Jack Winter Articles - Page 27

The Golden State Warriors’ goal is to compete for championships as long as Stephen Curry remains among the best players in the world. Once the 35-year-old finally ages out of his extended prime, though, re-setting his team’s expectations for title contention, it’s virtually guaranteed the greatest player in franchise history will finish his storied career […]

The Miami Heat’s underdog identity extends much further than their status as the eighth seed in the Eastern Conference playoffs. As they try to come back from a 2-1 deficit in the NBA Finals against Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the heavily favored Denver Nuggets, the Heat will be relying on as many as five […]

Finally taking the reins from Aaron Rodgers as the Green Bay Packers’ starting quarterback won’t be easy for Jordan Love. Following in the footsteps of arguably the greatest player in team history is an inevitably fraught development for the former first-round pick. Primed to make that acclimation from glorified backup to franchise signal-caller more seamless […]

Trading Jordan Poole is the Golden State Warriors’ optimal means of revamping the roster for another title run in 2023-24, but doing so won’t be easy. Here are the three biggest challenges the Warriors will face this summer while trying to find a workable trade for Poole. 3. Necessary cost-cutting Remember the line Joe Lacob […]

The defending-champion Golden State Warriors vastly underperformed expectations this season while the Miami Heat continue defying them. After watching the underdog Heat roar back to beat the Denver Nuggets in Game 2 of the NBA Finals, Steve Kerr hinted at the overarching reason behind his team’s wholly disappointing title defense. Appearing on The Draymond Green Show Sunday […]

It’s only a matter of time until Victor Wembanyama hears his name called as the No. 1 overall pick in the 2023 NBA Draft. Before following in the footsteps of Tim Duncan as franchise savior of the San Antonio Spurs, though, the greatest prospect of his generation has some unfinished business to take care of […]

The New York Liberty are off to a banner start in 2023. Behind superstar offseason acquisition Breanna Stewart, the Liberty are 3-1 entering Friday’s matchup with the Chicago Sky at Wintrust Arena. What should scare the rest of the WNBA about New York? Marine Jahonnes’ debut has still yet to come. The Liberty announced the […]

Don’t expect Jimmy Butler and the Miami Heat to set another record for free throw futility as the NBA Finals continue. Given this eye-opening Nikola Jokic defensive stat from Game 1, it should be no surprise they did just that in Monday’s dispiriting loss to the Denver Nuggets. Jokic only defended two shots at the […]

Duke basketball big man Dereck Lively II highlights a list of intriguing prospects set to workout for the Golden State Warriors on Monday ahead of the 2023 NBA Draft. Joining him at Chase Center will be Jalen Wilson of Kansas, Arthur Kaluma of Creighton, Keyontae Johnson of Kansas State and Colin Castleton of Florida, according […]

The first domino of the Golden State Warriors’ offseason has fallen. Bob Myers’ departure as general manager lands like a hammer, adding a base of uncertainty to a pivotal summer always bound to be marked by change. Just because a new voice will be making final decisions in the front office, though, doesn’t mean the […]

It’s still unclear who will succeed Bob Myers as the Golden State Warriors’ lead decision-maker. Tough as his departure looms, there’s no doubting that Mike Dunleavy Jr., Kirk Lacob and other leading members of the Dubs’ front office are lucky to be starting life post Myers with Stephen Curry wearing blue and gold. Myers spoke […]

It’s not unmet contractual demands or any underlying rift with the organization at large that’s prompted Bob Myers to step away from the Golden State Warriors. Why did he decide to leave the most successful franchise of the NBA’s modern era? Myers is simply unable to commit the time and attention necessary to carry out […]

Bob Myers is officially stepping away as general manager of the Golden State Warriors. While his replacement has yet to be announced, a pair of incumbents have emerged as potential successors to lead Golden State’s basketball decision-making. Vice president of basketball operations Mike Dunleavy Jr. and executive vice president of basketball operations Kirk Lacob, older […]

The Golden State Warriors have limited means of improving their roster over the offseason. Their biggest team-building chip without considering a Jordan Poole trade? Undoubtedly the No. 19 overall pick in the 2023 draft, a selection on which Golden State may need to hit a home run to level back up toward legitimate championship contention. […]

Nikola Jokic’s unreal production was hardly the only history he made while leading the Denver Nuggets to a four-game sweep of LeBron James, Anthony Davis and the Los Angeles Lakers in the Western Conference Finals. Just after punching the Nuggets’ first ever trip to the NBA Finals, though, Jokic was already done reveling in he […]

The Atlanta Hawks have hired former Phoenix Suns head coach Igor Kokoskov as Quin Snyder’s top assistant coach, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. “Igor Kokoskov has signed a deal to become Quin Snyder’s top assistant with the Atlanta Hawks, sources tell ESPN. Kokoskov, who spent a year as the Suns’ head coach, previously worked for […]

Rule changes implemented in professional sports are almost never met with universal praise. One shift in the NBA poised to buck that trend? The growing possibility the league adds a second coach’s challenge as soon as next season. The NBA’s competition committee is in “serious discussions” on awarding coaches an additional challenge in 2023-24 if […]

The Golden State Warriors’ pursuit of an unprecedented fifth championship in nine seasons fell flat, but hope springs eternal with Stephen Curry wearing blue and gold. Here are three major offseason fixes the Warriors must make to win the 2024 NBA Finals. Trade Jordan Poole It’s not Poole’s fault Draymond Green completely lost his cool […]

It’s still unclear who will be running the Golden State Warriors’ front office this summer. Whether Bob Myers decides to stick around, Mike Dunleavy Jr. takes his place or someone else vaults to the top of the team’s basketball operations department won’t change the harshest reality of a pivotal offseason. The Warriors’ ability to restock […]

The Boston Celtics still have the opportunity to avoid getting swept out of the Eastern Conference Finals. Even if they manage to beat the Miami Heat in Tuesday night’s Game 4, though, Boston’s ultimate fate will have nevertheless been sealed 48 hours earlier during an embarrassing, blowout loss in South Beach that called the future […]

Take that much-needed breath, Baltimore Ravens fans. As offseason activities continue ramping up, there’s finally definitive indication Lamar Jackson is set to enter 2023 with a clean bill of health. The Ravens superstar quarterback reported to the team on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Jamison Hensley, less than 24 hours before start of its second OTA. […]

Tom Brady is indeed on verge of joining the Las Vegas Raiders. Any notion the legendary quarterback could come out of retirement to play for the silver and black after joining the franchise’s ownership group, though, isn’t rooted in reality. Wide-eyed hopes of Brady suiting up for the Raiders were given a harsh dose of […]

Count Draymond Green among the many team power-brokers who seem desperate for the Golden State Warriors to retain Bob Myers. As rumors of Myers’ imminent departure from the Dubs continue swirling, Green took to his podcast to address the possibility of his longtime general manager’s exit. “I tweeted ‘that sucks.’ That does suck because again, […]

Brittney Griner’s first home game since being released from unjust detainment in a Russian prison was always bound to be special. The Phoenix Mercury, though, are going above and beyond to ensure Sunday’s marquee matchup with the Chicago Sky proves a homecoming for Griner no one will ever forget. As part of the festivities welcoming […]

The Los Angeles Lakers’ season will end in the Western Conference Finals barring a historically unprecedented comeback. Don’t blame Austin Reaves for his team falling into an 0-3 hole against Nikola Jokic, Jamal Murray and the Denver Nuggets, though. Like one former Laker sees it, the second-year guard has been a revelation during the Lakers’ […]

Steve Kerr balked at the notion he’d ever guarantee a finite role or amount of court time to a player’s agent or other representation. As rumors continue swirling about Jonathan Kuminga’s interest in leaving the Golden State Warriors barring an uptick in minutes next season, though, Kerr laid out exactly what the 20-year-old needs to […]

The friendship between Bam Adebayo and Jayson Tatum goes back more than a decade. As the Miami Heat battle the Boston Celtics for the Eastern Conference crown once again, though, at least one of the young stars is pointedly leaving their personal relationship off the floor. Adebayo was asked before Game 3 of the Eastern […]

The Golden State Warriors’ two-timeline approach to team-building is officially kaput. Just because James Wiseman has already been traded, Jordan Poole’s future is suddenly in flux and Jonathan Kuminga fell out of the playoff rotation following an eye-popping regular season, though, hardly means Moses Moody isn’t on his own upward trajectory with the Dubs. Steve […]

There aren’t many programs more successful than Ohio State football. Hard as it is to defeat the Buckeyes on the field, how do competing coaches go about beating them on the recruiting trail? Notre Dame football’s Marcus Freeman, at least, seems to have figured out a successful strategy. Four-star recruit Kyngstonn Viliamu-Asa is deciding between […]

The Golden State Warriors have only just begun turning the page from a failed and tumultuous title defense in 2022-23. As a potentially franchise-altering summer looms, though, widespread trade speculation surrounding Jordan Poole seems a bit premature—at least if you believe Steve Kerr. The Warriors met with the media on Tuesday for the first time […]

As long as Stephen Curry is wearing blue and gold and playing near the peak of his powers, the Golden State Warriors’ top priority should be chasing more championships. What does that mean for Draymond Green’s future in San Francisco as free agency looms? For Steve Kerr, at least, it’s virtually impossible to imagine his […]

Victor Wembanyama is a truly generational prospect, but he’s not the only potential star poised to learn more about his forthcoming NBA journey during Tuesday night’s highly anticipated 2023 NBA Draft Lottery. Scoot Henderson is the consensus No. 2 prospect in this class, an ultra-athletic point guard with a body and court sense belying his […]

It’s virtually impossible to limit the scope of Nikola Jokic’s influence on offense. A historically efficient three-level scorer who runs either side of ball screens at an elite level and manipulates defenses with the pass like LeBron James, the Denver Nuggets superstar is on the way to cementing himself as one of the several best […]

Draymond Green wants to finish his career where it started. He was always likely to decline a player option for 2023-24 in favor of one more big-money, multi-year deal that takes Green through his mid-30s. The preseason punch to Jordan Poole put his status with the Golden State Warriors in grave doubt. Even after a […]

Draymond Green has the option to hit free agency this summer. Immediately after the Golden State Warriors’ dreams of winning back-to-back titles were dashed for good by the Los Angeles Lakers, though, the veteran big man expressed a desire to remain with the only team he’s ever known for the duration of his Hall-of-Fame career. […]

Count Doc Rivers among the many league veterans dismayed by the Phoenix Suns’ abrupt dismissal of Monty Williams. Asked to address his longtime friend’s firing before Game 7 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals on Sunday, the Philadelphia 76ers’ coach provided a perfectly pithy response. “Don’t win coach of the year, I’m telling you,” Rivers, who […]

The Philadelphia 76ers have only themselves to blame for stagnant crunch-time offense down the stretch of Game 6 that largely ignored Joel Embiid and prevented them from eliminating the Boston Celtics. After a revealing tidbit about the league’s internal officiating report from that heartbreaking loss, though, rest assured Philly faithful—not to mention players and coaches—will […]

It’s reductive to say the Golden State Warriors’ dreams of defending their title vanished back when Draymond Green punched Jordan Poole at practice. But the Dubs’ lack of connectedness on and off the floor was apparent throughout a tumultuous regular season. And it was then exposed for all to see on Friday night as the […]

LeBron James let his game do the talking against the Golden State Warriors, saving his best for last while closing out the defending champions in Game 6 with 30 points, nine rebounds and nine assists on 10-of-14 shooting. In the afterglow of the Los Angeles Lakers’ blowout victory on Friday night, though, The King appeared […]