David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 74

The WNBA playoffs are fully underway as the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty begin what many believe will be a collision course in the WNBA Finals. The Liberty ended the regular season on a high note, albeit their loss to the Washington Mystics at home, and look like the biggest threat to knock […]

The Golden State Warriors made one of the most talked about moves of the offseason when they traded for Chris Paul from the Washington Wizards. The Warriors are looking to get back to their championship form as they did during the 2021-22 season. Last year, the Warriors defeated the upstart Sacramento Kings in the first […]

The New York Knicks are looking to build on what was one of the most successful regular seasons in recent franchise history. Powered by the signing of Jalen Brunson and the continued strong play of All-Star Julius Randle, the Knicks finished with a top five record in the Eastern Conference and knocked off the No. […]

It was just a so-so 2022-23 season for the Oregon Ducks men’s basketball team. They finished with an overall record of 21-15 and 12-8 in Pac-12 Conference play. They knocked off Washington State in the first round of the conference tournament before falling to UCLA in the second round. They did not make the NCAA […]

The Charlotte Hornets are not in a very good position as the start of the 2023-24 NBA season draws near. They do have a franchise player in LaMelo Ball, an intriguing young lottery pick in Brandon Miller and a talented center duo in Mark Williams and Nick Richards. They made a wise decision opting to […]

With NBA training camps set to open at the end of the month, teams are busy finalizing their rosters. NBA teams are allowed to carry up to 20 players into training camp and the preseason. They must cut down to no more than 15 regular contract spots and three two-way spots by the the start […]

The transfer portal has changed college athletics forever. While fans and pundits alike debate the pros and cons of the portal’s explosion in popularity, one thing is for certain, the days of old are gone from college athletics and teams need to learn how to navigate this new landscape. The DePaul Blue Demons men’s basketball […]

With the 2023-24 NBA season approaching, most teams have already filled out their regular roster. A few teams still have a couple of two-way contract slots available though. As per the NBA’s new CBA, teams are allowed three two-way contract spots this season, up from only two in previous years. The addition of the two-way […]

With the 2023-24 NBA season rapidly approaching, many NBA players are getting in the gym and preparing for a new season. Utah Jazz guard Jordan Clarkson did just that this week as he was filmed working out with NBA trainer Chris Brickley. Clarkson is coming a very strong showing at the FIBA World Cup with […]

The Memphis Grizzlies will be without Ja Morant for the first 25 games of the 2023-24 NBA season as he serves his suspension for an off the court incident where he flashed a gun on a social media live stream. It was the second incident during which Morant flashed a gun on social media, the […]

The WNBA Playoffs are officially underway. While the Las Vegas Aces and New York Liberty have been the two consensus favorites to win the WNBA championship, the Connecticut Sun have quietly established themselves as a contender in their own right. As the third seed in the WNBA standings, the Sun have drawn the No. 6 […]

With the 2023-24 NBA season rapidly approaching, most teams have already finalized their rosters. There will be a few training camp invites here and there but for the most part all major roster decisions have been made. With the NBA allowing three two-way roster spots this season instead of only two, it’s essentially given teams […]

The Chicago Sky would have had two chances to lock up a playoff berth. With their final two regular season games against the Minnesota Lynx and Connecticut Sun, they just needed one win to hold off the Los Angeles Sparks and grab the eighth and final playoff spot. Rather than leave things up to chance, […]

The Sacramento Kings have one of the best centers in the NBA in Domantas Sabonis, but one of the issues they’ve struggled with is finding a consistent backup center. One of the last season’s top options, Chimezie Metu, signed as a free agent with the Phoenix Suns and Richaun Holmes was traded to the Dallas […]

The WNBA has become the hardest professional sports league to break into, and perhaps nobody knows that better than Chicago Sky rookie Robyn Parks. With only 12 teams in the league each allowed a maximum of 12 players on the roster, there are only up to 144 roster spots at any given time in the […]

Following the trades of Kevin Durant to the Phoenix Suns and Kyrie Irving to the Dallas Mavericks, the Brooklyn Nets became a team that was scrappy and played hard. They managed to make it to the playoffs but were swept in the first round by the Philadelphia 76ers. They have a nice collection of young […]

The New York Liberty have been a top two team in the WNBA this season alongside the Las Vegas Aces. Those two teams were the preseason championship favorites and with the regular season coming to end, that has not changed. Both teams are considered ‘super teams’ with deep roster full of star talent. Both teams […]

The Seattle Storm may have been one of the worst teams in the WNBA this season, but they’ve had a lot of close games, games they’ve been in due to the phenomenal play of star guard Jewell Loyd. The Storm have already been eliminated from playoff contention but they’ve still been must-see TV due to […]

The Minnesota Lynx have overcome a poor start to the season to end up clinching a playoff berth. They suffered some key injuries and absences throughout the season but they are relatively healthy with the playoffs right around the corner. They are led by MVP candidate Napheesa Collier, but have had key contributions from other […]

The Seattle Storm may have already been eliminated from playoff contention, but that doesn’t mean they still aren’t must-see TV. With the final days of the regular season here, the Storm are still a team to watch due to the exploits of superstar Jewell Loyd. Loyd has been on a tear this season and is […]

The WNBA playoff picture is becoming finalized in the final days of the regular season. The Washington Mystics, who had already clinched a playoff berth, will be locked into the No. 7 seed following their loss on Friday against the Atlanta Dream. Even so, just the fact that they got to the playoffs is an […]

The Chicago Sky control their own destiny when it comes to making the playoffs. They are currently in the eighth and final playoff spot with two games remaining on their schedule. As of publication, they are currently up at the half against the Minnesota Lynx. If they win, they’re in. If they lose, they need […]

The domestic violence case involving Las Vegas Aces’ guard Riquna Williams took a sharp turn this week when it was revealed that the charges against her were dropped due to her wife failing to show up at a preliminary hearing as well as refusing to cooperate with investigators. When Williams was arrested and the charges […]

The Las Vegas Aces are the defending champions and are set to begin their playoff run to defend their title. They’ve consistently been the top team in the WNBA this season led by MVP candidate A’ja Wilson and a strong cast of supporting stars in Chelsea Gray, Kelsey Plum and Jackie Young. The Aces have […]

With the best record in the WNBA, the Las Vegas Aces are set to defend their title. They do have the New York Liberty nipping at their heels though. The Aces are 32-6 while the Liberty are 32-7. The Liberty have one more game left on their schedule ensuring that the best they can finish […]

The New York Liberty have been enjoying this season. Billed as one of the championship favorites coming into the year, they have so far lived up to the expectations. With a roster bolstered by star power alongside incredible depth, the Liberty look every bit the title contender most fans and pundits thought they would be. […]

The New York Liberty entered the 2023 WNBA season as one of the favorites to win the title. With new additions in Breanna Stewart, Jonquel Jones and Courtney Vandersloot, the Liberty revamped their roster into a championship contender alongside the Las Vegas Aces. But a huge reason for their success has been due to a […]

The Phoenix Mercury have been eliminated from playoff contention and have two games remaining in the regular season. It’s been a tough year for them filled with disappointing play and a rotating door of injuries and absences. They welcomed Brittney Griner home and they witnessed Diana Taurasi become the first WNBA player to reach 10,000 […]

The Washington Mystics were hit with a ton of injury issues this season. At one point in the year, they were missing three starters in Elena Delle Donne, Ariel Atkins and Shakira Austin, and a key reserve in Kristi Toliver. Despite that, the Mystics managed to keep afloat and they ended up clinching a playoff […]

Not much has gone right for the Phoenix Mercury this season. They welcomed Brittney Griner back in the lineup and saw Diana Taurasi become the first WNBA player to reach 10,000 career points, but either than that there haven’t been many bright spots for the Mercury. They’ve dealt with inconsistent play, fired their head coach […]

The Minnesota Lynx have had a phenomenal turnaround since their rocky start to the 2023 WNBA season. Early on, they looked like a team destined to miss the playoffs and finish with a high lottery pick in the 2024 WNBA Draft. But the team has clinched a playoff berth with two games remaining on the […]

The Atlanta Dream have had a roller coaster of a season. Despite uneven and inconsistent play, they have managed to clinch a playoff berth. They are currently 18-20 and in sixth place in the WNBA standings. With two games remaining in the regular season, they can potentially get as high as the fifth seed as […]

It was a disappointing 2022-23 season for the St. John’s Red Storm. They finished with an overall record of 18-15 and only 7-13 in Big East Conference play. They managed to knock off Butler in the first round of the Big East Tournament, but lost to Marquette in the second round and missed the NCAA […]

The Seattle Storm have been eliminated from playoff contention this season, but they are still must-watch TV due to superstar Jewell Loyd. Loyd was selected as an All-Star this season and was awarded the All-Star Game MVP honors. Loyd has been on a scoring tear this season and she has been leading the WNBA in […]

With the 2023 FIBA World Cup down to the semifinals, the remaining teams vying for a gold medal are the United States, Canada, Germany and Serbia. The United States and Germany will face off in one semifinal game while Canada and Serbia will face off in the other. Canada’s run to the semifinals saw them […]

The FIBA World Cup is down to the final four teams in the United States, Canada, Germany and Serbia. Team USA will square off against Germany and Canada will face Serbia with each of the four teams vying for a spot in the gold medal game. In Canada’s case, they got to the semifinals by […]

In the new age of NIL (name, image, likeness) deals, some of the top college athletes are able to make a profit in a way they were never allowed to do before. Some college athletes have signed deals that are worth millions of dollars. When it comes to the women’s basketball side of things, there […]

The Texas Longhorns were one of the top teams in college basketball last season. After Chris Beard was let go following allegations of domestic violence, the team did not miss a beat under new head coach Rodney Terry. Terry led the Longhorns to a 12-6 record in Big 12 Conference play as well a Big […]

The 2023 FIBA World Cup has reached the end of group play and the start of the knockout stage. Team USA suffered their first loss of the tournament but still advanced to the quarterfinals. One team that will not be advancing to the next stage of the FIBA World Cup is the Dominican Republic led […]