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The Minnesota Timberwolves are about to shock the world

The NBA Playoffs are reaching a crucial point as we are a few games into round two. So far, round two has had a historically unprecedented start as every underdog currently leads or is tied in their series, giving them a major advantage as home-court switches. With all the attention on the Pacers and the Knicks, it is time to put some respect on the Minnesota Timberwolves. 

Currently tied 1-1 in their series against the Golden State Warriors, the Timberwolves are in a prime position to go on an NBA Finals run. With Steph Curry out likely until game six, the Timberwolves should have no problem making it to the Western Conference Finals. Then, they would face either the Thunder or the Nuggets, both teams that would be heavily favored against the Timberwolves. Despite what most believe, I think it is important to look closely at the Timberwolves’ roster in comparison to their opposition in the West because I believe they would be a bad matchup for any other team. 

Starting with Anthony Edwards, a player who many argue looks like the next coming of Michael Jordan. When watching Anthony Edwards, it is clear that he has the full offensive package, being the most explosive and versatile offensive player in the league. Most people, however, don’t realize that he is an elite perimeter defender who can give the opposing team’s best player a rough night. Moving deeper into their starting lineup, the Timberwolves have Jaden McDaniels and Julius Randle at the forward positions. Combined, these two players bring a solid balance of defense and offense, but most importantly, they complement Anthony Edwards’ game very nicely. Those three players alone give the opposing team a lot to deal with, but the true X-Factor is the center from France, Rudy Gobert. Being a four-time defensive player of the year, Gobert makes it almost impossible for opposing players to score in the paint. This will come in clutch when facing either Shai Gilegious Alexander or Nikola Jokic, two elite players who rely on their interior scoring ability. Additionally, since he is seven feet tall, Gobert poses a serious offensive threat when the opposing defense is putting all its efforts into slowing down Anthony Edwards. This was proven a few nights ago when Gobert had a 27-point–24 rebound game. 

Although the Timberwolves are a six-seed and historically bad in the playoffs, this team has the potential to win the title this year. Anthony Edwards beat Kevin Durant in last years playoffs, LeBron and Luka in round one this year, and is well on his way in beating Steph Curry. By the time the season is over, the torch will be passed as Anthony Edwards will have his first ring and will be on his way to being the next NBA legend.

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NBA

Luka to LA: The trade heard around the world

At 11 pm last night, the NBA world was shocked as Dallas Mavericks superstar, Luka Doncic, had been traded to the Los Angeles Lakers in exchange for Anthony Davis. Now that it is confirmed that Shams Charania was not hacked, and the trade is real, it is safe to say that this will go down as the biggest trade in NBA history. 

Although there are many strong opinions regarding this trade, one thing is clear, this was a desperate move by Mavericks GM Nico Harrison. Currently sitting at the eighth seed in the Western Conference, it looked to be difficult for the Mavs to make a deep playoff run this season. Whether it is because of his looming contract extension or his poor conditioning, Harrison didn’t feel Doncic was fit to lead the team back to glory. This is shocking given that Doncic led the Mavs to the NBA Finals just a season ago. Either way, Harrison believes that Anthony Davis’ big defensive presence will instill a defensive culture in Dallas. Although this is probably true, trading your 25-year-old MVP-caliber player for a 31-year-old injury-prone player is a terrible idea. Only time will tell if Anthony Davis paired with Kyrie Irving will even be better for the Mavs to win now. 

For the Lakers, this is an all-time great trade. Although they have been successful this season, sitting fifth in the west, they did not have the talent to beat the OKC Thunder or Denver Nuggets in a seven-game series. Anthony Davis had been playing at an elite level, but his age was starting to show, and injuries are an inevitability for him. Pairing Doncic with LeBron James not only cements the Lakers as a top team in the NBA, but it also sets up the Lakers with their superstar for the next ten years. When LeBron inevitably retires in the next few years, the Lakers will have Doncic to build around. 

This trade is yet another example of the rich getting richer in the NBA. The Lakers went from Magic and Kareem to Kobe and Shaq, to LeBron and Davis, to now LeBron and Luka. We will have to wait and see how both the Lakers and the Mavericks look on the court after this trade, but less than 24 hours after this trade it looks like the Lakers won this trade by a landslide.

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NBA

Trading DeMar DeRozan signals that the Bulls are entering a rebuild… again

The Chicago Bulls have officially entered a new era as they traded away DeMar DeRozan to the Sacramento Kings. A few summers ago, the Bulls made big-time moves, bringing in DeMar Derozan, Lonzo Ball, and Nikola Vucevic. For about half a season, the Bulls were the one seed in the Eastern Conference and looked like a championship team. Since then, it has been entirely downhill due to injuries to Lonzo Ball and the poor performance of the entire team.

Trading DeRozan away is a statement from the Bulls front office saying that they will enter a rebuild and focus on their young players. The Bulls also traded Alex Caruso a few weeks ago, and It is safe to say that Zach Lavine and Nikola Vucevic will be on new teams next season as well. While the Bulls’ young core looks promising with Coby White, Ayo Dosunmu, and newly acquired rookie Matas Buzelis, it is not enough to satisfy Bulls fans. Since Jordan left, the franchise has been in a loop that consists of having a promising team, struggling with injuries, and then trading everyone away. Derrick Rose, Joakim Noah, Jimmy Butler, and now DeMar Derozan are all names that once brought the Bulls to relevance, just for the front office to blow it all up.

As the Bulls enter yet another rebuilding season, they must approach it differently this time. The entire focus of the coaching staff needs to be developing their young players. While the Bulls have struggled with young talent in the past, they have some players who have shown flashes of being elite players. This time around, the Bulls will not be building around a single player like they have in the past with Derrick Rose and Zach Lavine. Ascending star Coby White, along with newly acquired young talent in Josh Giddey and Matas Buzelis, need to build team chemistry for a few seasons. The Bulls will almost certainly lose many of their games,  but in a few seasons, the front office can once again make a splash by signing a big-time player. The Bulls must stay patient with their young players before signing a superstar player, and this might mean firing current head coach Billy Donavan, who seemingly wants to win now. This method of rebuilding was also done by the Cleveland Cavaliers, as they slowly developed their young talent, and then signed superstar Donavan Mitchell, making them instant contenders.

In the past few seasons, we have seen many teams try to sign many superstar players and fail. The Brooklyn Nets had Kyrie Irving, Kevin Durant, and James Harden, and could not make it past the second round of the playoffs. The Phoenix Suns also created a big three just to lose in round one. Teams like the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Minnesota Timberwolves, who have been arguably some of the best teams in the NBA, built their teams entirely off of the young players on their team. They remained patient and now will be winning for the next 10 seasons at least. If Bulls fans want to see their team win again, it will have to be another few years of waiting.

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NBA

Bronny James’ journey to the NBA has been unfairly criticized

In the past, there have been numerous father-son duos to play the same sport at the highest level, but there have not been many instances where they have played together. The most famous example is Ken Griffey Sr. and Ken Griffey Jr. teaming up on the Cincinnati Reds. We now have a new father-son duo in the NBA, this time being LeBron and Bronny James.

Over the last few years, one of the biggest stories in all of sports has been Lebron James’ son, Bronny, potentially playing in the NBA at the same time as LeBron. For many years Bronny was hyped up as an elite draft prospect, but once he committed to USC, scouts became a little more realistic with his expectations. Whether it was for his mediocre performance in his lone season of college basketball, or his health concerns following a cardiac arrest, Bronnys draft stock plummeted. After all the hype throughout the years, the Lakers selected Bronny James in the second round of the NBA Draft.

Many fans and media members have been criticizing Bronnys journey to the NBA, and believe the only reason he was drafted was because of his dad. While there has been much debate surrounding this topic, the truth is that Bronny likely wouldn’t have been considered by NBA teams if it weren’t for him being the son of LeBron James. Where the critics are wrong, however, is blaming Bronny for this. The whole concept of nepotism appears in sports all the time, but for whatever reason there are more critics of Bronny. For example, two of Giannis Antetokounmpo’s brothers are in the NBA strictly because they are related to the two-time MVP. There will be advantages to being related to LeBron James, and people have to deal with it. 

Although there is nothing wrong with Bronny having this advantage, the way that LeBron pulled Bronny to be drafted by the Lakers is a little more debatable. Reports came out that Bronny’s agent, Rich Paul, told teams to not draft Bronny or he would go play in Australia instead. This of course, ultimately led to Bronny being available at pick 55 for the Lakers to select him.  It seems a little unnecessary for Bronny to force his way to play with his dad, especially given that Bronny has said he wants out of LeBron’s shadow.

Now that Bronny James has finally been drafted, the spotlight will be huge on him. He may not have much playing time, but it won’t take the attention away from him. If he plays well, he will be given a lot of media coverage, but if he plays poorly he will be given even more.

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NBA

Jayson Tatum vs. Jaylen Brown: the most meaningless debate in the NBA

The Boston Celtics have lived up to their expectations as the best team in the NBA, taking a commanding 2-0 lead against the Dallas Mavericks in the NBA Finals. While many have downplayed their success because of their weak opponents due to injuries, the Celtics roster has shown its perfection. Each starter can score, defend, and make the right play when asked to, along with this the team also has the most elite bench in the NBA.

A recent debate has come up surrounding the Celtics’ superstars, Jayson Tatum and Jaylen Brown. Despite Jayson Tatum historically being the best player on this team, Jaylen Brown was awarded the conference finals MVP trophy. The intense debate has led to the Dallas Mavericks head coach, Jason Kidd, giving his own opinion, stating that he believes Jaylen Brown is the best player in the Celtics. Both the opposition and the media are attempting to cause division in the Celtics locker room. For the Celtics to complete this NBA Finals run with a win, both Tatum and Brown need to ignore the outside noise. It is clear that Jayson Tatum is not playing to his usual standards, but this should not matter to the Celtics as they are still winning.

Shaquille O’Neal and Kobe Bryant won three straight titles, with the finals MVP in each series going to Shaq, yet nobody discredits Kobe. The ongoing slander that Jayson Tatum has been receiving will all be meaningless if the Celtics finish the job and win the NBA Finals.

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NBA

Pacers’ Tyrese Haliburton Has Become the Best Point Guard in the NBA

When considering the best young players in the NBA, most fans think of names like Luka Doncic, Trae Young, and Ja Morant. It’s about time that we introduce a new player to this list, Indiana Pacers point guard, Tyrese Haliburton. His ascension over the last three years has been featured in the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament as he has dominated the tournament and made headlines.

In just his second NBA season, Tyrese Haliburton was a part of a pivotal trade between the Sacramento Kings and the Indiana Pacers. Being traded to the Pacers was a game-changer for Haliburton as he became the number one offensive player for the Pacers immediately. In his first full season with the Pacers, Haliburton showcased his dominance, averaging 20 points and 10 assists per game. Despite Haliburton’s elite offensive season, he still went under the radar for many NBA fans and media outlets. 

So far this season, Tyrese Haliburton has elevated his game to the next level. Scoring has become easy as Haliburton is averaging a career high 27 points per game. Notably, Haliburton impacts his scoring from outside the arc, shown by his league leading 44% three-point percentage. Haliburton combines his scoring ability with his elite playmaking. He leads the league with 12.1 assists per game. Haliburton has been the driving force behind the Pacers maintaining the highest scoring offense in NBA history. 

Through his stellar play on the court, Haliburton has used the NBA’s inaugural In-Season Tournament to build up his name. With the In-Season Tournament bringing new meaning to the NBA regular season, the viewership has been at an all-time high. Haliburton has showcased his talents to the larger audience, leading the Pacers to an undefeated record. They eliminated big market teams including the Boston Celtics and the Milwaukee Bucks. The Pacers now look forward to playing the Los Angeles Lakers in the In-Season Tournament Finals. While his name was under the radar before the tournament started, fans now believe Haliburton can beat Lebron James and the Lakers.

While many are still reluctant to say it, Tyrese Haliburton has proven that he is the modern-day Magic Johnson. This may feel like an overreaction, but Haliburton’s game has been strikingly like these NBA legends. Like Magic Johnson, Haliburton is a tall point guard who creates openings for his teammates. Much like Magic Johnson, Haliburton prioritizes winning games.  What elevates Halliburton is his scoring ability which is necessary in 2023. Alongside his elite playmaking skills, Haliburton still takes many shots.

Arguably the best point guard in the NBA right now, Haliburton’s main goal is winning more games. He has a chance at the biggest win of his career as he takes on the Lakers tonight in the In-Season Tournament Final.