Matthew Schmidt Articles - Page 108

The Sacramento Kings haven’t made a lot of big moves this offseason, but they have certainly gotten better, making some depth signings to bolster their young and talented roster. The Kings entered the offseason with a ton of cap space, but it was widely accepted that no big names would be signing in Sacramento. Still, […]

The two Los Angeles teams may have stolen all of the headlines out West, but the Utah Jazz have had a terrific offseason and have improved dramatically as a ballclub. The Jazz have added Mike Conley and Bojan Bogdanovic to their team, finally giving them a couple of legitimate offensive weapons alongside of Donovan Mitchell. […]

The Portland Trail Blazers are coming off a 2018-19 campaign in which they made the Western Conference Finals, only to be swept by the Golden State Warriors. They then entered an offseason in which they lacked flexibility due to financial constraints, but they still made some things happen. The Blazers signed Damian Lillard to a […]

Anthony Davis rubbed a lot of people the wrong way when he requested a trade from the New Orleans Pelicans earlier this season, and he annoyed even more people when he essentially forced his way to the Los Angeles Lakers. But on Saturday, as Davis was being introduced as a new member of the Lakers, […]

The Los Angeles Lakers swung a blockbuster deal to acquire Anthony Davis in a trade with the New Orleans Pelicans last month, and on Saturday, Davis was officially introduced as a new member of the Lakers. Lakers head coach Frank Vogel is obviously excited about the prospect of coaching both Davis and LeBron James, and […]

The Los Angeles Lakers acquired Anthony Davis in a blockbuster trade with the New Orleans Pelicans last month, and on Saturday, Davis was officially introduced as a member of the Lakers. Lakers general manager Rob Pelinka called it “a history-shifting day” for the franchise, also calling Davis the “most dominant young basketball player in the […]

The Los Angeles Lakers officially introduced Anthony Davis as a new member of the team on Saturday, about a month after acquiring him in a blockbuster trade with the New Orleans Pelicans. And how did Davis find out he was dealt? Well, apparently, he found out on Instagram, just like 95 percent of other people […]

Seth Curry is back with the Dallas Mavericks, signing a four-year, $32 million deal for his second go-around in Dallas. He joins a squad that already includes Kristaps Porzingis and Luka Doncic, a duo that could be very, very good so long as Porzingis is able to stay healthy. Curry is excited about the Mavericks […]

The Portland Trail Blazers acquired big man Hassan Whiteside in a trade with the Miami Heat earlier this month, a move that left some scratching their heads at what exactly the Blazers were doing. But don’t count Portland star Damian Lillard among those people. Lillard was thrilled to have Whiteside aboard, and Whiteside says that […]

Seth Curry is back in Dallas for his second stint with the Mavericks, and he is excited for how head coach Rick Carlisle will utilize him this time around: “Rick Carlisle is a good coach. It’s as simple as that,” Curry said on ESPN Dallas 103.3. “He puts his players in good positions to succeed […]

The San Antonio Spurs have had a relatively quiet offseason, which should not come as much of a surprise to anyone. Outside of landing LaMarcus Aldridge during the summer of 2016, the Spurs are not typically big players in free agency, and that trend has remained true this summer. San Antonio brought back Rudy Gay, […]

Minnesota Timberwolves wing Andrew Wiggins has not exactly lived up to expectations, and his 2018-19 campaign may have been the worst season of his career yet. But Timberwolves head coach Ryan Saunders says that he thinks Wiggins will be determined to prove all of his doubters wrong next season: “That’s going to be an ongoing […]

Washington Redskins linebacker Ryan Anderson has not been all that productive over his first two NFL seasons, which is why he feels like the 2019 campaign may be his last chance to prove himself with the Redskins: “I would say it’s do or die for me,” Anderson said, according to Kyle Stackpole of the Redskins’ […]

Back in 2009, the New England Patriots used a seventh-round draft pick on a little-known Kent State quarterback named Julian Edelman. Of course, with Tom Brady under center, the Patriots ended up moving Edelman to wide receiver, and the rest is history. But Edelman wasn’t even sure New England would draft him: “Well the Patriots […]

Buffalo Bills quarterback Josh Allen is coming off of a rather up-and-down rookie campaign, and he has dedicated some of his offseason to watching all of the things he did wrong in 2018 and getting better: “It’s (about) staying hungry. I know there’s a lot of things that I missed on last year,” Allen said […]

The 2018 campaign was nothing short of a disaster for the Jacksonville Jaguars, as they won just five games a year after making it all the way to the AFC Championship Game and looking like a legitimate Super Bowl contender. Now, the Jaguars have much more modest hopes going into 2019, as no one expects […]

The Kansas City Chiefs are coming off of a 2018 campaign in which they won 12 games, captured the AFC West division title and made it all the way to the AFC Championship Game, but they have their sights set on bigger goals in 2019. With an MVP quarterback in Patrick Mahomes, the Chiefs are […]

Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander is coming off of a solid rookie campaign in which he played 13 games and finished with 66 tackles, an interception, a couple of fumble recoveries and 11 passes defended. So, just what does Alexander want to do for an encore in 2019? “Year two? I’m going to be […]

The Chicago Bears will play host to the NFC North division rival Green Bay Packers to kick off the 2019 NFL season on Thursday, Sept. 5, and Bears head coach Matt Nagy is thrilled to get that primetime slot: “So, what I learned from coach [Andy] Reid when we were in Philadelphia and Kansas City […]

After spending the last three years of his career with the Baltimore Ravens, Eric Weddle is now a member of the Los Angeles Rams, and he seems thrilled to be playing with cornerbacks Aqib Talib and Marcus Peters. As a matter of fact, he feels the Rams’ cornerbacks may be the best group he has […]

Last July, the Boston Celtics looked like the class of the Eastern Conference and the biggest threat to challenge the Golden State Warriors for the throne. Fast forward a year later, and things are, well, different. Not only are the Warriors afterthoughts in the ever-changing NBA landscape, but the Celtics have gone from Eastern Conference […]

The Toronto Raptors have gone from being NBA champions to a fringe playoff team in the blink of an eye. After losing Kawhi Leonard to the Los Angeles Clippers in free agency, the Raptors can pretty much kiss their championship hopes goodbye going into the 2019-20 campaign, and now, they are left with some major […]

We all saw this coming in Golden State, but not exactly in this fashion. While Kevin Durant leaving the Warriors was a decision that was widely expected since the winter, the manner in which it occurred was unique, to say the least, and Golden State then turning around and swinging a deal from D’Angelo Russell […]

The Miami Heat put an end to the Hassan Whiteside era earlier this month, trading the big man to the Portland Trail Blazers after a five-year run in South Beach. But in spite of the fact that Whiteside’s tenure with the Heat did not exactly end well, he still has fond memories of his time […]

The Los Angeles Lakers made one of the biggest splashes in league history this offseason, swinging a trade for New Orleans Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis, giving them a dynamic duo of Davis and LeBron James. The Lakers also tried to bring in Kawhi Leonard via free agency, but Leonard opted to sign with the Los […]

It’s the end of an era in Oklahoma City, as the Thunder have traded Russell Westbrook to the Houston Rockets for Chris Paul and a couple of draft picks. It’s hard to envision Westbrook wearing another uniform, but the time had clearly come for the two sides to part ways as OKC looks to being […]

The Houston Rockets were one of the quietest teams in the NBA this offseason up until Thursday night, when they swung a trade to land Russell Westbrook, sending Chris Paul and some draft picks back to the Oklahoma City Thunder in return. Westbrook will now be reunited with James Harden, his teammate of three years […]

Tennessee Titans wide receiver Corey Davis is coming off of a very solid 2018 campaign in which he hauled in 65 receptions for 891 yards and four touchdowns. I hesitate to call it a “breakout” season, because Davis still has a lot of work to do, and I think 2019 could actually represent his true […]

Tampa Bay Buccaneers quarterback Jameis Winston is entering the final year of his deal, so he is running out of chances to show the Buccaneers he can be the team’s quarterback of the future. However, Buccaneers quarterbacks coach Clyde Christensen seems to think big things are in store for Winston in 2019, saying that the […]

When you think about the Cleveland Browns offense and all of the weapons that Baker Mayfield will have at his disposal, you think of names like Odell Beckham Jr., Jarvis Landry, Nick Chubb and Kareem Hunt. You probably wouldn’t think of tight end David Njoku, who isn’t exactly a household name just yet, but that […]

Los Angeles Chargers running back Melvin Gordon wants a new contract, and he is threatening to hold out if he doesn’t get one. Gordon is not only hoping to make some more money for himself, but he is also hoping to end the trend of running backs not being valued as highly as they should […]

The Denver Broncos are coming off of a 2018 campaign in which they won just six games, marking the first time they had endured back-to-back losing seasons since 1972, a truly incredible feat. The Broncos have not made the playoffs since last winning the Super Bowl during the 2015-16 campaign, and going into 2019, Denver […]

The Dallas Cowboys are coming off of a 2018 campaign in which they own 10 games and captured the NFC East division title before eventually falling to the Los Angeles Rams in the Divisional Round of the playoffs. Now, the Cowboys are entering 2019 with high expectations and could very well be a darkhorse Super […]

Rob Gronkowski announced his retirement from the game of football earlier this offseason, but right from the beginning, many questioned whether or not he would actually stay retired. Well, we are getting more and more evidence that Gronkowski may end up coming back after all. Not only did his agent, Drew Rosenhaus, say that he […]

New Orleans Saints head coach Sean Payton knows more than anyone how a non-call on pass interference could affect the outcome of a game, but now, Payton and every other NFL coach will have the opportunity to challenge those plays. The thing is, you only get two challenges a game, and three if you are […]

The Philadelphia Eagles won just nine games this past season, but there are some rather high expectations for the club heading into 2019, and NFL analyst and former Eagles quarterback Ron Jaworski is going as far to say that Philadelphia can rack up 14 wins. “Veterans players. All-Pro players. There are well-coached players on both […]

The Oakland Raiders are now going into their second year with Jon Gruden at the helm, and while many have criticized Gruden’s decision-making process thus far, Raiders linebacker Tahir Whitehead has confidence in his head coach: “I think Gruden understands what needs to be done,” Whitehead said, via the Raiders’ official Twitter account. “He’s taken […]

The Philadelphia Eagles handed quarterback Carson Wentz the largest deal in NFL history this offseason, signing him to a six-year, $154 million contract extension last month. Obviously, the Eagles are committing to Wentz as the franchise quarterback long term, and head coach Doug Pederson says that Wentz is the “face of the franchise” moving forward. […]

The Philadelphia Eagles made a couple of additions to their backfield this offseason, swinging a trade with the Chicago Bears for Jordan Howard and then selecting Miles Sanders in the second round of the draft. Eagles head coach Doug Pederson is excited about what both running backs will bring to the table, first praising Howard: […]