Jedd Pagaduan Articles - Page 84

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 […]

As is the case when a current star is making his way atop the all-time rankings, there is a tendency for fans to be carried away and compare that rising star to the greatest in their field. This was the case following Super Bowl 58, when Patrick Mahomes led the Kansas City Chiefs to a […]

It was in 2016 when the legend of Draymond Green as the world’s best recruiter was born. The 2016 Golden State Warriors, a team that blew a 3-1 lead in the NBA Finals despite winning 73 games in the regular season, needed reinforcements, and there Green was, setting in motion the plan that landed them […]

There was no way the Philadelphia 76ers were going to stand pat at the trade deadline. With reigning MVP Joel Embiid out for an indefinite period due to a knee injury, the 76ers needed to make some moves to remain afloat in the tight Eastern Conference playoff race. But president of basketball operations Daryl Morey […]

The Golden State Warriors and Los Angeles Lakers were both quiet at the trade deadline. Little did everyone know that the Warriors were already plotting the trade of a lifetime when they inquired about James’ availability in the hours leading up to 3 PM E.T. on February 8. Golden State apparently made an “unsuccessful bid” […]

The Milwaukee Bucks made it clear that anything short of a championship at the end of the 2023-24 season would be a catastrophe after they went all-in by acquiring Damian Lillard to be Giannis Antetokounmpo’s co-star. But the Bucks have a plethora of problems right now that head coach Doc Rivers and company must fix […]

The Sacramento Kings found themselves in a hotly-contested affair on Tuesday night against the Phoenix Suns, with two teams continuing to jockey for position in the lower half of the Western Conference playoff picture. The Kings’ stars came to play, with Domantas Sabonis, De’Aaron Fox, and Malik Monk combining for 96 points, although it wasn’t […]

It’s easy to forget, but there were a couple NBA games on the day of the Super Bowl, with one of them being a rivalry renewal between the Boston Celtics and Miami Heat. During that contest, Duncan Robinson and Jaylen Brown, players who’ve featured prominently in the two team’s playoff tussles over the past few […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder have made the 2023-24 season their coming-out party. Last season, they showed glimpses of the powerhouse they were going to become when they nearly made it into the playoffs as the eight-seed. But this season, they have become a bona fide title contender, thanks to the rapid ascent of Shai Gilgeous-Alexander […]

The Boston Celtics traded away two of its point guards in the offseason, trading away Marcus Smart in the deal that netted them Kristaps Porzingis while giving up the reigning Sixth Man of the Year Malcolm Brogdon to acquire Jrue Holiday. While Porzingis has grabbed all the headlines with how he has elevated the Celtics, […]

The Dallas Mavericks were intent on upgrading at power forward prior to the trade deadline. They ended up pulling the trigger on the trade that brought PJ Washington to town from the Charlotte Hornets, but as per the rumor mill, Washington was only the Mavericks’ Plan B. Their initial target was Washington Wizards forward Kyle […]

The New York Knicks, on Monday night, were fighting tooth and nail to come away with a victory against the Houston Rockets despite being heavily shorthanded. They were without Julius Randle, OG Anunoby, Isaiah Hartenstein, and then to make matters worse, Donte DiVincenzo had to exit the contest late due to a hamstring issue. So […]

Ever since the Milwaukee Bucks traded Jrue Holiday (and Grayson Allen) for Damian Lillard, analysts began to think that the Bucks were going to have more difficulties on the defensive end than they think, even if they have Brook Lopez and Giannis Antetokounmpo to patrol the paint. This has mostly been proven right, with the […]

Klay Thompson’s decline has been a major plot point for the Golden State Warriors over the past year or so. It’s not always easy for some of the best players in the league to accept that their level of play is not what it used to be. It certainly took Thompson a while to accept […]

The ending to the Houston Rockets’ 105-103 win over the New York Knicks on Monday night was filled with controversy after referee Jacyn Goble called a foul on Jalen Brunson for his closeout on Aaron Holiday’s Hail Mary attempt with the clock winding down and the game tied at 103. That call was a bailout, […]

Discussions about the new playoff overtime rules the NFL put in effect beginning in 2022 enveloped Super Bowl 58, as it was only the second time in the Big Game’s history that extra time was necessary to decide the winner. Some believe that the San Francisco 49ers ended up digging their own grave by choosing […]

The Portland Trail Blazers haven’t exactly found their transition into a post-Damian Lillard world to be as smooth as they would have wanted. Scoot Henderson has gone through woes one would expect from a 20-year old rookie point guard, while the team’s veterans whom many thought would keep the team a bit nearer to the […]

Throughout the 2023-24 season, it looked like the Washington Wizards were finally going to embrace the concept of being a team that intentionally takes a plummet down the standings in hopes of boosting their lottery odds so they can try and draft the franchise cornerstone that would put an end to their cycle of mediocrity. […]

As fans have come to expect, the Los Angeles Dodgers had yet another incredible regular season in 2023, winning 100 games en route to claiming their 10th NL West crown in 11 seasons. Moreover, Mookie Betts had yet another stellar season that, in any other year, would have netted him another MVP award. These things […]