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Showing posts from December, 2023

Raptors Forward Shipped To the Big Apple!

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          The last time we heard news about the Knicks and Raptors, at the same time, was both franchises settling a lawsuit but that didn't stop them for handling some business. It was just reported that the Toronto Raptors have traded OG Anunoby to the New York Knicks. Anunoby has been mentioned in trade rumors for the past couple seasons and now he will begin a new chapter in his NBA career. Here are the full trade details between the New York Knicks and the Toronto Raptors.           The New York Knicks acquire OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa and Malachi Flynn. The Toronto Raptors acquire RJ Barrett, Immanuel Quickley and a 2024 second-round pick via the Detroit Pistons. The Knicks acquire a solid role player in OG who is a solid shooter and can play off the ball. Getting Precious Achiuwa in the deal is good for the Knicks given their depleted center depth. Anunoby has a player-option for next season but he could opt out and b...

Bulls Guard Making Progress In Rehab!

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          January 14th, 2022 was the last time we saw Lonzo Ball play an NBA game. Ball suffered a knee injury that kept him sidelined for the rest of the 2021-22 season and the entire 2022-23 season. Lonzo Ball has had three surgeries on his knee but it's odd to see that he had still been experiencing pain. Before Ball went down the Chicago Bulls were looking like a championship contending team but since his absence the Bulls look horrible. Some recent and positive news has come to light in regard of Lonzo Ball and his knee.            Chicago Bulls head coach Billy Donovan announced that Lonzo Ball is no longer experiencing pain on his injured knee. The next plan for Ball and his rehab is to start running again in January. It is still looking like Lonzo Ball will miss the entire 2023-24 season. It has been months since there have been any updates in regard of Lonzo Ball but it is great to hear he will soon begin the next...

The Detroit Pistons Have Made History!

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          The Detroit Pistons have just made NBA history, not in a good way. Before this season began the Pistons were hopeful in taking the next step in the development process. They hired Monty Williams as the new head coach after the Suns dismissed him. This was suppose to be the year we see the Detroit Pistons become a tougher and competitive team but their season has been nothing but disappointing.            The Detroit Pistons lost their recent game against the Brooklyn Nets but this loss has significant meaning. This loss was the Pistons' twenty-seventh consecutive loss this season which sets a new record of most consecutive losses in a single season. Piston fans are completely disappointed in the organization from top to bottom. Fans are going to the games with paper bags over their faces signifying how embarrassed they are and chanting "sell the team".            There is no cle...

Suns All-Star Forward Expresses Frustration!

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          There were a lot of expectations for the Phoenix Suns this season. This past summer they acquired Bradley Beal, Grayson Allen and Jusuf Nurkic via trade, signed Eric Gordon, Drew Eubanks and Yuta Watanabe in free agency, and hired Frank Vogel as the new head coach. The Phoenix Suns were expected to be at the top of the Western Conference but in reality things have not been so smooth. Things have gone so bad that Kevin Durant has expressed his frustrations with the team.            The reasons for Durant's frustrations are because of Bradley Beal's lack of availability due to injuries and the supporting cast. Beal has been in and out of the lineup ever since the season started. Beal is currently sidelined again due to an ankle injury he suffered a couple weeks ago against the Knicks and he isn't close to returning. The supporting cast hasn't been as good neither as the Suns had hoped.       ...

Laker Guard Out For Two Months!

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          The Los Angeles Lakers have not been solid since winning the first ever NBA In-Season Tournament. Since the tournament the Lakers are 2-6, currently 16-15 and are the ninth seed in the Western Conference. The Lakers have dealt with missing some rotation players due to injuries for most of the season and the injury bug struck again. It was reported by Shams Charania that Gabe Vincent will be sidelined for another six-to-eight weeks.            Gabe Vincent signed with the Lakers this past summer after making the NBA Finals with the Miami Heat. There is currently a small sample size of how Gabe looks on the Lakers and it isn't so good. In just the five games Vincent has appeared for the Lakers he has averaged 5 points shooting 37% from the field and 12% from 3-point range. However, five games obviously isn't enough to find rhythm in a new system with new teammates. Vincent has been sidelined for majority of the sea...

Knicks Big Man Out For the Season!

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          The New York Knicks have had a great start to the season, especially Jalen Brunson playing like an All-Star but they have just been hit with some terrible news. It was reported last week by Shams Charania that Knicks starting center Mitchell Robinson would have left ankle surgery and be re-evaluated in eight to ten weeks. However it was just announced by Shams that Mitchell Robinson will now miss the rest of the season. This is a huge loss for the Knicks as he was having a career-year in rebounding, averaging a career-high 10.3 rebounds per game. The Knicks have now applied to the NBA for a Disabled Player Exception worth $7.8 Million.            The loss of Mitchell Robinson is already a huge one but the Knicks are down another center in their rotation. It was recently reported by Adrian Wojnarowski that "Knicks center Jericho Sims is expected to miss one-to-two weeks" with a right ankle sprain. "Sims injured hi...

Ja Morant is Back!

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          After missing the first twenty-five games of the season due to suspension, Ja Morant returned to action. The Memphis Grizzlies have been terrible without Ja Morant, before the game they were 6-19 and the thirteenth seed in the Western Conference. They've also dealt with a number of injuries but even with a healthy unit, the team has just been bad. Ja Morant made his return against the New Orleans Pelicans. The match up could not have been better as Zion Williamson and Ja Morant were the top two picks in the 2019 NBA draft.            While the Pelicans have had an up and down season, recently they maintained some stability. The Pelicans had control for majority of the game, leading by as many as twenty-four points but in today's NBA no lead is safe. With Ja back there was more life and effort from the Grizzlies and eventually came back into the game. In the final seconds, the game was tied 113-113 and the Grizzli...

Bradley Beal Suffers Ankle Injury!

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          This season has not gone so well for Bradley Beal. Beal was traded to the Phoenix Suns this past offseason after his eleven year tenure on the Washington Wizards. During his time in Washington Beal was named to the All-Rookie First Team in 2013, All-NBA Third Team in 2021 and was a three-time All-Star. Beal is second on the Wizards' all-time leading scorer list. Beal was traded to Phoenix, joining Kevin Durant and Devin Booker, in hopes of competing for a championship but things have not gone so well for Beal.            Beal has missed most of the beginning of the season due to back spasms. He did make his season/Suns debut on November 8th against the Chicago Bulls but since then he has been in and out of the lineup. It took twenty-four games into the season for the Suns Big 3 of Beal, Durant and Booker to share the court together, which they did against the Brooklyn Nets. However the very next game against the ...

Brunson Goes For A New Career-High Against the Suns!

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          Jalen Brunson has helped shift the New York Knicks franchise. Last season, in his first year as a Knick, he was averaging career highs in points (24 PPG) , assists (6.2 APG) and 3-point percentage (41.6%). He was a huge snub from making the All-Star team last season and he helped lead the Knicks back to the playoffs. Brunson also helped the Knicks made it past the first-round for the first time in ten years but their playoff hopes ended in the second-round after losing to the Miami Heat in six games. Brunson's presence has helped build a winning culture with the Knicks.            Recently, the New York Knicks took on the Phoenix Suns and Brunson went off. The Phoenix Suns have dealt with a number of injuries and have had some struggles on the defensive end, which is where Brunson just exposed the Suns. Brunson dropped a new Career-High 50 points against the Suns and what's really impressive is he went a perfect ...

Cleveland Cavaliers Get Bitten By the Injury Bug!

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          The Cleveland Cavaliers have been struggling as of late and things may have just gotten tougher for them. Last season the Cavaliers had a successful season, they had a 51-31 record which is the first time the Cavs have had a winning record and made the playoffs since LeBron's departure back in 2018. It was a successful season for the Cavs since they made the playoffs however their playoff run did not last long as they would lose to the New York Knicks in the First-Round in five games. One of their biggest struggles was their 3-point shooting, shooting 33% from 3-point range as a team. They made sure to solve their shooting issues and acquired Max Strus and George Niang this past summer.            The Cavaliers were looking to be a very tough and competitive team but so far they haven't had a strong start to the season. The Cavaliers are currently 13-12, the ninth seed in the Eastern Conference. Given the recent ...

Knicks Big Man Out For Over A Month!

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          Mitchell Robinson has been having a solid season so far for the New York Knicks. In fact, his rebounding has been a significant improvement statistically. Robinson, so far this season, is averaging a career-high 10.3 rebounds per game. His 10.3 rebounds per game is in the top 10 for most rebounds per game so far this season. Robinson has grabbed a total of 216 rebounds and that also lands in the top 10 of total rebounds so far this season.            It was recently reported by Shams Charania that "Mitchell Robinson will have left ankle surgery this week and will be re-evaluated in 8-10 weeks." This is a huge loss for the Knicks as they don't exactly have great Center depth. Isaiah Hartenstein has been the primary backup center but with Robinson down he will more than likely be the starting center moving Jericho Sims into the backup center role. Sims has only appeared in nine games so far this season.  ...

Laker Guard Set to Return!

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          The Los Angeles Lakers just won the In-Season Tournament and have been on a roll without a key rotation player. This past summer the Lakers signed Gabe Vincent to a 3-year, $33 Million contract. Gabe spent the last couple seasons with the Miami Heat and while he was there he was able to make a name for himself. He became a success story as an undrafted player, he's well known for his defense and shooting. He was the Heat's starting Point Guard, in the place of veteran Kyle Lowry, throughout their entire playoff run last season where they made it all the way to the Finals as an eight seed.            The last time we saw Gabe Vincent play for the Lakers he has shown some offensive struggles especially from 3-point range. In fact, so far this season Gabe is just shooting 7% from 3-point range which is obviously terrible. While Gabe has been sidelined with a knee injury the Lakers have given Max Christie some runs a...

Bradley Beal Set To Return Against the Warriors!

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          One of the biggest stories about the Phoenix Suns is how their "big three" has yet to play a game together. Last season at the trade deadline, the Suns acquired Kevin Durant and this past summer they acquired Bradley Beal. The big anticipation heading into this season was the Suns' new "big three" of Bradley Beal, Kevin Durant and Devin Booker but who would've thought that with twenty-two games into the season they've had yet to play together. That however could change, it was recently reported by Shams Charania that Bradley Beal is targeting return to action against the Golden State Warriors tomorrow (12/12/2023).            The Suns' projected starting backcourt of Beal and Booker have both missed some extensive time. Booker has only played in thirteen games and Beal has only played in three games. Given the absences of Booker and or Beal, the Suns have had to heavily rely on Kevin Durant and at thirty-five yea...

The Los Angeles Lakers Win First Ever In-Season Tournament!

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          The Indiana Pacers suffer the same faith as they did in 2000 against the Los Angeles Lakers. In 2000, Reggie Miller and the Indiana Pacers were defeated in the Finals against the Kobe and Shaq Los Angeles Lakers. Now, Tyrese Haliburton and the Indiana Pacers were defeated in the In-Season Tournament against the LeBron and Anthony Davis Los Angeles Lakers (Lakers 123, Pacers 109). The Lakers' players and coaching staff earned the $500,000 bonus prize. The first ever In-Season Tournament was a huge success and it's looking like it'll stick around for a while.            The In-Season Tournament provided a playoff atmosphere and that's something most of the players on the Pacers' roster don't have much experience with. The only players with actual playoff experience are Bruce Brown Jr, T.J. McConnell, Myles Turner and Obi Toppin. The Pacers are a young team and while they were able to overcome the lack of experience...

Pelicans Confront Zion About Diet Issues Again!

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Zion Williamson is one of the most talented young players in today's NBA but his weight has held him back. Now his rookie season was the Covid year which means it was cut short so not going to pay much attention to that year. However the following season, the 2020-21 season, Zion had a great season and he was primarily healthy as he played in 61 out of 72 games. The following season, the 2021-22 season, is where things didn't go so great for Zion as he missed the entire season.  This past season was another season of watching Zion struggle to stay on the court. He played in just 29 out of 82 games last season as he dealt with many injuries. It was unfortunate because prior to him missing games the Pelicans were playing great as a team and Zion was playing great. In fact, at one point during the season they were the number one seed in the Western Conference but it all went downhill once Zion went down. The Pelicans finished last season without Zion and missed the playoffs after ...

The Pacers & Lakers Will Compete For the NBA Cup!

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          We are down to the final two teams of the In-Season Tournament. The Indiana Pacers and the Los Angeles Lakers will compete for the first ever NBA Cup. The last time we saw the Pacers and Lakers face off in a big stage ball game was in the 2000 NBA Finals. The NBA Cup championship game will take place this Saturday, December 9th, at 8:30 PM ET on TNT.            The Indiana Pacers took on the Milwaukee Bucks in the SemiFinals round and this game announced the arrival of Tyrese Haliburton. It was a tight game, especially in the second-half however the Pacers hit some key buckets to pull away and take the victory (Pacers 128, Bucks 119). Haliburton is showing that he is an up-and-coming superstar in the NBA. Haliburton scored 27 points shooting 11 of 19 from the field (58%) and 3 of 9 from 3-point range (33%), 7 rebounds, 15 assists with 0 turnovers and a steal. Haliburton and the Pacers are surprising the league bu...