David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 71

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 […]

The Phoenix Mercury have had a disappointing season so far. Although they have celebrated the return of superstar Brittney Griner, their season as a whole has not been what they expected. The team just hasn’t gelled and they’ve been at the bottom of the WNBA standings for most of this season. They fired their head […]

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 […]