Jack Winter Articles - Page 87

The NBA has issued a statement regarding a recent allegation of sexual assault against Sacramento Kings coach Luke Walton. “We are coordinating with the Kings organization and are in the process of gathering more information,” it reads, per Bill Oram of The Athletic. Celebrity gossip site TMZ reported on Monday that a civil lawsuit filed […]

The Philadelphia 76ers’ appearance in the 2001 NBA Finals is viewed as a testament to the greatness of Allen Iverson more than anything else. He averaged 32.9 points, 4.7 rebounds, 6.1 assists, and 2.4 steals per game during that fabled playoff run, dragging his defense-first team not just through two seven-game series in the Eastern […]

Odell Beckham, Jr. is fed up with the New York Giants. In response to New York general manager Dave Gettleman suggested recently that Beckham was the cause of his team’s culture problem, the superstar wide receiver went on a twitter rant decrying his time with the Giants and stressing how thrilled he is to be […]

Contract negotiations between the San Francisco 49ers and Robbie Gould have taken a permanent turn for the worse. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, the veteran kicker has rescinded contract proposals he sent to the 49ers and formally requested a trade. In a turn of events, 49ers’ franchise kicker Robbie Gould has pulled his contract proposals […]

The Kansas City Chiefs will be adding another impact player to the secondary – if the rumors are true, at least. In a since-deleted tweet, former NFL wide receiver Antonio Bryant said that the Arizona Cardinals have traded superstar cornerback Patrick Peterson to Kansas City. A source subsequently told Pro Football Talk’s Mike Florio, however, […]

The Oakland Raiders may be zeroing in on the prospect they’re most intrigued by with the fourth overall pick in the 2019 NFL draft. According to Connor Hughes of The Athletic, Oakland “loves” University of Houston defensive tackle Ed Oliver. Oliver is one of the most decorated players in the 2019 draft class. As the […]

From a contractual perspective, Kenny Clark’s future with the Green Bay Packers remains up in the air. Regardless, don’t expect him to be playing anywhere other than Green Bay for the foreseeable future. Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst confirmed on Monday that the team has every intention of picking up the fifth-year option on Clark’s […]

For once, Giannis Antetokounmpo was mortal. The Milwaukee Bucks might have crumbled in that scenario a year ago. Under Mike Budenholzer this season, though, the Bucks have developed the team-wide cohesion necessary to withstand the relative struggles of their best player and come away victorious. After his team’s 117-104 victory over the Detroit Pistons on […]

Andre Drummond has sometimes failed to exert himself to maximum capacity throughout his career. In 2018-19, though, the Detroit Pistons big man put together perhaps the finest season of his career, and more consistent effort on a game-by-game basis was one of the biggest reasons why. But on Saturday against the Milwaukee Bucks, with his […]

Coming into Game 4, the Denver Nuggets had lost 13 straight road games to the San Antonio Spurs. In fact, only two players on Denver’s roster, Paul Millsap and Will Barton, had ever won a game played at AT&T Center. You wouldn’t have known it on Saturday, though, when the Nuggets overcame a dreadful first […]

Conventional wisdom said Joel Embiid wouldn’t play in Game 4 of the Philadelphia 76ers’ first-round series with the Brooklyn Nets. Not only did Philadelphia hold a 2-1 lead after winning two straight following Brooklyn’s stunning series-opening victory, but Embiid was also listed as doubtful on Friday after watching Game 3 in street clothes. Unfortunately for […]

D.J. Augustin and the Orlando Magic know they can beat the Toronto Raptors. Despite losing two straight after shocking the basketball world by taking the series-opener at Scotiabank Arena, they remain supremely confident heading into Sunday’s crucial Game 4 at Amway Center. “We’ll definitely respond,” Augustin said on Saturday, per Josh Robbins of The Athletic. […]

The Orlando Magic are the most offensively challenged outfit in the postseason field. Steve Clifford’s team finished 22nd in offensive rating during the regular season, and is scoring a paltry 97.2 points per 100 possessions so far in its first-round series against the Toronto Raptors. The Magic, obviously, will need to win with defense first […]

Damian Lillard and Russell Westbrook are engaged in one of the most heated ongoing back-and-forths between opposing superstars in recent postseason memory. In the waning moments of the Oklahoma City Thunder’s crucial Game 3 victory on Friday night, though, it wasn’t either player who was sent packing early despite verbal sparring that seemed to border […]

Jared Dudley knew what we was getting himself into. Still, the Brooklyn Nets forward believes the officials overreacted to the fracas in Game 4 between his team and the Philadelphia 76ers that left he and Jimmy Butler ejected. After the Sixers held on to beat the Nets 112-108, Dudley expounded on the incident that began […]

Jared Dudley has no regrets for instigating a fracas that resulted in he and Jimmy Butler being ejected from Game 4. In fact, the Brooklyn Nets forward apparently wishes he would have shoved Joel Embiid even harder. “If anything, I should have got him worse,” Dudley told Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News. After […]

Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid, originally listed as doubtful, ended up playing in Game 4 against the Brooklyn Nets on Saturday, emerging as the best player on the floor despite suffering from nagging left knee pain related to tendonitis. With his team locked in a heated battle and in need of a win before this […]

Memories of the Cleveland Cavaliers beating the Golden State Warriors in Game 7 of the 2016 NBA Finals have mostly been reduced to tired jokes about a lost 3-1 lead, LeBron James’ epic chase-down block on Andre Iguodala, and Kyrie Irving’s go-ahead, off-dribble three over the outstretched arms of Steph Curry. It’s a shame, too, […]

Chris Paul is a curmudgeon. Even though the Houston Rockets have blown out the Utah Jazz in both games of the teams’ first-round series, Paul couldn’t help but harp on his team’s perceived carelessness with the ball after Game 2, during which the Rockets committed 19 turnovers. Mike D’Antoni, though, is unconcerned by Houston’s turnover […]

Kyrie Irving produces highlights at a rate as high as any other player in the NBA. He might be the most dazzling ball handler in league history and is a wildly creative finisher around the rim, attributes that combined with his elite off-dribble shooting ability make him not just one of the league’s best offensive […]

At least the Philadelphia 76ers have been in this position before. Joel Embiid’s ability to avoid serious injury over the past three seasons has made it easy to forget that he was sidelined for the first two years of his career, with some wondering whether he would ever take the floor in the NBA. He […]

Marc Gasol knows a thing or two about winning basketball. The Toronto Raptors center has never been the most athletic or skilled player on the floor, but has nevertheless enjoyed a brilliant career due in large part to basketball IQ that’s unsurpassed by any big man in the NBA. The fabric of Kyle Lowry’s game […]

Kyle Lowry’s game has never been about raw talent. The Toronto Raptors star has made a stellar career out of supplementing his solid but unspectacular physical gifts and skill level with effort, instincts, and an overall will to win that only so many players in the league can match. And unfortunately for the Orlando Magic, […]

The Indiana Pacers will be forced to play Game 3 of their first-round series against the Boston Celtics without the presence of Victor Oladipo. Of course, it’s not like Nate McMillan’s team was going to glean anything more than fleeting inspiration from its best player being in attendance on Friday night anyway. Oladipo, sidelined since […]

Doc Rivers knows a thing or two about the rigors of the playoffs. Not only has his team advanced to the postseason in 15 of his 20 years roaming the sidelines, but he also made the playoffs during his 13-year playing career on 10 occasions. Needless to say, Rivers is uniquely suited to assess just […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves will interview Brooklyn Nets assistant general manager Trajan Langdon to be the team’s next president of basketball operations, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Langdon assumed the role of assistant general manager with the Nets in March 2016. His first experience in an NBA front office came in 2012 when he was hired […]

Derrick White is the postseason’s most anonymous impact player. Well, at least for now. If the sophomore guard continues playing at the esteemed level he’s reached while leading his underdog team to a 2-1 lead over the Denver Nuggets in the first round, it seems only a matter of time until he’s the latest San […]

The playoffs are here, and after the Los Angeles Clippers made history by storming back from a 31-point deficit to beat the Golden State Warriors on Monday, it’s safe to say they are fully underway. The half-year grind of the regular season, with so much pent up frustration as the basketball world waits for the […]

Derrick White played the game of his life on Thursday night. The San Antonio Spurs guard led his team to a crucial 118-108 victory over the Denver Nuggets in Game 3 of the teams’ first-round series, scoring a career-high 36 points, grabbing five rebounds, dishing five assists, and swiping three steals on scorching 15-of-21 shooting. […]

Jared Dudley brought this upon himself. The Brooklyn Nets forward, to be clear, was right about Ben Simmons’ effectiveness diminishing in the halfcourt. He only has so many avenues to create points as a primary playmaker when the game bogs down, and is something close to a complete liability when the ball is in someone […]

It’s safe to say Caris LeVert came to play on Thursday night. The Brooklyn Nets guard poured in 19 points in the second quarter of Game 3 against the Philadelphia 76ers, keeping his team within striking distance on the scoreboard, igniting Barclays Center, and scoring the most points he ever has in a single quarter. […]

Caris LeVert and the Brooklyn Nets caught a huge break on Thursday when it was announced minutes before tipoff that Philadelphia 76ers superstar Joel Embiid would not play in Game 3 due to nagging pain in his left knee. Anyone expecting Brooklyn to walk over a short-handed Philadelphia squad, though, was setting themselves up for […]

It’s easy to believe offense is what drove the Toronto Raptors to a blowout Game 2 victory over the Orlando Magic. After all, the Raptors put up a 119.2 offensive rating, Kawhi Leonard was close to unstoppable en route to 37 points, and Kyle Lowry shook off a scoreless series-opener to score 22 points on […]

The Philadelphia 76ers, unfortunately, will be playing without Joel Embiid on Thursday night. The superstar big man was officially ruled out of Game 3 of his team’s first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets just minutes before tipoff, after initially being labeled a game-time decision due to nagging left knee pain. Following the news of his […]

Less than an hour away from tipoff at Barclays Center, the status of Joel Embiid remains unknown. Coach Brett Brown said during pre-game media availability that the Philadelphia 76ers superstar big man is a game-time decision for Game 3 of his team’s first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets. #Sixers coach Brett Brown on Joel Embiid’s […]

Jeff Fisher apparently won’t be returning to football after all. In response to a rumor that the longtime he was considering taking a coaching job with the XFL franchise in Houston, the longtime NFL head coach took the opportunity to refute it himself on twitter. @JasonLaCanfora false news that I am headed to XFL Houston. […]

It remains to be seen whether Dwayne Haskins will develop into a quality starting quarterback at the next level. Given how he plans to hone his craft and lead his teammates, though, it certainly seems like mindset won’t be what holds the Ohio State product back from reaching greatness. During an appearance on the RapSheet […]

The Los Angeles Clippers made NBA history on Monday night, racing back from a 31-point deficit in the second half to beat the Golden State Warriors 135-131, knotting the teams’ first-round series at one game apiece. Time, unfortunately, is likely to render Los Angeles’ stunning come-from-behind victory moot, at least when it comes to big-picture […]

In the wake of DeMarcus Cousins’ likely season-ending injury, it seems the Golden State Warriors will have to make do at center with players currently on the active roster. According to ESPN’s Nick Friedell, Warriors coach Steve Kerr says injured big man Damian Jones is “unlikely” to play in the postseason despite the fact that […]