Bill Laimbeer is a Stupid Head. Jordan is the GOAT.

The other day Bill Laimbeer, who I have never liked, appeared on an ESPN early morning talk show and was spouting off his usual nonsense. He came right out and said, without hesitation, that LeBron James is easily the GOAT of the NBA.

Now, what he said is not untrue, well, the GOAT thing is wrong, but why he thinks LeBron is the GOAT makes a little bit of sense. He said he runs like the wind, is 6'8 and 280 pounds and is unstoppable. That is all true, but everyone knows that about him. In fact, statements like that are why I like to compare LeBron to a player like Magic. They are unicorns. They are different. They are great. They are Hall of Fame players. They are champions. But, Michael Jordan is the GOAT. There is no question.

I have had this conversation with tons of people. RD and I argued this very thing on the podcast awhile ago. I have been lucky enough to watch both guys play in their primes, and I have no doubt in my mind that Jordan is a better basketball player than LeBron. Personally I think LeBron is the third greatest player of all time, behind Jordan and Kareem Abdul Jabaar. LeBron is the prototype player for the new generation. He can play any position. He makes worse players better. He went to a million Finals in a row. He came in with humongous expectations, and has more than lived up to them. LeBron is an all time great. But he is not the greatest. He has lost many more Finals than he has won. I believe he has a 3-6 record in the Finals. Again, it is amazing that he has made nine Finals, but he only has three rings. He is like the modern day Jerry West. Great player, but flubbed when it came to the Finals. He would also have only two titles if Draymond Green wasn't a selfish asshole. He also is a fake, wannabe bad guy. When he blocked Steph in the Finals a few years back and flexed and mean mugged him, that was one of the fakest acts of toughness I have ever witnessed. LeBron can be a great defender, but only when he wants to be. Look at last season for example. At one point in a game Kyle Kuzma had to physically push LeBron to guard his man who was wide open at the top of the key. That guy went on to make an easy bucket.

LeBron is also too nice of a guy to be the true GOAT. He doesn't have that psychotic mentality that true GOATS possess. LeBron wants to be friends with everyone. He also has had to team up with stars, make super teams if you will, to become a champ. He couldn't do it in Cleveland his first go round. That team was awful, but they got easily dispatched by a far superior Spurs team. He had to team up with Dwanye Wade and Chris Bosh in Miami. He then had Cleveland force a trade to acquire Kevin Love. And this past off season, he and Rich Paul made it a point to get Anthony Davis to LA. LeBron is never the guy, Jordan was always the guy.

LeBron is an amazing player, he is the GOAT of the 21st century, but he is not the best player ever Bill Laimbeer. That title goes to MJ in a walk. I know that Laimbeer has some ill will towards MJ. He was part of the "Bad Boy" Pistons, and they all hated the Bulls and Jordan. They also used to beat them routinely. The Pistons were the team that Jordan had to figure out before they went on their dyanstic runs. The Pistons were the first team to get away with roughing MJ up. And it worked for two seasons. Then it didn't. MJ found a way to assert his dominance, and the Bulls took over. They beat the Pistons, and the Pistons were so sore about it, they walked off the court without even shaking hands with the Bulls and Jordan. I know Isiah Thomas was blamed for this, and he and Jordan have their own history, but I am sure Bill Laimbeer was a big advocate. He was the biggest punk of a team that was filled with some wild dudes. Laimbeer was a fine player, but on that team, he was like the 7th or 8th most important person. Isiah Thomas, Joe Dumars, Dennis Rodman, Rick Mahorn, Chuck Daly, they were all much more influential and held much more weight than Laimbeer. Laimbeer was a role guy on a very good team. Jordan was the face of the league for decade. Once they figured out the Pistons, it was a wrap for anyone else. And Jordan took that mantle and never let it go. He didn't have to team up with guys in their prime back then. Sure, Scottie Pippen was his teammate, but the Bulls drafted him. Jordan never asked to play with Barkley or Bird or Magic or Olajuwon. He wanted to beat those guys, and he did. He also made guys like Steve Kerr, BJ Armstrong, Luc Longley, Ron Harper and Bill Wennington household names. He also loathed and wanted to beat everyone. He is the prototype psychopath that has one thing on his mind, and it is beating the man in front of him. Be it practice, a game or a title, Jordan would find a way to beat you. And after he beat you, he would humiliate you. When Karl Malone beat him for MVP one year, Jordan went out and lit his ass up in the Finals. When people thought Clyde Drexler may have been better, Jordan destroyed him and the Blazers in the playoffs. He left no question about who was the best.

This is one of the first times I have ever seen a player from the older generation not take Jordan's side. But, coming from someone like Bill Laimbeer, I shouldn't be surprised. He is bitter and angry and just wants to say some dumb shit so people like myself will keep his name out there. This is a dumb take. I almost feel like he is applying to work at The Ringer with stupid ass hot takes like this. Oh well. Jordan is the GOAT, and there is no denying it. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

A Few Thoughts on Rudy Gobert's NBA Future

Even though there is currently no basketball, and if I'm being honest, I do not think it is coming back this year, I do have a few stories about basketball for you all the next couple of days. The one I want to focus on today is the rumors, which I fully believe, that are flying around right now about the fractured relationship between Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell.

So, all of the basketball world, and most of the rest of the world for that matter, can pinpoint the Gobert incident as the starting point of shutting down sports across America. Gobert was infected, he acted nonchalant, he infected his teammate and the NBA was suspended immediately. They actually suspended it right after he was confirmed to have COVID-19 that night. For the rest of time, Gobert's name will be infamous with who was the catalyst for major pro sports leagues to shut everything down. That is a fact. And the way he treated the situation at first was wrong on every single level. To be on the court for warm ups was wrong, to touch all the microphones during his interview was wrong, to toy and mess around with teammates was wrong. The fact that he went out and thought it was okay to conduct himself in the manner he did was foolish, arrogant and, quite frankly, life threatening. With all that being said, he has tried to make up for his mistakes. He has donated a good amount of money to research. He has, I believe, let his blood get tested. He has adhered to all the guidelines since his infection. He has gone on in interviews and apologized for his actions and has said he is trying to reignite his relationship with his teammates, specifically Mitchell. But, if I were Mitchell, I would be very wary of him. I fully understand why he is pissed off, why he doesn't, or is hesitant, to try and repair their relationship. It all makes sense from Mitchell's stand point. Also, he is much more important to the Jazz franchise than Gobert is, full stop.

Which leads me to my point today. With all these rumors swirling, talk of trading Gobert, or Mitchell for that matter, but more so Gobert, have heated up big time. I get it, and it makes sense. The only real problem is the contract stuff. Gobert makes a ton of money, and he isn't a free agent until 2022. So the team that takes him on, if he gets traded, has to pay him a lot, and may not get him back.

With that being said, I have been racking my brain thinking of a team where Gobert would fit. Before I fully get into it, I am not going to match the money or contract or anything like that. I am just going to go off what I think fits, and where I think it would be best for him to repair his reputation. Therein lies another problem with this. Gobert may not be wanted by a good amount of teams. His actions were rough, and players and coaches and GM's everywhere saw that. That will forever be on their minds. So taking all of that in account I thought of two teams that would fit, that can compete and where he would make sense and the Jazz could get a solid return.

The first team is Boston. In Boston they don't care if you murdered multiple people, they will still wear your jersey and say you are innocent if you bring them titles. He could go there, play his suffocating rim protecting defense and help the Celtics become instant title contenders. The only thing they are really missing is a true rim protector. They don't have a guy that can do that at as high a level right now, and they wouldn't have to give up much of their super young, super talented wing guys. Mitchell is already a great wing player, so Tatum and Jaylen Brown, they could stay in Boston. In actuality I feel like the Celtics wouldn't have to give up much. They would have to part with picks for sure, and of they had to send a few players over there, they could send a guy like Semi Ojeleye or Robert Williams, or a return of Gordon Hayward to Utah. That is who actually makes the most sense to me. Boston could give Utah Hayward because the contracts are similar in money and time, and they would have to send picks, which I think they would do quick to get a guy like Gobert. And if he instantly turns them into a contender, the fans and players and coaches in Boston would easily forget about what he did.

As for the other team, the one I think makes almost too much sense, is the San Antonio Spurs. San Antonio is quiet, they have their own culture and they protect their players. People didn't blame San Antonio when Kawhi wanted out, they blamed Kawhi's uncle. They have helped a guy like Rudy Gay restore his career. It's not like he had a rough career, he was always looked at as a guy teams were better without. That is not the case now. Nobody ever talks about Tony Parker cheating on his wife while in the league. I fully believe that San Antonio protected him, kept him out of the news and media buildings and made sure he never brought it up. San Antonio is like the New England Patriots of the NBA. If you can't restore yourself there, that means you are done. I feel like Gobert could land there and be totally out of the news, which would be the absolute best thing for him. They would have to trade some young assets, maybe a guy like Bynn Forbes or Dejounte Murray or Lonnie Walker. But I feel like the Spurs would be okay with letting one or 2 of those guys go to clear up playing time for whoever they keep. If they give up Forbes and Walker, that leaves Murray to run point. If they have to give up Murray. Forbes can return to a bench role and Walker can finally get his shine. They would make it work. And before I hear the backlash of having too many big contract guys, LMA, DeMar DeRozan and Gobert, they wouldn't be on the books for too long. LMA has a few years left, but DeRozan is a free agent this off season and Gobert would be off the books the next year. It also works for me because Greg Poppovich is not going to coach much longer. He only has a few seasons left, and getting a front court duo of Gobert and LMA could work. They are both big. LMA can score and rebound with some of the better bigs in the league. Gobert is the rim protector and rim runner that could work with Murray or Walker, whichever one they keep. The team is also filled with vets that could help take the heat off Gobert. It would also put this team back in the playoff picture. They could slow down some other teams that have bigger guys that crush them now.

Time will tell with this, but if I were the Jazz, and I wanted to rid myself of this whole thing, these are the 2 teams I would call first to test the waters. We will see. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Ty Watches "The Scheme"

A week or so back HBO had a sports documentary on called "The Scheme". I wanted to watch it, forgotten about it and then remembered that we have On Demand, and that HBO replays stuff all the time. I found it, recorded it and finished it yesterday, and I loved it. Let’s discuss

"The Scheme" follows the embarrassing FBI investigation into Christian Dawkins relationship with high school basketball stars and whether or not he gave coaches money as well as players. I fully believe, and this doc furthers that belief, that Dawkins did not deal with coaches. He was friendly with them, and he talked to assistants, but he did not do anything that most people do, or do not do, when they deal with major head coaches dealing with big time shoe deals. It started with Sonny Vaccaro, and it is still going real, real strong today. In fact, my team Michigan, lost out on two big time recruits last night and today, and after watching "The Scheme", I am curious as to why one kid decided to go play pro overseas, although that actually makes sense because the kid can get paid to play right now, and the other kid chose Arizona State, which I believe is an Adidas school, over Michigan, which is Jordan Brand. I wonder if any of that went into their decisions.

Anyway, I found "The Scheme" to be very well made, but extremely eye opening. I have been on both sides of paying college athletes. When I was younger, thought that a scholarship was more than enough. Then I grew up and realized that was asinine, and that some kids bring in millions to the schools they go to. If a coach can make money hand over fist, and they can pay their assistants a million plus a year, why can't the kids, who bring in the majority of the money, get anything? Why are they treated like indentured servants? Why can't they make choices to further themselves and their families? Why can't they get something more?

As for the show, "The Scheme" introduces us to Christian Dawkins, who's name I didn't know until two years ago, and he seems to have the same questions. He was a player that was okay, good enough to play varsity at a very good high school as a sophomore, but he didn't have the tools to go all the way. He decided then that he was going to be in the business of rated and ranking and getting high school kids into good college basketball programs. He started a blog at first that blew up. He then started to meet people. He got a shoe deal for an AAU team when he was 17 years old. He made moves because of his relationship with other high school players. He knew his crowd, he knew how to market them and he ran with it. He went so far as to join an agency as a "runner". They called him an "agent", but what he did was get high profile players for the agency he worked for to sign with them. He then would find the next kid. He got guys like Malachi Richardson and Elfird Payton, former high first round picks. He then made a mistake, what they called "Uber Gate", and spent way too much of those guys money, he says by mistake, on Uber rides. He was fired from the agency, and that was when he decided to start his own business. This was also when the FBI got involved. There was so much stuff that went into this investigation, this pointless investigation, that it needs to be made into a live action movie. The FBI had two agents pose as money people to try and get Dawkins to get coaches involved. They had another agent type guy, Marty Blazer, working for them as well. They had phones tapped. They had fraud. They used the FBI's money to try and further their case. They tried to film Dawkins doing illicit things with coaches. They tried it all really. And Dawkins is no saint, more on that in a minute. But, the FBI flubbed this thing big time. They kept trying and pushing for Dawkins to get big name coaches involved. Coaches like Sean Miller, Will Wade and Rick Pitino. They wanted to take them all down. But, Dawkins kept insisting that he doesn't deal with head coaches. He dealt with assistants, and more importantly, players. He would tell the FBI informant, or try to explain during phone calls, how absurd it would be to get head coaches involved. He kept telling him it was easier, and quieter to deal with players and assistants. The FBI paid no mind to that, and they tried to take Dawkins down a bit too early. They tried to catch him in the act in Vegas, and while they may have been able to bring up some charges, they didn't do the damage they hoped. I, like a lot of people, thought that this was going to be the death of some major schools, but it really wasn't. Sean Miller is still at Arizona. Kansas was the favorite to win the title. Will Wade still has a job. Creighton was a top 25 team this year. The only person who got hit by this, besides Dawkins, was Rick Pitino, and he is already back in the college game, after one year coaching overseas.

"The Scheme" only made me further despise the NCAA and all their cronies. The fact that they wasted tax payer's money and time is crazy. The fact that they acted all high and mighty, and basically did nothing to the people who should have gotten in trouble, Will Wade and Sean Miller mostly, is ridiculous. The fact that Dawkins had to spend tons of time in court, and a year and a day in jail, is utterly insane. Yes, what he did was immoral and wrong and is against NCAA rules, he did nothing that hundreds and hundreds of people before him have done. Every major school has a guy like Dawkins working for them. I'm 100 percent positive coaches like Coach K and John Calipari and Miller and Wade and Bill Self all have guys like Dawkins, or ties to Dawkins. That is the cost of winning and recruiting at the level they continue to recruit.

I really enjoyed this doc, I highly recommend sports fans watch it and I one hundred percent believe that Dawkins is not the bad guy, and he didn't do anything that a bunch of other people are doing or did. Dawkins said it best when they neared the end when he was asked what he has to say to the NCAA, and he said, "F&*k the NCAA". I couldn't have said it better myself. 

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

I'm All in for a Professional Game of HORSE

We are now over a month without sports, and I know a good amount of people are trying to figure something out right now. I read that baseball is looking into playing, at least the first part of the season, all their games in Arizona, or at minor league parks. The NFL and college football is hoping they can start practices in July or August, which is a big time hope. And the NBA seems to be doing anything and everything they can to try and at least have some kind of playoff or tournament.

Personally, I think all these leagues should be extra, extra cautious, and only play when it’s 100 percent safe. But, and I want to give Adam Silver and the people that work for him a ton of credit, they’re doing everything they can to keep people interested, reading and trying to watch something. They did that thing a week ago where they had NBA players play each other in NBA2K, and it was fun. Hell, I would’ve watched anything at that point, but it definitely scratched an itch. I saw these guys “competing”. I saw them trash talking. I saw them trying their best to win. I saw the competitive nature that I have been really craving and really missing. And now the NBA has this wonderful idea, that is going to happen, where they’re going to have current players, WNBA players and former players play each other in a tournament version of the game HORSE.

For those that may not know, HORSE is a game where one person makes a shot, and the person after them has to make the shot, or they get a letter. The first person to get HORSE loses the game. The winner is the person with less letters. This is a game that I’ve played ever since I picked up a ball. I’ve done it with friends, during practice, at basketball camps, anywhere there’s a hoop, and we want to get some trick shots up, we played HORSE. So, the fact that former and current professional basketball players are going to do this tournament style, and they’re going to air it, you better believe I’m going to watch it, and I’m going to LOVE it. I’m not sure about all the participants, but I know guys like Trae Young, Chris Paul and Zach Lavine are going to do it. Imagine how insane some of these shots are going to be! It’s going to be crazy. These guys have dedicated their lives to basketball, and practice their craft endlessly. I’ve seen a ton of videos, and live at games, NBA players, not well known players, who make ridiculously hard shots. Shots that would take me hundreds of tries to even get close to making. CP3 is going to do some wild mid range stuff. Trae Young may pull up from 3/4 court regularly. Zach Lavine has turned into a solid shooter, but he’s such a phenomenal leaper, I’d love to see him do some wild 360 layups, or jump from the free throw line and do a reverse layup or something. All the other participants are pros as well, so you know they’re going to bring it. I also think, with the lack of games and competition, that the players involved are going to take it very seriously, and I love it. It was great to watch the All Star game ending because it mattered. I feel like this game of HORSE is going to bring out a similar intensity. I’m not sure how it will be done, if the people involved are quarantined together, or if they’re going to do it from their home gyms or something. But, I have to assume the powers that be have that all figured out, and this is going to kick so much ass.

I never thought in a million years I’d be excited to watch a game of HORSE, but that’s the world we live in for the moment. This is so awesome. Thank you NBA for this. This makes me love this league more than I thought possible. I’m so stoked.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Three Legendary Players Heading to the Basketball Hall of Fame

This year's NBA Hall of Fame class is superb. There are many big time names, both in the men's and women's game, and some all time great coaches and player personnel people. But I want to focus on three guys going in that made a humongous impact on the game, and on me, as I was really getting into the game.

This year we will see Kobe Bryant, Tim Duncan and Kevin Garnett inducted. That is some otherworldly basketball talent going in. All three are champions. All three have won MVP awards. All three were always in the all star game. All three were leaders of their teams. All three were lottery picks. Two of them even stayed on the same team their entire career, which is unheard of nowadays. And I bet KG would have stayed in Minnesota, if they were a better run franchise. These three also left an indelible mark on me as a fan. I love KG. He is one of my all time favorite players. Tim Duncan was a quiet super star, who was all about team and fundamentals. And Kobe, he was the guy I loved to hate. The one I rooted against. They all had pivotal roles to me, as I was growing up as a player and a fan.

What else is there that can be said about Kobe Bryant. We lost him much too soon. His death is a true tragedy. He seemed like he was finally happy. And then in a flash, and I still sometimes cannot believe it, he was gone. But as a player, man did I dislike him. There is no denying his skill, his will to win, his killer mentality, his ability to make scrubs important, but I rooted like hell against him. And you need that villain as a fan. And Kobe was more than up to the that task. He embraced his villainy on the court. It drove him. It made him the great, Hall of Fame player he was. He was a scoring machine. He would put up tons and tons of shots, and he would score tons and tons of points. Sure, he excelled when he played with guys like Shaq and Paul Gasol, but he also had teammates like Tyronn Lue, Smush Parker and Kwame Brown, and he pushed those guys with him to conference finals. He is, without a doubt, one of the greatest offensive players to ever play in the NBA. He is imitated and loved by so many modern super star, and non super star, players. He is some younger kids version of Jordan, or Magic or Bird or Russell. He is that dude. He is so polarizing as a player, but one thing you cannot fight, he is a well deserved first ballot Hall of Fame player. He would've been inducted no matter what happened. It is just so tragic that he lost his life before he could see this come to fruition.

As with Duncan, I cannot think of a player that was so, so, so great, yet so unmentioned and barely talked about when greatest players conversations start. Duncan was a modern day Bill Russell. The only thing he didn't do that Russell did was block shots, but he made up for that by being a 20 plus point per game guy his whole career. Duncan also did what was best for the team. When they needed him to score, he scored at will. When they needed him to rebound, he would go grab 20. When they needed him to shut down the other team's big man, he was more than up to the task. I cannot think of a better player-coach duo than Duncan and Greg Poppovich. Those two were meant for each other, and it worked out to perfection. I personally think that Duncan is the best big man of all time. The way he could manipulate with moves reminded me of Olajuwon. The way he could back guys down, it was like if Shaq had a finesse game. The way he hit the mod range jumper, always using the backboard, a shot I have tried to perfect for years, it was like watching a taller Jerry West or Larry Bird. Duncan kind of did it all, and did it at an extremely high level. He was the reason why David Robinson won a title. He helped nurture guys like Tony Parker, Manu Ginobli and Kwahi Leonard. He was the leader of these players, all of which I expect to be in the Hall of Fame. I feel like he gets unfairly compared to a player like Karl Malone because of position. Tim Duncan was so much better as a player, and there is no question that he was a much better clutch player. Duncan walked away with five rings, multiple MVP's, both regular season and playoffs, and I personally think he is the greatest power forward to ever play in the NBA. He was a wonder to watch. He played basketball the right way, and the kids I train now, the big men, I implore them to watch Tim Duncan highlights because he was so fundamentally sound and so incredible.

And then we have my dude, Kevin Garnett. There are only two NBA players I like more than KG, and they are Shawn Kemp, I had never seen an athlete like him before, and Charles Barkley, an under sized big that rebounded and dunked and could shoot. But KG holds a very special place in my heart. He was the first high school to pro player that I wanted to achieve. He was this scrawny kid coming out of South Carolina I believe, and I rooted hard for him. Maybe it was because he had said he was considering Michigan as a college, or maybe it was his story coming out of high school, but I wanted him to succeed. I think taking that year to go to Chicago to play at the legendary Farragaut Academy was one of the best things he had ever done, to prepare for the pros. Then when he came in the league, like I said, he was scrawny, but he had this energy that was so intoxicating as a fan, and I bet his teammates loved it. I bet they fed on it. He needed to hone his game, and during his time in Minnesota, he became this chiseled go getter who never stopped hustling. He out rebounded, out ran, out hustled, out trash talked and just flat out beat dudes that were supposed to be guarding him, or trying to at least. Then when he developed that jumper, it was over for opponents. He was a nearly perfect player. He took the Timberwolves further than they have ever been in the playoffs. When he realized that they wouldn't do much to help him, he knew it was time to get out, and he headed to Boston to play with Ray Allen and Paul Pierce, forming the first "super team", and they won the Finals that year, KG's only ring. And he was the unquestioned leader. I'm sure Boston fans will say Pierce was, but that team went as KG went. It was also pretty neat to see the Celtics beat the Lakers in that Finals. KG also did the impossible for me as a fan, making me root for a team from Boston. I didn't like the Celtics, but I LOVED KG. So I rooted for them in that particular NBA Finals. He went on to play for Brooklyn for a few seasons, then helped out big men in Minnesota for awhile, and now has his own TV show, which is awesome. But it was his time in Minnesota and his title in Boston that really solidified his Hall of Fame resume. KG is one of the most intense, fierce competitors that the NBA has ever seen. He could have played in any era and he would have been equally successful.

Kobe, Duncan, and KG, these are three of the greatest players to ever be inducted into the Hall of Fame. This is what real Hall of Fame talent looks like. This may be the best class, and these three in particular, three of the best players ever inducted. This is an insane amount of talent, and it is very, very well deserved. Kudos to these three on a much deserved nod to the Hall of Fame.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Should Michigan's Isaiah Livers Go to the NBA

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Cam Newton and Washington Makes Tons of Sense

Hope everyone is being safe and social distancing and staying home when you can. Still, go outside and get exercise and do things with your family, just make sure you are social distancing. For real.

Anyway, today I want to talk about Cam Newton. He is clearly done in Carolina. The Panthers hired a new coach, and last week they went ahead and grabbed the biggest fish on the QB market and signed Teddy Bridgewater. So the next question was, where will Newton end up?

I thought of this as well after the Panthers signed Bridgewater. I tried to think of what teams could use him. He is still young, still has a good arm, can still move and is only three years removed from a Super Bowl appearance and MVP season. I'd like to think that a good amount of teams in the NFL would want him. The first team I came up with was Chicago. Well, they went ahead and traded for Nick Foles, and they will now have one of the most boring "QB competitions" in NFL history. Miami, I guess, only wants to have a great defense, and is willing to roll with Ryan Fitzpatrick. Pittsburgh, for some reason, is sticking with their 100 year old, oft injured QB. I have no idea what the Rams are doing, but they couldn't afford Newton anyway. And Jacksonville, well, I guess they are content to be 4-12 under Gardner Minshew every season because he has some weird "cult" following in the area.

Then I saw some stories surfacing saying that Washington was interested in him. At first I scoffed. I mean, Washington has made mistake after mistake after mistake every since Dan Snyder bought the team. But something seems to be happening this offseason for them. They fired Jay Gruden, finally. He has been a mess since he was hired. He has fought with most of the star players openly. He seemed to call out any solid QB they had while he was coaching. He was never really the guy for the job. Then they replaced him with Ron Riviera. I found it puzzling, but then some stories came out that those in charge where going to let him pick his players, and run the team his way. This is a good move because their front office is not good. I think they should let the people who are in positions in the front office keep their jobs, but let the smart people, like Riviera, make the player decisions. They then cut Josh Norman who was a bust of a signing. They are finally willing to move Trent Williams, but not unless they get a big return. And they seem to be keeping important defensive pieces that Riviera can work with. Then the Newton stuff came out, and the more I thought about it, the more this makes sense. Washington has some good, young wide outs. They have an okay enough O line. I wish they had younger running backs, but maybe this is the season Derius Guice stays healthy finally. And they have a solid enough defense, like I said before. Newton also has plenty of experience playing for Riviera. I believe it is the only NFL coach he has ever played for. He has also had some great success under Riviera, which I also mentioned above.

When you sit and think, this has the potential to be a very good move. It would help, a little bit, some of the fans to forget about all the bad stuff. In that division, having a healthy Cam Newton could push them to playoff contention. The only person I feel bad for, if this is to happen, would be Dwayne Haskins. Look, I am a Wolverines fan as you all know, but I thought Haskins had the potential to be a solid NFL QB. He was very good in college, and I don't think he got much of a fair shake last year. First off, that dumbass Gruden went on record and said he didn't want to draft him, even though he was one of the better QB prospects in the draft. Gruden then proceeded to start guys like Case Keenum and Colt McCoy before injury and poor play forced his hand. Haskins didn't perform great, but he was never really given a fair shot. He was stashed on the bench by the coaching staff, didn't get much help from his skill guys, and now, well, it looks like they might take a chance on Newton, and it is the right move. Haskins may get a shot somewhere else, hopefully he does. But, when you have a chance to get a fully healthy Cam Newton, especially with his only NFL coach, I feel like that is a move you can't pass up, especially for a team like Washington.

Newton would be another good move, and would help out Washington tremendously. Now lets see if they actually do it.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

What is Tom Brady Thinking?

Wrong, Wrong, Wrong

Yesterday Tom Brady announced he was moving on from the Patriots. I talked about my feelings on this, and went through some of his options, and where New England goes from here. I also said that once he picked a team I would write about his decision, and my thoughts on that.

Well, about an hour after my piece posted, it was reported that Brady was planning on signing with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. They were one of two teams that was mentioned most as a destination for Brady. I said in my piece yesterday that they have some of the best wide outs, young too, that Brady will ever play with. They also have a solid O line and an okay enough run game. But, I still stand by the fact that I think their defense is less than average, that Brady's arm is not equipped to throw the deep ball consistently, and that Tampa is not a Super Bowl contender, even with the addition of Brady.

People all over sports media were losing their minds when this happened yesterday, and I assume rightfully so. Brady is the best QB ever, the receiving corps is ridiculously good and the line will protect him. But, Brady is going to be 43 years old, and did no one watch his play kind of slide at the end of the season last year? Also, I saw someone say that Ronald Jones is a "weapon". While I think he is a solid back, he is not in the upper echelon of running backs. I don't know that he is any better than who the Patriots, or the Chargers, the other teams that had a shot at signing Brady, have at running back. Honestly, I think Sony Michel is better, and he is younger.

I can't help myself, but I keep going back to that defense. Yes, they have the sack leader from last season in Barrett coming back on a franchise tag. They resigned Jason Pierre Paul, and he is a solid D lineman. But who else do they have on that side of the ball? Ndamukong Suh is more of a name than a disruptive player at this point. Vita Vea is still very green. The secondary is filled with guys that haven't proven a thing. The linebackers, outside of Barrett, are very so so. I don't have a ton of faith in the defense doing enough to push this team far in the playoffs. I do think they have a shot at the playoffs with Brady, and that offense, but that defense is going to give up gobs of points, and that means Brady will be forced to throw a ton. And that is fine when you have guys like Chris Godwin, OJ Howard and Mike Evans. They are going to give opposing teams coaches headaches trying to figure out how to cover them with Brady throwing to them now. I mean, Jameis Winston had a career year with these guys, and Tom Brady is much, much, much better than Winston. But, he is also much, much, much older than Winston, and doesn't have the arm.

I am sure people will throw the fact that Bruce Arians is a QB whisperer, and he did wonders with Carson Palmer in Arizona, but two things need to be said about that. One, Palmer, while older, was still I his thirties when he signed with Arizona. And two, and I know I keep going to this, he always had a stronger arm than Brady. Palmer thrived in a deep ball offense. This is no offense to Brady. I don't know how many more times I can call him the greatest to ever play his position before people stop calling me a hater. But, he is old, he has always been much better at underneath routes, he is immobile and he is very set in his ways. The only time he ever had to throw deep was when the Patriots signed Randy Moss, but that was over a decade ago, and Randy Moss is way better than any receiver the Bucs have right now could wish to ever be in their careers. Also, while I think Rob Gronkowski is wildly overrated, OJ Howard hasn't proved yet to be a real threat at his position.

I am still puzzled by all of this. I, honestly, don't get his decision. This is going to be so much harder for him than it has been for the past 20 seasons. He is used to winning a very easy division. He now has to face Matt Ryan, Teddy Bridgewater, and Drew Brees eight times next season. They will try and keep up with the scoring, but I think he will find it much tougher sledding than anything he has faced in his career. The Falcons and Panthers may not be as good, but they will score points. The Saints should've played in the Super Bowl two years ago, they blew it this year, but their offense is better than Tampa's, and their defense is light years ahead of Tampa's. Finally, it is going to be so god damn weird to see him in that jersey. It is going to take awhile for all of us football fans to adjust.

This decision is one of the wilder, and more confusing ones I have ever witnessed in super star sports figures making at the end of their careers. This ranks right up there, for me, with MJ joining the Wizards and Ichiro Suzuki going to play for the Marlins. I will be curious to see if he has a better ending than those guys did, but I doubt it.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

OK, For Real This Time. Where Will Brady Play Next Year?

I was planning on writing about one of my new favorite shows today, "Black Monday", which premiered this past Sunday, but a certain QB decided they would be moving on from their current team, and it blew up the sports world this morning. And no, I am not talking about the Colts signing Phillip Rivers just now, which I think is a decent signing.

I'm of course talking about Tom Brady sending a "farewell" message to Patriots fan via, I think, Instagram. He said he wants to "take a new direction at this point in his career", or some nonsense. I wrote on this site, when Brady said he was going to test free agency this offseason, that I would be stunned, and would eat a ton of crow, if he didn't stay in New England. Well, I hope you all have your serving utensils ready because I was very, very wrong.

This, as far as sporting news goes, is stunning. Brady has been with the same team, the same coach, and for the most part, the same offensive coordinator his whole career. He was a late round pick, a back up thrust into action due to injury and turned into the best QB the NFL has ever seen. Yes, while I am not a Patriots fan, Brady is the best QB ever in the NFL. He is the most clutch, driven and has won more than anyone else. He and Belichick and the Patriots are like Bill Russell and Red Auerbach and the Celtics, or like whoever coached the Yankees in the late 90's and early 2000's and Derek Jeter and the Yankees. They were the dynasty. They were the team that was either loved or hated, no in between. They were the Deathstar, and a good amount of that has to do with Tom Brady.

Well, at 42 years old, with pretty much the same team coming back, he has decided that he wants to play elsewhere, and to be honest, I don't get it. I don't get why he is going to leave his situation, his coaches, his comfort for the past almost two decades. Sure, maybe he wants to play somewhere warmer, or throw to some legit wide outs, but still, this is a puzzling move to me. And to see the stories that have come out today, it seems like both sides were ready for this to happen. Brady did his thing, and the Patriots have said what they needed to say, including that they "never intended on resigning him".

So, where does this leave Brady and the Patriots you may be asking? Well, I will try and answer both. Lets look at the Patriots first. I, honestly, don't think this changes much. I assumed Brady would be back, but the team doesn't look much different to me than the most recent season. They have a legitimately elite defense, but their offense is lacking. They have no real run game, the line is shotty and the receivers are just okay. I believe they can win 10 games, even with someone like Jarret Stidham at QB, but they will be an easy out in the playoffs, if they make it. Brady did not look elite last year, and the Patriots got beat, fairly easily I might add, by the Titans in the first round. I could see that happening again. And even if they do go out and try to find a veteran QB, their isn't much left. Rivers, Teddy Bridgewater, Marcus Mariota, they are all off the board. They could choose from guys like Andy Dalton and Jameis Winston, but neither really move the needle, at least in my opinion. The Patriots will be an okay team next year, maybe win 9 or 10 games, but they are done as the dominant dynasty we have seen recently.

As for Brady, like I keep saying, this is a puzzling move. Apparently it is down to two teams, the Buccaneers and Chargers, and I don't see a great fit with either. The Chargers are an okay team, with a solid, and young, defense. But, they are going to lose Melvin Gordon, Hunter Henry is always hurt and Keenan Allen, while super solid, is older and more frail. It might be nice to play in LA, but he will be playing in a half empty stadium, it was empty before Coronavirus was a thing, and the Chargers are an 8 or 9 win team at best. The Patriots and Chargers, assuming Gordon gets traded, are almost mirror images. The Buccaneers are an odd choice, but might be the best of what is left. They have great wide outs, especially Mike Evans, they have a solid enough run game and the O line is competent. They also have a very explosive and athletic tight end. But, they have a so so defense, and their head coach Bruce Arians likes to air the ball out. You may say, well he did great with Carson Palmer, and while I agree, and don't yell at me for saying this, but Palmer has a better arm than Brady. Brady is a better, and smarter QB, but he has never really had the arm to air the ball out, not even at Michigan. I almost feel like him signing with the Bucs would stunt Evans and OJ Howard's growth. I also don't think he could rely on that defense to get enough stops. Yes, they have Shaquille Barrett and Jason Pierre Paul, but who else? Who really moves the needle on that defense for anyone? They gave up tons of points last year, and they will, most likely, do that again this season. And, on a little side note, Brady would look so weird in that jersey. Just, really, really odd. As for any outside teams with a "shot" at Brady, nothing really matches up for me. The Colts would've been good, but they went with Rivers. The Bears, it seems, are looking to add a vet to fight Trubisky for the starting job, and they can't afford Brady anyway. The Dolphins aren't actively trying to win, not just yet. The Titans resigned Ryan Tannehill. And any other team, playoff teams from last year especially, don't need a soon to be 43 year old QB who can't bomb the ball anymore.

This is wild, but I am glad the NFL keeps doing this because it is keeping my mind off the regular world for awhile, and I welcome that any day. Soon Brady will pick his new team, and I write about that when it happens.

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.

What a Dumb Trade by the Houston Texans

So, there may be no sports on, we all should be social distancing and staying in our homes as much as possible for the next 10-14 days, crowds of 50 people are not allowed for the next 8 weeks, schools are closed, and this thing shows no real sign of slowing down. But, the NFL hit us with some news today.

I do want to say, I am going back to trying to write strictly about sports and other pop culture stuff because this Coronavirus is serious, threatening and scary, and I want my blogs to be a place for people to try and forget, even if only for a few minutes. That is what I am here for until this nightmare passes.

Anyway, as I said, the NFL has been making noise all day. I believe it is because free agency and franchise tagging guys has started. The players and GM's, I'm sure, are doing all this stuff over the computer, or FaceTime, but still, deals are getting done. Dak and Derrick Henry got, unfairly, franchised. Austin Hooper is now a member of the Browns. Calais Campbell is headed to Baltimore. Apparently Teddy Bridgewater is in extended talks with the Bears. RD's buddy Kirk Cousins got extended in Minnesota (ed note: UGHHHHH). Ryan Tannehill, for some reason, got another solid deal. The Packers signed a new starting offensive lineman. But the news of the day is the trade that went down between the Arizona Cardinals and the Houston Texans.

I first heard that the Texans traded for David Johnson. I thought that this was an okay deal, if it was 2016, when David Johnson was the do it all back that everybody, myself included, was taking first overall in their fantasy drafts. I thought, before I knew everything, that maybe, just maybe, Bill O'Brien had made a smart move. He was teaming Deshaun Watson with a solid running back, looking to revive himself, with some really good receivers, most notably Deandre Hopkins. Hopkins is one of the best wide outs in the league, without question. He always seems to have right around 100 catches, 1,000 yards and double digit touchdowns. He and Watson also seem to gel very well together. But, and this shouldn't have surprised me, but it totally did, the David Johnson trade involved Deandre Hopkins. In fact, it was basically a player for player swap, with some draft picks thrown in there.

This is absolutely insane. It is also very, very dumb on O'Brien's part. With the addition of Johnson, who the Texans could've gotten for mere picks I bet, they would've had one of the better offenses in the league. But no, O'Brien, and whoever the hell else works for him in upper management decided they needed to trade him. I heard some stuff about how they didn't want to redo his deal, that he may have clashed with management, you know, the typical nonsense from the idiot team that trades on of their best players. But, this type of stuff needs to be figured out when your franchise QB, who they traded so far up to take, has made such a fast, and easy connection with Hopkins from day one. Watson has had this symmetry with Hopkins since the jump. Now, he will have to find a new guy because Bill O'Brien "didn't want to redo his deal". That is ludicrous. That is asinine. That is stupid. And if I were a fan of the Texans, I would be so pissed off right now. They are basically telling Deshaun Watson that they don't care about him. That they will trade away a proven pro, one of the best at his position, for a guy that had, and I'm sorry if this comes off mean, maybe two good years. David Johnson had one year that was so great he got a massive contract, and as I said, was a top overall pick in most fantasy drafts. But, since then, he has had to deal with a torn ACL, and last year, he looked like a shell of himself. Like I said, he can revive his career, but it will take time. It would've been easier if he had another skill player like Hopkins on the same team. But he doesn't.

On the other side, the Cardinals seem to be building something of a modern NFL air raid offense. They have the type of players that will thrive in that offense, and they are adding one of the best. The Cardinals will line up Larry Fitzgerald, who is still very, very productive, on one side, and Deandre Hopkins on the other. And with the way Kyler Murray played last year, that would fill my face with a smile if I were a Cardinals fan. They could put up tons and tons of points. Maybe the Cardinals will start to turn a corner this season.

This is a disaster trade for the Texans, and an absolute homerun for the Cardinals. I'm still a little stunned by this, but I am also happy that this kept my mind off of what is going on in the real world for a few hours. What an odd, odd trade. I'm now excited to see how Hopkins plays in an air raid style offense.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Michigan State Football is Again Making the Wrong Kind of News

Keeping with my theme of sports or upbeat pieces lately, I come to you with a sports piece today.

So, I know it is going to seem like I am attacking Michigan State, and people will immediately assume that because I am a die hard Michigan fan, I just cannot escape all the bad press that is coming out from the football program in East Lansing since Mark Dantonio resigned a few months ago. It was reported last night that there are new allegations, and this is all that it is right now, allegations, that Dantonio had staffers film other teams practices.

This is wrong on so many levels. Do you all remember the first Patriots scandal, all the way back in 2001? The one where they were accused of filming the Rams practices ahead of the Super Bowl that year? You do. Well, this is just like that, except the report said they did it for every team they were facing. That is bold, it is the definition of cheating, it is morally wrong and it should be another blow to this football program that so desperately needs to get hit hard by the NCAA.

The NCAA, and Mark Emmert for that matter, come off so holier than thou, but with bigger name programs, lately, they seem to simply slap them on the wrist. At Michigan State and the University of Ohio State there have been reports of abuse in the wrestling and gymnastics programs, and nothing has come to light yet. The whole Penn State thing was a disaster, and they got a two year bowl ban and some scholarships taken away. Urban Meyer has been a proven cheater, and recruited some not so great kids, yet he is looked at as a legend. Ole Miss looked like they were going to get sanctioned to hell a few years back, but they were able to recently hire Lane Kiffin, for better or worse. It just seems like the NCAA doesn't really care if the school is making them money hand over fist, which Michigan State football has for the past decade. This is a team that was perennially ranked in the top 25, made a playoff appearance and won a Rose Bowl. They are NCAA darlings.

I think the NCAA feels like they don't need to do too terribly much because Michigan State became a household name under Dantonio. But, last offseason the whole Larry Nassar scandal broke, and that opened the flood gates to their sports programs. Every sport was seemingly involved, but especially the football program under Dantonio's watch. There have been multiple sexual and physical assault claims that directly involve former and current players. There were the excuses of injuries and the media as to why they haven't been as dominant. There were the multiple cover ups by coaches. There was steroid use with some of the better players. And now we have the filming accusation. All of this is bad, every single bit of it, and filming practices should be the straw that breaks the camel's back. And before all the MSU fans get all up in arms and call me a hater or whatnot, if this were Michigan you'd be so much worse about it. What MSU did is immoral and wrong on every single level.

As bad, or blight as this may sound, lets take away all the abuse and steroid stuff, and just focus on the filming. SMU's football program got destroyed for giving kids money to come play there. That is far less worse. Michigan basketball got crushed after the Fab Five era because of money. Reggie Bush had his Heisman taken away because USC gave his mom a house so she could be near him in college. These things are far, far less destructive than abuse, steroid use and filming practices. How immoral and gross and seedy do you have to be to film another team practice? Why do that? What edge does it give you? did they not think they would get caught? The Patriots, a professional football team, got caught. Of course MSU was going to get caught.

With each passing day since Dantonio's unexpected resignation, the stories get worse and worse. What I want to know is all the stuff. What else did he try to get away with while coaching that team, and who else was involved. All these stories coming out have already begun to tarnish any type of "legacy" Dantonio had as a coach. Now I wonder how the NCAA will respond. Are they going to go with the slap on the wrist, or are they going to make a big boy decision. Time will tell. But all in all, this doesn't give MSU a good look.

Not at all.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Who is to Blame for the Coaching Mess With the Nets?

I, much like many other people, was stunned to see Kenny Atkinson lose his job, near the end of the season, with a Nets team that is going to make the playoffs again. I thought he was one guy that was safe. After what he oversaw at first, all the losing and no first round draft picks forever, to what they did last year, and I know they weren't great, but they had a winning record, won a game in the playoffs and looked like a fun team. And then they signed KD and Kyrie Irving this offseason. I assumed Kenny Atkinson was set in stone. I didn't, not even once, expected this to happen.

Sure, this season has been different. They traded away guys that clicked last year to clear the space for two stars. The cohesion hasn't always been there this year. They have suffered a rash of injuries to starters and key bench guys. Kyrie, when he was playing, was saying dumb shit again, to reporters in the locker room so everyone could hear him. He also wasn't playing all that well. They have tried to play DeAndre Jordan far too much. Jarrett Allen is younger and much better. KD hasn't stepped on the floor at all this year, which was expected. But still, when the news flashed on Saturday, I was shocked.

Then stories started to trickle out that neither KD nor Kyrie wanted him to be the coach, that Atkinson didn't want to coach them, that Deandre Jordan was upset that he wasn't playing as much as he would like, you know, the typical stuff when this happens. My first thought was, well it's true, Kyrie is a coach killer. But, as I sat back and thought about it, Brad Stevens is still in Boston, and Ty Lue was still the coach after Kyrie left, and LeBron was gone anyway, so why would he want to leave.

Look, I know all the stuff that is out there about Kyrie, and I agree with most of it. He is a cancer to the locker room. He isn't as great as he would like us to think, or he thinks. He has never won anything without LeBron. Yes, he hit a humongous shot in the Finals, one of the biggest shots ever, but a lot of stuff that didn't involve him led to that moment. Teams do seem to play better when he is out, or injured. Again, it's all true. But, Kyrie is a magician with the ball, and when he is on the floor, he is great. He can score, he can handle, he is an average defender. But, if I look at all the top point guards in the league right now, he is right up there. I don't know if I would want him on my team, but I don't necessarily think this was all on him.

I feel the same with the KD noise. First off, KD is a much better teammate, more coachable and is a better player than Kyrie. I know he has this new, wannabe "bad boy" image to the media, but I have never once thought he was a coach killer. He played for Scott Brooks, Billy Donovan and Steve Kerr, and none of them have said a bad word about him. He has also been out all year, so why would his words hold any bearing over this season. Next year, when he is back, sure, but this year, no way. So I don't blame this on KD either.

Deandre Jordan's opinion holds absolutely zero bearing on anything of importance. He is well past his prime, the Nets have better and younger guys at the same spot and he is a total non factor. If his anger at playing time had anything to do with this that is absurd.

I don't think it is Kenny Atkinson's fault either. I think Atkinson is a good coach, who can get the very best out of guys that were castoffs, or rookies. D'Angelo Russell was a pariah when he came to Brooklyn, and Atkinson helped turn him into an All Star and a max player. Caris Levert was oft injured at Michigan and skinny coming into the league. Now he is a key cog to this team. Spencer Dinwiddie has bounced around the NBA, and now he has found a spot that has helped him get to where he is today. Joe Harris was your typical white shooter when he came to the league, now, while he can still shoot, he can play defense, drive to the rim and handle a little bit. Most of the praise goes to the individual player for working on stuff, but I also give some praise to Atkinson. He has to believe in the player, and harbor their want to get better. I just think that Atkinson doesn't want to coach super stars. Not everybody can be Phil Jackson or Steve Kerr or even Mike D'Antoni. Look at a guy like Greg Poppovich. Yes, he had Tim Duncan, but Duncan is the most understated star the league has ever seen. While Atkinson is no Pop, far from it, Pop has won with, for the most part, guys willing to play roles. Billy Donovan is doing that in OKC right now, and I know they have Chris Paul, but he is a billion years old. Kenny Atkinson has way more Rick Carlisle than Doc Rivers in him, if you ask me.

So, while you have been reading this, I'm sure at this point you are asking me, who's fault is this then Ty? Well, I'll tell you now. I feel this is totally, and completely on the front office. They feel a ton of pressure now, and it will only get bigger next season. They want to appease their stars. They want to become the team in New York. Side note, that will never, ever happen, no matter how bad the Knicks are, or will be. They feel like they need to be much better than a 6 or 7 in the East. The front office panicked, listened to outside people talk and made a rash, and impulsive decision. I simply don't know who the Nets are going to get that will appease the stars. Maybe, maybe Ty Lue. After that though, most of the big name guys are set. Rivers isn't leaving the Clippers, Jason Kidd will soon be the Lakers head coach, Budenholzer will stay with the Bucks as long as Giannis is there, Carlisle and Donovan have a plethora of young talent they want to mold, Nick Nurse is beloved in Toronto, I mean, the Nets options are small and, maybe, bleak.

This was a puzzling move, and I am very curious to see what direction they go in. This is a wild story in what is usually a down time in the NBA.

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.

Who Should Draft Tua Tagovailoa?

The NFL draft is a little over a month away. Come April I will do my type of preview, where I pick players I like and dislike. But today I want to spend my time talking about Tua Tagovailoa.

First things first, Tua is a very, very, very good QB. He came in as a backup in a title game two years ago and won the game for Alabama. His pass in overtime was one of the most perfect throws I have ever seen. The fact that he took a sack earlier in that series, dusted himself off, and made that throw, that was when I knew he was a special football player.

Tua then comes back the next year, beats out Jalen Hurts as a starter and takes Alabama to another title game. This made his legend grow even further. But, the title game showed some flaws. Sure, it is not his fault that the Alabama defense gave up a million yards and tons of points. Still though, Tua got outplayed by a true freshman, and he looked a little overmatched when playing a defense that had pros on it.

He came back for this season, and he started like a house on fire. He was great. He looked like the Tua from two years ago. Then the minor injuries started. He missed a game here and there for knicks and bruises. He then suffered a pretty severe ankle sprain. Still, he came back, won a few important games and looked like he was going to be just fine.

Then Tua got brutally injured in an unimportant game during the regular season. I don't remember who Alabama was playing, or what game it was, but I remember after hearing about the injury I had two thoughts, uh oh, and why was he in there. Then I heard more and more about the injury, and the more news that came out, the worse it got for Tua. It appeared he had broken his hip. This is one of the worst injuries a football player can sustain. I immediately thought of Bo Jackson. Bo Jackson is one of my all time favorite athletes. He played two pro sports at All Star level. He was lightening in a bottle. He is a once in a generation talent. He is the type of player where the word "legend" is the only proper way to describe him. Tua suffered a very similar, if not the exact same injury. That injury ended Bo's career. He was never the same after that. Now, I know that Bo was a little older, and maybe more susceptible. But, no disrespect to Tua, Bo is a much, much, much better athlete than Tua could ever dream of being, and this injury did him in. I understand all the stories. The stuff about his injury is healing way better than expected, that he was crushing interviews at the combine, that he will be able to do drills starting March 9th, and he will have a pro day and that Washington, who is picking second, and took a QB in the first round last year, might draft him if he has a good pro day. I get all of that. I also have watched enough football to understand that these stories are leaked by people that will benefit from Tua being a high pick, and keeping his name in the news.

Again, Tua was, maybe still is, a great QB prospect. But, I would be so, so hesitant to take Tua anywhere in the first round. I spoke to my father earlier today and I told him that Tua needs to go to a team where he can sit, watch, practice and heal even more. I look at teams like New England or Indianapolis or even a spot like Tennessee. All these teams will provide him all the things I think he needs to be a starter level QB in the NFL. But, if a team like Miami or Washington or Cincinnati, a place where he will have to play immediately, it will doom him. I mean, this injury took out Bo Jackson. I cannot overstate enough how big a deal that is. Tua is great, but he is no Bo.

This injury is brutal, I feel for Tua that he has to deal with this, but if I were a GM, I would try to find any other player to take, especially in the first round, before I would take Tua. He has a long, long way to go before he is back to himself, if he ever gets back.

Ty

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

Come and support Ty and the podcast on Patreon.

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Where Will Tom Brady Play Next Year?

A report was released this morning from the NFL combine that said that people are thinking Tom Brady is more likely to leave the Patriots at this point than to come back. I cannot disagree with this statement more. I think the NFL is so obsessed with keeping its name in the sporting news year round that they will make up stuff just to get people talking.

For example, there was a story, I think two days ago, about how small Joe Burrow's hands measured at the combine. It was one of the top stories on "PTI". ESPN covered it as it was the biggest story of the day. The NFL Network was all abuzz at this news. I mean, it is the size of his hands. Who in the hell cares about this nonsense that much? Who was tuning in to see how big Joe Burrow's hands are? The only person who handled this non story the right way was Burrow. If you haven't seen it yet, go check out his tweet after all these sports stations and websites ran the story about his hand size. It is perfect. And now we have this Brady story.

I haven't thought for a second that he is leaving New England. Why would he? They are apparently out there right now looking for players to add that would compliment his skills. They are also, while horrible, horrible people, one of the more established and well run NFL franchises. They are insane, and filled with monsters, but they know how to run a football team. And then I look at some of the "preferred destinations" for Brady, and none of them make sense, for him at least.

Where is Brady rumored to go? One place mentioned the 49ers. That isn't happening. Yes, Brady is a much better QB than Jimmy Garroppolo, but they have less talent at receiver than the Patriots, their defense will regress and their division is the most competitive in the NFL. Sure, it would be nice for him to play for his favorite team as a kid, and his hometown team, but they are not suited to his style of play. Another website mentioned that he, and the Raiders, had mutual interest. This is wrong on so many different levels. First off, they are moving to Las Vegas, and I don't think any 40 plus year old man that is married with multiple children wants to go play in Vegas. They also have little to no talent on the outside. They also want to run the ball. They also have a subpar defense. But worst of all, they have Jon Gruden at head coach. This idea would have been great maybe a decade ago, but now it is just nonsense. The Chargers seem to be another team that people mention, and maybe Brady wants to play in a warmer climate closer to home. But that team doesn't draw at all, they are another team that wants to utilize their running backs more. And while Keenan Allen is really, really good, he has taken far too many hits waiting on ducks from Phillip Rivers, and he is a bit slower than he used to be. They are also not a legit contender. Same thing with the Raiders. I also heard that Tampa Bay is a "sleeping giant" in all the Brady talk. This is the only team that "makes sense" because of the talent at receiver. But, outside of that, they have a ton to work on to be a truly competitive team. They also haven't given up on Jameis Winston for some reason. They also need to retool their defense to be any kind of a threat, and their coach, Bruce Arians has said as much. Yes, Arians is a master with QB's, especially older ones, but Brady doesn't really move the needle for this team. Carson Palmer was put into a great situation, with playmakers everywhere, the last time Arians took on an older QB. Brady has the playmakers on offense, but this defense is far from legit.

So, when I sit back and just try to think about it, and make arguments for other teams, I always come back to many facts that favor the Patriots. They are working to get him some talented dudes. He has been with the same coach his whole career. Josh McDaniels, who is a coward, has been his best coordinator his whole career. The Patriots have done everything for him. They gave him his shot, and he has rewarded them with six rings. I just don't see him leaving now, when he will be 43 during next season, to try and help some middling team sell some tickets. I would be stunned if he signs elsewhere, and I will come on this website and eat crow for days. I still fully believe that, come the 2020 NFL regular season, Tom Brady will be the starting QB for the New England Patriots.

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.

Pelicans vs. Lakers in the Playoffs Would Be Awesome

Before  really get into the meat of my topic today I was to put some stuff out there first. I want everyone to know that I have adopted the Memphis Grizzlies as my favorite NBA team. They are closest to me, I have been to multiple games, I love the city and the arena and they are a fun team to watch. I also believe without a shadow of a doubt that Ja Morant is the Rookie of the Year, and that it shouldn't even be a close vote. Hell, I'd go as far to say that he could, and maybe should, be the unanimous choice. I also find the entire team a blast to watch, I think they will be a perennial playoff team sooner rather than later, that Morant is going to become even more of a star and that they are ahead of schedule, in a very good way.

Okay, with all that being said, and please keep that in mind as I write my piece today, I want to see New Orleans and the Lakers face off in a first round playoff series. I know this means the Grizzlies would get pushed out, they have little to no shot of catching up with Dallas or OKC, and I am fine with that. They will be in the playoffs next year. But, with the game between the Pelicans and Lakers tonight, and with the Pelicans at full strength, I think this would be the absolute dopest first round playoff matchup. It has so many elements that would make this so awesome. We have AD having to go back to New Orleans to play, at least, 2 games. That crowd is going to boo the absolute crap out of him. It won't matter because he is incredibly talented, and a super gifted basketball player, but it would be almost cathartic for the Pelicans fans to have that moment, and maybe prove that they don't need AD after all. On the other side, we'd have Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart and any other player the Lakers traded to get AD. They would all get their chance to prove to the Lakers front office that they maybe gave up too much. Again, AD is a generational player, and if he gets the Lakers a title it will be totally worth it. But still, they gave up their future to get this guy, and some of those guys, Ingram I feel especially, will want to stick it to them. Just like AD getting booed, it won't matter, but it would be so much fun to watch. Then we have Zion versus LeBron. We have the current best player, and face of the league for the past almost two decades versus the guy everyone figures will be the new face when, and if he can stay healthy, LeBron retires.

Forget the playoffs for a moment. I'm excited to see them matchup tonight. I saw a picture on Bleacher Report earlier today asking the question of which one is more likely to dunk on the other one, and I got pumped at the idea. During a regular season game. Imagine that energy in a 7 game series. I mean, I'm sure it would be a sweep, maybe the Pelicans get one, but still, it would be fun. It kind of reminds me of when AD pushed the Pelicans into the playoffs and they played the Warriors. The Warriors won the series with ease, but AD was amazing. I feel like Zion can do that, but he has a much better supporting cast. I also like some of the other cross matchups. I love Ingram going against a guy like Avery Bradley. Or seeing Jrue Holiday face up with Rajon Rondo. I want to see how AD would guard Zion. This series would be great.

Again, the Grizzlies are my team. Ja is my dude. They're going to be a real player in the West very soon. But, just for one season, I want to see the Pelicans get swept by the Lakers. It will be a quick, but absolute blast of a series. Lets see it happen.

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.

John Beilein and Cleveland Did Not Work

I know that I have talked a ton about John Beilein on this site ever since he shockingly took the Cavs job last summer, but I have to talk about him yet again. Look, I made it very, very clear that I didn’t think he would make it the full five years of his contract, but for him to resign fifty-four games into the first season of his contract, during All Star break, is as shocking as him taking the job.

The Cavs job is clearly a wasteland. Hell, they fired a coach that took them to the Finals in his first season. They have had, I believe, six coaches in the past seven seasons. If I’m being totally honest, I don’t know who the coach was before Beilein took this job in the summer. In fact, besides David Blatt and Tyron Lue, I cannot name one other coach except for Beilein. But, this seemed like a good hire got them at the time, and man did it deteriorate much faster than anyone expected.

When Beilein was hired there was support all over the place. Apparently Cleveland did their homework and found a guy that is good at rebuilds. He was also considered a guy that could coax the best out of guys that may not be the greatest. I even thought they would give him time to build the roster his way. Then a bunch of wild stuff happened. His son resigned from Niagara University before coaching a single game. The Cavs, as expected, started very, very slow. In fact, they sit at 14-40 as I write this today. Then we have Kevin Love throwing fits during games. Look no further than him yelling at Collin Sexton to pass, getting the pass, chucking the ball at Cedi Osmann and then yelling at the whole team right before halftime. We also have Tristan Thompson coming to Beilein’s defense after the Love thing, then one night later, the two of them are caught on camera yelling at each other. Then we have anonymous players questioning his tactics to media and teammates. Then we have the “slugs/thugs” thing. Then we have a report a few days ago claiming that Beilein was “miserable”. And then the reports came out during All Star weekend that the two sides were coming to a decision for him to resign. Oh, and in the midst of all of this they kept Love and Thompson during the trade deadline, and inexplicably traded for Andre Drummond, who I am a fan of, he just doesn’t fit on this god awful Cavs team. Then yesterday Beilen announced he was stepping down.

This, I guess, was doomed from the start. Some guys aren’t pro head coaches. They don’t have the mindset. They’re used to being the judge, juror and executioner. They are the end all be all. Beilein was used to this way. He coached college for, pretty much, his entire career. Then, in his mid 60’s, he decides its time to try the NBA. I don’t fault him, but his ways are not conducive to professional basketball players. He’s too rah rah, too focused on fundamentals, too entrenched in getting time to develop. That doesn’t happen in the NBA for many reasons. Kevin Love doesn’t need to work on passing and rebounding. He’s already proven he can do that. Collin Sexton and Darius Garland are way too young, and have never been told that they need work. Cedi Osman is a vet, why would he listen to a career college coach. Andre Drummond is an All Star and a great low post guy. Why would he want to sit around and watch game tape for hours on end? And that Cavs front office is a total mess. They’ve proven multiple times that, sans LeBron, they’re a garbage NBA team. It has happened twice now.

I’m sure Beilein will have his pick of college jobs, some that may not even be open yet. I’ve already heard that schools like Indiana, Northwestern and Vanderbilt, all with coaches, are interested. But this NBA experiment has been an unmitigated disaster, and it will be one thing that’s always mentioned now. I mean, he couldn’t even get through one season. That is rough stuff. This is one of the predictions I got right that I wished I would be wrong. I’m still a little stunned he already gave up.

What a rough, downer half a season for Beilein. This is a stain on an otherwise stainless coaching career.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

What to Think of This Whole Astros Cheating Thing?

As I have stated many times on this site, RD is the baseball guy. But today, I feel like I need to give my take on this whole Astros cheating scandal.

First and foremost, and I guess this is kind of sad since I loved baseball so much as a child, I honestly don’t have any real feelings on it. To be honest, I don’t really care. I know what they did was very wrong. You should never, ever cheat to get an edge. That doesn’t make you a winner, it makes you a cheater. They will go down as one of, if not the, most undeserving champions in any professional sport ever. But, when I try to get upset or angry or want to say how bad this is, I just kind of shrug. It honestly has no effect on me either way. I could care less about what they did. It was a careless and wrong way to gain an advantage, but so were steroids, and people have just kind of let that all go by the wayside. Who’s to say the same thing won’t happen with the Astros. I wouldn’t be shocked if in, say three years, most people will have totally forgotten about it, and some will even claim that they are real champs.

Second, everyone that was involved, that was in very deep, I have no problem with them being relieved of their duties. Any person who worked for the Astros during this time, especially coaches and the front office that knew about it, and supported it, they needed to go. The coach, GM, all the front office people, they deserved to be fired. They cheated and they should have to pay a punishment. As for other people involved they moved on to different jobs, like Carlos Beltran and the former Red Sox manager, they also deserved to be let go. They cheated, and who’s to say they wouldn’t do it again at their current jobs. That’s the way it is in sports. Cheaters should not prosper. I get furious when college teams get caught cheating in recruiting, and this was happening in the pro game. That’s not cool.

Third, if I really truly cared, I’d be super pissed off of I were a member of the Dodgers when this was at its height. They got to the World Series fair and square, and they lost to a team that was, at the time, cheating their asses off. I’m not a Dodgers fan, I’m not a fan of any LA team, but still, that’s not cool and not okay. The Dodgers may have a super high payroll, and can lure stars, but that’s not cheating, that’s pro sports.

Fourth, I think the players involved deserve the same punishment Pete Rose has gotten. Pete Rose gambled, even on his own team, while coaching, and he’s banned for life. What the Astros did, to me, is much, much worse. They stole signs. They knew what was coming from opposing pitchers. They gained an unfair advantage. All Pete Rose did was gamble. He never stole signs, forced guys to do something unethical or immoral, he just wanted some extra cash. The Astros straight up cheated.

Finally, I do think they need to be stripped of their title. They didn’t win their World Series fairly. They had an unfair advantage, and that’s not cool. It needs to be taken away or have an asterisk forever.

So, while I am not an MLB guy, this story is unavoidable, and I felt like I wanted to give my 2 cents. The Astros cheated, and they will never be deserving of their lone title.

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.

Ty Watches the 2020 NBA All Star Weekend

This was one of the best All Star weekends in NBA history.

Scratch that, this was the best All Star weekend in NBA history.

It needs to be said, I was only 6 when MJ and Dominique had their dunk contest showdown, I wasn't alive for, I don't think, any of Dr. J's exploits, I don't have many memories from the early to mid 90's all star weekends and I know that I said the Aaron Gordon and Zach Lavine dunk contests from a few years back was second only to the show Vince Carter put on in the late 90's. But this weekend, this was the absolute greatest I have ever seen. I have become quite disillusioned with recent all star games and weekends. It was becoming a mockery to be quite honest. I am an avid NBA, some would say obsessed, and I was struggling to figure out why I knew the names of the players in the events leading up to the game. As for the games, they were awful. I desperately wanted a team to score 200 points because it would have been amazing, but the games were very boring and took way, way too long. But this year something changed, and it started on Saturday night.

Side note, I did check into the "celebrity" game and the rising stars game on Friday night, but those were not of any real importance, although, the Ja Morant lobs to Zion were beautiful. But, when Saturday night came around we had my folks over, my daughter was still getting over a virus, my dad and I decided to check in on the Saturday night events. My son also was interested in the skills challenge because he is, finally, starting to take some coaching in basketball, and he wanted to see pros do their thing. So we watched the skills competition, not expecting much.

Boy was I wrong to not get excited. It was fun as hell. I loved seeing the big men beat the guards. It was rad that Damontas Sabonis went up against Bam Adebayo for the trophy. And when Bam hit that three to win, I threw my hands up like I bet money on it. It was a total blast. We then decided to stick with it because the skills comp was so fun. The three point contest didn't disappoint either. It started slow, with Trae Young missing a lot. But then Devin Booker, Davis Bertans, Buddy Hield, Duncan Robinson and Joe Harris all went for 20 plus in the first round. In fact, the three guys that made the finals did because they had such high first round scores. And then for Buddy Hield to win it, on the last shot mind you, again, I threw my hands up in excitement. I had no cheering intentions going into this event. I was just looking for a fun, good matchup. what I got was so much more fun, and better. It was great to see it come down to a final shot.

Then I forced my dad to stick around for the dunk contest because, as I told him, the whole night has been awesome, and the dunk contest is the best. He did, and I think he was glad he did. This dunk contest was unreal. I never thought anything would top Vince Carter, or the Lavine-Gordon contest. This one did. This was, hands down, the best dunk contest I have ever seen. Even Dwight Howard and Pat Connaughton were fun. Dwight Howard did a nice thing for Kobe, and even though I didn't want him to perpetuate the stereotype, Connaughton's "White Man Can't Jump" inspired dunk was dope. But this night belonged to Derrick Jones Jr and Aaron Gordon. The things they did were, as my wife put it, balletic. The way they glided through air and did things that I have never seen done before and how hard they hammered the ball through the rim and the flair with which they did it, it was amazing. Aaron Gordon's one handed 360 off the side of the backboard is the best dunk I have ever seen, and may ever see. That was incredible. Derrick Jones Jr proved to me why his nickname is Airplane Mode. The way he glided through the air, put the ball between his legs with ease, looking like he was flying to the rim, it was tremendous. I will say, I agree that Aaron Gordon was robbed, and I get why he won't do the contest again, but what a way to go out. It was incredible. I'm not much for ties, but they should have given both of them a trophy. It was such a spectacular show. It was the perfect way to end the night. It was explosive and fun and entertaining, and simply put, perfect.

I didn't think the actual all star game would be as fun, and for three quarters, I felt justified. Then the fourth quarter happened. I have said it once about the events leading up to the game, and I will say it about the game itself, this was the best all star game I have ever seen. The fourth quarter alone was worth the price of admission. I was so riveted I couldn't take my eyes off the screen. To see the best of the best going toe to toe, playing actual defense, taking charges, denying the ball, forcing bad shots, it was incredible. This showed the true intensity these guys have. It showed fire. It felt like a game 7 playoff game. It was tremendous. The way each team traded blows, it was awesome. Giannis' defense on LeBron, especially that block near the end, was incredible. Kyle Lowry doing his thing was rad. To see him take charges in an all star game was so cool. Joel Embiid playing like the true big man he is was awesome. To watch Team Giannis attack James Harden on defense was like watching a real game. To see the emotion with which LeBron was playing with was so cool. To see him and AD argue with officials, that was what I have been craving. I don't even care that it ended on a made free throw. To see AD hit that second one, with the pressure on, that is how all star games should be played.

This was so tremendous. I hope the NBA keeps up with this. I mean, Kawhi looked like playoff Kawhi last night, and he was a much deserving MVP winner. I also love that they renamed the trophy to the Kobe Bryant All Star game MVP trophy. This whole thing was a great way to honor someone like Kobe, who took these games almost as serious as Jordan did. I loved everything about this all star weekend. This needs to continue to happen. The NBA found a formula that works, and they need to stick to it.

What a great, great, great all star weekend. I will not soon forget it. It was awesome. Well done NBA.

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.

Devin Booker was Always an All Star

When it was announced that Damian Lillard was going to miss the All Star game this weekend, I assumed the NBA was going to be lame, cop out and put Paul George in in his place. I’m not saying George isn’t a great player. He’s one of my favorite players in fact. I love his two way game, his athletic ability, the way he goes hard all the time, I am a fan. But, he’s missed a ton of games, and he hasn’t had an All Star season this year. That’s facts.

So, when I saw that Devin Booker got the nod instead, I was pleasantly surprised. He is averaging over 27 points per game, he is in full control of the Suns offense and he deserves to be in this game. I know his team isn’t great record wise, but the Suns are far better than they have been in quite some time. They started the year hot too, winning 7 of their first 11 games. They are a long shot, but they’re still, technically, in the playoff race in the Varsity conference. And it’s because of Booker’s play. Not only is Booker doing his thing offensively, but he’s gotten far better on the defensive end this season as well. He is, at the very least, putting in effort. He’s trying to make plays. He’s getting steals here and there.

This nod is much deserved for Booker. I mean, the fact that he wasn’t picked as a reserve is puzzling to me. Jayson Tatum has had a great season so far, and the Celtics are good, but I’d take Booker before him. Brandon Ingram is having his best season to date, but his team has pretty much the same record as Phoenix, and Booker’s been this good since he got in the league. I am a humongous Russell Westbrook guy, but Booker is having an overall better year, full stop. Damontas Sabonis is a fine player, but if I’m starting a team tomorrow, I’d take Booker way before Sabonis. Even a guy like Trae Young, and I know he was voted a starter, I think Booker is a better overall player. Young is a great shooter, and a wizard with the ball. Booker would own him in a one on one matchup. He’s just as good a shooter, can handle the ball, is a solid passer and a far superior defender. His team is also wildly better, due to him, than Young’s team is right now.

I guess it goes without saying that I’m a Booker fan, but still, he shouldn’t have to be a replacement All Star. It’s not like last year when D’Angelo Russell was added right before the game. Devin Booker is a much more deserving player, and it shouldn’t have even come to this. As I have said, he’s gotten better every year. He goes into the gym and works on where he needs improvement, and also adds to his game. He’s become one of the leaders of a very, very young Suns team that may be better sooner than we thought. This is long overdue for Booker. I think this is also one of many All Star games he will be a part of. He’s earned this. He’s paid his dues. I mean, this wouldn’t even be a question if he was in the East. I bet he’d be voted an All Star starter if he was on a team like Orlando. But since he plays in the West, on the Suns, he has to be picked as a replacement.

Bright side, at least Devin Booker’s there, and will continue to be as long as he keeps improving and being the catalyst on a soon to be perennial playoff 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.

Men's College Basketball is Unwatchable

I don't know, or remember if I have done a men's NCAA college midseason redo, and I want to talk about why I haven't today.

I have been quite critical of men's college basketball for some time. I am not a fan of the whole "one and done" era. I feel like it has made the sport nearly unwatchable. I also think, if a kid feels like they are good enough to go straight from high school to the pros, let them. Also, if they don't get drafted, let them go to school for a couple of years to hone their skills. While the college game isn't in a good spot right now, it is better than the G League. I also have zero problem with star high school players going overseas for a year. At least then they are getting paid to play, and as you all know, I love the whole pay to play idea being floated right now.

Lets get back to why I didn't do a midseason redo. I didn't do one because this particular season of men's college basketball has been a very, very bad season. I don't know most of the top players because, as is the case with "one and done", I have had no time getting to know these kids. I know who is on Michigan's team because they are my team. But, if someone told me they would give me 100 dollars to name just one single player on Baylor's team, the current number one team in the nation mind you, I couldn't do it. Hell, I can't name a single player on Gonzaga, and they are the number 2 ranked team. In fact, of the top 10 teams, I can only name a few of star players on these teams. I know Azubuike from KU because he is a third year player. I went and saw Obi Toppin from Dayton when they came to Saint Louis to play SLU. And I know the names Carey and Stanley and Jones from Duke, but that is because Duke is always on TV. As for the other teams, San Diego State is undefeated, and I can't name a single player. Louisville is a top 5 team, no idea who they have. FSU is ranked highly, and again, I thought Johnathan Issac was still on that team until I saw a Magic game on League Pass the other night. And Maryland, who is inexplicably in the Big Ten, I don't know anyone they have, and I have watched them once or twice this year. Hell, it takes until I get to Kentucky, the 12th ranked team, before I recognize a guy that could go high in the draft in Tyrese Maxey. From there on out, I am totally lost, especially since Michigan State and Michigan aren't ranked.

This is my biggest problem, and I don't know if this year is an anomaly, or if this will become the new normal. Starting next year they are getting rid of "one and done", and while I like that, I think it will water down the college game that much more. There is no continuity. There are no real star players right now, or if there are guys considered "stars" this season, they are hurt or play for bad teams. I see this Edwards kid on the top of most mocks, and he is supposedly great, but he plays for Georgia. They aren't making the NCAA tournament this year. Cole Anthony, who I watched super close this weekend, is on a 10-13 UNC team. Side note, I was very, very wrong about them being a title contender this year. James Wiseman has already left college after the NCAA made it their mission to get him out of Memphis. And the rest of the "top" guys are overseas, hurt or playing for Dayton. This Toppin kid is great, but no one knows who he is. I only heard of him a couple of weeks ago. LaMelo Ball and RJ Hampton are in New Zealand and Australia. And Tyrese Haliburton, from Iowa State, is going to miss extended time with a hand injury. It's such a bummer to see these top guys on bad teams or hurt.

When I sit back and try to figure out why the college game is so bad, I keep coming back to the fact that the NCAA is corrupt, and they only care about these kids as long as they go to the Kentucky's and Duke's and KU's of the world. I thought KU was supposed to get hammered with sanctions by the way. What happened to that? Also, Duke isn't as good as they were last year, and Kentucky hasn't been a legit contender since KAT was there. But again, all of this leads me back to the NCAA and how ridiculous they are. What men's college basketball has become is a kind of farm system for the NBA for all the "one and done" guys. This has totally watered the game down. And if you look at the recent champs, with few exceptions, the teams filled with "one and done" guys hasn't won anything of importance. Zion and RJ Barrett at Duke last year only got to the Elite Eight. When Ben Simmons was at LSU they didn't even get in the tournament. The Andrew Wiggins and Joel Embiid KU team, they got bounced in the second round. In fact, the only two teams filled with "one and done" guys that won were Kentucky, who had an otherworldly talent in Anthony Davis, and a Duke team that had Jahlil Okafor, Justise Winslow and some other dudes.

Honestly, I don't think the men's game will get any better until they have put pay to play in fully, and let the high school kids who didn't get drafted come back. They need to do what the MLB does. There would be so much more incentive to these kids to stick around, for at least two years, if they are getting paid a stipend, and getting to refine the skills they need to to become better, more NBA ready players. Take a guy like Jahlil Okafor. He is a dinosaur in the modern NBA, and he can barely see the floor. If he had the option to return to Duke, and work on his jumper, maybe he is a sixth man. Or take Andrew Wiggins. He has struggled mightily since being the number one pick a few years back. Say he was able to make some real money while at KU, get info from the NBA on what he needed to work on, and was able to do that at KU for another year or so. What would his career look like now. Or think about all the high draft picks that spent one, maybe 2 years in college. Take a guy like Anthony Bennett. He was total flop. But, he was only at UNLV for like a year, and he needed to go pro to make some money. Say he was getting some cash for jersey sales at UNLV, and he could've stayed and worked, gotten better, and maybe, just maybe he wouldn't be a footnote. Or go back to when high schoolers could still declare. Take someone like Kwame Brown. Say he gets the intel while in the draft process, decides to go to school for a few years, I think he comes out as a much better pro, and imagine how dominant he would've been in college for a few years. It would have been awesome.

I'm very down on men's college basketball. I have been for a few years. But this season has been especially awful, and I feel like it will continue in this direction until we give these student athletes some real compensation, and open up the draft process a little more. I don't know that I necessarily agree with the "draft experts" that this isn't a "good" draft. I just think that the college game is so bogged down with players are filled with "potential", but don't get the adequate time to prepare for life as a pro basketball player, and that is on the NCAA and NBA to change that.

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.