Diego Vergel de Dios Articles - Page 17

Entering the 2021-22 season, people had mixed feelings on the outlook of the Dallas Mavericks with newly-hired head coach Jason Kidd. Luka Doncic was just coming off an Olympics bronze medal stint with the Slovenian national team, but he has not been in shape since the opening game this year. They are in the middle […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are one of the franchises that were not even expected to be in the top six of the Western Conference. One main reason was they even dealt their most consistent player last season in Jonas Valanciunas to the New Orleans Pelicans for future assets. To add insult to injury, Ja Morant even […]

The Utah Jazz are approaching the NBA trade deadline with little flexibility due to the current construction of their roster. Their current core from the previous seasons are back in harness to try and overcome the hump to finally reach the NBA Finals. They are currently third in the Western Conference behind the Golden State […]

The Phoenix Suns are one of the most complete teams in the NBA because of their all-around strengths on both ends of the court. Despite the absence of Devin Booker over the last two weeks, their performance has not dipped as they are still competing with the Golden State Warriors as the best team in […]

The Washington Wizards surprised many people with their hot start in their 2021-22 campaign despite the dreadful shooting efficiency by franchise cornerstone Bradley Beal. Wizards President Tommy Sheppard executed a brilliant trade in the offseason by acquiring five rotational pieces in exchange for talented guard Russell Westbrook. Newly-hired head coach Wes Unseld Jr. has been […]

The Boston Celtics were on a roll over the previous week, but they have succumbed to both franchises from Los Angeles this season. They are back to a subpar .500 record, 10th in the Eastern Conference while in the midst of a brutal stretch playing all playoff teams in the whole month of December. Additionally, […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are arguably the most talked-about team in the association this season due to issues surrounding their Big Three of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and Russell Westbrook. James has missed almost half the season so far doe to injury, but even with Davis and Westbrook healthy for the majority of their games, […]

The Boston Celtics made numerous changes in the offseason because of an underwhelming 2020-21 season. The Celtics’ defense slipped last season, and head coach Ime Udoka — known for his defensive schemes — was brought in to help fix that. Boston has a top-10 defense right now, but the offense has been inconsistent. The offense […]

The San Antonio Spurs entered their 2021-22 campaign with low expectations after losing key veteran players like DeMar DeRozan, Patty Mills, and Rudy Gay. Their priorities were developing their young players and improving the team chemistry of youngsters such as Dejounte Murray, Derrick White, and Keldon Johnson. After suffering six successive defeats in November, the […]

As this is already the eighth season of the Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum partnership, they have only reached the Western Conference Finals once in 2019. Additionally, the Portland Trail Blazers have the longest streak of consecutive playoff appearances as they have not missed the playoffs since 2013. Their core is talented with Lillard and […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves are in one of the best stretches in recent years, as they have recorded seven victories over their last 10 games. Everything seems to go in an upward trend for this franchise, but they still need to sustain this success in a duration of a whole season, especially on the defensive end […]

After the subpar stint of LaMelo Ball in the NBL in Australia, there were many doubters that his exceptional abilities would translate to the NBA stage. Moreover, he even began his rookie season playing behind Terry Rozier and Devonte’ Graham before eventually cracking the starting lineup in the middle of the season. As Ball entered […]

Over the last decade, the Philadelphia 76ers were the organization that was known to tank for top-tier NBA draft picks every single year. It did not necessarily materialize because the 76ers have still failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals since 2001 despite selecting stars Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons through the draft. Through the […]

As the Boston Celtics hired coach Ime Udoka, adjustments and adapting to his system and philosophy were expected. Currently, their win-loss record is at 12-10, which is tied for sixth in the Eastern Conference. Even with their over .500 slate, the Celtics could have been a top-two team in the conference if they did not […]

After the Milwaukee Bucks opening day victory over the Brooklyn Nets, Brook Lopez has yet to suit up again due to a lingering back issue. Lopez underwent surgery on Thursday as the condition of his back has not improved over the last month. There is no timetable for his return and that would be tough […]

The Sacramento Kings have not reached the playoffs since 2006 despite the presence of talented players like Kevin Martin, DeMarcus Cousins and De’Aaron Fox. Over the last few years, Luke Walton was in the middle of numerous controversies because of the subpar performance of the Kings during his tenure. Just last week, the organization let […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves entered their 2021-22 campaign with some turmoil due to the Gersson Rosas fiasco, but there were still increased expectations with Anthony Edwards entering his sophomore season alongside the talented duo of Karl Anthony-Towns and D’Angelo Russell. The Timberwolves also showed promise under head coach Chris Finch at the end of last season, […]

After succumbing to the Utah Jazz in the NBA playoffs last season, expectations continued to increase for this young Memphis Grizzlies squad as Ja Morant has proven to be a tremendous leader for their roster. Their front office executed a few moves to bolster their lineup, while building up some pieces for their future. For […]

These Ben Simmons shenanigans have been flooding and trending on all sports outlets for months already. There are many feasible trade suggestions that have been suggested, but it is not necessarily ideal for both franchises involved in the deal. Additionally, Philadelphia 76ers President Daryl Morey is known for his negotiation tactics and how he is […]

When the Oklahoma City Thunder decided to rest Al Horford and fully heal the injury of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander last season, their organization was banking on selecting a top three pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Cade Cunningham, Jalen Green, and Evan Mobley were advertised as franchise-altering players, but the Thunder dropped down to sixth in […]

Kristaps Porzingis has been playing really well for the Dallas Mavericks in recent games, fulfilling the role the Mavs have envisioned for him when they traded for him in 2019. Clearly, the Mavs are a better team with Porzingis playing a bigger role alongside Luka Doncic. KP has had trouble staying on the floor because […]

The Chicago Bulls began retooling their lineup at last season’s trade deadline, acquiring All-Star big man Nikola Vucevic to pair with franchise cornerstone Zach LaVine. After failing to garner even a spot in the play-in tournament last season, Artūras Karnišovas knew his updated roster wasn’t good enough to compete at the top of the Eastern […]

When Dennis Schroder was still playing for the Los Angeles Lakers last season, it was rumored that he declined a four- year, $84 million extension. He has since claimed to have never received that offer, but he was still hoping for a much larger deal than the one-year, $5.9 million contract he got from the […]

In the two previous tenures of New York Knicks head coach Tom Thibodeau, his rotation relies heavily on his first unit. Some would even criticize him for overplaying his starters because they get worn out in the latter part of the season, especially in the playoffs. As he accepted his new job with the New […]

When the Los Angeles Lakers won the NBA Championship in the Bubble, their defense was phenomenal all throughout the season. With 12 new players on their squad, their additions are not that known for their defensive prowess. Moreover, the acquisition of Russell Westbrook forced the organization to sign role players on minimum deals because of […]

Over the last two years, the Sacramento Kings have decided to select two more guards in the NBA Draft to add to their backcourt of De’Aaron Fox and Buddy Hield. Tyrese Haliburton and Davion Mitchell have been two spectacular additions to their squad, but their backcourt rotation has continually been crowded for numerous years already. […]

After the departure of the core of their 2004 championship squad, the Detroit Pistons has continually had trouble to consistently reach the NBA Playoffs. Big name free agents decide to sign with larger markets, while other moves they have executed have not materialized, like signing Josh Smith or Andre Drummond to huge deals. However in […]

The Sacramento Kings have failed to reach the NBA Playoffs for 15 seasons already, the longest active drought in the league. Their roster, coaches, and front office have drastically changed already, but the skid is still ongoing for the unfortunate franchise. In their 2021-22 campaign, the Kings are off to a 6-9 start, and one […]

When the New York Knicks were parading a backcourt of Elfrid Payton and Reggie Bullock last season, that seemed to be a cause of concern because of their inability to produce offensive numbers. Thus, the Knicks signed Evan Fournier to a four-year, $78 million contract and Kemba Walker to a two-year, $17 million deal. It […]

Even before playing a single game this season, the Los Angeles Clippers were already stricken with numerous injuries to their roster. The media and NBA fans did not have heightened expectations for the Clippers, thus many of their victories have gone under the radar. It’s clear, however, that the catalyst of their early success has […]

The tandem of Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum has been the franchise cornerstone of the Portland Trail Blazers for more than half a decade The Blazers own the league’s longest active playoff streak but have only once reached the Western Conference Finals. Though obviously talented, they’ve still always had something missing keeping them from legitimately […]

The point guard position in the NBA has been increasing in talent exponentially over the last decade. Many young floor generals have quickly established themselves as among the league’s top players due to their talent, IQ and sheer competitiveness to compete with more experienced peers. The ascension of these point guards is not surprising, but […]

The Denver Nuggets have started this season 8-4 despite Jamal Murray’s continued absence from an ACL injury and a troubling Michael Porter Jr. back injury cropping up. This has been a really impressive feat for Nikola Jokic and Co, and the hope is Murray and Porter will be back down the road to help make […]

The 2021 NBA offseason did not involve many big names or star-caliber players because most are already locked up with their current teams. Even if superstars did not move teams, there were still a plethora of signings that bolstered the gaping holes of some contending teams. Some of the squads that are on top of […]

The Miami Heat were one of the busiest teams in the offseason as they acquired both Kyle Lowry and P.J. Tucker while extending the current contracts of Jimmy Butler and Duncan Robinson. With these moves, this franchise is one of the clear-cut contenders in the Eastern Conference. The Heat are off to a terrific start […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves are off to another dismal start to their campaign as their record currently stands at 3-7 which is 13th place in the Western Conference. Their big 3 of Karl Anthony-Towns, Anthony Edwards, and D’Angelo Russell have been playing phenomenal basketball offensively as they have all averaged over 17 points per game. Towns […]

As the NBA season is reaching its first month already, there have been players that are clearly exceeding expectations. There are some obvious ones, like Miles Bridges, Ja Morant, and Carmelo Anthony as they have expanded their repertoire to make them more of a well-rounded player on both ends of the floor. There are also […]

When the Los Angeles Clippers were playing the Utah Jazz in the Western Conference Semifinals last year, they were among the title favorites of the remaining teams in the playoffs. Unfortunately, superstar Kawhi Leonard sustained an ACL injury in Game 4 of the series and is still currently recovering from the catastrophic incident. Even with […]

In just his third season in the NBA, Ja Morant has been playing at an All-NBA level already. His assists are still at a high number, but his points, steals, and three-point shooting have immensely increased this season. Even with their schedule being one of the toughest to begin the year, the Memphis Grizzlies are […]