Chris Dodson Articles - Page 9

The Orlando Magic are not pulling a Houdini act on the NBA this season. It would be hard for any upstart franchise to go overlooked or unnoticed with Paolo Banchero on board after all. Still, the Magic are making the most of a hot start from their All-Star, who had a bold claim about the […]

The Philadelphia 76ers are under fire from Hall of Famers and facing an NBA investigation into Joel Embiid’s availability to start the season. Skeptics of the messaging and doubters of the plan are voicing their opinions with practically every bounce of the ball by someone other than Embiid. Former NBA Coach of the Year Sam […]

The flawed New Orleans Pelicans were at a disadvantage going into the regular season. Zion Williamson (illness) was questionable to face the Chicago Bulls and Trey Murphy III is out until November. Brandon Ingram, Dejounte Murray, Williamson, and Murphy III also had yet to play a minute together during a shortened preseason. Furthermore, the Pelicans […]

The new-look New Orleans Pelicans have flaws, including availability issues, but found a way to notch a season-opening 123-111 home win over the Chicago Bulls. Sadly, Big Easy basketball fans were still fighting through traffic before the worst news of the night hit the airwaves. Any good vibes coming from Dejounte Murray’s debut with the […]

The Memphis Grizzlies got a magic moment from Zach Edey with a special assist from Ja Morant on opening night versus the hosting Utah Jazz. The rookie caught a lob from the franchise cornerstone to start the counter on the career points scored clock. Edey eventually fouled out and heard a brief moment of heckling […]

The Memphis Grizzlies needed something special on opening night and they got it from the most likely source. Ja Morant’s heroics pulled off a 116-114 road win over the Utah Jazz to start the regular season. Rookie big man Zach Edey got heckled by the home crowd but the visitors occupied the celebratory locker room. […]

The Indiana Pacers have their flaws and some of the worst popped up on opening night against the Detroit Pistons. A milestone moment from Pascal Siakam and a huge fourth quarter from Bennedict Mathurin helped overcome Tyrese Haliburton’s poor shooting. It was a big development for a team looking to contend for an Eastern Conference […]

The look good, feel good, play good formula fell apart quickly for the Toronto Raptors in their home opener against the Cleveland Cavaliers. It was a night to forget for the Raptors and Scottie Barnes. The We the North band above the border lost to the tune of 30 points, their worst loss in a […]

Basketball never stops and the best players are always in the lab working on the next new highlight. Some of the associated hype videos are more serious than others. For example, Iowa women’s basketball and history-making Indiana Fever All-Star Caitlin Clark made an eye-opening claim in a new video that will leave WNBA rivals trembling […]

The Brooklyn Nets got an earful from Jordi Fernandez after a blowout loss to the Philadelphia 76ers this preseason. Ben Simmons heard the message and decided to lead by example during Brooklyn’s first game of the season versus the Atlanta Hawks. Unfortunately, the former All-NBA star got a little too scrappy going after a rebound […]

The New Orleans Pelicans avoided one wreck on the way to opening night in the Smoothie King Center. Jose Alvarado clarified reports of a car accident just hours before Lonzo Ball’s Chicago Bulls visit the Crescent City. In some good news, Brandon Ingram is bullish on the home team’s chances at winning but is also […]

The New Orleans Pelicans already have Zion Williamson (illness) worries on Opening Night in the Big Easy versus Lonzo Ball’s Chicago Bulls. Thankfully, reports of highway headaches getting to the job bringing bad news were unfounded. Pelicans spark plug Jose Alvarado (right knee contusion) was not in an accident going into the morning shootaround. Alvarado […]

The Boston Celtics raised an 18th banner on Opening Night before facing off against the new-look New York Knicks. It was the first time since 2008 that the city got a Ring Night celebration to tip off the regular season. Jayson Tatum took time to soak in the moment before the game with his family. […]

One of the only solid bets going into the 2024-25 NBA regular season is that Stephen Curry’s Golden State Warriors will not look the same. Klay Thompson decided on the Dallas Mavericks and Luka Doncic in free agency this offseason. It was a gut-punch to the Bay Area’s basketball diehards and a franchise-altering move that […]

Women’s professional basketball pushed Caitlin Clark and Angel Reese off the scene in late September. Fans and front offices will worry about the WNBA’s looming CBA situation later. There are some huge milestones worth recognizing now. Specifically, some WNBA champions took center stage over the last week of October and set records the headlining rookies […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have high expectations for the upcoming 2024-25 NBA season now that Ja Morant is back in the lineup. Fans in the FedEx Forum looking down the depth chart will see a championship-level supporting cast as well. For example, Jake LaRavia’s lethal three-point launches bring a huge boost to the rotations. However, after […]

The Boston Celtics are not suffering fools as they see them lightly. Head coach Joe Mazzulla has put the media on notice and Jaylen Brown is giving state-of-the-industry addresses that have Olympics officials sitting up in attention. Team USA and Nike will also be taking notice because Brown got very specific with Stephen A. Smith. […]

The Tama Bay Buccaneers are mending bruised bodies and broken hearts following a 41-31 Monday Night Football beatdown courtesy of the Baltimore Ravens. Quarterback Baker Mayfield threw three interceptions and lost two of the NFL’s best receivers while the Manningcast crew threw shade at the signal caller. Injuries to Mike Evans and Chris Godwin are […]

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers helped Mike Evans achieve a historic feat early on. Baltimore Ravens tight end Mark Andrews did the same in a different category. However, ESPN’s Monday Night Football Manningcast crescendoed with a maddening moment from Baker Mayfield. Sure, Mayfield’s Buccaneers were up 10-7 on Lamar Jackson’s Ravens with 6:17 left in the […]

The injury-addled Los Angeles Chargers have good reason to feel robbed of a Monday Night Football win but Jim Harbaugh is not isolating plays or assigning blame. Kyler Murray’s Arizona Cardinals were able to wiggle into position for a game-winning field goal thanks to some dubious officiating. However, the game should have never been in […]

The New Orleans Pelicans left issues unaddressed during the preseason. They even used a few lineups that had not seen live game action in the finale against the Houston Rockets. Willie Green will be doing the same in the regular season opener at home against Lonzo Ball’s Chicago Bulls. While Brandon Ingram made his highly-anticipated […]

The New Orleans Pelicans keep winning big with Trey Murphy III. The 17th overall pick in the 2021 NBA Draft just inked a team-friendly four-year, $112 million rookie scale contract extension with the franchise. Not only is Murphy III’s average annual value on the lower end of what could have expected, but the structure allows for […]

The Memphis Grizzlies got some good Ja Morant news in the days leading up to the NBA’s 2024-25 regular season. There were also some sour notes to end the preseason, especially on the injury report. The Grizzlies will be missing Jaren Jackson Jr. to start the 82-game slog, but that did not stop the big […]

The injury-afflicted New Orleans Pelicans will spend the early part of the regular season trying to replace Trey Murphy III’s production. A hamstring strain will sideline Murphy III for at least a couple of weeks, meaning someone else from the bench will have to rise to the occasion. So far the Pelicans have put their […]

They had help, but the New York Mets made a mess of hosting Game 3 of the National League Championship Series versus the Los Angeles Dodgers. Shohei Ohtani’s three-run shot was all the visitors needed in an 8-0 MLB Postseason win over the Big Apple’s Wild Card upstarts. Lindor did not hold back when discussing […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have their issues but at least the organization is being honest going into this season. Everyone knew Yves Missi would make some rookie mistakes. The one-and-done big man out of Baylor had only been playing organized basketball for a few years before being selected in the NBA Draft after all. The […]

The New Orleans Saints are suffering injuries faster than the medical team can make an updated IR list. That is very unfortunate ahead of a visit from former coach Sean Payton’s Denver Broncos. Thankfully, a former Saints legend saw plenty of promise in rookie quarterback Spencer Rattler. Drew Brees broke out the scouting reports when […]

The Green Packers Packers added a Super Bowl champion ahead of a Week 7 clash versus C.J. Stroud’s Houston Texans. Jordan Love might need the help and the quarterback knows it. Stroud is no stranger to the Packers’ signal caller as both are California prep products. They have been keeping up with each other since high […]

The Big Apple is known for big welcomes. Well, fans of the New York Mets held true to form in saying hello to a slumping Shohei Ohtani and the Los Angeles Dodgers before Game 3 of the National League Championship Series (NLCS). It is starting to turn cold across America, but the boo bird migrated […]

The MLB Postseason pressure cooker is starting to cause some shakiness in even the most consummate professionals. Infield flies become error-scored singles. Intentional walks become unforgettable slights, as the recently snubbed, Francisco Lindor-led New York Mets reminded the Los Angeles Dodgers in Game 2 of the NLCS. Specifically, Mark Vientos delivered a grand slam sucker punch […]

The currently shorthanded Golden State Warriors are gearing up for the 2024-25 NBA season with some young talent poised to take the place of Klay Thompson. It will be a committee job considering just how much the future Hall of Famer meant to the organization but Steve Kerr’s squad must move on. Steph Curry needs […]

Hoops fans following the greatness of LeBron James cannot tell the full story without including the partnership with Rich Paul. The pair of industry power brokers have known each other for over two decades. The journey that started with the Cleveland Cavaliers and brought a couple of titles to the Miami Heat is still going. […]

The worst-kept secret of the NBA Draft was that the Los Angeles Lakers would select the attention-grabbing LeBron ‘Bronny’ James Jr. after LeBron James signed a contract extension. Unfortunately, the worst-case scenario was hard to ignore after James Jr. fell out during a college practice. A cardiac arrest emergency was eventually diagnosed as a treatable heart […]

Deion Sanders, affectionately known as “Coach Prime,” has been a transformative figure for Colorado football since his arrival. His impact on the team and the community has been profound, but questions linger about his long-term commitment to the program, especially once his sons, Shilo and Shedeur, and Colorado’s injured Heisman candidate Travis Hunter move on. […]

Steph Curry’s supporting cast took a big hit this offseason as the currently rotation-shuffling Golden State Warriors lost Splash Brother Klay Thompson to the Dallas Mavericks. Thompson’s replacement Brandin Podziemski now has a broken nose. Draymond Green still graces the locker room but Andrew Wiggins has been noticeably absent all too often over the past […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers are used to playing with a target on their backs not receiving glowing compliments from rivals. Well, running back Najee Harris has an undeniable talent that Maxx Crosby could not deny, and does not want to meet in the Oklahoma drill. “He’s another one. A big f****** physical back. You really got […]

Players who have already received a second contract cannot have breakout seasons, or so the thinking goes. Well, the New Orleans Pelicans have issues but they might also have an outlier to that cliched rule of thumb. It should be no surprise that Herb Jones is that exception but such is the state of causal […]

Preseason prognostications bring out plenty of emotions and it’s not just limited to the fans. For instance, the Memphis Grizzlies are getting defensive about their Western Conference chances this season. Grizzlies star Ja Morant could not believe the NBA’s GM put him on the league’s breakout lists. Morant is already an established All-Star who led the Grizzlies […]

The New York Yankees got some good news regarding Anthony Rizzo going into an ALCS clash with the Cleveland Guardians. Manager Aaron Boone would have the three-time All-Star slugger’s bat available despite suffering some broken fingers down the regular season stretch run. Boone was unusually upbeat when discussing how Rizzo’s hand reacted to some ALCS […]