully expect them to do now, they can finally turn the team over to him. Butler is ready, and more than able, to lead the Bulls back to being a perennial playoff team. I'm a humongous Jimmy Butler fan. The dude has a very good offensive game. He can play both inside and outside and he is a creator. The dude is an all star. He is also a ferocious defender. He gets after it on defense. If I was Jimmy Butler, I'd be ecstatic right now. Then, bringing in Robin Lopez gives them the relief of letting Pau Gasol walk in free agency. Sure, Lopez isn't the offensive player that Gasol is, but he is younger and a much better defender than Gasol has ever been in the NBA. This also makes it easier for them to try and keep Joakim Noah and Taj Gibson around. Both are exceptional defenders and rebounders that play like Bulls play. This also gives guys like Bobby Portis, Nikola Mirotic and E'Twaun Moore more chances to play and improve. I think this deal for the Bulls is an absolute slam dunk. I think this makes them a much, much better team. The Bulls will be a real threat in the east next year. This was a great trade that they made.

If I'm a Knicks fan, I'm bummed. But, if I'm a Bulls fan, I'm thrilled. We will have to wait until next season to see if I'm right or wrong. But mainly, I'm so thrilled for Jimmy Butler right now. His stardom is going to explode next season.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. What did Ty think of the NBA Finals, come on in for a listen. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The Shoe Wars are Over and Nike is the Winner

Do not forget the champion athletes that wear this brand

My topic today is a bit off the beaten path. I'm going to talk about the supposed "shoe war" going on between Under Armor and Nike. Under Armor seems to think that they have put a stranglehold on the top names in sports over other companies like Nike, Adidas and other companies that sell sporting apparel. Under Armor does have some big name clients, but my whole idea that I'm going to pose today is, much like how players wearing Under Armor, these guys are finishing second to the athletes wearing other companies products, mainly Nike.

First off, the three biggest names that Under Armor has on their payroll right now are Cam Newton, Steph Curry and Bryce Harper. These three guys are world class athletes. They are some of the, if not the, best players in their particular sport. Cam Newton has changed what the idea of a quarterback in the NFL can do athletically these days. Bryce Harper may be the most feared hitter since Barry Bonds. And Steph Curry, he has a title, he is the first unanimous MVP, he is the best shooter I have ever seen and he has transcending what people think about shooters in the NBA all time. I'm sure Under Armor has other decent athletes that wear their stuff, but these three are, by far, the most noticeable and most impressive. But, the recent problem with the guys that Under Armor pays millions upon millions of dollars, they are finishing second to players that wear either Nike or Adidas. Even in the college game, Nike is still winning.

Let's look at the pro guys first. Cam Newton was the first Under Armor guy that caught my eye. Like I said, he plays quarterback like no one else I have ever watched, and he has a ton of fun doing it. He is big, fast and has a rocket arm. He took a very under manned team all the way to the Super Bowl this past season. The Panthers were even favored and Cam Newton's fancy Under Armor cleats were all over my TV screen prior to the Super Bowl. Then, the game happened, and an Adidas man made Cam Newton's life brutal for 60 minutes. Von Miller, who is an Adidas client, pressured, hit and caused Cam Newton to rush throws and make mistakes all game. He was clearly the superior player. His cleats even looked like he was taking a shot at Cam Newton's very loud and brash type cleats. Von Miller was awesome and he made Adidas look cool for one night. That night just happened to be the Super Bowl. The Broncos, and their middle linebacker, with his Adidas cleats, completely shut down Cam Newton and his Under Armor shoes that night. That was a big blow to Under Armor.

Then, they recently signed Bryce Harper to a massive deal. He is getting tons of money from that company to shill their products. Well, Harper is a tremendous talent that has already won an MVP, but what exactly has his team, the Washington Nationals, accomplished of any significance on the baseball field. Yeah, they had a 90 plus win season a few years back, but the Cardinals beat them in the early round of the MLB playoffs. Last year, with all the expectations in the world, they fell flat on their face. And now, yeah they are in first place in their division, but I still don't trust them. I trust the Mets so much more than I do the Nationals. And, while Harper may be the best player currently in baseball, guys like Andrew McCutchen, Mike Trout and Harper's teammate, Max Scherzer, all wear Nike. Those guys are very, very good baseball players, and in McCutchen has had much more recent postseason success than Bryce Harper has had. Once again, Under Armor finishes second, or maybe even third, because some big time guys, guys like Miguel Cabrera and Robinson Cano, sport New Balance gear.

Then, there is Steph Curry. Curry is a once in a lifetime NBA player. He is the best shooter, maybe ever. He is a two time MVP. He has a title. Curry is awesome. I'm a very big Steph Curry fan. But, he got destroyed in the most recent playoffs by all Nike guys. In the western conference finals, two Nike guys, Kevin Durant and Russell Westbrook, went at Curry with no regard. Westbrook wanted to destroy him every night, and he did in a couple of those games. Durant was never flustered or bummed when he had Curry on defense or when Curry had him on defense. Both Durant and Westbrook constantly attacked him. The Thunder were so very close to beating him too. Then, in the finals, two Nike guys completely out shadowed Curry and Under Armor. LeBron James and Kyrie Irving looked so, so much better in these finals than Curry did. They were better, stronger, faster and made more shots. Under Armor got completely demoralized by Nike in the finals. After watching game 7, young kids that are logo obsessed would much rather get the new LeBron's or Kyrie Irving's shoes. No one wants those new Steph Curry, white, old man shoes. Nike crushed Under Armor in the NBA all throughout the playoffs.

Even in college, Nike is king. The only halfway decent team that I know of that wears Under Armor is Auburn, and they haven't been good in about 5 seasons. The last two championship games have had 4 Nike schools. Two years ago, in the first college football playoff, both Ohio State and Oregon wear Nike. Nike's headquarters is in Oregon in fact. Last season, both Alabama and Clemson wear Nike. I'm sure someone out there will say that I forgot Notre Dame, they signed a big contract with Under Armor, but I didn't, they are exactly what I expect out of an Under Armor client. They are decent enough to lose big time games. Hell, even after a horrid 7 year Adidas experience, Michigan is back on the Nike team, and I'm thrilled about it. Even in college basketball, all the big time teams are Nike teams. Kentucky, Duke, North Carolina, Villanova, Georgetown, Michigan State, among many other "blue bloods", they are all Nike.

Nike is a far superior product. They made sleeker, cooler and just flat out better products than any other sporting apparel. Under Armor and Adidas may have some big time names, but Nike has winners. I'll take winners over names anytime. Long live Nike.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He likes to write under a "Just Do It" banner with "I Believe I Can Fly" playing in the background. That is how dedicated he is. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Why we got the the Cleveland Cavaliers and the NBA Finals so Very Wrong

The season ended not quite how we predicted

The NBA finals ended last night. There is no more real basketball to be played from now until late September. Both football and basketball are done, so this is the most dead period of sports that you can find right now. I'm counting down the days until college football starts. Baseball does not intrigue me, and everything else, Olympics included, bore me. With that being said, I will recount game 7 from the finals last night.

I, much like most writers, picked the Warriors to win. I picked them in 6 games. That, obviously did not happen. First things first, game 7 was phenomenal last night. For the most part, this series has been blow outs, and it has been not so great basketball. There were great individual performances, but the games, they were not that good. Game 7 changed that. I had no skin in the game last night, but my heart was beating fast and I watched every single second of that game with bated breath last night. It was a true back and forth. The Cavs would take a 5 or 6 point lead, then the Warriors would counter with a run and lead by 5 or 6 themselves. The game was decided by the stars as well. Sure, JR Smith made some big shots and Andre Iguodala did his thing on defense, but it was LeBron James and Kyrie Irving coming up big for Cleveland and it was Draymond Green, who was spectacular last night, and Curry and Thompson, although they both shot poorly. But, the stars made the difference. That's how I like my finals. Game 7 was everything I wanted this whole series to be, all the way down to Irving hitting that 3 with less than 1 minute left in the game.

Secondly, this series should have been over in 5 games. This is my "the NBA rigged this series" portion of my blog. Draymond Green did not deserved to be suspended for game 5. Yeah, he swiped at LeBron's man zone, and he did so much worse in the western finals against OKC, but it wasn't until LeBron bitched and moaned to the media and David Silver that they decided to suspend Green. I don't think it was the swipe, hell, I would have done something much worse than punch at a guy and call him names if he stepped over me on a basketball court, than it was the fact that the Cavs were down 3-1, the finals were getting record ratings, and LeBron used his stardom to get his way. David Silver, ESPN and ABC all wanted this series to go 7, if possible, and suspending Green did just that. The Warriors couldn't close it out in 5 because they couldn't stop James and Irving from getting in the paint and the Cavs pulled away. They then destroyed the Warriors in game 6, setting up last night's great game. Had Draymond not been suspended, the Warriors would have easily closed it out in game 5, but LeBron, the Cavs, and everyone in the media got their way and the series played on. Also, Steph Curry fouling out of game 6 was atrocious. In fact, the entire officiating crew in games 5, 6 and last night were as bad as the 2002 Lakers-Kings series. They were giving everything to Cleveland and nothing to Golden State. Curry hadn't fouled out of a game since college, but he somehow fouled out of a finals game. That is very, very fishy. The NBA has always had this shady cloud over it, but these last three games really made it almost too clear to me that the NBA may be as fixed as pro boxing and pro wrestling. It is becoming way too fascinated with the stars and they get so much better treatment from the refs than anyone else. It's disturbing.

Okay, got that off my chest.

Third, the Warriors did choke, but Cleveland also figured something out after Draymond got suspended. I won't say the Warriors lost the series, the Cavs definitely won. In game 5, they stayed big for most of the game, a la what the Thunder did. This rendered the Warriors rebounding useless. They had no one to block out Kevin Love or Tristan Thompson or even a guy like Richard Jefferson. The Cavs got so many second chance points and shots and that is how you beat the Warriors. They had no answer, especially after Andrew Bogut went down for the series. This was a smart move and it helped the Cavs win the title. Even last night, Love and Thompson seemed to grab every single rebound. They held the Warriors to one shot the majority of the night.  The Cavs also slowed the pace of the game to a snail. They held and held and held the ball in their half court set. They didn't seem to get into their set play until there were only 5 or 6 seconds left on the shot clock. This is another way to beat the fast paced Warriors. Make them play defense for all 24 seconds and it will slow their offense down because their players will get tired. Another smart move.

Which brings me to my fourth point. Steph Curry and Klay Thompson, for the most part, did not show up in these finals. They both shot terribly from three. They were missing wide open three point shots that they had made all season long. It wasn't like the Cavs were playing lock down defense. Quite the opposite was happening. They would get held up on screens and leave shooter wide open, the Warriors just were not making their shots. Curry also got exposed as a very mediocre defender in the finals. He couldn't stay with Irving, he was too small and lean for LeBron, too short to guard JR Smith and when he had someone else, like Iman Shumpert, that guy screened and forced Curry to guard and he did not come through. And what on Earth happened to Harrison Barnes? He was so, so bad in the finals. He missed every shot he took it seemed. The Cavs would leave him wide open for corner threes, the easiest three and a shot he made all season, and he would brick it pretty much every time. This was supposed to be his coming out party. He was supposed to get a max contract from someone after the finals. He was going to be the man for another team next season if he left the Warriors. Now, I wouldn't even consider giving him anything close to a max contract. Not only was his offense atrocious, but he was man handled by pretty much everyone he guarded during the finals. Barnes had the worst possible finals that a free agent could have. He was worse in this series than Kevin Love and Iman Shumpert were, and they were both terrible. 

Then we have Kyrie Irving. Wow, was he great. He scored at will. He shot a very high percentage. No one on Golden State could stop him. He was just as important to this title win as LeBron was. Yeah, LeBron had a triple double last night, but without Irving in the third quarter and that three he hit in the fourth, no way does Cleveland win the title. Kyrie Irving was absolutely spectacular and he is rising very fast up the best players in the league chart right now. What an incredible performance he had.

Finally, LeBron. I have dogged him the whole season and during the playoffs. I still think he is a prima donna, a whiner and I'm fed up with his constant complaining to officials, but he did what he promised he would do for Cleveland. He delivered a title. He was great in games 5 and 6. He had a triple double last night. He was not good on defense, Draymond put up 30 plus on him last night, but he ran this team and they won because of his effort. This is, by far, the most impressive thing he has done in his very impressive career.

Congrats Cleveland. You guys won the title and proved a whole lot of people wrong in doing so. I'm very curious to see how this team looks next year, but for now, enjoy your victory, you guys earned it....with a little help from David Silver and the refs.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He says if Cleveland can get a title this year, then why not the Cubs? Get all of your winners by following Ty on twitter @tykulik.

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.

The NBA is Wrong with the Draymond Green Suspension

It is nice that LeBron has the NBA boardroom helping out this finals

So, I saw "Popstar" yesterday, but my review will have to wait until tomorrow because of the idiotic suspension that was handed to Draymond Green for tonight's game 5.

Yes, I think Green has proven during these playoffs that he is a very dirty player who flails at every opportunity, but why suspend him now when they did not suspend him for multiple kicks to the crotch in the western conference finals? What he did against OKC was so much worse and heinous than what he did in game four the other night. He consistently flailed his legs and arms during the series with the Thunder because they were frustrating him with their length and their quickness. He didn't have an answer, so he did every dirty thing he could think of. He repeatedly kicked Steven Adams in the groin region throughout the series. He blatantly tripped Enes Kanter during game 6. He was consistently throwing elbows and low blows in the post to whatever big man he was guarding. But, the NBA didn't think that any of that was suspendable.

Yet, during game 4 of the finals, Green came and set a perfectly legal screen on LeBron James. James took offense to this and shoved him to the ground. I must add, the Cavs were beginning to blow game 4 at this point. After physically throwing Green to the ground, James decided it was okay to step over Green, rubbing his man region all in Green's face. They then proceeded to go after a rebound, and while Green, after they both trash talked each other for a second, looked like he was legitimately boxing LeBron out, LeBron decided it was time to throw Green to the ground again and yell at him. He then started to get in Green's face, and like all NBA fights involving superstars, LeBron stayed about 10 feet away and had his teammates "hold him back". First off, LeBron isn't going to fight anyone. He is too big a star, and the NBA and his fans would not react well to that. I ask, what was Draymond Green supposed to do? If anyone thinks that it was okay for LeBron James to do what he did, you are wrong. Draymond Green had every right to swing at James. That was a total punk move from someone that was being a sore loser.

For the NBA to take LeBron James' side, once again, I mean come on, that is downright shady. The NBA badly wants this series to last as long as possible. So what do they do? They suspend one of the most important players to the Warriors. Never mind the fact that the Cavs have been whining this whole series about the refs, they have been not getting called for fouls just as much, if not more than the Warriors. The Cavs are the quintessential prima donna team, led by the biggest prima donna of them all, LeBron James. He bitches and moans to the media that "it is rough, constantly getting fouled, with no call every time I drive to the basket". I say, grow up. You are the biggest and best player on the floor, and it is the finals, refs have always let the players play a lot rougher in the finals.

Just because your name is LeBron James doesn't mean you should get special treatment. Did Jordan get calls when the Pistons were shoving him left and right in the 80's and 90s? No. Did Jordan complain? Not that I know of. He would just go out the next game and put up 40 or 50 points and will his team to win. Did Shaq get any calls during his prime? Absolutely not. The officials said it was impossible to officiate Shaq because everything was a foul. Did Shaq complain? Nope. He would still score 30 or 40 points, go to the free throw line 20 times and the Lakers and Heat won titles with him.

So, I ask again, why did the NBA decide to give James this preferential treatment? They are making the Warriors play without their best, and most versatile defender in a possible close out game tonight. If the Cavs do not win this game and LeBron blames it on someone other than himself, I will lose whatever respect I have left for him. The NBA has handed him this game on a platter. I know it's in Oakland, and it is very tough for a visiting team to win there, but don't underestimate how much the Warriors will miss Draymond Green tonight. He is not only their key guy in defense, but he runs a ton of the offense. He may not score in bunches, but he is the conduit for a lot of the things they do on the offensive end. This is sickening that the NBA has done something like this in the finals. I want to watch the best players play the best players. I know that the Warriors have good to great guys off the bench, but I don't want to see Shaun Livingston, Festus Ezeli or Mo Speights playing big minutes in a possible close out game. I want to see Draymond Green. I don't know who said this, but I totally agree, that if the series were tied 2-2, there is no way Green gets suspended for tonight's game. But, since the Warriors are up 3-1, the NBA front office chose to suspend a crucial guy to try and push this finals as long as they can.

This is a joke and, as I said above, if the Cavs do not win tonight, I don't know what else the NBA can do to give LeBron another advantage. First off, he doesn't need an advantage, or at least he shouldn't, if he wants to be one of the greatest of all time. Secondly, it is a shame that David Silver and the NBA are so blatantly pulling for the Cavs and LeBron. This stinks and it just made game 5 a little less desirable to watch. And I'm a huge NBA fan.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He wants to see the best players, not the best whiners, dictate the NBA Finals. Ty is not a whiner, see for yourself by following him on twitter @tykulik.

Kevin Love has Already Suffered the Biggest Loss of the NBA Finals

It is time for Kevin Love to pick up his ball and find a new home.

The other night, when the Cavs crushed the Warriors by 30, that was the worst possible outcome that Kevin Love could have ever imagined.

This all but proved, at least to me, this Cavs team is so much more better off without Love. He is a total liability on defense, and he cannot stay on the court with LeBron because they both essentially play the same position. LeBron was way off the mark when he came back to Cleveland 2 years ago and made the front office trade away Andrew Wiggins for Kevin Love. Think of how much more dynamic this team would be if they had Andrew Wiggins instead of Kevin Love right now. They would have one of the more athletic starting 5's in the NBA. Wiggins is already a so much better defender than Love is, and his offensive game has improved his first 2 years in the league. The Cavs don't know how to use Kevin Love as well. He is a 6'10 power forward, who only a couple of years ago, had one of the better low post games and was a top notch rebounder. His defense was still pretty terrible, but he wasn't playing deep into May and June, so no one noticed. We all just saw wonderful numbers and assumed he would fit in perfectly with James and Kyrie Irving.

Well, both coaches that he has had in Cleveland have turned him into a "floor spacer". He just sits outside the arc and waits for LeBron to dictate where the ball will go. And that is fine, because LeBron is the best player in the NBA. The offense should run through him. But, it is a waste to just have Love sit outside, shoot barely 40 percent from 3 and play little to no defense. They should try some stuff in the low post, but they barely do because LeBron and Irving need that lane open to drive to the basket. That is their strength.

Then, the 30 point win happened after Love went down with a concussion in game 2 and did not pass concussion protocol, so Richard Jefferson got the start. The same Richard Jefferson that has been in the NBA for what seems to be about a million years. I remember Richard Jefferson being a veteran in the NBA when I was in college, over a decade ago. Then, when Tyron Lue was asked why he picked Jefferson to start over guys like Iman Shumpert, Timofey Mozgov and Channing Frye, he said it was due to defensive quickness. Shots fired directly at Kevin Love with that comment. The same can be said for Shumpert. Lue is straight up calling these dudes out in social and main media. Who does he think he is, Doc Rivers? Phil Jackson? Basically, he thinks he can talk as if he is a hall of fame caliber coach. Sorry Tyron Lue, you haven't proven a god damn thing yet. And Richard Jefferson is supposed to be your energy guy to spark the defense? Jesus Christ, that should be terrifying to every Cavs fan in the entire world.

Does anyone really think that he can keep it up against this incredible young and talented Warriors team? Yeah, it worked for one game, but the Warriors did not show up ready to play that night. And Kyrie Irving could not miss in the first half. A lot of things went Cleveland's way on Wednesday night. They shot more free throws, they made more difficult shots, their stars, LeBron more so in the second half, played wonderful and the Warriors got absolutely destroyed on the glass. Cleveland played a perfect game. And they did it with Kevin Love on the bench.

I don't know if he has passed concussion protocol yet, but he practiced the past couple days and every reporter says he looks good. I will be very curious, if he passes concussion tests, if and how the Cavs use him. What if they start him and the Cavs look bad again, will it be straight to the bench? Or, what if they start Jefferson, with plans to bring Love off the bench, but the Cavs excel again with Love not on the court? Or what if they start Jefferson and the Warriors run him off the court, and they bring Love out and he gets run off the court? I just don't know what is going to happen. I cannot put my finger on it, and it is kind of frustrating.

I do know that, regardless of the outcome, Kevin Love is more than likely done in Cleveland after the finals. He is clearly a bad fit on this team and the players, and probably the coach, don't like him. I don't know who will trade for him, but someone like Boston, who is starved for a past all star, may try all they can to get him. But, he is all but done in Cleveland. I bet that every time Cleveland scored on Wednesday night and got a defensive stop, Kevin Love cringed. He knows his time in Cleveland is limited.

With all this being said, and with the blowout, and no matter what they do with Kevin Love, the Warriors still hold a 2 games to 1 lead, and they are younger, faster, more explosive and more athletic. Oh, and Klay Thompson and Steph Curry haven't even played all that well yet. I still see the Warriors winning, and I still see it happening in 6 games. But, Cleveland is a much, much better team when Kevin Love is not on the court. We have visible evidence of this now.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Do you think Kevin Love is overrated,  just wait to see what other pop culture and sports figures Ty will tell you are overrated. Hear it all on tomorrow's X Millennial Man Podcast. Ty has twitter and you should follow him @tykulik.

Muhammad Ali: The Greatest of All Time

 kakisky via morguefile.com

Over this past weekend, we lost another legend. This time, this was a larger than life legend. I have written too much about death since this website started a little over a year ago, but this person deserves the spot light for all the important things he did in his 74 years. Yes, Daryl Dawkins, Moses Malone and Phife were all very important to me, and many others, but they are not nearly as important, influential and world renowned as the great Muhammad Ali.

I'm not going to sit here and mark off all the important fights he won, we all know about that. Hell, even people that don't really watch or know too terribly much about boxing know that Ali was a great champion. His fights were epic, and that is one of the reasons he is a hero of mine, but he was so much more than just his boxing career. Ali was a trailblazer. He was the antithesis of a yes man. He was the worlds best showman. He was the first person I ever heard of when people talked about athletes making their name their brand. He was a fighter, and that means so much more than just a boxer. He was groundbreaking. He was everything that everyone should strive to be. Sure, he ruffled some feathers, but not everyone will be universally liked, but damned if he wasn't universally respected.

Ali stood for so much more than just boxing. He changed religions right after he had just burst onto the scene as a prize fighter. Back then, that was a no no. People did not like change in the 60's, especially coming from a brash, African American boxer. But, Ali owned it and then some. He didn't care what anyone thought of him. He was who he was, and that's all that mattered. He was boisterous back in the 60's. No one had seen anyone that acted like that back then. Some athletes may have had bravado, but they kept it to themselves. Not Ali, he let it fly openly and often. If he were to come around today, he would be a "viral sensation", but he didn't need any stupid gimmicks like that. He was great no matter what. Also, to convert to Islam, that took balls. But, he didn't just do it to do it, he committed 100 percent. He preached and believed everything he read and said. I LOVE that about Ali. People now only look at Islam as a bad thing, but Islam is all about love and respect, not hate. That is what guys like Ali preached.

Now, back to his boisterous behavior. He didn't care the situation or the circumstance, he was going to say what was on his mind. No matter who took offense to it, Ali didn't care. Again, I LOVE that about him. He would talk a huge game, but he always backed it up. He also never backed away or down from the comments or speeches he made. He fully, 100 percent believed everything he said, and he was right about 99 percent of the time. There was no one better at spreading the word of Islam, prepping for a big fight, trash talking before a big fight or giving a very un-politically correct response whenever he would be questioned on political topics. Ali was a genius. Ali was well read and well spoken. Ali knew what he was going to say before he said it. He didn't speak out of turn or say ignorant things, everything was done with a purpose. That is what made him so great.

When Muhammad Ali's career ended, he didn't fade into oblivion, or make grills or tried to fight well after his prime, he became a spokesman for many, many things. He was the one that people came to to preach the word of Islam when the attacks of September 11th happened. He gave a heartfelt and moving speech on what Islam really means on ESPN at the height of his Parkinson's. He was violently shaking and could barely open his eyes, but the words he spoke were moving and poignant. Go back and watch that interview and I guarantee that you will respect him even more than you did before. He also lit the torch at the Olympics, also while his Parkinson's was very bad. He took that torch, ran the best that he could, and lit it to signify the start of the games. It was incredibly moving. I still get chills thinking about it today. That was such a huge moment in sports history that kind of gets overlooked now. Ali is the biggest and best athlete of all time, but no one talks about this huge moment at the Olympics. Well, it needs to be brought up more.

Life after boxing also included many run ins with many other famous athletes and people of note and they all came away saying pretty much the same thing. When they met Ali, they knew they were in the room with greatness. People like Kareem Abdul Jabaar, Michael Jordan, LeBron James, Prince, any of the Presidents, kings and queens from all countries, they all knew that they were sitting and talking with the greatest. They were all star struck. Ali was never star struck because he was the biggest star of them all. He was a pioneer. He brought boxing, Islam, selling your brand, being proud of who you are and where you came from to the masses. Without Ali, we may have not gotten these type of things, or even worse, it would have been some asshole that we attribute this all too. We are very lucky that we all got to witness his greatness.

I never got to see an Ali fight in real time, but I got to see him be a political hero and just an overall hero. I will greatly miss you Muhammed Ali. You are the best athlete that has ever graced the Earth. You are the best show man as well. And you were a great person. I hope that wherever you are right now, you are floating like a butterfly and stinging like a bee. RIP Champ.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

The Pathetic State of LeBron James Fanboyism at ESPN

Being in the bag for LeBron must be cutting oxygen off to the ESPN anchor's brains

To wrap up my week of NBA talk, I am going to criticize two of ESPN's lead anchors that are completely in the bag for the Cavs, and more specifically, LeBron James.

The first anchor is the loud mouthed piece of garbage known as Stephen A Smith. You'll remember him as the same guy that said that Kevin Durant made an enemy for life when Durant questioned a report that Smith put out about his impending free agency. Durant said that himself and his people didn't, or do they ever, talk to Smith. He called him out on his false report and said he was a liar. Well, instead of owning up to his mistake that he was caught red handed doing, he decided to go into attack mode, making that dumbass "you don't want to get on my bad side" comment. That shit was laughable, and I'm sure Durant and his people had a hearty laugh over his all around nonsense.

Before last night's game one, Smith was on some show saying that LeBron is the most disrespected and one of the most underrated NBA players of all time, and that if Kobe Bryant was the leader of this Cavs team, they'd be favored. All of that is utterly ridiculous. Everything that comes out of Stephen A Smith's mouth is garbage. He is not good at his job and he isn't that smart either. First of all, no one that knows even a little bit about basketball has ever disrespected LeBron James. Sure, some people may not care for him, but we all know that he is one of the 5 best players to ever play in the NBA. He is a legend and an all time great. Second, LeBron is not underrated at all. In fact, he may be the most perfectly rated player to ever step foot on an NBA court. He had high expectations when he entered the league as an 18 year old, and he won rookie of the year. Then, the Cavs got better every year he was there, even making the finals once. Then, he bolted for Miami, won 2 titles and went to the finals four straight years. He did as expected there. He comes back home, takes the Cavs to the finals last year, and they are back this year. LeBron has exceeded expectations everywhere he has been. He is not, not even a little bit, underrated. He may be under appreciated, but he is not underrated.

And the whole Kobe Bryant thing. If this Cavs team had Kobe in his prime, they wouldn't even be able to have this argument because they would be a mid to lower level playoff team. People think Kyrie Irving can be a ball hog, but imagine if he played with Kobe. Kevin Love would barely ever see the ball. Tristan Thompson wouldn't even touch the ball unless it was an offensive rebound. And, they would be even worse on defense than they are now, and they are terrible on defense now. If this Cavs team had Kobe and not LeBron, they'd be lucky to be a 43 or 44 win team. They would be a lot like the Rockets are now.

There, I just disproved all of Stephen A Smith's nonsense in about 500 or 600 words, yet he is a millionaire and he still hasn't lost his job at ESPN. Stephen A Smith is a moron and a jerk and he needs to get his smug face off my TV. I'm sick of hearing his stupid voice. My TV cannot handle it when he starts to yell talk, which is whenever he is on TV.

The next target of my ire is Brian Windhorst. This guy is an absolute joke. Yeah, he is from Cleveland and he has been following LeBron's career since LeBron was in 8th grade, but he is one of the worst journalists I have ever read or seen on TV in my life. He is so in the bag for the Cavs and LeBron, it's almost sad. As I just said, he's been following LeBron since he was a 13 year old, but Windhorst was in college when he started following him. Think about how creepy that is for a second. Windhorst was in his late teens or early 20's and he was following this child around the AAU circuit. First off, he looks like a creep, so if I was a parent of a kid on that team, I would have reported him to the authorities immediately. Second, what kind of college student decides that they are going to follow the career of a child? Yeah, LeBron turned out to be an all time great, but what if he didn't? What if he was just average, or a complete bust? Brian Windhorst wouldn't have a job if that happened. He would be looked at as another vulture that tried to capitalize on a young kids talent. He is so much worse, in my opinion, than any AAU coach or a guy like Sonny Vaccaro. At least those people pushed LeBron to greatness and gave him things, all Windhorst did was show up to his games and write some bull shit columns about a young phenom. And now, he has followed him to the pros, all the while, writing shitty article after shitty article. He even moved to Miami when LeBron went to play there and moved back to Cleveland when LeBron went back. This guy is like the worst possible friend that the group cannot get rid of. He is always there, whether you want him to be there or not.

When Windhorst would go on TV to talk about the Cavs, or the Heat when LeBron was there, he would always put the blame on someone else. It was never LeBron James' fault, it was always his supporting cast or coach. When LeBron did win titles, it was because of his greatness. Never mind the fact that Ray Allen made one of the most improbable shots of all time, or that Dwayne Wade found the fountain of youth during their second title run, or the fact that Chris Bosh completely overhauled his game to fit in with LeBron, none of that mattered to Windhorst because he is so far in the bag for LeBron James that it disgusting.

In the ongoing Windhorst shit show, he goes on TV yesterday to talk about how LeBron will never admit to being an underdog because he "has the heart of a champion" and he "will never admit that anyone is better than he is". Yeah, we all agree that he is the best basketball player in the world. Why do guys like Windhorst and Stephen A Smith need to keep bringing up something that we already know? The fact is that LeBron is the underdog in this finals series, no matter how much that may hurt Windhorst to say. The Cavs are playing a 73 win team. No other NBA team has ever won 73 games in a single season. LeBron James is the underdog, deal with it. But Windhorst is just another douchebag that is still on ESPN's payroll and he is one of their lead NBA guys. What a shame. He is a moron with blinders for anything negative that people may say about his beloved LeBron James.

Brian Windhorst, much like Stephen A Smith, is a blow hard and a piece of human garbage. But, this seems to be the down direction that ESPN is heading with their anchors. They want fan boys that are only loyal to their teams. That's not what a journalist should be. They should be non biased, so other people can take them seriously. Well, I don't take anyone seriously that works for that garbage company in Bristol. The sad fact is that Stephen A Smith and Brian Windhorst are the biggest dummies in an office filled with dummies. Pathetic.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is going to continue his quest of pointing out overrated pop culture when the X Millennial Man talks about musicians that are not as good as people think. The newest episode will premier tomorrow, wherever your fine podcasts are sold. Also, make sure you follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The 76ers are the Best at Being the Worst Basketball Franchise

Let me know when the 76ers are good and then I will fly away.

This week will be all basketball talk from me, specifically NBA talk. I love basketball and this is the time of year where things are beginning to happen, or at least, people are talking about things that may happen. This time of year is basically basketball fans favorite time of year. Coaching changes, players being moved either via free agency or trades, talk of players being traded and the ramp up to the finals, which start tonight.

What I want to focus my time on today is the talk of players being moved. More specifically, I want to address the talk that the 76ers, the moribound, useless, once proud, but are now a joke 76ers, have made it known publicly that they would be willing to part ways with either Nerlens Noel or Jahlil Okafor. I mean, WTF Philadelphia. How do they ever expect to put a team that is competitive out there if they continue to trade away all this young talent that they tanked so hard to get. A few years back they had the rookie of the year winner in Michael Carter-Williams. Sure, that rookie class wasn't that great and Carter-Williams did most of his damage on a terrible team and when he played against real defenders he got locked down, but he still did enough to win the rookie of the year. One year later, they traded him to the Bucks for some more draft picks.

This was all Sam Hinkie's doing. He told all the 76ers fans to "trust the process", he assured them that what he was doing was the right thing and they would soon be highly competitive again. With the pick he got from Milwaukee, he took Joel Embiid. Who can guess how many professional basketball games Embiid has played in his first two seasons? Anyone? He has played 0, and I'm including preseason and summer league games. He may even miss the beginning of this season and the front office has already stated that he will not play summer league as they are "taking every precaution imaginary". So, you trade away the reigning rookie of the year, in hopes of landing the next great big man, but you take a player that had known foot issues during his one season at Kansas, and he still hasn't played one single second in the NBA. What a joke. Also, the year before they drafted Embiid, they took Noel, who is now apparently on the trading block, and he tore his ACL during his one year at Kentucky. Two years in a row and the 76ers drafted injured players that had to sit out at least one full season before even stepping foot on a court. Yeesh, that is brutal.

Last year they took Okafor. Okafor "fell" to them at number 3. This pick perplexed me because they already had Noel and Embiid who play the same position and, I don't know if the front office watches modern basketball, but big men aren't the commodity they once were. But, I was willing to look past it because, you take the best available player, that's what teams do in the draft. And, to give Okafor a little credit, he played in about 60 games his rookie season and he was not terrible. Well, he was terrible defensively, but offensively, he was okay. He scored in double figures and was an average offensive rebounder and has some decent low post moves. But, he is also a 19 year old hot head that may not be ready for the responsibility of being a professional. Just look at the incidents he got involved in, at bars, during his rookie year. He may be a loose cannon. I guess not to worry 76ers fans because he may be gone as well.

This is what bugs me. Yes, I know that they won the draft lottery and that they plan to take either Ben Simmons or Brandon Ingram, but why are they making two of their young, half way decent players available for trades? Nerlens Noel has shown flashes of being an elite defender and, if he works on his low post game, he could be an all star. And yeah, Okafor plays no defense, but if he becomes, at the very least, a capable defender, he could also be an all star. He has the offense, he just needs to put it together on defense. Who knows with Embiid, but they seem to be putting all their eggs into his basket and they expect him to be immediately better than Noel or Okafor. I don't think that I would take that bet. I want to see Embiid play 30 or 40 games before I would even consider getting rid of any big men I have on my roster. Other people will tell me that Simmons and Okafor's game don't mesh or that Noel would clog the lane for a guy like Ingram. I say, who cares. At least Nerlens Noel has proven to be a decent enough defender and Okafor has shown that he can score double figures night after night.

The 76ers sound like they want to blow it up again, and that is not fair to the fans. They will not be able to attract any star players there because, whenever someone does something good on a basketball floor, the 76ers want to trade them for draft picks. Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook, DeMar DeRozan or Kyle Lowry aren't going to want to go play for this franchise. Why would they want to waste the prime of their careers playing for this terribly run team. I naturally assumed that when Sam Hinkie stepped down that the 76ers would start to resemble a real basketball franchise, but the new people in charge are just doing the exact same thing. They want the fans to, once again, "trust the process". That's bull shit. That's unfair. Does the GM and the other higher ups making decisions realize how brutal it must be to be a 76ers fan right now? This team is an absolute joke. They are barely better than some of the D League teams. Hell, they may not even win the D League if they were relegated to play there because they are such an embarrassment to the NBA.

Which brings me to my final point and why I think this nonsense of making Noel and Okafor available is so stupid. First off, they want to take another 19 year old to be the face of the franchise. Well, its been reported that Ben Simmons would much rather be a Laker, and me personally, I don't think this kid will live up to the hype. He is an over privileged, spoiled brat that has never been pushed or told no by any coach and he carries himself with an arrogance he hasn't even come close to earning. He already acts like a Laker. Then there's Brandon Ingram. I think he will be a good pro, he could be a poor mans Kevin Durant, but it is going to take a few seasons, maybe even 4 before he is an all star caliber player. He has to put on weight, put in tons of time in the gym and become a much better defender before he is any kind of threat to the real stars in the NBA. I think Ingram will be a much better pro than Simmons, but I also think it will take much longer before he gets to that elite level. Just look at Durant's first few years in the league. It wasn't until James Harden and Russell Westbrook were drafted that Durant elevated his game and became the dominant player he is today.

If I were running the 76ers, I would either trade the top pick, not Noel or Okafor, for some established, semi decent pros, or I would take Buddy Hield. Hield would fit kind of perfectly with guys like Noel, Okafor and Embiid. He could come in and score points right away and his defensive game is underrated. But, since the 76ers only value assets, they will trade one of both of the guys I mentioned, draft either Ingram or Simmons, and be terrible for the next decade or so. The 76ers are the worst run team in any professional sport that I have ever seen. They are an embarrassment to the NBA and their fans.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He desperately wants to focus on good basketball and not bad management. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Let Me Respectfully Explain Why Your Team Stinks: Ty has a Few Words for Reggie Jackson's Thunder Criticisms

The not basketball court where Jackson forms his opinions

To continue my trend this week of talking about the NBA, I need to give my take on Reggie Jackson calling out his former team on Twitter after the Thunder got beat in game 7.

Shut your god damn mouth Reggie Jackson. You are a very, very average NBA player at your very best. The Thunder dumped you because they had enough of your whiny, crybaby, ball hogging ways. The Thunder were fed up and they traded you for peanuts. That's how much they wanted to rid themselves of you. If they didn't have to pay the money, they probably would have cut you just to get you off the team. Yeah, you got a huge deal from the Pistons last offseason, but I think they may have a touch of buyers remorse right now. Two years ago, when you had your shot to lead the Thunder, both Durant and Westbrook were out with injuries, you "led" them to a 5-13 start. That is pathetic. You became such a ball hog and a prima donna and a wannabe all star your teammates were icing you out and wouldn't pass you the ball after rebounds. You are a point guard and Serge Ibaka and Kendrick Perkins decided they would rather run the offense than you because they knew that you were going to come down, hold the ball for 20 seconds, and shoot some piss poor jumper or do some lame ass drive, trying to draw a foul and get nothing from it. After you were iced out and leading the Thunder to 8 games below .500, you started to complain that you weren't getting your fair shot to lead. Bull shit! You had every opportunity to show your worth and you blew it big time. You are a poor mans James Harden. You are not the scorer, nor will you ever be, that James Harden is, and your defense is just as bad.

I mentioned it before and I am going to say again, you were traded to the Pistons for next to nothing, and you have been average at best. Yeah, you got a big deal, but everyone is going to get huge deals in 2 years when the cap explodes. Your 20 million a year will look miniscule next to what real superstars will be making very soon. And, how well have the Pistons been since you went there? Your first season there, you were splitting minutes with Brandon Jennings until he tore his ACL. Then you were the starter on a very bad Pistons team. Even on a bad team, you weren't the main scoring threat. Guys like Tobias Harris, Kentavious Caldwell Pope and Andre Drummond are all much better options than you. The Pistons stunk your first season there, but this last season your team barely made the playoffs, and spoiler alert Reggie Jackson, it had little to nothing to do with your play. Yeah, you had moments, but so did guys like Darko Milic, Hedo Turkoglu, Kwame Brown, Korleone Young and many more players that are out of the league, or irrelevant. But, you continued to run your mouth as if you are the best player on your team. Even after trading Tobias Harris, you are still the third best option on a mediocre Pistons team. Durant and Westbrook, who are bona fide mega stars in the league, are one hundred percent correct when stating that Caldwell Pope and Drummond are much better options. First off, Drummond is the second best center in the league, behind only Boogie Cousins, and he is an all star and a nightmare on the low post, both offensively and defensively. Then, Caldwell Pope is such a better shooter than you, he is younger and a much better defender than you have been your whole career.

Also, how did the Pistons do in the playoffs this year? You have the nerve and gall to call out the Thunder after a game 7 loss to the greatest regular season team in the history of the NBA, and your team, the team you are the supposed "leader" of got their asses swept out of the first round by the Cavs, who are atrocious defensively. Two of the games weren't even close either. Game one, you and Drummond blew. Games 2 and 3, you guys had no chance. And then game 4. You guys had a chance, specifically, you, Reggie Jackson, had the chance to win the game and extend the series. But, you threw up some garbage three point double clutch nonsense, then complained to the refs when it air balled that your were fouled, you were not fouled, then didn't own up that you stunk that entire series.

Shut your stupid mouth Reggie Jackson. The Thunder have gotten so much better since they traded your punk ass away. No matter how many times you celebrate regular season wins against the Thunder, even though you did nothing note worthy in the game, the Thunder are so much better without you on the team. They don't have to worry about some backup point guard that thinks he is way better than he truly is. The Thunder one hundred percent made the correct decision to rid the team of your nonsense.

Another thing, don't act like you are some big time star now because you hang out with Paul George in the offseason. Paul George is just being nice to you to be nice. He looks at you like a charity case. You are a blip on his radar. You are not a star Reggie Jackson, no matter what you think, say and tweet. That is also such a punk move to call them out on Twitter. It is downright cowardly. You also must have been watching the game, opining that you were still on a team that plays late into May. Reggie Jackson, you are a bum and a child. This Twitter nonsense is prime evidence that you are childish. I am so happy, being a Thunder fan, that they got rid of your punk ass. That was a great day in Sonics/Thunder history, and when you are out of the league in 3 or 4 years and Durant and Westbrook are still playing deep into May and June, I hope you look back at this time and feel shame for how ridiculous this beef and how average of an NBA player you were. Screw you Reggie Jackson, you are lame.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He does not appreciate it when twitter is used for childish purposes. With that said, go follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Ty's Look at the 2016 NBA Finals

The two teams we all thought would be here.

As I did last year, and I will do every year, I'm going to preview and predict the NBA finals. But first,

GOOOOOOOOOOOOD DAMMMMMMMMMMMIT. 

OKC should be playing in these finals, they blew it big time. They had a 3-1 lead, and they should have won game 6, and they had an excellent shot last night, but they went ice cold from the field and they reverted back to blaming each other and playing hero ball. They stopped doing what had worked so well for them throughout the first two rounds and the first four games of the conference finals and blew a huge lead against the Warriors. The Thunder lost, and that is a fact.

Okay, I got that off my chest, now lets get to the preview and my prediction.

We have a rematch from last years finals, but these finals will look very different. Last year, the Cavs were without Kevin Love going into the finals, and they lost Kyrie Irving in game one. This time, the Cavs are at full strength and may make this series very competitive. The Warriors, they are at full strength, but they look tired and this historic season looks to be taking a toll. But, they came back from a huge deficit against OKC, and they look like they may have gotten their mojo back. Klay Thompson and Steph Curry are absolutely on fire right now. The Warriors also have a ton of momentum and home court advantage going into the finals. 

Lets look at the starting lineups first. The Warriors have Curry, Thompson, Harrison Barnes, Andrew Bogut and Draymond Green. The Cavs will put LeBron, Kyrie, Kevin Love, Tristan Thompson and JR Smith out there. LeBron is the best player in the world, but he is older and has played in 6 straight finals. That's a ton of minutes on his body, but he is the best player on the floor. When you look at the other four Warriors starters, when opposed to the other four Cavs starters, I think the Warriors are much better. Case and point, who is going to guard Klay Thompson? The Cavs may try LeBron for a minute or two, but he will not be able to keep up the hustle it will take on defense to stop Thompson because he will be running the offense. So, that leaves guys like Kyrie Irving and JR Smith. Kyrie Irving, while a wizard dribbling the ball and a great shooter, he is a garbage defender and Thompson will destroy him. JR Smith is a better defender, but he is a hot head and he will get angry and start making dumb fouls when Thompson makes a few jumpers on him. Advantage Warriors.

Then there is Steph. No one on the Cavs can guard Steph. That was proven during last years finals. Irving will, once again, get destroyed. JR Smith is too slow. LeBron won't be able to keep up with him. It's a no win situation for the Cavs. Once again, advantage Warriors.

As far as Harrison Barnes goes, I think the Cavs would be best fit putting JR Smith on him and keeping him there. They are pretty much equal, as far as ability on both ends of the floor, and I think that would be a good battle. I would actually give the advantage in this head to head to the Cavs. I think JR Smith has that irrational confidence and Barnes thinks way too much when he plays. Advantage Cavs in that matchup.

In the front court we have Kevin Love guarding either Bogut or Green and then the Cavs will put Tristan Thompson on the other guy. This matchup one hundred percent favors the Warriors. If the Cavs want to put Thompson on Bogut, they will cancel each other out, but Bogut is a good rebounder, just as good as Thompson, and he is a better defender and a much better passer than Thompson. Then, there is the Kevin Love question. He is a great scorer and rebounder, but he is a terrible, god awful defender and he lets his mood affect his play. When he doesn't get touches or shots, he sulks. His defense, once again, is some of the worst in the league. Bogut would eat him alive in the low post and Draymond Green can take him outside, drive on him and he will get in his head. Kevin Love has become a liability and he will not be on this team next year. I'm about 99 percent sure of this. So, while Tristan Thompson may cancel out Bogut, Draymond Green can beat up Kevin Love and out rebound Thompson and Bogut would eat Love alive in the post and cancel out Thompson. Advantage, big time, Warriors.

That leaves us with LeBron. The Warriors starters will be hard pressed to stop him, but they have secret weapon on their bench, who I will get to in a minute. LeBron is a beast and he will get his on this Warriors starting bunch. Just look at last years finals. He is un guardable. Any team that has LeBron has the advantage of having the best player on the floor.

Now, the benches for each team. While it may look like the benches are compatible, they are not. The Warriors bench is so much better, younger, faster and play much better team defense and offense. The secret weapon to guard LeBron that I spoke of on the Warriors bench is Andre Igoudala. He won finals MVP last year for his defensive performance against LeBron. He can bang with him and force him to be a jump shooter, which is exactly what you should want LeBron to do. Igoudala may once again be the X factor in this series. Then the Warriors bring in guys like Shaun Livingston, Leandro Barbosa, Festus Ezeli, Mareese Speights and Anderson Varejo. Each one of these guys brings exactly what they need to for the Warriors in their limited minutes. Livingston is a huge point guard and a decent scorer off the bench. Barbosa is instant offense and a lightning bolt. Ezeli and Speights provide great low post scoring and Ezeli is a pretty decent defender. And Varejo will want to show the team that gave up on him that he is still a good player. The Cavs bench has guys like Matthew Dellavedova, Richard Jefferson, Iman Shumpert and Timofey Mozgov. Mozgov is a non factor. He barely sees the floor anymore, so he doesn't matter. Dellavedova is one of the most overrated bench players in all of the NBA. He is dirty and a much, much worse version of Draymond Green. Dellavedova is garbage. Iman Shumpert is an excellent defender and a decent three point shooter, but he has been hurt all year and he has lost minutes to JR Smith. And that leaves us with Richard Jefferson. I think Richard Jefferson may be one million years old. He won't be able to keep up with anyone on the Warriors and he will be a non factor. The Warriors bench is lights years better. Advantage Warriors, by about a million percent.

That leaves us with coaches. Steve Kerr has been here as a player and a coach, winning multiple titles with the Bulls as a player and winning the title last year as the head coach of the Warriors. He has made this team a juggernaut. Tyron Lue is the "coach" of the Cavs, but I think we all truly know who pulls the strings and makes the decisions for the Cavs and his name is LeBron James. Lue is a figure head. Yeah, the Cavs went on a historic playoff run, but it was against the Pistons, Hawks and Raptors. That is, by no means, a murderers row. The Warriors weren't tested in the first two rounds of the west playoffs, beating the Rockets and Trailblazers, but they were tested by possibly the second best team in basketball in the conference finals, the Thunder. They have been pushed and rose to the occasion, like a champion, and a lot of that comes from the coach. Steve Kerr is a better coach than the two headed monster of Tyron Lue and LeBron James. It's a fact. Advantage Warriors.

I bet everyone assumes that I have the Warriors in a sweep after reading this, but that is not the case. I think this series will be much more competitive than last year. If the Cavs make shots like they have been, it may go seven. But, the Cavs haven't faced a defense this good, not even close, in the playoffs. The Cavs defense is also very mediocre and that will hurt them against the Warriors. The Warriors also have home court advantage and they are historically great. I think the Warriors will win, once again, in 6 games. The Cavs will get two because LeBron will win one on his own and they will out shoot the Warriors in one game, but what it all comes down to, the Warriors are a better team that plays much, much, much better defense. They will find a way to shut down everyone else not named LeBron and the Cavs cannot win that way. The Warriors will cap this 73 win season with another title. I think someone like Curry or Thompson will be named the MVP of the finals, but we could also see Igoudala win again if he locks down LeBron, or Draymond Green if he stops playing dirty and just dominates Kevin Love. The Warriors are a better team and they should win. They have momentum and they have home court.

(ed note:) Warriors in 4. No doubt

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His wish for next season is a soft spoken, business like, shooter for the OKC Thunder. They need it. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

Let's Count the Reasons Kevin Durant Needs to Stay in Oklahoma City

Look upon my Abacus Mr Durant

With game 7 of the western conference finals coming tonight, I want to talk about some stories I've read the past couple of days that, if the Thunder lose, Kevin Durant is going to sign somewhere else this offseason.

First of all, why would he sign this offseason when the cap is going to be astronomically high in 2 years? He will get much, much more money in 2 years. He'd be making the best decision to just sign a one year deal and wait to see how much he will get in 2 years, because he is going to get a whole lot of money.

Two, why do all the modern superstars feel the need to team up as opposed to competing with each other. People will say this all started when LeBron, Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh teamed up, but it really started when Shaq signed with the Lakers. He couldn't get over the hump in Orlando, so he figured he could team up with a young Kobe and have a coach like Phil Jackson and it worked. He won multiple titles while with the Lakers. He also won another title after teaming up with Wade in Miami.

So, Dwayne Wade and Shaq have both been parts of these "super teams". But, the whole idea of teaming up with other great players became popular when LeBron joined forces with Bosh and Wade. I absolutely hated this. LeBron, for as great as he is, knew he couldn't win with the role players he had his first go around with the Cavs, so he chickened out and helped form a super team. He made 4 finals and won 2 of them, but it was a total cop out. I grew up watching basketball in the late 80's and early to mid 90's, and it would have been sacrilege if guys like Charles Barkley and Michael Jordan teamed up. Or if Bird and Magic joined forces. Or if Dominique Wilkins and Isaiah Thomas decided to play together. Imagine the brutal trash talk that would have come from other players. The fact that these guys didn't join forces and were rivals made the NBA that much more competitive. Bird and Magic had some of the best battles on a court ever, dating back to college. Barkley, for as great as he was, could never beat Jordan, but he didn't take the cowards way out and join his team, he signed elsewhere and tried his best to beat him, to no avail. Dominique had the unfortunate luck of playing for Atlanta, but he made that team super competitive and he had many historic showdowns against Jordan, Bird and Isaiah Thomas.

These guys didn't chase titles, they wanted to earn them. Now, it's all about forming super teams, and it is watering down the game. Going into every season, there are only three or four teams that have a legitimate shot at winning a title. That was not the case in the 90's. A lot of teams had viable title aspirations. Hell, even my Seattle Super Sonics made it to finals led by Shawn Kemp and Gary Payton. Yeah, they lost to the Bulls, but Payton and Kemp didn't decide the next season to join Jordan and the Bulls, they wanted to beat him. A rivalry was born. But, that is not the case in today's NBA and Kevin Durant is the latest player that is considering forming a super team.

If the Thunder lose tonight, which I think they will, I've read that Durant will leave and sign with either the Wizards or the Lakers. It would be hilarious if he signs with the Lakers because they are a long way away from competing for anything at all. The Lakers also have no point guard and Durant is currently playing with one of the best point guards, Russell Westbrook, in the league. Then there is the Wizards. Yeah, they have John Wall, but Westbrook is much better than John Wall, and he would be playing for Scotty Brooks again. This too would be a dumb move. I've heard the Celtics, that's a pipe dream, the Warriors, no way they blow up this historically good team and the Spurs, they don't need Durant, as possible suitors as well. He won't join any of those teams.

The only one that seems likely is the Wizards. This is like LeBron with the whole homecoming thing, but Durant doesn't have the clout and the Wizards front office is too stingy to let him form a super team, a la LeBron getting Kevin Love and ridding the Cavs roster of anyone he didn't like. Durant just doesn't have that power. He will be forced to play alongside John Wall, who I like, but he also will be playing with Bradley Beal, Marcin Gortat and Markieff Morris. I'd much rather play with Westbrook, Serge Ibaka and Steven Adams if I had the choice.

To the people saying that he doesn't like playing with Westbrook and that Westbrook is the reason they get beat, shut up with that nonsense. Russell Westbrook is incredibly frustrating to watch, but he has played incredible in these playoffs. Durant, not Westbrook, lost that game Saturday night. He shot them out of any chance to close that game out. So, for Durant to leave and blame it on the front office and Westbrook would be a cowards way out.

I love Durant, he is my favorite player in the NBA, but this whole nonsense of leaving the Thunder to form another super team is a joke and cowardly. Stay in OKC and help build something special. The Thunder have been excellent these playoffs, and if they stick together, they could be a dominate team for years to come. Just give it, at least, one more season in OKC with Westbrook, Ibaka, Adams and everyone else on that roster. Durant, you will not regret it.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He does not take a vacation when a game 7 is on. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

DeAndre Jordan Does Not Belong on the NBA First Team

DeAndre Jordan should not even be warming the first team's bench

Yesterday the NBA released their all NBA teams. The teams were pretty much what we all expected. The first team had LeBron, Russell Westbrook, Steph Curry, Kawhi Leonard and DeAndre Jordan. The second team had Kevin Durant, Draymond Green, Damien Lillard, Boogie Cousins and Chris Paul. The third, and final team, had Klay Thompson, LaMarcus Aldridge, Paul George, Andre Drummond and Kyle Lowry.

They got it right for the most part.

As far as snubs go, maybe flip Durant and Westbrook, but I don't think it really matters, they are both great and they both deserve a spot. Anthony Davis was hurt, but when he was in there, he was great, and he lost 24 million dollars by not making the team. If Kyle Lowry made all NBA, I think DeMar DeRozan deserved equal consideration. Other than that, they got everything right except for one humongous, glaring, gaping hole on that first team.

How on Earth does a player like DeAndre Jordan make first team all NBA? He shouldn't be on any of these all NBA teams. All he is good for is rebounding and dunking. His defense isn't anywhere near elite. His offense is a joke. His free throw shooting is even worse. His demeanor on the court is garbage. He carries himself so poorly. He isn't even the best player on his team. He isn't even the second best player on his team. When you look at the other first team players, those players were the best players on their team this year, and yes, Westbrook was better all year than Durant, that is a fact. DeAndre Jordan is way behind Chris Paul, and even though he is an abusive man child that whines and complains and blames everything on everyone else and never comes up big when the Clippers need him most, Blake Griffin is still better than DeAndre Jordan. Hell, guys like Paul Pierce, Jamal Crawford, and at times, even Jeff Green were more crucial to the Clippers than DeAndre Jordan.

DeAndre Jordan is a problem for this Clippers team. He cannot be counted on late in games because his low post game is non existent and his free throw shooting is the worst that I have ever seen. He is worse than Drummond. Hell, he is a worse free throw shooter than Rajon Rando, and Rajon Rando is a garbage free throw shooter. His defense is not nearly as threatening as it was a year or two ago. People attacked him way more this year and would score or draw fouls on him more often than him getting a block or altering the shot. And on offense, unless it is a lob from Chris Paul for an alley oop, he is completely useless. He is a poor screener. He rolls away from the rim way too often on pick and rolls. He cannot move in the low post. He can't shoot free throws, so he obviously is no threat to shoot jumpers. When he gets the ball in the high post, he is so quick to give it up for fear of getting fouled, or having the ball stolen from him. He is a problem on this Clippers team when they have to run half court offense.

With all those problems, the people that vote on all NBA put DeAndre Jordan on the first team. What a joke. Why was he even considered? Is it the LA thing? Since the Lakers are a dumpster fire, do the writers, most of whom live in LA, feel like they need to have someone, no matter how crappy they are, from an LA team be on the all NBA first team? That's not fair. With DeAndre Jordan being first team all NBA, I'm surprised these dip shit voters didn't put Kobe Bryant on any of the all NBA teams. Then, to vote DeAndre Jordan over guys like Boogie Cousins, LMA, Andre Drummond, what a crock and slap in their faces. LaMarcus Aldridge completely overhauled his game to fit in with the Spurs, and they were a great regular season team, due to him and Kawhi Leonard. LMA definitely deserved that spot more than Jordan. While Andre Drummond is an equally terrible free throw shooter, he is a much better rebounder, defender, low post threat and teammate than Jordan will ever be. I'd take Andre Drummond 10 times out of 10 before I'd take Jordan if I were starting a team and I had to pic between the two of them for my center spot. Then there's Boogie Cousins. While he may be uncoachable and a very tough player to play with, Cousins is the best center in the NBA. He has all the tools that the old time centers had and he can also run and shoot the way the newer bigs can. Boogie Cousins is a tremendous talent that deserves that first team spot so much more than DeAndre Jordan. Cousins is a better rebounder, defender, and is so far ahead of Jordan on offense, it is almost laughable that he didn't get the first team spot. If I were Boogie Cousins I'd take this very personal and go at DeAndre Jordan every shot I get for the rest of my NBA career. Then there are guys that didn't make any all NBA teams that I would take well before I take Jordan. I'd take Anthony Davis, Steven Adams, Serge Ibaka, Bismak Biyombo, Al Horford, Paul Millsap and many more centers and power forwards before I'd even consider DeAndre Jordan.

The love for Jordan needs to stop and stop now. He is a very marginal NBA center. If he did not have Chris Paul throwing him passes, he may be out of the league, that is how overrated I truly think DeAndre Jordan is. The voters got this one terribly wrong. I don't think anyone could pose an argument that would sway me on this. This is a joke and this proves how useless and pointless all these all NBA teams are. Who in the hell cares, all the fans know who are the best players in the league, and Deandre Jordan is not one of the top five. He isn't even one of the top 25 players in the league. What a crock is truly is that he made first team all NBA. He should be getting rewarded for his mediocre play all season. This was a huge mistake.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He looks forward to the day when NBA writers value the players skill more than their geographical location. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

What the Death of Dave Mirra Tells us about all Sports

We should study CTE, not just lay blame

It was recently released that deceased BMX biker Dave Mirra had CTE at the time of his suicide. This is a tragic event that could have been stopped had Mirra gotten the correct medical attention. He clearly had a lot of demons in his closet and he had some brain trauma from all the trick bike riding he did in his life. This was an avoidable tragedy.

The reason for my blog today is how little coverage this story is getting on major sports networks. Once again, the Fox Sports and ESPN's of the world are criminally under reporting this story, and I think it has to do with Mirra's chosen profession. Had he been a football player, this story would be reported on ad nauseam. I know that this is a touchy subject, but dammit, all the pro and non pro athletes that suffer from CTE deserve as much coverage as all football players get when they die and their brains are studied and it's found that they have CTE.

ESPN and Fox Sports have not stopped talking about Junior Seau's untimely suicide, and they strictly blame it all on football. Well, Seau chose to play football. He was very good at football and he turned it into a hall of fame career, but when he took his own life, the people that are trying to rid the world of football strictly blamed it all on the hits he took on the field. Yes, that is the main cause of the brain trauma, but there has to be some other things, non football related things, that went into his suicide. I don't think he woke up with a football headache one day and decided it was time to punch out, I'm pretty positive there were some other things going on.

The people that want football outlawed are on a mission to make this game seem so violent that it causes people to take their own lives. They want everyone else to think that the only reason former football players do the weird and violent things they do is because of all the hits they took and nothing else. I understand that football is a violent game, it's meant to be, but the people that play know what they are getting themselves into. You go into football knowing the possible repercussions. I knew when I played that I could get concussions or broken limbs or tear muscles, it was a part of the game.

I also played baseball and basketball, and let me tell you, I could have gotten just as badly injured playing those other two sports. I was a pitcher in baseball, and any time I stepped on a mound, I could have been hit in the head with a 100 mile per hour line drive. I've seen in real time, and on TV, pitchers get hit in the face and it is not pretty. There is so much blood and blurred vision and, sometimes, even loss of consciousness. Basketball, while I think it is the most athletic of any sport I have ever played, there are many times I have banged my head on the hardwood floor, or was smacked across the face and head by an opposing player, or I was hit in the face with a basketball coming at me at a decent speed, all those things and more. I knew those risks and I still chose to play. But, no one ever bad mouthed me for playing baseball or basketball the way they did when I played football. Baseball and basketball where never considered as dangerous as football was. The people that didn't like me playing football said that I would get injured and I would suffer headaches the rest of my life and I would be sore and my knees and legs would hurt forever, but, I have more soreness from basketball in my knees and legs than I do from football. Baseball was more terrifying to me because of the constant threat of a smoked liner back to my face than someone blind side blocking me in a football game.

Football was, and is, dangerous, but it is no more dangerous than baseball, basketball, soccer, hockey, or now even, BMX. Hockey and soccer are just as violent as football. The players helmets in hockey are so much smaller and have such little padding, I bet way more hockey players than football players suffer from CTE, but it never gets covered like football. I instruct young kids in soccer, and I have seen so many of them take a soccer ball to the face, and I think, at least they aren't pros, because that would have been a concussion, but no one bad mouths soccer. Soccer is the most played sport among kids in the US, and I bet a ton of retired soccer players suffer from CTE from taking too many soccer balls to the face or from doing headers, but it never gets reported. Even cheerleading is so much more risky than football. At any moment, while doing a human pyramid, or a drop from a twist or flip, you can be dropped directly on your head. I can almost guarantee that current and former cheerleaders greatly suffer from CTE.

To bring it all back to my original point, we now see that BMX can have just as dangerous results as football. No one would have ever thought that Dave Mirra would have CTE. Hell, I barely knew anything about Mirra until I heard that he had taken his own life. It is a tragedy and my heart goes out to his friends and family, but why won't ESPN talk about him and what happened more? He was a legend in his particular sport, and the only thing ESPN has done is put on their crawl that he committed suicide and that he had CTE. They have done little to nothing as far as an anchor talking about Mirra and the demons he had, and his CTE. BMX has always looked dangerous to me. Those bike riders do some of the most daring and reckless stunts that I have ever seen. I get nervous going down a big hill on my bike, so to see these pro BMXers do things like flips and twists and jumps off humongous ramps, it was equal parts exciting and terrifying to me. I always thought that it was dangerous, but it was also pretty cool. Then, as I got older, I noticed that the helmets and the padding these riders wore weren't that protective. BMXers looked like they cared a bit more about cool looking pads that actual protective pads. Whenever they took a fall, I was very worried that the riders wouldn't get up. When they did get up, they looked woosy and wobbly. They clearly had a concussion, but they kept going back out there. I know a lot of people bad mouth the NFL's concussion protocol, but if these BMXers could go out and do a stunt an hour after a brutal fall, what was their concussion protocol like?

I would hope that channels like Fox Sports and ESPN would give this more coverage and explain the dangers involved in BMX riding after what may be their biggest star ever takes their own life, but they instead want to focus on what Johnny Manziel is doing or how the Yankees are playing or who is LeBron blaming now. It's sickening that they have barely covered the Dave Mirra tragedy at all. They have all but pushed it to the side and that is sad. If the Fox Sports and the ESPN's of the world are going to continue to tell us how dangerous football is, they need to tell us how dangerous every other sport is. There is danger everywhere you go when you choose to play sports, it's not just in football. The big wigs at the big channels need to inform the general public of this. It is their job and they are doing shitty work. They may want to end football, but former pro athletes, in every pro sport, most likely has some form of CTE, and until they get the same coverage, the war against football will wage on. That is a sad state of affairs. It's tragic that Dave Mirra took his life, but it's disrespectful and tasteless the way that the major sports channels and media outlets are barely talking about it. It's truly a shame.

RIP Dave Mirra.

Ty 

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. Follow him on twitter @tykulik.

The Thunder are Winning by Taking Draymond Green Out of the Series

Basketball shoes were designed for running, not kicking

I am sure many of you NBA fans all think Draymond Green should be suspended for kicking Steven Adams in the crotch during game three of the Western Conference Finals last night. I agree that Green should miss at least one game, he totally did it on purpose, just look at the follow through after the foul was called, but I'm not going to write about why I think he should be suspended, I'm going to write about how, for the very first time in his young career, Draymond Green is being over matched and having a difficult time guarding multiple positions, which he has done so well since the Warriors emerged as the best team in the NBA.

Guarding multiple positions was Draymond Green's thing. He could go out and guard the point and 2 guards, then use his muscle to guard bigger opponents. He made Mozgov obsolete in the Finals last year. Green has shut down guys like Anthony Davis, Tim Duncan, Blake Griffin, Kevin Love and many other big men. He has also had some success against smaller guys like Kawhi Leonard, Damien Lillard and Jimmy Butler. Basically, when he was asked to guard someone, he found some way to stop them, no matter if they were bigger and stronger or shorter and faster.

Part of what made him successful at doing this was his mouth. Teams need players like that if they are going to contend. Everyone has that one player that is a great trash talker. Sometimes its' the best player on the team, like the Bulls dynasty. No one was a better trash talker than Michael Jordan. Sometimes it's the second best player on the team, like the 90's Sonics and Gary Payton. He was a world class trash talker. There's also guys like Kevin Garnett, Wilt Chamberlin, Bill Russell, the list could go on and on. That was one thing that Draymond Green has that has set him apart, but there is something about this Thunder team, and mainly Steven Adams, that Draymond Green cannot figure out, and he is letting his frustration boil over, and it is making him play way below his skill level.

Now, I, like almost everyone else, enjoy this Warriors team, with Green being the lone exception. I think he is in the perfect situation for his skill set. Had he left this team last year in free agency, he'd be a marginal all star, at the very best. But, I'm a Thunder fan through and through. That is my team. I have mentioned multiple times that I was a Sonics fan as a kid and I followed the team when they moved to Oklahoma City. So, the fact that one of their players, who is not an offensive threat by any stretch of the imagination, is getting in Draymond Green's head, that makes me very happy. Steven Adams has lodged a permanent spot in Green's brain, and no matter how many times he tries to say it doesn't bug him, just watch the way Green carries himself on the court when Adams is out there, it's affecting him. Draymond Green has been more whiny and way less effective on defense every time that Adams steps onto the court. This all started in game one when Green was ice cold from the field and OKC switched every pick and roll. They basically let Green stay wide open if he was more than 10 feet from the hoop, and that clearly bothered Green. He was a non factor in game one, but the moment he hit one three on Adams in game two, he was yelling and screaming in Adams face. He had given some cheap shots in the first two games of the series as well.

Green, in my opinion, thinks he has to have the biggest bark because it will scare these bigger, slower, non offensive threat guys into turnovers. Well, the opposite has happened with Adams. Steven Adams has looked incredible in this series so far. He isn't scoring at some high clip, but he is rebounding, playing tremendous defense and he is in Draymond Green's head. Steven Adams is doing to Green what Green has done to other guys that are much better than Steven Adams. Last night was the big indicator that Green is playing mad, and that makes him play poorly. When Green went up for that shot, he was clearly fouled, but I think he figured he could get a cheap shot in, a la Kobe Bryant flaling his legs on every jumper he ever took. When Green followed through and kicked Adams squarely in the balls, I was at first doubled over in pain myself because that looked like it hurt like hell, but being an OKC fan, I was happy because I knew that Green would be off his game the rest of the night. To kick someone in the balls, that is defenseless, that is about as low class as you can get in the NBA, And his nonsense about not doing it on purpose that he has been spewing today, stop it with that. We all saw it and no one follows through unless they are intending to hurt someone. I'd have so much more respect for him if he just admitted he did it on purpose, but we know that won't happen.

After the incident last night, Draymond Green, and the Warriors for that matter, were toast. at that point, it was a 10 point game, but the Thunder never looked back after that. And to prove the fact that Adams and the incident are still affecting Green, look at his performance the rest of game three. Every time he rolled on the Warriors deadly pick and roll play, he either blew a layup, was blocked or was complaining to officials that he was fouled. There was one instance where he rolled, got the ball and Durant, who is not known for his defensive presence, jumped straight up in the air and nearly pinned the ball on the backboard. Then, to make matters worse for Green, with his team down by what seemed a million before halftime, he had one of the worst shooting fouls I have ever witnessed in a basketball game. Russell Westbrook threw up a three quarters court shot with less than 2 seconds left and Green barreled into him like it was game seven of the finals and they needed the ball back. Westbrook stepped to the line and buried all three free throws to put OKC up by 25 at halftime. In the second half Dion Waiters blew right by his defender, met Green at the hoop and dunked on his head. Dion Waiters posterized Draymond Green. That is a sentence I never thought I would write. Dion Waiters is a very average NBA player, and to dunk on someone that people consider to be one of the best defenders in the game right now, that is downright embarrassing.

I feel like it's a combination of a lot of things, but I think it mainly boils down to one simple fact, Draymond Green may not be this elite defender and one of the best players in the NBA. I know a lot of NBA writers, very respectable ones at that, think he is an MVP candidate, but he has looked very mediocre against a bigger, faster, stronger and more athletic team. He cannot bang with OKC's big men and he cannot guard their quicker players, they are too fast for him, even Dion Waiters. The Warriors need his best to beat OKC, and I think they still win this series, but if Green continues to play like he has, it will be very tough sledding for the real players that matter on the Warriors. And no, that list doesn't necessarily include Draymond Green. Not with the way he has played so far. 

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He knows bush league basketball because he has played in the rough and tumble world of rec league basketball for over a decade. Ty is on twitter, go follow him @tykulik.