David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 55

The Los Angeles Sparks have a tough season this year having dealt with numerous injuries. They started off the season fairly well, but as the injuries began to pile up, they took a slide in the standings and have not been able to recover. While the Sparks have managed to get most of their injured […]

With about two months to go before NBA training camps open, the Damian Lillard trade saga has gone long into the offseason. Lillard and his agent Aaron Goodwin have made it clear that the Miami Heat are his preferred destination, so much so that the NBA recently threatened disciplinary action if Lillard refused to report […]

The 2023-24 NBA regular season does not begin until October, but for NBA fans looking for something to watch, they will have the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Team USA basketball is set to go for a gold medal with a roster full of NBA players. But one of the challenges Team USA will face is […]

The Phoenix Mercury have had a roller coaster of a season. What was supposed to be a celebration of the return of Brittney Griner has quickly turned into a disappointing season. The team fired head coach Vanessa Nygaard and have dealt with injuries to Griner and Diana Taurasi. They have also not had Skylar Diggins-Smith […]

It’s that time of the season when the only free agent moves and roster signings are the end of the bench as NBA teams look to fill out their rosters in anticipation of training camp. The Charlotte Hornets currently have 14 guaranteed contracts on their roster and so it’s conceivable that they may have some […]

Team USA basketball is getting ready to compete in the 2023 FIBA World Cup at the end of the month. The roster is made up of several NBA players as are the rosters from other countries as well. The tournament is set to begin on Aug. 25 and will run until Sept. 10. It will […]

Last year, both UCLA and USC announced their intentions to leave the Pac-12 Conference and join the Big 10 Conference for the 2024-25 season. It was a shocking decision amid the Pac-12’s search for a new media deal. As it turns out, the departure of those two schools was only the beginning. There had been […]

Last season was a bit of a step back for the Atlanta Hawks. After making it to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2021 and then again making the playoffs in 2022, this past season they finished at 41-41. Although they made it through the play-in and grabbed the eighth and final playoff spot in the […]

The Phoenix Mercury have been without star player Brittney Griner for the past couple of games while she’s taken a leave of absence from the team for a mental health break. It’s been a tough season for the Mercury who have been one of the bottom teams in the WNBA this season. In what was […]

In the WNBA, when teams fall below ten available players, they are allowed to sign additional players to hardship contracts. Sometimes those hardship contracts come in the form of a 7-day contract. The Minnesota Lynx are a team that has suffered from multiple injuries and absences this season, although they do have Diamond Miller, Aerial […]

When it came to NBA Free Agency this offseason, one of the Toronto Raptors main focuses was re-signing Jakob Poeltl. They acquired Poeltl in a trade deadline deal with the San Antonio Spurs, five years after initially trading him to the Spurs in the deal that netted them Kawhi Leonard. There’s been much chatter as […]

Under the NBA’s new CBA, teams are now allowed to carry up to three two-way contract slots, one more than they’ve been able to in seasons past. Two-way contracts have become a good way for teams to carry their second round picks without them counting against the regular 15-man roster. The Charlotte Hornets did so […]

Finding success in the NBA is all about fit and opportunity. Sometimes talent doesn’t matter as much as being able to find the right team. Sometimes players get drafted to the right team from the get-go. Other times it takes a bit longer and several teams later. When the Houston Rockets drafted Josh Christopher in […]

The New York Knicks continued trending upward this season, finishing with a top five spot in the Eastern Conference standings. They knocked off the Cleveland Cavaliers in the playoffs despite not having homecourt advantage in the Semifinals. They were unable to stop the buzz saw that was the Miami Heat though. Nevertheless, the Knicks should […]

After getting off to a poor start to the 2023 WNBA season, the Seattle Storm had been playing improved basketball their last couple of games. In a bunch of the games that they lost earlier this season, they had either lost a close game, or made a comeback only to fall short. So the signs […]

There’s no denying that sports betting has become extremely popular in recent years. It’s become a method for sports fans to try and use their knowledge to win money. What isn’t allowed though is players themselves betting on games, especially ones that they’re playing in. A member of the University of Iowa football team as […]

This past season, the Northwestern Wildcats made it to the NCAA Tournament for only the second time in program history. The Wildcats basketball team is something for the school to be proud of considering the hot water their football team currently finds themselves in. The first time Northwestern made it to the NCAA Tournament was […]

In an attempt to keep their championship window open, the Golden State Warriors made a shocking move this offseason acquiring future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul in a trade with the Washington Wizards. Some have already begun questioning Paul’s fit with the Warriors including asking him directly during Summer League. While it’s still […]

When the Los Angeles Clippers signed Russell Westbrook at the buyout deadline last season, the move drew mixed reactions. Westbrook never found his rhythm with the Los Angeles Lakers and fans and pundits alike questioned how he would fit with the Clippers. Fast forward to the present and it’s safe to say that Westbrook’s fit […]

The Las Vegas Aces have been head and shoulders above every other team in the WNBA this season. Led by reigning MVP A’ja Wilson and powered by an All-Star backcourt in Chelsea Gray and Kelsey Plum and a breakout wing in Jackie Young, few teams have the firepower to match the Aces attack. Perhaps the […]

The Detroit Pistons are a team that projects to take a big leap forward next season. With new head coach Monty Williams in town along with a solid young core, the Pistons are a team poised for a strong season of growth. With the NBA’s two-way contracts, teams like the Pistons cane take fliers on […]

As part of the NBA’s new CBA, teams are now allowed to carry three players on two-way contracts, up from the previous maximum of two. Players on two-way contracts are allowed a maximum of 50 games with their NBA team while spending the rest of their time with the G League affiliate. For a rebuilding […]

The Duke Blue Devils had a fairly successful season last year. They finished 26-7 overall and 14-4 in ACC conference play while making it to the NCAA Tournament albeit losing to Colorado in the second round. The team has improved each season since Kara Lawson took over as head coach ahead of the 2020-21 season. […]

The Los Angeles Lakers had one of the best offseason free agent periods. For a team that made a surprising run to the Western Conference Finals after a strong trade deadline, they only improved the roster with several key free agent signings. One of those signings was former New Orleans Pelicans big man Jaxon Hayes. […]

The Washington Wizards have somewhat entered the first phase of the rebuilding mode with their decisions to trade Bradley Beal and Kristaps Porzingis. They have a much younger roster now and a roster that is closer to finishing in the lottery than competing for either a playoff spot or a play-in spot. As it stands, […]

The Chicago Sky were dealt a tough blow earlier this season when head coach James Wade resigned from his position in the middle of the season to take an assistant coaching job with the Toronto Raptors in the NBA. Prior to that, Wade was the last coach in the WNBA who held the dual role […]

The Los Angeles Sparks have been hit with a mind-blowing number of injuries this season. While a few players such as Layshia Clarendon and Karlie Samuelson have since returned to the lineup, they’re still without a couple of key contributors. While starting guard and potential All-Star candidate Lexie Brown had returned to the court following […]

The Phoenix Suns overhauled their roster this offseason in a bid to build a contender around their superstars Kevin Durant and Devin Booker. They added a third star in Bradley Beal at the cost of Chris Paul. They also brought in a new head coach in Frank Vogel, all while shipping out Cameron Payne who […]

Over the past couple of years, Overtime Elite has emerged as a legit alternative to young basketball players who may not want to take the traditional college route through the NCAA or may not want to go the traditional high school route. While the program is still in it’s early stages, there’s no denying that […]

This season, the Chicago Sky have been one of those borderline teams. They could very easily be a playoff team and they could very easily be a lottery team. They were dealt a shocking blow halfway through the season when head coach James Wade announced that he would be stepping down from his position to […]

The Phoenix Mercury began this season with a lot of energy and excitement with the much anticipated return of Brittney Griner. The season has quickly gone south, however. They have not played well this season and they ended up parting ways with head coach Vanessa Nygaard. They will be without Brittney Griner for the foreseeable […]

The Indiana Fever surprised nobody when they selected South Carolina’s Aliyah Boston with the No. 1 pick in the 2023 WNBA Draft. Boston had long been considered the best prospect in the draft and the Fever put on a tanking display for the ages last season in hopes of landing the top pick to select […]

The Washington Mystics were looking like a team that could possibly be a dark horse contender come playoff time. That’s quickly gone south though as they’ve been hit with a rash of injuries. They are currently without star player Elena Delle Donne, starters Ariel Atkins and Shakira Austin and key reserve Kristi Toliver. As a […]

There’s the Las Vegas Aces, and then there’s the rest of the WNBA. That’s how this season has looked so far. The defending champs are in a class of their own and are the overwhelming favorites to repeat as WNBA champions. They are a league-leading 23-2 and they just matched the former Houston Comets record-setting […]

The Atlanta Dream have been slowly and steadily climbing up the WNBA standings. They’re currently 14-11 and tied with the Dallas Wings for the fourth best record in the league. They are not considered a championship contender, but they have the potential to be a scary team come playoff time. They are led by rising […]

In the WNBA hierarchy this season, the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty are in a class of their own with the Connecticut Sun not far behind. But the Atlanta Dream can be a dangerous team come playoff time. They have a talented roster that on paper looks capable of playing with anyone in […]

Coming into the 2023 WNBA season, much of the championship contender talk centered around the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty. And rightfully so, both ‘super teams’ have some of the best collection of talent in the league. But fans and pundits alike failed to account for the Connecticut Sun. The Sun have one […]

Over the years, the USC Trojans basketball team has had some talented big men to come through the program. Players like Nikola Vucevic and Taj Gibson come to mind. Most recently it’s been Evan and Isaiah Mobley who are both now in the NBA with the Cleveland Cavaliers. Evan Mobley was just named to the […]

The summertime is always a fun time for NBA fans who have local pro-am leagues in their area. Among the most popular are the Drew League in Los Angeles, AEBL in Atlanta and the Miami Pro League in Miami. The NBA itself has even partnered with a few of these pro-ams to stream them live […]