Jedd Pagaduan Articles - Page 92

At first glance, it seemed like the stars had aligned for Blake Snell and Jordan Montgomery in their respective forays into free agency. Snell had one of his best seasons as a professional in 2023 with the San Diego Padres, even winning NL Cy Young award honors for his excellent play. Meanwhile, Montgomery was part […]

The Dallas Mavericks entered their Wednesday night matchup against the Portland Trail Blazers wanting to erase the lingering stench of their lackluster performance in their blowout loss to the Utah Jazz this past Monday. During that game, head coach Jason Kidd did not like the Mavs’ defensive effort and communication; but on Wednesday, Kyrie Irving, […]

The Carolina Panthers aren’t just getting panned for their poor performance on the field, but also for the franchise owner’s actions off of it. During the Panthers’ embarrassing 26-0 loss to the Jacksonville Jaguars on New Year’s Eve, David Tepper lost all composure and threw a drink down the stands towards the Jaguars fans that […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have been plagued with injury woes to start 2024; the Purple and Gold entered their Wednesday night clash against the Miami Heat without D’Angelo Russell, Rui Hachimura, and Gabe Vincent. This has necessitated an emergence from one of their more unheralded players to provide LeBron James and Anthony Davis with some […]

There’s no question that the San Francisco Giants are willing to splash the cash to improve the team to try and compete with the likes of the Los Angeles Dodgers and Atlanta Braves for National League supremacy. The Giants were reportedly willing to match the contract that Shohei Ohtani eventually signed with the Dodgers — […]

One of the greatest criticisms old heads have of the current NBA is that players are too friendly with one another. There are no rivalries anymore, they would contend. They’re all pals now, and the NBA has lost the must-see television that comes with seeing teams or players that loathe each other go to war. […]

The Indiana Pacers continue to sing the sweetest melody on offense during the 2023-24 season, and it’s thanks in large part to the masterful job All-Star point guard Tyrese Haliburton has done as the team’s offensive conductor. On Wednesday night, the Pacers blitzed the Milwaukee Bucks yet again, walloping them to the tune of 142 […]

The Boston Celtics, as presently constructed, are already the best team in the NBA. In fact, according to the latest FanDuel Betting Odds for the 2024 NBA championship, the Celtics are the favorite to win it all. Their odds to win the title are currently at +320, which is even better than that of the […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are in a precarious position in the Western Conference standings to open 2024. At the time of writing, the Lakers have a 17-17 record, and they’re only half a game above the 11th-seeded Golden State Warriors. Head coach Darvin Ham has diligently been searching for combinations that work, hence the benching […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers expected to take the next step in their bid to compete for a championship in the 2023-24 season. After all, they added Max Strus, a battle-tested, three-point marksman who helps improve the team’s greatest weakness last year, to a rapidly improving core led by Donovan Mitchell, Darius Garland, Evan Mobley, and Jarrett […]

There was plenty of optimism surrounding the Phoenix Suns’ chances of competing for a championship in the 2023-24 season in the immediate aftermath of their blockbuster trade for Bradley Beal. Analysts wondered how in the world opposing teams would deal with three players in Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker who can score from all […]

The Boston Celtics faced the Oklahoma City Thunder in a heavyweight clash on Tuesday night, and the game was every bit as good as advertised. The stars came out to play, with Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Kristaps Porzingis, and Jayson Tatum all breaching the 30-point mark on the night, but in the end, it was the Thunder […]

The Los Angeles Clippers already made their big move for the 2023-24 season when they dealt four of the power forwards in their rotation plus a few draft assets in their trade for James Harden. It was a rough go for the Clippers at first, but now, the veteran team helmed by head coach Tyronn […]

The New Orleans Pelicans handily took care of business on Tuesday night after they demolished the Brooklyn Nets, 112-85, at Smoothie King Center. It was a balanced effort for a Pelicans team that simply outplayed the Nets from the opening tip until the final buzzer, but it was their defense that stole the show; they […]

The Sacramento Kings remain one of the best teams in the Western Conference; entering their Tuesday night clash against the Charlotte Hornets, they were boasting a 19-12 record, which was good for fifth in the standings. As a result, they were 15-point favorites against a Hornets team that was on an 11-game losing streak. Alas, […]

The St. Louis Cardinals are looking forward to a bounce-back campaign in 2024 after the usual playoff team faltered beyond belief in 2023. Last season, they scuffled to the tune of a 71-91 record, which was good for dead-last in the NL Central. The Cardinals still have a few talented players on their roster, one […]

Shai Gilgeous-Alexander already broke out as one of the league’s top-five players during his electric 2022-23 season, but now, it seems like he has taken his game to an entirely different level for the Oklahoma City Thunder. Gilgeous-Alexander has become thoroughly unstoppable at the point of attack, and his latest performance, a 36-point, six-rebound, seven-assist […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have played at a much better level as of late, as they saw the return of Ja Morant from a 25-game suspension breathe new life into the team. It was an early Christmas for the Grizzlies, with Morant playing at a high level one would never think he missed a chunk of […]

Connor McDavid continues to tear up the opposition in the NHL, and the Edmonton Oilers continue to go on a roll as a result. On Tuesday night, the Oilers took care of business against the Philadelphia Flyers, defeating them 5-2 at home thanks in large part to McDavid’s impact. The 26-year old center added not […]

On Tuesday night, the Philadelphia 76ers saw the return of Joel Embiid from a four-game hiatus, and it was as if Embiid didn’t miss any time. In just 31 minutes of play against the Chicago Bulls, Embiid dropped a huge triple-double, tallying 31 points, 15 rebounds, and 10 assists to lead the Sixers to a […]

It’s shaping up to be a very crucial offseason for the San Diego Padres. After shooting for the stars over the past few years, the Padres are cutting costs and looking to recoup value for some of their biggest stars, hence their decision to trade away Juan Soto to the New York Yankees. Now, in […]

The Los Angeles Clippers have, indeed, figured things out. After losing six straight games in the immediate aftermath of their blockbuster trade for James Harden, Tyronn Lue and his men have rallied, winning 17 of their next 22 games. This has now brought them all the way to fourth place in the loaded Western Conference, […]

Cody Bellinger picked the right time for a career renaissance; in 2023, after the Los Angeles Dodgers non-tendered the 2019 NL MVP, the Chicago Cubs signed him to a one-year, $5.5 million deal. And Bellinger promptly tore the cover off the baseball. Now, he is drawing plenty of interest as he makes his return to […]

The Utah Jazz may be playing at a much better level as of late, but the writing remains on the wall with regards to their status as a selling team come the trade deadline. After all, with a 15-19 record, the Jazz still sit way outside the playoff picture, and a cursory look at their […]

Dwight Howard, after spending last season with the Taoyuan Beer Leopards of the T1 league in Taiwan, will continue to ply his basketball services in the continent of Asia. This time, however, Howard will be suiting up for the Philippines contingent that will be competing in the 2024 iteration of the Dubai International Basketball Championship. […]

There was much uncertainty surrounding Kyrie Irving’s health when he went down with a concerning knee injury back on December 8. But thankfully, Irving’s injury wasn’t too serious, and the Dallas Mavericks finally had him back in the lineup during their New Year’s Day clash against the Utah Jazz. However, Irving’s return ended in nothing […]

The Detroit Pistons were making all sorts of ignominious history to end the 2023 calendar year. It seemed like with every loss, the walls caved in on an organization that was floundering. The Pistons set the record for the most consecutive losses in a single-season and they also tied the record for most consecutive defeats […]

The last time the Utah Jazz faced the Dallas Mavericks, the infamous “masterpiece of dogs**t” game happened. That was when the Jazz suffered a 50-point blowout defeat, 147-97, back on December 6, 2023. However, the Jazz were severely shorthanded during that game, missing the likes of Lauri Markkanen and Jordan Clarkson, among others, during that […]

After a drawn out will they-won’t they trade dance with the Toronto Raptors, the New York Knicks finally pulled off a blockbuster deal for OG Anunoby — giving the team an elite perimeter defender and one of the best 3-and-D guys in the association. However, to acquire talent, one must relinquish talent. In acquiring Anunoby, […]

The Miami Heat have put the basketball world on notice with their incredible ability as an organization to bring out the best in nearly every player that manages to latch onto the roster. This is the famous Heat Culture effect, and Jaime Jaquez Jr., the swingman drafted by the franchise with the 18th pick of […]

There was considerable excitement surrounding the Miami Dolphins this past Sunday when they took on the Baltimore Ravens in a clash between two powerhouse AFC teams that could have major playoff repercussions. However, that excitement quickly turned to consternation. Not only did the Dolphins lose in blowout fashion to the streaking Ravens, 56-19, they also […]

Time is ticking for the Toronto Raptors, and they continue to be in limbo. Ever since crashing to the NBA’s dreaded middle-ground last season, the future of Pascal Siakam with the franchise has been speculated upon. After all, the Raptors have a 12-18 record at the moment, and it appears as though they’re going nowhere […]

The Detroit Pistons have been the laughingstock of the league during the 2023-24 season. Despite bringing in head coach Monty Williams to instill a winning culture, they have proceeded to go on a historic losing streak, entering their Thursday night matchup against the Boston Celtics losers of 27 games in a row. However, the Pistons […]

On Thursday night, it seemed as though another loss was in the offing for the Detroit Pistons, as they had to face the team with the best record in the NBA, the Boston Celtics, to try and snap their 27-game losing streak. However, Cade Cunningham made sure that the Pistons were not going down without […]

The mere fact that Bronny James is back on the court and healthy for the USC Trojans basketball team is already a huge win in and of itself after the 19-year old suffered a terrifying health scare back in July. But now, his return to the hardwood means that it’s time for him to put […]

Before the 2023-24 season began, the Oklahoma City Thunder were already garnering some buzz as a potential playoff contender in the loaded Western Conference, with analysts seeing promise in the team due to the impending arrival of Chet Holmgren, the second overall pick of the 2022 NBA Draft who missed his entire first season as […]

The Houston Rockets have done a good enough job of being competitive during the 2023-24 season thus far. The hiring of new head coach Ime Udoka has worked out for the best, while the additions of Fred VanVleet and Dillon Brooks via free agency have given them a defense-first identity, helping turn things around for […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder are seeing the fruits of their three-year rebuild pay off in a big way in the 2023-24 season. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has continued his MVP-level play, and the rest of the Thunder roster have caught up, giving him as ideal a supporting cast as there can be in the modern NBA. On […]

The New York Knicks, coming off a huge Christmas Day victory over the Milwaukee Bucks, had to face another difficult test on Wednesday night, facing an Oklahoma City Thunder team that has established itself as one of the best in the NBA in the 2023-24 season. In the end, Tom Thibodeau’s men fell short, with […]