Virgil Villanueva Articles - Page 5

All eyes will be on Ben Simmons and the Philadelphia 76ers this offseason. Fans and analysts will anticipate if the two parties will continue their partnership or end it via trade. After his poor showing in the playoffs, no one’s riding the Simmons hype-train anymore. His top-notch playmaking skills have been vastly overshadowed by his […]

Kemba Walker of the Thunder is aware that after another heartbreaking playoff campaign, the Los Angeles Clippers are back to the drawing board. Not having Kawhi Leonard for the latter part of the postseason was tough. The Clippers know that injuries are part of the game. So this was more of an unfortunate incident than […]

New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball has made some significant strides in his jump shot. This season, he shot 37.8 percent from deep which is an improvement from the previous seasons: 30.5 percent in his rookie year, 32.9 percent in his second year, and 37.5 percent last season. Obviously, these are much lower percentages compared […]

Amid their struggles last season, the Washington Wizards managed to qualify for the playoffs. One huge reason was obviously Bradley Beal’s impressive campaign — a performance that earned him his third All-Star appearance and a spot in the All-NBA Third Team. Fans were in awe of his loyalty, too. After all, much of his scoring […]

The Phoenix Suns took Game 1 of the NBA Finals in a convincing fashion right in front of their fans. The Milwaukee Bucks were able to mount some runs but the Suns quashed their hopes right away. It was a strong performance from Chris Paul and his boys. They proved they deserved to play on […]

The Indiana Pacers are an interesting case. They had all the pieces required to make it at least to the second round of the playoffs. They had an All-Star in Domantas Sabonis, a defensive stalwart in Myles Turner, and great guards in Caris LeVert, Malcolm Brogdon, and TJ Warren. Despite this, the Pacers never even […]

The Atlanta Hawks were the over-performers of the 2020-21 NBA season, having made it to the Eastern Conference Finals as the fifth seed. There’s no reason to bow their heads down in defeat. At the same time, the Hawks front office should never take their foot off the gas pedal. They already did the right […]

The Utah Jazz did a great job in the regular season, locking in 52 wins to earn the NBA’s best record for the first time in franchise history. Things, however, didn’t pan out for them in the NBA Playoffs, which is not an indication of their underperformance. Rather, it’s a signal that they need to […]

The Houston Rockets have the second pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. This is their chance to jump-start the rebuilding process by getting not just a talented prospect, but someone who could fit right into their system. Among the top prospects of the 2021 Draft class, USC center Evan Mobley seems the perfect player for […]

USA Basketball managing director Jerry Colangelo said that fans will probably never see LeBron James don the Team USA jersey once again. This isn’t shocking news as the man is already 36-years-old — still in his prime but has gone through years of wear and tear. Only a fool would lash out at James for […]

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Tyronn Lue is rewriting history. During his stint with the Cleveland Cavaliers, people poked fun at him for seemingly not knowing what to do. For them, it was LeBron James who was the actual coach of the squad and was the sole mastermind behind the epic 3-1 comeback against the […]

The Philadelphia 76ers will have a busy offseason as they try to make key tweaks to their roster. Addressing the Ben Simmons issue is without a doubt at the very top of their priority list. Analysts are in agreement that the Sixers need to get rid of the Australian through a trade. Whatever the team […]

The Indiana Pacers have the 13th pick in the NBA Draft and history reveals those outside the top 10 are where the dark horses lie. In recent memory, the likes of Devin Booker, Donovan Mitchell, Tyler Herro, and Zach LaVine were picked 13th overall. And of course, who could forget Kobe Bryant, the greatest 13th […]

After days of rumors, the Portland Trail Blazers have made it official: Chauncey Billups is now Damian Lillard’s new head coach. Some fans are already celebrating, especially those familiar with Billups as a player and as an assistant coach for the Los Angeles Clippers. However, this hiring did not just push through without a slew […]

Damian Lillard has officially entered the trade rumor mill after a series of tweets that suggested he wants out from the Portland Trail Blazers. Even before the tweets, some believe that Lillard deserves to be somewhere else. After all, Lillard has led the Blazers to eight consecutive playoff appearances. However, five of these trips resulted […]

Phoenix Suns guard Cameron Payne suffered an ankle injury in Game 3 of the Western Conference Finals and did not return versus the Los Angeles Clippers. He played just four minutes and had two points. Though the Suns’ loss is not the direct consequence of his absence, there’s no denying Payne has been a key […]

Apart from the NBA Conference Finals, fans are keenly observing the coaching staff and front office movements around the league. The latest one to enter the headlines is Jason Kidd, who’s now officially the new coach of Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. There have been objections to this, particularly by some fans who have […]

After his horrendous performance in the postseason, Ben Simmons is expected to be traded this offseason. It’s crystal clear to the front office that they can’t win with the Australian in the fold, especially since he’s a liability on the offensive end. A Ben Simmons-Bradley Beal straight-up swap will push thru per the ESPN Trade […]

The Los Angeles Clippers are now down 2-0 in the Western Conference Finals against the Phoenix Suns. They’ve been in this position for the third time in a row this postseason. They know how tough it is to come back and also how it’s completely possible. Props should be given to them in Game 2 […]

It’s official. The Detroit Pistons will have the first pick in the 2021 NBA Draft. Most experts believe the franchise will take Cade Cunningham with that pick, but more on that in a minute. The organization definitely deserves it. After dealing with all the Blake Griffin drama in the regular season, the Pistons can now […]

The Brooklyn Nets weren’t able to meet expectations that they would cruise their way to the NBA Finals and win it all. Credit should still be given to the coaching staff and players for playing through what has been a tough season for the team and the rest of the NBA. They have a number […]

After years of heartbreak, this may be the year the Milwaukee Bucks will finally make the NBA Finals and possibly win it all. This is the belief of many analysts after they booted out the Brooklyn Nets who were initially the heavy favorite to raise the Larry O’Brien trophy. But standing in the Bucks’ way […]

Apart from their two titles, the Houston Rockets have been blessed with several Hall of Famers which is an added testament to the esteemed franchise. As such, culling a list of their five greatest players is a demanding task. However, it is a valid exercise because, through it, we would be able to see and […]

The 2020-21 Philadelphia 76ers roster seemed to be the best version of the team so far, as it’s comprised of two stars, talented role players, and veterans with championship experience. Despite that, the Sixers fell in the NBA playoffs at the hands of the Atlanta Hawks—the weaker team on paper. The latest defeat marks the […]

Though the Los Angeles Clippers bowed down to the Phoenix Suns in Game 1 of the Western Conference Finals, they shouldn’t feel bad about themselves. It was a close game all throughout and was very much winnable up to the very end. And looking at the statistics and the game clips, there are obvious tweaks […]

The departure of Rick Carlisle adds another dimension to the brewing drama enfolding Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks. A day prior, the Mavs parted ways with longtime president of basketball operations Donnie Nelson. This has created all sorts of reports and rumors left, right, and center. After all, with a generational basketball player right […]

Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James has two left years in his contract. It wouldn’t be surprising if he calls it quits after this. Fan or not, the end of a baller’s legendary career will bring tears to anyone’s eyes. For the Lakers front office, this is not the time to be emotional. The only […]

It’s been a hot minute since the media went crazy over Brooklyn Nets star Kevin Durant. For much of the 2020-21 NBA regular season and the earlier part of the playoffs, fans and analysts have talked about LeBron James or Luka Doncic. But lo and behold, the media favorites are nowhere near the title chase. […]

The NBA just named its All-NBA Teams and as usual, fans went irate on social media. The All-NBA First Team includes Giannis Antetokounmpo, Stephen Curry, Luka Doncic, Nikola Jokic, and Kawhi Leonard. The All-NBA Second Team is comprised of Damian Lillard, Joel Embiid, LeBron James, Chris Paul, and Julius Randle. Finally, the All-NBA Third Team […]

After witnessing their team get swept in the first round by the Phoenix Suns, Denver Nuggets fans are now trying to address the what-ifs. After all, it was apparent that the Nuggets just didn’t have the “it” factor all series long. The Mike Malone-coached squad was well aware that the playoff campaign will be tough […]

Seeing Blake Griffin flourish with the Brooklyn Nets might have driven the Detroit Pistons to slap themselves silly. They already had an All-Star in the bag yet they failed (or Griffin duped them) to make things work. Lucky for them, Jerami Grant came out of his shell and decided to be a franchise player. Grant […]

At face value, the Los Angeles Clippers and Utah Jazz seem to have no harsh feelings for one another. Players of respective teams seem to be all business in the series so far. However, a closer look at two of the players reveals a deep beef history. The two players are none other than Paul […]

It’s safe to say that after two seasons, Kemba Walker’s stint with the Boston Celtics hasn’t yielded ideal results. It’s an unfortunate situation, really. The Celtics both have Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown on the rise as legitimate stars. They’re surrounded by a crop of veterans led by Walker. It seemed like the perfect formula […]

It’s official. Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James is going to change his jersey number to no. 6 from no. 23 next season. For those diligently following his career, James actually wanted the jersey number change two summers ago. However, Nike—the official apparel producer of the NBA—had already made too much no. 23 jerseys to […]

While the second-round series between the Philadelphia 76ers and Atlanta Hawks are knotted at 1-1, Sixers fans have all the right to remain confident. Game 1 could’ve been just a series of failed executions. However, Game 2 might be how the series would look: a dominant showing by the kings of the east. But more […]

The post-James Harden era in Houston hasn’t been looking that great. The Rockets thought that their acquisition of John Wall and the rise of Christian Wood was enough to fill the void. Evidently, it wasn’t.  The team had the worst regular-season record in 2020-21. Fortunately for the Rockets, they still can make some key moves […]

Though Luka Doncic and the Dallas Mavericks were booted out early in the NBA Playoffs, fans and analysts were pretty much in agreement that the team is just a few steps away from becoming contenders. Since Doncic’s arrival, as well as some key roster pickups over the years, the Mavericks have moved from a bottom-feeding […]

The Portland Trail Blazers and Dallas Mavericks were both booted out in the first round. It immediately sent their respective fans to discuss among themselves what needs to be done to get off this playoff rut. As always, their attention drifts to Damian Lillard and Luka Doncic, both of whom were outstanding in their respective […]

The Dallas Mavericks can call the 2020-21 NBA season a success despite their first-round exit. After all, apart from their improved regular-season standing, they managed to stretch their first-round duel with the might LA Clippers to seven games. Luka Doncic proved once again why he’s the next face of the league. Other Mavs players, too […]