Jack Winter Articles - Page 83

The Los Angeles Lakers won’t be trading LeBron James unless the three-time champion asks out of Southern California, and the Philadelphia 76ers will almost surely hang onto Ben Simmons for the foreseeable future. But that didn’t stop FOX Sports’ Undisputed from fanning the flames of speculation about the future of the oversized playmakers with their respective teams […]

Eddie Jackson, it turns out, is even better than you think. The Chicago Bears safety has quickly established himself as one of the most impactful defenders in the NFL over his first two seasons in the league. Last year, he made his first Pro Bowl and was named to the first of what seems like […]

Remember when Carson Wentz seemed like the NFL’s next perennial MVP candidate? Chris Carter certainly hasn’t forgotten, and doesn’t seem too concerned by the Philadelphia Eagles quarterback’s checkered injury history, either. On Tuesday’s edition of First Things First, the FOX Sports analyst and Hall of Fame wide receiver showered Wentz with praise, predicting that he would […]

The revamped Cleveland Browns are beginning to take shape on the practice field. According to ESPN’s Chris Mortensen, Browns superstar wide receiver Odell Beckham Jr. will take part in the Browns’ first organized team activity on Tuesday. Beckham was spotted at Cleveland’s practice facility on Monday, the first time he’s been with the team since […]

Longtime NFL coach Gunther Cunningham died on Saturday at the age of 72 after a brief bout with cancer. Most known for his time with the Kansas City Chiefs and Detroit Lions, Cunningham began his NFL coaching career in 1982 as the defensive line and linebackers coach for the Baltimore Colts. He went on to […]

Lee Smith is back where his NFL career began. The Buffalo Bills announced on Monday that they have signed the veteran the tight end to a three-year contract. We’ve signed TE Lee Smith to a three-year deal. Welcome back, @LeeSmith_86: https://t.co/8ufBV18yoK pic.twitter.com/3a032uXNPF — Buffalo Bills (@BuffaloBills) May 13, 2019 Smith spent the first four years […]

Many believed the Portland Trail Blazers would be left on the outside looking in at the Western Conference playoffs coming into 2018-19. After Jusuf Nurkic suffered a devastating season-ending injury in late March, even more assumed that Portland’s chances of winning a first-round series went from unlikely to impossible. At every opportunity, though, the Blazers […]

The more things change for the Los Angeles Lakers, the more they stay the same. Jeanie Buss could have used the abrupt departure of president of basketball operations Magic Johnson last month to veer away from her longstanding commitment to organizational nepotism. Instead, as Buss and others quickly tried to pick up the pieces in […]

Phoenix Suns wing Josh Jackson was arrested at a music festival in Miami over the weekend, according to Gina Mizell of The Athletic. He was officially charged on two counts, resisting arrest and escape, the latter of which is a felony. Here is Josh Jackson’s public case info. He was charged with resisting arrest and […]

Luka Doncic is already something close to a household name internationally. Just in case his mother didn’t know that, though, she was reminded over the weekend by a hilarious interaction with a fan. Mirjam Poterbin, Doncic’s mom, was in Instanbul, Turkey over the weekend when a man stopped her on the street to ask where […]

Those who have actually spent time around LeBron James, like former Cleveland Cavaliers general manager and current New Orleans Pelicans executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin, all suggest that assumptions the three-time champion wields undue influence over his franchise, front office, and coach are wildly overstated. Still, that didn’t stop someone from taking […]

One of the reasons why Tyronn Lue isn’t the Los Angeles Lakers was management’s preference that he hire Jason Kidd as his top assistant. Lue, perhaps weary of the possibility of Kidd instituting another power-grab, balked at that inclination, ultimately walking away from consideration for the Lakers’ job last week before the team hired Frank […]

Many believed coming into yet another series between the Golden State Warriors and Houston Rockets that the play of Clint Capela could be what decided it. Six games and another Warriors victory later, there’s an argument to be that assumption came to fruition, just not in the way Capela or his team hoped. The Rockets, […]

Former Milwaukee Bucks and Brooklyn Nets head coach Jason Kidd will be on Frank Vogel’s staff with the Los Angeles Lakers in a “prominent assistant role,” according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Jason Kidd has agreed to join Vogel's Lakers staff in a prominent assistant coaching role, league sources tell ESPN. https://t.co/ZrQRWfq1US — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) […]

Andrew Bogut was there for the Golden State Warriors’ ongoing dynasty from the very beginning. His effectiveness as a screener, passer, and lob finisher was integral to the offensive system Steve Kerr implemented during the coach’s first year on the job, and his rim-protection and keen understanding of help defense made him one of the […]

Before Thursday night, Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons had never before played in a posteason series that went longer than five games. The Philadelphia 76ers’ stars acquitted themselves extremely well in Game 6 against the Toronto Raptors nevertheless, as Embiid dominated on the interior despite struggling to shoot and Simmons responded to widespread criticism with […]

The Golden State Warriors weren’t always basketball’s evil empire. Before Kevin Durant joined forces in the summer of 2016 with a 73-9 team that had just dispatched of his Oklahoma City Thunder in a hard-fought seven-game series, the Warriors had the chance to be one of the most beloved dynasties in all of professional sports. […]

So much for sour grapes. LeBron James isn’t playing competitive basketball in May for the first time since 2005. Despite sitting at home and watching the action as other teams fight for a title and other players stake their claim as the best in the world, though, the Los Angeles Lakers superstar still seems happy […]

After his short-handed team outlasted the Houston Rockets to win Game 5 of the Western Conference Semifinals, Steve Kerr took a page from Liverpool manager Jurgen Klopp, saying, “Our guys are f***ing giants.” The Golden State Warriors’ coach took a slightly different approach after Steph Curry, Klay Thompson and company ended the Houston Rockets’ season […]

The Golden State Warriors have made history yet again. The two-time defending champions, playing their first game without an injured Kevin Durant, beat the Houston Rockets 118-113 in Game 6 of the teams’ hotly-contested second-round series, moving onto the Western Conference Finals for the fifth consecutive season. The last team to accomplish that impressive feat? […]

With the Houston Rockets on the brink of elimination, it went without saying that Chris Paul would do all he possibly could to give his team a chance of beating the Golden State Warriors in Game 6. Two flops in a matter of seconds, though? Those histrionics seemed like they might be too much even […]

Kaleb McGary had one goal coming into his first on-field action as a professional football player: to avoid looking like an idiot. Unfortunately for the Atlanta Falcons’ sarcastic, self-deprecating first-round pick, though, he’s not totally sure he accomplished it – with his play nor his looks. “I just wanted to not look like an idiot,” […]

The Atlanta Falcons have completely overhauled their offensive line during the offseason, adding a pair of high-priced interior linemen in free agency and selecting two offensive linemen during the first round of the NFL Draft. Needless to say, competition at the position leading up to the 2019 season is poised to be heated given the […]

Eyebrows raised when the Atlanta Falcons selected two offensive linemen in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Not because Chris Lindstrom and Kaleb McGary don’t project as upper-echelon starters down the line, but due to the fact that Atlanta used such a highly-valued commodity – not once, but twice – to address a position group […]

Clint Capela hasn’t been much of a factor in his team’s hard-fought second-round series against the Golden State Warriors. While many understand why the Houston Rockets big man has struggled to consistently make a positive impact, one franchise old-head can’t seem to wrap his head around Capela’s relative struggles. As former Rockets guard Mario Elie […]

The future is now for the Washington Redskins. At the team’s mini-camp for rookies, undrafted free agents, and try-out players on Friday, Dwayne Haskins showed off the deep accuracy and touch that made him a first-round pick, hitting fellow rookie Kelvin Harmon in perfect stride in the end zone during one-on-ones. .@dh_simba7 airing it out […]

The Arizona Cardinals’ new era under wunderkind first-year coach Kliff Kingsbury and electric rookie quarterback Kyler Murray has officially begun. The team’s best player, though, remains absent from Arizona’s current offseason activities, and there’s no telling when he will join them. When asked by team beat reporter Darren Urban if he expects superstar cornerback Patrick […]

Last week, the Philadelphia 76ers seemed on the verge of taking complete control of their second-round series against the Toronto Raptors. Brett Brown’s team put together perhaps its most complete performance of the entire 2018-19 season in Game 3, beating Toronto 116-95 to take what many believed was a commanding 2-1 lead in the Eastern […]

The Philadelphia 76ers beat the Toronto Raptors 112-101 at Wells Fargo Arena on Thursday, forcing a do-or-die Game 7 in the teams’ tightly-contested second-round series. After struggling mightily offensively in back-to-back losses, Brett Brown’s team put together one of its finest offensive performance of the playoffs with the season on the brink. The Sixers posted […]

Perhaps the Toronto Raptors’ biggest advantage over the Philadelphia 76ers coming into the second round of the playoffs was their supposedly superior depth. In Serge Ibaka, Fred Van Vleet, and Norman Powell, the Raptors have three players who haven’t only started games for them in the past, but also boast a wealth of playoff experience. […]

The Miami Dolphins are signing Xavien Howard to a five-year, $76.5 million contract extension that includes $46 million in guarantees, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, making him the highest-paid cornerback in the history of the NFL. Dolphins are signing CB Xavien Howard to a record five-year, $76.5 million extension that includes $46M guaranteed, making him […]

Needless to say, players from small schools whose teams won just a single game can be easily overlooked during the pre-draft process. The Tampa Bay Buccaneers found Sean Murphy-Bunting despite those obstacles, though, and his awesome single-game performance against a rare power-five opponent is apparently the biggest reason why. In a story by The Athletic’s […]

Quarterback isn’t the only spot the Denver Broncos will look different next season. In addition to trading for veteran signal-caller Joe Flacco, Denver also hired Mike Munchak, one of the most highly-respected offensive line coaches in league history, away from the Pittsburgh Steelers. Munchak’s arrival marks the third offensive line coach the Broncos have had […]

Odell Beckham isn’t walking back recent comments that suggested the Cleveland Browns are on the verge of becoming the league’s next dynasty, just like the New England Patriots. The superstar wide receiver, though, nevertheless felt the need to address them in a series of messages posted to his Instagram story on Thursday. “Just to clarify, […]

Cole Beasley is a productive wide receiver with a track record of consistent success in the NFL. Still, when the seven-year pro signed with the Buffalo Bills in free agency, it was easy to understand why his addition wasn’t met with much fervent fanfare – not just across the league, but in Buffalo, too. This […]

The Boston Celtics’ utterly disappointing 2019-20 season has finally come to an end, with a hugely impactful summer looming. These are three predictions for how one of the most significant offseasons in Celtics history will play out. 3. Kyrie Irving opts out, bails in free agency Though he’s said nothing concrete to suggest he’s leaving […]

Dwayne Haskins is officially a member of the Washington Redskins. Two weeks to the day after his draft-night slide was ended by the Redskins, the former Ohio State quarterback has signed a four-year contract with Washington that includes a fifth-year option, according to ESPN’s Adam Schefter. Washington officially signed QB Dwayne Haskins to a four-year […]

The New York Giants supposedly have no plans to play Daniel Jones as a rookie. Don’t tell that to Las Vegas, though, which clearly believes the most controversial pick of the 2019 NFL Draft will get the opportunity to prove his doubters wrong as a starter this season. Online sportsbook BetOnline.ag currently places the over-under […]

There’s still a chance the presence of Marcus Smart could help shift the momentum of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Should that possibility come fruition, though, it will probably be due to his infectious competitive fire and zeal for defense than any sustained on-court impact. As Brad Stevens told The Athletic’s Jay King before his team’s […]