David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 53

The Los Angeles Lakers did a slight retool of their roster this offseason. The core group of last year’s Western Conference Finals team is back with the team having re-signed D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. The Lakers also added some key depth in signing Gabe Vincent, Taurean Prince, Jaxon Hayes and Christian Wood […]

The much anticipated Las Vegas Aces vs. New York Liberty WNBA Finals clash finally morphed into reality. From the beginning of the 2023 WNBA regular season, most fans and media alike predicted that these two teams would the be the last teams standing. But what was supposed to be a heavyweight bout, has suddenly seemed […]

When fans think of NBA players and their shoe deals, the names Nike and Adidas come to mind. Reebok has been in the mix before, Converse, New Balance, even Puma has gotten into the basketball shoe game.  But one shoe company that probably doesn’t come to mind is Skechers. Los Angeles Clippers wing Terance Mann […]

Coming into the 2023-24 NBA season, the Philadelphia 76ers had to settle on a backup center. Last season, that job went to Montrezl Harrell early and eventually went to Paul Reed. While the Sixers resigned both Harrell and Reed in the offseason, they also added Mo Bamba to compete for backup center minutes as well. […]

Coming into the 2023-24 NBA season, Houston Rockets rookie Cam Whitmore has something to prove. After being a projected lottery pick, Whitmore slipped in the 2023 NBA Draft to the mid first round when the Rockets selected him with the No. 20 overall pick. The team is hoping that they got the steal of the […]

At this point of the preseason, most NBA teams already have their rosters set for the start of the regular season. There may be some shuffling here and there but for the most part most teams know who they’re going to bring in to the regular season. A few teams though might make some minor […]

After hearing his name come up in trade rumors seemingly every season, John Collins was finally traded from the Atlanta Hawks to the Utah Jazz this past offseason. The Jazz sent Rudy Gay and a first round pick to the Hawks in return. A borderline All-Star caliber player, Collins will help bolster the Jazz frontline. […]

The Sacramento Kings are looking to build upon last season during which they snapped the league’s longest active playoff drought. The major question for the Kings this upcoming season is prove that last year was no fluke and that this group is truly among the elite teams in the Western Conference. A big part of […]

The San Antonio Spurs surprised nobody when they selected Victor Wembanyama with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Considered a generational talent, and the frontrunner for the Rookie of the Year Award, Wembanyama is coming into this season with a ton of hype. But the Spurs may have struck gold with […]

The Miami Heat whiffed out on their biggest target this offseason in Damian Lillard. For a team that made a surprising run to the NBA Finals last season, acquiring Lillard certainly would have improved the Heat’s chances at a return trip to the Finals and possibly a championship. The Heat also lost key members from […]

The Washington Wizards hit the reset button this offseason when they opted to trade Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis. Leading the way this season will be Jordan Poole and Kyle Kuzma who both had impressive performances as a duo in the Wizards first preseason game. Overall, they are a younger team with no major expectations […]

The Charlotte Hornets sure shocked their fan base back during the NBA draft when they selected Brandon Miller with the No. 2 overall pick instead of Scoot Henderson. It’s not that Miller wasn’t worthy of being a high draft pick, he had been slated to go in the lottery in the majority of mock drafts. […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have had numerous great players suit up for the franchise. From George Mikan back during the Minneapolis days, to the present with LeBron James, the organization has always seemed to have a transcendent superstar or two. In the case of LeBron James, he made NBA history while in Lakers jersey when […]

The Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty are set to square off in one of the most anticipated WNBA Finals series in recent history. With Game 1 having tipped-off on Sunday afternoon, the Aces struck first with a 99-82 win. It’s a long series though and the Liberty still have the ability to makes […]

The New Orleans Pelicans have a few questions to answer as the 2023-24 NBA season draws closer. The number one question though surrounding the Pelicans is health. They just haven’t been able to stay healthy in recent seasons. One player though that has been relatively healthy for the Pelicans is Jose Alvarado. Alvarado played in […]

The biggest question the New Orleans Pelicans face coming into the 2023-24 NBA season is the health of Zion Williamson. Since he was drafted by the Pelicans with the No. 1 overall pick in the 2019 NBA Draft, Williamson hasn’t exactly been a pillar of health. He was limited to only 24 games during his […]

Before the New York Liberty became a so-called ‘super team’ when they signed Breanna Stewart and Courtney Vandersloot, the first offseason move the team made was to acquire Jonquel Jones from the Connecticut Sun. It was a precursor of sorts to the rest of the Liberty’s offseason moves. It took Jones the first half of […]

The Los Angeles Lakers opened up their preseason schedule against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday. Lakers star LeBron James did not suit up as expected and the Lakers trotted out a starting lineup of D’Angelo Russell, Gabe Vincent, Rui Hachimura, Jarred Vanderbilt and Anthony Davis. While preseason doesn’t mean much in the grand scheme […]

The Golden State Warriors won’t have to make a major decision on their starting lineup just yet. That was the major question the Warriors had to answer heading into the 2023-24 season. While the injury to Draymond Green is not a good thing for the Warriors, it’s at least bought them some time before they […]

The Charlotte Hornets made quite a controversial decision when they decided to re-sign Miles Bridges towards the end of the 2022-23 season. Bridges’ hopes of a big pay day during the 2022 offseason were dashed when he was arrested on domestic violence charges. Bridges ultimately reached a deal to avoid jail time. When the Hornets […]

Team USA’s debacle at the 2023 FIBA World Cup had a ripple effect similar to when they finished with a bronze medal at the 2004 Olympics. Multiple big name NBA stars have already affirmed their commitment to playing for Team USA at the upcoming 2024 Olympics. One of those players who will suit up for […]

The Golden State Warriors pulled off one of the biggest moves of the offseason acquiring future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul in a trade with the Washington Wizards. Although they lost Jordan Poole as part of that trade, the Warriors are hoping Paul can improve their title chances this season. It’s going to […]

The Milwaukee Bucks became the latest team in the NBA to form a Big 3 with Giannis Antetokoumpo, Damian Lillard and Khris Middleton. The Bucks were never mentioned as a legitimate destination for Lillard even after talks with the Heat fell through. The Bucks have automatically become a favorite in the Eastern Conference and a […]

Going back a year ago training camp ahead of the 2022-23 NBA season, Detroit Pistons wing Bojan Bogdanovic saw his name come up in plenty of trade rumors. Instead, the Pistons inked him to a two-year contract extension that was worth $39.1 million. Despite the Pistons being a young team, they viewed Bogdanovic as the […]

It’s been a whirlwind of an offseason for Miami Heat guard Tyler Herro. Herro has seen his name come up in trade rumors for a while now centered on the Heat pursuit of Damian Lillard. Now that Miami whiffed out on Lillard and Jrue Holiday, it appears as if Herro is here to stay, at […]

Team USA had a very disappointing performance at the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Not only did they not win the gold medal as they’ve been accustomed to, they failed to medal at all losing to Canada in the bronze medal game. The entire team took a lot of criticism, but one player who kind of […]

The Miami Heat whiffed out on their biggest target this offseason in Damian Lillard. When Lillard initially requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers, he listed the Heat as his only preferred destination. While many fans and media alike believed Lillard would ultimately join the Heat, it was revealed that the two sides reportedly […]

The Sacramento Kings are coming off one of their best regular seasons in franchise history. Behind new head coach Mike Brown, the Kings finished with a top three record in the Western Conference and snapped the NBA’s longest active streak of missing the playoffs. The question this season becomes can they prove that last year […]

The Golden State Warriors starting lineup conundrum is settled for the time being. With Draymond Green nursing an ankle injury, the Warriors plan to start Chris Paul alongside Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins and Kevon Looney. While there will be questions to answer upon Green’s return, Steve Kerr doesn’t have to make any quick […]

The Toronto Raptors are a team to watch this season. They are at a bit of a crossroads in that they seemingly want to power ahead with this current roster that potentially has a limited ceiling. They were reportedly in the mix for a Damian Lillard trade but that failed to materialize. They have a […]

The Los Angeles Lakers made several good offseason additions through free agency bringing in veteran contributors such as Gabe Vincent, Christian Wood and Taurean Prince in addition to re-signing their own key free agents in D’Angelo Russell, Austin Reaves and Rui Hachimura. Overall, they brought back the majority of the core that made a surprising […]

The Philadelphia 76ers were hoping to be a title contender this season, they remain in a state of limbo while dealing with the James Harden trade ordeal. Talks have reportedly continued between the Sixers and the Los Angeles Clippers who are Harden’s preferred trade destination. While nothing seems imminent, NBA trade winds can pick up […]

There hasn’t been a rookie in the NBA with as much as hype as the San Antonio Spurs’ Victor Wembanyama has since LeBron James back in 2003. Wembanyama was the projected No. 1 pick in the 2023 NBA Draft for a long time and he is considered to be a generational talent. He was impressive […]

The Milwaukee Bucks had a disappointing finish to the 2023 NBA Playoffs, being ousted in the first round agains the No. 8 seed Miami Heat. Following offseason comments made by franchise star Giannis Antetokounmpo, the Bucks have reloaded acquiring All-Star guard Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers. Aside from the trade, the Bucks are […]

The Los Angeles Lakers changed their season around at the trade deadline with the acquisitions of D’Angelo Russell, Malik Beasley, Jarred Vanderbilt and Rui Hachimura. With the new players fitting seamlessly into the lineup, the Lakers had one of the best records in the league post All-Star break and the made a surprising run to […]

The Golden State Warriors’ number one concern heading into training camp is their lineups. After acquiring Chris Paul in a trade with the Washington Wizards in the offseason, fans and media alike wondered what the Warriors starting lineup would look like. With Draymond Green currently sidelined with an ankle injury, the starting lineup is a […]

When Damian Lillard requested a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers early in the offseason and named the Miami Heat as his only preferred destination, it seemed like it was inevitable that Lillard would end up in Heat jersey. That never materialized, however and it’s been reported that trade talks between the Heat and the […]

The New York Knicks had one of their more successful seasons in recent history in 2022-23. After acquiring Jalen Brunson via free agency, they finished with a top-five record in the Eastern Conference and managed to upset the Cleveland Cavaliers in the NBA Playoffs without homecourt advantage. Heading into this season, they’re looking to continue […]

The Los Angeles Clippers had a mission this offseason to get younger and more athletic. They were able to accomplish that somewhat by adding KJ Martin in a trade with the Houston Rockets. The Clippers have been one of the older teams in the league the past couple of seasons and don’t really generate many […]