David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 69

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 […]

The Washington Wizards underwent a radical change in the offseason. They fired general manager Tommy Sheppard and replaced him with Michael Winger. Winger wasted no time revamping the roster. He traded Bradley Beal to the Phoenix Suns and Kristaps Porzingis to the Boston Celtics. With the roster revamp, the Wizards have a few players on […]

The UConn women’s basketball team is getting a huge boost this upcoming season in the form of Paige Bueckers. The star point guard missed the entirety of the 2022-23 season due to an ACL injury she suffered in the offseason. She is set to return to the court for the 2023-24 season and is fresh […]

Heading into Sunday’s crucial Game 4 of the second round of the WNBA Playoffs, the Connecticut Sun were looking to avoid elimination and force a deciding Game 5 against the New York Liberty. The Sun have been a regular in the WNBA Finals over the last couple of seasons with appearances in 2019 and 2022. […]

The Boston Celtics shook up the NBA world on Sunday morning with their trade involving the Portland Trail Blazers for All-Star guard Jrue Holiday. The Celtics had been in the mix for Damian Lillard but Holiday is not a bad consolation prize. They’re now among the favorites to make it to the NBA Finals out […]

The Charlotte Hornets have been in the media recently and it hasn’t really been a good thing. Although they have a budding star in LaMelo Ball, the rest of the Hornets roster has a lot of unknowns. They have an intriguing young player in Brandon Miller, an improving young player in PJ Washington and some […]

Throughout the entire WNBA season, and even before the season began, the New York Liberty were projected to be the team to challenge the Las Vegas Aces for the WNBA championship. And for the most part, they’ve looked the part. But while the Aces have swept through the first two rounds of the WNBA Playoffs […]

The Boston Celtics just propelled themselves into possible title favorites with their Sunday trade for All-Star point guard Jrue Holiday. After the Celtics traded Marcus Smart to the Memphis Grizzlies and with rumors that Malcolm Brogdon was upset following the failed trade with the Los Angeles Clippers, the Celtics were seemingly in need of starting […]

The Portland Trail Blazers have dominated NBA headlines this week, first with their shocking Damian Lillard trade involving the Milwaukee Bucks and Phoenix Suns, and then following that up by trading Jrue Holiday to the Boston Celtics. The Blazers’ goal during this entire ordeal has been to get young pieces and draft picks. Now that […]

The Indiana Pacers are a team that is seemingly on the verge of making a leap in the Eastern Conference. For the majority of last season, they were in the mix for a playoff spot before eventually faltering as the season began to wind down. They have a rather strong nucleus with Tyrese Haliburton, Myles […]

Jason Kidd is the current head coach of the Dallas Mavericks, but during his playing days he was one of the best point guards in the league. After retirement, he was recognized as one of the greatest players to ever play the game being named to NBA’s top 75 team and being inducted in to […]

The Dallas Mavericks biggest goal of the offseason was re-signing Kyrie Irving which they managed to do. They locked up Irving on a three-year contract worth $120 million as they hope to build a championship contender around him and Luka Doncic. That’s not a bad duo to have, but the question has always been what […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder took a huge leap this past season. While many fans and media members alike were anticipating another lottery finish for the Thunder, they managed to make it to the play-in. A big reason why they had success was the phenomenal play of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Gilgeous-Alexander has blossomed into a franchise superstar. […]

Just by virtue of drafting Victor Wembanyama, the San Antonio Spurs were one of the biggest winners of the 2023 offseason. Considered a generational talent, the Spurs are hoping he can be the latest in a strong group of No. 1 draft picks they’ve had. But to build up an eventual championship contender, the Spurs […]

The Golden State Warriors have a one burning question heading into training camp. That question is what will the starting lineup look like. The Warriors pulled off one of the biggest moves of the offseason bringing in future Hall of Fame point guard Chris Paul. The only issue is if they start him or bring […]