Jedd Pagaduan Articles - Page 58

It took a while for Brandin Podziemski, the 19th overall pick of the 2023 NBA Draft, to cement his place in the Golden State Warriors rotation. Podziemski, who was recently elevated into the starting lineup, has been a godsend for a Warriors team in need of more playmaking, shooting, and all-around skill. But it’s the […]

The San Antonio Spurs were arguably the biggest winner of the 2023 offseason when they became the team that won the lottery, effectively winning them the right to draft generational big man prospect Victor Wembanyama. Many saw Wembanyama as a game-changing talent, a transcendent defensive talent standing at 7’4 who also has the offensive skillset […]

29 regular season games — that’s all the Los Angeles Clippers have to survive with a clean bill of health to enter the playoffs as one of the favorites to win the Larry O’Brien trophy. The Clippers have been plagued by injury woes for the past three years, but now, they look healthier than ever […]

For all of the talk as to how the NBA could improve the competitiveness of the All-Star Game after the game became nearly unwatchable in 2023, the 2024 iteration of the historic game proved to be an even more dire showcase of basketball, at least from the perspective of fans. But for Boston Celtics legend […]

Patrick Beverley has made a living out of blowing the chip on his shoulder out of proportion. Beverley is unabashed in using the smallest slight as motivation for him to become a better basketball player. Following his trade to the Milwaukee Bucks at the deadline in exchange for Cameron Payne, Beverley now has an even […]

The NBA All-Star Game has devolved into a glorified shooting exhibition, with superstars clearly not giving it their all during the contest much to the annoyance of millions of fans all over the globe. Nonetheless, it seems as though the actual participants in the All-Star Game are having fun. However, Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo, […]

During the NBA All-Star Weekend, Oklahoma City Thunder Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who was set to start in his first All-Star Game, generated some buzz, with retired guard Stephon Marbury calling the 25-year old combo guard the best player in NBA history to hail from Canada. However, Gilgeous-Alexander, as accepting as he was of the compliment, knows […]

It has been a topsy-turvy 2023-24 season for the Golden State Warriors. The Warriors, thanks to their incredible dynastic run over the past decade or so, have set some lofty expectations for themselves that they haven’t quite reached for this current campaign. Even though their output on the hardwood has perked up as of late, […]

The 2024 NBA All-Star Game may have brought together the best players the league has to offer onto the same hardwood, but the game devolved into more of a showcase of their limitless three-point range rather than being a semi-competitive contest that the players took seriously. Even then, the players’ display of their incredible marksmanship […]

The New York Mets, after a disappointing 2023 season that had them finish with a 75-87 record despite their record-setting offseason spending, are looking to come back with a vengeance in 2024. To that end, the Mets may have to enlist the help of a few of their youngsters, including 20-year old shortstop Jett Williams, […]

St. Louis Cardinals third baseman Nolan Arenado already has a resume that most baseball players can only dream of. Arenado is an eight-time All-Star, a 10-time Gold Glove Award winner, a five-time Silver Slugger, and a three-time NL leader in home runs. However, the 32-year old third baseman is approaching the 2024 season as if […]

On the first night of the NBA All-Star Weekend, during the Rising Stars Challenge, things appeared to get heated between Indiana Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin and Detroit Pistons guard Jaden Ivey during the clash between Team Jalen Rose and Team Tamika Catchings. Mathurin, in particular, was the one who stirred the pot. It was the […]

Friday night of the NBA All-Star Weekend is a chance for some of the league’s brightest young stars to show what they’re capable of and to show that the league is in good hands. That is certainly what Indiana Pacers wing Bennedict Mathurin did when he led Team Jalen Rose to the Rising Stars Challenge […]

The Dallas Cowboys, amid all the hype they generated with their 12-5 record and NFC East crown, faltered yet again when it mattered most. They suffered a disheartening 48-32 loss to the Green Bay Packers in the first round of the NFL playoffs, and for a team that was supposed to have one of the […]

It has been a rough-sailing 2023-24 season for the Portland Trail Blazers, as was expected when they dealt away Damian Lillard in an effort to fully embrace the rebuild. But amid their uneven display on the hardwood, this is the time for the Blazers brass to assess which players on the roster could be long-term […]

Get you a guy who can do both. That’s what the kids these days say. That’s what Dallas Cowboys edge rusher Micah Parsons did when he tore up the competition (perhaps even literally in Stephen A. Smith’s case) in the 2024 NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, looking like a two-sport star in the process with how […]

The Toronto Blue Jays were not shy to go after the free agent market’s biggest names, as they were one of the teams that were in for Shohei Ohtani. Alas, the Blue Jays were not able to catch the big fish. They were left to make a few smaller-scale moves like bringing in veteran hitter […]

The Boston Celtics have been the best team in the NBA for the majority of the 2023-24 season. This is a testament to how well-put together the entire roster is after the team loaded up on more stars (Kristaps Porzingis, Jrue Holiday) over the offseason. Their current roster marks the best chance for Jayson Tatum […]

The San Diego Padres looked to cut costs at the beginning of the offseason, and to that end, they decided to trade away star outfielder Juan Soto, who is in the final year of team control. In the same deal, they also gave up Trent Grisham, creating two voids in the outfield. At present, the […]

The Toronto Raptors, after much ado, finally faced the music and traded away two of their key guys, Pascal Siakam and OG Anunoby, marking the true end of a successful era of Raptors basketball. Given the franchise’s circumstances, it wasn’t quite clear how they were going to get out of the league’s dreaded middle ground […]

The 2023-24 season has long been a lost one for the Memphis Grizzlies. In the middle of the season, it seemed as though they had a puncher’s chance of climbing the Western Conference standings amid Ja Morant’s return, but that return to the hardwood was short-lived as Morant had to undergo season-ending surgery to repair […]

The Utah Jazz were in the middle of mounting a major comeback over the Golden State Warriors in the fourth quarter of their Thursday night contest. They were down by 18 to start the period, and yet with less than 10 seconds to go in the contest, the Jazz had trimmed the lead to one […]

The Charlotte Hornets have been rather aimless as a franchise over the past two years, with head coach Steve Clifford even admitting that he hasn’t been able to fulfill his purpose for why the team brought him back. During that span, the Hornets have also whiffed on their fair share of draft picks, although the […]

Wednesday night was certainly eventful for the Phoenix Suns. Isaiah Stewart’s bizarre physical outburst towards Drew Eubanks (that had the Detroit Pistons big man arrested) set the tone for the game, with the referees trying their best to prevent the game from snowballing in an emotional sense. It’s not a stretch to say, however, that […]

Gregg Popovich has evolved from Derrick White’s coach on the court to one of his coaches in life. On Valentine’s Day, even though White hasn’t been a member of the San Antonio Spurs for nearly two and a half seasons now after the Boston Celtics traded for him in 2022, the veteran head coach gave […]

Things are looking bleak for the Washington Wizards franchise, as is the case when teams are in the early stages of a rebuild. The Wizards hardly have any player whom fans would think of as a franchise cornerstone, although Deni Avdija’s performance on Wednesday night against the New Orleans Pelicans amid Kyle Kuzma’s absence should […]

The Golden State Warriors have been on an upward trend as of late, and it looked like their good fortune was going to continue as they had the Los Angeles Clippers eating from the palm of their hands. However, the Clippers have been on a roll for a few months now, and they know what […]

The Golden State Warriors, for much of their Wednesday night contest against the Los Angeles Clippers, looked like the team that had the upper hand. The Clippers did not have the services of Kawhi Leonard, and they weren’t shooting well enough to compensate for the absence of their best player. However, in the fourth quarter, […]

The 2022-23 season was nothing but good vibes for the Sacramento Kings even as they saw their playoff hopes dissipate at the hands of the Golden State Warriors in the first round of the playoffs despite being the higher-seeded team. That was a season Kings fans desperately needed, as after years of putridity, they were […]

The Golden State Warriors have been fighting an uphill battle all season long. It took head coach Steve Kerr a while to rely on the team’s youngsters, which, more often than not, put Stephen Curry on an island as the lone dangerous scorer on the team amid Klay Thompson’s battle with age-related decline and Andrew […]

The overall vibe around the Los Angeles Clippers franchise heading into their Wednesday clash against the Golden State Warriors did not feel good. They were going to be without Kawhi Leonard, who is nursing an adductor injury, and then to make matters worse, the team sent PJ Tucker and Bones Hyland home, two players who […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have noticeably played at a much better level upon Rui Hachimura’s re-insertion into the starting five. On Wednesday night, with the Lakers slated to face the Utah Jazz sans LeBron James, who is getting a headstart on his All-Star break, Hachimura had a golden opportunity to cement himself as an even […]

Will Jusuf Nurkic be facing Draymond Green at the main event of Wrestlemania 40? It sure does feel like it as the two keep throwing barbs at one another in a manner reminiscent of a budding rivalry that would culminate in a bloodbath. For the Phoenix Suns big man, every opportunity to kick the Golden […]

On Wednesday night, LeBron James decided to sit out the Los Angeles Lakers’ game against the Utah Jazz. This game was the second of a back-to-back set, it was on Valentine’s Day, and it was the Lakers’ final game before the All-Star break, so James got a headstart on his mini-vacation. James’ absence opened up […]

On Tuesday night, the Brooklyn Nets delivered a respectable account of themselves in a 118-110 defeat to the Boston Celtics. An eight-point defeat against the team with the best record in the NBA isn’t too bad, especially for a Nets team that’s been struggling as of late. Little did Mikal Bridges and company know that, […]

Shohei Ohtani, ever since coming stateside in 2018, has been on a historic career path. After all, he provides MVP value by being one of the best players in both the hitting and pitching side of the baseball equation. Thus, it became a major coup for the Los Angeles Dodgers when they were able to […]

Spring Training is a time for hope for 30 teams in the MLB. After all, every team has a clean slate, and they are entering the season looking to put into practice everything they’ve been working on during the offseason. But for one New York Yankees reliever, the road to recovery for him continues after […]

It didn’t take long for controversy to envelope the Detroit Pistons’ visit to Footprint Center to take on the Phoenix Suns. Not only did Isaiah Stewart punch Drew Eubanks in the tunnel prior to the game’s start, Devin Booker also got himself ejected in an odd manner after receiving two technical fouls in rapid succession […]

The New York Yankees traded away one of its more solid bullpen pieces in 28-year old Michael King in the deal that netted them star outfielder Juan Soto. King, who is now with the San Diego Padres, felt dejected at first when he learned that he would no longer be donning the iconic Pinstripes in […]