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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

A Very Early Preview of the 2020 Olympics 3 on 3 Basketball Contest

The playground game is getting the gold, and silver, and bronze, medal treatment

It was announced about a week or so ago that the 2020 Summer Olympics were going to add 3 on 3 basketball. I love love love this idea. I'm so fully on board. I'm beyond giddy that the prospect of this.

3 on 3 is what I play every week when I go play pickup basketball with my friends. Sometimes it may be 4 on 4, if we get 7 or 8 dudes, but usually there is only 6 of us, and we play some good 3 on 3. I hope they do it the same way me and my friends have always done it as well. We play to 11 by 1's and 2's, everything beyond the three point line is worth 2, anything else is 1, we call our own fouls and other stuff, we don't call charges or blocks or anything small like that and you have to win by 2. We also play outside sometimes, and I think it would be cool if they adopt the street ball aspect of 3 on 3, but I'm assuming they will play it indoors on the same floor as they play the 5 on 5 full on basketball in the Olympics.

Now, before I really dig deep into the teams, and who I think will win the gold, silver and bronze, a few ground rules. One, I am assuming that this will be filled with professional basketball players. I'd love if they do it with college players, or even street ball legends, but I'm going to go ahead and just imagine it with the super stars of the current NBA. Second, I'm going to do a USA vs the World type situation, kind of like what they do in the rookies vs sophomores game during the NBA's All Star game festivities. Third, I'm going to try as hard as I can to make these teams fair and try to find some country that could win a medal outside of the US. I'm not saying that the US has the only good players, but they have the most quality players when I was doing research. Some of the best players in the game right now are foreign players, but their countries don't have many other guys that could fill out an entire 3 on 3 team that could truly compete. Finally, lots of players from bordering countries will be lumped together. For example, New Zealand and Australia is just going to be one team. Hence my USA vs the World thing I was talking about. Now, let's get to it.

Lets look at the US first. While doing research, I was thinking of players off the top of my head from the US that could make up a 3 on 3 team. The first players that popped into my head were LeBron, KD, Klay, Steph, Draymond and Kyrie Irving. Yes, I just finished watching the Finals, so of course the players from the 2 teams were filling my brain. Then, I started to think a bit more about some other players that would make up a bunch of Team USA 3 on 3 teams. Guys like Russell Westbrook, James Harden, Anthony Davis, Kawhi Leonard, Damian Lillard, Kyle Lowry, DeMar DeRozan, Paul George, Boogie, Gordon Hayward, Chris Paul, Mike Conley, Jimmy Butler, John Wall, Brad Beal and Hassan Whiteside, just to name a few. My next mission was breaking these teams up into 3 man tandems.

My "first" squad for Team USA is KD, Steph and Kawhi. They would be the perfect 3 on 3 team. KD is 7 feet tall, so he has length to defend bigger guys, and he can space the court. Steph is a wizard with the ball, a good passer and the greatest shooter ever. And Kawhi, he is one of the best all around players in the league, and he is the best defender in all of basketball. This is my gold standard team. Now I had to break up the other guys to make more 3 on 3 teams.

Next up I have to have LeBron, and he'd team up with Paul George and Anthony Davis. This is a great, scary good 3 on 3 team. They don't have the shooters my first team has, but they have some big dudes that play defense and can score at the rim with ease. They'd be a tough out, possibly a gold medal winner with ease.

The next USA team I'd put out there has Kyrie, Klay and Draymond. I like to lump the Warriors guys together obviously. This team would be very good. Draymond can guard everyone, Kyrie can score at the rim at will and Klay is almost on Kawhi's level with defense and he's a better shooter. 

Another USA team would have Harden, Boogie and DeRozan. This team isn't on the level of the other teams, but Harden is a great shooter and passer, DeRozan is a great mid range shooter and Boogie is the best center in the game right now. They would be tough and physical and get into other teams heads.

I have to put Westbrook on a team, so I'd pair him with Hassan Whiteside, for the defense and rebounding, and Gordon Hayward, because he can hit the open shot when given the opportunity. Westbrook needs to be on a team where he controls the ball, and I feel like this is the perfect squad for him.

My final 3 man squad for the US is small, but feisty. I'd put Chris Paul, a natural leader and a tough guy with Jimmy Butler, great defender and great creator and John Wall, who might be the most explosive, and definitely fastest player in the NBA. This is a smaller team but they'd put up a fight.

See what I'm saying about USA and all these 3 man squads. I left a lot of guys out, and this is still a completely loaded group of players. These are the best of the best. Before I get into medals though, let's look at the teams the World could put out there.

First off, let's look at Team USA's biggest competition the past few Olympics, Spain. They have some good, great players, but they are getting older. You'd have to pair up the Gasol brothers, then you could put Serge Ibaka and Ricky Rubio on this team. It's a good squad, I just don't think it is medal worthy. Pau is old, Marc is great, but not as great as say a Anthony Davis or Boogie Cousins, Ibaka looks to be past his prime and Rubio is great with the ball, but he cannot shoot.

Then I thought maybe we could pair up Argentina with the Dominican and they could compete. These 2 places give us guys like Manu Ginobli, Luis Scola, Al Horford, Karl Anthony-Towns, Carlos Delfino and Charlie Villanueva. Towns and Horford are awesome, and I love Ginobli, but there is no way these guys are beating any of the top three USA squads. They'd fight, and Towns could win a game himself, but I just don't see the Argentine-Dominican team having a shot at a medal.

Then we get to Brazil. They have some players. Guys like Nene, Anderson Varajeo, Leandro Barbosa, Tiago Splitter and Lucas Nogueira. These are some good guys, but they have no ball handlers and no real shooters. Barbosa would be the point guard, and he can sometimes get his own shot, but he is so much better as a role player than the focal point. Every other player is a big man, and they would be easily neutralized in a 3 on 3 tournament.

Team Italy has Danillo Gallinari, but he would team up with one of the biggest busts ever in Andrea Bargnani, and journey man Marco Bellinelli. They have shooting, and guys that can get to the rim, but they have no ball handler, so they are screwed from the start.

Next up, I'm going to glomb together Slovenia, Serbia, Latvia, Turkey and Russia, a neo athletic Eastern Bloc. These 4 countries provide us with some good players. The powers that be would have a pool of guys to choose from like, Timofey Mozgov, Alex Len, Enes Kanter, Zaza Pachulia, Ersan Illiyasova, Nikola Jokic, Goran Dragic and Kristaps Porzingis. First off, they need to build this team around Porzingis. He has the length and the shot to make it tough for other teams. Then, I'd take Nikola Jokic, great passer, rebounder and scorer and Goran Dragic, perfect point guard. This team could cause some problems, but in the long run, I think they would place 5th, at best.

Team Germany could be good. You have Dirk, Dennis Schroder, but then you have to pick between Paul Zipser and Chris Kaman. Those are not all timers that can cause problems for other teams. Also, Dirk is getting older and older. Schroder could cause problems, but he is not on the level of some of the other point guards I have mentioned.

Lithuania, Team USA's old rival, is not near the level of a lot of other teams. Sure, you have Jonas Valenciunas, Donatas Montejunas, Linas Kleiza and Domantos Sabonis. No ball handlers and no shooters. They'd be dead in the water.

Unfortunately for Greece, the only guy they have is Giannis Antetekoumpo, and while he is incredibly awesome, and the possible face of the NBA in the future, he would get no help from his country.

The final three teams I have, I think could possibly medal, if put in the right situation.

First we have France. They have a point guard in Tony Parker, thy have length in Rudy Gobert, they have passing in Boris Diaw and they have guys that can create in Nic Batum and Evan Fournier. They'd have to have Gobert and Parker as their main guys, then I'd probably put Batum out there. This is a decent team that could medal. Unfortunately for France, Tony Parker is old and coming off injury. He'd get exposed on defense.

Team Canada can field a very good, pretty young team as well. They have guys like Andrew Wiggins, Nik Stauskas, Tristan Thompson, Jamal Murray, Corey Joseph and Trey Lyles. These are some good guys that can form a pretty good 3 on 3 team. Wiggins is the center piece, then I'd put Tristan Thompson and Corey Joseph out there. Wiggins is an explosive athlete who's jump shot is only getting better. Tristan Thompson is the perfect "dirty work" player and Corey Joseph learned in the Spurs system, so he is a very decent, smart basketball player. They could cause a lot of problems.

Finally, I think the combination of Australia and New Zealand would have the best chance to medal of all the other countries not name USA. They could put Andrew Bogut, Patty Mills, Matthew Dellavedova, Ben Simmons, Dante Exum and Steven Adams. Those are some good players, if healthy. Bogut has the rim protection, so does Adams. Ben Simmons is an excellent passer and attacks the rim with ease. Patty Mils is a great outside shooter. Dante Exum is a tall point guard that is only getting better. Dellavedova is the only guy that doesn't bear mentioning. If I were in charge of this team, I'd put Simmons, Steven Adams and Patty Mills out there. They give them the best shot at a medal.

With all this being said, I still think, no matter how much I tried, that the US would win all three medals. I laid out the best case for Canada, France and New Zealand/Australia, but they just don't have the star power that the US teams have. The other countries I mentioned, they have no shot, not even the 4 country grouping I had that had Porzingis as the main guy. So, my Bronze medal would go to the squad of Kyrie, Klay and Draymond. The silver I'd give to LeBron, Anthony Davis and Paul George. Yes LeBron is the runner-up once again. And the Gold, that goes to Steph, KD and Kawhi. They are just too good everywhere to get beaten.

I am so excited to watch this in 3 years, and hopefully they go with NBA players. This 3 on 3 tournament is going to be loads of fun, and I cannot wait to see how it turns out.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Some Final Thoughts on the 2016-2017 Golden State Warriors

These are the only rings left for teams that are not called the Warriors

During my week of NBA talk, I have been pretty hard on the Cavs, and LeBron. It is deserving, but I've kind of ripped them apart as much as I feel necessary. I'm also researching a very big basketball story that I will put out tomorrow. Today I'm going to turn my views over to the Warriors. I have some quick thoughts on this super team.

First off, they are a super, super team. They have 3 of the best 5 five shooters to ever play the game. They have length all over the back court. They spread teams out like no one I have ever seen. They have 2 recent MVP winners. They have the most versatile defender I have ever watched. They have a great coach.

The Warriors literally have it all. Their role players and bench leave a bit to be desired, but they have Steph, KD, Klay and Draymond, so their role players don't change the outcome too much. Yes, Iguodala has been great, but he is 32 and he looks older. Shaun Livingston is great, and has come back from brutal injuries, but now that he has 2 titles, I think he might bolt for a bigger contract, and the opportunity to be a starter. Ian Clark and Patrick McCaw are so young, but they look to be developing within the Warriors system, so maybe they are the heir apparent to Shaun Livingston and Andre Iguoldala for this team. Other than that, it is very mediocre. David West has his title and I would not be surprised if he retires. He doesn't seem to fit in the new NBA. I love David West, his toughness is unparalleled, but he is playing a style of basketball that doesn't fit in the modern game. Javale McGee brings a ton of energy, but he gets a little to hyped up at times, and unless he is in the right system, like the Warriors, he is more of a headache that a spark plug. Ask any Wizards or 76ers fans their thoughts on Javale McGee. That being said, I thought he was great for this particular team. Zaza Pachulia, who is their starting center, is trash. This dude just fouls and misses layups and sets moving screens all the time. When he was in the game, the Warriors always seemed to lose big leads due to him fouling a Cav or missing a wide open layup. He is a liability and I'm pretty sure he will not be heard from much anymore in the NBA. This series proved that he is a waste of a roster space. Other than that, the Warriors have guys like James Michael McAdoo, Matt Barnes, Kevon Looney and Damian Jones. I'm pretty sure McAdoo is more known for his lineage than his game. Matt Barnes is better known as the dude that beat the shit out of Derek Fisher than any contribution he made to the Warriors this year. I'm pretty sure Kevon Looney is in the D League. And as far as Damian Jones, I didn't even know he was an NBA player until I looked it up a second ago. All this being said, I don't think it matters with this Warriors team. As long as they keep their core four together, you could plug in me and my buddies that I play pick up with and they'd still win 60 plus games and the Finals every year. This team is that good.

Another thing I have read recently about this team is their hesitancy to visit the current White House. I hope that none of them go. This would set a great precedent for title winning teams in the near future. This team, and Steve Kerr, have been very outspoken as far as their political leanings, and if they skip that trip, I would be so happy. That would piss off this whiny, childish "administration" so much, and I would just love it. Steph came out recently, or it was reported, that he said he would probably not visit the White House. KD and Klay are quieter dudes, but I don't think they'd go. Draymond isn't going to go. He doesn't have to say anything, I just know he won't go. And their coach, Steve Kerr, while he has said that they haven't made a decision yet, I'd bet a lot of money that he will not visit those monsters. I'm not a Warriors fan, but they are incredibly forward thinking in all matters, and if they skip the White House visit, which I think they will, I will have so much respect for them. That would be so awesome, and a big slap in the face to the douchebags that work in DC right now. If they do visit, I hope they only go see senators like Kamala Harris, Elizabeth Warren and the like. To go there and only see Democratic senators would be such a baller move, and the Warriors have the guys that would do that. The only thing that would make it better is if they went and visited the Clinton's instead. That would be incredible. Anything to make the current "government" more unhappy is alright with me.

Finally, all of what I've written about this team, minus the possible visit, doesn't matter as long as they stay together. I've already said this, but it bares repeating. They are video game cheat code good, and no one, no matter who LeBron tries to get to replace Kevin Love, will beat them if they are fully healthy. The Warriors will lose guys like David West, Matt Barnes and possibly Shaun Livingston, but they will just replace them with some other ring chasers. I've heard that Zach Randolph has an interest in signing with them. I wouldn't be shocked if someone like Al Jefferson or even a Paul Milsap replace guys like Zaza and West and McGee. And, they have Ian Clark and Patrick McCaw, who looked decent in their small minutes in the Finals. This team is poised to be the champs for, at least, the next 3 years.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

LeBron James is Saying Super Dumb Stuff about Super Teams

What in the hell did he just say?

In my NBA Finals recap yesterday I forgot to mention one thing that has really been eating at me since I first heard it last night while listening to the Ringer's "NBA Show" podcast. That is why this did not make my piece yesterday because I was not made aware of LeBron James asinine comment that "he has never played on a super team". This threw me for a loop. I literally yelled out loud in disgust in my car on the way to play basketball last night.

As I'm sure a lot of people did, I turned the game off after it was over Monday night. I knew who the MVP was going to be, I knew what all the interviews would be like, I knew what everyone was going to say, so I felt there was no need for me to watch all the post game stuff. Well, apparently during his final presser, LeBron was asked what it was like to face a super team, or something along those lines, and that was when he gave this dumbass response. Hell, it was only a few weeks ago that KD himself said that LeBron was the one guy that made forming super teams possible when he bolted Cleveland for Miami to team up with Dwayne Wade and Chris Bosh. So, for LeBron to be this sore of a loser and this arrogant took be by surprise.

LeBron James is a guy that has always said and done the right things ever since he has been in the spotlight, which has been pretty much his whole life. He has never really come off this ridiculous, at least not to me, before. He has always won like a champ, and taken defeat like a champ. He has always been the good guy. Even when he left Cleveland the first time, I never viewed him as a villain, I viewed him as a ring chaser, much like I do with KD now. But for him to be this holier than thou because his team, that he formed, got their ass beat by a far, far superior team, I mean, come on man. He played great. He was virtually unstoppable on offense throughout all five games, but it wasn't enough. Maybe that is why he gave such a moronic answer to this very reasonable, and truthful question.

These are the facts, when LeBron left Cleveland 7 years ago, he formed the first of this new era of "super teams". Some may say the Celtics did in 2008, but they traded for Kevin Garnett and Ray Allen. The Heat signed both Bosh and LeBron to pair up with Wade, thus forming the first real super team of the 21st century. I remember when he had that stupid little television special, then a concert to announce his decision. Those days were the first time I ever really heard the term "super team" used. And, it was true. To pair him up with Bosh and Wade was deemed unfair at the time, and it started to take the parity away in the NBA, at least in the East. These were 3 All Stars in their prime coming together to try and win a title. This was, and always will be, the first super team that I remember being pissed off about because it started to water down the competition.

Since his decision to "take his talents to South Beach", all anyone wants to do now is form "super teams". After LeBron signed on in Miami and they had their run to 4 straight Finals appearances, winning 2, other players started to join forces to try and dethrone the Heat. The Lakers tried by acquiring Dwight Howard and Steve Nash. That didn't work. The Rockets then tried, after they acquired Howard to pair up with Harden. They made the conference Finals, but that was it. The Mavericks tried to do this by offering DeAndre Jordan a contract. He decided to return to LA instead. Hell, even the Spurs tried when they signed LaMarcus Aldridge 2 years ago when he was the prize free agent. It hasn't worked for them either. Even LeBron formed a second super team when he returned to Cleveland and all but demanded they trade away Wiggins and Bennett for Kevin Love.  

LeBron needs to get the hell out of here with a quote or comment like that. He is far too good a player to have to say some stupid shit like this. He is, and always will be, the godfather of forming a super team. He had to in order for him to win a title. There was no way he was going to win a title in his first go round with Cleveland, and he knew that, and he knew that teaming up with a couple other All Stars was his only chance, thus creating the "super team".

Make no mistake, LeBron is an all time great. He is the type of player kids should strive to be, he is a total class act and seems like a good guy. But, this comment, I don't know if it was made out of frustration, anger or if he actually believes it, was one of his biggest oversights, if not his biggest, that he has ever made. He needs to take this loss like he took his 4 other losses in the Finals. I didn't hear anyone on the Warriors last year say they weren't a super team after Cleveland won the title. LeBron shouldn't have, and more importantly, didn't need to say this the other night. It was way out of his context and character.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

The Warriors are Exactly Who We Thought They Were

To the surprise of no one, the Warriors won the NBA title last night. This game felt more like a formality than an actual competitive game. Sure, the Cavs had a lead at halftime, they led by 8 points at one time, the refs missed a big call on KD that could have upped the lead to 9, but did any of us really think that the Warriors, with KD and Draymond, were going to lose another game 5 at home? I don't even think LeBron James believed his team was going to win last night.

Credit due to the Cavs for coming out strong, but they made the same mistake they made all series, and that was trying to run with the Warriors. The Cavs are not built that way, and when you try and run with a historically great offense, you are going to get burned. This was a terrible decision by LeBron, or to people who have no clue and think he is the coach, Ty Lue. To think that you can outscore a great offense, that plays great defense as well, is insane. There was no way the Cavs were going to win more than one game playing like they did. Those guys are not in that type of basketball shape. Sure, LeBron, Kyrie, Kevin Love and Tristan Thompson, who was dreadful in the Finals, may have looked like they could keep pace for a half, but, by the second half, they all had their hands on their head or hips, they were huffing and puffing, tugging on their shorts and neglected to play defense, figuring they'd save their energy for offense.

LeBron looked so gassed, he basically treated defense as an option. This was the worst defense I have ever seen him play. Sure, he put up great offensive numbers, averaging a triple double, but he was getting torched all series long by KD, Steph and even Andre Iguodala. He looked James Harden bad on defense this series. But, did the announcers ever say anything bad about his effort? Of course not. They kept talking about how he was carrying the Cavs and how he "has the heart of a champion". That is so god damn ridiculous. I love LeBron. I think he is probably the second or third best player to ever play the game. He is like no one I have ever watched. But man did he looked just terrible on defense. And, every time he got beat by a back door cut or got beat by a jumper or got beat to the hoop, he never took the blame, instead, always glaring at teammates, or just straight up committing a foul. He was just as bad on defense as he was good on offense.

As for the other Cavs stars, Kyrie was electric in games 3 and 4, but last night he looked hobbled, slower than normal and just as bad as he always does on defense. He's a great ball handler and awesome at getting to the hoop, but he is a ball hog and his jumper is mediocre. Kyrie has a long way to go before he is considered an all timer. Kevin Love played okay, but not great, and last night, he stunk. He came and went throughout the Finals. He would rebound a lot one game, but shoot horribly. Then the next game, it was the other way around. He has become way too inconsistent. I would be surprised if he was still a Cav next year. Tristan Thompson was awful. JR Smith had a good game last night, but he was horrific on defense and a no show for the first three games. Iman Shumpert was dreadful everywhere. Kyle Korver couldn't hit the ocean, and was a total liability on defense. And then we have Deron Williams. Let us please have a moment of silence for Deron Williams, as it seems his career is now over. In fact, the only Cav that looked legitimately interested in winning was Richard Jefferson. That is not the guy you want to hang your hat on. The Cavs were outmatched.

The Warriors are a legit "super team". They got rid of Harrison Barnes, who they won a title with 2 years ago, and got KD in return. That is just not fair. I'm sure there are a thousand pieces today either condemning or congratulating the Warriors on what they did this offseason. I think it just waters down the game that much more. I was looking at Twitter after the game, and a lot of people were saying things that I have been thinking about all throughout these playoffs. These 2 teams, and more importantly, the Warriors, get to play teams like the Magic, 76ers, Lakers and Nets, among many others. Those teams do not belong in the same league as the Cavs, and definitely not the Warriors. It is fact. The Warriors have 3 of the best 5 shooters in the game right now. They have one of the best defenders in all of basketball. They have a great coach that has surrounded himself with other great coaches. They have it all.

The Warriors, at least to me, are what the Yankees were in the 90's. They bought this title. Sure, they earned it on the floor, and I know that 3 of their main guys they drafted, but they got KD. I have no problem with this either. I have sat and thought about it all year. I thought it was a cowards way to a title, and I still do, but he definitely earned that Finals MVP. He was awesome. I just wish he stuck it out in OKC one more year because I think he could have won with Russ. But, he wanted out, and he went to a team that won 73 games a year ago. Like I said, this is just like when the Yankees acquired Alex Rodriguez. They didn't need him, but they wanted him, and they got what they wanted because they had the means to do it. I know this may sound like sour grapes, but it is not meant that way. But, just as I HATED the Yankees, and still do, I do not like the Warriors. In fact, I'd venture to say that the majority of the country, outside of the Bay Area, actively roots against them now. They didn't need KD, but they got him, and they reaped those benefits last night, and all throughout the Finals. KD was awesome. I don't think the title is tainted, but I do not look at this like I did when the Spurs beat up on the Heat a few years ago, or when the Mavericks won, or even back when the Bulls were winning multiple titles in the 90's.

This Warriors title was a forgone conclusion on July 4th 2016. Yes, KD was great. So was Steph. Draymond was everywhere on the floor. Shaun Livingston and Patrick McCaw played great in their limited roles. David West brought a toughness this team needed. Klay's shot may have been off, but he played some of the best defense I have ever witnessed in the Finals. Javale McGee brought energy. In fact, the only liability for the Warriors that I saw was Zaza Pachulia. He was just awful. He is so bad at setting screens. He grabs and fouls on every play. People thought Steven Adams was dirty, but Zaza makes him look like a soft player. Zaza is terrible. The Warriors went out and bought this title in the offseason, and it all came to fruition last night.

The Finals, and the whole playoffs for that matter, left me with a hollow feeling. After the game last night all I thought was, "okay, 4 months until the Warriors start their repeat". That is how I, and a lot of other people, are going to feel for the next 4 or 5 seasons too, as long as the Warriors keep this nucleus in tact. They are all young and in their primes. I do not see anyone beating them.

I don't know who LeBron thinks he can go out and get to, lets face it, someone, Kevin Love, is going to be traded this offseason, try and help the Cavs return and compete with the Warriors. He may try Dwayne Wade or Carmelo Anthony or Boogie Cousins, but I do not see any of those three being able to play with the Warriors. Boogie, who I love, is too slow and more fit for a half court offense. Carmelo is old, his shot is worse and he plays no defense. And Dwayne Wade, see Carmelo Anthony, but shorter.

The NBA is going to be owned by the Warriors for a long time now, so get used to it. The regular seasons and the first 3 rounds of the playoffs will not matter anymore. The only thing that will matter is how many games it will take the Warriors to beat whatever East team LeBron is on. No one is going to challenge either of these teams, and that is the upsetting thing to me as a rabid NBA fan. There is no suspense, and suspense is what makes sports so great.

Well, I guess, congratulations Golden State. You signed a former MVP in his prime and beat an out of shape, careless defensive team to win your third title in 2 years. Hooray. (I'm being sarcastic if you can't tell by my tone) Maybe next season you guys will win 75 plus games and go undefeated in the playoffs. That would sure be a lot of fun. (Again, sarcasm) There is no parity in the NBA anymore. At least not for the next 4 or 5 years. Get used to the Warriors winning non Warriors fans. That's what's going to happen every year until Klay or KD or Steph retire or leave in free agency. That is the only way the Warriors dynasty will end.  

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Like the Lakers, I am not Very High on Lonzo Ball

I've got a bunch of basketball stuff lined up for this week, and today, I'm going to start off with my take on the whole Lonzo Ball work out for the Lakers, and what has come out since then. Side note, I'll do a mock draft like I did for the NFL as we get closer to the NBA draft. First let's talk about Lonzo.  

About a week or so ago, Lonzo Ball had his solo workout for the Lakers. This has been very much talked about leading up to the draft in a few weeks. Apparently, the Lakers are the only team the Ball family said he would work out for. In fact, the ever annoying Lavar Ball has come out recently and said he wants all of his sons to go to UCLA for one year, leave and get drafted by the Lakers. This dude is out of his god damn mind. All three kids will not be that good. It's the law of averages. Anyway, there was some talk that Ball may work out for the 76ers, but that died pretty quickly the closer we got to the Lakers workout.

Lonzo had his workout, and at first, all seemed well. He went by himself, no Lavar around, to his workout, dinner and interview. I don't remember who exactly it was, either Uproxx Sports or the AV Club, possibly maybe even Deadspin, but they headlined this news by comparing Lonzo Ball to a sixth grader who says stuff like, "I did this all by myself". I found that very funny. But, as I dug a little deeper on these stories, I found out some interesting news.

First off, the Lakers and Luke Walton said that they did not want Lavar Ball anywhere near his workout and the Lakers facility. This was the exact right decision the powers that be made. Lavar Ball is a cancer, and his son is going into the adult world of professional basketball, and he should not be allowed anywhere near his possible future employer. My father never came by the lab I worked in and talked about my greatness as a dental lab technician. This I am very grateful for.

By all accounts the dinner went well. How could it not? This is a dinner where the prospective prospect talks about how great they are and tells the franchise that is taking him out how much he wants to play for that team. These dinners and interviews are designed to be easy and fun for all parties involved. It helps the franchise get to know the prospect, and the prospect gets to know the franchise. It is all good. But, it had to be stated again by everyone involved that Lavar Ball was not allowed to be a part of this.

The fact that everyone has to keep saying that Lavar is not welcome is a big red flag for me. It's like when someone keeps saying that everything is great, but nothing is really great. These people have to keep saying Lavar is not around, but maybe he is there some way, some how. Maybe he is texting his son constantly throughout the whole meal and interview, telling him what to demand and what to say. Lavar Ball is trying every possible way to stay involved because he does not look at his son as his child, but as a money maker. That is pretty awful.

Then, this weekend and today, news came out that the Lakers were "not blown away" by Ball's workout. First off, this is nonsense. The Lakers are going to draft Ball, unless the Celtics, or whoever gets the first pick, passes on Markelle Fultz, then the Lakers will take him. That won't happen, and I'd be willing to bet a lot of money that Ball is going second to the Lakers unless something really crazy happens prior to, or on draft night. Whenever a team talks about a prospect while they are still in college, and it is made known that they want to draft that position, they will take that kid, unless they get hurt. It happens 99.9 percent of the time.

So no, I do not buy the talk coming from everyone in Laker land saying that they weren't blown away. It is all a smoke screen to see if someone gives them a crazy offer for the second pick that immediately makes the Lakers relevant again. I do not see that happening. I don't think any of the teams in the lottery will do that. I think Ball would be a great fit in Phoenix, but they do not have anyone that will immediately turn the Lakers into a playoff team. The 76ers already have a point guard. The Kings want DeAaron Fox, who completely outplayed Ball in the tournament. The Celtics are either taking Fultz or trading the pick for an established star. Everyone else in the lottery seems set with where they are. so no, I do not see the Lakers pulling off some big time deal, and passing up on Ball.

Then today, or maybe yesterday, dumbass Lavar Ball had to open his mouth again and say that "the Lakers are starving for a leader". I do not think Lonzo Ball is any type of leader. He is still a teenager for one. Second, I already mentioned him getting outplayed by Fox in a big time game. Ball quit halfway through the second half of that game. That is not a leader. Third, his shot is trash. There is no way he can take over a game if he has to be the primary scorer. Fourth, the Lakers have players like D'Angelo Russell, Julius Randle and Jordan Clarkson that have been there for at least 2 years, so they know the system and they know the players on the team. Fifth, no rookie since LeBron has come in and been the leader immediately. Lonzo Ball is no LeBron. Not in a million years.

I think Ball is going to be a bust. I think his ceiling is being the 7th or 8th guy off the bench for a fringe playoff team. All this talk recently, the way he finished his college season and his "poor" workout have me very skeptical of him being a good professional basketball player. He does have good court vision, and he is a tall point guard, but when he has to go against the Russell Westbrook's, Kawhi Leonard's, Kyrie Irving's, Steph Curry's and Chris Paul's of the world, he is going to get torched. Lonzo Ball is going to be a Ryan Leaf level bust in the pros, and it will make me so happy to see Lavar Ball fade into his much needed obscurity after that happens. That is my prediction on Lonzo Ball's NBA career.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Bob Stoops Retirement Comes with a lot of Unanswered Questions

There is a new sign on Bob Stoops Old Office

Because Ty is the most boss of all internet writers he refuses to stop creating awesome content, even when he is on a family vacation. His loquaciousness will be blunted while he enjoys his undisclosed tropical getaway. Each piece will be some quick thoughts on some current things going on, nothing political of course.

Yesterday, in very shocking news, Bob Stoops suddenly retired. That makes 2 pretty famous coaches this week that have either walked away or "resigned" from high profile jobs. You can read my Thad Matta thoughts from earlier this week. But, this whole Bob Stoops thing really threw me for a loop.

Stoops had a very, very good team coming back from a decent season last year. Yeah, he lost Semaji Perine and Dede Westbrook, but they still have Baker Mayfield, a Heisman front runner, and it's Oklahoma, they are one of the "reload, not rebuild" teams I always talk about. Oklahoma was also, as they have been for about a decade now, the odds on favorites to win the Big 12, and possibly go to the College Football Playoff this season. They are to the Big 12 in football what Kansas is to basketball. If they do not win the Big 12, I am always shocked.

For Stoops to just walk away, at only 56 years old, after 18 years of some really good football, I just can't seem to wrap my head around it. Sure, his family has past heart issues, and the Oklahoma fan base can be rabid and unforgiving, and, no matter how good you may look in the preseason, there is always the Alabama monster out there, but why so sudden? Does he have heart issues? Is there a possible violation that we may not know about? Was he giving a Thad Matta ultimatum? Does he truly want to "live a life"? Or, is there some other high profile job he may be angling for in a year or 2, a la what Urban Meyer did after he left Florida due to "health concerns", only to take one year off and jump on the University of Ohio State board. I feel like it is the last question, but I will quickly answer the others first.

I do not think he has any type of health concerns. He has been at Oklahoma for almost 2 decades, so if he did truly have a health scare, we would have heard about it already. The violation thing, who knows. Every big time team bends the rules to get some of the best players in the country to constantly go there. I am not aware of any possible violations at Oklahoma, but they did have the whole Joe Mixon thing last year, so I wonder if there is more of that horrible stuff going on that they are trying to cover up. That would be truly awful. I do not think he was given an ultimatum because, as I have already stated, his team is stacked this year. They are going to be lights out on offense, and I feel like they will be much improved on defense. They are the clear cut favorites in the Big 12, and he has won 10 plus games 14 of his 18 years there. He's earned the right to leave when he wants. Oklahoma was nothing when Stoops took over and look at them now. There is no way he was told he has to win the title this year or he was going to be let go.

As far as the "live a life" thing that he said, I feel like this is the only life he knows. He comes from a family of coaches, and he has basically been around football as a player and a coach his entire life. I fully understand if he wants to go be with his family, but to say that now, going into a season where Oklahoma will be a real threat, I don't buy it. Also, his family seems to fully understand and not mind being the wife and kids of a coach. That is a taxing job, and they have stood by his side his whole career.

Now, the last question, the big question. Is there another, possibly higher profile job out there that he may want in a year or two, if that school doesn't vastly improve? I read it on 247sports.com, and I think it may be true, that if the Notre Dame job opens up, Stoops and the people there would want to hire him. I feel like it is setting up exactly like the Urban Meyer situation. I don't think Notre Dame will be any real threat, and I feel like the higher ups at Notre Dame have grown weary of Brian Kelly's demeanor and the way he grates on players and fans. The team has gotten worse every year since Alabama crushed them in the title game, and Kelly is throwing everyone under the bus, blaming anyone in earshot, except himself. I feel like they want Bob Stoops there real bad, and his sudden retirement sets that up very nicely. I also think Stoops kind of wants a big time job like Notre Dame as well. Oklahoma is great now, due to Stoops, but they are not historic, like Notre Dame. I feel like Stoops wants to go to a school like that to build up his personal resume. He is a great coach, and if he can go to Notre Dame and win as big there as he did at Oklahoma, he'd become legendary. That is where I feel like all this is headed.

Time will tell, but for Stoops to leave Oklahoma so abruptly, that just doesn't sit right with me. We'll see.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is thinking about taking a detour to Norman after his vacation. Do they still need a coach? Oh, somebody has that job. Is the Buckeye job still available?

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Stupid Ohio State Makes a Stupid Basketball Decision

Because Ty is the most boss of all internet writers he refuses to stop creating awesome content, even when he is on a family vacation. His loquaciousness will be blunted while he enjoys his undisclosed tropical getaway. Each piece will be some quick thoughts on some current things going on, nothing political of course.

Before I get into today's topic, I need to say a very happy anniversary to my very beautiful, smart and wonderful wife. It's been 8 great years as a married couple, and I cannot wait to see what the future holds for us. I love you.

Okay, today's topic is the "resignation" of the University of Ohio State's basketball coach, Thad Matta. I have very complicated feelings on this. As you all know, I HATE HATE HATE that school. They are the WORST. But, was this really the proper timing to make Matta "resign"? I don't think so. Sure, they haven't been that great at basketball lately, but they still post a winning record every year, for the most part. And, don't forget that this team was going to title games and multiple final four's just a few years back. Hell, they were one of the Big Ten's best team, and a top team in the country.

We all know that the University of Ohio State is a football school, their players say that much when interviewed for nationally televised games, or say that, "people don't come here to watch me play school", but Matta turned them into a basketball power. Before he got there, they were a pretty mediocre team. They hovered around .500 and were lucky to get an NIT invite. Then, Matta came in, recruited like a mad man, either legally or, more likely, illegally, and had some great teams. Remember, at one time they had a team led by Mike Conley Jr and anchored in the middle by Greg Oden. A few years after that, they had the top player in the NCAA in Evan Turner. The University of Ohio State was a national power due to the players that Matta was bringing in.

But, as of late, they have "fallen on hard times" so to say. They don't have as great players as they once did. They are getting out recruited by other Big Ten teams like Michigan State, Michigan, Purdue and even Indiana, who just hired a new head coach. But, I remember a few years back, when Michigan was going to be led by Caris Levert, he got hurt and Michigan limped to a 15-17 finish. I heard some rumblings from people saying that Belein may not be the guy to coach Michigan back to relevance. Never mind that they were only a few years removed from a title game appearance and an elite eight showing. Even during this season, when Michigan struggled mightily in the middle of the year, a lot of people were calling out the team, and Belein as well, myself included, although I was much harder on the team. Then, Michigan had a magical run in the Big Ten tournament and a great run to the sweet sixteen in the NCAA tournament. All the talk of getting rid of Belein was done. This should be the case with Matta. Coaches who have had major success at major universities should get a few bad seasons here and there. It is bound to happen. Look at Tom Izzo and Michigan State recently. They aren't the dominant force that they have been, but no one, and I mean no one is calling for Izzo to be fired. Matta got a raw deal from a shady university. That is what all this "resignation" means to me.

What makes me conflicted the most is, as I mentioned, I HATE the team, but I think Matta is a very good basketball coach. He will land on is feet somewhere, and I would bet a lot of money that he will succeed. Also, who does the University of Ohio State think they can get? Do they really expect Billy Donovan, who I read was their top candidate, to just leave a playoff team to go back to college? That is wishful thinking. They can't even get Archie Miller because he left Dayton for Indiana. They would be lucky to get a guy like John Groce, who was fired by Illinois this offseason, but I think he already got another head coaching job.

This was a stupid, holier than thou, quick reaction to one bad season. I hope this makes them even worse for the next couple of years because this was too rash and too quick. Matta should land on his feet, the University of Ohio State, I hope they have a lot more bad seasons ahead of them. That is what they deserve.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

It Would Be Nice to Have a Competitive NBA Finals

Because Ty is the most boss of all internet writers he refuses to stop creating awesome content, even when he is on a family vacation. His loquaciousness will be blunted while he enjoys his undisclosed tropical getaway. Each piece will be some quick thoughts on some current things going on, nothing political of course.

Today, I have some quick thoughts on the first 2 games of the NBA Finals. So far, Golden State has dominated. In game one, they were all over the Cavs and they could not be stopped. They scored at will, and after the first quarter, basically, it was pretty clear that the Warriors were going to win going away. The first quarter was great though. It was fantastic basketball, with the best players in the game, currently, playing their best. LeBron was awesome, as always. Kyrie looked great in bursts. Steph looked like Steph from 2 years ago. KD was on a whole other level from everyone else that night though. He looked unstoppable, reigning threes and dunking the ball with authority any time the lane was open, which was often. The Cavs tried to play the Warriors game, and by the third quarter, they were tired and they looked beat. LeBron can only do so much, and his only teammate that helped even a little bit was Kyrie. Love rebounded a ton, but only scored about 15 points. Tristan Thompson, JR Smith, Kyle Korver, Iman Shumpert, they were all useless. They might as well not even suited up.

I figured, much like everyone else, that the Cavs would come out with a better game plan in game 2, and they did, but only for the first half. The game was a ton of fun for 24 minutes. LeBron was attacking the rim, Kyrie was going to the rim as well. They were both going hard and either getting lay ups or getting fouled and going to the free throw line. Kevin Love was on fire too. He was making all his open jumpers, he was rebounding like he did when he was in Minnesota and he looked halfway decent on defense, which is all you can really ask of him. Golden State was just as good. Better, actually. KD quietly scored 17 in the first half, and was an absolute monster on defense. Draymond was in early foul trouble, but that didn't stop him from making crisp passes, guarding multiple positions and starting fast breaks. Klay Thompson looked to be getting out of his slump, making a lot more shots than he has all of the 2017 playoffs. Most importantly, Steph was otherworldly. He was matching LeBron's layups with threes, or free throws. He wasn't hitting the three like he usually does, and he was a bit careless with the ball, but he shot 10 free throws in the first quarter, and when he did hang on to the ball, he was dropping dimes. The Warriors led by 3 at the half. Both teams looked really good, and the Cavs looked like they may have figured something out on defense. 

Then the second half happened. The Cavs, once again unable to play Tristan Thompson at all, tried to play small and fast, and the Warriors destroyed them. They had almost 40 points in the third, taking an almost 20 point lead into the fourth. Steph was dominant. KD started to hit threes and blocked any shot that came near him. Klay was hitting jumpers again. David West was even contributing, as was Zaza Pachulia. The scariest thing about their third quarter, Draymond barely played and the Warriors still gained an enormous lead.

The Cavs need to make a big change. They were in this same spot last year, but Steph was hurt, Klay was starting to go cold and they did not have KD, they had Harrison Barnes. This looks a whole lot different. Two games in, two blow outs, and I don't know what the Cavs can do to even it up, or even win one game for that matter. LeBron is playing out of his mind, but it just doesn't seem to matter, and he has not been good on defense. The Cavs can't play small because that is what the Warriors want, and they can't play their bigs together, so I don't know what the solution is. I'm still a bit hopeful that this series can get better. I know I picked a sweep, but come on, the Cavs have LeBron. But after 2 games, the Warriors have looked absolutely dominant, and I do not know what the Cavs can do. LeBron is playing great, Kyrie and Love have both had really good games, and the Warriors have still blown them out in the first 2 games.

We will see what happens Wednesday night back in Cleveland. A win by the Cavs can completely turn this series around, but I do not know if that will happen. The Cavs have played pretty decent, the Warriors are just a far superior team. LeBron cannot do it all alone, and the Warriors have 4 of the top 15 players in the game, 2 of which are top 5 players, and they look unbeatable right now. We will see if something changes in a few days, or if the Warriors are going to cruise to a title.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

The SeedSing 2017 NBA Finals Preview

Tomorrow we finally, mercifully, get a return to some real basketball. It will have been 9 full days before the NBA Finals finally tips off. I remember when I was younger, the Finals would have been over by now, but money talks, and I guess, even though the NBA is more popular than ever, they need to make as much as they can by spreading this out over an almost 3 month stretch. The NBA playoffs really needs a retooling because this is ridiculous. There are too many teams, games and time off in between these games. I cannot believe that they will not have played the first game of the Finals until June 1st. That is utterly ridiculous.

Anyway, I'm here to break down the Finals and give my prediction, as I do every year. We have a trilogy upon us. This is the matchup that pretty much everyone was expecting when KD signed with the Warriors almost a year ago. I know in my 2017 playoff preview I picked the Warriors to face the Wizards, and I was wrong. But every other time I did some kind of talk and a piece I wrote on the NBA, I said that it would inevitably be the Warriors and Cavs. We all knew it was coming down to this. They are clearly the 2 best teams in all of the NBA.

Combined the two teams have 7 guys that were All Stars this year. I saw a thing the other day that said, between the 2 teams, there are 11 guys that have been to at least one All Star game. We have the best player in the game right now, and probably the third or fourth best player ever in LeBron. We have the best pure shooter I have ever seen in Steph. KD, who is incredible offensively, has decided that defense is important, and he has become a force on both ends of the floor. Draymond Green is, far and away, the most versatile player in the NBA. Kyrie Irving can get ridiculously hot at any time, and he may have the best handles in the game. Kevin Love has found his niche with the Cavs, and it seems to be finally coming together for him. Tristan Thompson does all the dirty work for the Cavs, and he does it better than anyone else. But, what I think should be the scariest thing to the Cavs chances at a repeat is the fact that Klay hasn't really started to make his shots yet. It is going to happen soon, and that should frighten everyone involved with the Cleveland organization.

This is a very star studded Finals that, on paper, could be as competitive as last seasons championship series. I sure hope it is at least mildly competitive because, as I have stated before, these NBA playoffs have been incredibly mediocre. They have been filled with blowouts and stupid skirmishes and it has all just been one long and boring wait for the Warriors and Cavs to finally meet up. We got that, and it starts tomorrow night.

When looking at the rosters, I think the Warriors is much better than the Cavs. Yes, the Cavs have LeBron, and Kyrie Irving loves to play the Warriors, but that is about it. I have no faith in guys like Deron Williams, JR Smith, Tristan Thompson, Kyle Korver and anyone else that starts or plays meaningful minutes. In all seriousness, the Cavs defense is horrendous, and it is because they have a roster of super old vets that are only good offensive players, and Kyrie and Kevin Love are liabilities on the defensive end of the floor. They can score a whole of points, but they give up a whole lot of points as well. That is all well and good when you are playing the Raptors, Pacers and Celtics, but that won't work against the Warriors. With that being said, the Warriors do have flaws of their own. Steph and Klay have been virtually non existent in the last 2 Finals appearances for the Warriors. they have missed a ton of open shots. Draymond has played great, but he needs to keep his temper in check. If he gets suspended again, that could spell doom. LeBron owns KD on the court. I think, both with the Warriors and Thunder, KD has only won 5 games against him, and he will have to guard LeBron, and LeBron will guard him. Then we have guys like Patrick McCaw and James Michael McAdoo who have not been in very high pressure situations because they are young. Also, the Warriors front court is very mediocre. Zaza Pachulia and David West are fine players, but they are no match for Tristan Thompson. Thompson will crush them on the boards.

Then when I look at coaching, honestly, neither of these teams need a coach. First of all, LeBron is the coach of the Cavs. Ty Lue may have the title of coach, but he is just a figure head. LeBron calls every play, tells the front office who to sign and makes all the important decisions in important games. That is the truth. Steve Kerr is a very good coach, but he has some crazy illness, and he will not be able to coach in the Finals, according to recent reports. That leaves the Warriors with Mike Brown. Yes, he has been fired by three different times, and he has coached LeBron, but, while the Warriors do not have an alpha like LeBron, they have a great core group that feed off each other. It is pretty simple to draw up a play that gets Steph, Klay or KD an open three. Then, there is Draymond, who is just a bad matchup everywhere. So, while Lue was the coach of the Cavs last year when they won, I don't see him as giving Cleveland any advantage. And Mike Brown, well, Luke Walton won a ton of games when he stepped in for Kerr last year, and this is just more of the same. Kerr surrounds himself with smart basketball people, but again, he has 3 of the best 5 shooters in the game right now on his team.

With all this being said, I really, really want a good, hard fought, competitive series. I want this to go 7 games. I want these teams and their super stars to trade blows and make it fun. I want it to go long so I do have some basketball to watch while I'm on vacation next week. I want all these things, but I do not think it will happen. I think the Cavs are a bit too mouthy right now and a little too big for their britches. They are laughing off the fact that they're the underdog when they are unequivocally the underdog. Some anonymous player on the Cavs, who is clearly a coward, is saying that Javale McGee is not "smart enough to play in the Finals". LeBron's teammates, mainly Richard Jefferson, are making excuses for him as to why he played so poorly in game 3 of the East Finals. They are just popping off a bit too much. They almost have too much swagger. Where with the Warriors, I have not heard anything except Mike Brown commenting on what Ty Lue said about the fact that Celtics are harder to prepare for than the Warriors. Everyone involved with Golden State has been pretty quiet leading up to these Finals. Also, Steph seems to have his mojo back, KD is engaged at both ends of the floor and Draymond is being Draymond, without all the dick punching and whining. And, as I stated earlier, Klay is gong to break out of this slump at any time now, and this Warriors team will be unguardable then. As much as I'd personally love to see KD get denied a ring after choosing to join the Warriors, instead of trying to beat them, I just do not see any way that the Cavs can beat them. They're a horrendous defensive team. They are talking way too much shit. I don't think Kyrie will be able to replicate what he did last year. Kevin Love is a horrible defender, and he will be tasked with guarding one of the Warriors many shooters. It just doesn't seem to be in the cards for a Cavs repeat this year. In fact, I think the Warriors will finish this postseason off undefeated and sweep their way to a Finals victory. They have too many shooters on the floor, they play just as good defense as they do offense and they will crush the Cavs. The Cavs have LeBron, but I don't think it will matter this year. The Warriors have Steph, Klay, Draymond, and they basically traded Harrison Barnes for KD. They are just too good. If they do lose this Finals, I think it will be a bigger upset than blowing a 3-1 lead last year.

As far as Finals MVP, I think Steph and KD will cancel each other out, and if Klay finds his stroke, I think he will win it. If he doesn't find his shot, I think Draymond, with his all around play, will win it.

Anyway, the Finals will probably be just as rough as this whole playoffs has been, and I think the Warriors will sweep their way to a title. They look like a team on a mission right now.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

The Missouri Tigers are Assembling an Incredibly Talented Basketball Team. Will it Work?

Are you questioning my talent basketball writer guy?

The University of Missouri basketball program is putting together a recruiting class on the same level as a Kentucky, Duke or any other program that has bought into the "one and done" culture. This comes a few seasons after Missouri basketball has been downright dreadful. Last year they won 8 games total. That is abysmal.

The tigers did the right thing and fired the coach and brought in a great coach in Cuonzo Martin. They rid themselves of a guy that should be a D-2 coach, which he was before he took the Missouri job after Frank Haith left. Cuonzo Martin has won everywhere that he has been, and I think he will do the same at Missouri. He is a very, very good coach.

Then, this class that he has brought in with him so far is amazing. He has the top player in the state, and one of the top 5 players in the country in Michael Porter Jr. This was a big, big get for Martin. Missouri was finally able to get the best in state player to stay home. This wasn't the case a few months ago though. Porter Jr was originally committed to Washington, but they have been a trash program, and Lorenzo Romar finally got the axe this offseason.

Being a smart coach, Martin brought Romar on as an assistant once he took the Missouri job. This happens all the time in college, and it is not illegal. It is shady, but not illegal. My man, Jim Harbaugh, has done this same stuff since he took the job at Michigan three years ago. So, the hiring of Romar got Porter Jr's attention.

Martin then went out and hired Michael Porter SR as an assistant as well. Again, shady, but not illegal. Porter SR was a respected high school coach, and the next logical step was to move up to the college ranks. After Missouri hired Porter SR, it was a done deal that Porter Jr would be wearing black and gold next year.

Martin and company have been reeling in 4 and 5 star guys left and right. They have some great player from East Saint Louis coming in, some of Porter Jr's buddies who he is openly recruiting, and recently, they got Porter Jr's brother reclassified, and he is now eligible to play at Missouri next year. I will say it again, it is all shady, but it happens all the time in college athletics, especially in college basketball. Anyone who thinks that schools like Duke, Kentucky, Michigan State or any other blue blood that recruits "one and done" guys doesn't do the same stuff that Martin is doing right now, you're an idiot. This is the world we live in for college basketball right now.

What I hope does not happen for Missouri and Cuonzo Martin is, either an LSU and Washington scenario where these guys don't mesh and the team wins between 15-18 games and misses all tournaments, or what happened at Michigan after the Fab Five split and all the accusations came. Those accusations, which were found to be true, crippled the Michigan basketball program for over a decade. I am not a fan of any of the University of Missouri sports, hell, I have written a whole thing about how I hate their football program, but I do not wish what happened to Michigan basketball to happen to anyone.

Michigan cheated to get the guys they got, and they paid for it. When they signed Juwan Howard then Jimmy King then Ray Jackson then Jalen Rose and finally the cherry on top, Chris Webber, I couldn't believe it. Sure, I was a naïve pre teen that just loved to see these guys play together, but the older I got, the more curious I became as to how they got all this great talent in one single recruiting class. It was boosters and money and homes and jobs being given illegally to family members and friends of these elite athletes.

College sports has become a win at all costs game, and it can get sickening at times. These are young kids, going to play a sport for which they receive no financial incentive, and they seem to cannot wait to get out of there. Webber was known for openly complaining that he couldn't buy himself a meal, but the University was selling a jersey with his number on it for 40 plus dollars. It is a common and relatable gripe. These players do not see the benefits until they leave for the pros. The college coaches will continue to do anything and everything to bring in top talent. All they have to do is win games, and the boosters and fans are happy. They don't really care about these kids. The same can be said for Calipari and Coach K. They may say they care, but they don't. They bring in new kids every year, and they could care less about their well being. They just want them for basketball.

I hope this doesn't happen at Missouri. I also hope, for the fans sake, mainly my two brothers, Ross and RD, that this actually works. It worked for Michigan. They went to 2 straight Final Fours and 2 straight title games. These kids, luckily, meshed and played well together. But, look at what happened at LSU 2 years ago when Ben Simmons committed there. He was supposed to be the best thing to happen to that program since Shaq was there. Well, he was an inconsistent shooter, got hurt here and there and checked out when it was clear they wouldn't be a tournament team. LSU won 18 games with an incredible recruiting class. Or, look at Markelle Fultz and Washington last year. Fultz was one of the best point guards in the country, and will most likely be the first pick in the upcoming draft, and Washington won 9 games. One more than Missouri did last year. Fultz was in a crummy situation with a coach that didn't use him properly. The same thing happened the year before with Washington when they had Marquess Chriss. Chriss is an other worldly athlete, and Washington couldn't even make the NIT. Arizona is another example. They are a little better, they are a tournament team, but they always flame out. A few years ago they had Rondae Hollis Jefferson and Stanley Johnson, and I think they were bounced in the second round. California is another team that just couldn't do much with a few great recruits. Jaylen Brown and Ivan Rabb came there 2 years ago with super high expectations, and in year one, they got beat in the first round and Brown left for the draft. And last year, with Rabb as the guy, they were marginal at best.

So yeah, in the 90's it worked for Michigan. Sure, Duke won the title a few years ago with 4 freshman being the core. Calipari has won one title with a mostly freshman laden squad, but great recruits does not make for great teams all the time. All these kids are the stars at their school, and they expect to be the star in college. We have way more examples of freshman led teams flaming out than we do of them going deep in the NCAA tournament.

I hope it works out, not so much for Missouri, but for Cuonzo Martin. I think he is a really good coach, and I hope these 18 and 19 year olds listen to him. And, I hope Martin and Missouri do not get hit with the same type punishment Michigan got after the Fab Five was gone. I hope he is doing his recruiting as fairly and properly as possible. Time will only tell. Until then though, holy cow does Missouri have the kids to turn this team back around. Let's see them do it on the court now.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

LaMarcus Aldridge and the Spurs are Better Together

The Spurs and Aldridge need to put a ring on it

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

LeBron Will Never, Ever, Be as Good as Jordan.

Today was supposed to be about how dominant both the Warriors and Cavs have looked so far in the playoffs. Granted, they're both going to meet in the Finals for a third time, but the Cavs, and LeBron, laid a total egg last night. Let's talk about it.

LeBron had 11 points after going for 30 plus in 9 straight games. He just flat out disappeared last night. Sure, he wasn't needed in the first half, the Cavs were up by as many as 21 points. Kevin Love was hitting threes, Kyrie was making jumpers and getting to the rim and Thompson was out rebounding everyone. Then, the third quarter happened. Yes, the Celtics started making shots and playing very good defense, but where in the world was LeBron?

This is why I don't think LeBron will ever surpass Michael Jordan as the GOAT. Jordan never disappeared like LeBron always seems too, especially in the playoffs. This isn't a one time thing with LeBron either. He's been in the league for 14 years, and there's been multiple times that he just seems out of it or even disinterested. He's an incredible, wonderful, awesome basketball player, but sometimes, he just doesn't feel like playing. That's a problem when you want to be the best. Try to find one time Jordan had moments, in the playoffs, where he just decided to mail it in. He not only never had these moments, he only ever thrived. Even when the Bulls weren't the dynasty Bulls, he still showed out. He was the guy that put up 63 in Boston Garden against a vaunted Celtics team, led by Larry Bird. He came to play every night against the "Bad Boys" Pistons team, no matter how many times they put him on the floor, cheap shot or not. Jordan not only gavemaximum effort always, he also wanted to destroy you.

LeBron doesn't seem to have that side to him. He is fake tough when he wants to be. Jordan was real tough and dominant. LeBron is the best player now, but he has too many friends in the league. No one was Jordan's friend, especially on the court. Jordan was never hugging other players and high fiving opponents before and after games. He wanted to rip their throats and then stomp on them. LeBron, and most modern stars, are too friendly.

That is another reason there will never be another MJ. Jordan is the best. LeBron's performance last night further proved that to me. Like I said at the top, I was ready to heap a ton of praise on him. He looked locked in like never before, which is saying something for him. He was demoralizing everyone in his path. He was ruthless. But, we got fake tough, whiny, disinterested LeBron last night, and that stinks. Look, the Cavs are still going to beat the Celtics, probably in 5 games, but that performance by him left a bad taste in my mouth. LeBron is great, probably top 5 ever. But, if he continues to have games like last night in the playoffs, he will never surpass Jordan. Jordan is the best, and the most ruthless. LeBron is incredible, but he comes and goes as he wishes, and he's too friendly to be the best.

The fact are as follows, LeBron is still incredible, but he's not Michael Jordan, and he never will be.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Colin Kaepernick Deserves to be on an NFL Team

First off, I have to say a very happy birthday to our head editor, and my brother, RD. Hope you have a great day big bro.

Anyway, where we sit today, on May 19th at 2:35pm in the Midwest, Colin Kaepernick still remains unsigned. Now, I have been, equal parts hard and supportive of Kaepernick. I think, as a football player, he is marginal, at best. I also think, as a person, he is more American than most people and he has done wonderful things to bring to light some big time social injustices.

With that being said, I am shocked that he is not on a football roster right now. Yes, I already said that he is a marginal player, but he has an overall record as a starter of 32-32 and he has been to a Super Bowl. He almost won that Super Bowl single handily for the 49ers as well. He is better than a decent amount of the starters in the league right now, and I think he would be an incredible backup QB, on the right team.

First off, let's look at some of the starters right now going into 2017. I'd much rather have a guy like Kaepernick leading my team than say, Tom Savage, Brock Osweiler, Mike Glennon, Jared Goff or Sam Bradford. Those guys have never done anything of importance in the NFL, let alone making a Super Bowl. Sure, some of those teams may not fit his style of play, but he changed the way he played from college to the NFL, so I'm pretty sure he could manage a shift to a more traditional NFL offense. Hell, if I were the Vikings, I'd try as hard as I could to sign him. They play a west coast offense, which Kaepernick excelled in in San Francisco, and he is way, way better, and more reliable, than Sam freaking Bradford.

Those are just some of the starters that I think he is much better than. He would be the best back up in the NFL if that's the route, which is most likely, that he should choose. He is a million miles better than guys like Charlie Whitehurst, Mark Sanchez, Trevoyne Boykin, Connor Cook, Matt Schaub or Chase Daniel, just to name a few. I'm sure a team like the Saints, Titans, Seahawks, basically any fringe playoff team, would love to have him. The only back ups that come to my mind that are better than Kaepernick are, Jimmy Garropolo, possibly Alex Smith and maybe even, hell, I cannot think of any other back ups that are better than him.

While Kaepernick's best days as a player may be well over, he is still a viable option as a roster player in the NFL. I'm puzzled as to why no team has even brought him in to talk. I've heard a bunch of the Seahawks players want him, and even though I loathe that team, that would be the most ideal spot for him. It is almost too perfect. He is a taller version of Russell Wilson, and he is consistently more healthy. I actually kind of hope this happens because I am now a fan of Kaepernick's, and he deserves to be on a team.

The other reason he may not be getting signed is the kneeling during the anthem, and that is utter bull shit. He kneeled during a song, who cares?! He protested, which is well within his rights, and he is now being black balled for this? That is so, so stupid. And, by all accounts, this did not cause any type of split or friction in the 49ers locker room last year. In fact, the vast majority of his teammates, coaches and opponents stood by him and protested along with him. He started a movement of sorts with his protest. I loved it. Some of the police are maniacal monsters drunk on power, for the most part, and they are especially brutal to people of color. Kaepernick had every right to do what he did. I do not like the fact that he didn't vote, but that is another topic for another day. He is allowed to do this due to free speech. As I have already said, he is more American than most dumbass police officers that stereotype and racial profile. Also, look at all the great things he has been doing this offseason. Just go out and google Colin Kaepernick charity, and you will be blown away.

I am just baffled that he remains unsigned. I already named a bunch of starters and back ups that he is better than, and all he did with his kneeling was peaceful protesting. The fact that a guy like Adrian Peterson, who physically beat a 4 year old, or Richie Incognito, who is a racist bully, or Riley Cooper, who uses racial slurs at country shows, or Greg Hardy, who abuses women far too much, keep getting chances, and Kaepernick does not is utterly ridiculous.

The NFL, Roger Goodell and a lot of GM's are out of their minds and making me question one of my favorite sports to watch. The fact that Kaepernick is unsigned is stupidity at its highest, and hopefully this gets corrected. He is too good a player and a great person. He is the type of athlete that deserves a "second chance".

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His ass kissing at the top should be rewarded with dollars. Help Ty get his dollars by donating to SeedSing. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

Even a Fixed NBA Lottery Cannot Save the Lakers from Themselves

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

The NBA Playoffs have Sucked, and I am Still Going to Watch

Tonight there is a pivotal game 6 in the NBA playoffs between Houston and San Antonio. If San Antonio wins, they move on to face the Warriors in the Western Conference Finals. If the Rockets win, there will be a game 7 this weekend. With all this being said, I am not looking forward to any game 7.

This NBA postseason has been wildly disappointing. The games and series, for the most part, have been blowouts and have gone as expected. Both Cleveland and Golden State have breezed, as they should, through their first 2 series. The Warriors have not faced any real competition to this point so far, especially since they are at full strength. The Blazers, try as they might, do not have a team that is a threat to any playoff team in the West. I love Lillard and McCollum, but outside of those 2, there is not much else. It was a telltale sign of how that series would go when, in game 1, both Lillard and McCollum went for almost 85 points, and the Blazers still lost by double digits. They then breezed through the Jazz with no problem at all. The Cavs crushed the Pacers. The Pacers looked like they did not even want to be there, and Paul George was throwing his teammates under the bus left and right. They laid a total egg in game 4. The Raptors, who I thought could give the Cavs a series, were just awful. Their bigs couldn't stay on the floor, Lowry played hurt, then didn't play at all, DeRozan was wildly inconsistent, basically, the Raptors got tremendously outplayed by the Cavs. The 2 best teams have done what they should have done so far.

I expected a lot more from the first round of the NBA playoffs. I was pumped for OKC-Houston. I thought that it was going to be a great 7 game series with Harden and Westbrook trading blows. I expected high scoring games and tremendous efforts from the top 2 MVP candidates. Well, the Rockets won in 5, Westbrook got no help and the Rockets, even though they won, didn't play exceptionally well. It was a rough series to watch. Westbrook did what he could, but he also tried to take over way too often, especially in the fourth quarter. But, the Thunder have nothing else around him, no matter what some other sports writers say. Oladipo was a no show, Adams was ineffective, Taj Gibson had one good game, the Thunder's bench and other 4 starters stunk. The Rockets and James Harden weren't much better either. They shot very low percentages from 3. Harden was inconsistent. Ryan Anderson was horrible. Eric Gordon was a non factor. Lou Williams was the only Rocket that played semi decent basketball.

The Spurs-Grizzlies series was okay, but it went as expected. Kawhi was the best player, by a wide, wide margin on the floor, and after a few hiccups, they figured it out and beat the Grizzlies in 6. Mike Conley and Marc Gasol played fine, but when you are counting on guys like Wayne Selden Jr and Vince Carter, that is not going to win you many series. They got 2 because they are a prideful team, but the Spurs were clearly the better team.

The Clippers-Jazz series was the only first round to get to a game 7, but the game 7 was never in doubt. The Clippers did what they always do and blow a game they could have easily won. Chris Paul looked gassed. Blake Griffin was injured again. Deandre Jordan, once Rudy Gobert came back, was rendered useless. The Clippers are perpetual underachievers, and they showed that in this series. The Jazz played okay, but there were times that Gordon Hayward was out or inconsistent. Gobert missed the first 3 games, yet the Jazz found a way to win 2 of those games. George Hill played fine, but not great. Rodney Hood's shot was way, way off. Joe Johnson was great, but that was about it. Game 7 of this series was a total dud, with the Jazz absolutely dominating, from the tip, the Clippers.

As far as the first round in the East, I already mentioned Cleveland and their run to the conference finals. But, other than that, no real drama. Yes, the Bulls took a 2-0 lead against the Celtics, but Isiah Thomas was dealing with a horrific tragedy, they weren't hitting threes, and Rajon Rondo remembered that he was once a top 10 point guard in the league. Dwayne Wade and Jimmy Butler were playing very good basketball as well. Then, Rondo got hurt, the Celtics started to hit their threes, they played better defense, they rallied around Thomas and they won the next 4 games, by a lot, to advance to the second round.

The Raptors-Buck series was entertaining for the single reason that we got to see Giannis Antetokoumpo's first playoff experience. He was awesome. The Bucks will be good for awhile if they stay together, but the Raptors veterans and playoff experience won out in the long run and they closed the Bucks out in 6 games. DeRozan scored better in that series and Lowry played well. Ibaka looked good and a guy like Norman Powell exploded to have a big game out of nowhere.

The Wizards-Hawks series was very bland. Each team won their first 2 home games, then the Wizards realized how much better they are than the Hawks, and they crushed them in the next 2 games, including a thumping in Atlanta in game 6. John Wall was fun to watch, but that was about it from that series.

Now, we are currently in the second round. We already have 2 teams, the aforementioned Warriors and Cavs, set to play in the conference finals. The other 2 series are still going on, but with the exception of 2 games, it has been one blowout after another. The other night was the best game I have seen so far, when Manu Ginobli blocked Harden's game tying three attempt in overtime. That was a fun back and forth game, and the balance was always in doubt. Even without Kawhi in overtime, the Spurs still found a way to win. But, the other 4 games, I believe each team has won by double digits, including each team winning a game by 20 plus points. The Rockets are deadly when they make threes like they did in games 1 and 4, but when they play like they did in games 2 and 3, anyone, including the Lakers and 76ers, can beat them. Harden has looked bad, Kawhi is not dominating, LaMarcus Aldridge has been very subpar, the Rockets shooters aren't really hitting shots, D'Antoni is playing too small a rotation and Poppovich needs to quit playing David Lee and Pau Gasol and play Dwayne Dedmond and Johnny Simmons more.

The other series in the East has been the biggest disappointment to me of the entire playoffs. I was more so looking forward to the Celtics-Wizards matchup than the Thunder-Rockets. These two teams hate each other, and that has shown, but this has been a piss poor series. Yes, game 2 was phenomenal and Thomas and Wall were otherworldly, but the other 4 games, especially last night, have been terrible. Neither team seems to want to play defense. The Celtics were up about a million at halftime last night, and scored 67 points in a half. The other night, after halftime, the Wizards went on a 26-0 run to blow away the Celtics. The series has not lived up to the hype. Yes, we had a "fight", but that was about as weak a fight that I have ever seen. But, other than that, very ho hum, filled with blowouts and bad defensive basketball. I picked the Wizards to not only win this series, but I also picked them to beat the Cavs. In 6 games. With the way they are playing right now, especially on defense, and Bradley Beal personally, they will be lucky to get one game off the Cavs. I need to amend that pick and take the Cavs in a sweep.

Which leads me to my final point. Yes, these playoffs have been dreadfully bad, but does any other teams besides the Cavs and Warriors really matter? They will meet for a third straight time in the Finals. It is absolutely inevitable after what I have watched for what seems like months now in the NBA playoffs. The Cavs and the Warriors are the only 2 teams that matter, and they will, and need, to match up again in the Finals. If it is any other team from either conference, I will be disappointed. So, if you are as disenfranchised with what you've seen so far, at least, hopefully, we will get the rubber match between the 2 teams that are far and away the best 2 teams in the NBA Finals. Here's hoping.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

What is Kyle Lowry Worth in Free Agency?

I'll touch on how dominant the Warriors and Cavs have looked in the playoffs so far in a day or 2. Today, I want to talk about Kyle Lowry and his pending free agency.

First off, I have to state that I'm a Kyle Lowry fan. I like his game a lot, and I feel like he's an intense dude. I needed to say this because what I'm about to write might sound like I don't think he's a great player. He's a very, very good player.

With that being said, I do not think the market is going to be as open to him as he and his agent may think it will, or even should be. He will not be in that high demand. While he is a great regular season player, he has choked time and time again in the playoffs. His numbers dip dramatically during the playoffs. Teams that are perennial playoff teams probably won't go out of their way to sign him. The only regular in the playoffs that might try to sign him is his current team, the Raptors. I don't see someone like the Spurs, Thunder or even the Rockets trying to get him. I only named Western Conference teams because he's said he wants to go out West.

The only team on that list that truly needs a point guard is the Spurs, but the Chris Paul rumors keep getting stronger and stronger, and even though he's 4 years older, I'd rather have Paul than Lowry. Both are playoff chokers, but Paul's fate is more about the team and Lowry's is all on him. The Thunder have Westbrook and the Rockets have Harden and Patrick Beverly. Any other West playoff team is set at guard. The Warriors have Steph, Klay and Draymond. The Blazers have McCollum and Lillard. The Grizzlies have Conley. And teams just on the outside, like the T'Wolves and Nuggets have Wiggins, Rubio, Dunn, Mudiay and Murray. They also each have high draft choices in a draft filled with guards.

The market in the East isn't much better. The Cavs have Kyrie and LeBron. The Celtics have Isaiah Thomas, Avery Bradley, Marcus Smart, just a plethora of guards. The Wizards have Wall and Beal. Even the Pacers have a guy like Jeff Teague. The East playoff teams, save for Toronto, are set at guard.

Another problem, Kyle Lowry is also hitting the free agent market at 31. That's old in the NBA. He is well past his prime, especially with the awful "one and done" culture taking over. I do not hear a high demand to give a big contract, especially the max, to a guy that may only have 2 or 3 more years left.

Lowry would be best, if it's all about the money, to just go back home and play for the 76ers. He's from the Philadelphia area and played his college basketball at Villanova. That makes the most sense. It's the very low rent version of going home, a la LeBron 3 years ago. He would be given a hero's welcome if he signed with the 76ers. He'd even make them semi competitive, if Embiid can stay healthy for half a season.

If he doesn't want to play for Philadelphia, his choices will be slim. He can sign for much less money, and a diminished role, if he wants to go to a contender. If he wants the big contract, it has to be a team like the 76ers, or another low rent team. He could go to Orlando or the Lakers, the Knicks or even the Suns. They'll give him the money, but the playoffs will be a distant memory.

I wish Kyle Lowry would've performed better in the playoffs this year, it would make his free agency much more interesting this summer, but he did what he has done his whole career. That will be his undoing. I hope he does well, as I stated, I'm a fan, but his best days, and being the second option on a good team are done. He's older, slower and not clutch. That's the bottom line.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Terrible Lavar Ball is Causing Me to Root Against His Kids

Artist diepiction of Ty when he hears Lavar Ball talk about anything

Try as I might, I just cannot escape the madness that is Lavar Ball. I've written before about how he is the worst type of sports parent. But, after writing that, I was kind of able to avoid him. I'd see something that would have his name in the story, and I'd just click right by it. No fuss, no muss.

Then, a story about Lonzo Ball came out that he was going to skip the NBA combine. Now, I am not a fan of combine results and how it inflates a major prospect, but, it is a given that the big time prospects always attend. It happens in football, if baseball has one, I'm sure the top prospects show up to it, and you always have, unless they are injured, the main guys at the NBA combine. I'm pretty sure guys like Markelle Fultz, Josh Jackson, Johnathan Issac, basically any top prospect, is attending. But, for some illogical reason, Lonzo Ball doesn't think that he needs to go. He is just assuming that he will be a top pick, which I'm sure he still will be.

Aside from the skipping the combine, he has done some other stuff that I feel like his father is making him do. Immediately, and I mean immediately after UCLA got beat in the tournament, Ball's first comment was that he was going pro. He didn't seem to care at all that is team just got beat and that he was wildly outplayed by DeArron Fox. Then, he was showing up on crappy midday ESPN shows with his father to "expand his brand". Then, he declared that he only wanted to play for the Lakers. No other team that takes him would make him happy. He basically declared that he would only play for the Lakers. Like I said, all this seems like it was orchestrated by his father. So, while I was easily bypassing stories directly about Lavar Ball, I could not escape his son, and his son's comment.

Then, the thing that has really riled me up as of late, was Lavar Ball's recent comments that his son, Lonzo's, first signature shoe will be 200 dollars a pair. WHAT THE HELL IS THAT NONSENSE! No one's shoes cost 200 dollars a pair. The new LeBron's seem to average around 125-180 dollars a pair. KD's shoes are never more than 150 dollars. Kyrie Irving's shoes are usually 125 dollars. Even Air Jordan's, unless they are classic throwback shoes in mint condition, average around 160-175 dollars. These are all extremely established NBA super stars, with Jordan being the GOAT, and none of them charge 200 dollars per pair of shoes. That is asinine that Lavar Ball thinks anyone would ever pay 200 dollars for one pair of shoes. Also, who does he think is going to produce and market these shoes? He was laughed out of the Nike offices, with one of their major guys saying that he "the worst person I have ever had to deal with". Both Under Armor and Adidas have also said that they want nothing to do with the Ball family, specifically Lavar Ball. So, I ask again, who is going to sell, market, produce, create and get these 200 dollar shoes out to the public? Does he honestly think that his Big Baller Brand is going to become a thing that people will want to be a part of?

If I was a business owner of any kind I would stay away from him and his family with a 1,000 foot pole. I would want absolutely nothing to do with the Ball family, and it is all because of the father. He is a blowhard and I think he is insane. The words that come out of his mouth are just utterly ridiculous and pointless and flat out stupid. I usually like to give a player a chance. I want to watch them as pros, but I am now in the very large group of people that are actively rooting against anyone from the Ball family. I want Lonzo Ball to be a bust, and it has nothing to do with him, it is because of his father. I hope his 2 other sons never materialize to anything more than rotational college players. Lonzo Ball will be a high draft pick, he is a good player, but no one knows about his other 2 kids. I mean one of them is a sophomore, so who knows what will happen to him in 2 years. He may end up hating basketball.

I try not to actively root against kids, I'm a 34 year old with 2 kids of my own, but Lavar Ball has made the worst come out in me. He has made me an avid member of the anti Ball fan club. I want these kids to flame out as college players, and in Lonzo's case, as a pro. Lavar Ball is out of his god damn mind, and those 2 to 3 weeks where I did not even think about him were glorious. But, I just could not get the bad taste out of my mouth of this most recent outrageous declaration. No one, and I mean absolutely no one in their right minds will pay 200 dollars for shoes. That's just absurd.  Please stop talking Lavar Ball. Every time you open your mouth, you say something more ridiculous, and it makes you sound and look that much more stupid. Just please, for the love of whatever, stop.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His five year old son is pretty good at basketball right now. Any company interested in producing his $500 shoes?  

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

It is Long Past Time to Blow Up the LA Clippers

The best cure for the current Clippers roster sheet

Something incredible happened yesterday. And by incredible, I mean that it was such a great sight to see the Los Angeles Clippers, once again, bow out very early in the NBA playoffs. They got beat, handily I might add, by the Jazz in the seventh game of their first round matchup.

The Clippers had everything, minus one Blake Griffin injury, in their favor to easily win this series and advance to face the Warriors. They had the home court. They had the best overall player in the series, Chris Paul. They had what many presumed was the better back court and front court. They won a pivotal game 6 on the Jazz home floor. They should have won. Instead, they played some of the most uninspired basketball that I have ever seen. They looked defeated from the get go. Chris Paul looked tired. DeAndre Jordan was a complete non factor. Austin Rivers horrific offense was on full display. JJ Redick cannot shoot the three with any real consistency anymore, and he has become a total liability on defense. Jamal Crawford never found a rhythm in this series ever. Luc Mbah A Moute is a horrific offensive player, and his defense is not much better. Wesley Johnson could not get on the floor due to several matchup problems. Paul Pierce, as much as I love him as a basketball player, looked done in game 41 this year. The Clippers just stunk up the court last night.

I was happy by this, but I at least thought the Clippers would put up some kind of fight. The Jazz controlled everything about that game yesterday. Rudy Gobert was an absolute beast in the post. Gordon Hayward was doing what he has done all season long. George Hill was running their offense to near perfection. Joe Johnson looked so much better than any Clipper, save for Chris Paul. Derrick Favors looked awesome yesterday too. Hell, even Quinn Snyder outcoached Doc Rivers yesterday. It was so crazy. Doc Rivers is a NBA champion, and he got outcoached by a guy that got fired by the University of Missouri once upon a time. Now, Quinn Snyder is a much better coach now than he was back then, but still, for him to have a much better game plan than Doc Rivers was baffling.

I've said it way more than once on the site and I will say it once again, time to blow this shit up LA Clippers. This team is going nowhere, and they will continue to go nowhere as long as they keep this core group together. First off, Chris Paul is their best player, far and away, and one of the best point guards to ever play in the NBA, but he is old and getting to the point in his career where he cannot be the unequivocal leader of a title contender. He would be better suited going to a team like San Antonio or Miami this offseason, but I'm sure he will resign with the Clippers because they can offer him the most money. This summer will prove to us what he cares about more, money or titles. Resigning with the Clippers is a clear sign because they are not going to be a contender, especially in the West. Blake Griffin is an unrestricted free agent, and many teams will want him to come play for them, but he is oft injured, and I think his best days are behind him. Go back and read my piece from last Monday to get my full thoughts on Blake Griffin. He's done. DeAndre Jordan is who he will always be in the NBA. He is a decent pick and roll guy that can dunk the ball, but that is it. He is not a great rebounder, he is a subpar rim protector, an awful free throw shooter, cannot shoot outside the lane and seems disinterested in big time games. He is very big and strong, but he plays very small. JJ Redick is a free agent, just like Blake Griffin, but if Griffin is washed up, where does that put JJ Redick? He used to be a reliable three point shooter, but he doesn't even have that anymore. He is also a horrid defender. Good luck to whatever sub .500 team gives him 15 million a year. Paul Pierce, thankfully and mercifully, is retired now. He was so great once, but since he left Boston, save for one season in Washington, he has looked like a shell of himself. He looked completely washed up when I watched him play yesterday. I love you Paul Pierce, but that was painful.

Other than that, who do the Clippers have that will scare the Warriors, Rockets, Spurs, hell even the Thunder and Jazz now? All those teams are better, and I think that Portland is going to surpass them next season as well. So, if they stay pat with their "big three" of Paul, Jordan and Griffin, I still think, at the very best, they will be a 7 seed in the West. They cannot compete with those other teams, plain and simple. I know that Steve Ballmer, who I loathe, and the front office and Doc Rivers the GM wants to resign all these guys, just don't. It is an exercise in futility. As the saying goes, if you keep doing the same thing and expect a different outcome, that's the sign that you're a crazy person, or something like that. As I already stated, Chris Paul would be better suited going to a team in the East, or to a Western Conference team like the Spurs or Rockets. Blake Griffin needs a change of scenery something fierce. He doesn't have the drive that a guy like Chris Paul demands from his teammates and he has always seemed to clash with him. They need to breakup. DeAndre Jordan will stick around most likely, but he will never be the star that some thought he would be. I don't see Jamal Crawford, JJ Redick, Mbah A Moute or Wesley Johnson coming back or making any contribution of note if they do. Austin Rivers is, unfortunately for Clippers fans, probably the "future" at point guard. That is a scary thought. The Clippers also have no real depth or young guys that they have helped to get better.

The LA CLippers are a team begging for a tear down. I thought they should have done it after they blew a 3-1 lead to the Rockets 3 seasons ago, but after seeing them play yesterday, I am more than certain that they need a full rebuild. We will see what the offseason brings, but I do not want to hear anymore sports writers proclaim that next year is the Clippers year. They are so far behind, at the very least, 5 teams in their own conference. They are also never going to beat a team like Cleveland, Boston or even Washington or Toronto from the East. They are a middle of the pack team at best right now, so why bring this group back? It makes no sense, and I say, blow it the hell up. That is the best thing for the future of this team, in my opinion. Chris Paul deserves better, Blake Griffin needs a change of scenery, and I think Doc Rivers does too. I say RIP to the Clippers "big three", and their "shot at a title". It is done. They are finished.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He takes joy in three things, his family, his food, and being right about the LA CLippers.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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