Jack Winter Articles - Page 88

The Brooklyn Nets sorely missed Jared Dudley in their Game 2 loss to the Philadelphia 76ers. Fortunately, the playoffs’ most unlikely impact player is apparently healthy enough to play going forward. According to Brian Lewis of the New York Post, Dudley said on Wednesday that he will play in Game 3. Dudley says he’s good […]

This just might be Damian Lillard’s time. The Portland Trail Blazers’ franchise player established himself in a new way last season, willing his team to the three seed in a loaded Western Conference with a career-best campaign culminating in an unlikely First Team All-NBA selection. One problem: Portland was embarrassed in the playoffs, swept out […]

The Baltimore Ravens may look to the draft to fill a gaping void at inside linebacker. According to ESPN’s Adam Schefter, Michigan linebacker Devin Bush is visiting the Ravens on Wednesday for his final visit ahead of the NFL draft on April 25th. Bush, considered a potential top-10 pick, enjoyed a highly-productive three-year career with […]

The Tennessee Titans are getting an up close and personal look at two of college football’s most recognizable players. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Oklahoma wide receiver Marquise “Hollywood” Brown and Clemson defensive end Clelin Ferrell are taking their final pre-draft visit to the Titans on Wednesday. Brown, whose first cousin is Oakland Raiders […]

DeMarcus Cousins’ first trip to the postseason is likely over almost before it started. The only silver lining? At least the Golden State Warriors star won’t have to go under the knife for a second time in as many years. “The Warriors do not plan for Cousins to have surgery,” writes Mark Medina of The […]

Kevin Durant is one of the most gifted basketball players of all time, and currently has a legitimate claim as the best player in the world. After his utterly dispiriting performance in the Golden State Warriors’ shocking loss to the Los Angeles Clippers on Monday, though, the two-time reigning Finals MVP is facing widespread criticism […]

J.J. Watt finally began regaining the form last season that once had many calling him one of the greatest defenders in NFL history. The Houston Texans superstar had 61 tackles, 18 tackles for loss, 16 sacks, 25 quarterback hits, and a career-best seven forced fumbles in 2018 en route to being named First Team All-Pro, […]

Jared Goff and the Los Angeles Rams came up just short of winning the Lombardi Trophy last season. As he and his team again embark on the road toward the Super Bowl, beginning offseason activities in preparation for the 2019 season earlier this week, Goff has finally cleared the emotional hurdle of getting over the […]

Tyreek Hill’s legal situation remains uncertain. As the Kansas City Chiefs began offseason activities with the three-time Pro Bowler in attendance, though, Andy Reid still has no update on his ongoing legal status. “I know you’re going to potentially ask about Tyreek,” he said on Monday, per The Kansas City Star. “Tyreek is here. I […]

Comparing quarterbacks of the past to Patrick Mahomes is a fool’s errand. The Kansas City Chiefs superstar not only plays as unique a style as any signal-caller the game has ever seen, but also put up arguably the best single campaign of any quarterback in league history last year during his first season as a […]

Paul Pierce was not a better player than Dwyane Wade. The reaction from a vocal, overwhelming majority to his insistence otherwise on ESPN’s NBA Countdown last week made that much clear, but anyone who watched the NBA in the 2000s didn’t need such a swift rebuke of Pierce’s comments to know just how misguided they really were. […]

Gonzaga’s Rui Hachimura has declared the for the 2019 NBA draft. In a statement announcing the news, the junior forward thanked the school, basketball program, and city of Spokane, WA for his time with the Bulldogs, in addition to to those from his native Japan who have shown him support. “The last three years at […]

The first-round series between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers will no doubt include many more heated moments before it’s finished. Even if Kevin Durant and Patrick Beverley remain at the center of animosity between the California rivals, though, don’t expect that friction to boil over the way it did in Game 1, […]

The Oakland Raiders might not be done adding impact playmakers this offseason. According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the Raiders are conducting a pre-draft visit with Iowa tight end Noah Fant on Monday. The #Raiders are hosting #Iowa TE Noah Fant today, source said. They pick No. 4 and No. 24 (and No. 27). — […]

Cam Newton isn’t Tom Brady. The Carolina Panthers quarterback can indeed be as effective as his New England Patriots counterpart at his peak, and even more so given his ability to make plays with his legs, but has failed to manage the consistency throughout his career that’s made Brady one of the most reliable players […]

The New York Giants are officially in the market for a quarterback of the future. According to Dan Hope of 11 Warriors, Ohio State signal-caller Dwayne Haskins will meet with the New York Giants for a pre-draft visit later this week. Haskins had previously met with the Denver Broncos and Washington Redskins. Once considered the […]

Kevin Durant’s frustration with Patrick Beverley, and vice versa, finally boiled over. The Houston Rockets’ combative point guard lived up his reputation in Game 1 against the Golden State Warriors, agitating Durant from the opening tip with holds, grabs, trash talk, and even real-time mimes of what Beverley considered flops, to help make up for […]

Steph Curry made the type of history on Saturday that’s been abundantly clear he would make for years. With eight three-pointers in his team’s Game 1 victory over the Los Angeles Clippers, the Golden State Warriors superstar passed Ray Allen for the most triples made by a player in postseason history — and did it […]

Derrick White isn’t exactly a household name to casual basketball fans. The San Antonio Spurs guard appeared in just 17 games as a rookie last year after being selected with a late first-round pick, and has toiled in relative anonymity league-wide this season despite emerging as a two-way cog on the perimeter for Gregg Popovich. […]

Believe it or not, there’s still some love to be lost between the Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Clippers. Asked for his thoughts on Los Angeles big man Montrezl Harrell after Golden State’s 121-104 victory in Game 1, Draymond Green couldn’t help but express admiration for his fellow former second-round pick. “I respect a […]

The Los Angeles Clippers didn’t lose Game 1 of their first-round series against the Golden State Warriors at the end of the first half. After a series of questionable calls went the other way, though, the Clippers quickly lost their composure, as technical fouls called on Danillo Gallinari and Doc Rivers contributed to the Warriors […]

Some league followers are gleaning enjoyment from the Philadelphia 76ers’ cell phone incident rather than outrage. It’s safe to say we can count Los Angeles Clippers coach Doc Rivers among them. Before his team’s series-opening game against the Golden State Warriors on Saturday, Rivers poked fun at Amir Johnson and Joel Embiid for looking at […]

Detroit Pistons star Blake Griffin is currently listed as questionable for Game 1 of his team’s first-round series against the Milwaukee Bucks on Sunday, according to ESPN’s Malika Andrews. Blake Griffin is listed as questionable with left knee soreness for Game 1 between the Pistons and Bucks. — Malika Andrews (@malika_andrews) April 13, 2019 Griffin […]

The Utah Jazz, thankfully, are poised to be close to full strength for their first-round series against the Houston Rockets. According to Eric Walden of The Salt Lake Tribune, point guards Ricky Rubio and Raul Neto are probable for Game 1, while wing Kyle Korver is listed as questionable. Jazz injury report for Sunday vs. Rockets: […]

Brett Brown has a lot of work ahead of him before Game 2 his team’s first-round series against the Brooklyn Nets. The Philadelphia 76ers were flat-out embarrassed on Saturday at Wells Fargo Center, trailing by double-digits throughout the game en route to a stunning 111-102 loss. Making things worse for Philadelphia, superstar big man Joel […]

The Philadelphia 76ers have enough to worry about in terms of strategy and execution after their stunning 111-102 loss to the Brooklyn Nets in Game 1 of the teams’ first-round series. Unfortunately, a hobbled Joel Embiid will also have to deal with non-basketball related fallout from Saturday’s contest, too. Midway through the fourth quarter, with […]

Almost exclusively hiring executives and coaches with past ties to the franchise has been the Los Angeles Lakers’ undoing for years. The extent of the problem reached its zenith earlier this week, when Magic Johnson held an impromptu press conference to announce his resignation as the team’s president of basketball operations, a decision made at […]

The New York Knicks are bringing in an extra special good luck charm to represent the franchise at the NBA draft lottery. According to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Ian Begley, University of Georgetown coach and Knicks icon Patrick Ewing will be in attendance on May 14th as the team hopes to land the No. 1 […]

This should certainly engender even more goodwill for Adam Silver from NBA players. During a wide-ranging press conference on Friday, the commissioner shielded the league’s players from criticism regarding “load management,” instead placing the onus for healthy players sitting out games on the multi-billion dollar businesses that employ them. “I’m incredibly sympathetic to that fan […]

Dave Joerger has every reason to be resentful. He was fired on Thursday after leading the Sacramento Kings, expected by many to be the worst team in the NBA, to a 39-43 record this season, the franchise’s best finish in over 10 years. For the first time since the early 2000s, the Kings find themselves […]

The Milwaukee Bucks acquired Nikola Mirotic at the trade deadline with the postseason in mind. Fortunately, it appears more and more likely the sharp-shooting big man will return from an injured thumb just in time to help Milwaukee when it matters most. “He was able to go through the whole practice,” coach Mike Budenholzer said […]

The growing number of detractors of the NBA’s staunch adherence to an 82-game regular season received some very encouraging news on Friday. During a press conference on the eve of the playoffs, commissioner Adam Silver suggested he would be open to shortening the season if doing so is ultimately what’s best for players and fans, […]

The Utah Jazz got the short end of the stick on Wednesday night. Despite the Denver Nuggets and Portland Trail Blazers each facing double-digit deficits in the fourth quarter of their regular-season finales, both teams were able to pull out comeback victories, inching ahead of the Houston Rockets in the standings to earn the second […]

It was always obvious that Dave Joerger’s dismissal had less to do with the Sacramento Kings’ on-court performance in 2018-19 than big-picture disagreements with the front office. Just in case anyone was blissfully ignorant of that reality, though, Kings general manager Vlade Divac implicitly confirmed as much while describing what he’s looking for from Sacramento […]

Adam Thielen’s paycheck will finally match his production. The two-time Pro Bowler announced though his agency on Friday that he has agreed to a four-year, $64 million extension with the Minnesota Vikings, a deal that could reach $74 million with incentives. https://www.instagram.com/p/BwK3ZdNnJsU/ Thielen has desired a new contract since last offseason, when his rapid development […]

Todd Gurley, believe it or not, will remain a cog of the Los Angeles Rams’ offensive attack. During a Thursday appearance on the Rich Eisen Show, Rams coach Sean McVay addressed his star running back’s controversial lack of involvement during last year’s playoffs, suggesting that Gurley will be a “focal point” of Los Angeles’ offensive going […]

The Orlando Magic have made the playoffs for the first time since 2012, when Dwight Howard was still wearing black-and-blue pinstripes. Fortunately, Steve Clifford’s team will have a clean bill of health for its opening game against the Toronto Raptors, too. The Magic announced on Thursday that sophomore forward Jonathan Isaac has cleared concussion protocol, […]

Magic Johnson abruptly resigned from his post as the Los Angeles Lakers’ president of basketball operations earlier this week for reasons too many to count. Perhaps the most notable among them, though, was Johnson’s suggestion that his justification for stepping down on the eve of exit interviews with players and coaches was the possibility that […]

Barring events too unlikely to fathom, Brad Stevens will remain the Boston Celtics’ coach for as long as he wants the gig. Just in case the former Coach of the Year eventually decides to move on from Boston, though, the Celtics have two favorites on the roster who they believe would be good replacements. In […]