Jack Winter Articles - Page 107

The Houston Rockets never play it safe. It should come as no surprise, then, that general manager Daryl Morey seems certain to make a move before Thursday’s trade deadline despite his team’s relative lack of flexibility compared to the rest of the league. ESPN’s Zach Lowe reported on Wednesday that “it’s a lock” the Rockets […]

For the second year in a row, LeBron James was named a captain of the NBA All-Star Game, allowing the four-time MVP to pick his teammates among a group of players selected for the event by fans, media, and coaches. Unlike last season, though, James is captaining the Western Conference squad after his summer move […]

The Toronto Raptors apparently no longer have interest in swapping one perpetually-underrated point guard for another. According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, the Raptors have suspended trade talks with the Memphis Grizzlies that could have netted them Mike Conley before Thursday’s trade deadline. The Raptors are not presently pursuing Memphis' Mike Conley, according […]

Markelle Fultz’s star-crossed tenure with the Philadelphia 76ers could soon be coming to a close. ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski said on Wednesday that the Sixers have engaged in trade discussions concerning the former first overall draft pick with the Orlando Magic and Atlanta Hawks. The news was first noticed by Kyle Neubeck of PhillyVoice. "Those guys […]

Marc Gasol received a hero’s welcome at FedEx Forum on Tuesday night, when the three-time All-Star emerged from the arena’s gallows to join his Memphis Grizzles teammates on the bench. He hurt his hand in a win over the New York Knicks two days earlier, but that was not the reason for Gasol’s absence. Instead, […]

Brian Flores is the latest Bill Belichick disciple to capitalize on success with the New England Patriots by being hired for his first head-coaching job. The Miami Dolphins interviewed the 37-year-old in early January, just days after the firing of Adam Gase, and had an agreement in place with him through the Patriots’ ensuing run […]

Washington Redskins running back Derrius Guice hardly looks worse for the wear after missing the entirety of his rookie campaign with a season-ending knee injury. Some six months after undergoing surgery to repair a torn ACL in his left knee, the Redskins back posted a video on Instagram Wednesday that shows him sprinting at something […]

Nikola Mirotic is likely on the move again. Before any team can trade for the sharpshooting big man, though, it must meet the New Orleans Pelicans’ pricey demand for his services. According to The Ringer’s Kevin O’Connor, New Orleans is asking for a first-round pick as means for unloading Mirotic before Thursday’s trade deadline: New […]

Wayne Ellington’s stay with the Phoenix Suns apparently won’t be for long. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski, Ellington’s agent has already engaged with Suns management following Wednesday’s trade from the Miami Heat about allowing the sharpshooting guard to soon sign with the team of his choosing: Agent Mark Bartelstein is working with the Suns to […]

Acquiring marquee players come at a price in the NBA. That’s even true leading up to the trade deadline, especially in cases when the player and incumbent team in question have already agreed going their separate ways would make the most sense for both sides. Quick, someone explain that reality to the Utah Jazz who, […]

Gregg Popovich is up to one of his oldest, most-favorite tricks. The San Antonio Spurs announced that star LaMarcus Aldridge and DeMar DeRozan would each sit out of Wednesday’s tilt with the Golden State Warriors on ESPN, flaunting the league’s stated public preference that marquee players suit up for nationally televised games if healthy enough […]

The Indianapolis Colts were an afterthought before 2018 kicked off, and the first few weeks of the season did nothing to suggest they should have been considered anything more. Frank Reich’s team opened the season by losing five of its first six games, allowing at least 34 points in four of those contests. If any […]

Happy payday, Derek Carr! As ESPN’s Field Yates reminded the football world on Twitter, the Oakland Raiders quarterback’s $19.9 million base salary for next season became fully guaranteed on Wednesday. Offseason accounting: Raiders QB Derek Carr’s $19.9M base salary for 2019 becomes fully guaranteed today. — Field Yates (@FieldYates) February 6, 2019 Before last season, […]

The maelstrom of unexpected activity in advance of Thursday’s trade deadline made it easy to forget about one of the league’s most untenable situations. It wasn’t even two weeks ago that multiple reports suggest LeBron James’ camp would prefer the Los Angeles Lakers move forward with a coach other than Luke Walton. It goes without […]

The Atlanta Falcons are moving on from their longest-tenured player. Veteran kicker Matt Bryant wrote on Twitter Wednesday morning that he was informed last night of the team’s decision to release him when free agency begins in March. #theshowmustgoon pic.twitter.com/J63iycYTSY — matt bryant (@Matt_Bryant3) February 6, 2019 Bryant signed with the Falcons all the way […]

The Los Angeles Clippers have every reason to be bold, but that doesn’t mean the short-term ramifications of trading Tobias Harris are much easier to swallow. Considered by most an afterthought in a loaded Western Conference leading up to the 2018-19 season, the Clippers have played pretty much exactly as expected given their coaching staff […]

Ray Lewis won two Super Bowls during his storied 17-year career manning the middle of the Baltimore Ravens’ defense. The 2018 Hall-of-Fame inductee went out on top, too, helping the Ravens beat the San Francisco 49ers in Super Bowl XLVII, the final game he ever played before finally hanging it up. One would assume, then, […]

New England Patriots fans should be used to celebrating Super Bowl victories by now. Even if some are too young to remember Tom Brady’s first championship, the entire Patriots nation has experienced the thrill of their team’s triumph in the last five years, a stretch in which it’s won an unprecedented three titles. Perhaps the […]

Colin Cowherd is the latest national sports-media personality to offer his opinion on the peculiar circumstances surrounding Todd Gurley’s diminished role in the Los Angeles Rams’ offense. The FOX Sports radio host on Tuesday attempted to draw equivalence between the New England Patriots sitting Malcolm Butler in last year’s Super Bowl and the Rams decreasing […]

The Golden State Warriors will leave their long-time home of Oakland next season, moving across the bay to San Francisco’s newly-built Chase Center. While excitement for the team’s relocation is building, one extra prominent voice in the Bay Area insists the Warriors’ presence will create enough complications by itself, not leaving enough room for the […]

The Houston Texans are looking to their past to get better in the future. The team announced a series of changes to Bill O’Brien’s coaching staff on Tuesday, including the hiring of former players T.J. Yates and Brian Cushing as offensive and strength-and-conditioning assistants, respectively. Former tight ends coach Tim Kelly has also been promoted to […]

It took awhile for Rodger Saffold to get comfortable in the NFL. The former second-round pick enjoyed early success at left tackle, being named to multiple All-Rookie teams, but a subsequent injury hindered his development, leading to inconsistent play protecting the quarterback’s blind side over the next few seasons. But Saffold kicked into guard full-time […]

Things have suddenly gone from bad to worse for John Wall and the Washington Wizards. Wall’s season ended in late December, when he finally decided to go under the knife to alleviate nagging pain in his left heel. The Wizards were just 13-22 at the time, 11th in the Eastern Conference, beset by their franchise […]

A.J. Green has made it easy to take him for granted. The Cincinnati Bengals wide receiver has been one of the NFL’s most productive and consistent playmakers since entering the league in 2011, using his supreme blend of length, speed, and overall athleticism to embarrass defensive backs on a weekly basis. Health has been key […]

Adrian Peterson was supposed to be done. The future Hall of Fame running back had trouble finding a job leading up to 2018 after the New Orleans Saints traded him to the Arizona Cardinals midway through the previous season and he was subsequently released. Peterson just hadn’t shown enough on the field to garner significant […]

Patrick Mahomes set the NFL ablaze in 2018. The Kansas City Chiefs quarterback threw for 50 touchdowns and 5,097 yards this season, becoming the first quarterback since Peyton Manning in 2013 to reach those thresholds simultaneously. Even more impressive than those godly statistics, though, were the eye-popping throws Mahomes made seem frightfully routine during his […]

The 2018 NFL season ended barely more than 48 hours ago, but it’s apparently already time for some baseless offseason conjecture. Celebrity gossip site TMZ caught up with CBS NFL personality James Brown at the airport recently, and asked his opinion on a number questions related to Super Bowl LIII. His most notable answer concerned […]

It’s been easy for casual NBA fans to overlook Jonas Valanciunas this season. The Toronto Raptors center is coming off the bench for the first time in his career, and has been surpassed in the organization’s player hierarchy by All-Star wing Kawhi Leonard and ever-improving forward Pascal Siakam. But Valanciunas has acquitted himself well for […]

The times are finally a changin’ for the Green Bay Packers, and Aaron Rodgers seems excited about the ups and downs that will inevitably come along. The future Hall-of-Fame quarterback sat down with NFL Network at Saturday night’s NFL Honors ceremony, discussing his long-time team’s coaching changes and how he feels physically after an injury-riddled last […]

The accolades just keep on coming for two of the most unique big men basketball has ever seen. The Milwaukee Bucks’ Giannis Antetokounmpo and Denver Nuggets’ Nikola Jokic have been named Eastern and Western Conference Players of the Week, respectively, the NBA announced on Monday. The NBA Players of the Week for Week 16's action! […]

Tom Brady was hardly at his best in Super Bowl LIII, finishing 21-of-35 for 262 yards, zero touchdowns, and one interception. He was better against the Kansas City Chiefs two weeks earlier, leading his team to a thrilling 38-31 win in overtime at Arrowhead Stadium, but still threw more interceptions than touchdowns. Could Brady’s legacy, […]

It’s been less than 24 hours since Brian Flores helped the New England Patriots shut down the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl 53. But rather than celebrating a third championship in five seasons, the Patriots’ defensive play-caller has already shifted his attention to a division rival. Unlike in years past, though, Flores is looking […]

The New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 on Sunday, winning an unprecedented third Super Bowl in five seasons. Their most difficult game en route to another ring came two weeks ago, when the Patriots needed overtime to defeat the Kansas City Chiefs 38-31 at Arrowhead Stadium. It goes without saying that game […]

The New England Patriots have been in this position before. Not only did the Patriots tie the Pittsburgh Steelers’ league record by winning the franchise’s sixth Super Bowl on Sunday, but they also won their third ring in five seasons, an unprecedented run of success that lends credence to the notion of this team’s status […]

Brian Flores’ meteoric rise to the top of the football coaching world was finished on Sunday when the New England Patriots’ defensive play-caller led his team to a 13-3 win over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII. The Rams, which finished second in both points and yards per game during the regular season, […]

Philadelphia Eagles quarterback Carson Wentz’s NFL career has already been a whirlwind. The second overall pick of the 2016 NFL Draft has quickly established himself as one of football’s most promising young players, but circumstance has consistently rendered him unable to show it on the game’s biggest stage. Wentz, likely leading the MVP race at […]

Perhaps no player embodies the New England Patriots’ ethos better than Julian Edelman. The veteran wide receiver played perhaps the finest game of his storied career on Sunday, finishing with 10 catches for 141 yards in his team’s 13-3 victory over the Los Angeles Rams in Super Bowl LIII, an effort for which he was […]

Todd Gurley was supposed to be an integral part of the Los Angeles Rams’ attack in Super Bowl LIII. The superstar running back played mostly bystander in the NFC Championship game, finishing with only four carries, leading many to wonder whether he was fully healthy or had been bypassed by December signee C.J. Anderson in […]

The New England Patriots beat the Los Angeles Rams 13-3 on Sunday, winning their sixth Super Bowl since 2001 and tying the Pittsburgh Steelers’ NFL record. Veteran safety Duron Harmon earned his third Super Bowl ring, playing a key role in a defense-first affair after stalwart Patriots safety Patrick Chung left the game early with […]