Ben Cooper Articles - Page 11

The Chicago Bulls ended their four-year playoff drought but were eliminated in the first round. Chicago has a solid roster, but some changes could help them make a deep run in the postseason. At the moment, everything rests on the decision of star guard Zach LaVine. LaVine is entering free agency and is drawing interest […]

The Atlanta Hawks had a disappointing season after an appearance in the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021. Atlanta is expected to make many moves as they retool their roster around young star Trae Young. Young is the cornerstone of the Hawks franchise, and the Hawks have the assets to put the right pieces around him. […]

The Phoenix Suns had a disappointing playoff run and are primed to make moves this offseason. Phoenix was eliminated by the Dallas Mavericks in the second round after making a Finals run in the 2021 season. The Suns have Devin Booker and Chris Paul as solidified stars but could rework the supporting cast. Deandre Ayton […]

The Dallas Mavericks made a big move by acquiring Christian Wood from the Houston Rockets via a trade. The Mavs shocked the NBA world by making it all the way to the Western Conference Finals this season. Luka Doncic had a tremendous campaign, ascending to an even more highly regarded superstar. The 23-year-old averaged 31.7 […]

The Green Bay Packers are coming off another disappointing playoff exit and are looking to bounce back. There have been some changes to the roster with star receiver Davante Adams traded to the Las Vegas Raiders. Green Bay was able to retain back-to-back NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers on a deal that will keep him with […]

The Denver Nuggets made a trade to acquire the 30th pick in the 2022 NBA Draft. They sent JaMychal Green and a 2027 protected first-round pick to the Oklahoma City Thunder for the 30th pick and two future second-round picks. Denver is looking to retool their roster around back-to-back MVP Nikola Jokic. The Nuggets’ second […]

The Sacramento Kings have shown that they want to be competitive and end their playoff drought. Sacramento made a win-now move at the trade deadline by trading away young guard Tyrese Haliburton in a deal for All-Star big man Domantas Sabonis. Guard De’Aaron Fox showed promise alongside Sabonis, improving his numbers after the trade. He […]

The Detroit Pistons are in the midst of their rebuild and will look to build upon this with the 5th pick. Detroit went 23-59 this season but had some solid seasons from their young players. Cade Cunningham had a good rookie season, averaging 17.4 points per game along with 5.5 rebounds and 5.6 assists. He […]

The Chicago Bulls made it to the playoffs for the first time since the 2016-17 season. However, their playoff run didn’t last long as the Milwaukee Bucks eliminated them in the first round in five games. The Bulls were aggressive last offseason, acquiring DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, and Alex Caruso, who all played significant roles. […]

The Sacramento Kings have entered win-now mode after trading for Domantas Sabonis at the deadline. While Sacramento didn’t make it to the playoffs, they have a star duo in De’Aaron Fox and Sabonis that pair well together. The Kings could make a push for the playoffs next season with a great offseason. Adding depth to […]

The New Orleans Pelicans had a successful season, making it to the playoffs without Zion Williamson. New Orleans first-year head coach Willie Green did a tremendous job building the scheme and culture up. The trade for C.J. McCollum at the deadline was fantastic, as he helped them make their playoff push. He is an excellent […]

The Sacramento Kings are looking to build a roster good enough to make it to the postseason. Sacramento has not made it to the playoffs since the 2005-2006 season. They are looking to end this drought, as shown by their trade for Domantas Sabonis at the deadline. Sabonis showed promise alongside star guard De’Aaron Fox, […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are in the midst of a rebuild with a very young roster. Oklahoma City has done a great job of turning star players into a young core with a plethora of draft picks. The Thunder have three first-round picks, at number two, 12, and 30. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is their current star, […]

The Dallas Mavericks made a surprising run to the Western Conference Finals behind the mind-boggling play of Luka Doncic. Doncic and the Mavs were not expected to make it far, as they don’t have the same star power as other teams in the West. While Doncic doesn’t have a solidified star, the players around him […]

The Miami Heat suffered a devastating defeat in Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Finals against the Boston Celtics. It came down to the wire, with star Jimmy Butler missing a potential go-ahead three in the final seconds. Miami has made some deep playoff runs in the past three seasons, with a trip to the […]

The Atlanta Hawks had a disappointing season after making it to the Eastern Conference Finals last season. Atlanta has a star in Trae Young to build around and assets to get the right pieces around him. The Hawks have the 16th overall pick, which they can use in trades to upgrade their roster. John Collins […]

The Russell Westbrook trade did not pan out for the Los Angeles Lakers in year one. Los Angeles missed the playoffs, despite starting the season as one of the favorites to win the championship. Westbrook never quite fit in with the team, but that was not the only problem they faced. Head coach Frank Vogel […]

The San Antonio Spurs are in an interesting spot with their roster following a play-in tournament appearance. San Antonio has been building up a young roster, but it may be time to speed it up. Dejounte Murray emerged as a star this season with his all-around game. Murray averaged a career-high in points (21.1), rebounds […]

The Charlotte Hornets narrowly missed the playoffs for the second straight season, losing in the play-in tournament. Charlotte is trying to build their roster around young star LaMelo Ball. Ball has shown throughout his career his unreal potential. Getting a well-rounded roster around him will be crucial this offseason, as he has yet to have […]

With a Dallas Mavericks Game 3 against the Golden State Warriors on tap for Sunday night, many eyes will be on the Mavs to see if they will bounce back after dropping the first two games of the Western Conference Finals. Ahead of Warriors-Mavericks, we’ll be making our Mavs Game 3 predictions. Dallas was not […]

The Charlotte Hornets were eliminated in the play-in tournament for the second consecutive season. Charlotte fans have seen exciting play with young star LaMelo Ball but have not made it to the playoffs. Ball is a dynamic young player, and the Hornets need to maximize the talent around him. While Charlotte is a young roster, […]

The Sacramento Kings are building up toward becoming a playoff team after trading for Domantas Sabonis at the deadline. Sacramento now has a star duo with De’Aaron Fox and Sabonis but lacks the surrounding pieces to make them a playoff roster. Trading the 4th overall pick could help the Kings acquire an established piece. Many […]

The Milwaukee Bucks suffered a heartbreaking series loss to the Boston Celtics in seven games in the Eastern Conference Semifinals. The Bucks certainly missed the presence of star forward Khris Middleton, who didn’t play at all in the series. Giannis Antetokounmpo played exceptionally well throughout the series but didn’t have enough help to overcome Boston. […]

The Los Angeles Chargers made a flurry of moves this offseason after narrowly missing the postseason. Los Angeles improved their roster a ton with trades, signings, and through the draft. The defense is bolstered with the additions of J.C. Jackson and Khalil Mack, who are solidified stars. The Chargers added even more in the draft […]

The New York Jets had the best draft of any team in the NFL, improving their young core vastly. New York had a surplus of draft picks, which they used well to find foundation-building pieces for their franchise. The Jets had three picks in the first round, which they used to select cornerback Ahmad “Sauce” […]

The Green Bay Packers had a great draft, putting them back in contention at the top of the NFC. Aaron Rodgers’ return gives them a huge boost, helping offset the loss of Davante Adams—especially considering Green Bay used the picks acquired in that trade to fill multiple holes across the roster. *Click here for our […]

The Las Vegas Raiders made many moves in the offseason to upgrade their roster after an early playoff exit. Las Vegas is in the toughest division in the NFL with the Kansas City Chiefs, Los Angeles Chargers, and Denver Broncos, who are all competitive teams with designs of winning the Super Bowl.   While the […]

The Miami Dolphins have had an eventful offseason, doing everything they can to become a contender. The team made a big offseason trade for superstar wide receiver Tyreek Hill. Miami is doing everything it can to give quarterback Tua Tagovailoa what he needs to succeed. Tagovailoa was drafted by the Dolphins with the 5th pick […]

With a Phoenix Suns Game 5 matchup against the Dallas Mavericks in the 2022 Western Conference Semifinals, many eyes will be on this pivotal game. Ahead of the Suns-Mavs game, we’ll be making our Suns Game 2 predictions.   After taking a 2-0 lead at home, Phoenix dropped both games in Dallas, evening the series […]

With a Milwaukee Bucks Game 4 against the Boston Celtics, many eyes will be on this highly competitive second-round series. Ahead of the Celtics-Bucks game, we’ll be making our Bucks Game 4 predictions. The Bucks have a 2-1 lead in the series behind the incredible play of Giannis Antetokounmpo. Antetokounmpo had a phenomenal Game 3 […]

The San Francisco 49ers were defeated in the NFC Conference Championship Game by the Los Angeles Rams, making this an important offseason. While the 49ers didn’t have a first-round pick, they had a solid draft. This will help them surround their established pieces with solid young players. There has been lots of drama with the […]

The Arizona Cardinals have had an eventful offseason with rumors surrounding the future of quarterback Kyler Murray. Arizona made it to the playoffs last season, but they were blown out in the Wild Card Round. The Cardinals made a move in the first round of the draft, sending the 23rd pick to the Baltimore Ravens […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs by the Memphis Grizzlies. It was still a successful season for the Timberwolves, as they made it to the playoffs for the first time since the 2017-18 season. Minnesota’s young star Anthony Edwards had a breakout campaign, helping the Timberwolves compete against Memphis […]

With a Miami Heat Game 2 against the Philadelphia 76ers coming on Wednesday, many will tune in to see if Miami can take a commanding 2-0 lead. Ahead of the Sixers-Heat game, we’ll be making our Heat Game 2 predictions. Miami dominated in Game 1, as Sixers star Joel Embiid was out with a right […]

With a Milwaukee Bucks Game 2 scheduled against the Boston Celtics, a lot of eyes will be on the Bucks’ road to repeat. Ahead of the Bucks-Celtics game, we’ll be making our Bucks Game 2 predictions. The Bucks came out with a dominant win in Game 1 on the road in Boston. Even with star, […]

The Green Bay Packers had an important 2022 NFL Draft following another playoff exit. The Packers were able to get Aaron Rodgers back on a new contract but had to trade star receiver, Davante Adams, though that gave them extra draft capital. The Adams trade yielded an additional first- and second-round pick that helped the […]

The Utah Jazz suffered a first-round exit to the Dallas Mavericks, making many question the future of the franchise. The duo of Donovan Mitchell and Rudy Gobert have been through ups and downs, and it is unknown if they will both be on the roster next season. Regardless of Mitchell and Gobert’s status, the Jazz […]

The Chicago Bulls were eliminated in the first round of the playoffs to the Milwaukee Bucks, leaving star Zach LaVine’s future in Chicago in question. LaVine is set to be a free agent this summer, and many teams will express interest in the star guard. Zach on free agency: "I understand the relationship I've had […]

The Green Bay Packers finally got Aaron Rodgers a weapon by drafting Christian Watson early in the second round. Green Bay fans were quick to judge after the Packers opted against drafting a wide receiver in the first round. However, general manager Brian Gutekunst made up for it by trading up to the 34th pick […]