Jedd Pagaduan Articles - Page 149

The Los Angeles Clippers and Toronto Raptors, on the surface, appear to be ideal trade partners. The Clippers, ever since the dawn of the Kawhi Leonard-Paul George era, have been looking to bolster their floor general situation, while the Raptors, currently at 23-30, appear willing to finally face the music and sell off some of […]

It wasn’t that long ago when all was going well in the New Orleans Pelicans’ world. On January 2, the Pelicans were sitting comfortably within the Western Conference top three alongside the Denver Nuggets and Memphis Grizzlies with a 23-14 record despite suffering two straight losses at that point. However, Zion Williamson suffered a hamstring […]

The Dallas Mavericks are an interesting case study on how to properly (or improperly) build around a generational talent like Luka Doncic. Doncic, much like LeBron James in the early 2000s, became too good, too soon (not a bad thing, mind you) that their teams (the Mavs and the 2000s Cleveland Cavaliers) were unable to […]

The Indiana Pacers, despite posting a stronger-than-expected 2022-23 campaign, are currently in free-fall. Before Tyrese Haliburton went down with knee and elbow injuries against the New York Knicks on January 11, the Pacers were comfortably in an outright playoff spot with a 23-18 record. They have gone 1-10 since (including the Knicks loss), which goes […]

Has there been a bigger breakout star in Hollywood over the past year or so than Jenna Ortega? From her performances as a fervorous scream queen to a stoic, fascinatingly morbid goth girl, Ortega has endeared herself to millions around the globe. And she continues to take huge strides in her nascent career. On Wednesday […]

James Harden is not and has never been the typical superstar. He may always be receiving vitriol due to his foul-baiting tendencies, but there’s no denying that The Beard is good at basketball. And even with the decline in his scoring prowess, he remains extremely impactful for the Philadelphia 76ers, thanks to his elite playmaking […]

The Portland Trail Blazers, after such a strong start to the season, have fallen off the pace in recent weeks. However, Damian Lillard is not to blame for their downtick in form. Lillard has been on an offensive tear as of late (even scoring 60 against the Utah Jazz last week); and on Wednesday night, […]

What an eventful past year or so it has been for the Brooklyn Nets. They have had to weather a ton of off-court drama, including, but not limited to, Kevin Durant’s trade request, Kyrie Irving’s vaccination and anti-Semitic tweet saga, and Ben Simmons’ uneven play. However, all things considered the Nets have landed safely on […]

The Denver Nuggets are rolling at the moment, and they look every bit the part of a championship contender. With Nikola Jokic leading the way with his nightly dominance and Jamal Murray looking more like his pre-injury self with each passing game, the Nuggets have the requisite star power to compete with the best teams […]

Has the Phoenix Suns’ contending window closed for good? Now that is an interesting question that could take us in plenty of interesting directions. Their crushing loss to the Dallas Mavericks in last year’s playoffs, to go along with choking away a 2-0 NBA Finals lead against the Milwaukee Bucks in 2021, appears to be […]

The Memphis Grizzlies are a franchise on the rise, gradually improving year to year since drafting Ja Morant second overall in the 2019 NBA Draft. With the title race as wide open as it has ever been in quite a while, the Grizzlies have all the looks of a championship team. Armed with suffocating perimeter […]

There was plenty of doom and gloom surrounding the Los Angeles Clippers a few weeks ago, especially after their blowout defeat at the hands of the Denver Nuggets a few weeks ago. For a team with lofty championship aspirations, the Clippers’ performance did not inspire confidence; in fact, with Kawhi Leonard and Paul George still […]

The Chicago Sky, despite only being less than two years removed from their 2021 WNBA championship win, are at a crossroads. Four of their best players in Candace Parker, Emma Meesseman, Courtney Vandersloot, and Allie Quigley are currently free agents, which means that a potential rebuild could be on the horizon should they decide to […]

The Phoenix Suns appeared to be in a world of trouble following Devin Booker’s Christmas day injury. Booker has now missed 18 straight games, with Phoenix losing nine of their first 11 games without their star man. However, the Suns appear to have turned things around. They have won six of their past seven games, […]

Denver Nuggets backup point guard Bones Hyland has surprisingly found himself in trade rumors as of late. Despite having an extremely bright future ahead of him, what with him being only 22 years old, the Nuggets have reportedly been willing to relinquish him in a trade, perhaps for the defensive-oriented wing that they covet. However, […]

Halfway through the 2022-23 Premier League season, Arsenal remain atop the Premier League table. The Gunners currently hold a five-point advantage over second-place Manchester City with a game-in-hand. However, there is no such thing as a comfortable lead with the current holders chasing their tail. Thus, it’s no surprise that Arsenal have made a huge […]

The fates of some contending teams with the trade deadline fast approaching appear to be at the hands of the Toronto Raptors. The Raptors reportedly have made all of the members of their core except Scottie Barnes available in a trade. Thus, a potential bidding war could ensue for the likes of Pascal Siakam, OG […]

In this day and age, fans assume the worst regarding a superstar’s availability on the second night of a back-to-back due to load management, and rightfully so. This is especially the case with players with a lengthy injury history or someone who has just recovered from a recent absence. Thus, it’s no surprise that the […]

Despite his decline in production over the past couple of seasons, Russell Westbrook’s legacy as one of the greatest point guards to ever play in the NBA is secure. And he added yet another feather to his floor general cap despite the Los Angeles Lakers’ 121-104 loss to the Brooklyn Nets on Monday night. It […]

It has been an eventful past few months for Kyrie Irving and the Brooklyn Nets. For a while, it looked like Irving’s days as a Nets player were numbered, especially after his involvement in such a huge controversy near the beginning of the season. However, the Nets’ strong surge in December, along with Irving’s inspired […]

The Denver Nuggets are unquestionably one of the best teams in the NBA, thanks in large part to yet another MVP-caliber season from Nikola Jokic. At the time of writing, the Nuggets have a 34-16 record, and they have shown that they have every weapon in their arsenal to compete for a coveted NBA championship. […]

It has been an interesting past week or so for the Washington Wizards. Despite being panned by fans and pundits alike for their confusing NBA trade deadline strategy, the Wizards have gone on to win six straight games – four since trading away the ninth overall pick of the 2019 NBA Draft in Rui Hachimura. […]

The Atlanta Hawks’ desire to trade away John Collins is the league’s worst-kept secret. And with Collins’ continued decline in usage in Atlanta, combined with his huge long-term contract, it’s not hard to understand why the Hawks would want to sell the 25-year old power forward in exchange for pieces that complement the Trae Young-Dejounte […]

The Dallas Mavericks’ acquisition of Christian Wood was starting to really pay off when he finally moved to the starting lineup in mid-December. Wood was on a roll, and he was starting to impact the game defensively in a way that would make head coach Jason Kidd proud. However, Wood unfortunately injured his thumb on […]

It’s not quite clear yet what the Toronto Raptors would decide to do with the NBA trade deadline approaching. But with a 22-27 record, the expectation that the Raptors would sell remains. And if that happens, the Raptors may not have a more attainable and enticing trade asset than 3 and D wing OG Anunoby. […]

Alex Caruso began his career as a meme player, someone whose true impact was, way too often, oversold by overzealous Los Angeles Lakers fans. However, Caruso eventually proved that he was truly capable of impacting winning at the highest level. The Lakers needed him during their 2020 NBA championship run. Caruso was then able to […]

Fred VanVleet has found himself heavily involved in trade talks amid the Toronto Raptors’ middling season and his upcoming foray into free agency after he (expectedly) declines his player option for next season. VanVleet then proceeded to fuel more speculation after he parted ways with Par-Lay Sports & Entertainment, his former agency of representation. But […]

Chris Paul is one of the best point guards to ever suit up in the history of basketball. There’s a reason many call him the Point God, as he’s able to dictate the tempo and flow of the game with his elite court vision and leadership on the court. However, there’s also a reason why […]

Load management has been a strong point of contention in NBA circles. However, it’s hard to disagree with the thought process behind resting superstars on the second night of a back-to-back. After all, no one wins championships in the regular season; thus, for playoff-bound teams with championship aspirations, reaching the postseason at full strength is […]

Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown’s partnership has been forged in the fires of adversity. Suffering plenty of heartbreaking playoff losses together – none more painful than their loss against the Golden State Warriors in the 2022 NBA Finals – has strengthened their resolve immensely. And this much was apparent after Brown missed two crucial free […]

Being voted as an All-Star starter is already one of the most lofty achievements an NBA player can achieve. But to be the highest vote-getter in one’s conference? That takes a special combination of talent and popularity. Thus, it’s no surprise that Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is proud for having been named the All-Star […]

The Dallas Mavericks entered their Thursday night matchup against the Phoenix Suns already having to endure the absence of Christian Wood, the team’s second-leading scorer behind Luka Doncic. However, circumstances appear to have gone from bad to worse for the middling Mavericks after Doncic stepped on Mikal Bridges’ foot on a turnaround attempt early on […]

Even with the start of Spring Training being less than a month away, there are still a few unsigned free agents that could very well become impact additions for an aspiring contender. In particular, there are a few left-handed relievers capable of strengthening even the best of bullpens left on the market, such as Matt […]

The Atlanta Hawks have found themselves in a bit of flux as of late. There have been reports detailing the turmoil in the Hawks front office, which led to a shakeup in their leadership ranks. This kind of uncertainty is all fine and dandy if the Hawks were one of the best teams in the […]

On Wednesday night, Damian Lillard showed that he has grown tired of all the inconsistency and all the losing the Portland Trail Blazers have been experiencing in recent weeks. Lillard dropped an eye-popping 60 points to lead the Blazers to a much-needed 134-124 victory at home against a potential rival for a playoff spot in […]

In a surprising turn of events, Los Angeles Angels owner Arte Moreno decided to backtrack on his decision to sell the franchise he has owned since 2003 and he will remain as the team owner for next season and beyond. That decision could have major repercussions for the direction the franchise would take in the […]

The Dallas Mavericks will be in for a tough next few games with Christian Wood out due to a thumb injury. The Mavs’ marquee offseason acquisition fractured his thumb against the Atlanta Hawks on January 18, and it remains unclear until when he won’t be able to play. Thus, Luka Doncic and the Mavs, who […]

It is quickly becoming evident that Alperen Sengun is the crown jewel of the Houston Rockets’ rebuilding efforts. This is especially true amid Jalen Green’s ride along the teeter-totter of inconsistency. And on Wednesday night against the Washington Wizards, Sengun showed once more just how impactful he can be, especially as he continues to develop […]

Many expected the Brooklyn Nets to drop off significantly with Kevin Durant out due to injury, and it’s not hard to see why. When Durant went down injured last year, the Nets fell off a cliff. They went 5-16 during that stretch, including an 11-game losing streak. However, Kyrie Irving and the Nets, despite their […]