David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 59

The Gonzaga Bulldogs were looking to reload this season after losing Drew Timme, Malachi Smith, and Julian Strawther to the NBA Draft and Hunter Sallis to the transfer portal. They were hoping to do so with a strong incoming class and the transfer portal. They did well in the portal with the additions of Graham […]

The 2023 NBA Draft is in the past and now that the dust has settled, it’s time to assess each team’s draft picks. The Oklahoma City Thunder came into the NBA Draft in an interesting situation. They are coming off one their best regular seasons in recent years having made a strong push for the […]

The Miami Heat had only pick in the 2023 NBA Draft and they used that on UCLA senior Jaime Jaquez. For a team that’s looking to get back to the NBA Finals after a phenomenal playoff run, Jaquez was a home-run pick. He’s ready to win now. A strong showing at the NBA Draft combine […]

The 2023 NBA Draft has come and gone and the hopes and dreams of many players have finally become reality. Now that all the dust has settled, the talk now turns to which teams made out well, which teams maybe did not so well and which teams came away with absolute steals. Every draft there […]

The NBA Draft can be a very emotional time for players and their families. It’s the culmination of years of hard work. It’s the beginning of a dream. It’s not uncommon for players to get emotional on camera and to shed tears. Such was the case for Jordan Hawkins after he was selected with the […]

For the past few weeks it seems, the NBA social media world was flooded with rumors and chatter regarding the New Orleans Pelicans and Zion Williamson. It seemed like no matter where you looked, the Pelicans were apparently ready to move on from Zion Williamson in a trade. Since joining the Pelicans, Williamson has struggled […]

The Charlotte Hornets surprised many when they made the decision to draft Brandon Miller with the No. 2 overall pick in the NBA Draft. Scoot Henderson of the G League Ignite was the consensus No. 2 prospect behind Victor Wembanyama for much of the year but the Hornets obviously felt otherwise. There had been rumblings […]

When the Charlotte Hornets selected Brandon Miller with the No. 2 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft, it was no secret that the Portland Trail Blazers were going to select Scoot Henderson. Henderson had been the consensus No. 2 prospect in many mock drafts but the Hornets decided to surprise everyone. In any case, […]

With NBA Draft finally here, it’s no secret that Victor Wembanyama is going to be the No. 1 overall pick to the San Antonio Spurs. The Charlotte Hornets have the No. 2 overall pick and have reportedly been deciding between Scoot Henderson of the G League Ignite or Alabama’s Brandon Miller. Whether Henderson is drafted […]

Nothing is really work this season for the Phoenix Mercury. They are at the bottom of the WNBA standings with a record of 2-9. Part of that can probably be explained though with the absences of stars Brittney Griner and Diana Taurasi who have been battling injuries as of late. They also have not had […]

It’s been an uneven past couple of seasons for the Kentucky Wildcats. After missing the NCAA Tournament in 2021, they bounced back the past two seasons. But for a program accustomed to winning, they have not advanced to the Final Four since 2015. They also lost Oscar Tshiebwe and Chris Livingston to the NBA Draft […]

Ever since the Seattle Storm’s 0-4 start to the 2023 WNBA season, the team has been playing much better even if their overall record might not show it. They are currently 3-7 and in contention for a playoff spot in the Western Conference. They’re coming off a big road win against the Dallas Wings on […]

After seven seasons with the Indiana Fever, Tiffany Mitchell decided she needed a fresh start. The No. 9 overall pick in the 2016 WNBA Draft, Mitchell was drafted by the Fever and had spent her entire career to this point with the franchise. But when the WNBA free agency period rolled around, Tiffany Mitchell chose […]

The NBA Draft is not until June 22 and it is absolutely no secret who the No. 1 overall pick will be. Victor Wembanyama has been projected as the No. 1 pick in the NBA Draft for quite some time now. He is considered a generational prospect and head and shoulders above, quite literally and […]

The Golden State Warriors dropped some big news on Friday with the announcement of a new general manager in Mike Dunleavy Jr. following the departure of Bob Myers. Heading into the 2023 offseason and the NBA Draft, Dunleavy will have his work cut out for him as he attempts to reshape the Warriors into a […]

The Washington Mystics have gotten off to an inconsistent start to the 2023 WNBA season with a 5-4 record. They’re on the verge though of securing their sixth win of the season against the Phoenix Mercury as they lead by double-digits in the fourth quarter. The Mystics came into the game with a clear injury […]

It’s been an offseason of change for the Cal Golden Bears basketball team. Following the end of a disappointing regular season, the Golden Bears fired head coach Mark Fox and replaced him with a big name Pac-12 hire. Mark Madsen wasted no time filling out his roster for the upcoming season with some big transfer […]

The Golden State Warriors have a lot of decisions to make heading into this offseason. They made some big front office news on Friday following the departure of former general manager Bob Myers. Mike Dunleavy Jr. will be tasked with trying to maximize this team’s window and re-making a championship contender. In doing so, he’ll […]

The Los Angeles Sparks are coming into Friday’s game against the Minnesota Lynx with a lengthy injury report. In order to potentially have enough available players, they made an emergency signing of former South Carolina star Destanni Henderson to a hardship contract ahead of the game. The Sparks have listed Chiney Ogwumike and Jasmine Thomas […]

The Los Angeles Sparks came into the 2023 WNBA season with revamped front office and coaching staff and a vision for a new foundation. So far, it’s been a bit of an inconsistent start to the year. Coming into Friday’s game against the Minnesota Lynx, the Sparks are 5-4 and looking to win back to […]

The Indiana Fever got their second consecutive win on Thursday with a 92-90 win against the Chicago Sky. They were coming off what had been their best win of the season on Tuesday against the Washington Mystics. While the Fever may have a 4-6 record, there have been encouraging signs and reasons for optimism. This […]

One year after winning the national championship, the Baylor Bears had a pretty successful season in 2022-23. They finished the year at 23-11 and 11-7 in Big 12 Conference play. They got past UC Santa Barbara in the first round of the NCAA Tournament but lost to Creighton in the second round. Baylor now looks […]

The Washington Huskies suffered through a disappointing 2022-23 season. They finished with a record of 16-16 overall and 8-12 in Pac-12 Conference play. They also suffered some heavy losses in the transfer portal. Talented freshman Keyon Menifield opted to take his talents to the SEC. They also lost PJ Fuller, Cole Bajema, Noah Williams and […]

The Washington Mystics have gotten off to an inconsistent start to the 2023 WNBA season with a record of 5-4. For a team with solid playoff aspirations, they’ve just been treading water so far. They’re coming off their worst loss of the season, a blowout against the Indiana Fever, after having won back to back […]

The Phoenix Mercury have been one of the more disappointing teams of the 2023 WNBA season so far. Although they have been navigating the absence of starting point guard Skylar Diggins-Smith who is currently out on maternity, they have enough talent on the team to make some noise. They began the season on an emotional […]

The Dallas Wings have been hit with the injury/absence bug to start the 2023 WNBA season. They have been without prized offseason trade acquisition Diamond DeShields and 2023 first round draft pick Lou Lopez Senechal since the start of the season. Both players are dealing with knee injuries and are expected to miss significant time. […]

The Indiana Fever had a lot of eyes on them to start the 2023 WNBA season largely due to the addition of South Carolina star Aliyah Boston. Boston has certainly lived up to the hype in the early weeks of the season and is looking the part of the franchise player she was billed as. […]

After a very successful 2022-23 regular season that saw the Arizona Wildcats knock off UCLA in the Pac-12 Tournament championship game, the season ended in humiliating form for the Wildcats. They entered the NCAA Tournament as a No. 2 seed and lost in the first round to No. 15 seed Princeton. Following the season, star […]

The Utah Jazz started off the 2023 NBA season as one of the more surprising teams in the league. While they were initially projected to join the Victor Wembanyama tanking sweepstakes, they were in the midst of the Western Conference playoff picture up until the final weeks of the regular season. Since they missed the […]

There’s been a lot of conversation over the past couple of seasons as to the changing NBA game and the disappearance of real centers. Although the game has definitely shifted towards a more perimeter-oriented game, there’s still some dominant centers left such as 2023 NBA Finals MVP Nikola Jokic and regular season MVP Joel Embiid. […]

The Dallas Wings suffered their first loss at home this season, 79-61, on Wednesday against the Los Angeles Sparks. After winning two consecutive games, the Wings have now lost two games in a row. They’ve been an average team so far this season as they navigate a new head coach in Latricia Trammell and some […]

The UConn women’s basketball team had a successful season by regular standards. They finished 31-6 overall and 18-2 in Big East Conference play. They were a consistent top ten team in the AP rankings throughout the season, won the Big East Tournament and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen in the NCAA Tournament. But this isn’t […]

The Denver Nuggets finished off the Miami Heat in five games in the NBA Finals to win their first championship in franchise history. While it was the duo of Nikola Jokic and Jamal Murray that powered the Nuggets during their championship run, they don’t win the title without big contributions from their role players. One […]

The Chicago Sky have been dealing with a short-handed roster for the first few weeks of the 2023 WNBA season. Two players who were expected to be key rotation players in second-year wing Rebekah Gardner and rookie Morgan Bertsch both suffered injuries early in the season and are currently sidelined. Ruthy Hebard is currently out […]

The Denver Nuggets are on the verge of their first championship in franchise history as they currently hold a 3-1 lead against the Miami Heat in the NBA Finals. They’re heading home for Game 5 and are in good position to close out the series. They can’t get complacent though. They need to show the […]

The Miami Heat find themselves in a position no team wants to find themselves in. They’re facing a 3-1 deficit in the NBA Finals against the Denver Nuggets and are staring elimination between the eyes as they prepare for Game 5 on the Nuggets homecourt. If they hope to extend the series, however, and force […]

The Minnesota Lynx have not gotten off to a good start to the 2023 WNBA season and they’ve already received bad news about their prized lottery pick, Diamond Miller. They did have something to cheer about on Sunday though as they pulled off a comeback from being down double-digits against the Los Angeles Sparks at […]

The Denver Nuggets are in the drivers seat of the NBA Finals with a commanding 3-1 series lead against the Miami Heat. While history is certainly on their side, it’s not like choking away a 3-1 lead has never been done before. The Nuggets will be on their homecourt so they’ll have the advantage there, […]

Coming back from a major injury is never easy for professional athletes. Seattle Storm veteran guard Kia Nurse knows that all too well. Kia Nurse suffered an ACL injury during the 2021 WNBA playoffs against the Las Vegas Aces in Game 4 of the Western Conference Semifinals. The injury kept her out of the 2022 […]