Jack Winter Articles - Page 85

Kawhi Leonard continued staking his claim as the postseason’s best player in Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals. Unfortunately for the Toronto Raptors, though, his teammates didn’t give Leonard nearly enough support. The good news? They’re perfectly willing to admit it. After the Philadelphia 76ers’ blowout victory over the Raptors on Thursday, Kyle Lowry […]

Throughout the regular season, the Toronto Raptors grew accustomed to overwhelming opponents with size and athleticism. Nick Nurse’s team is one of the longest in the league, and with Kawhi Leonard and Pascal Siakam, can count on a pair of overwhelming physical mismatches almost every time it takes the floor. The Philadelphia 76ers, though, aren’t […]

Coming into Wednesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers’ starting five had taken the floor together in just 16 games between the regular season and playoffsa. In Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals, Ben Simmons, J.J. Redick, Jimmy Butler, Tobias Harris, and Joel Embiid made it easy to wonder just how differently the basketball world might […]

The Philadelphia 76ers have their best chance of winning a title since the early 2000s. How poetic it was, then, to see franchise legend Allen Iverson sitting courtside for Game 3 of the Eastern Conference Finals at Wells Fargo Center on Thursday, rooting his former team on like a fan. Allen Iverson celebrating in Philly […]

Jalen Hurd’s acclimation to the NFL may take even longer than that of other first-year players. The good news, though, is that injuries won’t be the reason why. On Thursday, the San Francisco 49ers’ third-round pick put to rest concerns that he wouldn’t be ready to play in his team’s rookie mini-camp. “Knee is good,” […]

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used six of their eight picks in the NFL Draft on the defensive side of the ball. Asked if the Buccaneers took that approach to address a perceived lack of speed on defense, new defensive coordinator Todd Bowles didn’t exactly deny it. “We wanted more speed but it had nothing to […]

Patrick Mahomes and the Kansas City Chiefs’ dominant offense never had the opportunity to touch the ball in overtime of the AFC Championship Game, as the New England Patriots won the coin toss and proceeded to march down the field at Arrowhead Stadium and score a game-winning touchdown. While that outcome left the team and […]

Jalen Hurd is one of the most uniquely talented rookies in the NFL. If he lives up to his player comparison at NFL.com, though, the San Francisco 49ers would have reason to be both thrilled and disappointed after selecting the Baylor University wide receiver in the third round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Hurd, who […]

The National Basketball Players’ Association continues to stand in unwavering support of Enes Kanter. In the wake of alleged censorship from the league’s official Turkish twitter account and a fan at Pepsi Center poking fun at his exile from his native Turkey, the NBPA released a statement backing the Portland Trail Blazers big man. “The […]

The league office continues to support Enes Kanter amid ongoing fall out from his vocal opposition to President Recep Erdogan of his native Turkey. After the Portland Trail Blazers beat the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday in Game 2 of the Western Conference Semifinals, Kanter expressed dismay at the NBA’s official Turkish twitter account conspicuously leaving […]

The injury bug is biting Moe Harkless again, at an especially inopportune time. The Portland Trail Blazers’ wing left his team’s Game 2 victory over the Denver Nuggets on Wednesday with five minutes and 42 seconds remaining in the second quarter after turning his right ankle. Though initially deemed questionable to return to the action, […]

The Indianapolis Colts boast arguably the most impressive collection of young defensive talent in the NFL. Just imagine, then, what the presence of a player like Eric Berry might mean for Darius Leonard and company. Berry, the Kansas City Chiefs’ longtime defensive captain, was released earlier this offseason as the team overhauls a defense that […]

Tyreek Hill’s status amid an ongoing investigation into allegations of child abuse against he and his fiancée remain uncertain. Even if the Kansas City Chiefs knew their star wide receiver and punt returner would be with the team going forward, though, they would certainly still prioritize speed and all-around athleticism while adding additional playmakers to […]

Goran Dragic took the path less traveled to NBA stardom. The Miami Heat point guard played five years of professional basketball in Europe before entering the draft, and wasn’t a full-time starter until his sixth season in the league. Still, Dragic signed a five-year, $90 million deal with the Heat in 2015, on the heels […]

The Los Angeles Clippers were one of the best stories of the 2018-19 season. If their plans become reality this summer, though, they’ll enter next season looking markedly different from the team that first withstood the trade of its leading scorer to make the playoffs, then pushed the two-time defending champions to six games in […]

Daryl Morey is thrilled for Gerson Rosas. Still, that hardly means the Houston Rockets general manager is happy to be competing against his former colleague for years to come now that he has his own team. In a statement on Rosas becoming the Minnesota Timberwolves’ new president of basketball operations, Morey praised him as “way […]

Just less than two years ago, after his team avenged a historic loss to LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers by beating them in five games to hoist the Larry O’Brien Trophy, Steve Kerr called newly-minted NBA Finals MVP Kevin Durant the second-best player in the world. Now, as the Golden State Warriors fight to […]

Mike Scott isn’t the most notable player on the Philadelphia 76ers, but that didn’t stop the sharp-shooting forward from becoming the personal favorite of one especially zealous fan, who now has a lifelong reminder of his affinity for Scott on his body. In March, Matthew del Rio, a Sixers fan and blogger who writes for […]

The Washington Redskins are thrilled to have Dwayne Haskins. Not just because the former Ohio State signal-caller has tools to develop into an upper-echelon NFL starter, but also due to situation he’s entering with Washington. In a seven-minute appearance on ESPN’s First Take on Tuesday, Redskins president Bruce Allen said his team has the “perfect environment” […]

Dwayne Haskins certainly doesn’t lack for confidence. Less than a week after the Washington Redskins ended his draft-night slide by selecting him with the fifteenth overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft, the rookie quarterback asked and received permission from franchise legend Joe Theismann to wear his hallowed No. 7 jersey. According to Grant Paulsen […]

The NFC East promises to be one of the most competitive divisions in the NFL next season. And if early prognostications from Las Vegas prove accurate, the Philadelphia Eagles will be the team left standing tallest once the regular season is finished. After the 2019 NFL Draft, online sportsbook BetOnline.ag places the Eagles’ over-under win […]

Damian Lillard scored 39 points on 12-of-21 shooting in Game 1 of the Western Conference Semifinals, continuing to cement himself as perhaps the most valuable player in the playoffs to date. But despite another stellar outing from their franchise pillar, the Portland Trail Blazers fell short against the Denver Nuggets – and the performance of […]

The Memphis Grizzlies interviewed Utah Jazz assistant Alex Jensen on Tuesday for the team’s vacant head-coaching position, according to Tony Jones and Omari Sankofa II of The Athletic. Jensen is also a candidate for the Cleveland Cavaliers opening at head coach, and will reportedly interview with the wine and gold this week. The Athletic previously […]

The Washington Wizards are interviewing the Houston Rockets’ Gersson Rosas to be the team’s new president of basketball operations, according to Fred Katz of The Athletic. Rosas has slowly worked his way up the Rockets organizational pecking order over the last 17 years. He is currently the team’s vice president of basketball operations. Long considered […]

It’s safe to say Frank Reich has high, high expectations for his team’s offense in 2019. After the draft, the Indianapolis Colts coach expressed hopeful incredulity about adding Ohio State wide receiver Parris Campbell to an attack that he believes already features “some of the best guys in the world.” “It’s funny, I have said […]

Morris Claiborne could return to the New York Jets after all. According to Connor Hughes of The Athletic, Jets general manager Mike Maccagnan said over the weekend that his team is open to bringing back the veteran cornerback. Mike Maccagnan said he has no problem with bringing back Morris Claiborne #Jets — Connor Hughes (@Connor_J_Hughes) […]

Dwayne Haskins wasn’t exactly pleased when he fell to the middle of the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. In fact, the former Ohio State quarterback was so frustrated by his draft-night slide that he’s intent on using it as motivation to prove the many teams that passed on drafting him wrong. ESPN analyst […]

It goes without saying that the Denver Broncos have high hopes for Noah Fant, the 20th overall pick in the 2019 NFL Draft. The former University of Iowa tight end’s place in the team’s positional pecking order, though, will apparently be decided by on-field performance rather than draft position and long-term investment. “He’s got to […]

A whopping 236 players were selected before Terry Godwin heard his name called in the seventh round of the 2019 NFL Draft. Don’t tell Ron Rivera that his team’s new rookie wide receiver is unlikely to make an impact in 2019, though. After the draft, the Carolina Panthers coach gushed about Godwin’s ability as both […]

The Seattle Seahawks weren’t the only that team called the Denver Broncos about trading up to No. 10 in the first round of the 2019 NFL Draft. According to NBC Sports’ Peter King, Broncos general manager John Elways said that his team also had trade discussions with the New York Giants and general manager Dave […]

The Green Bay Packers certainly aren’t trying to temper expectations for Rashan Gary. The team announced on Monday that the twelfth overall pick of the 2019 NFL Draft will wear No. 52 in green and gold, which until this offseason belonged to star pass-rusher Clay Matthews. .@RashanAGary looks good in green & gold! 🔥#GoPackGo pic.twitter.com/oHGYEpVWiS […]

So much for Josh Rosen’s supposed lack of competitive fire. Despite the Arizona Cardinals selecting Oklahoma quarterback Kyler Murray with the No. 1 overall pick the 2019 NFL Draft, Rosen was apparently keen on staying with his incumbent team because he was confident he could beat out Murray to be Arizona’s franchise quarterback. According to […]

Marcus McMaryion won’t be going far to continue the pursuit of his NFL dream. According to Anthony Galaviz of the Fresno Bee, the former Fresno State University quarterback has accepted an invitation to participate in the Oakland Raiders upcoming rookie mini-camp. Former Fresno State quarterback Marcus McMaryion @MM2_Era is headed to the #Raiders as he accepted […]

Josh Rosen knows what it’s like to fend off criticism. Despite a rookie season in which he ranked as arguably the league’s worst starting quarterback and a subsequent trade from the Arizona Cardinals, then, it should come as no surprise that the N0. 10 overall pick in the 2017 draft believes he has what it […]

The Kansas City Chiefs weren’t the only team that targeted Mecole Hardman in the second-round of the 2019 NFL Draft. According to Manish Mehta of the New York Daily News, the New York Jets had discussed a trade with the Philadelphia Eagles that would have netted them the 57th overall pick, but the deal fell […]

The Green Bay Packers’ defensive overhaul is complete. And if Darnell Savage lives up to his pre-draft comparison, Green Bay will have a true impact player manning the defensive backfield for years to come. The Packers traded the No. 30 overall pick and two fourth-round selections to the Seattle Seahawks on Thursday night, moving up […]

The Jacksonville Jaguars finally have a franchise quarterback capable of taking them deep into the playoffs. Still, if the team’s standout offensive line is any indication, that hardly means coach Doug Marrone’s team will be abandoning its time-honored smashmouth identity offensively. Early in the second round of the 2019 NFL Draft, the Jaguars traded the […]

The Green Bay Packers stand apart from other franchises. Not only are the Packers the oldest team in the NFL, but they also won the first ever Super Bowl. They’re the only NFL organization to be publicly-owned, too, a reality that constantly harks back to Green Bay’s small-town charm. Ka’Dar Hollman, selected by the Packers […]

Sam Darnold and Josh Rosen just can’t escape each other. The pair both grew up and attended high school in Southern California. They both starred for local schools in college, with Darnold attending the University of Southern California and Rosen the nearby University of California-Los Angeles. They were both top-10 picks in the 2018 NFL […]