Maximo Gonzales Articles - Page 137

It was a whirlwind day for Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball amidst the distractions involving his brother’s shoplifting allegations. While the family was dealing with the situation in China, Ball was trying to stay focused on the task at hand versus Kyrie Irving and the Boston Celtics. Although the Lakers managed to stay within striking […]

The Boston Celtics managed to further cement their place atop the NBA standings with a 107-96 win over the Los Angeles Lakers. After playing it close for most of the game, the Celtics managed to put away the Lakers in the final minutes. Unfortunately, it may have come at a bit of a cost after […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder made it clear they were not going to sit out the 2017-18 NBA season without providing last year’s MVP Russell Westbrook with some quality help. On paper, the acquisition of superstars Paul George and Carmelo Anthony made plenty of sense given their lack of firepower on offense. However, the question remained […]

The Boston Celtics are arguably the most storied franchise in the NBA. With a league-leading 17 NBA titles and an extensive list of legendary players, establishing oneself amongst the greats is no easy task. However, Pierce managed to do just that during his illustrious 15-year tenure as a Celtic. So it should come as no […]

It has been two seasons since the illustrious career of Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant came to a dramatic close. Before the 60-point finale and the five championships, or all the other immaculate feats he accomplished, he was just a wiry teenager from Philadelphia with a massive chip on his shoulder. Despite his youthfulness, […]

The most unlikely member of the ‘Big Baller Brand’ made headlines recently for all the wrong reasons. During UCLA’s trip to China, freshman LiAngelo Ball and two other teammates were arrested for shoplifting sunglasses from a local Louis Vuitton store in Hangzhou. The news comes at a bad time for Los Angeles Lakers point guard […]

The ‘Big Baller Brand’ was dealt a blow following the arrest of UCLA freshman LiAngelo Ball in China. It was reported that he and two other teammates were arrested by local Hangzhou police for allegedly stealing Louis Vuitton sunglasses. The Ball family sans Lonzo immediately flew out to deal with the ongoing situation. While little has […]

It has been a disappointing year for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers thus far in the 2017 NFL season. To make matters worse, the culmination of their frustration was on full display during a 30-10 loss at the hands of the New Orleans Saints in Week 9. Mike Evans ended up, unfortunately, being an embodiment of that […]

New York Knicks budding star Kristaps Porzingis has been the team’s best player by far through the first few weeks of the 2017-18 NBA season. After an inauspicious summer, the Knicks have made it clear that Porzingis will be the focal point of their franchise moving forward. Meanwhile, it seems some New Yorkers are ready […]

L.A. Clippers superstar Blake Griffin established himself early on as a highlight reel for show-stopping dunks. He furthered his high-flying profile by winning the NBA Slam Dunk Contest and playing a vital role in the ‘Lob City’ era of the Clippers. However, Blake Griffin has since become a much more complete player as he enters […]

Los Angeles Lakers rookie Lonzo Ball entered the league as perhaps one of the most highly-touted prospect in recent years. With such high expectations, it is fair to say Ball has underwhelmed through the first couple of weeks of the 2017-18 NBA season. One of the biggest concerns regarding Lonzo Ball going back to high […]

The Milwaukee Bucks made a splash just a few weeks into the 2017-18 NBA season by trading for the Phoenix Suns’ disgruntled point guard in Eric Bledsoe. It was a whirlwind start to the season for Bledsoe after a cryptic tweet essentially facilitated his departure from Phoenix. Despite insisting that his message was regarding a […]

The San Antonio Spurs always manage to fly under the radar up until playoff time and the 2017-18 NBA season is no different. The Spurs have gotten off to a solid 6-4 start even without their superstar Kawhi Leonard. Leonard is still nursing a quad injury that has kept him out of both the preseason […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder made it clear they were not going let 2016-17 NBA MVP Russell Westbrook take on the Western Conference alone. As a result, they brought in a couple of established superstars in Paul George and Carmelo Anthony. However, the Thunder have yet to synergize after beginning the 2017-18 NBA season just 4-5. […]

It is difficult to nitpick where one can improve when they are performing at the highest level. That is certainly the case for Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry. Per usual, the Warriors have gotten off to a slow start to the 2017-18 NBA season. With no shortage of offensive firepower, it is the defense […]

The Toronto Raptors have gotten off to a modest 5-4 start to the 2017-18 NBA season. The Raptors have made it clear that they will be going with a more versatile offensive approach this year as opposed to relying so heavily on point guard Kyle Lowry. As a result, the three-time All-Star has had difficulty finding his […]

The Washington Wizards were touted as one of the elite teams in the Eastern Conference coming into the 2017-18 NBA season. Despite their lackluster 5-4 start, the Wizards have begun to look impressive as of late thanks to the stellar play of shooting guard Bradley Beal. Beal has stepped up in place of four-time All-Star John […]

Despite being in one of the smallest markets in the nation, the Milwaukee Bucks have a storied history of hosting some of the best players to ever set foot on the hardwood. Generational talents like the “Big O” Oscar Robertson and the player formerly known as Lew Alcindor helped establish the Bucks as a legitimate […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves undoubtedly have some big expectations going into the 2017-18 NBA season. The Timberwolves’ newly revamped roster is a testament to how much confidence head coach and President of Basketball Operations Tom Thibodeau has in their young talent. Of course, it all begins with center/power forward Karl-Anthony Towns. Towns has become arguably the […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves doubled down on their belief in former No. 1 overall pick Andrew Wiggins by offering him a five-year, $148 million contract extension. This comes after the Timberwolves made perhaps their biggest splash in NBA free agency since trading away then All-Star Kevin Love for the very man they want to sign now. While […]

The trade between the Brooklyn Nets and Boston Celtics prior to the 2013-14 NBA season will perhaps go down as one of the most lopsided deals in league history. The Nets essentially gave up four first-round picks in exchange for aging superstars Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. However, it is a deal that could have […]

They say even bad publicity is good publicity. Unfortunately, that hardly rings true for the New York Knicks, who right now are mired in a rut of epic proportions entering the 2017-18 NBA season. Not even the delusional optimism of newly-signed forward Michael Beasley was enough to spur the slightest bit of support from ESPN analyst […]

Los Angeles Lakers rookie point guard Lonzo Ball has received overwhelming support from fans and peers alike since entering the league. Not only is he presumably the best player in the 2017 NBA Draft, but the 19-year-old phenom has even launched his very own brand despite not playing a single game. Ball’s path to the league […]

The Los Angeles Lakers have produced some of the most iconic figures in NBA history. With each decade, the Lakers franchise has somehow managed to assemble one historic dynasty after another. However, it could be argued that no era of Lakers basketball dominated the league quite like Kobe Bryant and Shaquille O’Neal did in the […]

The votes for the 2017 Naismith Memorial Hall of Fame class came and went this summer without one notable nominee. In his first year of eligibility, Detroit Pistons legend Ben Wallace was the odd man out for this year’s enshrinement. It is worth noting that the contributions considered are for the entire sport of basketball, not […]

New Charlotte Hornets center Dwight Howard has become somewhat of a journeyman since his glory days with the Orlando Magic. Once regarded as the best defensive player in the game, Howard became more of a shell of his former self with each team he joined. After leaving his third team in five seasons, there was […]

The Detroit Pistons were undoubtedly one of the NBA’s premier teams in the early-to-mid 2000’s. Although their squad was loaded with All-Stars, it was big man Ben Wallace who served as the anchor of that lineup. As an uncanny defender and ferocious shot-blocker, Wallace helped the Pistons to their first championship in over a decade. […]

With the ever-changing landscape of today’s NBA, the Houston Rockets’ acquisition of All-Star point guard Chris Paul largely flew under the radar. Despite a season in which All-Star guard James Harden finished second in MVP voting, the Rockets went out and got perhaps the best pure point guard in the league. While it may seem a […]

The Boston Celtics may have finally put together a squad that could challenge the Cleveland Cavaliers for Eastern Conference supremacy. While point guard Kyrie Irving is seemingly the final piece of the puzzle, the move was facilitated by Boston’s signing of then-Utah Jazz forward Gordon Hayward in free agency. Despite being selected to just his first […]

NBA journalists recently came under fire by players after publishing their respective NBA player rankings. While it is understandable for fans, and players alike to have some disagreements, the league’s elite will always manage to finish somewhere at the top. With that said, here are ESPN’s Top 10 players heading into the 2017-18 NBA season, […]

With the annual release of NBA 2K, players and fans alike clamor to find out the overall ratings of their favorite athletes. This year was no different with the highly-anticipated NBA 2k18 finally in stores. However, one player who is not concerned about his rating is San Antonio Spurs wingman Danny Green, according to Michael […]

Former NBA All-Star Stephon Marbury recently made headlines after announcing his attempt at an NBA comeback. While it may seem farfetched at his age, Marbury is confident that his resume will convince current NBA teams to give him a shot. After an accomplished professional basketball career both here and overseas in China, Stephon Marbury even went […]

With every offseason comes the opportunity for NBA writers to give their predictions on players and teams. It seems the athletes finally have had enough after writers across the league caught plenty of flak for their slew of player rankings heading into 2017-18 NBA season. It began with ESPN and Sports Illustrated’s questionable ranking of […]

When Ray Allen left the Boston Celtics for the Miami Heat prior to the 2013 NBA season it undoubtedly left a bad taste in the mouth of his former teammates. However, there was no way anyone could have predicted that it would turn into a nearly decade long grudge between the former 2008 NBA champions. […]

The New York Knicks have been a flat-out disaster since the beginning of the Phil Jackson regime. With Jackson now gone, the team is still feeling the effects after an unsettling offseason regarding two of their biggest superstars in forwards Carmelo Anthony and Kristaps Porzingis. Despite their recent struggles, the Knicks still have arguably two […]

After arguably the worst five-year stretch in franchise history, the Philadelphia 76ers are finally looking to reverse their fortunes. At least, that is what Hall of Famer and Sixers legend Julius Erving is hoping for. The Sixers revamped squad has Erving convinced that Philadelphia may finally be able to make that leap into the playoffs, […]

The Orlando Magic have had a tough road back to Eastern Conference relevance following the departure of center Dwight Howard. However, the Magic have quietly put together a solid squad led by point guard Elfrid Payton and forward Aaron Gordon. In fact, Gordon has so much confidence in Orlando that he has promised they will […]

The trade between the Boston Celtics and Cleveland Cavaliers was undoubtedly the biggest move in the NBA this offseason. However, what made the deal even more intriguing were the reasons that spurred point guard Kyrie Irving‘s departure from Cleveland. After three consecutive trips to the NBA Finals, it seems Irving was ready to take on […]

The Charlotte Hornets have had some trouble staying in the playoff picture in recent years. However, the team is hoping to change its fortunes in trading for center Dwight Howard and signing point guard Michael Carter-Williams. Unfortunately, Williams had to undergo procedures on both knees in August. Without a set timetable for his return, the […]