David Yapkowitz Articles - Page 83

When Rick Pitino was dismissed as Louisville’s head coach, it was unsure if he’d ever appear on an NCAA sideline again. Following Louisville, Pitino resurfaced as a head coach for the Greek team Panathinaikos in EuroLeague. He spent two seasons coaching in Greece before he returned stateside and in the NCAA as the head coach […]

As the 2022-23 NCAA season progressed, the UCLA Bruins emerged as legitimate national title contender. A big part of their strong season was the emergence of Jaylen Clark as a defensive presence and all-around key player. Clark’s role has increased each season he’s been at UCLA and his play this season had fans dreaming of […]

The Duke Blue Devils and head coach Jon Scheyer have been tasked with keeping the team among the elite of college basketball after a legacy of coaching from former head coach Mike Krzyzewski. They’re going to have to do that though without the services of one of their top recruits from the class of 2024 […]

The defending NCAA Tournament champion Kansas Jayhawks began their title defense on Thursday as the first round of March Madness tipped off. Kansas easily dispatched the Howard Bison and as they continue their postseason journey, they will do so without a familiar face on the sidelines for the time being. Kansas head coach Bill Self […]

The Sacramento Kings have been the biggest surprise of the NBA season. They are on the verge of snapping the league’s current active streak of missing the postseason and are currently in second place in the Western Conference standings. A big part of their solid season has been the play of guard Kevin Huerter. However, […]

The Alabama Crimson Tide cruised to victory over Texas A&M Corpus Christi on Thursday in their first round NCAA Tournament game. Alabama is one of the favorites to emerge from March Madness and win the national championship. They’ve been one of the best teams in the country all season. The big story of the game […]

After heart-breaking losses, it’s understandable that some athletes might not want to be in the public spotlight right away. With March Madness now in full swing, there’s bound to be several upsetting moments captured on film. In perhaps the biggest storyline of the first round so far, the No. 2 seeded Arizona Wildcats saw their […]

It’s safe to say the Philadelphia 76ers got the better of the trade between them and the Brooklyn Nets involving James Harden and Ben Simmons. The Sixers have morphed into legitimate championship contenders while Simmons has been unable to stay healthy for the Nets. Harden was left off the All-Star team this season which was […]

The Dallas Wings had a decent season last year finishing at 18-18 which was an improvement from the 14-18 they finished the season before. They made the playoffs but lost in the first round to the Connecticut Sun. The Wings will have a new coach this season in Latricia Trammell who had been an assistant […]

It’s probably safe to say the Ben Simmons experiment with the Brooklyn Nets has been a colossal failure to this point. It was though that with a change of scenery Simmons might be able to get back to his All-Star status he often displayed with the Philadelphia 76ers. That has not been the case, however, […]

It’s been a long journey for Kris Dunn to get another NBA contract. The former lottery pick by the Minnesota Timberwolves in 2016 found himself nearly out of the NBA after only five seasons. Dunn suited up in only four games for the Atlanta Hawks during the 2020-21 season due to injury and he found […]

Toronto Raptors wing OG Anunoby has developed into one of the best defensive players in the NBA. He is one of the few players that legitimately can guard every position from point guard to center. Anunoby’s name was being heavily circulated in trade chatter leading up to the deadline with no shortage of teams interested […]

The Baylor Bears basketball team is getting ready to kick off March Madness with an opening round game against UC Santa Barbara this week. They come into the NCAA Tournament as a No. 3 seed and looking to advance further than they did last season. Baylor basketball won the national title in 2021 but they […]

The Texas Longhorns basketball team has been without one of their key players recently in fifth-year forward Timmy Allen. Allen suffered a recent leg injury and was sidelined for the duration of the Big 12 Tournament. It didn’t appear to be too much of an issue as Texas made it all the way through to […]

When Damian Lillard was drafted with the No. 6 overall pick by the Portland Trail Blazers in the 2012 draft, he became an immediate fixture in the team’s rotation and was quickly handed the keys to the franchise. It wasn’t like he was expected to do it alone, however. He had co-star LaMarcus Aldridge alongside […]

Golden State Warriors guard Klay Thompson has had some incredible shooting performances throughout his career. With fellow Splash Brother Stephen Curry sidelined recently due to injury, Thompson has stepped it up and was instrumental in the Warriors recent five-game win streak. Curry has since returned to the lineup and Thompson has kept up his strong […]

The dust from the WNBA free agency period has long since settled. Most teams already have a sense of what their roster will look like heading into training camp in April. A lot of the focus for WNBA teams right now is on the upcoming draft, but some teams are still making some late additions […]

The Denver Nuggets are about to embark on a tough East Coast road trip as they look to hold on to their status as the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference standings. The road trip begins on Tuesday against the Toronto Raptors and culminates next Wednesday, March 22 against the Washington Wizards with games […]

It’s been a few seasons since New York Knicks fans have had something to really cheer about. This has been a resurgent season though and it marks only the second time in the last ten seasons that the Knicks have reached the 40 win plateau. They reached 41 wins during the 2020-21 season which was […]

The New York Knicks are in the midst of a tough West Coast road trip and they’ve been without the services of star point guard Jalen Brunson due to injury. Brunson has missed four of the past five games with a foot injury. Brunson actually played in the Knicks first game of this road trip […]

Denver Nuggets star Nikola Jokic is in the midst of an MVP caliber season and has been etching his name in the NBA record books along the way. Jokic is the reigning MVP having won the award in back-to-back seasons now. Should he win this season’s MVP award, he will become only the fourth player […]

The New York Knicks have been one of the better teams in the Eastern Conference this season and they’ve rebounded well from a poor start to the season. A big part of that has been the play of Julius Randle. Randle was named to his second All-Star selection this season and is having one of […]

Nikola Jokic is in the midst of an MVP caliber season even with some recent struggles by the Denver Nuggets. Jokic is on the verge of becoming the first non-guard to average a triple-double over the course of an entire season. The only other players to average a triple-double for a whole season are Oscar […]

Despite losing in the championship of the Pac-12 Tournament, UCLA and Mick Cronin still enter March Madness as one of the top teams in the country. They’re a little bit banged up right now with injuries to two starters in Adem Bona and Jaylen Clark. While Clark is out for the remainder of the season, […]

The brackets for the NCAA Tournament were released this weekend and every year there are some very intriguing storylines in the first round of March Madness. This year, one of those potential matchups is between No. 6 Kentucky and No. 11 Providence in the East Region. Kentucky head coach John Calipari will square off against […]

The New York Knicks have been one of the best teams in the Eastern Conference after a bit of an uneven start. They have rebounded from inconsistent play and are now firmly in the mix for a playoffs spot. A big part of their success this season has been the play of Jalen Brunson. He […]

Since arriving in the NBA with the Atlanta Hawks, Trae Young has been one of the most exciting and explosive point guard in the NBA. Not only is he a dynamic scorer, but he is an elite playmaker as well. As good as he is though, Young has taken his lumps recently for his perceived […]

NBA players and their reactions to the officiating has been a hot topic as of late. Toronto Raptors guard Fred VanVleet had quite a few colorful words to say towards referee Ben Taylor following a loss to the Los Angeles Clippers. Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart recently stated that he has observed referees with personal […]

During the WNBA offseason, many players ahead overseas to continue playing. Due to the salary limitations of the WNBA, players are able to make a livable income during the fall and winter months. When playing overseas though, players run the heightened risk of injury and thus being unavailable for when the WNBA season begins in […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have been arguably one of the best teams in the NBA following the trade deadline. The Lakers are 8-3 since they made a couple of trades at the deadline and they have vaulted themselves upward in the Western Conference standings. Second-year wing Austin Reaves has been a big part of the […]

The Portland Trail Blazers are one of several teams in the midst of a tightening race in the Western Conference for one of the play-in spots. At this point in the season in particular, every game matters. Teams need to be as healthy as can be especially when it comes to their stars. For the […]

The dust from WNBA free agency is all but settled. At this point teams already know who is going to be on their roster and who is going to be invited to training camp. All that is left is some housekeeping issues in terms of contract extensions with players already on the roster. The Atlanta […]

With the Philadelphia 76ers, Matisse Thybulle was supposed to reach his trajectory as a 3&D player. Thybulle just didn’t shoot as much as the Sixers would have liked him to. Over the course of about three and a half season with the Sixers, Thybulle averaged only 2.2 attempts from three-point range. Since he was traded […]

Over the past couple of seasons, Jamal Murray has emerged into a superstar for the Denver Nuggets. Starting with his breakout performance in the 2020 bubble, his career trajectory has been steadily climbing upward after he dealt with an ACL injury. Murray was not named to the All-Star team this season but he had a […]

The Houston Rockets have been one of the worst teams in the NBA this season and are firmly in the mix for the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes. Even though they’ve been horrible, they can be exciting to watch with young sensation Jalen Green leading the way. They’ve also drawn headlines recently for the rumored mutual interest […]

The Utah Jazz started out the season as one of the surprising teams in the NBA. They were near the top of the Western Conference standings for a while but have since come crashing back down to Earth. All things considered, the Jazz are still in the mix for a postseason appearance. However, they may […]

The Detroit Pistons have been consistent this season in that they’ve consistently been one of the worst teams in the NBA. One of the lone bright spots for them has been the dynamic play of lottery pick Jaden Ivey. It appears though that the Pistons will be without the services of Ivey for at least […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder have one of the most promising young cores in the NBA. They have been a surprise team this season in the mix for a play-in spot when they were fully expected to be at the bottom of the NBA standings and in the mix for the Victor Wembanyama sweepstakes. Much of […]

The Dallas Mavericks are currently fightingDallas Mavericks are currently fighting for playoff positioning in a tightening race in the Western Conference standings. This is the time for all hands on deck but the Mavs might end up being short-handed for their next few games depending on the availability of Reggie Bullock. Bullock suffered a quad […]