#NikolaCuvalo

Nikola Cuvalo

Nov 14, 2019
3 min

Superman Returns to La La Land

Wally Skalij / Los Angeles Times Every superhero has a good comeback story lying somewhere along their character arc. Bruce Wayne's parents died, and he became the Batman. Michael Jordan came out of retirement for a three-peat. And now, for Dwight Howard (AKA Superman), his own comeback story is unfolding in the same place it all went downhill: Laker Land. The Lakers signed Howard on a prove-it deal this offseason following the devastating news of DeMarcus Cousins' ACL injury

2019-20 Breakout Player Series: Kyle Kuzma

Nikola Cuvalo

Oct 26, 2019
4 min

2019-20 Breakout Player Series: Kyle Kuzma

New York Post Last season's Lakers were a curious mixture of playmaking and non-shooting; equal parts entertainment and utter tactical frustration. Finishing the year with a disappointing 37-45 record, the young roster around LeBron James was unable to perform at even a playoff-entry level in a gruelling Western Conference. Change was needed, and change indeed arrived in the form of a monster off-season trade for Anthony Davis that necessitated a major roster overhaul. As a r

2019-20 NBA Team Preview Series: Toronto Raptors

Nikola Cuvalo

Sep 17, 2019
2 min

2019-20 NBA Team Preview Series: Toronto Raptors

Photo credit: Kyle Terada - USA Today Sports The 2019-2020 NBA season starts October 22th, and to get you ready for tip-off, Off the Glass is previewing all 30 teams. Today we look at the Toronto Raptors. 2018-2019 Record: 58-24, 1st in the Atlantic Division. Won the 2018-2019 NBA title (champions). Season Recap: The Toronto Raptors finished the 2018-2019 season as NBA champions, following a thrilling playoff run through the Orlando Magic, Philadelphia 76ers, Milwaukee Bucks

OTG Series: Hire or Fire - Toronto Raptors Edition

Nikola Cuvalo

Sep 12, 2019
3 min

OTG Series: Hire or Fire - Toronto Raptors Edition

HoopsHype For the first time ever, Off The Glass writers will be making some executive decisions regarding their favourite (or least favourite) teams, in the form of one suggested team hiring and a single team firing. While all basketball fans can complain about the players on the court, we here at OTG are turning the blame game into an off-the-court naming exercise, where we can share our gripes with non-player personnel and offer meaningful suggestions for improvement. Ever

Hot Take Marathon: The Denver Nuggets Will Finish as The West's One-Seed, Nikola Jokic Bags MVP

Nikola Cuvalo

Aug 21, 2019
3 min

Hot Take Marathon: The Denver Nuggets Will Finish as The West's One-Seed, Nikola Jokic Bags MVP

David Zalubowski/AP The Denver Nuggets have been climbing the ladder of contention in the NBA's tougher conference over the past couple seasons; after a relatively successful playoff run last year, the Nuggets are primed to make yet another leap over the course of the 2019-2020 regular season. In contrast to the startling amount of roster turnover that swept over the Western Conference's pool of contenders this summer, Denver will be running back a reloaded squad that boasts

Hot Take Marathon: The New Orleans Pelicans Will Finish With Fewer Wins Than Last Year

Nikola Cuvalo

Aug 4, 2019
2 min

Hot Take Marathon: The New Orleans Pelicans Will Finish With Fewer Wins Than Last Year

New York Post/AP The 2018/2019 version of the New Orleans Pelicans finished the season outside of the playoffs, stranded in the Western Conference's 13th-seed, with a win-loss record of 33-49. I would absolutely not be surprised if this year's version of the Pelicans finishes even deeper in the red. After a tumultuous offseason that resulted in a shocking influx of young talent, bringing in names like Lonzo Ball, Brandon Ingram, Zion Williamson, and more, it would seem NBA vi

Hot Take Marathon: The Spurs Miss the Playoffs, Ending Their 22-Season Streak

Nikola Cuvalo

Aug 3, 2019
2 min

Hot Take Marathon: The Spurs Miss the Playoffs, Ending Their 22-Season Streak

HoopsHype Look, I'm going to take a lot of flak for this one, because you're never supposed to doubt the Spurs, or Gregg Popovich, or R.C. Buford, or the culture of selflessness and mystique surrounding San Antonio. But here I am, doubting. Because for what seems like the umpteenth time, the Spurs are in a precarious position heading into the next NBA season; they are neither title favourites nor are they lottery-bound denizens of the deep. For any other team, with a similar

Nikola Cuvalo

Aug 3, 2019
4 min

Teams Being Slept On

ClutchPoints Every year, a handful of NBA teams manage to surprise us; whether it be by surpassing widely-held expectations, or by flashing glimpses of eventual greatness, it tends to happen on a season-by-season basis. Of course, with 30 teams making up the modern NBA, it can often be quite difficult to predict exactly which teams are prime 'being-slept-on' candidates. That being said, there were a few teams that made the right kind of moves this summer (and last season), pu

Nikola Cuvalo

Jun 30, 2019
2 min

Top Free Agent Targets: Toronto Raptors

ClutchPoints Max Cap Space: -$4,436,518.00 Projected Cap Space: -$69,285,065.00 (access to taxpayer MLE worth ~$5.7 million) Kawhi Leonard The Klaw just led Toronto to a first-ever franchise title, and is (by degrees of magnitude) the best free agent the Raptors could possibly sign this season. Whether it's on a 5-year, $190 million max contract or a 1+1 deal, the Raptors would love to have Kawhi back in town for the foreseeable future. There is no way to adequately replace h

Nikola Cuvalo

Jun 28, 2019
4 min

2019 NBA Free Agents: DeMarcus Cousins

Getty Images Overview DeMarcus Cousins will enter the offseason looking to sign a long-term contract, but will likely be met with short-term deals from all potential suitors. His injury history is downright frightening, and after an evidently rusty campaign with the Warriors in which he played only 30 games (not to mention being throughly played off the court at times in the playoffs), teams will (rightfully) not be rushing to hand Boogie a long-term contract with a lot of gu

2019 NBA Free Agency News and Rumors: 6-26-19

Nikola Cuvalo

Jun 26, 2019
2 min

2019 NBA Free Agency News and Rumors: 6-26-19

AP Photo/Jack Dempsey Team Options N/A Player Options "Golden State Warriors star Kevin Durant has declined his 31.5 million player option and will become an unrestricted free agent." - Adrian Wojnarowski "Toronto Raptors center Marc Gasol is exercising his 25.6 million player option for next season, returning to the defending NBA champions... Gasol could've entered free agency." - Adrian Wojnarowski Trades N/A Rumors "Lakers targeting Brook Lopez, Carmelo Anthony as a Plan B

Nikola Cuvalo

Jun 24, 2019
4 min

2019 NBA Free Agents: Khris Middleton

USA Today Overview Considered to be one of the most sought-after wings on this summer's market (behind only Kevin Durant and Kawhi Leonard), Middleton's first foray into the free agency may be a short one; the Texas A&M product declined his $13 million option this past week, but is reportedly working closely with the Milwaukee Bucks to reach a new long-term deal that would keep him in green and cream for the duration of his prime years. Middleton is an ideal No. 2 or 3 offens

Nikola Cuvalo

Jun 12, 2019
4 min

2019 NBA Finals: 5 Thoughts on Game 5

Courtesy of Chris Young/The Canadian Press via AP 1. The Warriors are, undeniably, a much better team with Durant (game-high +6) on the court; likely, the most talented squad ever assembled. When Kevin Durant was on the floor for those precious 12 minutes, he was simply electric, hitting all of his attempts from beyond the arc - often in the spite of Klaw-sized mitts and tight defense. His presence was a jolting reminder that these are not the unbeatable, fabled Warriors of y

Nikola Cuvalo

Jun 1, 2019
3 min

2019 NBA Finals: 5 Thoughts on Game 1

Courtesy of Sportsnet.ca 1. Marc Gasol poses a real problem for the Warriors. Much was made about Big Spain’s potential fit on the floor against the Warriors, with many predicting that the 7-footer would be rendered essentially unplayable by Golden State’s speedy, small-ball lineups. Well, they were off-target, and by quite a large margin. Gasol hung 20 points, 7 rebounds, 2 steals and some stellar defense on the Warriors in Game 1, hitting open looks from beyond the arc and

Nikola Cuvalo

May 28, 2019
4 min

What Does No. 4 Mean For LakerLand?

Courtesy of Heavy.com (Getty) We should’ve seen this one coming. The Los Angeles Lakers, despite being projected to pick around No. 11 in the 2018-19 NBA draft lottery, hit a patch of unexpected luck amid an offseason rife with organizational turmoil and a distinctly Buss-tinted stench of desperation. Yes, we all know how important this summer is to the Lakers, who have a top-2 all-time player to please and a fan-base raucous for a return to contention. It is no secret that t

2019 NBA Free Agents Playing Well in the Playoffs

Nikola Cuvalo

May 9, 2019
4 min

2019 NBA Free Agents Playing Well in the Playoffs

NBC Sports This summer is destined to be a free-agency bonanza, with multiple A-level stars ready to explore their options, and possibly depart their current organizations for greener pastures elsewhere. However, not all of this summer’s star-studded free agent cast has been up to snuff under the bright lights of the post-season. The focus here will be to highlight notable upcoming free agents performing at a high level during this playoff run; the following players will almo

Nikola Cuvalo

Apr 14, 2019
4 min

OTG Team Awards: Toronto Raptors

NBA.com The Toronto Raptors had a successful regular season, going 58-24 in Nick Nurse’s maiden campaign at the helm of Canada’s one and only basketball franchise. The franchise has spent the past few weeks building toward the playoffs, emptying their bench to shake the rust off of their end-of-the-rotation pieces, in anticipation for a prolonged playoff run. Such a postseason run is exactly what the team has been building toward all along; having placed their shiny new super

Nikola Cuvalo

Mar 10, 2019
2 min

The Other Guys: Danny Green

Courtesy of Raptors HQ It’s not often that NBA fans forget about a player who has won at the highest level in both the college and professional realms; it’s even less likely that they’ve forgotten about a sweet-shooting wing with the physical and cognitive tools of a full-fledged perimeter stopper. But it sure does seem like everyone’s forgotten about the Green Ranger. The fact that #14 has flown so low under the radar this season does not bode well for the Raptor’s future pl

Nikola Cuvalo

Feb 27, 2019
2 min

New Raptors Fit Analysis

Getty Images The Raptors were busy at the trade deadline, adding star power in centre Marc Gasol and rotational depth in guards Jeremy Lin and Jodie Meeks. Their search for a buyout-market big man did not result in the signing of Markieff Morris (who opted to sign with the Thunder instead), but it may end with Robin Lopez, and that’d be quite alright for a team as deep as Toronto. No longer concerned with roster building, and seemingly content with the team it has assembled,

Nikola Cuvalo

Feb 12, 2019
2 min

Raptors Trade Deadline Recap

Sportsnet NBA trade season arrived with a flurry of action and left us with a conspicuously re-arranged league-wide landscape. Some of the league’s elite got even better, a few tanking teams collected assets for expiring contracts, and a pair of teams engaged in an all-out media circus over a disgruntled super-duper star. Thankfully, when it comes to the Toronto Raptors’, we’re talking about a franchise firmly positioned in the first category mentioned above. That’s not to sa

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