Sean Barnard Articles - Page 8

The Timberwolves are coming off a successful season in which they made it to the playoffs for the first time in four seasons. Minnesota was knocked out by the Memphis Grizzlies after their 46-36 regular season. The growth of Anthony Edwards and the intensity of Patrick Beverly have brought a newfound life to the franchise. […]

The state of the Brooklyn Nets has drastically changed in the past few days. After being looked at as one of the biggest title contenders with their superstar tandem, the fall from grace has been rapid. Kyrie Irving evaluated the market and did his best to find a new location before taking the money and […]

The Big Apple, and the New York Knicks, are ready to not only welcome Jalen Brunson to the fold, but Isaiah Hartenstein. A truly wild start to the 2022 NBA free agency period for New York’s favorite team. The Knicks have been one of the main NBA storylines this offseason. They jumped through a variety […]

While this past Los Angeles Lakers season was a massive disappointment, Malik Monk proved to be a bright spot on a regular basis. Following a subpar start to his career, Monk elected to take a prove-it deal and sign a veteran’s minimum with Los Angeles. The Lakers intended on bringing the 24-year-old back, but he […]

The whispers of the offseason proved to be true as the Philadelphia 76ers agreed with P.J. Tucker to a deal just minutes into 2022 NBA free agency. Tucker drew interest around the NBA but was clearly a priority for Philadelphia. The roster has desperately lacked the toughness and versatility that the veteran possesses. Joel Embiid […]

There is a renewed sense of optimism surrounding the Sixers following the news that James Harden has opted out of his $47.4 million player option in favor of a more team-friendly deal. While the numbers are yet to be announced on his deal, he is likely to shave about $10 million off his cap hit. […]

The Golden State Warriors are at the top of the world right now. After winning their fourth championship in the past eight seasons, the team has cemented its legacy among the all-time greats. Led by Draymond Green, they also have not been afraid to let the world know about it. Golden State is not content […]

The Miami Heat greatly overachieved last year coming one game short of reaching the NBA Finals. The impressive postseason play from Jimmy Butler proved why the team is still in the championship conversation. As long as he remains on the roster the goal will be to contend for a title. The focus of the offseason […]

Donte DiVincenzo has made a positive impression during his first four seasons in the NBA. The Villanova product was originally drafted but the Bucks with the 17th pick in the 2018 draft. He was a key part of the Bucks’ rotation during his time in Milwaukee before being traded to the Kings last year. DiVincenzo […]

The Philadelphia 76ers have a crucial offseason in front of them. Daryl Morey is set to put his fingerprints on the roster and build a contender around Joel Embiid and James Harden. This is a strong duo to build around but one where the window will not be open forever. It is clear there needs […]

The Orlando Magic surprised just about everyone on draft night by selecting Paolo Banchero first overall. The Duke product was expected to go third for most of the pre-draft process. But, a late change of heart from Orlando caused him to leapfrog to the top spot on their board. His passing ability and the well-rounded […]

The San Antonio Spurs currently have 12 players on their roster with free agency approaching. The rumors of a Dejounte Murray trade continue to swirl. That would likely dictate the direction of their offseason. The Spurs seem to be looking to dip their toes back into the rebuilding waters as they don’t appear optimistic with […]

The Washington Wizards have been stuck in a difficult spot as a franchise for several years. Seemingly caught in NBA purgatory where the team is not good enough to truly compete but not bad enough to land a top pick, the Wizards must be very careful how they navigate the situation. Washington has not made […]

The Rockets have jump started their rebuild following the third overall selection of Jabari Smith. They also recently made news by agreeing to a buyout with John Wall. With just 37 combined wins over the past two seasons and a slew of young talent now assembled, it is time for the Rockets to begin taking […]

The Atlanta Hawks have an eventful offseason ahead of them. The franchise was seemingly ahead of its developmental curve as they burst on the scene in 2021. The Hawks embraced the villain role and made it all the way to the Eastern Conference Finals. Unfortunately, the franchise took a step back this season by going […]

The Los Angeles Clipper will have their sights set on truly contending once again next season. The Clippers were without both of their true stars in Kawhi Leonard and Paul George for most of this past season. George was able to make his return toward the end of the season but unfortunately missed the Clippers’ […]

The Phoenix Suns had an interesting season in 2021-22. On one hand, it was a massive success as they had an NBA-best 64-18 record and a dominant regular season. On the other, they were blown out by 33 points by the Dallas Mavericks in Game 7 of the Western Conference Semifinals on their home court. […]

The Denver Nuggets will have increased expectations this season given the return to play for Jamal Murray and Michael Porter Jr. The team has failed to have their best lineups on the floor with the absence of this duo, but that will change. As Denver flips the switch from a good team to a title […]

After an exciting first round of selections, there were still many notable names on the board for teams to choose from in Thursday’s 2022 NBA Draft. The disparity in prospect rankings from teams showed face in this draft in a major way. Finding a second-round gem can make a major impact on a franchise if […]

The 2022 NBA Draft lived up to the hype with plenty of trades and surprise picks. The draft was thrown off from expectations right from the opening selection and this theme continued throughout. Here are some early grades for each 1st-round selection. 2022 NBA Draft Grades For Every 1st-Round Pick 1)Magic- Paolo Banchero Grade- B+ […]

The Atlanta Hawks have been one of the most active teams to start the offseason. This is sure to continue in the NBA Draft where trade frenzies have become the norm. As things currently stand, the Hawks hold the 16th pick in the draft. With the Hawks seemingly dead set on trading John Collins, they […]

The Denver Nuggets finished the regular season with a 48-34 record and were knocked out of the first round of the playoffs by the future champion Golden State Warriors. The season was highlighted by a second-straight MVP by Nikola Jokic. The goals will change for the franchise moving forward as Michael Porter Jr. and Jamal […]

The Chicago Bulls had an interesting season last year. They seemingly put all their chips in the middle by adding DeMar DeRozan, Lonzo Ball, Alex Caruso, and more. They put together a big three of Zach LaVine, DeMar DeRozan, and Nikola Vucevic which was expected to launch the team into the top-tier contenders. Despite a […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves took a massive step forward last season. They finished with a 46-36 record and punched their ticket to the playoffs for the first time in four years. Led by Anthony Edwards, the youthful core took a step forward in their development with plenty of room to build on. Minnesota has an exciting […]

The Washington Wizards find themselves in an interesting spot as a franchise. Despite the stubborn loyalty from Bradley Beal, the Wizards have been unable to win a playoff series since the 2016-17 season. The status of Bradley Beal is still uncertain and is the biggest domino that needs to fall this offseason. The Wizards’ first […]

The Sacramento Kings have failed to hit their desired direction for several years now. The franchise has not had a winning record or made the playoffs since the 2005-06 season. Their attempts at creating a competitive core have come up short. The outlook has been grim surrounding Sacramento for years. The franchise made some notable […]

Draft day is right around the corner with each team getting closer to making their franchise-altering decisions. The Houston Rockets have a massive decision to make as they hold the third overall pick. While they have been linked with Paolo Banchero for some time, there has been a push for other big names as well. […]

The Kyrie Irving saga continues to be written and looks to be one of the major storylines of the offseason. The seven-time all-star played in just 33 total games this season. His strong stance on the Covid-19 vaccine prevented him from playing alongside his teammates for the bulk of the year. This absence prevented Brooklyn […]

The NBA Draft is rapidly approaching with each team making its final preparations. However, when scouring over mock drafts and examining the draft order it is clear there is something different this year. The 2022 NBA Draft has just 58 picks this year rather than the traditional 60. While it is common for draft picks […]

The relationship between the Brooklyn Nets and Kyrie Irving has seemingly hit another issue. His unavailability has been a cause of frustration among the organization and it may have hit a breaking point. Irving finished off the final year of his contract while still having a $36.5 million player option for next season. His future […]

It has been a rapid fall from grace for the Brooklyn Nets. Just two years after assembling what seemed to be the greatest Big Three of all time, the identity of the organization is greatly changing. The strong stance on the Covid vaccine and overall lack of availability has seemingly divided the collection of stars. […]

Two years ago, the Brooklyn Nets seemed primed for long-term success with one of the greatest Big 3s of all time put in place. Looking ahead to the start of the 2022-23 season, and Kevin Durant may be the only member of the trio returning. Stirred by the strong stance on the COVID-19 vaccine by […]

After a long wait, the 2022 NBA Draft is down to just a few days away. The rumors are swirling and the trades market is heating up. As each team attempts to gain the competitive edge and maximize value, Thursday is set to be an eventful night. Let’s dive in to see where each name […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves took a necessary step forward this season as they punched their ticket to the playoffs for just the second time in the past eighteen years. The Timberwolves finished with a 46-36 record led by the growth of Anthony Edwards. The franchise was knocked out of the playoffs by the Memphis Grizzlies and […]

The Golden State Warriors are in the midst of celebrating their fourth championship in the past eight seasons, an extremely incredible feat. While the players are surely celebrating the massive accomplishment, the front office must focus on retooling for next season. Even with it being the day after the completion of the NBA Finals, the […]

The Golden State Warriors are currently at the NBA peak after securing yet another NBA championship. This title seemed to feel extra special for the Warriors as it solidified their rank on the all-time great dynasties and further improved the impressive legacy of Stephen Curry, the first-time Finals MVP. While the players will certainly be […]

The Indiana Pacers had a disappointing 2021 season which ended with a record of 25-57. Despite this, the franchise had some high points including trading for Tyrese Haliburton. The 22-year-old has brought some life back to the organization and has impressed in his 26 games with the team. The Pacers have increased hope moving forward […]

The Miami Heat had an impressive season in 2022. They outperformed just about all expectations and fell just one win short of making it to the NBA Finals. The franchise remains in win-now mode and will be in search of the missing pieces to get them over the top this offseason. One of the avenues […]

The Milwaukee Bucks fell short of their sky-high expectations in 2021. Following their NBA title in 2021, the Bucks were knocked out of the playoffs by the Boston Celtics. The injury to Khris Middleton proved to be too much to overcome against the elite Boston defense. This should not be considered a disappointment considering the […]