Robbie Stratakos Articles - Page 6

Despite the 4-7 start, there’s a lot of optimism surrounding the Chicago Bulls, mostly generated by their young nucleus. And there’s a member of that nucleus whose progression will advance the team’s rebuild: rookie Coby White. The Bulls selected White with the seventh pick in the 2019 NBA Draft. The point guard played one year […]

Stephen Curry broke his left hand, Klay Thompson tore his ACL in Game 6 of the 2019 NBA Finals, Kevin Durant no longer resides in the Bay Area, and Draymond Green and D’Angelo Russell are nursing day-to-day injuries. Fair to say this isn’t how the Golden State Warriors envisioned the 2019-20 season unfolding? Now the […]

Yes, the most notable highlight of the young 2019-20 NBA season for the Minnesota Timberwolves has been Karl-Anthony Towns getting into a fight with Joel Embiid. This comes after Towns, Jimmy Butler, and the Timberwolves had their ugly falling-out last season, which concluded with the organization trading Butler and finishing with a losing record (36-46). […]

Year one of the Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving era in Brooklyn will be devoid of Kevin Durant — as the 2013-14 NBA Most Valuable Player Award recipient is expected to miss the 2019-20 season due to an Achilles tendon injury. In the meantime, the Brooklyn Nets will look to build off their 2019 playoff appearance. […]

Julius Randle is dawning the orange and blue and looking to show the NBA world why the New York Knicks gave him a three-year, $62.1 million deal. While he’s already a skilled offensive player, sustaining a reliable jump shot would take Randle’s game to the next level — and silence the critics. Randle is coming […]

Russell Westbrook is gone. Paul George is gone. And the Oklahoma City Thunder have entered a rebuild. At the same time, they still have some seasoned veterans such as Chris Paul, Steven Adams, and Danilo Gallinari. Inevitably, these three have and will continue to be mentioned as potential trade candidates through the NBA trade deadline. […]

The Boston Celtics are assembled to be a playoff team in the Eastern Conference that can perhaps get to the second round, but they don’t seem like a legitimate title contender right now. However, if Jaylen Brown blossoms into a star, the Celtics could move into that contender tier. For the Celtics, the summer of […]

The NBA has become a sport where there’s nearly as many teams contending for the championship as there are teams tanking for the number one pick in the NBA Draft. The teams that have been associated with the latter in recent years include the New York Knicks, Phoenix Suns, Cleveland Cavaliers, Chicago Bulls, Atlanta Hawks, […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are going to have LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the floor together this season, yet some are overlooking their pairing; it’s an enormous mistake. It’s no secret that the 2018-19 NBA season was a train wreck for the Lakers. It began as a season of hope with James’ arrival but […]

The NBA offseason has triggered a lot of excitement heading into the 2019-20 season, but it has also produced a lot of high expectations. Here are six players under immense pressure to have big seasons. 6. Jayson Tatum, Boston Celtics Kyrie Irving and Al Horford are gone, and while Kemba Walker’s arrival is a major […]

The Milwaukee Bucks and Philadelphia 76ers are the only teams in the Eastern Conference who pose a threat to win the NBA Finals this season. Concurrently, there’s a player whose presence on the floor could help his team challenge the top dogs in the conference: Victor Oladipo. Oladpio suffered a gruesome knee injury back in […]

Jamal Crawford is one of the more high-profile players left on the open market. Crawford, 39, is coming off his 19th NBA season and has played for eight teams (Chicago Bulls, New York Knicks, Golden State Warriors, Atlanta Hawks, Portland Trail Blazers, Los Angeles Clippers, Minnesota Timberwolves, and Phoenix Suns). With NBA training camp around […]

The Orlando Magic are coming off their first playoff appearance since 2012 and will be looking to make a return to such play this season. In an effort to maintain their playoff status, they re-signed center Nikola Vucevic and wing Terrence Ross to four-year deals, respectively, while signing forward Al-Farouq Aminu to a three-year, $29 […]

The New York Knicks are going to be sporting a lot of new faces this season. The Knicks added a lot of proven veterans and young projects by drafting RJ Barrett and Ignas Brazdeikis while signing Julius Randle, Taj Gibson, Bobby Portis, Reggie Bullock, Wayne Ellington, Elfrid Payton, and Marcus Morris. Coming off a 17-win season […]

The Sacramento Kings are a team on the rise at the wrong time in the wrong conference. Last season was an enormous step in the right direction for the Kings. They went 39-43, their youth took the next step in their development, and they were in the playoff mix for the bulk of the regular […]

The New York Knicks are building through a young core, which includes RJ Barrett, Kevin Knox, Mitchell Robinson, Dennis Smith Jr., Allonzo Trier, Damyean Dotson, Frank Ntilikina, and Ignas Brazdeikis. The million dollar question is whether any of the aforementioned players will grow into a star. Well, here’s the ceiling for every member of the […]

Bradley Beal is one of the biggest trade candidates in the NBA right now. However, the Washington Wizards are better off keeping their homegrown star, rather than trading him and embarking on a severe rebuilding project. There is merit behind the Wizards potentially trading Beal, especially if he rejects the three-year extension worth roughly $112 […]

Chris Paul is a veteran point guard on a rebuilding team who’s still absent of an NBA championship. The Miami Heat sign-and-traded for Jimmy Butler this offseason, but still need a facelift and jolt to catapult up the Eastern Conference. See where this is going? Why Paul needs the Heat The Houston Rockets traded Paul […]

Loud noise can be distracting and difficult to remove from our brains. The NBA offseason exemplifies this. Numerous playoff teams in the Western Conference made immense moves to improve their rosters. Meanwhile, one of the best teams in the conference, the Denver Nuggets, didn’t, and they’ve become the forgotten contender out West because of it. […]

CLUTCH Summary: Every NBA season players seemingly come out of nowhere to have breakout campaigns. The upcoming voyage will be no different. Not every breakout player is a former NBA Draft lottery selection or some talent who was always projected to eventually get to this point. There are, however, former top picks turned perceived busts […]

CLUTCH Summary: Markelle Fultz is a former No. 1 overall NBA Draft pick, but has infamously struggled with his shooting since arriving in the league. Eventually, the Philadelphia 76ers essentially gave up on the young guard, sending him to the Orlando Magic. With a change of scenery and less eyeballs watching his every move, Markelle […]

Zion Williamson is about to embark on one of the most highly anticipated rookie seasons in NBA history. However, it has come with a notion that the big man is locked in to be a star and excel from the get-go. These are unfair and, quite frankly, unrealistic expectations for Williamson to meet as a […]

This summer has been one of the most exuberant spending sprees in NBA history. With several high-profile players such as Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, and Kyrie Irving changing teams in NBA free agency, the sport’s landscape was essentially encapsulated after a few drastic changes. Meanwhile, there were several under-the-radar signings which were glanced over. Here […]

This offseason has been one of the most eventful transaction periods in NBA history with several high-profile players changing teams. Here’s a ranking of how these players will impact their new teams. Note: Kevin Durant is not included in this ranking based on the likelihood that he misses the 2019-20 NBA season due to an […]

The dust has settled with NBA free agency. The big names are off the board, and a handful of significant trades have taken place. With that said, several impactful players remain on the open market such as Kyle Korver. The veteran wing has been a member of three teams this offseason. In a trade for […]

When the Oklahoma City Thunder agreed to trade Paul George to the Los Angeles Clippers, a gut reaction was that Russell Westbrook was the next player on the move, and understandably so. At the same time, a potential Westbrook trade comes with several complexities, from Oklahoma City’s perspective.  4. A Westbrook trade is going to […]

NBA fans woke up to the news of Kawhi Leonard signing with the Los Angeles Clippers recently, as well as the organization trading Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, Danilo Gallinari, four first-round picks, and two pick swaps to the Oklahoma City Thunder for Paul George. Leonard and George give the Clippers a formidable one-two punch, but bigger than […]

The New York Knicks are being ridiculed and mocked at an overwhelming rate based on not signing a superstar free agent such as Kevin Durant or Kyrie Irving. Concurrently, in the midst of public hysteria over what they haven’t done, the Knicks pulled off a phenomenal signing, agreeing to terms with forward Julius Randle. Sunday […]

The Houston Rockets are coming off their second consecutive playoff series loss to the Golden State Warriors, and they’re looking to make a significant move to change their fortunes — which isn’t surprising. But acquiring Jimmy Butler, in hopes of him being the missing piece to their championship aspirations, is a terrible idea. One of […]

With the likes of Kevin Durant, Kawhi Leonard, Kyrie Irving, and other stars hitting the NBA free agency market, the sport is bound to endure a historic offseason. At the same time, there’s also going to be plenty of glanced over veterans available who could be the missing piece and/or player who lifts a team […]

This summer’s NBA free agent market features some intriguing players who are poised to fall under the radar, such as forward Jabari Parker. The 2014 number two overall pick signed a two-year deal with the Chicago Bulls last offseason, but was traded to the Washington Wizards before the NBA trade deadline. The Wizards recently declined […]

Willie Cauley-Stein’s time as a member of the Sacramento Kings appears to be coming to an end. According to Cauley-Stein’s agent, Roger Montgomery (by way of The Sacramento Bee‘s Jason Anderson), the center wants to play elsewhere next season. Cauley-Stein spent the first four seasons of his NBA career with the Kings, where he was […]

Cleveland Cavaliers big man Kevin Love has become a forgotten commodity. Last offseason, the Cavs gave Love a four-year $120 million extension (which begins in the 2019-20 season) partially to save face. They lost LeBron James to the Los Angeles Lakers in free agency, and traded Kyrie Irving to the Boston Celtics the summer prior. […]

As the NBA world encapsulates itself in the New Orleans Pelicans trading Anthony Davis to the Los Angeles Lakers, the team with the most intriguing situation heading into this week’s NBA Draft has received little to no press: the Atlanta Hawks. The Hawks own three first-round picks in Thursday’s NBA Draft. Added onto their own […]

The Brooklyn Nets are looking to make franchise-altering moves this offseason, but it may include letting go of some prominent contributors from their 42-win 2018-19 season — which was highlighted by a playoff appearance. According to SNY’s Ian Begley, if the Nets come to an agreement with point guard Kyrie Irving in free agency, D’Angelo […]

After dropping Game 6 of the NBA Finals Thursday night, the Golden State Warriors’ quest to three-peat and win the championship for the fourth time in five seasons has been terminated. However, it’s not their biggest loss: Kevin Durant fractured his Achilles In Game 5 while Klay Thompson tore his ACL in Game 6 With […]

Kawhi Leonard is widely regarded as an NBA superstar. With that said, superstars must be challenged to confirm their merits, and Game 6 of the NBA Finals is going to be the biggest 48 minutes of Leonard’s career. The 2018-19 NBA season has brought out the best version of Leonard the league has ever seen. […]

It appears increasingly likely that the Boston Celtics will lose Kyrie Irving to free agency, which would leave them without a superstar player. But if Irving bolts, the Celtics shouldn’t make a move to fill the void his departure would create. They should instead build through their core. The 2018-19 NBA season didn’t go as […]

This year’s NBA Free Agency has the chance to be one of the most historic transaction periods in league history given the stars hitting the open market. Let’s put where we think, or where it has been reported, these players may go to the side. What teams are the best fit for them? Jimmy Butler […]