Editorials Articles - Page 5

It sure feels like the Dallas Mavericks’ reset has hit a wall. They expected turbulence in the post-Luka Doncic era. What they didn’t expect, though, was paralysis. As the February 5 trade deadline approaches, Dallas finds itself caught between a generational new beginning and an immovable financial anchor. Anthony Davis’ uncertain future threatens to turn […]

The Los Angeles Clippers’ season comeback is balanced on a knife’s edge. Few teams in the NBA have experienced a season as volatile as the Clippers’. They were written off before Christmas, revived by January, and are now staring down a trade deadline that could define or destroy their year. With that, the Clippers are […]

When AJ Styles was announced for a “Career Threatening” match against Gunther at the Royal Rumble, it looked like WWE fans could be seeing the end of the line for the “Phenomenal One.” Facing off against the new “Legend Killer” who just added John Cena’s jorts to his mantle the month prior, Styles reminded fans […]

Having faced seven ranked opponents in their first 21 games, few teams are more battle-tested in the 2025-2026 college basketball season than Grant McCasland’s Texas Tech squad. Led by star forward JT Toppin, the Red Raiders have looked elite at times, but they have not been consistent enough to become legitimate March Madness contenders by […]

The NHL is preparing to break for the Olympic Games in Milan. On February 4th, teams will see their rosters freeze, putting a brief pause on any potential trade activity across the league. Before any last-second moves — such as a potential Artemi Panarin trade — shake up the first round, ClutchPoints is presenting its […]

In four previous seasons under head coach Tommy Lloyd, Arizona has yet to advance past the Sweet Sixteen in the March Madness Tournament. The Wildcats’ recurring disappointments make it easy to write them off as championship contenders, but they are in a different position in 2025-2026, led by senior Jaden Bradley and freshman Brayden Burries. […]

The final weekend before the NBA trade deadline always brings plenty of clarity as to which teams will be the most active over the last week to make deals during the regular season, but this year’s deadline is very different. Trade intel around the NBA has been held up by discussions surrounding Giannis Antetokounmpo, and […]

In its 121 seasons of play, Illinois has never claimed a college basketball national title. The accomplishment has also eluded head coach Brad Underwood, who might have his best chance for March Madness success with star guard Keaton Wagler in 2026. Illinois is 18-3 at the end of January, a month in which it went […]

The San Francisco Giants approach spring training with a roster that appears complete on the surface, yet it still lacks key components. Overlapping pieces cram the lineup, and the rotation lacks a reliable bridge between the club’s top arms and the developmental pitchers. As the calendar compresses, that imbalance becomes harder to ignore. With pitchers […]

The Washington Capitals went into the 2025-26 NHL season as one of the more believable teams when it came to winning the Metropolitan Division of the Eastern Conference. They had been dominant last year, running away with the division title and also having the best record in the Eastern Conference with a 51-22-9 record for […]

In his 37 years as a head coach, winning a Division I national title is the only accomplishment that has eluded Kelvin Sampson. The 70-year-old coach has arguably his best chance to do so with Houston in 2026, with star freshman Kingston Flemings putting the Cougars in position to clinch a March Madness championship. Sampson […]

Ambition and impatience are strange bedfellows. If the Miami Heat aren’t careful, they’ll soon find out how dangerus that combination can be. Miami, of course, has never been shy about swinging big. Pat Riley’s legacy is built on audacity and an almost mythic belief that the next superstar will eventually choose South Beach. That said, […]

There is a warning for the Atlanta Hawks. They must know that clarity can invite the wrong kind of courage. The Hawks must remember that rebuilds rarely fail because of patience. They fail because of panic disguised as ambition. Atlanta finally chose clarity when they moved on from Trae Young. That signaled a philosophical reset […]

The San Francisco 49ers had a season defined by survival, then collapse. It was less about dominance and more about endurance. Kyle Shanahan’s group absorbed a staggering series of blows and still found a way to win 12 games. That’s a testament to the culture and schematic clarity that have defined this era of football […]

The Houston Texans sustained their playoff relevance in 2025. Twelve wins, a division title, and a roster that looks built to contend for years all reinforced the idea that DeMeco Ryans has turned Houston into one of the AFC’s most structurally sound franchises. However, the NFL has a way of humbling even the best-laid plans. […]

Expectations weren’t necessarily low for the Boston Celtics heading into the 2025-26 campaign. They may be without Jayson Tatum, who’s still recovering from a ruptured Achilles and may end up missing the entirety of the season, and they traded key members of their championship team in 2024 this past offseason, with Jrue Holiday and Kristaps […]

For years, the Philadelphia 76ers have looked to make minor moves around the margins at the trade deadline with one goal in mind: saving money. Yes, some of these moves have worked out very well for the 76ers, as few will argue that Daryl Morey should have kept Caleb Martin over Quentin Grimes last February, […]

A new Kirby Air Riders rolled out this week, adding a new Grand Prix Mode to the game, as well as GameShare support and more. Furthermore, the update adds new balance changes for several riders and machines. Without further ado, let’s dive right in. Kirby Air Riders Update 1.3.0 Patch Notes General – Kirby Air […]

When Braden Smith and Trey Kaufman-Renn both confirmed they would be returning to Purdue for the 2025-2026 college basketball season, many immediately pegged them as March Madness title favorites. After a strong start, the Boilermakers have hit a wall in January, ending the month on a three-game skid. Through 21 regular season games, Purdue sits […]

Reaching the Super Bowl 60 reflects more than elite athletic talent. It also reflects the unseen structure behind the scenes, the people who help players stay grounded, focused, and emotionally steady through a demanding NFL season. For many of the league’s biggest names, that support comes from partners who balance careers, family life, and public […]

While NBA trade deadline talks continue to dominate conversations around the NBA, a very special announcement is coming up on Sunday evening. The 14 reserves for the 2026 NBA All-Star Game in Los Angeles will be revealed on Sunday, February 1, by the NBA on NBC crew, and we will finally know who the 24 […]

Trust is not freely given to rookies in the NBA, especially those asked to touch the ball as often as All-Rookie wonder Derik Queen has for James Borrego’s basement-dwelling New Orleans Pelicans. However, as the season has progressed, Queen has steadily earned a larger offensive role, not through scoring volume alone, but by consistently making […]

Iowa State is once again one of the better teams in the country. This is a program that is coached very well, and there is nobody better fit to be leading this team in 2026 than T.J. Otzelberger. The head coach was a former assistant in the program from 2006 to 2013, and then again […]

The New Orleans Pelicans do not plan on reinventing anything ahead of Friday night’s rematch against the short-handed Memphis Grizzlies. Interim head coach James Borrego is betting continuity matters more than counterpunching when it comes to supporting Zion Williamson and Trey Murphy III. Saddiq Bey, Derik Queen, and Herb Jones have delivered improved starts and […]

The Indianapolis Colts were arguably the most perplexing team in 2025, putting them in a complex situation ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. Despite their disappointing end to the season, the team opted to retain general manager Chris Ballard, who finds himself in a do-or-die position in his 10th offseason with Indianapolis. The Colts are […]

The Washington Commanders and Dan Quinn face a watershed moment in the 2026 season. To make it go in a positive direction, they have to get better defensively. And here is what will make or break the Commanders’ defense in 2026. First, you can’t boil things down to one statistic. If you could, all the […]

The Carolina Panthers made a surprise playoff run during the 2025 NFL season. They even held their own against an excellent Rams team that nearly made the Super Bowl. But now expectations will be a lot higher in 2026 for the Panthers. Especially with QB Bryce Young in year four. The upcoming offseason will be […]

All eyes are on the Milwaukee Bucks and Giannis Antetokounmpo with the 2026 NBA trade deadline less than a week away. Is this the moment Giannis, after years of speculation about his long-term future being with the Bucks, is finally on the move and continues his Hall of Fame career somewhere else? At this time, […]

With just a few months before the start of the 2026 MLB season, the Top 100 prospect rankings have been released. Every year, major outlets like ESPN, The Athletic, and MLB.com release their own ranking of the best young players in the league. Given how the Los Angeles Dodgers have moved in free agency the […]

The clock has been ticking louder than the Wisconsin crowd for quite some time now. Championship windows don’t usually slam shut quietly. Sometimes, they collapse under the weight of timing and silence that says more than any quote ever could. That’s where the Milwaukee Bucks find themselves as the 2026 NBA trade deadline approaches. What […]

Sometimes, the middle can feel like the danger zone. There are times it can feel like the most uncomfortable place in the NBA. The Chicago Bulls are living there right now. They are stuck between nostalgia and necessity, hope and hesitation. As the February 5 trade deadline approaches, Chicago finds itself at a franchise-defining crossroads. […]

The Tampa Bay Buccaneers have a roster on the brink of its next identity. The 2026 NFL Draft, therefore, arrives at a revealing moment. No longer rebuilding, but not quite contending, Tampa Bay sits in quite the uncomfortable middle ground. The foundation remains competitive, yet the margins separating playoff-caliber teams from true threats have never […]

The post-Mike-Tomlin era begins with hard choices. For nearly two decades, the Pittsburgh Steelers operated with a sense of continuity few franchises could match. That certainty vanished in dramatic fashion in January. The 2026 NFL Draft now represents a philosophical reset. With Mike McCarthy stepping in and the Aaron Rodgers experiment practically over, the Steelers […]

Few organizations are as synonymous with identity as the Baltimore Ravens. That identity, however, needs nothing less than a reset. For nearly two decades, stability, physicality, and clarity defined the “Ravens Way.” That is precisely why the 2026 NFL Draft feels so pivotal. They have a new coaching staff stepping in, but expectations still orbit […]

The Golden State Warriors have a less a week to figure out what direction they want to take the franchise following Jimmy Butler’s season-ending ACL tear against the Miami Heat. The injury changes everything for the Warriors, and both now and for the future. And it’s why they must go all-in for a Giannis Antetokounmpo […]

The Jacksonville Jaguars are contenders looking to finish the job. They are no longer building from the rubble but toward relevance with intent. After a breakout 2025 campaign reestablished Jacksonville as a legitimate AFC force, the 2026 NFL Draft becomes less about desperation and more about precision. Using the PFF mock draft simulator, this seven-round […]

The Green Bay Packers have some offseason work to do. But at least they already have their new defensive coordinator in place. Also, here is their seven-round 2026 NFL Draft, according to the Pro Football Focus mock simulator. Because of the Micah Parsons trade, the Packers won’t have a first-round pick. Their first selection will […]

The Denver Broncos are in an interesting position entering the offseason, causing mock drafts to run wild ahead of the 2026 NFL Draft. Opinions were split on the Broncos all year, during which they won 12 one-score games, including a gutsy Divisional Round win over the Buffalo Bills. However, the playoff victory ultimately cost Denver […]

The Tennessee Titans are entering a new era in 2026. Tennessee hired Robert Saleh as their next head coach after firing Brian Callahan during the regular season. Now the Titans have plenty of work to do as they rebuild the franchise around QB Cam Ward and DT Jeffery Simmons. Thankfully, the Titans have plenty of […]