David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 29

The Indiana Pacers are coming off one of their most successful seasons in recent history. They made the playoffs for the first time since the 2019-2020 season and made a run to the Eastern Conference Finals. NBA free agency is largely in the dust now at this point in the offseason, but the Pacers can […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Sparks are currently in year two of the Curt Miller era and this season in particular has been about growth and development. With a young roster, the Sparks are experiencing the type of growing pains often associated with a rebuild. On Tuesday against the Seattle Storm, the Sparks were […]

The Philadelphia 76ers were one of the most active and aggressive teams this offseason on the NBA free agency front. Hoping to build a championship contender around Joel Embiid and Tyrese Maxey, the 76ers added and re-signed several quality free agents highlighted by the blockbuster acquisition of Paul George. But the 76ers had a solid […]

The Golden State Warriors championship core was disassembled this offseason when Klay Thompson chose to sign with the Dallas Mavericks in free agency. The departure may not have been that surprising considering the fact that Thompson and the Warriors had failed to reach an agreement on a contract extension. But there was at least one […]

When it comes to basketball in Los Angeles, two of the biggest names in the city have been Los Angeles Lakers star Kobe Bryant and former Los Angeles Sparks star Candace Parker. While Parker has not played for the Sparks since the 2020 season, her Hall of Fame career is largely validated by her LA […]

There is perhaps no NBA player under more scrutiny coming into the 2024-25 season than the Los Angeles Lakers’ Bronny James. Everything he does is going to be under a microscope. Bronny James was the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft, but he’s being analyzed as if he was the No. 1 […]

The Los Angeles Sparks have had issues this season closing out games in the fourth quarter, but that was not the case against the Dallas Wings on Saturday. The Sparks held strong to snap a two-game losing streak by beating the Wings on the road, 87-81. One of the major reasons why the Sparks were […]

The Los Angeles Sparks came into the 2024 WNBA Draft armed with two lottery picks. The Sparks selected Cameron Brink with the No. 2 overall pick and with the No. 4 overall pick, they selected the player many believed to be the most WNBA-ready of this rookie class in Rickea Jackson. In their first season […]

While Indiana Fever star Caitlin Clark may be one of the most polarizing players in the WNBA this season, there’s no question that she’s a generational talent. Clark became the first WNBA rookie in league history to record a triple double, and with the Fever’s game against the Phoenix Mercury on Friday, she went about […]

Last season, Adam Silver introduced the NBA Cup, a tournament-style event that culminated with a championship game in Las Vegas. The format featured three separate groupings in each conference consisting of five teams per group. The league revealed the groupings for the 2024-25 season on Friday with a few major storylines. The Dallas Mavericks and […]

With Team USA preparing for the Olympics in just a few short weeks, one name to keep an eye on during competition is Minnesota Timberwolves star Anthony Edwards. With many talented players on the team, it’s hard to judge who should be the top scoring option. Anthony Edwards made the case for himself as Team […]

There’s no question the Miami Heat have one of the best defensive players in the NBA in Bam Adebayo. But he has never won the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year Award so far in his career. Bam Adebayo is currently a member of Team USA preparing for the Olympics and it was in Las […]

The Memphis Grizzlies shocked many when they selected Zach Edey with the No. 9 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Edey was a very polarizing player in terms of opinion leading up the draft with fans and pundits split on how impactful he would be in the NBA. But there are two prominent figures […]

The Golden State Warriors officially dismantled their championship core this offseason with Klay Thompson’s departure to the Dallas Mavericks in free agency to the Dallas Mavericks. It seemed inevitable after the two sides had been unable to reach an agreement on a contract extension during the regular season. But this move might be exactly what […]

LOS ANGELES – The sweet taste of victory from the Los Angeles Sparks’ win against the Las Vegas Aces on Friday was swept away with a bitter defeat, 84-78, at the hands of the Phoenix Mercury on Sunday. The Sparks trailed by double-digits early in the game but managed to fight their way back into […]

The Los Angeles Sparks got a boost this weekend following a massive win against the Las Vegas Aces when it was announced that Azurá Stevens would be available to make her season debut. Stevens had been sidelined since training camp due to an arm injury she suffered while playing overseas in China in the offseason. […]

The Los Angeles Sparks are coming off their biggest win of the season following a 98-93 takedown of the Las Vegas Aces. The Sparks have another game coming up on Sunday against the Phoenix Mercury during which they’re expected to have Azurá Stevens back in the lineup from injury for the first time this season. […]

The Sacramento Kings made their big offseason addition on Saturday coming to terms with DeMar DeRozan in NBA free agency as per Chris Haynes of Bleacher Report. In order to have the requisite cap space to add DeRozan, the Kings will execute a sign-and-trade deal. DeRozan will give the Kings another scoring threat alongside De’Aaron […]

The Los Angeles Lakers kicked off their NBA Summer League schedule on Saturday at the California Classic. It was Bronny James’ NBA Summer League debut with the Lakers. James has drawn plenty of attention since the Lakers selected him with the No. 55 pick in the 2024 NBA Draft. Following the game, James revealed that […]

NBA Summer League got underway this weekend at the California Classic with one of the first matchups being between the Los Angeles Lakers and the Sacramento Kings. It was significant in the fact that it was Bronny James’ NBA debut. But it was not James’ who stole the show, it was undrafted free agent Adonis […]

The Denver Nuggets suffered a major blow this offseason when they lost starting guard Kentavious Caldwell-Pope in NBA free agency. Last season the Nuggets depth was already questionable and this offseason they didn’t exactly have the requisite cap space to add to the team. But the Nuggets were able to strengthen their roster this week […]

The Golden State Warriors suffered a blow this offseason when they lost Klay Thompson in free agency. They’ve tried to recoup as much as they can with a few solid free agent signings. But perhaps the biggest trade domino the Warriors are trying to get to fall is Utah Jazz star Lauri Markkanen. Markkanen may or […]

When it comes to the Eastern Conference, every team is looking up to the Boston Celtics. The reigning champs are set up to contend for titles for the next couple of years. But they were hit with unexpected news when it was announced the owner Wyc Grousbeck is looking to sell the team. The news […]

This week, former Charlotte Hornets star Kemba Walker announced his retirement from basketball. While Walker played for other teams in the NBA as well, his Hornets tenure is what he’s most remembered for. Kemba Walker developed into a star player, and during a recent appearance on Carmelo Anthony’s podcast, ‘7pm in Brooklyn with Carmelo Anthony […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Sparks are currently mired in an eight-game losing streak. The skid began at the beginning of their recent seven-game road trip back on June 11 against the Seattle Storm. The Sparks most recent loss came at home against the Washington Mystics on Tuesday, a game they lost after leading […]

With the 2024 NBA free agency negotiation period having been underway for almost a week now, most big name free agents have already agreed to contracts. Contracts cannot become official until this coming weekend, but most impact players are already off the open market. The Cleveland Cavaliers are still looking to strengthen the team. The […]

After about a week, most big name free agents have already agreed to deals during the NBA free agency negotiation period. While contracts cannot be signed and made official until this weekend, a lot of players are already off the open market. For a team like the Minnesota Timberwolves, they can still strengthen their roster […]

After one season of college basketball at USC, Bronny James was selected by the Los Angeles Lakers with the No. 55 overall pick in the 2024 NBA Draft and has already signed his contract. James’ contract is for four years and worth around $7.9 million. Amid signing his Lakers contract, Bronny James got a special […]

LOS ANGELES – The Los Angeles Sparks finally returned home to Crypto.com Arena after a road trip that saw them go 0-7. Through three quarters of their game on Tuesday against the Washington Mystics, it appeared as if they were going to snap the losing streak. But the Sparks were outplayed in the fourth quarter, […]

With the LA Sparks currently in the midst of a 4-14 season, one of the brights spots this year has been Dearica Hamby. Dearica Hamby has been putting up career numbers for the Sparks this season and on Tuesday it was announced that she was selected to the WNBA All-Star game. The 2024 Olympics are […]

The Olympics are set to begin in just a few weeks and with that the WNBA will take close to a month-long hiatus before resuming the 2024 season in mid-August. Several WNBA players will be playing in the Olympics for various countries and as of Tuesday, Los Angeles Sparks guard Kia Nurse will be suiting […]

The Los Angeles Sparks have finally returned home to the confines of Crypto.com Arena after completing a seven-game road trip. The Sparks were winless on the trip and lost both Cameron Brink for the season due to an ACL injury and Lexie Brown indefinitely due to illness related to Crohn’s. But help could be on […]

The Dallas Mavericks are coming off an NBA Finals appearance, their first since the 2010-11 season. With the NBA free agency negotiation period underway, the Mavericks are looking at ways to upgrade the roster to make another strong playoff run. The Mavericks agreed to terms with Naji Marshall in free agency, and their reason for […]

With the NBA free agency negotiation period underway, several players have already agreed to terms with teams. The Washington Wizards, engulfed in a rebuild, still need to fill out their roster and adding quality veterans is crucial for a young team. The Wizards addressed that in NBA free agency by agreeing to terms with veteran […]

The Philadelphia 76ers came into the 2024 offseason as one of the few teams that was armed with ample cap space. While signs point towards the 76ers landing Paul George in NBA free agency, they have already agreed to smaller deals with key free agents including sharpshooting veteran Eric Gordon as per Shams Charania of […]

The Los Angeles Lakers entered NBA free agency with not much to spend in terms of cap space and looking to build a championship contending roster. Barring an unforeseen major move, most of the Lakers offseason moves will most likely be internal. To that end, the Lakers came to an agreement to re-sign Max Christie […]

With the NBA free agency negotiation period officially underway, the Los Angeles Clippers came to terms on a new contract with James Harden as per Shams Charania of The Athletic. This was the first time in Harden’s career that he experienced unrestricted free agency. Harden was acquired by the Clippers in an early season trade […]

After a relatively strong 2022-23 season, the Texas Longhorns seemingly took a step back during the 2023-24 season. They finished with an overall record of 21-13 and an underwhelming 9-9 in Big 12 Conference play. It doesn’t get any easier though as Texas is set to move to the SEC for the 2024-25 season. But […]

This was always going to be a trying season for the Washington Mystics following an offseason that saw them lose franchise stalwarts in Elena Delle Donne and Natasha Cloud. But it’s turned into a struggle as the Mystics’ roster has been hit hard with injuries as of late. Needing help, the Mystics recently signed Jakia […]