NBA With Nico

            This past week in the world of basketball, Damian Lillard has made his way to the headlines with more offers coming into the TrailBlazers' front office. With Lillard requesting for a trade on July 1st of this year, and naming the Miami Heat as his preferred destination, this off-season has been filled with potential deals and trade rumors surrounding the 7-time All-Star point guard.     Many teams such as the Philadelphia 76ers, Los Angeles Clippers, and the Miami Heat  have expressed interest in Portland's star point guard and have produced multiple potential trade packages for him. With training camps starting around the league on October 1st, the Blazers are hoping to get a deal done soon. Among these proposed trades, the package put together by the Heat which would include between 3 to 4 first-round picks and young star, Tyler  Herro, is among the best of them. Unfortunately for Dame, according to reports around...

      This past week in the world of basketball, the 2023 FIBA World Cup came to an end with Germany winning the tournament and taking home the gold medal. Although this came as a surprise to basketball fans all around the world, an even bigger surprise came when Team USA was eliminated and placed 4th overall, an atypical result for the dominant powerhouse of their national program.       This year’s Team USA roster featured many young, fringe All-Star caliber players such as Anthony Edwards, Brandon Ingram, Tyrese Halliburton, and current Defensive Player of the Year (DPOY), Jaren Jackson Junior. Although a very talented roster all together, this year’s national team pales in comparison to the Team USA’s rosters of the past. For once, team USA did not have any of the top 30 NBA players representing them in the tournament and it showed. Although the FIBA World Cup is an important feat for many, to most of the big names of the sport, the only internatio...