David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 54

The creation of the two-way contract has benefited NBA teams in that it essentially created two additional roster spots. Under the new CBA, teams are permitted an additional two-way contract slot bringing the total number to three. While these players are obviously paid less than an NBA standard contract, they are still part of the […]

Every NBA team hopes to find undrafted gems who end up becoming solid rotation players. The Miami Heat are one of the best examples of that as they had multiple undrafted players playing key roles during their run to the 2023 NBA Finals. Teams also hope to find key contributors with their second round picks. […]

With former NBA player Juwan Howard at the helm as head coach of the Michigan Wolverines basketball team, the program has become a destination for potential high school recruits. It was a bit of a disappointing year though this past season for the Michigan Wolverines. They finished with an 18-16 record and went 11-9 in […]

The Atlanta Hawks cleared up some of the log-jam in their frontcourt this offseason when they traded John Collins to the Utah Jazz. Collins’ name had been in trade rumors for a while now and Hawks brass must have felt like it was time to pull the trigger. What the trade did was open up […]

For NBA fans looking for their basketball fix in the offseason, they have a couple of options. This summer specifically has the FIBA World Cup set to begin at the end of the month with friendly scrimmages leading up to the start of the event. There is of course the NBA Summer League in Las […]

Injuries have always been an unfortunate part of sports, but for the Washington Mystics, the 2023 WNBA season has been unfair. They had recently been without three starters in Elena Delle Donne, Ariel Atkins and Shakira Austin and one key reserve in Kristi Toliver. They recently got Austin back but are still without the other […]

When Becky Hammon retired from the WNBA, San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich made history when he brought her on as an assistant coach on his staff. To that point, there had only ever been one female assistant coach in the NBA in Lisa Boyer who was a volunteer on John Lucas’ staff with […]

The offseason is a time when NBA players take part in pro-am leagues across the country. For fans who might not be able to afford tickets to an NBA game, these leagues give them the opportunity to see some of their favorite NBA players up close. Former NBA player Jamal Crawford runs one of those […]

When fans think of some of the greatest European players to have played in the NBA, the names Dirk Nowitzki, Pau Gasol, Tony Parker and Manu Ginobili come to mind. This weekend, Pau Gasol, Nowitzki and Parker are all being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame. But newer NBA fans might not be so […]

Despite losing in their opening play-in game against the Los Angeles Lakers, the Minnesota Timberwolves ended up grabbing the eighth and final playoff spot in the Western Conference and gave the eventual champion Denver Nuggets arguably the toughest series they faced all playoffs. With a budding superstar in Anthony Edwards and an established star in […]

This offseason, the NBA saw trade requests from two of the league’s biggest stars in Portland Trail Blazers guard Damian Lillard and Philadelphia 76ers guard James Harden. In Lillard’s case, the Miami Heat emerged as his preferred destination. For Harden, it was the Los Angeles Clippers that were reported to be his preferred landing destination. […]

Under the new CBA, NBA teams are now permitted to sign up to three two-way contracts on their roster. In previous seasons they were only allowed two. Two-way contract players are allowed a maximum of 50 games with their NBA team and are not eligible to play in the playoffs. They spent the rest of […]

With the Basketball Hall of Fame set to take place this weekend, one of the top inductees for this year’s class is Miami Heat legend Dwyane Wade. Although Wade had stints with the Chicago Bulls and Cleveland Cavaliers, he will first and foremost be remembered for his exploits with the Heat. The No. 5 overall […]

At this point in the offseason, most of the free agency moves NBA teams make are end of the bench type moves. From two-way contracts to Exhibit 10 contracts to the 13th, 14th and 15th man, those are the types of signings that will occur between now and training camp. For some of those players, […]

At this late in the offseason, it’s uncommon for college teams to make any major roster additions. Most teams are already set with for the upcoming season. The transfer portal has died down by this point in the offseason as well. But the Xavier Muskateers weren’t finished adding to their roster just yet. The Muskateers […]

The West Virginia Mountaineers dealt with a bit of controversy during this offseason when longtime head coach Bob Huggins resigned from his position after a DUI incident. While Huggins has done an about face and threatened legal action saying he was forced to resign, nothing more has come from that and the Mountaineers will move […]

The Indiana Pacers made one of the biggest splashes in NBA Free Agency this offseason when they lured Bruce Brown away from the champion Denver Nuggets. Not only was Brown one of the biggest names on the free agent market, the contract the Pacers signed him to was one of the biggest handed out during […]

There’s no denying that the transfer portal has changed the college basketball landscape forever. While some may argue that it’s for the better and some may argue that it’s for the worse, what it’s done is allowed college players to enter a free agency of sorts and have a little more control over their NCAA […]

With the 2023 Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony set to take place this Saturday, Aug. 12, some of the biggest names in NBA history are set to receive their induction. Among those set to be enshrined in the Basketball Hall of Fame is former Los Angeles Lakers star Pau Gasol. While Gasol’s NBA career began […]

The Miami Heat are coming off their second NBA Finals appearance in four years. One of the big storylines for the Heat this season during their phenomenal playoff run was the fact that they had quite a few undrafted players playing major roles for them and contributing in big ways. There’s no question the Heat […]

The prestigious honor of being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame will happen for a few big names this weekend as the ceremony is set for this Saturday, Aug. 12. Among the headliners for this year’s Basketball Hall of Fame class are former Miami Heat star Dwyane Wade and former Dallas Mavericks star Dirk […]

The NBA 2K series has been a popular video game series for years now with fans getting to play as some of their favorite NBA players as well as being able to customize a career for a created player. While the NBA Live series first allowed fans to use WNBA players in the game with […]

The Connecticut Sun have looked every bit the part of title contenders this season under new head coach Stephanie White. While fans and media alike believed the road to the WNBA title would be between the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty, the Sun might have something to say about that. Even after the […]

If you were looking for a frontrunner for the WNBA’s Rookie of the Year Award, then look no further than Indiana Fever star Aliyah Boston. Boston was named an All-Star as a rookie, and was the first rookie to be named an All-Star starter since Schoni Schimmel in 2014. While the Fever had been among […]

The Basketball Hall of Fame ceremony is scheduled for this weekend and it features an impressive class. Among some of the big names being enshrined this year are Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki, Tony Parker and Pau Gasol. On the women’s basketball side of things, the big name being inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame […]

Before the start of the 2023 WNBA season, the New York Liberty were billed as one of the league’s superteams alongside the Las Vegas Aces. With the additions of Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot to go alongside Sabrina Ionescu and Betnijah Laney, the Liberty presented a lineup of firepower few teams could match. […]

The Seattle Storm have been one of the bottom teams in the WNBA this season, but they have shown some promise. They’ve had a few silver linings this season. One of them has been the phenomenal play of All-Star guard Jewell Loyd who was named the MVP of the All-Star game. Another has been the […]

One of the key issues facing the WNBA is travel. Teams have been flying commercial from game to game and have had to deal with all the craziness that comes along with it. This season specifically, things almost got ugly when Phoenix Mercury star Brittney Griner was harassed in the airport while the team was […]

The Sacramento Kings had one of the best seasons in franchise history this past year. Finishing with a top four record and homecourt advantage in the first round of the playoffs, this Kings team has laid the foundation for the future. Behind superstar De’Aaron Fox, the Kings are going to be looking to take another […]

Even at age 38, LeBron James remains arguably the biggest and most popular star in the NBA. So it’s no surprise that his kids, Bronny and Bryce James have been receiving plenty of attention as well with their young basketball careers underway. Talented players in their own right, Bronny recently committed to play college basketball […]

The Nike Basketball Academy is being held this week at the company’s headquarters in Beaverton, Oregon. The event runs from Aug. 7 until Aug. 8 and features some of the top high school and college basketball players in the country for both men and women. For many of the high school prospects, this is a […]

The Seattle Storm have been shouldering through a tough, rebuilding season this year. They have had some silver linings though as Jewell Loyd was named the MVP of the All-Star game while having one of the best statistical seasons of her career as well as defensive ace Ezi Magbegor being named to her first All-Star […]

With WNBA teams allowed to carry a maximum of 12 players on the roster, the Phoenix Mercury have been carrying 11 this season with a rotating 12th roster spot. Although the Mercury are without Skylar Diggins-Smith who is out on maternity this season, her contract still counts against the salary cap. The Mercury are also […]

The New York Liberty got a massive win against the Las Vegas Aces on Sunday. In what many perceive as a possible WNBA Finals matchup, the Liberty came out firing in route to a 99-61 win at home against the team that has the best record in the league. The Liberty got big contributions from […]

One of the biggest question marks surrounding the 2023-24 season for the Los Angeles Clippers is health. On paper, the Clippers have had as good a roster as anyone in the league. They’ve certainly appeared to be championship contenders, but the Clippers haven’t been able to avoid the injury bug. Both Kawhi Leonard and Paul […]

Russell Westbrook’s rough one and a half seasons with the Los Angeles Lakers was well-chronicled. The star point guard never was able to get into a rhythm and never found his fit alongside LeBron James and Anthony Davis. When he was traded to the Utah Jazz and ultimately had his contract bought out, Russell Westbrook […]

This week Team USA basketball has been training in Las Vegas in anticipation of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. The tournament is scheduled to begin on Aug. 25 and will run until Sept. 10. Although it may be a bit of a concern that the Select Team has beaten the main team in scrimmages this […]

The Dallas Wings are jockeying for playoff positioning as the second half of the season is underway. They are currently 15-13 and in fourth place in the WNBA standings. They dropped back to back games at home against the Chicago Sky with the most recent game on Sunday. Sunday’s game was not without controversy, however. […]

The Dallas Wings have been without Diamond DeShields and rookie Lou Lopez-Senechal for the whole season so far. Lopez Senechal isn’t expected to make her WNBA debut this season as she recovers from a knee injury. DeShields is also dealing with a knee injury and there is no timetable as to her possible return. WNBA […]