David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 48

The Chicago Bulls did not get off to a good start to the 2023-24 NBA season. They opened the season at home against the Oklahoma City Thunder and actually lead, 35-33 after the first quarter. It was all downhill from there, however. They managed only 69 points the rest of the game and ended up […]

The New York Knicks made a flurry of roster moves this weekend as the start of the 2023-24 NBA season approaches next week. They originally had all three of their two-way contract spots filled but ended up with all three being vacant again. They brought back a familiar face from last season for one of […]

The start of the 2023-24 NBA regular season is this coming Tuesday, Oct. 24 and teams have until Monday, Oct. 23 to cut down their rosters to a maximum of 15 standard contacts and three two-way contracts. There has already been a flurry of roster moves this weekend and there will likely be more leading […]

The Houston Rockets underwent several changes this offseason. They added more of a veteran presence in free agency with the signings of Fred VanVleet, Dillon Brooks, Jock Landale Jeff Green and Reggie Bullock. The Rockets had been one of the youngest teams in the NBA and now they have vets in place to help guide […]

Collin Gillespie is technically entering his second year in the NBA with the Denver Nuggets. But he hasn’t played a single minute. Gillespie joined the Nuggets in the summer of 2022 after going undrafted as a fifth year player out of Villanova. He was signed to a two-way contract and suited up for the Nuggets during […]

The Boston Celtics vaulted themselves into one of the favorites to win the NBA championship this season when they acquired All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers. With their earlier sign and trade with the Washington Wizards for Kristaps Porzingis, the Celtics have as formidable a starting five as […]

The New York Knicks are coming off a successful regular season that saw them earn a top five seed in the Eastern Conference. They knocked off the Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round without home court advantage before falling to the Miami Heat in the second round. They’ll have some key questions to answer heading […]

With the 2023-24 NBA season set to tip-off this week, the biggest storyline surrounding the Philadelphia 76ers is the James Harden trade drama. Harden had requested a trade in the offseason and had reportedly had the Los Angeles Clippers as his preferred destination. Those talks have seemingly stalled and while Harden initially reported to training […]

In recent years, the NBA’s G League has become a developing ground for NBA teams to stash potential prospects without them having to take up a regular season roster spot. These players are signed to two-way contracts allowing them to split time between their NBA team and their G League affiliate. They’re only allowed a […]

The Orlando Magic are a team seemingly in NBA purgatory. They’re not good enough to make the playoffs or the play-in tournament but they’re not quite bad enough to get a really high lottery pick. Even if they were that bad, they have had so many top lottery picks in recent seasons and nothing to […]

After winning the 2023 NBA championship, the Denver Nuggets found themselves looking to retool their bench. Head coach Michael Malone normally plays a tight rotation, but the Nuggets lost their top two bench options in Bruce Brown and Jeff Green to free agency. With Green in particular, he was the Nuggets backup big man and […]

With the 2023-24 NBA season set to tip-off next week, there’s going to be a flurry of roster moves within the next few days. Teams officially have until Monday, Oct. 23 to cut their rosters down to a maximum of 15 standard contract spots and three two-way contract spots. The Milwaukee Bucks certainly made a […]

The Toronto Raptors finished up their preseason schedule on Friday with a win against the Washington Wizards bringing their preseason record this year to a perfect 4-0. They will officially open the 2023-24 NBA regular season on Wednesday, Oct. 25 at home against the Minnesota Timberwolves. While the Raptors certainly have some questions to answer […]

The Phoenix Mercury sent shockwaves through the WNBA world this week when they announced the hiring of Orlando Magic assistant coach Nate Tibbetts as the franchise’s new head coach. Tibbetts is expected to become the highest paid head coach in the WNBA. Previously, that title belonged to Las Vegas Aces head coach Becky Hammon who […]

The 2023-24 NBA season hasn’t even started yet and the New Orleans Pelicans already have a lengthy injury list. Backup point guard Jose Alvarado suffered an ankle injury recently. Trey Murphy III suffered a knee injury during an offseason workout and is out and expected to miss the start of the season. Backup forward Naji […]

After trading longtime franchise cornerstone Damian Lillard to the Milwaukee Bucks, the Portland Trail Blazers are entering a new phase of rebuilding. Armed with draft picks and young players, the Blazers are going to suffer through some growing pains in the coming years. It helps though that they have a new potential franchise player in […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves are expecting a projected leap forward behind rising superstar Anthony Edwards. Edwards is coming off a phenomenal individual performance at the 2023 FIBA World Cup despite the overall team’s disappointing tournament. The Wolves fought their way through the play-in last season to grab the Western Conference’s No. 8 seed. Coming into the […]

With the preseason winding down and the 2023-24 NBA regular season set to tip-off next week, teams have until this coming Monday, Oct. 23 to finalize their rosters. They are allowed to carry 15 standard contracts and three two-way contracts. Expect to see plenty of roster shuffling in the coming days as they get their […]

With the 2023-24 NBA season approaching, the Washington Wizards are going to be a team that’s going to draw attention. Fans will be tuned in to see what Jordan Poole can do with a bigger role and the keys to the offense. The Wizards will open the 2023-24 season on Oct. 25 against the Indiana […]

The Charlotte Hornets have certainly been in the spotlight recently, and not for good reasons. The Hornets were one of the worst teams in the NBA last season and unfortunately for them, it doesn’t appear as if things will be much different this season. Even before these latest incidents, the Hornets made controversy back during […]

With the 2023-24 NBA season approaching, plenty of fans and media alike will be tuned in to the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Thunder will tip-off their season on Oct. 25 against the Chicago Bulls on the road. Ahead of the start of the regular season, we will be making our Thunder bold predictions that certainly […]

The Detroit Pistons may have been one of the worst teams in the NBA last season, but they have some reason for optimism heading into the 2023-24 season. Along with a new head coach in Monty Williams, the Pistons have a solid young core that consists of Cade Cunningham, Jaden Ivey, Jalen Durren and Ausar […]

The Milwaukee Bucks pulled off one of the biggest moves of the offseason when they acquired star point guard Damian Lillard in a trade with the Portland Trail Blazers. After a vocal plea from franchise player Giannis Antetokounmpo to make sure the roster was at championship level, the Bucks made sure to listen. The next […]

The Las Vegas Aces came into Game 4 of the WNBA Finals against the New York Liberty incredibly short-handed. They were already without Candace Parker who underwent surgery for a foot injury and Riquna Williams who was essentially suspended from the team following domestic violence charges. Both Chelsea Gray and Kiah Stokes, two starters, were […]

The Golden State Warriors made a bit of a controversial decision this offseason when they traded Jordan Poole to the Washington Wizards for Chris Paul. It’s not that Paul can’t help the Warriors this season, but Poole is a developing young player who can still potentially reach another level to his game. Poole played a […]

The Miami Heat struck out on most of their trade targets this offseason. They were the preferred destination for Damian Lillard but he was ultimately traded to the Milwaukee Bucks. They had interest in Jrue Holiday but he was traded to the Boston Celtics. They had a few key losses in Gabe Vincent and Max […]

The Portland Trail Blazers gained a stroke of luck in their eyes when the Charlotte Hornets selected Brandon Miller with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. That meant that G League Ignite point guard Scoot Henderson fell in their laps. Scoot Henderson was the consensus No. 2 player in the draft […]

The New York Liberty needed a win in Game 3 of the WNBA Finals against the Las Vegas Aces to keep their season alive, and they did just that in impressive fashion. After dropping the first two games of the series on the road, the Liberty used an inspired performance buoyed by a record crowd […]

With the start of the 2023-24 NBA season only about one week away, most teams are in the process of evaluating their rosters and making their final roster cuts/transactions. Oct. 23 is the deadline for teams to have their regular season rosters finalized but most teams will probably have that done before then. The Los […]

The San Diego State Aztecs had a phenomenal run during last season’s NCAA Tournament. They made it all the way to the championship game before falling to UConn. Despite being a mid major school, the Aztecs have been one of the best college basketball programs on the West Coast. The Aztecs were going to have […]

Despite not making any major free agent moves or trades, the San Antonio Spurs can be considered the winner of the offseason simply by virtue of drafting Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. During the Spurs preseason so far, Wembanyama has looked every bit the generational talent they […]

Coming into Game 3 of the WNBA Finals, the New York Liberty found themselves with their backs against the wall trailing 0-2 against the Las Vegas Aces. Facing elimination, the Liberty used an inspired performance, buoyed by a record attendance, to grab a much needed win and get back into the series. It’s not over […]

The San Antonio Spurs drafted a generational talent when they selected Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. The Washington Wizards are hoping they got a player with at least half that ability when they selected Wembanyama’s Metropolitans 92 teammate Bilal Coulibaly with the No. 7 overall pick of […]

The Las Vegas Aces dropped Game 4 of their WNBA Finals series against the New York Liberty, 94-72 on Sunday. They had won the first tow games of the series on their home floor, but faced an inspired Liberty team bent on avoiding elimination. Not only that, but the Aces are awaiting potentially bad news […]

It was a big Sunday for women’s basketball. While the WNBA Finals Game 4 between the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty was occurring, a game that set a WNBA record for attendance, the same thing was happening in Iowa. The Iowa women’s basketball team squared off against DePaul in an exhibition game, but […]

Back during the early 2000s, the Michigan State Spartans had a young player by the name of Jason Richardson. As a freshman during the 1999-2000 season, Richardson played a key role for the Spartans off the bench as the team went on to win the NCAA championship. A year later, Richardson elevated his game as […]

The Las Vegas Aces tip-offed the WNBA Finals in dominating fashion, wining the first two games at home in an impressive way against the New York Liberty. The series shifted this weekend to the Barclays Center in Brooklyn for Game 3. With the Liberty facing a must-win situation, they came out in a dominant way […]

The Golden State Warriors made one of the biggest moves of the offseason acquiring future Hall of Famer Chris Paul in a trade with the Washington Wizards. After a downturn following their 2022 championship run, the Warriors are trying to get back to being a title contender. With Paul being the only major move they […]

The New York Knicks are looking to build off of last season’s strong run. They finished with a top five record in the Eastern Conference and knocked off the higher seeded Cleveland Cavaliers in the first round of the playoffs. They ended up falling to the Miami Heat in the second round, but they laid […]