Ty Ranks the 2018 NFL Teams: The Taste of Day Old Coffee Edition

Today marks the beginning of my third straight NFL preseason preview. I will do the same thing as always, I will do 4 teams a day, going from worst to best, giving a few reasons why I put them where I put them, and how, if they have any shot, they can win the title. No fuss, mo muss. Also, on the ninth day I will do post season predictions, award winners and who I think will play, and win, in the Super Bowl.

Okay, lets go.

At number 32 I have, and who would have thought this, the Cleveland Browns. It is hilarious to me that professional journalists keep saying that this team is finally going to turn it around. I have heard this same nonsense for the past 2 years, and now, it is white noise to me. The Browns are the Browns, and what that is, is a terrible football team. Hue Jackson, while a decent coordinator, is a horrendous head coach. His record these past 2 years you ask, 1-31. That is abysmal. How he still has that job is far, far beyond me. But, the product they put on the field is an affront to football. They lost their best player to retirement this offseason, so it will only get worse for them from here. You may be asking, "who was their best player Ty?". It was lineman Joe Thomas. That is how bad it is for the Browns. Their best overall football player was a 300 plus pound offensive lineman. And enough with the Baker Mayfield hype. I wrote last week how overblown it has already become after one preseason game. He has bust written all over him. They "juiced" up their receiving corps by giving slot man Jarvis Landry is absurd amount of money. I don't even know who their running back is. This offense is a mess. And, it doesn't get any better on the other side of the ball. The defense has some guys, but those guys are either not ready, Denzel Ward and Jabrill Peppers, or too old, or too hurt. This team is a joke of a franchise. They are going nowhere fast. They may have made the overreach of the century taking Mayfield first overall. All you professional pundits that are saying, "this is the year", knock it off. The Browns stink, and if they win 2 games, I would be shocked. They have zero shot of going to the playoffs, let alone the Super Bowl.

At number 31 I have the New York Giants. Again, preseason hype for a rookie needs to grind to a total halt. Yes, Saquon Barkley looked wonderful the other night, but it was a preseason game against the Browns. Don't put too much stock in it. I know Giants fans will say they finally got rid of the problem, head coach Ben McAdoo, but he isn't the problem, and Pat Shurmur sure as hell isn't the solution. The problem is Eli. It really always has been. I know he has won 2 Super Bowls, but it was through no doing of him. His receivers made miraculous catches, and those Giants defenses were some of the best. Eli is trash. He should have retired 3, maybe 4 years ago. He is not a good QB. Others will say, "but Odell is back, and Evan Engram is in year 2". So what. Odell will either get hurt or demand a trade by week 6, mark it down. And Evan Engram is a glorified wideout masquerading as a tight end. He doesn't block, and isn't that great downfield. Also, Eli Manning is "throwing" them the ball, so it doesn't matter how good they may be when it takes decades to get the ball to them. Also, their O line is so awful. The Giants offense stinks. As far as their defense, now that Jason Pierre Paul is gone, I cannot name a single guy, and I watch a ton of football. This team is flat out bad in every phase of the game. I was kind of excited to see what Barkley could do, but then I remembered his line, and then I heard he was in talks to be a punt and kick returner. That is bad, bad news if true Giants fans. This year will be no fairy tale 9-7 season where you limp into the playoffs and somehow win the Super Bowl. They look a lot more like 3-13 or 4-12 team to me.

At number 30 I have the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. Now first off, I am pissed at myself for believing in them last season. I thought for sure they were going to take the next step. They did not. They regressed hard core. Jameis Winston stinks at football, and is even worse at life. This dude is just a bad person, and a bad football player. I do not understand why he gets chance after chance after chance. The Bucs need to cut bait now, before it just gets worse. He is an infection. Desean Jackson deserves better. Mike Evans prime is being wasted. They have no run game. They love to punt the ball. The defense, while they have Gerald McCoy, they don't really have anything else. Poor McCoy has to spend his prime on a lower tier football team. He is so good, but he is only one player. He needs help, and the Bucs defense provides him with nothing. They also play in a super competitive division too, so playoffs and Super Bowls are very unlikely. And, Dirk Koetter is somehow still employed by this team. Again, kicking myself that I bought into his hype. He is a shitty coach of a shitty football team with a shitty face of the franchise. I despise Tampa, and this is exactly what they deserve.

My final team for today, at number 29, the Indianapolis Colts. And they are only this "high" because Andrew Luck may, finally, be healthy again. He is throwing a real football at least. They also skirted Josh McDaniels, after he cried his way back to New England, which may be a good thing. I don't know much about Frank Reich, he looks, talks and acts like the definition of milquetoast. But, all that sounds better than some crybaby who couldn't hack in in Denver, goes back home, takes another job, and at the last second decides he isn't ready. Josh McDaniels stinks. Maybe Reich won't be so bad. But after that, it is rough. T.Y. Hilton is still there, and while he is effective, he is so much more suited as a second or third option. Frank Gore is gone, and while he is old, he was reliable as hell. That dude never quit. I do not know who their new running back is. Jack Doyle is fine, as long as Luck is the QB. And the O line is a bit below average, but not horrendous anymore. But, that offense all hinges on Luck. If he is healthy, and can throw a real ball, they will be okay. If he is gone, they will be awful. The defense is a lot like the Giants to me. I do not really know anyone on that side of the ball for the Colts. That may be good, but it seems more ominous to me. They also got lit up against not even very good teams last year. The Colts are not the darlings they once were. They are not playoff contenders anymore. They are the worst team in the division they used to own now. But, and it is a very big BUT, if Luck can stay healthy, they will win more games than many think. And by more games, I mean 5, possibly 6. The Colts are bad, and they will be for awhile.

That does it for today. Come back tomorrow for teams 28-25. Football is almost back.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He thinks it may be time to move the Browns again. Maybe the team could win a game in a NCAA Division III? 

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It is Already Time to Pump the Brakes on the Baker Mayfield and Saquon Barkley NFL Hype

Last night the number one and two overall picks in the most recent NFL draft faced off. Baker Mayfield and the Browns played Saquon Barkley and the Giants in both teams first preseason game. There was plenty of hype coming into this game. Both teams wanted to see what these guys could do against NFL players.

How did it all go?

Now, it needs to be said that both players did not face most of the other team's first string defense, as is the case in most preseason games. Both guys played well. I believe Barkley took his first carry for a TD, or maybe a long run. Either way, he came out of the gates great. Mayfield played well too. He looked poised, was threading needles and threw 2 touchdowns.

So, how did the sports media treat this nothing game?

The hype this morning grew to an all time high. Everything I saw was headlined with words like, "These guys were worth the risk", or, "Mayfield and Barkley are poised to be super stars", or, "looks like both teams have their new star player to build a team around". There was a lot of other stuff along these same lines. People were going nuts. Social media was even crazier. Giants and Browns fans were obnoxiously claiming that these guys were the future of football. It was intense.

To all this I say, calm the hell down. It was the first preseason game for both teams. Neither guy faced anyone that they will face in a real football game. Both guys are going to have moments like this, but they will also have moments where the game seems much, much to big for them. I know people like to crown guys early and often in football, but when it comes to a Browns QB, and a high first round running back for the Giants, I would think the fans would know better. I would think they would be very cautious with their praise. I think they would be waiting to crown these guys until they did this stuff in the 10th game of the regular season, and had done it all year.

Look, I have very little expectations for Mayfield. I think the Browns reached when they drafted him first overall. They had another pick, number 4, where they could have gotten them. Hell, I think they had another later first round pick where Mayfield may have still been available. But, they jumped at the chance to take him first overall. After all, he was the Heisman winner and had 2 great college seasons. He also dazzled at the combine and at his pro day. I feel like they thought they had no other choice but to pick him number one overall. Well, guys like Jamarcus Russell, David Carr, Joey Harrington, Akili Smith, they all had this same type of hype heading into the draft. Where are all those guys now? How did they fare in their NFL careers? And I don't remember exactly how well they played in their first preseason games, but I'm sure they did just as well as Mayfield. The kid is very short, and he isn't Drew Brees or Russell Wilson. He is also a hard core malcontent, but no one ever mentions that because he is white. Yeah, I said it. Mayfield is like Johnny Manziel 2.0. Yes, he looked good last night, but wake me up when he does this against a real team in a real game. If he wins more than 4 games as a starter this year, I will be absolutely shocked. I have absolutely no faith in him as a quality starter, let alone a player to build around, and who will be in the MVP conversation year after year.

As far as the Barkley hype goes, this is specifically for you Giants fans, wasn't Ron Dayne this good in his first preseason? How did that turn out? Yes, Barkley is more versatile than Dayne was, but the Giants had a better team, and more importantly, a better offensive line when Dayne was there, and he was a total bust. The Giants stink right now, and their offensive line is horrendous. Also, Eli freaking Manning is their starting QB. I also heard that the Giants were flirting with Barkley as a kick and punt returner. What the hell are they thinking. Do they want this kid to get hurt before he can do anything that compares to what he did last night? The Giants are in need of a full rebuild, especially at QB, but they went with the best athlete in the draft, and he just happens to be a running back. Barkley reminds me a lot of Ezekial Elliot, minus all the physical abuse that Elliot has done to woman. The only exception, Elliot had a solid O line in Dallas. The Giants do not have that. You know what else the Cowboys have that the Giants don't? A competent QB. Yeah, Dak Prescott took a step back last season, but he is still much, much, much, much better than Eli Manning. So while Barkley is one hell of an athlete, he has no chance to succeed due to a terrible QB and an O line that will get him murdered by week 3. Someone like Michael Bennett or Jadaveon Clowney, or insert big time defensive player here, will be licking their chops waiting to crush this rookie. And that Giants O line will let that very thing happen.

What I am trying to say is, calm the hell down after one preseason game, especially since they played one another. I'm going to start my preseason NFL countdown next week, and a little sneak behind the curtain for you, the Browns are dead last on my list, and the Giants, they are not much better. I will most likely have them as the second worst team heading into this year. So take last night's game with the biggest grain of salt you can find. I was already skeptical of these 2, and last night did nothing to change my mind. They have a whole season to prove me wrong, but I don't think they will.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He does not know the pain of having pointless hope in NFL draft picks. Come to Cincinnati and see how the Bengals treat a fan's hope.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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

Jimmer Fredette Belongs in TBT and Not the NBA

Last night while channel surfing, I came across a basketball games. I was intrigued because the NBA is in the dead period, college basketball is a ways away from tipping off, summer league is over and the G League doesn't start for a bit. At first glance I thought it may have been the Big 3, but, unfortunately there were 10 guys on the court. I was confused what I stumbled across, but it was basketball, so I decided to watch for a bit.

What I saw was some very poorly played basketball. Now, these guys are much, much better than I will ever be at basketball, but what I watched last night wasn't even the equivalent to minor league baseball, the CFL, the arena league or the G League. Hell, I'd even take mid major college basketball over what I saw last night. After about 5 minutes of watching, the abbreviation "TBT" kept showing up. I didn't know what this stood for, but I then remembered seeing something similar to this last year while doing late night channel surfing last summer around the same time. I remembered that "TBT" stood for "The Basketball Tournament".

The "TBT", I know that's redundant, is a tournament style basketball competition where the winner gets 2 million dollars. Now, that is 2 million dollars to spread out among the entire team. That's not a lot when you think about it. I then started to recognize some of the guys playing in the game last night. I didn't remember many of the names, but I remembered seeing them in summer league, on NBA teams as of a few years back, playing in college basketball. They looked familiar to me. I then heard an announcer say, "and James Michael McAdoo with the bucket." I knew that name. He was on the Warriors a few years back, the first year they won their title. I then heard about some of the other teams that had already been eliminated, and names became recognizable again. I heard names like Jared Sullinger and Greg Oden, oh how the "mighty" have fallen. Other names like Brandon Triche, Hakim Warrick, Andrew Dakich, Mark Donnal, Stu Douglass and Jon Horford all ran familiar to me. Some of these guys I knew from college, namely all the former Michigan players, (Dakich, Donnal, Douglass and Horford). I also recognized Brandon Triche from his solid college career at Syracuse. Same for Hakim Warrick, but he did have a cup of coffee in the NBA.

The one former big name that kept showing up, especially last night since the team was named after him and his family, was Jimmer Fredette. You all remember him, right? He was the former college player of the year. He was a lottery pick. He was supposed to be the next great three point shooter in the league. He was going to be, one of many that have not made it, the Sacramento Kings savior. But, last I heard about Jimmer Fredette was, he was playing in China. Sure, a year or so back he was in the G League, and got called up to play for the Knicks for a minute, but that was it. Then, as I said, he signed on for a team in China. By all accounts, the few stories that are leaked here and there, he is lighting that league up. I've heard that he goes for 60 plus points regularly. I've heard that some teams G League affiliates have their eyes on him now. So, I stayed tuned in after the first 5 minutes because I thought maybe this time, the "TBT" would be better.

Sadly, it was not.

Team Fredette, led by Jimmer, was basically a clear out for Jimmer, so he could shine. Every time down the court, he brought the ball up, and 99 percent of the time, he took the shot. I had heard that he was putting up 40 fairly regularly in this tournament, but when you shoot 30 plus times a game, you should be scoring that much. His defense, or lack there of, was also horrendous. They were hiding him, in the "TBT", and he was still atrocious. And the team they played, I cannot remember for the life of me their name and I just watched the game less than 24 hours ago, defeated his team handily. They actually played defense and used team work and made easy shots. They didn't look good doing it, but they did earn themselves a chance at the 2 million dollar prize money.

Look, this was a bad basketball game that I watched. I did choose it over preseason football, because who in their right minds want to watch Baltimore and Chicago in the first preseason game on August 3rd? Not even the presence of Lamar Jackson was enough to pull me away fro a crummy basketball game. But, that needs to be said. Yes, I chose to watch this game because I love basketball, but it was awful. And for those that are saying this is Jimmer Fredette's comeback story, the way he performed in the "TBT", stop it. Fredette's days as an NBA player are done. He couldn't get separation from dudes that have been out of the league, or were never in it in the first place, at all last night. His jumper isn't nearly as good as it used to be either. As for defense, he still stinks, like I said earlier.

Sure, it was a cute little story, but TBT proves that Fredette is washed. I'd rather have guys like Nate Robinson, Zak Irvin or any guy currently on a G League roster. Fredette is trash, and so is the "TBT". But, I will probably watch the final because I am a junky. But man oh man is it some sub par basketball.

Ty

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

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We All Know Urban Meyer Will Get Away With This, Again

Fill the bag with scum and call it Urban Meyer

As we all know by now, Urban Meyer is under some serious heat for his non action, and lies, between a former assistant coach of his that was physically abusing his former wife. Apparently Meyer knew, lied about it, and now, he may be caught. But, it wasn't only him that knew. Apparently his wife knew. Apparently other coaches knew. Apparently, the abused wife is now speaking out, and she claims some of the higher ups at the school, like the AD and president, all knew.

This is bad, bad news. This is so much worse than what Jim Tressel did while he was the coach there, and I despise that man with every breath in my body. But, this story has nothing to do with my disgust for the University of Ohio State. Everyone knows that I loathe that school, that I am a Michigan fan through and through, that I root for only one Big Ten school. This story frightens me because I fear nothing will come of it. 

I don't think the University, the media or the boosters and all others involved with the school will do a damn thing about it because Urban Meyer is a "winner" in their eyes. In Columbus they clearly only care about one thing, and that is the University of Ohio State football team winning games and titles. They have proven this time and time again. When Tressel was there, he had a QB, his name escapes me now, who was caught stealing computers, and he missed a meaningless early season game on his way to winning the Heisman. Their star QB the past couple years, JT Barrett, was caught on camera driving drunk and asking the police, "don't you know who I am". AJ Hawk, a former standout linebacker, said on national TV, "you don't come here to go to school, you come here to play football", and he was praised. That third string QB from a few years back, tweeted, "people don't come to watch me play school". Terelle Pryor, and some of the guys from his class, traded tattoos for memorabilia. All of this stuff that has piled up against them over the years has led to nothing. Sure, they had one bad season, where they went 6-7, and maybe lost a scholarship here and there, but that was it. In fact, they are looked at as an elite program led by an elite coach now. If you tune into any sports show, especially on ESPN, the commentators have nothing but glowing things to say about this "great football institution".

It's sickening.

And while the fans of this school will say, "Tressel got fired for what he did, and we had that one bad season. How can you say nothing happened?". That is a small, small price to pay, and I agree that what he got fired for was stupid, but Tressel is a scumbag, and all you fans know it. Also, you had one bad season. The very next year, your team was a top 10 team. Stop griping about Tressel.

What Meyer has done is part of a disturbing trend that he seems to get away with because he is a good coach. This isn't the first time he has been brought up as a liar and a cheater. While at Florida, he had a team that had a crime sheet that was about a mile long. I believe that he was the head coach of the team with the most arrests and suspensions in his three year tenure there. But, he suddenly had a "heart condition", and he took a year off. Florida then got sanctioned, and is a shell of what they used to be. And Meyer could care less. After his year off he took over at the University of Ohio State, and he has had a top 10 team every year. He has won a title. He has been to the playoff twice. He has had players in the Heisman talk every year. And now, he has another bombshell report on his incompetence and willingness to value winning over safety. The fact that there are text messages between him and the former coach and him and the former spouse and him and his wife is appalling. I know none of this is set in stone yet, but it seems pretty clear to anyone with eyes and a brain that he is guilty.

But, as I said at the top, I don't think any of it will matter in the long run. I feel like Meyer will get off scott free, and then the ESPN's of the world will have stories about him "overcoming an offseason of hate", or they'll use one of their favorite words, "tragedy". They will treat him just like they treat Penn State right now. Everyone at the big time media conglomerates will forget this even happened. I read a Deadspin article earlier today that basically stated, say the team loses one game, then 2, then say, 5, how soon until they reinstate Meyer? I couldn't agree more with this article. The University of Ohio State gave him some bull shit "paid with leave" deal yesterday. After this report came out, and hundreds of people were calling for him to be fired, the university deemed a paid vacation as a good enough punishment. That is the scariest part. They truly only care abut football and winning in that hell hole of a town. The dip shits that attend their home games, the grown men that paint their faces and wear jerseys of teenagers, could care less that Meyer lied in everyone's faces, as long as that team wins.

Urban Meyer is a scum bag, there is no way around it. He is grimy, he cheats and he lies. But, as long as he continues to win, the university could care less. We live in disturbing times. When a coach of a football team is higher than the law, that what makes me fear what they will let people get away with in the future. This is a disgusting and disturbing misuse of his "power", but I would bet dollars to donuts that he misses zero games, and is held as a "hero" in the eyes of big time media, especially, ESPN. This is all very gross.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is not on good terms with two state capitals this week. Madison Wisconsin received his anger already this week.

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LeBron James is an Outstanding Human Being

I know that I am tough and hard on LeBron James a lot on the site and the podcast. But, I am also very up front with how great I think he is, how good of a person he is, all the great things he does on and off the court, how vocal and open with his politics he is, how much to has lived up to the hype, and then some, basically, I may harp on him, but I think he is a once in a lifetime talent and person. Today though, I want to only heap tons and tons of praise on him.

With the opening of his new school in Akron, I am just so pleased and thrilled with the news. I love this. I love when athletes give back to their community. James had a rough childhood, and he wants to make things better for kids in his hometown. He didn't have to do this, especially since he just left Cleveland and signed with the Lakers. He also could have waited, a la Jalen Rose, until after basketball to do this. He also could have done it in any city he wanted. But, he chose his hometown. I love it. He is giving back, and when mega star athletes give back, I have nothing but good things to say.

An act like this makes me realize that some athletes have a heart and soul, that they aren't just in it for the money, that they realize where they came from, and want to help. Jalen Rose did this in Detroit, and JRLA is a thriving school in a not so thriving area. I feel like James will accomplish this with his school in Akron. I was doing research on this new school for this piece today, and I was blown away at all the stuff I saw that the school will do. Things like free tuition, free uniforms, free bikes and helmets, free transportation within 2 miles, free breakfast, lunch and snack, a food pantry for families, GED and job placements services for parents and guaranteed tuition to the University of Akron for EVERY student that graduates.

All of that is absolutely incredible. Free tuition is just amazing. That is my dream for college for my kids. The fact that LeBron is doing it for underprivileged kids in Akron is truly remarkable. Free uniforms are great. I knew kids that went to private schools, and their uniforms were wildly expensive. This is wonderful. Free bikes, helmets and transportation within 2 miles, spectacular. That is so cool. If I were a kid and I was offered a free bike, with a helmet, I would have lost my mind. What a perfect gesture. Also, the transportation within 2 miles, while it doesn't sound like much on the surface, it is splendid. Two miles of free transportation is perfect for working parents who have odd hours, and need to get their kids to school on time. The free food, breakfast, lunch and snack, is stupendous. This is a big relief to parents and kids. The fact that they can go to a school where food will be hot and ready for them, I mean, that is a lifesaver. They can go have a nice breakfast and lunch, then have a snack before heading home. That is truly great. That, again, is a lifesaver. That is the epitome of giving back. It is also the epitome of helping, and reaching out to your community. The food pantry for families is so awesome. For lower class families that are struggling to make a living, a food pantry is one of the best things that could happen I imagine. That the whole family can go and take what they need, I mean, how cool is that? How great is that? It is the best. The GED and job placement services is just as good as the food pantry in my opinion. He is out there trying to help people find work, and further their education. He wants these families to not only stay in their hometown, but he wants them to thrive. He wants them to get work. He wants to help them do better. He is giving them a place they can go and try to better themselves. It is just so cool and so awesome and so giving and just the best.

But the cherry on top of all of this greatness is the free tuition to any graduate to the University of Akron. I mean, that is really amazing. Kids who graduate from his school can go to college for free! Let that sink in. College is crazy expensive, and kids who graduate LeBron's new school get to go for free. That is the absolute best thing I could ever think of. He is putting a ton of his hard earned money into sending kids to college, kids that aren't his own kids. That is amazing and extremely heartfelt.

I didn't think that LeBron could do anything else to surprise me, and make me respect him even more, but he did. He may be a better person than he is a basketball player, and he is an amazing basketball player. But, this new school, his outspokenness on politics, his helping to groom his son for his future basketball career, his standing up to the bullies in D.C., it is all amazing and makes me like him even more.

LeBron James is going to go down as one of the greatest basketball players ever, but when we look back at all the things he did outside of a basketball court, I think we will remember those even more. LeBron James is a great, great man, and I have an immense amount of respect for him. My hat is off to you Mr. James, you are an exceptional person.

Ty

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

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The End of Carmelo Anthony's NBA Career

Yesterday another NBA trade happened, and while some deemed it a blockbuster, I do not agree. Carmelo Anthony was traded to the Hawks for Mike Muscala and Dennis Schroder, and another team was involved, but only in cash I believe. The "big" names to move were Schroder and Anthony. They were essentially traded for each other, and then the Hawks said they will waive Carmelo the moment they can.

What does this all mean. The Thunder offloaded a guy that they didn't want anymore, a guy that did not help their team at all last year, a guy that openly complained about his role, a guy that refused to come of the bench, basically, a guy that is washed as a pro.

When Carmelo came into the league, I loved his offensive game. He never played any defense, but he didn't his one year in college either. He was an offensive wizard. He could shoot, slash and get to the rim. Hid fade away was a thing to behold. His pull up jumper was great as well. He made the Nuggets relevant and fun when they drafted him. And even when he pushed his way to the Knicks, the first couple of years at least, he was still fun to watch. I also loved watching him on Team USA. That was my favorite Carmelo Anthony. He is such a good spot up three point shooter, and when he tries on defense, he is okay. That was how he played on Team USA. That was who the Thunder thought they were getting.

After growing more and more frustrated in New York, then being asked to play third, some times fourth fiddle in OKC, Carmelo has just fallen off a cliff. I almost feel bad for him, almost. The fact that he picked up his option for 28 million, which I totally get, but the fact that he still picked it up knowing that the Thunder did not want him there, that was some shady shit. I get not passing up 28 million, but Carmelo has made way, way more money than that throughout his career. He even did a spread in ESPN The Magazine where he basically said that he cared more about his brand than titles spoke volumes to me. He is all about making money as an NBA player. He really does not care about a title.

Now that he has been traded for Schroder and Muscala, and people are saying the Thunder won the trade, Carmelo is officially washed. There should be no doubt about that anymore. He has nothing to offer any team. He cannot shoot it like he used to. He has no lift. He doesn't have the speed to cut anymore. And he plays no defense. I'm sure a team will sign him, but if I were a GM, I wouldn't touch him with a ten foot pole, especially after how he performed last year.

I have heard that the Rockets are the front runners to sign him, and if they do, they will regret it. First off, they need to sign Clint Capela before they sign anyone else. Then, they do not need Carmelo. Sure, he is a "big" name to add to 2 other big names, but he is not a big time player anymore. He is not a viable replacement for Trevor Ariza. They should just put Gerald Green in the Ariza role. He is currently a better NBA player than Anthony. And for the Rockets, how is Anthony any better than Ryan Anderson right now. They are the exact same player.

If the Lakers sign him, they will have the most combustible locker room in NBA history. That would be an unmitigated disaster. He would also take crucial minutes away from young, growing guys like Brandon Ingram and Kyle Kuzma.

As far as other "contenders", none of them need Carmelo. The Warriors sure as hell don't need him, and they couldn't afford him anyway. The Celtics don't want that headache. The Raptors just got Kawhi, so they definitely don't need 2 players that don't want to play basketball this year. The 76ers have much better, much younger guys, and the vets they have know their place.

Carmelo needs to let it go. He needs to move on. His best days are far, far, far behind him. His career is over. As much as I used to like watching him play, he is done. Let it go.

Ty

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

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What the Hell Is Kawhi Leonard Doing?

Even though I wrote about it yesterday, I still have a few more thoughts on the Kawhi Leonard trade, and it all has to do with his actions since the trade was announced.

First off, he came out and said, or maybe it was his people, I do not know, that he does not want to play in Toronto. He apparently has zero interest in being on the Raptors. Now, I get that he might not like the team he was traded to, and that he has his own personal list of the teams he wants to play on, but he is under a contract that he signed. Sports is a brutal, heartless business, and Kawhi should know that. He has one final year. He has to, well, if he wants to get paid for doing his job, play for the team he was traded to. I know it is not LA or Philly, or even Boston, but he signed the contract himself. So, he can either play for Toronto, then go anywhere he wants next year, which is his right, or he can sit out and not see a dime.

Which brings me to my second point, his threatening to sit out again. That shit is played out and childish. Why would he want to waste another year of his prime? Is he doing this just to prove a point? Look, I am all for these guys being treated as people, because that is what they are, but what Kawhi is doing is only hurting his career and his image. This whole threatening to sit the season out, and not report to training camp will cost him more money than most of us would see in three or four lifetimes. He must be crazy if he is willing to give up over 20 million dollars, just to prove a point. I'm sure he has more money than he ever imagined, but the threat of losing that much money should scare the hell out of him. I say again, he would lose over 20 MILLION DOLLARS. That is so, so much money.

Also, he would waste another year in his absolute prime. Two years ago, after Tim Duncan retired and the Spurs handed the team over to him, he was one of the best players in the world. I picked him as my preseason MVP, and I still stand by that pick 2 years later. He was crushing the league on both ends of the floor, and he made the Spurs a viable threat in the West. Hell, they might have had a shot at the Warriors if ZaZa Pachulia never stepped underneath him and hurt him again. They were up by a ton in that game, in Golden State, and then Kawhi went down and so did the Spurs.

Kawhi came into last year with that same injury, and just seemed more quiet and disengaged than normal. I know that he had issues with the Spurs trainers, so he got his own. Then, some current players, namely Tony Parker, started to call him out. I'm not here to judge injuries, each player is different in their recovery and what not, but players let him know that they didn't buy it. In fact, former players were openly bashing him on national TV. Then he started to grow despondent with Greg Poppovich, and Poppovich let him know that that did not bother him. He would talk about his injury to the media, say he felt he was ready to go, but he always left it up to Kawhi when he wanted to come back. And he did, for 9 games, and then immediately shut it down. This was when the diva part of him started to come out. He never said anything himself because he is a very quiet person, but his people sure let the media know that he wanted out, and he wanted to go to LA.

So, he wasted the entire season, at age 26, complaining about an injury, the Spurs and demanding a trade. And now that he has been traded, which is what he wanted, he is threatening to miss his second year in a row, at age 27, because he doesn't like the team he was traded to. That is some childish bull shit right there. He got what he wanted. He is not a Spur anymore. He doesn't have to deal with the staff. He is on a team that is a title contender. He will be their number one option if he is healthy. He is in a very big city. But, since the jersey doesn't have LA or PHILA or CELTICS on the front, he is pouting.

I'm at a loss for how to feel about Kawhi Leonard anymore. I once loved his game. I loved how he let his play do all his talking. I love how lock down he was on defense. I loved that he worked hard on his jumper and became an elite player. But now, I am very disappointed in how he has handled this whole thing. It has left a bad taste in my mouth. But hey Kawhi, if you want to lose 20 million dollars, and then go be LeBron's sidekick, that is your decision, and you have every right in the world. I just think it would be stupid to lose that much money and waste 2 years of your absolute prime, just to prove a point.

Ty

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

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Let's Talk About the "Big" Kawhi Leonard Trade

Well, Kawhi Leonard has been traded. I guess the Spurs did not want to call his bluff, so they let him "free" of the team that he has grown so mad at over the past year. They kind of gave him what he wanted, in a way. He did not want to be a Spur, he did not trust them, and he had threatened to sit out the whole season if not traded.

But, when I say kind of what he wanted, the Spurs did stick it to him a little bit on his way out. It was made very, very clear that Kawhi wanted to be in LA, and to a lesser extent, Philly. But, one thing was for sure, and that was that he wanted out of San Antonio. Well, he got his wish, but he did not get traded to a team that he wants to play for. In fact, he got traded to a team where he has made it very clear, he has no intention of staying with. The team, the Toronto Raptors.

This is crazier to me than Paul George going to OKC last year. Until very, very recent, the Raptors were not even on the radar. That was the same with George and OKC last year, but the Thunder at least had Westbrook as a selling point to George. The Raptors, well they traded away their best asset for what is going to most likely be one disgruntled year of Kawhi. The Raptors sent DeMar DeRozan, Jakob Poeltl and a 2021 first round pick to the Spurs for Kawhi and Danny Green.

Now, just looking at this from a pure basketball stand point, I have no idea who won this trade. Yes, Kawhi got out, but he is going to Toronto, and the Raptors traded DeRozan for him. You may say, well they still have Kyle Lowry, Jonas Valenciunas and OG Anunoby, among others. Well, Lowry is as big a playoff choker as James Harden, if not worse, Valenciunas' game is not modern, and Anunoby is still incredibly raw. And the addition of Danny Green is solid, but he is not the three and D guy he used to be. In fact, his three point shooting continues to deteriorate. He is still a good defender, but I'd rather have DeRozan simply for scoring ability.

That being said, the Raptors are in the East, and, if Kawhi is healthy, and decides he needs to have a big year to get a big deal, they could be a top three seed. But, they were the top seed last year. Why would this trade put them over the top? How does this make them any better? They were already the best by record last year. Looking at the Raptors now, sure, they got Kawhi, and Green is still a player, and I like Lowry, Anunoby and Serge Ibaka, are they truly any better than a healthy Celtics team, or the 76ers still? I don't know. I say no if Kawhi plays disgruntled and whines all year. His presence won't matter much. If he fully commits and plays as well as he did 2 years ago, they will be a title contender. Yet, I still like a healthy Celtics team, and I love the 76ers. This trade, for me, does not make the Raptors the favorite in the East, and this whole ordeal has really soured my love and adoration for Kawhi Leonard, the basketball player. He is becoming more and more diva like with each passing day.

From the Spurs prospective, I'm not a big fan of this deal either. First off, even with Kawhi, they were no better than a 3 or 4 seed in the West. The Rockets, maybe the Jazz, and most definitely the Warriors were already better. With DeRozan, I see much of the same, except, he doesn't play defense like a healthy Kawhi does. In fact, DeRozan plays no defense whatsoever. As I said, he is a very good, sometimes great, scorer. But, that is about it with DeRozan. His three point shooting has gotten better, and he is great driving to the hoop, but again, I just cannot shake his horrendous defense. He also has never really done anything on the big stage, and Kawhi is a Finals MVP. As for Poeltl, he is just a raw, plodding big man. I know he is still young, but he has shown little to nothing in his first couple years in the league. Sure, he can step out and shoot the three a bit, and he is an okay rebounder and rim protector, but he didn't play all that much behind Valenciunas. I still have no idea what kind of player he can become. I'm sure the Spurs will make good use out of him, they turned guys like Boban Marjonovic and Aaron Baynes and Tiago Splitter into quality NBA players, but time will tell. I think the biggest thing for the Spurs was the future first rounder.

Lets be honest, Kawhi is only going to spend one year in Toronto. I know we all said that about Paul George and OKC last year, but this time I know it is true. He doesn't want to be there, and he will force his way out, and he is an unrestricted free agent after the season. So, with Kawhi gone, Lowry getting older and Anunoby being the only real youth they have on their team, the Raptors will, most likely, be a lottery team come 2020 and 2021. That was what the Spurs wanted. A future pick that they can build around with guys like Dejonte Murray and some unknown dudes they have stashed away on their bench.

For right now, I don't feel like this trade tips the scale for either squad. I think the Raptors will be a contender to come out of the East, if Kawhi feels like playing this year. But, they were supposed contenders last year. And the Spurs, well they play in the West, so they have no shot. The Warriors, Rockets, Jazz, Thunder and even the Pelicans are better in my opinion. This was a "blockbuster" trade, but it seems hollow somehow.

Ty

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

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Tales From a First Triathlon

It is a victory just to get here.

I just did a triathlon 2 days ago. I’m not here to brag, I’m here to talk about my experience.

The first thing that needs to be said, triathlons are hard. I have a ton of newfound respect for people that do more than one of these a year. I’ve done a ton of athletic stuff in my life, mostly team sports, but all of that stuff pales in comparison to the amount of activity involved in one triathlon. I’d rather go back to 2 a days for football, or run “suicides” during basketball practice. This triathlon was tough.

The triathlon was also confounding and confused my body. It confounded me because I did all this activity in less than 2 hours. I do not understand how my body pushes through it all. I have played basketball for 2, sometimes three hours at a time, but I can take breaks during that. There’s no breaks during a triathlon. After the bike ride, I was exhausted, but I still had a 3.5 mile run left, and, with a little walking uphill, I did it. I still don’t know how. I’m still trying to figure it out. It confused my body because of all the random events. I started off strong, posting my best swim time ever. I trained hardest for the swimming, and I feel like it paid off. I did the 300 yards in about 6 and a half minutes. I know that’s not great, but it was great for me. I then transitioned to the bike, and I was feeling good. Even with the big hill at the start, I still felt good. The hills, the overcast weather and having my camel back on were a big time help. The new seat I got was great too. Even having to put my chain back on, it slipped off because I tried to change gears too quick, I finished the 9 mile ride under an hour, which was my goal. As I parked the bike I still felt okay, and then the running started. This was where my body started to get angry and mad. I feel like it was telling me, “enough”. But, I kept going. I think this pissed my body off even more. I didn’t feel it at the time, but later that night, and even still today, I haven’t recovered. My knees and heels are still sore. I also have this general malaise. I’m also moving slower than normal, and my brain is kind of fried.

All this being said though, I’m glad, and proud of myself, that I trained for this, and that I finished it. I feel like I’m currently in the best shape I’ve been in in a long time. I know when this malaise passes, I’ll be ready to dive back into all things athletic that I do. I’m going on vacation next week, and I know I’m hiking and climbing bluffs, and I’m stoked for it all. I’m also going to get back to basketball the following week, and I’m giddy for that. Also, I know that this wasn’t the last triathlon that I will do. Now that I know what it entails, and how better to train, I’m going to want to do it again to better my time. I like pushing myself, and this triathlon is as hard as I’ve pushed myself since high school.

My buddy who did it with me is already trying to get me to do another one, and he and I are running a half marathon in October. A half marathon was something I said I’d never do it again after I did one about 2 years ago, and here I am, 4 months away from my second. My buddy also helped me push through the finish. If you are going to do a triathlon, or anything like it, I recommend doing it with a friend. It’s really helpful.

So, while I’m exhausted and feel odd, I’m very happy I did this. I’m glad that I trained, and when the day came, I didn’t make an excuse or walk away. Yes, I’m tired now, but I know it won’t be for much longer. There is good and bad to doing something like this, but the good way outweighs the bad in my opinion. If you are on the fence, I’d say give it a try, but make sure you train, and know that you will be exhausted. But, when you finish, you will be proud. This was a cool, and odd experience, and I will do it again.

This is how I feel about triathlons.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He has comquered all he has wanted in real sports. Nowadays Ty is trying to be the best at excercising.

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Ty Has Chosen the Phoenix Suns as His New NBA Team

Last week I came to my blog looking for help to find a new NBA team to root for. I had a few rules and stipulations as to the type of team I was looking to back. I have now pored over this for about a week, and I have found a new team. I got recommendations, some ridicule and, mainly, silence in social media. So, I went to my wife, a few friends and my dad for help. With their help, telling them all the things I was looking for in a team, I landed on the Phoenix Suns.

If you think about it, based on my own rules, the Suns are the perfect team. They were awful last year, and they have been for awhile. But, I feel like they are on the come up. They do play in the West, but I feel like, within a year or three, they can be a playoff team. If they continue to grow and develop, with all the young talent they have, I feel like they can leap frog current playoff teams like the Blazers, Timberwolves and, maybe, the Pelicans.

That’s another thing I like about them, how they are drafting and developing their players. They have clearly been tanking since they let Isiash Thomas and Goran Dragic and Eric Gordon leave. But, they have drafted quality guys to take their place. I love Devin Booker. That dude can fill up the stat sheet with points. He has scored 70 in a game already. I think Josh Jackson has potential to be a great second or third option, and he’s getting better on defense. If he can get any kind of a jump shot, he could become a fringe all star. I still have a little hope for Dragan Bender and Marquess Chriss. Bender is still so young, and I think he is kind of, sort of, figuring the game out. It seems to be slowing down a bit for him. Chriss just needs to stay in shape, and he can be their 4 of the future no problem. He is already a good rebounder and low post scorer, he just needs to lay off the fast food. I have given up on Alex Len though. They need to try and trade him just to get something. He isn’t going to figure it out. They also just added Trevor Ariza. I love love love this move. He will bring veteran leadership to this team, but he won’t be a diva about it. He will come in, hold down the locker room and do his thing on the floor. He is the consummate professional.

What put the Phoenix Suns over the top for me was drafting DeAndre Ayton number one overall. He was my second favorite player in the draft, behind only Colin Sexton. I do think he is the most NBA ready guy in the draft. He is a beast down low on both ends of the floor. He is so good on offense in the low post, and when engaged, he’s a solid defender. He is also enormous. He is so big, and I wouldn’t be surprised if he gets bigger. He still is a teenager, so he can still grow. He also has a little bit of a jumper, which will help stretch defenses from the start. He and Booker should make for a very potent one two punch.

I just really like this Phoenix Suns team, and where they are headed. They have a star, Booker. They have a great young center, Ayton. They have a solid vet, Ariza. And they could be a free agent destination. I have heard that Kyrie Irving likes it there, Blake Griffin took a meeting there and so did LaMarcus Aldridge. I feel like they can get someone. So, on this blog today, I declare myself a Suns fan. Let’s go.

Ty

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

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Why Would Any Team Sign Carmelo Anthony?

With pretty much all of the big time free agents signed, and the Kawhi Leonard story getting more and more bizarre and strange everyday, there is still one player available, or soon to be for that matter, that is currently getting some buzz, and I want to give my 2 cents on him as well.

The player I speak of is Carmelo Anthony. While he isn't technically a free agent yet, the reports from everywhere say that the Thunder will let him leave. They will save a ton on the luxury tax and shed a player that just didn't fit right with the team last year. Carmelo Anthony, bless him, still thinks that he is a big time player. He still thinks that he is a number one, or at the very worst, number 2 option on a team. He still thinks his mid range game is formidable. He still thinks that he should be the last guy taking the shot at the end of the game. That is all very cute, but that is all very wrong.

Carmelo Anthony's best days are far, far behind him. He is beginning to look a lot like a has been. While he was never as dominant as Shaq was, the end of his career is beginning to resemble it. Shaq thought he was basically a hired hand going from town to town to bring them a title. After leaving Miami, he went to Phoenix to team up with Steve Nash. That was a disaster. He then went to the Celtics, maybe trying to help them regain some glory. That was worse than Phoenix. He even teamed up with LeBron in his first go round in Cleveland, and that was just plain sad. Shaq may be the greatest center to ever play the game, but the end of his career was horrible. Carmelo Anthony isn't 1/10 the player Shaq was, but, as I said earlier, the similarities are shocking.

Carmelo was a great offensive player while in Denver. He was electric and fun to watch, and he led that team further in the playoffs than they had been in a long, long time. He then forced his way out and demanded a trade to the Knicks, when he could have just signed there as a free agent. But, to his credit, the Knicks were a playoff team in his first couple years, and won 50 games a couple times. He made Madison Square Garden games a must watch for awhile. The Knicks attracted big name players and teams for primetime games on ESPN and TNT his first couple years in New York. Stars always play out when they come to the Garden, but when the Knicks are a good team, they play even better. At first, Carmelo to the Knicks was okay. Then it all fell apart. The sign and trade crippled the Knicks ability to really sign anyone of significance, and they started to truly become an awful basketball team. Carmelo just started to hoist shot after shot after shot after shot. They had no real solid rookies because they never had any real draft picks due to the trade. Oh, and when they did have a "high" pick, late teens, early 20's, they wasted it. Then Phil Jackson came aboard and just destroyed the team he played for in the NBA. He signed Joakim Noah and Derrick Rose to ludicrous contracts. He hired Jeff Hornacek, a coach that likes to play space and pace, and forced him to coach a team with one ball dominant guy. The only decent thing Jackson did was a mistake, he admitted as much, and that was drafting Kristaps Porzingis.

Last offseason, when Carmelo desperately needed a change of scenery, the Thunder traded for him. They figured they would get Olympics Carmelo to be the floor spacer for Paul George and Russell Westbrook. At the time, I loved this move. I figured Carmelo would love it too. But then he scoffed at coming off the bench during a preseason interview. He said he wasn't going to play any different. He was basically saying that he wasn't going to change, it was going to have to be George and Westbrook that would have to change. Well, as we all saw last season, it was a disaster. He was bad. The Thunder were, maybe, the most disappointing in all of the NBA last year. Carmelo looked sluggish. His shooting was awful. He disappeared at times, especially when he felt he wasn't getting enough touches. Oh, and his defense was truly awful, even for him. It just never worked out.

So, I was kind of surprised when he opted in, until I saw that he was opting in for 20 plus million dollars this upcoming season. Then it all made sense. Carmelo is not in the game to win titles, he wants to get paid. And that is fine, and that is his right. But now that he is about to be let go, and free to play anywhere next year, I have had to laugh at his preferred teams to go to. The 2 main teams are the Lakers and Rockets. I would absolutely love to see him sign with either one of these teams because I am not a fan of either one of these teams.

If he were to go to the Rockets, and Chris Paul is angling super hard for him to come there, and his contract is outrageous too by the way, how does he fit in with that team? Yes, he used to be able to shoot, but just look at last season. Also, would he be Ariza's replacement? Ariza actually plays solid defense, and at this point in their careers, Ariza is a better player. Also, would he be happy being the fourth, possibly fifth option in Houston? He wasn't happy being third in OKC. In Houston he would be behind Harden, Paul, Capela, Eric Gordon and maybe even Luc Mbah A Moute. How would that sit with him? How would he act in the locker room and with the media? Oh, and didn't we already see the disaster that was Carmelo playing on a Mike D'Antoni team a few years ago? We did, and it was terrible. This would be a poor signing.

Then we have the Lakers. As far as needing shooters, it makes sense. The Lakers have no shooters whatsoever. They gave LeBron a ton of money, and he deserves every penny. But, he is not a great outside shooter. He doesn't have to be. But, they have signed guys like Rajon Rondo, Lance Stephenson and Javale McGee. None of those guys can shoot the ball. They currently have Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma and Brandon Ingram on their roster. Ingram is the best "shooter" of the bunch, and he hit just above 35 percent from three. So, adding Carmelo would make sense. But, I say again, look at how poor he was last year as a shooter. Also, how would he feel being a fifth or sixth option on this Lakers team? How would he feel having to defer to guys that are a decade younger than he is? I feel like he would hate it. The moment that Luke Walton puts in Kyle Kuzma over Carmelo, we all know he'd lose his god damn mind. I'm sure he wants to team up with LeBron, but would this version of Carmelo be any better than what we saw last year with LeBron and Jeff Green? Hell, I feel like Jeff Green, right now, is a better basketball player than Carmelo. If he were to go to the Lakers, I feel like he would look like an older version of what we saw with Jae Crowder while he was in Cleveland last year. But, the Lakers are the team I want him to go to because I think it would be absolutely hilarious. It would be a total wreck, and I would love every single second of it.

Carmelo Anthony is washed up, and I feel like everyone knows it, except for him. I'm very curious to see where he ends up, but I already know that he will be a non factor wherever he is. Get that money while you still can Carmelo. Hopefully he gets it from a team with no title aspirations though.

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.

Help Ty Find a New NBA Team

I come to you all today asking for help.

Last night I was watching summer league basketball because there is no other sports on to watch. This part of the summer is my least favorite sports time because all that seems to be on is baseball, and baseball is boring as shit. So while I watched the Spurs summer league team dismantle the Hawks summer league team, side note, Trae Young has been dreadful his first 2 games, I was stuck trying to figure out who is my new team.

When I was a kid I was a big time, die hard, Seattle Super Sonics fan. That was my squad. I loved Gary Payton and his brashness and amazing defense. I enjoyed the hell out of Detlef Schrempf. I liked when they signed Xavier McDaniel, every team in the 90's needed that enforcer. I even liked Sam Perkins. But, it got no better than Shawn Kemp. He was, by far, my favorite NBA player. I loved his thunderous dunks, his rebounding, his physicality and his overall skill. He was a big dude that could move fast. He was amazing to watch in his prime. Some of his dunks are truly breathtaking. He and Payton were my guys. I had both their jerseys. I had the newer Shawn Kemp jersey when the Sonics changed their logo a bit. I had Shawn Kemp's shoes. I pretended to be him on the court. I rooted so hard for the Sonics. I really loved that team. They were not Wolverines football level, but they were probably my second favorite team. And even when Kemp, Schrempf, Perkins and Payton all moved on, I still rooted for them. I was one of the people stoked when they took Nick Collison. Things got even better when they drafted KD. Hell, I was even on board with them taking Jeff Green. The team was awful, but I still watched them whenever I could, and rooted hard for them.

The NBA then moved the Sonics, in a very, very controversial move, to Oklahoma City. Though I was skeptical at first, Seattle really does deserve an NBA franchise, it is a crime they still do not have one, I eventually gave in and became a Thunder fan. I liked KD, I liked Nick Collison, and in the next 2 drafts they would end up taking Russell Westbrook and James Harden. And soon after those guys, they would begin to develop Serge Ibaka, who many forget, he was good while with the Thunder. So, I became a Thunder fan. I started to buy t shirts and shorts with their logo on it. I was too old for jerseys, so they were out of the question. But, I still had plenty of NBA apparel that had the Thunder logo on it. Then they got real good real fast. I mean, they played the Heat in the Finals in, what I believe, was KD's fourth year in the league. I was astonished. I bought in even harder after that. Sure, they let Harden go, but as I have said before, no one knew he was going to become the guy he became. They still had KD and Westbrook, and they were good and fun. I loved watching them play. Even with Scotty Brooks as their head coach, the Thunder were always a threat. And, I bought into this new basketball of space and pace. I had never seen anyone like KD, someone that big that could shoot that well, and Westbrook gave me the hyper athletic and reckless play fix that I had been missing since Kemp left the Sonics.

Then, KD left. I immediately dropped the Thunder as my team. He was my guy and he went and joined the 73 win Warriors squad. The move hurt, but in hindsight, and 2 years removed, I get why he did it. I still love watching Westbrook play, but he is much too frustrating to be the guy that makes me want to stick with the Thunder. I do have mad respect for him for sticking it out there. That is a class move. But, I felt like a man with no team. I said, on the podcast and site, that I was going to be a Timberwolves fan, I like their young talent, but they are a mess and just no fun to watch. I learned that the hard way.

Last night, while watching the summer league game, I asked my wife, she is a saint for watching with me, who I should root for. She doesn't know much about basketball, so she said what about the Warriors. She knows I like KD and Boogie. But, I just cannot root for that team. They are too stacked, and they are unbeatable. She asked me about the Spurs because she has heard me talk about Kawhi Leonard. But, with his whole situation in flux, I just can't, even with my love for Greg Poppovich. She ran out of teams after that because she knows I will never, ever root for the Lakers, even with LeBron. I asked my dad, he and my mom came over for dinner last night, and he said I should root for his team from his youth, the Bucks. I do really, really like Giannis, but I can't root for the Bucks. They are way too inconsistent and rough. I then retreated to my phone and took a bunch of "who should I root for in the NBA" tests. I took 6 of them, and 5 came back as the Spurs. The other team was the Heat. If Kawhi stays, I may be a Spurs fan, but that seems unlikely. And no way am I becoming a Heat fan.

So, I ask you, my devoted readers, who should I root for? My priorities for a team are few, but important. I like teams with young talent that plays well together, and they are on the rise. They do not have to be a playoff team yet, but they should be on the cusp. The team also doesn't need to necessarily have a mega star, but that doesn't hurt. I also love hyper athletic, almost freakish type of players. I'm talking guys that when you see them play, they do something that makes your jaw drop. And my final priority, no team in LA, or even California for that matter. I just can't with those teams. So please, flood my Twitter and Facebook and the website with your recommendations. I know the Warriors are going to win the title, so I need a reason to watch another team. Send your suggestions ASAP, and thank you in advance. I'm sure you all will help me find my new NBA team.

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.

NBA Free Agency Went from Nuts to Crazy With the Boogie Cousins Signing

NBA free agency is lit.

I was working out last night when I heard the news that Boogie Cousins was joining the Warriors. I was stunned. I mean, one day after the Lakers signed the biggest star in the game, the Warriors took all their mojo and squashed it. It was after this I read his contract, and that took me back even further. Not only did he sign with the Warriors, they got him at the league minimum for one year. They gave Boogie, possibly the best true center in the league right now, for 5 million dollars. That’s insane.

Cousins is clearly betting on himself coming back strong from a horrific injury, hoping to get a big deal next year. So, in the meantime, he decided to take a major pay cut to get fully healthy, dominate in the playoffs and win a title. If the Warriors lacked one thing, it is a real center. They’ve trotted out guys like Javale McGee, Zaza Pachulia, Kevon Looney, and they’ve won titles with them all. Now, they have a real center. They’ve added an all star starter. They’ve added an all NBA caliber player. They’ve added a guy, when engaged, can dominate both ends of the floor. Boogie was great until he got hurt last year. People have seemed to forget that. He was going for 20 points and 10 rebounds effortlessly playing along side Anthony Davis. Then the injury happened. Offers were seemingly at the minimum, if you ask him, only 2 teams offered him, so he signed with the best one available. He signed with the team that can wait until he is healthy to trot him out there. He signed with a team that needed a real center. Sure, he plays old school, but I’m sure he will fit in just fine.

I was hoping I’d hear some dumb shits try to downplay this move. Luckily for me, I listened to The Ringer’s NBA Show today and Chris Vernon, who I like, and Kevin O’Connor, who is a typical Boston fan boy, tried to say this move made no sense. I was laughing at these 2 grasping at straws trying to downplay how big a singing this was. It was hilarious. I’m sure their boss, Bill Simmons, told them to do this. But, it was still a riot listening to these 2 morons bad mouth this move. It was already pretty well known that the Warriors were odds on favorite for the title again this year, even with LeBron going to LA. Signing Boogie just makes it official.

I do need to say, I’m not a fan of this. Again, the NBA is already confirmed and it’s only July. But, these players are free to do what they want. Everyone loved LeBron to LA, and loved when he joined forces with Chris Bosh and Dwayne Wade and loved when KD signed with the Warriors. Now, they seem to be pissed. That’s ridiculous to me. This is the NBA now. Super teams are the thing. Guys don’t want to just win, they want to crush you on their way to winning. So I’ve come to accept this nonsense. I do love that the Warriors completely stole LeBron’s thunder once again though. That’s hilarious to me.

Well, good luck to you Boogie. I hope you heal, get a ring and get paid, you are one of my favorite players. And, congrats on your three peat Golden State. Maybe you guys will win 80 games this year.

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.

Let's Talk about LeBron and the Lakers

NBA free agency officially started yesterday at midnight. I want to quickly touch on a few of the signings before I get to LeBron's choice to go to the Lakers.

First off, props to Paul George for sticking it out in OKC. I, much like everyone else, was sure he was going to LA. I even wrote about it last week. But, he chose to re up with the Thunder. That was a class move, he got a ton of money, he has a player option in the final year of the deal, and the Thunder front office won the bet on themselves. I love this deal. I think the Thunder will be much better this upcoming season than they were last year. I hope they release Carmelo so they can get a better, younger fit for their team. Paul George going back to OKC was a great start to NBA free agency. I have so much more respect for him now. I love that he wants to stick it out with Russ, and I feel like this will really benefit the Thunder this year, and the next 2. They will be a good team. And for all the people hating on them for now spending money, and not giving Harden a max deal when they had the chance, stop. No one knew that Harden would become the player he has become. He stunk in the Finals in his last year in OKC, he was a sixth man and he was still so green. Yes, he is great, a MVP now, but none of us knew that 4 years ago. Chill out with the hate. Also, they are spending money now, so why throw them in the fire? The Thunder front office just can't win, but I don't think they really care.

Outside of George, the 2 other big names to move early were Deandre Jordan to the Mavericks on a one year deal and Chris Paul on a 4 year max back to the Rockets. Jordan to the Mavs doesn't really do anything for me. It will be fun to see him in the pick and roll with Doncic and Dennis Smith Jr. He is also a major upgrade over any big man they had last year. But, he doesn't make the Mavs a playoff team, especially in the West. They may win 35-38 games, but they will not be in the playoffs. The Chris Paul deal was inevitable. But that is a ton of money, especially in the last year, when he will be 38, which is ancient in the NBA, but we knew it was coming. This is a deal that they are banking on contending very hard for the next 2 years, if he can stay healthy, and the Rockets retain Clint Capela, which they will. This team was one win away from the Finals, then Paul got hurt and the Warriors woke up. This is a 2 year deal stretched to 4. There were a bunch of role guys that left that do not really move the needle for me either way, but good for those guys getting paid.

Then, late yesterday, I was tracking all the Kawhi Leonard stuff. Every half hour there seemed to be a story that trade talks with the Lakers and 76ers were intensifying, then cooling down. I even read stuff that said that Kawhi wants out so bad, he is willing to sit out all of the upcoming season. I say, unless the Spurs get an offer they simply cannot refuse, I would not trade him. I would let him sit and become a free agent next year. The Spurs owe him nothing, and he owes the Spurs nothing. If he wants out so bad that he is willing to sit, if I were the Spurs, I would call his bluff. He is under contract for one more year, so the Spurs don't have to do a god damn thing. He can be a malcontent, he can be distant, he can stay home on road trips, whatever. I would one hundred percent keep him on my roster, unless I were to get an enormous deal, and just let him waste a year of his prime. That may be cold and brutal, but sports is a cold and brutal business.

The big news of the night came around 7:30pm Saint Louis time last night. I was looking at Twitter and saw a ton of NBA writers that I follow say that LeBron was joining the Lakers. Bleacher Report then reported about 5 minutes later that he was joining the Lakers. Then ESPN and every other major sports outlet reported the deal. Then the numbers came out. He officially signed a deal with the Lakers last night for 4 years at 154 million dollars, with a player option for the fourth year.

I have some thoughts about this. I will do the things I "like" about this deal. This is perfect for him building his brand. He gets to go to the biggest market in the US, he can do his acting, he can do Hollywood stuff and his sports agency can become even bigger than it already is. As far as a "brand" thing, this is the best spot for him.

Now, the stuff I don't like, and there is a ton. I hate the way it played out. I was getting stories all day that he was going to meet with the 76ers, the Nuggets, a ton of different teams. I then started to hear stories that all of those meetings were just posturing. That they held no regard as to where he was going. It was all theater, and that is one of the main reasons why I think he will never, ever be at MJ's level. He does all his business, good and bad, out in the open. He craves the media attention. I despised the way this decision played out. Then, to hear, after doing some bogus ass good bye to Cleveland on Instagram, then going out of the country, that was so stupid. Again, he is trying to be the good guy, but he didn't have to do this type of thing. He brought a title back to Cleveland. He carried that team to the Finals four straight years. No one was going to bad mouth him if he left again. But, he does this dumbass good bye thing on a social media website. Again, he was craving the media attention. He wants everyone to love him. It tends to be a bit much.

As far as a basketball team move, this makes zero sense to me, if the Lakers stay as is. I know that they signed Lance Stephenson and Javale McGee, but my response to those moves was, "why"? Those 2 moves felt like LeBron already putting his touch on "running" the franchise. He is already telling Rob Pelinka and Magic Johnson the kind of players he wants to play with. But lets say it stops there. Lets say they do not get Boogie Cousins or Kawhi. How does LeBron fit next to a young core of Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram and Julius Randle? Not that great. In fact, the only guy I think would benefit from LeBron being on this team is Ingram. He is a quality shooter, can get to the rim if he has space and would be a great threat cutting to the basket with LeBron. As far as the other 3 guys I mentioned, not so good. Julius Randle should be pulling a Kawhi right now and demanding a trade. He gains nothing playing with LeBron. He doesn't rebound or shoot like Kevin Love, so LeBron will immediately loathe him. Kyle Kuzma is one of the more overrated young guys in the league. If he played for any other team no one would give him a second thought. He is an okay shooter, and that is it. JR Smith is so, so much better than him, and that is saying something. So is Kyle Korver for that matter. Hell, even at times, Iman Shumpert was a better fit with LeBron when he was a Cav.

What about Lonzo Ball? I am just not that high on this kid. He does have excellent court vision, but will it really matter when LeBron is stopping and pounding the ball into floor looking for his own shot? Will his court vision matter when he is counted on to hit an open three? Will his court vision matter when he over throws an outlet pass to LeBron and he freezes him out? No, no and no. LeBron will take the ball out of Ball's hand. Now, Lonzo Ball doesn't need the ball in his hands all the time, but he is a point guard, and he was running that offense last year. That all stops now with LeBron on the team. Going to his jump shot, it is pure trash. He will brick so many more than he will make that LeBron will not trust him halfway through the year, if even that long. The kid has a trash shot that never got much better over his rookie year. He has that funky delivery and he misses so many more than he makes. And, the moment he makes a bad pass, or misses a pass from LeBron, or the minute he over throws a deep pass, LeBron will ice him out. Just ask Kevin Love. The LeBron signing is doom for Lonzo.

As far as some guys still on the team, Kentavius Caldwell Pope is an overpaid lesser man's Trevor Ariza without the defensive ability, Mo Wagner and Svi Myhkaliuk are unproven rookies that need a ton of time to develop, Josh Hart is just an okay player who may or may not do well with LeBron, and I literally do not know anyone else on that team. I just do not watch the Lakers anymore.

I also feel kind of bad for Luke Walton. You'd think signing a guy like LeBron would be such a great coup, and the head coach would be thrilled. But, why don't we ask Ty Lue, David Blatt, Mike Brown and Erick Spoelstra how much they "enjoyed" coaching LeBron. Lue helped win a title for the Cavs, and this past season, LeBron left him out to dry. David Blatt got fired half a season after taking the Cavs to the title. Mike Brown was left with the burning ash of the Cavs the first time he left. And Erik Spolestra, by far the best of the bunch, was never given the credit he deserved for coaching that first super team in Miami. The moment things go a bit sour, like if the Lakers are hovering around .500 at the All Star break this season, you know LeBron will want Walton gone for someone he prefers.

When considering branding in this decision, it makes total sense. From a basketball prospective, given the current roster, it is baffling. I am not hating on LeBron. Go wherever you want. I just do not like the way he went about it, and it is clear he doesn't care about titles or going to the Finals anymore. I mean, the Rockets are still really good, the Jazz are coming, the Timberwolves, if they figure out that they have to play defense, are good, the Pelicans have Anthony Davis, oh, and the god damn Warriors are all in the West. There will be no easy nights for LeBron and the Lakers. As for Magic Johnson, he delivered. He said he would get a star, and he got the biggest one in the game. But, what he does from here will determine how good of a GM he really is. If he defers to LeBron, and lets him run the team like he did in Cleveland, it will be tough. But, if he runs the team like the Warriors are run, he gets all the credit.

This was a very exciting weekend of free agency, but I am not at all on board with LeBron. I know everyone in LA loves it, and all the bandwagon fans are coming out now. But, will they still be there when this team is beat in the first round of the playoffs? Will they still be there when they finish with 45-50 wins the next four years? Will they be there if LeBron forces his hand and they have to trade away all their young talent for vets that LeBron used to play with? I don't know. What I do know, the talk of a title coming back to the Lakers this year needs to stop. They will be lucky to be a 3 or 4 seed in the West, and they will not win, or even be in the conference finals or semi finals next year.

LeBron has made his choice, now lets see all of the other pieces start to fall in place.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing, the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast, and the best goddamn basketball writer on the internet. I just hope he doesn't go to his decision cave and leave for L.A. 

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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The Jameis Winston Suspension Shows That the NFL Does Not Care

Jameis Winston is going to be suspended by the NFL for the first 3 games of this upcoming season for improper touching, that was how I read it being described, of a female Uber driver last year. This is not the first time that Winston has faced charges of assault, rape, sexual misconduct of any kind with a lady that did not want it. As you all should remember, he got charged with rape while in college. He was also charged with using lewd language while in a dining hall in college. I believe, he has faced similar accusations since joining the NFL. Oh, and he was also charged with stealing food, crab legs, from a grocery store in Tallahassee. His punishment for these many discretions, and these are the only ones that have been made public, have accumulated to, I'm not sure the exact number, but 5 or 6 missed football games, and that includes the 3 that are upcoming.

This is disturbing and disgusting. Jameis Winston clearly has a problem. I'm not one of those people that believe there are "sex addicts", but in Winston's case, he seems to have an addiction to women that want nothing to do with him. This is a problem. But, the powers that be, when he was in high school, college and now the pros, have given him nothing more than a slap on the wrist.

This is part of the problem. Winston continues to do these things because he now knows that he can get away with it, with little to no punishment. When he was charged with rape in college, and yes it was rape, he missed one game. His coaches thought that missing one meaningless game in the middle of November was punishment enough for rape. That is sickening. And, to make matters worse, the game he was suspended for, he dressed and warmed up with the team. It was only when the cameras noticed that Jimbo Fisher finally did something, and told him to get out of his uniform and dress in street clothes. They would both be seen laughing an hugging each other at the end of that game. How is that a lesson? He clearly didn't learn anything because he went out and made the lewd comments in the dining hall, and he shop lifted. The shoplifting I don't care so much about, every kid does that. But, the comments that he made, after being accused of rape, where lewd and scary and wrong. But, FSU felt he served his time, his one game suspension, and did not further discipline him.

Winston went on to win the Heisman that year, then declare for the pros. When he entered the draft, he was the consensus number one pick, even with all these red flags. He was to be the Buccaneers QB of the future. They all but bypassed all the problems he had in college and decided he was the guy that they wanted to lead their team into the future. This upset me. The number one pick in the draft should be a role model, or a really, really good player. They should not have all these allegations and accusations and charges brought up against them. That didn't matter though.

Then, after being the first pick, I had to hear the ESPN's and the NFL GM's praise this kid. They talked about all the hardship and pain he dealt with in college. They put this kid on a pedestal once again, basically recusing him of anything he had done wrong in college. That is scary. I know in college, and I think this is a big time problem that needs to be dealt with, players can get away with almost anything, especially at the big time schools. But, when you are a pro, and this game becomes your job, and you are on TV every Sunday or Monday, and you do commercials and appear on HBO documentary series, you should be held accountable, and know better. Winston clearly doesn't. I'm pretty sure he got accused of some kind of indiscretion his first 2 years in the league, but it was swept under the rug. In fact, HBO heavily featured him as the "leader" on their show "Hard Knocks". The writers built this kid up as some kind of savior in Tampa Bay. He was always shown in a good light, and he was almost always with his girlfriend when he wasn't at practice. At the same time, the big time prognosticators started to talk about him as the future of the QB position. Him, Marcus Mariota, Deshaun Watson, all these young and mobile QB's, were the future. And, when Mariota struggled, and Watson went down with injury, they fully put the spotlight on Winston. Then, he underperformed, and he himself, got hurt. He was then not really heard from until this recent incident.

What surprised me the most was how much this didn't surprise me. I believe when I heard about the improper touching I said, "it was only a matter of time", to no one in particular. The NFL decided they needed to step in, and they did. But, they gave him a 3 game suspension. That is less than what Tom Brady got for some under inflated footballs, and less than Ray Rice was to receive when he knocked his fiancée unconscious. The NFL clearly has a discipline problem. Only 3 games for improper sexual conduct? After all this kid has done in 5 short years that we know about? What the hell NFL?! I even saw Damien Woody, ESPN's own, go on TV and say this suspension is ludicrous, in how miniscule it is. He said, and I agree, that the Bucs should cut him. He has never faced real adversity in his football life, and that should be a big time wake up call. A three game suspension will not teach him anything. He will be on the sideline yukking it up with his coach and teammates the whole time. But, if the Bucs cut him, then he is a player without a team. And, I don't think a ton of teams will be antsy to sign a troubled QB that has had a very sub par career so far. He wouldn't start for any other team. Hell, I would cut him if I were the Bucs and go sign Colin Kaepernick.

This suspension is a joke. The NFL is a joke. They need to get real with this stuff. They need to come down way harder on players like Winston that commit horrific crimes all the time. This is scary and disturbing. Jameis Winston and the NFL think they are above the law. It is time they learn that they are not.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Kawhi Leonard, the Lakers, and Another Damn Super Team

About a week back I wrote that I hoped Kawhi Leonard would stay a Spur. Well, that has all blown up in my face, and the Spurs face. It appears that he is going to be in a different uniform next season. There are new reports everyday, but don't get it twisted, he is going to end up a Laker, one way or another.

What a mess.

I read a report that he was going to meet with Greg Poppovich, they met, and the people who were present said it was a good meeting. It seemed that maybe they had squashed their beef. Then, the other day I read that Kawhi was saying he never wanted to step foot in the Spurs facility again, unless he was on a different team, and he was playing there. Then, after that report, I read that the Spurs were now willing to trade him to a team, but no one in the West. That one, if they were to trade him, made sense to me. Why would they want to trade him in the conference and have to face him multiple times a year. This made even more sense when I heard that the 76ers were trying to get RC Buford, the current Spurs GM, to be their new GM. It all started to come together. And, I thought, of any team he could go to, the 76ers made the most sense.

Today there are a ton of new reports that the Spurs and Lakers have "intensified" their trade talks, that the Spurs were now willing to trade him to a West team if the return was proper and that LeBron said, if the Lakers were to acquire him, he would be very willing to sign with the Lakers. Oh, and Paul George opted out of the final year of his contract in OKC, thus making these rumors seem even more real. After all the recent news, I have thrown my hands up, and given in to the fact that,  not only will the Lakers get Kawhi, but they will most likely sign LeBron and Paul George. Sure, they will have to trade some of their young talent, but who cares when you can get three perennial All Stars, one of which is the current best player in the world. I don't think that Rob Pelinka or Magic Johnson truly care if they have to add a Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Julius Randle or Brandon Ingram in a deal. I don't think they care if they have to add all four to get these three guys, or even 2 of them.

I got a report on my phone from Bleacher Report today that said that the Lakers were willing to add Brandon Ingram in any trade talks in fact. I thought he was one of the untouchable guys too. He actually improved a ton in his second season. He seemed like the guy that the Lakers should keep, and add these stars around him. They should trade Ball, or Kuzma, or, especially Randle before dealing Ingram. Ingram is the real deal. I fully believe that he is going to have a long, and fruitful, NBA career. Lonzo Ball has potential, his vision is amazing, but he has a garbage shot, and you have to deal with his family, and, most importantly, his dad. You think Lavar Ball will really expect his son to play second fiddle to Kawhi or Paul George? Hell, he will shit talk LeBron the moment he signs with the Lakers. Kyle Kuzma has the makings of being a good to great scorer, but he plays no defense, and he is considered "old" in the modern NBA. The kid can shoot, but he is no Brandon Ingram. And Julius Randle has had one foot out the door for the past 2 seasons. He doesn't fit in in LA. He comes and goes as he pleases, and he doesn't seem like he will live up to the hype. He also broke his leg his rookie year, and he missed an entire season. He still has a done of room to grow.

But, the Lakers seem to be desperate, so they are now willing to trade their best young guy, to get only Kawhi. That seems crazy to me. And, if the Spurs are to trade Kawhi, they better damn well get Ingram, and some high, high picks in upcoming drafts. I feel like Ingram, in that Spurs system, would thrive. And if they have to give up Kawhi, so be it. He clearly wants out, and to get a super young, hyper athletic player, that is really starting to come into his own, they'd be crazy not to do it. I don't think losing Kawhi and adding Ingram would be a death blow to them either.

What all of this talk boils down to, at least for me, the Lakers are going to get Kawhi. Then, they will get LeBron. Then, Paul George will announce he is going to sign there. It is going to happen. There are far too many signs that they will get these guys. Magic wants them. Kawhi wants to go there. LeBron has said that he would love to play with Kawhi. And Paul George would make a fine third option on that team, I guess. As much as I don't want this to happen, I'm about 99 percent sure it will. I still think adding these three guys, along with whomever the Lakers can keep, this makes them no better than third in the West. The Warriors are still, far and away, the best team in the West, and all of basketball, and I still like the Rockets, as long as they keep Chris Paul, just a bit more. So, at least there is that.

Oh well, lets get this all over with so I can bitch more about "super teams" on this website.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

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

Why Utah? Why?

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

The Homeruns and Uncertainty of the 2018 NBA Draft

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

The SeedSing 2018 NBA Mock Draft

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

Okay, here we go.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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