Getting to know the wonderful Wendell Carter, Jr.

I’m James DeVellis, sports writer. For this blog, I’d like to put the spotlight on one of the rookies who I believe deserves some recognition – the Bulls’ Wendell Carter, Jr.

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There are a few things for Chicago Bulls fans to rejoice about from such a dismal season. There’s Zach Levine coming into his own (although he still needs to improve his D). There’s also the fact that the Bulls have a high pick in the draft. And then there’s Wendell Carter, Jr.

Carter is one of the cornerstones of this young Bulls team. Chosen seventh overall in the 2018 draft, he wasn’t as talked about as Luka Doncic, Trae Young, DeAndre Ayton, or Collin Sexton. But Carter did prove to be worthy of the seventh pick – at least before his unfortunate injury.

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In the 44 games he played, Carter displayed his offensive prowess, passing game, and defense capability. He didn’t put up superstar numbers, but he got the job done, scoring 10 PPG, taking in 7 RPG, dishing 2 APG, with 1 BPG for good measure. He also had seven triple doubles which was astounding for a rookie.

I, James DeVellis believe that this kid has a bright future ahead of him. And if he decides to stay in the Windy City for the haul, so do the Bulls.

Hello, my name’s James DeVellis, a sports business student from Arizona. I’m hoping to be a successful writer someday, and I’m starting the journey by writing about sports. More of my writings here.

Can the Lakers still make it to the playoffs this season?

As of this writing, the Lakers are hanging by a thread in its campaign to get to the postseason. It the Los Angeles team fails to make it, it will be the first time in 14 years that LeBron James will miss the playoffs. Moreover, even if the Lakers make it, they’d likely have to content with the Warriors in the first round, explains sports enthusiast James DeVellis.

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The Lakers are sporting a below-.500 record of 28-29 after the All-Star break. This puts them three games below the eighth spot (currently held by the Clippers) and two wins behind Sacramento. There are just 25 games left in the team’s schedule, and chances of avoiding a battle with Golden State in the first round is unlikely, as the seventh spot are being fought for by the Rockets, Spurs, and Jazz.

It’s a precarious situation for the Lakers which wasn’t helped by low morale among the team’s younger crop of players, coming from a failed trade for Anthony Davis early last February. Kuzma, Ball, Ingram, and Hart need to step up and forget that their stint in L.A. had been put on the line for the AD trade.

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LeBron James surely wants to maintain his streak of playoffs appearances, but if it will come with a drubbing by the Warriors, it might make better sense to just let this year go and focus on acquiring AD in the summer, adds James DeVellis. It also doesn’t help that the Lakers have a difficult schedule ahead, including home matches against contenders Bucks, Celtics, and Nuggets, and away games versus OKC, Utah, and Toronto.

James DeVellis is a sports business major based in Arizona. He is a voracious reader who’s into sports writing. Visit this blog for more NBA-related posts.

Quo Vadis, Anthony Davis? Will AD get to join forces with LeBron?

The hot topic nearing the NBA’s trade deadline this early February is the trade request of Pelicans superstar Anthony Davis. It’s easily a development that the entire league is interested in, as Davis is one of top five NBA players on many experts’ lists. Where he eventually goes will greatly affect that franchise’s future, says sports enthusiast and blogger James DeVellis.

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The move seems to make it clear that Davis is intent on playing with LeBron James in Lakerland. This is because Davis shares the same manager as James in Rich Paul. As of this writing, Lakers management is scampering to find a workable deal with New Orleans, with many thinking that this would involve unloading all the Lakers’ young stars which include Lonzo Ball, Kyle Kuzma, Brandon Ingram, Josh Hart, and even center Ivica Zubac.

But NBA pundits are one in saying that Boston may be the better destination for Davis, as it has a better roster of talents in the likes of Jayson Tatum, Jaylen Brown, and Terry Rozier, along with a ton of first-round picks. However, because of an existing NBA rule, the Celtics cannot make an offer for Davis until free agency in July. In other words, if Pelicans management cave in to the Lakers’ offer, a Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis pairing up is not going to happen.

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In any case, whether Davis ends up with Los Angeles or Boston (the top two markets with the salary cap space and talent to accommodate Davis) remains to be seen. But it would surely make that team an instant contender. And Lakers president for basketball operations Magic Johnson knows that he is given a small window as leverage. It doesn’t matter if this trade depletes the Lakers’ current lineup as a LeBron-AD tandem is definitely formidable and worth rebuilding the team around, adds James DeVellis.


James DeVellisis a college student from Arizona, majoring in Sports Business. He wants to be a writer someday, so in the meantime, he is starting his own blog and social media platform focused on sports. More NBA-related reads here.

Our tribute to he who would be king of Bears

In American football, as far as running backs are concerned, very few names and even fewer legacies stand as tall as that of Walter Payton’s.  Payton has topped many of American football’s greatest running back lists for good reason.  He was also known to be quite the gentle soul in real life, and beloved by everyone who knew him.

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But Walter Payton didn’t start out as popular as he was.  His youth saw the foundations poured on his solid character, which was where all his other strengths branched out from.

Walter Payton was born on July 25, 1954.  He always loved football, but didn’t join his high school team so as not to take the spotlight away from his older brother Eddie.  Instead Payton ran for the track team.  Young Walter then joined the team right after Eddie graduated, and almost instantly became its driving force.  He was simply faster and stronger than everyone else.

Walter Payton went on to achieve more in college playing for Jackson State University.  Along with future greats Jerome Barkum and Jackie Slater, Payton wreaked havoc on opposing team’s defenses.  This was the most successful Tigers line-up in history.

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With all his achievements, the one that truly foretold of Payton’s future magnificence was his seven touchdowns in a single game in 1972.

Hey, there. I’m James DeVellis, a student from Arizona majoring in Sports Business. I’m interested in sharing my musings and insights on professional sports. For more of my posts, visit this blog.

How to start your very own sports blog

Starting a sports blog is a great way to gain experience in sports writing, as well as building a following. While the job can be difficult, it can also be fun and rewarding at the same time. Provided you’ve already got yourself a URL, here are some tips on how to start your very own sports blog.

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Choose your niche
There are thousands of sports blogs out there, all catering to either a specific sport or sports in general. Choosing what you want to write about is where you need to start. This may be a sport you’re already passionate about or a sport you have a great deal of experience with. You also need to choose who your audience is so that you can get a handle of the tone of your writing.

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Write as often as you can
Frequency is one of the most appealing qualities of a sports blog. Constantly coming up with new content rewards your readers for checking out your blog. You don’t have to write daily though that would help tremendously. By writing more frequently, you also force yourself to tackle challenges such as changing things up in terms of content. For example, besides reviews of recent games, you can also do features on players, teams, as well as talk about highly debated topics.

Market your blog
It’s highly unlikely for people to simply stumble upon your blog. This is why you should also market it through means like social media. Ask your friends and family to share contents of your blog to their friends. Keep in mind that the more visitors your blog has, the better page ranking it can get.

Hi, I’m James DeVellis. Right now I’m attending college in Arizona. Though I have always been a fan of sports and an athletic person, I always saw myself as a writer or a business manager for a sports franchise. For more reads on my hobbies and interests, visit this website.

Why the Milwaukee Bucks is the dark horse in the East

This early in the new NBA season, we’ve already been witness to the rise of several Eastern Conference teams.  While the success of the arguably top-seeded Celtics does not come as a surprise, as well as the near-flawless start of the new-look, Kawhi-led Raptors, many NBA analysts haven’t really paid much attention to the Milwaukee Bucks.

It makes sense, too; whereas significant roster changes have taken place in Toronto, Boston, and even Philadelphia (which, as of this writing, has just acquired Jimmy Butler), the Bucks team—even with the loss of the waived Jason Terry and the signing of Ersan Ilyasova and hot-shooting rookie Donte DiVincenzo—is largely the same.  Even the Bucks’ superstar, the “Greek Freak” Giannis Antetokounmpo is not posting as much numbers as he did last season.  So, what goes? 

The answer is continuity.  The players are now very familiar with one another and trust everyone on the floor, both on offense and defense.  There’s also the commitment to not stay reliant on Antetokounmpo.  This year the Bucks play like a well-oiled machine, with point guards Eric Bledsoe and Malcolm Brogdon facilitating well and finding guys for open shots.  The team has also been benefiting much from the improved play and hustle of its lengthy forwards Khris Middleton, and John Henson. 

Antetokounmpo is, of course, still the heart of the Bucks’ play.  But since more guys are now comfortable being spot-up outside shooters, it has opened the floor more for Giannis’ highlight dunks and layups.  That this Milwaukee team will reach the playoffs is almost a given, even this early in the regular season.  And the team has already displayed that it’s the true dark horse of the East with a recent, 134-111 drubbing of the defending champs Golden State Warriors in the latter’s own home court 

Hey, there. James DeVellis here, a sports business student, voracious reader, and newbie writer from Arizona. More on my hobbies and interests here..

Why trading Luka Doncic was a huge mistake by the Hawks

Celebrated basketball commentator Bill Simmons argued it well: Atlanta trading Euro League sensation and MVP Luka Doncic for point guard Trae Young is a decision the Hawks will quickly regret.  The case is simple— Doncic is the most experienced professional basketball player in the recent NBA draft.

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To be fair with Atlanta, trading the draft right for Young made sense if they were hoping to land a player in the mold of Steph Curry.  The pesky point guard can make huge treys both in transition and coming off picks.  Young is explosive toward the rim and has high basketball IQ.  He is already a complete point guard.

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But the few glimpses of the 6’8” Slovenian sensation Doncic in the preseason games have already shown NBA fans that he fits well with the Mavericks’ system.  Not only is he a great passer for a big man, he can also drain long three-pointers and play multiple positions, from point to power forward.  

It’s not even a case of physicality, as obviously Trae Young is the smaller player.  Doncic is still prone to turnover when guarded upfront or swarmed, but his exquisite passing skill should compensate for that.  He will adjust sooner than most people think and quickly silence the skeptics.  In fact, without even a single game of the new NBA season played, Doncic is already the odds favorite to take the Rookie of the Year title.

Yes, his impact remains to be seen, but experience does go a long way.  The 19-year-old Doncic not only has perhaps the biggest upside among the rookies, but already has the veteran smarts to compete on the biggest stage of pro basketball.

Hi, there. I’m James DeVellis, a student from Arizona studying sports business. I’ve decided to start my own blog and write about sports early. For more insights on the NBA, follow me on Facebook.