Jedd Pagaduan Articles - Page 107

James Harden, after a drawn-out leverage battle involving the Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers, finally got his wish as the Sixers sent him packing to the Clippers four months after the Beard initially requested a trade after opting into his contract for the 2023-24 season. This, according to a few reputable analysts, was a […]

The San Antonio Spurs had no business winning their Tuesday night affair against the Phoenix Suns; after all, for most of the night, Victor Wembanyama and company looked off the pace, thoroughly outclassed by the veteran execution of the Kevin Durant-led squad. But the Spurs simply do not know when to quit. They came roaring […]

The Memphis Grizzlies were expected to at least remain afloat, hovering around the .500 mark as they await Ja Morant’s return from a 25-game suspension. However, the Grizzlies have had a disastrous start to the 2023-24 season thus far. They have gone winless in four tries, including a defeat to the moribund Washington Wizards. Simply […]

Victor Wembanyama and the San Antonio Spurs looked outclassed for the majority of their Tuesday night battle against Kevin Durant and the Phoenix Suns. The Suns led by double digits for the majority of the game, all the while Wembanyama was having his fair share of struggles in putting the ball through the hoop. But […]

The Texas Rangers didn’t exactly enter Game 4 of the 2023 World Series on the highest of notes despite coming off a 3-1 win over the Arizona Diamondbacks in Game 3. The Rangers, despite being in a promising position, will have to continue their pursuit of the franchise’s first-ever championship without the services of both […]

It’s always a treat when two of the best players on the floor, even if they don’t play the same position, end up being matched against each other. It becomes an even greater delight to watch when those players take on each other in isolation. On Tuesday night, that’s exactly what Phoenix Suns star and […]

There’s a certain sense of joy that comes with getting exactly what you wanted after waiting for it to come for a long time. And in the early hours of Tuesday morning, James Harden finally got his wish after the Philadelphia 76ers pulled the trigger on the deal that would send him to the Los […]

The James Harden trade saga, after nearly four months, has finally reached its conclusion for the Philadelphia 76ers. In the wee hours of Tuesday morning, the Sixers and the Los Angeles Clippers finally agreed on the trade that would send Harden, along with PJ Tucker and Filip Petrusev, to southern California in exchange for a […]

In the lead-up to the 2023 NBA Draft lottery, the San Antonio Spurs looked far and away the most appealing destination for generational prospect Victor Wembanyama, the 7’4 physical anomaly who, if he develops right, will drastically change the way the game is played. After all, with legendary head coach Gregg Popovich at the helm, […]

The Sacramento Kings, off to a strong start to the 2023-24 season as an encore to their remarkable 2022-23 campaign, will have to weather major adversity early on in the season after their star point guard, De’Aaron Fox, suffered an ankle injury during their Sunday night win over the Los Angeles Lakers. The shame is […]

Dejounte Murray and the Atlanta Hawks had a nightmare of a first half against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Monday night; the Hawks’ defense was all over the place, allowing 79 points to the Timberwolves as they faced a deficit that ballooned to as many as 21 points. But the game of basketball is played over […]

With Kyrie Irving out for the Dallas Mavericks during their Monday night battle against the struggling Memphis Grizzlies, Luka Doncic was, once again, expected to take on a huge offensive burden. Coming off a 49-point outburst against the Brooklyn Nets on Friday night, anything short of a herculean effort from Doncic would have been a […]

The Golden State Warriors, on the second night of a back-to-back, gave up no inch to the more rested New Orleans Pelicans thanks to an electric performance from Stephen Curry. Curry, after embarrassing the Houston Rockets on Sunday night with a slew of incredible shots in the fourth quarter, was back at it again, this […]

Stephen Curry shows no signs of aging; despite being 35 years of age already, the Golden State Warriors star remains at the top of his game. And on Monday night, the New Orleans Pelicans, Curry and the Warriors’ old playoff nemesis, bore the brunt of yet another nuclear explosion from the greatest shooter the NBA […]

There were plenty of discussions during the offseason about how the Golden State Warriors would plan to deploy Chris Paul, the veteran point guard they acquired for Jordan Poole. Paul isn’t exactly the most-ideal fit alongside Stephen Curry, and putting him in the starting lineup means benching one of Klay Thompson, Andrew Wiggins, Draymond Green, […]

Many pundits think that the addition of Victor Wembanyama will immediately vault the San Antonio Spurs into the playoff hunt. And on Friday night, following a huge win over the Houston Rockets, it seemed as though the Spurs would continue their climb atop the league’s totem pole. But the veteran Los Angeles Clippers served the […]

It’s hard to believe that Golden State Warriors star Stephen Curry is already 35 years of age. After all, not only is he baby-faced, he also continues to tear up the opposition in the NBA. And on Friday night, facing the Sacramento Kings team which he eliminated with a dominant 50-point Game 7 performance, Curry […]

There was much consternation among fans of the Dallas Mavericks when Jason Kidd and company opted to roll with Maxi Kleber over Dereck Lively II as the team’s starting center during their season-opener against the San Antonio Spurs. However, Lively quickly showed that he’s such an athletic presence in the paint, passing the eye test […]

Entering the 2023-24 season, it wasn’t quite clear what role Cam Thomas was going to be having for the Brooklyn Nets. Thomas had a stretch last season where he looked like an unstoppable scoring force, but he didn’t do much else and struggled thereafter, leading to his eventual removal from the rotation. But during the […]

The Dallas Mavericks, in Game 2 against the Brooklyn Nets, found themselves in another dogfight after a nip-and-tuck opening game victory against the San Antonio Spurs. The Mavs, despite making a few upgrades over the summer, was the Luka Doncic show was once again, with the Slovenian star shouldering quite the heavy workload on offense. […]

Victor Wembanyama has all the makings of being a foundational star for the San Antonio Spurs. Aside from his otherworldly presence on the defensive end, he has also shown flashes of being an unstoppable shot creator and finisher. However, one of the main responsibilities of a superstar is to be the team’s go-to-guy in the […]

The San Antonio Spurs entered their Friday night matchup looking to get their first win of the 2023-24 season over their in-state rivals Houston Rockets. The Rockets, fresh off a blowout defeat at the hands of the Orlando Magic in their season-opener, may have been ripe for the taking, but that wasn’t the case, as […]

Throughout Gregg Popovich’s tenure as the head coach of the San Antonio Spurs, he has earned the reputation for being a mentor figure who isn’t afraid to dish out some tough love. But it seems as though in recent times, Popovich has mellowed down, especially when he has nothing left to prove in his Hall […]

The hype surrounding San Antonio Spurs rookie Victor Wembanyama is almost unlike any other; at 7’4, his incredible blend of shot-creating skills and elite defense make him such a tantalizing prospect, and Wembanyama, in his brief career thus far, has made believers in millions who believe he’ll reach his potential. But Houston Rockets wing Dillon […]

The Boston Celtics know just how important a piece Derrick White is to their ambitions of winning the franchise’s 18th championship. After all, White is a terrific point-of-attack defender, a willing mover of the basketball, and a heady cutter. But at the end of the day, White just does what the Celtics need to win. […]

During the 2022 offseason, many analysts thought that the New York Knicks, in their pursuit of a star, would go all-in on their push for Donovan Mitchell, whose availability on the trade market was no secret after the Utah Jazz’s playoff disappointment. In the end, the Knicks haggled way too hard and the Cleveland Cavaliers […]

Chet Holmgren, in his much-awaited regular season debut for the Oklahoma City Thunder, didn’t exactly put up eye-popping stats; in a blowout win against the Chicago Bulls, he put up a rather pedestrian 11 points and four rebounds with no swats. But on Friday night, Holmgren popped off against the Cleveland Cavaliers, displaying the incredible […]

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Darvin Ham made waves in the aftermath of their season-opening loss to the Denver Nuggets when he said that they will try to keep LeBron James, the team’s foundational star and the team’s best player, to an average of around 29 minutes a night. It was infuriating to hear for […]

The Philadelphia 76ers and Los Angeles Clippers have been discussing the framework of a James Harden trade for some time now, but it’s evident that both teams will be taking their sweet time, content with waiting for the other party to grow in desperation. And it seems as though a new wrench has been thrown […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo and the Milwaukee Bucks are in a lovefest with the new star in town, Damian Lillard. And why wouldn’t they be? Lillard has taken no time at all to settle in, leading the way for the Bucks in their season-opening 118-117 victory against the Philadelphia 76ers with a 39-point effort that included 14 […]

Having two alpha dogs on the same team isn’t exactly an easy balancing act to pull off. But for the Milwaukee Bucks in the aftermath of their trade for Damian Lillard, they seem to be managing just fine. Giannis Antetokounmpo wasn’t at his best during their season-opener against the Philadelphia 76ers, so Antetokounmpo and the […]

Anthony Davis has been the subject of some harsh criticism from fans and pundits over the past few years; even supporters of the Los Angeles Lakers demand more from Davis. After all, Davis showed back in 2020 that he could be an incredible, title-winning player when he’s at his best and playing aggressively on both […]

The Philadelphia 76ers have spent the past three months bracing for the inevitable that is James Harden’s departure. However, Daryl Morey, being the astute front-office executive that he is, is refusing to relent an inch in trade talks. In fact, even though Harden intended to rejoin the team for their season-opening road trip, the Sixers […]

The Sacramento Kings surprised the NBA world by winning 48 games last season and earning the Pacific Division crown. The latter, in particular, is no mean feat, as that division houses the Los Angeles Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Phoenix Suns, and Golden State Warriors — teams that all made the postseason in 2023. Now, analysts […]

A matchup between Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James and Phoenix Suns star Kevin Durant is always must-see television. After all, it’s not too often that these two future Hall of Famers, and two of the best small forwards to ever grace an NBA court, square off against each other. But for the past few […]

The addition of Jrue Holiday this past offseason made the Boston Celtics one of the favorites, if not the frontrunner, to win the 2024 NBA championship. After all, Holiday, in addition to bringing some much-needed championship experience to the team, essentially serves as the upgraded version of Marcus Smart. However, on the surface, it seems […]

The Memphis Grizzlies were clearly missing Ja Morant on Wednesday night as they struggled for most of the game en route to a 111-104 defeat to the New Orleans Pelicans, the final scoreline for which indicates that the game was much closer than it actually was. Desmond Bane had little-to-no offensive help, with Jaren Jackson […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder, entering the 2022-23 season, were supposed to receive a huge boost to their frontcourt with the selection of Chet Holmgren as the second overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft. Holmgren showed his incredible two-way potential in last year’s Summer League, and he was turning it up during Pro-Am runs afterwards. […]