Why Would Any Team Sign Carmelo Anthony?

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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Another Pixar Classic with "The Incredibles 2"

I just got home from seeing “The Incredibles 2”, and I loved it. I’m going to keep my review short and sweet because I don’t want to spoil a thing, and I feel like this is a movie everyone should try and see in the theaters. I wrote a piece last week in preparation to see the sequel, and boy am I glad I watched the first one. Not that the plot needed to be spelled out for me, but I’m just so glad the first one was fresh in my memory.

“The Incredibles 2” starts out with a great action scene that immediately grabs you, and it all rolls from there. We see that Jack Jack, Violet, and Dash are all a bit older. But, they aren’t 14 years older. It may have taken that long for the sequel, but they jumped maybe 2 or 3 years into the “future”. That was another thing I really liked about this movie, the scenery. I feel like these movies take place in that late 50’s, early 60’s. I know the tech stuff wasn’t around back then, but we are talking about a cartoon movie about a family of super heroes. The set design reminded me of a cartoon version of “Pleasantville”, and I loved the look of that movie. I also liked the parental role reversal in this movie. The company that wants to make being a super hero legal again gets the three main heroes, ElastiGirl, Mr. Incredible and Frozone, together, and the guy that owns it, greatly voiced by Bob Oedenkirk, says that ElastiGirl is who they want to be the face of the movement. The wife works and the Dad stays home. As you all know, I can relate to that very, very well. It was great to see that represented in a big time movie. Edna returns for 1 and a half scenes, and she is still wonderful and hilarious.

I just really enjoyed the hell out of this movie in pretty much every aspect. It was nostalgic yet updated. The animation was cleaner, but still looked like the first movie. All the voice actors did a great job. The misdirect with the villain totally paid off. The added super heroes were cool. And I really appreciated the warning of all the flashing in the movie. I don’t have epilepsy or seizures, but I don’t like strobe light effects. I was very happy to get myself prepared for that. Oh, and the short movie before, “Bao”, was wonderful, sad and happy. It was a classic Pixar move.

“The Incredibles 2” was great, and I highly recommend seeing it. Not only will your kids love it, you’ll love it too.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He likes his carton characters to stay the same age. A Bart Simpson older than an adult Ty is not a good thing.

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Help Ty Find a New NBA Team

I come to you all today asking for help.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

How to Grill the Greatest Hot Dog Ever

It is the Fourth of July. Time to go out and set some food on fire to celebrate the birth of America.

I hope your holiday was filled with awesomeness. In the spirit of being 100% awesome American, we here at SeedSing want to show the good reader how to grill the perfect hotdog. A friendly neighbor passed down this incredible secret to us a few years back, and we will never grill hotdogs the old fashion way.

Are you ready to be blessed with this knowledge?

In the words of an early role for Samuel L Jackson "Hang onto your butts".

Step 1

Buy Hotdogs - Sounds easy. Any brand of hotdog will work, but we prefer Nathans in our virtual office.

Step 2

Get the right tools. - You will need a skewer (wood or metal, it does not matter) and a sharp knife. I use a paring knife because it is small and easy to control.

Step 3

Run the skewer through the hotdog length wise. Try to get the skewer through the very middle.

Step 4

Spiral cut the hotdog with your knife. Slice the hotdog down to the skewer and slowly turn the hotdog as you tilt the knife down the length to make a spiral cut

It should look like this when done.

Step 5

Take the skewer out and place the hotdogs on a hot grill. Any kind of grill will work, we prefer charcoal around here. Taste the heat not the meat.

While cooking, rotate the hotdogs often. If the grill is very hot, you should rotate every 30 seconds or so. Hotdogs cook fast, these spiral cut dogs cook faster.

Step 6

Enjoy. Take the hotdogs off the grill when they are cooked to your liking. The spiral cut dogs should have mildly separated and created a delight that will be crispy and hot on every bite. The crevices are also great places to store toppings.

That is our gift to the world on America's birthday, awesome spiral cut grilled hotdogs. The small amount of extra work makes these a must have at a cookout. This even makes turkey dogs worth the effort.

Happy 4th.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He had three spiral cut hotdogs today. One for the U, one for the S, and the last for the great A.

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

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

NBA free agency is lit.

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Let's Talk about LeBron and the Lakers

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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The Jameis Winston Suspension Shows That the NFL Does Not Care

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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Kawhi Leonard, the Lakers, and Another Damn Super Team

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

What a mess.

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" is Why We Go to the Movies

I recently took my eight year old son to go see "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom". I should tell the readers up front that this is the first Jurassic Park/World movie I have seen in the theater since the original Steven Spielberg film way back in 1993. I did not care for that first film too much (not enough dino action), I watched the second one on video tape, yes it was a long time ago, and I skipped the third one (big mistake, "Jurassic Park 3" is awesome in it's terribleness and gore). The first "Jurassic World" seemed non essential, and movie critic extraordinaire Ty did not like it. However, I later watched "Jurassic World" on HBO Go, and that is why I took my eight year old son to see "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom".

I will not give a review, or plot breakdown, for "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" because it does not matter. If you want to see the movie you will, and tons of people want to see the movie. The critics, mostly old white men, have their takes, but the critics are becoming less relevant. Dare I say that film criticism is becoming extinct? The Jurassic Park/World movies follow a similar blueprint. They are movies about man creating dinosaurs, dinosaurs going crazy, and man being like 'why are the dinosaurs so crazy'. In the words of my eight year old, the movie is about hubris. There is no great shock and awe going into a Jurassic Park/World movie in 2018. You know what you are going to get.

Yet my eight year old did not know what he was going to get. He barely paid attention when his mother and I showed him the 1993 Spielberg film. He was not in awe of the brachiosaurus herd, the T-rex, or the velociraptors. He had seen more impressive effects on PBS. My son needed the dinosaurs to be cool, and dangerous. After the ridiculousness, and cartoony awesomeness of "Jurassic World", I decided that "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" might be right up his ally

"Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" made the dinosaurs cool, menacing, and essential viewing. My eight year old would sit up straight and commit a laser like focus to the screen when one of these behemoths would occupy the screen. He did not care about the majesty of their presence, he wanted to see these beast tear some stuff up. For a child born in the 21st century, Jurassic Park/World movies are the modern equivalent of monster movies from the past.

We fawn over movies like the original "King Kong", "Jaws" or the "Godzilla" films of the past. These movies are the standard we hold all monster movies to. The new Jurassic World movies will be the monster movie standard for the younger generation. My eight year old had a great time at the theater because he saw some realistic looking monsters tear up the screen for two hours. He fell in love with the big screen experience because of "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom". He will go back to the movie theater because of the awesome experience he had at "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom"

We go to the movies to be entertained. Some of us like drama. Some of us, a very small some of us, like depressing and dry drama. Most of us like action and adventure. The exciting movies is what makes us fall in love with the theater experience. "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom" is the kind of movie we sit our butts in the movie theater to see. I remember the awe and excitement of seeing Indiana Jones out run the boulder in "Raiders of the Lost Ark". My eight year old son will remember the epic battle between the Indoraptor and the classic velociraptor in "Jurassic World: Fallen Kingdom". He will take that excitement into the next movie he sees. That is why we will continue to pay the idiotic prices to go to the movie theater. It is for the children.

RD

RD Kulik is the Head Editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His only complaint about the movie is it needed more Dr. Ian Malcolm. Jeff Goldblum needs to find a way. 

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We Rewatch "The Incredibles" to See if it Deserves a Sequel

This past Friday my wife and I decided that we wanted to show our son the movie, "The Incredibles". We wanted him to see this movie for a bevy of reasons. One, he loves super heroes. He always has, and I feel like it will be a love that always will be around for him. Two, I'm taking him to see the sequel this Saturday while my wife and daughter are at a baby shower. Three, my folks came over, and my dad had never seen it, so we thought it would be good for him and our son to watch. Four, our daughter likes cartoons, so it was something that would keep her attention for a bit. Five, the movie is about a family of super heroes, so it was just the cherry on top of why we wanted him to see it. The list of reason could literally go on and on and on.

I hadn't seen the movie since it was released in theaters over 14 years ago. I vividly remember going to see it with RD in the theaters. I remember it so well, one, because we wanted to see this new Pixar movie, and 2, there was a preview attached for the new "Star Wars" prequel, I don't remember exactly which one, and it came out on RD's birthday(Ed Note: It was Episode III: Revenge of the Sith). So, I was a bit nervous that the original "Incredibles" may not hold up, or seem old and trite. I was wrong.

"The Incredibles" is still an mazing, action packed, funny and sweet and perfect family movie. I was fully engaged on this second watch over 14 years later. I love the start of the movie where they are interviewing the heroes separately and all the stuff that went into that bit. I loved that Elasti Girl was even bigger than Mr. Incredible or Frozone. Pixar, and mostly Brad Bird, were way, way ahead of the curve as far as making women focal points of movies. I liked the back and forth between Elasti girl and Mr. Incredible while they were attaining a bad guy. Their relationship in the movie, before they got married and had kids, was perfect. Frozone was still amazing. His girlfriend, who eventually becomes his wife, is so great as the voice in the background, always giving Frozone a hard time. She is wonderful, and we never see what she looks like.

After Elasti Girl and Mr. Incredible get married, and have kids, I love where the story goes from there. Mr. Incredible starts to put on weight because they can't live in the real world as super heroes, they need to keep a low profile. They fully buy into family life, even though all of their kids have powers too. But, Mr. Incredible is still searching for something to make him feel super again. He now has a very unfulfilling job, but he and Frozone go out one night a week and try to find crime to fight.

I know everyone knows the story by now, but it is so fresh in my mind, I feel the need to recap some stuff. When Frozone and Mr. Incredible finally do find some crime to fight, we come to find out that it is all setup by the young kid that wanted to be Mr. Incredible when he was a kid. Jason Lee is really good as the villain in this movie. His voice acting made me opine for him in other roles. He has kind of disappeared, and he used to be a real great actor. He is exceptional in this movie. He has his assistant bring Mr. Incredible to his island to fight, and the movie just gets better from there. Mr. Incredible starts to get in shape again. His family starts to live the high life, yet none of them know why yet. But, it is all a setup, as I said. The scene with the lady that creates their costumes is still one of the best things that I have ever seen in a movie in my life. It is funny, fast paced and tremendous. I love that scene so much. Mr. Incredible's family finally figures out that he is back to being a superhero, and while they are mad, especially Elasti Girl, they need to now save him because he is in trouble. They all start to use their powers too, and it is so cool. We have all seen Elasti Girl and Mr. Incredible's powers up to this point. But now, we get to see the kids. The older son is super fast and strong. I liked it so much because he reminded me of my son, and my son loved the kid too. The daughter can set up force fields to protect people. Her power is the one I think I would want of I had to choose. And, even though we don't know it yet, the baby is basically an amalgamation of all of his family's powers. I'm sure that will be a big part in the sequel.

This movie still totally rules. I am not going to go into the ending because we all know about it by now. Some other things I took from the movie on tis second viewing were, the writing is impeccable, the voice acting is top notch, the action scenes are perfect, the movie is for both adults and kids and the animation is amazing. It looked like it was made last year. I was amazed at how great the animation was. "The Incredibles" is an awesome movie that does not get the credit that is deserves. I feel like it is an underrated movie. I'm so excited to see the sequel here in a few days. This movie rules.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is unfamiliar with the ideas of Objectivism and the greater works of Ayn Rand. This ignoarance helps him enjoy the superhero genre more than the political philosophy nerds.

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Ty Revisits, and Face the Consequences, of Little League Baseball Concessions

Tastes great today, does not feel great tommorow

This past Sunday my wife was working the concession stand at the ball park that our son plays baseball in. My son and daughter went swimming in the morning, and come lunch time ,we decided we would go to the ball park to visit, and to eat some lunch. Now, it needs to be known, my son plays at the same ball park that I did has a kid. I am very familiar with every field, I know where all the landmarks are, and I am very familiar with the food. This was the food I grew up eating after my baseball games. I had it all too. I tried pretty much everything they had to offer.

When we went the other day, some of the options have changed, and the food is of better quality, but for the most part, it brought me back to my childhood, especially when my son ordered a slushie. Slushies, for those that don't know, are drinkable snow cones. They are sugary, sweet and delicious. But, the one thing they still had on the menu, the item I ordered that day because I hadn't had one in almost 2 decades, was the "Pepper Belly".

Now, I'm sure that every little league park in America has their own version of this, and they call it by their own particular name, but here in West County, in Saint Louis, a "Pepper Belly" is a bag of plain Fritos covered in chili, cheese and jalapenos. I know it may sound disgusting, but it wonderful, and since Sunday I don't count carbs, it was well worth the purchase. When I was a kid they used to serve it in a Frito bag, which was visually cool, but also super messy. Now, they serve it in a paper bowl, which is much better. And, not to worry, you can recycle the bowl. So, you can eat garbage and save the Earth. Win

When I was a kid, I could house about 3-4 after every game. I used to get them without the jalapenos, which is how my son ate it on Sunday, and I would crush that Pepper Belly in less than a minute. So, when we ordered them on Sunday, I assumed that I would eat, at the very least, 2 of them. This time, I got the jalapenos, and added the ones from my son's, and was in high heaven. This Pepper Belly brought me back in all the right ways. The crunchiness of the Fritos mixed with the chili, which has beans, and that I usually don't like, but this almost needs it, was phenomenal. Then add on the cheese, that they sprinkle on and it melts as you are eating it and the jalapenos, this Pepper Belly is a culinary delight. I loved every single bite of it that I had. I was scraping the chili and cheese off the bottom of the bowl. I would try and get a little bit of every single item in every bite. I would take the Fritos that were not covered with chili, and dip them in the run off chili. The added jalapenos were amazing. It was the perfect amount of spice. I loved it. My son also loved his version, the jalapeno less one, as well. He kept taking bites, looking at me and saying, "you were right dad, this is really good. I may want seconds". It was awesome. Even my daughter enjoyed her few bites, and she is a very picky eater.

Unfortunately the Pepper Belly does have its down side, much like my naked chicken chalupa scenario. As I said, while eating the Pepper Belly, and enjoying every second of it, about 2-3 hours later, my stomach was not happy with me. It was worse than the naked chicken chalupa. It took almost 2 full days to get fully out of my system, and it hurt when getting it out of my system. I was in physical pain. I don't know if it was an ulcer, a bad batch(it was not a bad batch), or if I am just getting older, and my stomach cannot handle food like this, like it could before. It definitely wasn't an ulcer, I am fine today. As I already said, it was not a bad batch because my son was fine and my wife had one too, and she was okay. So, I think it is me getting older. I walked out of the shower on Sunday night and told my wife this realization. I told her that maybe I cannot handle spicy food as well as I once could. I then shivered because that is the oldest sounding thing I think I have ever said. Spicy food has never really given me a problem, until I turned 35. So, I'm pretty sure the chili and the added jalapenos were what put me under. It was heart breaking for me. But, just like with the naked chicken chalupa, I will never stop eating Pepper Bellies.

I am working the concession stand this coming weekend, and you better damn well believe I will have another one, maybe 2, and just deal with the consequences afterwards. Pepper Belly's are a culinary delight. I love them, and I do not mind the aftermath. Seriously people, if you haven't had one of these, or something similar, go get one, or even better, make one. They are great. Despite the issues, I am so happy that Pepper Belly's are back in my life. What a delight.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He needs to get down to Texas and have a frito pie, or better yet come on out to Cincinnati and get a walking taco. I think he would find some comforting similarities.

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

Why Utah? Why?

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

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The Homeruns and Uncertainty of the 2018 NBA Draft

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

The SeedSing 2018 NBA Mock Draft

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

Okay, here we go.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Some Big Time NBA Draft Prospects have Big Time Question Marks

On the eve of the 2018 NBA draft, and yes, I will have a mock draft up tomorrow, I want to point out a few question mark prospects, in my mind. When the draft order was released, I wrote a piece about who I thought the Suns should take at number one, Colin Sexton. But today, I have a few players that I either, don't get why they are so high on everyone else's board, or guys that I feel are much to risky to take in the lottery, or even the first round.

The first player that gives me pause, and this guy was included in my Suns story, is Mo Bamba, and I really like Bamba, I'm just afraid he will never fully form into a dominant NBA player. First off, he is rail skinny. I know guys like KD and Damien Lillard were also deemed too skinny when they entered the league, but both of those guys had jumpers, and were far more polished offensively coming into the league. I do not doubt the defense, and I love the 7 foot 10 inch wingspan, but man is this kid rail thin. He can always gain muscle, especially in an NBA training program, but it is going to take some time. What gives me real pause is that he, right now, is much more Willie Cauley Stein than say a Joel Embiid or even a Johnathan Allen. Both of those guys, and I know Embiid is a star, can finish around the rim against current NBA talent. Cauley Stein cannot do that yet. He is great defensively, and I think Bamba will be even better right away, but his offense leaves so much to be desired. He is going to go in the lottery, probably no later than 5. But, the team taking him should know that it is going to take some time before he is a fully developed all around NBA player. His offense is going to take awhile to come around. I hope he has a very long and successful career, but he is the definition of a "project", just like Cauley Stein.

The next player that I am very hesitant on is a guy that I openly rooted for in college because he played for Michigan. Mo Wagner can shoot the ball, that cannot be denied. But, what else can he do right now? I watched him for three years, and my thoughts on him fluctuated between happy and angry constantly. He would hit some of the most improbable threes I have seen, then get torched on defense. He would get a thunderous dunk, then get out rebounded by a guard. He would be the catalyst to get the Wolverines going, but then he would be immediately gassed. All of this is going to rear its head in the NBA. Wagner can shoot, and having an almost 7 footer that can hit threes is crucial nowadays, but he is a real liability on defense right now. He is a bit too slow, and he gets pushed around by guys bigger than him. He can put on muscle, just like Bamba, but that will only make him slower. He will most likely be a late first round pick, but if I were a GM, I'd wait until the mid second round to take him. He is going to need to work a ton on his defense and footwork. But, his shooting will get him drafted.

The next guy I want to talk about is another big man, Robert Williams. Robert Williams would come and go his 2 years at Texas A&M. Sometimes, see the UNC game in the tournament last season, he would be completely dominant. He was a total force on both ends. He would grab rebounds and throw jams in other players faces. He would also protect the rim as if his family was under it. Then though, look at the very next week in last year's tournament game against Michigan, and he was a total non factor. He should have pushed Wagner and any big guy Michigan threw at him, but as soon as Michigan built up a 15 point lead, he just seemed to stop caring. Sure, he put up decent numbers in that game, but it was all basically garbage time. Michigan was in total control, and when they built that big lead, he just kind of dunked and quit on defense. Will that happen in the NBA? Probably, because when a player is already 20, it is hard to break bad habits. He is also more of an old school center, and that won't work in the NBA right now.

The last player I want to talk about today is the biggest question mark in this draft, and I have seen him mocked as high as number 2 overall in the draft. That player is, and I'm sorry to RD and my older brother Ross, Michael Porter Jr. The fact that he is being discussed as a lottery pick, that the Kings are considering him at 2, that the Bulls are trying to trade up for him, that Dallas is said to like him, that the Cavs really want him, all of this blows my mind. All of those teams are picking in the top 10. What did Porter Jr show last year, and during the pre draft stuff, that have pushed him this high? I really don't get it. I watched him sit pretty much of all of last season after having back surgery. I then saw him come back for 2 games, both losses, where he shot poorly, got exposed on defense, and just looked kind of overcome by the better competition. He has also canceled pre draft workouts based on doctors orders. He still has back problems. I think his knees, or maybe his hips, have been bothering him. But then he comes out and calls himself a mix of KD and Giannis. He comes out and says he is the best prospect in this draft. He claims that the injury stuff is overblown. He seems like he may be a bit too cocky, especially for someone that hasn't proven anything since high school. And I know, he won all the major awards as a high school player. I know he was the consensus player of the year, I know he was the McDonald's game MVP, I understand that he was rated by most publications as the top high school player. So was Dajuan Wagner. So was Eddy Curry. So was, insert name here of many a bust in the NBA. The fact that multiple GM's are considering this kid in the top 8 because he was so great in high school baffles me. Sure, he dominated the high school game because he was playing against kids much smaller than him. I say again, look at his 2 games at Missouri. I know he was coming off an injury, a big time injury, but he was dreadful. He didn't take over the game like many, myself included, thought he would. He was a problem for Missouri when he came back for those 2 games. They had something decent going, but then they had to shoe horn Porter Jr in, and it blew up in their, and his, face. His brother, who is going back for his sophomore year at Missouri, is a better prospect than him, at least in my opinion. I'm shocked that he is going to be a lottery pick. I'm shocked that some stupid GM is going to fall for this. I hope he ends up in Sacramento, because that is what he deserves. Michael Porter Jr may turn out to be great. Maybe all the stuff in high school wasn't a fluke. Maybe the 2 games at Missouri were the fluke. But, I feel like he is going to be an Anthony Bennett level bust in the NBA. I just don't see it with Porter. I'd take a good 10-15 guys before even considering him. That is just me though.

Come back tomorrow to see where I have all these "questionable" picks in my mock draft. They will all, most likely be first rounders, I'm just not sold on them yet.

Ty

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

Follow Ty on instagram and twitter.

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

Where, Oh Where, is Kawhi Leonard Going?

It seems like Kawhi Leonard wants out of San Antonio. This story broke last week, and just about everyone has given their take. Now it’s my turn.

First off, this bums me out. I love Kawhi as a basketball player, and I loved him playing for the Spurs. It seemed like a perfect fit. He grew with this team. He was a Finals MVP with this team. He worked on his jump shot with this team. He has the best coach to ever coach in the NBA with this team. He was going to be the next in line, if he wasn’t already, to lead this team for the next decade. It was meant to be. But, after last season, he has decided he’s had enough. Last year was a very weird season for him and the Spurs. He only played 9 games. He barely traveled with the team. There were times when he was cleared by team doctors, but he chose to sit. He never seemed fully healthy. He is normally a very quiet guy, but he was extra quiet this year. It was bizarre. And now, he wants out, and he wants to be in a big market. I’m not down with this. I still think the Spurs are the best place for him.

The Spurs are not big enough for Kawhi. He apparently wants to be in LA. I’ve also heard that his camp wants him in New York. Since the reports have come out that Kawhi wants out, he’s been rumored to a bunch of different places. The Lakers seemed like the front runners, but recently, it appears they’ve cooled. The Clippers are supposedly putting together a package for him, but a lot of people, me included, don’t think they have the players or picks. Boston has been announced as someone that can get him, but will Danny Ainge part with his valuable assets? I don’t know. He also may have to get rid of Kyrie or Gordon Hayward for this trade to happen. I’ve heard the 76ers as a possibility, but do the Spurs really want to take on a player like Markelle Fultz or Dario Saric? I think if the 76ers are for real, a player like Robert Covington, or dare I say, Ben Simmons, would have to be included. A new report came out yesterday too, saying the Spurs want to meet with Kawhi face to face, and they won’t trade him to any team in the West, which I think is very smart. They can’t just give up on a top 10 guy in the league right now that’s only 26. And, if the damage has been done, trade him to the other conference so they’d only have to face him a handful of times during the regular season, and only in the Finals in the playoffs.

Whatever happens though, wherever Kawhi ends up, I don’t think it will matter in the long run. LeBron is still the needle pusher, especially if he stays in the East. He is still the best guy in the league right now. And, if the Spurs get an offer from a West team they can’t turn down, will the addition of a Kawhi make that team better than the Warriors, or even the Rockets? I don’t think so. Even if he teams up with LeBron or, say a Paul George, the Warriors are still better, and know how to play off one another. Also, if Chris Paul stays in Houston, I still think the Rockets are better than Kawhi’s future team. If I had my way, he’d stay in San Antonio and he and Aldridge and Poppovich will figure all this out. But, if he’s traded, it may take some time for him to be as highly regarded as he was one season ago.

I hope Kawhi stays, but it looks like he has one foot out of the door. I wouldn’t be shocked if we get a definitive answer during the draft on Thursday night. We shall 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 all the internet.

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

Chris Gethard Delivered a Great Comedy Show in St. Louis

Last weekend in Saint Louis, at Helium Comedy Club, Chris Gethard did 5 shows over 3 nights. I was fortunate enough to be at the second show, 7:30pm on Friday, and he was great.

First off, his opener, who is a writer for his show, was really funny. His name escapes me right now, I believe his first name is Carmen, but he was real funny. He had a bunch of different bits that I really enjoyed and found very funny. One was him reading reviews of his standup from various publications, and stuff like that always gets me. The other one, which was my favorite, was his impressions of his step grandpa telling jokes, and his impression of his brother picking up girls. He was real funny, and it was a very good way to start the night.

Then, it was Gethard's turn.

I am a big time fan of his. I have read all of his books. I go out of my way to watch movies that he is in. I was stunned when I saw him in very bit parts on "Parks and Rec" and " The Office". His own show, "The Chris Gethard Show", is insane and genius. And his HBO special from about a year or so ago, "Career Suicide", is one of the best specials I have ever watched. So, I was obviously excited to see him do an hour on Friday.

Gethard did nor disappoint. He is a great story telling comedian. My son asked me what kind of jokes he tells, he mentioned "knock knock" jokes, but I had to tell him that he is a story telling comedian. I let him know that Gethard takes a moment from his life, even tragic moments, and he finds a way to make them funny. That was exactly what he did on Friday. He came out of the gates hot, giving his opener a hard time. From there on out, I was completely entertained by every story he told.

Some of my favorite stories he told included things like him talking about going on a trip to Orlando with his wife in February. He told the audience how they both had already done Disney World, so they wanted to find something different. He then went into a good 10-15 minute long, hilarious story about a place called Gator Land that they visited. His comparison, between Gator Land and Disney World was wonderful. The stories about the things he saw in Gator Land had me crying. My favorite part of the bit was when he said that, in the Midwest, he has to put this joke in the middle because a place filled with gators isn't that crazy to us. He then proceeded to talk about how, when he traveled on route 66 across the US, when he stopped near a gator farm in Missouri just before getting to Meramec Caverns. This story ruled because EVERY SINGLE ONE OF US in the audience understood, and knew the place he was talking about. He brought up people's plans for the apocalypse, and this was great. He made a great point, that none of us really know what to do, but all of us with glasses, we would be goners the moment our glasses broke, and he is right. He also told us that he asked his dad what he should do when the apocalypse happens, and he said, "follow the rats". That was absolutely hilarious. He talked about how messed up 16 year old dudes are. This started somber and down, but, in only a way Gethard can do, he turned it into something funny. I never thought that when he started this story that I would be cracking up by the end. His story about his parents going out to a comedy show when he was in high school, and him inviting his buddy over so they could drink beers was riotous. The whole deal of getting the beer from a pizza place, to him and his buddy, who was much bigger than him, pounding the 30 pack, to his parents getting home earlier than he expected, to the interaction between him, his friend and his dad, was picture perfect comedy. What made this joke the best though, was everything that happened with his mom when she found out he had been drinking. It was amazing. The closing story was a thing of beauty. He talked about the rough neighborhood he grew up in, and one day entering the bus, only to be pelted by ice cubes. He then told us he found out that everyone was chucking ice cubes, so he joined them. The story he then goes into, and again, this is his closer, so you know he is bringing it, is something that needs to be seen by comedy fans everywhere.

Chris Gethard is a wonderful, an tremendous standup. He has earned all the acclaim that he gets. He is an awesome crafter of jokes. He has a very special quality that is very niche to him. I highly recommend all fans of live standup go see him if he comes to your city. I know that I am very happy that I did.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. His first visit to Meramec Caverns was filled with wonder and horror. He was filled with wonder by the big ass cave. His terror came about because of his jerk ass older brothers constantly telling him the cave was falling in. Good times were had by all.

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The Joys of Being a Stay at Home Dad

a warning to us all

Happy Father's Day. In honor of all dads out there we are reprinting one of Ty's epic tales of parenthood. Enjoy

Let me tell you about my life.

About two years ago my wife and I sat down to have a talk. We had a one year old son at the time, he's three now, and all of the money I was making at my job was going straight to daycare. Literally, every single cent. When my wife did our financial budget, she found this out. So, that talk led to us making the decision for me to stay at home with our child and be the primary caregiver. I was officially becoming a stay at home dad. I was thrilled.

That's not to say I didn't enjoy my job. Quite the opposite. I worked in a dental lab making partial dentures for people. It was challenging and rewarding. I liked everyone that I worked with. I just wasn't making that much money. When I went to put my two weeks in, after the conversation, they couldn't offer me anymore more, and they understood my decision completely. It was as easy a "break up" as I ever had. In fact, I'm still friends with my former co workers and I still see them occasionally. But, my last day at my "office" job was the beginning of my new, totally fulfilling stay at home dad job.

Don't get it twisted though, being the primary caregiver is hard and can be frustrating and a struggle more times than not. But, the rewards totally outweigh the risks. Think about it. I get to see my kids reach their milestones before anyone else. I'm there when they begin to crawl. I'm there when they first start to talk gibberish. I'm there when they take their first steps. I'm there for everything and it's tremendous. My wife is also the greatest person in the world for, not only kicking ass at her job and constantly climbing the corporate ladder, but being fine with the fact that I stay home. She goes to her job everyday and is awesome at it. Without that, we wouldn't be this lucky. She's awesome.

Now, the struggle came to me early on. At first, it was just me and my son. We would go to the zoo, science center, multiple playgrounds, basically, anything that was free. It was a lot of fun, but I spent my entire "work" day talking to a two year old. That can be very frustrating. My son is very smart, but he can't give me the type of conversation that the adults at my job could. That's not his fault, he's a toddler. So, it would get lonely until my wife would get home.

About a year ago I joined a meet up group of dads that were and are the primary caregivers as well. This was fantastic. I heard about the group from another stay at home dad whose daughter was going to kindergarten, so he didn't have the time to go to the meet ups anymore. I joined immediately and have loved every second of being part of this group. I get to interact with adults again. It may only be one or two days a week, but it's just what I needed. It's just as great for my son too because he's made new friends. He gets to play with kids around his age, and I get to hang out with adults. It's terrific. I suggest if you're a new stay at home parent, find one of these groups, it is completely to your benefit. I got into a groove with my son.

We had a great routine going, but my wife and I were expecting another child. We now have a five and a half week old daughter. She's the light of my life, but mine and my son's routine is shot. My wife is home on maternity leave as well, which is great, but it also crushed our routine. I know when she gets back to work and as my daughter gets to be 4, 5 and 6 months old, we will get back in a new routine, but I do miss our old routine. It was great. Having a new kid also has me scared yet excited for what it will be like with a new kid, and a girl at that.

Staying home has been the best decision my wife and I have made. It's benefited not only us, but our kids as well. We know what kind of care they're getting 24/7 and that's very comforting. I've also been able to take a part time job coaching young kids in multiple sports. I wouldn't be able to do that if I still had an office job. I love being a stay at home dad and I love that it's becoming more common place. It's nice to be part of a big group of dads that do the same thing and seen the same things that I do. If you can and have the means to, I highly recommend having a parent stay home with the kids. It's awesome and more acceptable now if it is the father. Sure, I get sideways looks at playgrounds sometimes, or people will say, " it's nice you took the day off to play with your kids". If that's the only trouble I run into, I can deal with that, no problem.

I have the best job in the world.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man podcast. He used to wash out inflatable bounce houses for a living, but an unfortunate clown shaped one ended his career. Follow Ty on twitter @tykulik.

The NCAA Made a New Rule for College Football, and It is Awesome

College football just made a very big, yet very little talked about, rule change this past week. The council decided that a player does not have to burn a year of eligibility if they play in at least 4 games in a season. This is a very big deal, and it is a very good thing. For once, the NCAA is doing something right. This is a great rule for everyone involved. Now, if a player gets hurt, or has to sit for other reasons, but they have already played in 4 games, the school, and the player, does not have to burn a redshirt on them.

Awesome.

This would have been great last year for my team, Michigan. Tarik Black got hurt in the third game of the year, and at the time, he was leading the team in receiving. He was the only real threat, although Donovan Peoples Jones emerged later in the year, that the offense had, outside of the run game. But, he broke his foot, needed surgery, and he had to redshirt the season and sit out. He still has his 4 years of eligibility left, but with this new rule, Michigan wouldn't have had to use a redshirt on him. They could have used it on someone else, possibly an offensive or defensive lineman, that really needed it. Black was already contributing and putting up numbers, the redshirt felt wasted. Now, colleges don't have to worry about that.

I'm sure there are other freshman or sophomores who went through the same thing as Black last year, and I'm sure their fans are just as happy about this rule change as I am. This is a game changer. These players, these emerging freshman and such, don't have to fear injury taking a year away from them. This is also great for established starters who might be pushed from incoming highly regarded recruits to not play through minor injuries that could turn into a major injuries. The juniors or seniors who have been starting since they set foot on campus won't feel pressured now to play through a sprain, or tweak, or a concussion for fear of losing their spot. Colleges and players can now be more careful how they tend to injuries. We all know that these kids play through some horrible stuff, and this new rule will, hopefully, rectify this. I know this won't fully stop kids playing through bad injuries, but now there is an incentive to maybe sit a game or two to get yourself back to full health before going back out on the field. 

Like I said at the top, this is, finally, the NCAA seeming to care about these kids. The NCAA, even though it is an evil and corrupt corporation, has at least on the surface, taken a step in the right direction to make it seem like they care about these kids. That is more than I can say for the NFL right now. The NFL would rather hide concussions and throw their "star" players back on the field ASAP. Look at what happened to Russell Wilson last year. He got exploded on a play, was clearly concussed, went to that little blue tent for about 30 seconds, and he was cleared to return to the field. That was insane. There is also the guy that started ahead of Deshaun Watson for some unknown reason, I can't remember his name, but he was hit so hard in a game that his hands were shaking, and he missed one series. That was so dangerous. And the NFL could care less. Now, in the NCAA, they will handle these injuries will more caution than their professional counterparts.

I'm so glad that they are going to, again, at least on the surface, try to make these players think twice about rushing back onto the field. And when you look at it, these are kids that we are talking about. Sure, they are super star athletes, and they are the stars of their schools, but they are kids. And, a lot of them are not going to play professional football. That is reality. So, for the majority of these kids, the ones that will not be pros at football, they can preserve themselves. They can have a life outside of football when their college careers are over due to this new rule. They can be more cautious. They can take better care of their bodies and their minds.

I LOVE this new rule. I think it is going to be great, and it furthers proves my extreme love for college football. College football proves time and time again that they are much further ahead of the curve than the NFL. Now, they just have to pay these players, and it will become that much better.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is currently sit out his 12th year of college football due to injury/age. How many redshirts does a man need?

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The Modern Summer Camp is Pretty Cool

What kinds of camps to the girls have across the lake?

My son is about to finish his first camp of the summer. He is currently in a Lego Star Wars camp. Next week he is going to a straight up Lego camp. Later in the summer, I’m sure he will do some sort of sports camp, most likely baseball. Summertime is camp time in my household.

I sat back and thought about when I was a kid, and I don’t remember having this many options, as far as summer camps go, back then. Don’t get me wrong, I went to camp, but it was either a week long, all day, all encompassing camp, or, a sports camp, either baseball or basketball. I loved these camps. When I was little I really liked the week long, all day camps. They were fun. I made a ton of summer friends, some of which turned into lifelong friends. I liked the games we played. The counselors, for the most part, were cool and fun. The field days, near the end of camp, were my favorite. Hell, I even enjoyed the gross peanut butter and jelly sandwiches, and the orange drink. Those were fun too. The sports camps were fun too, but very different. These were more like weeks of 3 a day practices. What was so cool though, I got to stay in a dorm room, and hang out in dining halls and the main room of a dorm with friends and other athletes. These sports camps were also more of a, you may have a future in sports, so we are going to push you type thing. That being said, I loved these camps too. The fact that I got to play baseball or basketball for a week was awesome. I liked the drills. I liked the skills competitions we did. I liked learning from higher level coaches. I liked eating in dining halls. I liked feeling like a college student when I was a pre teen. It was all good. These were the 2 types of camps I had 20-25 years ago. Great, but not a whole lot of choice.

Now, that my son is of camp age, there are so many specialized camps. As I said, he is going to 2 different Lego camps. How crazy is that? I would have never imagined that as a kid. I mean, I went to specialized sports camp, but those have always been around. And, while researching camps for him this summer, the special Lego camps weren’t the only one. There are many different specialized camps for things like video games, computer stuff, other tech stuff, TV show things, multiple sports camps, I mean the list could go on and on and on. My son had a menu of camps to choose from. All of this is to say, I love that, as times have changed, and we have grown to have outside interests, so have summer camps. It is so cool that every type of kid has a camp that works, or that they’d love, especially for them. These Lego camps have been a blessing. My son gets to play with other like minded kids, playing and building Star Wars Legos, for 3 hours a day. And he loves it. He doesn’t want this camp to end. He is excited every morning. He’s pumped he gets to go to a different one next week. It is so cool to see my son so amped for something that wasn’t even on my radar as a kid, and this is a summer camp. In fact, since this camp started, I have gotten more into Legos.

Look, I know I’m not old, but I am getting older, and I love how there are so many options for my kids, and every kid now. This is a very cool thing, and I cannot wait to see what kind of camps my grandkids go to. Summer camps have changed, for the better.

Ty

Ty is the Pop Culture editor for SeedSing and the other host of the X Millennial Man Podcast. He is looking forward to being a senior citizen, so his kids can send their dad to old man camp. Ty is really looking forward to the camp where you say the modern sports stars are not as good as the stars from his day. That will be awesome.

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