Jedd Pagaduan Articles - Page 149

Nikola Jokic is doing things no big man in the history of the league, aside from perhaps Wilt Chamberlain, could even think about pulling off. Jokic is an MVP in every sense of the word, able to make his teammates better with his sheer presence on the floor without sacrificing the ability to take over […]

It’s no secret in NBA circles that Phoenix Suns head coach Monty Williams and center Deandre Ayton don’t necessarily see eye-to-eye. Williams memorably benched Ayton during the Suns’ Game 7 meltdown against the Dallas Mavericks last postseason, leading to rumors of a potential exit for the number one pick of the 2018 NBA Draft. Nonetheless, […]

The Washington Wizards entered their Tuesday night clash against the Phoenix Suns losers of ten straight. There appeared to be no end in sight for the Wizards’ skid, despite the return of Bradley Beal in recent days. While Devin Booker missed the game with a groin injury, the Wizards also missed the services of Kristaps […]

Things aren’t looking so good for DeMar DeRozan and the Chicago Bulls, especially as of late. Not only did they reportedly have a “blow up” at halftime against the Minnesota Timberwolves two nights ago, there has also been rumored disconnect between their two stars, DeRozan and Zach LaVine. While the Bulls should be in better […]

It hasn’t been the easiest 2022-23 season for the Chicago Bulls, and their frustrations seem to be spilling throughout the locker room. Earlier reports indicated that the Bulls locker room got into a dustup in the middle of their 150-126 blowout loss vs. the Minnesota Timberwolves two nights ago. Nonetheless, Nikola Vucevic asserted that these […]

At the start of December, the New York Knicks, despite the addition of Jalen Brunson, appeared destined to muster yet another mediocre season. However, things could change quickly in the span of two weeks. After destroying the Golden State Warriors, 133-93, on Tuesday night, the Knicks have now extended their winning streak to eight, climbing […]

It should go without saying that there are no more coveted assets in the NBA than a bonafide superstar, a player talented enough to change the course of a franchise. Just this past offseason, Donovan Mitchell (and Rudy Gobert) brought back massive returns for the Utah Jazz. However, after them, 3 and D wings who […]

The New York Knicks are currently in the midst of a remarkable turnaround. Led by Julius Randle and Jalen Brunson, the Knicks have won seven straight games, a surge that has brought them to sixth in the East. The Knicks may be rolling at the moment, but it was only two weeks ago when their […]

There have been plenty of concerns regarding Rudy Gobert’s true impact on winning. These questions only grew louder after the Minnesota Timberwolves gave up a boatload of picks to acquire him from the Utah Jazz. One thing cannot be questioned, however, and that is Gobert’s commitment to helping out his immediate community. On Monday, Gobert, […]

The Chicago Cubs, in their bid to make it back to the postseason, pulled off one of the biggest signings during the 2022 free agency. The Cubs signed former Atlanta Braves shortstop Dansby Swanson to a seven-year, $177 million deal, bolstering Chicago’s middle infield alongside the nascent Nico Hoerner. And it seems like the Cubs […]

The Dallas Mavericks’ unevenness this season continued on Monday night after they went down by double digits against the Minnesota Timberwolves despite Luka Doncic’s return from a rest day. And with things not going the Mavs’ way, Doncic promptly lost his cool, leading to two technical fouls in quick succession and a subsequent ejection. Shortly […]

It hasn’t been the best of seasons for Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay Packers. After finishing with a dominant 13-4 record last season, the Packers just haven’t been able to muster the same kinds of performances they conjured for the majority of last year. Through 12 games, it appears as if the Packers were […]

The Portland Trail Blazers’ loss to the Oklahoma City Thunder on Monday night shouldn’t put too big of a damper on a historic night from arguably the Blazers GOAT, Damian Lillard. Lillard needed only 21 points to surpass Clyde Drexler as the franchise’s all-time leading scorer, and Dame, a career 24.7 points per game scorer, […]

For nine and a half seasons, Damian Lillard and CJ McCollum shared a home in the Portland Trail Blazers backcourt. Lillard and McCollum helped the Blazers become a solid playoff team for years, and they even led Portland to a Western Conference Finals appearance in 2019. However, McCollum was traded to the New Orleans Pelicans […]

With Karl-Anthony Towns and Rudy Gobert out, the onus was on Anthony Edwards to lift the Minnesota Timberwolves to victory. Surely enough, Ant has been up to the task. Edwards led the Timberwolves to a triumph over the Dallas Mavericks, 116-106, no small feat on the second night of a back-to-back. And this may all […]

The return of Zion Williamson may have taken the New Orleans Pelicans to an entirely different level, but it has severed Jonas Valanciunas’ involvement in the offense. However, at least for one night, Valanciunas staked his claim for a higher place in the Pelicans’ offensive hierarchy with an incredible scoring night, against the second-ranked defense […]

The Orlando Magic had a golden opportunity to extend their win streak to seven when they took on the Atlanta Hawks on Monday night. The Magic roared back from a late 13-point fourth quarter deficit and even took a 125-124 lead with mere seconds to go after Markelle Fultz drained two clutch buckets. However, the […]

Trae Young and the Atlanta Hawks received much needed good news for their Monday night tilt against the streaking Orlando Magic. The Hawks welcomed Dejounte Murray and John Collins back from injury, and it appeared as if they were well on their way to halt Orlando’s six-game winning streak. With six minutes left in the […]

On the night Damian Lillard surpassed Clyde Drexler to become the Portland Trail Blazers’ all-time leading scorer, it was Shai Gilgeous-Alexander who stole the show for the Oklahoma City Thunder. The Blazers and Thunder traded barbs in the clutch all night long. But it was Gilgeous-Alexander who had the final word as he took on […]

Damian Lillard had already been mounting a strong case for being the best player in Portland Trail Blazers history. Since being drafted sixth overall in the 2012 NBA Draft, Lillard has been one of the most consistent scorers in the NBA. And now, all of Lillard’s hardwork has borne even more fruit as he etched […]

The Dallas Mavericks have failed to separate themselves from the pack in a crowded Western Conference despite the MVP-level play of Luka Doncic. Through 30 games, the Mavs have gone 15-15, with the loss of Jalen Brunson still proving to be a sore spot. Nevertheless, the Mavs could always decide to use the trade route […]

The past few weeks for the Chicago Bulls have been defined by turmoil and a sense of urgency to get back on track. DeMar DeRozan had already urged his team to wake up. After all, the Bulls, a playoff team last season, entered their Sunday night clash against the Minnesota Timberwolves with a putrid 11-17 […]

The France National Football Team had a golden opportunity to achieve something that’s only been done once in history – win a FIFA World Cup twice in a row. Alas, that was not to be, despite Kylian Mbappe’s best efforts against Argentina. And it appears as if France hasn’t only lost the Final, they might […]

For more than 10 years now, the Orlando Magic franchise has been one of uninspired, languid basketball defined by lack of ambition. Since trading Dwight Howard before the 2012-13 season, the Magic have only made the playoffs twice, suffering two first-round exits at the hands of the Kawhi Leonard-led Toronto Raptors and the Giannis Antetokounmpo-led […]

The Washington Wizards appear to have the bleakest outlook out of all NBA franchises at the moment. Not only are they stuck paying Bradley Beal, a solid All-Star caliber player for sure, yet is unable to guarantee a playoff appearance for his team, around $50 million until 2027, they also have little in the way […]

Anthony Edwards and the Minnesota Timberwolves haven’t had the most inspired season through the first two-plus months of the 2022-23 regular season. The injury to Karl-Anthony Towns hasn’t helped matters at all, and blockbuster offseason addition Rudy Gobert has missed his fair share of games as well. Nonetheless, at least for one night, Edwards and […]

The Los Angeles Lakers may not be the championship contender they’re cracked up to be. However, LeBron James’ nightly scoring exploits remain a sight to behold. Despite being 37 years old (set to turn 38 in 15 days), James remains an athletic marvel, someone that makes fans stop what they’re doing and tune in to […]

Luka Doncic is capable of a great many things. Doncic is able to function as the heliocentric foundation of the Dallas Mavericks’ offense, capable of dazzling the crowd with his vast bag of scoring tricks all the while feeding his teammates, including Christian Wood, some easy, open looks. Entering the league, however, there were concerns […]

The Atlanta Hawks have had to weather a few injury problems to three of their most crucial players, namely Dejounte Murray, John Collins, and Clint Capela. Even Trae Young has had to endure a few knocks of his own. And it seems like these issues couldn’t have come at a worse time. After a strong […]

The Chicago Bulls, to say the least, have underperformed in the first third of the 2022-23 season. After winning 46 games last year, the Bulls were expected to at least compete for a playoff spot in the crowded Eastern Conference. After all, the Bulls still boast the services of three All-Stars, namely DeMar DeRozan, Zach […]

There was an explosive scoring battle between two All-Star point guards on Friday night when Kyrie Irving and the Fred VanVleet took turns carrying their team’s offense. VanVleet, in particular, has snapped out of his slump in a huge way, scoring 39 points in consecutive games, doing everything he can to spur the Toronto Raptors […]

On a loaded Friday night slate, the Brooklyn Nets and Toronto Raptors were expected to deliver one of the best games of the night. And what an incredible game this was punctuated by incredible heroics from Kyrie Irving, who, at this time last year, couldn’t even have played in Toronto. He scored 32 points to […]

The Friday night matchup between the Boston Celtics and the Orlando Magic seemed to be a mismatch on paper, even if the Magic are currently on a four-game winning streak. After all the Celtics have 22 wins compared to the Magic’s nine. However, Orlando, led by Paolo Banchero and Moe Wagner, has given Boston everything […]

Michael Brantley, for the past decade or so, has been a positive contributor on the diamond while healthy. Since 2019, he’s been a huge part of three Houston Astros teams that made it into the World Series. Alas, Brantley missed the last five months of the season, including the playoffs, unable to help the Astros […]

Jacob deGrom was one of the most coveted arms in this year’s free agency. After all, he’s been one of the best pitchers in the entire MLB over the past nine seasons for the New York Mets. Thus, the Texas Rangers pulled out all the stops to acquire his services, signing deGrom to a five-year, […]

Losing takes its toll. It wouldn’t if professional athletes didn’t care about competing, but contrary to fans’ perception, they even have more skin in the game which makes them care with all they have. Such is the case for Philadelphia 76ers star James Harden, who admitted just how heavily the past few years of playoff […]

The Brooklyn Nets may be in a better place now than where they started the season from. However, the Nets endured tons of drama, from Steve Nash’s firing, to Kyrie Irving’s suspension, to questions about Ben Simmons’ commitment, at the start of the season. And it’s not as if the Nets’ offseason was free from […]

It has been a rollercoaster for Evan Fournier since he was traded from the Orlando Magic during the 2021 trade deadline. For six and a half years, Fournier and his All-Star teammate, Nikola Vucevic, led Orlando to some semblance of respectability, nabbing two playoff appearances during that span. This is why Vucevic, now with the […]

Khris Middleton missed the start of the season for the Milwaukee Bucks after undergoing wrist surgery to repair an injury back in July. The Bucks have remained one of the best teams in the NBA despite his absence, thanks to Giannis Antetokounmpo, but Middleton’s return was expected to put the Bucks over the top. After […]