Yardbarker

Pat Heery

Pat Heery began his sports writing career in 2016 for The Has Been Sports Blog. He practices real estate law during the day and runs pick & rolls at night. Follow him on Twitter: @pheery12

The 15 rookies who have caught my eye so far this NBA season

After getting compared to the woeful 2000 and 2013 NBA Draft Classes leading up to draft night, the 2020 Draft Class has actually been one of the better classes in recent memory.

Surprising trends to keep an eye on the rest of the NBA season

A handful of the surprising trends that every new season brings about have a chance to become a reality and help tell the story of the 2020-21 NBA season should they continue much longer.

NBA award watch at the quarter-season mark

As most of the NBA approaches the quarter-season mark of what is supposed to be a 72-game season, the NBA's awards races are starting to take form. In

Predicting the award winners for the 2020-21 NBA season

It's time for everyone's favorite preseason exercise: Awards predictions...

The most intriguing player on every NBA team

It might be the player who has the ability to raise the ceiling of the roster from a lottery team to a playoff team, from a playoff team to a conference finals contender, from pseudo-contender to contender, or, in one case, from contender to blossoming dynasty.

25 bold predictions for the 2020-21 NBA season

With the NBA's Opening Night drawing near, here are 25 bold predictions for the upcoming 2020-21 season. 

Old faces in new places for the 2020-21 NBA season

After the shortest offseason in league history, the NBA's 2020-21 season will begin on December 22nd. Despite its brevity, there was a ton of transactional action.

Redrafting the 2017 NBA Draft

The 2017 NBA Draft will go down as one of the more infamous drafts in the past decade as it featured a monumental bust at the top of the draft in Markelle

Redrafting the 2016 NBA Draft

Knowing what we know now, let's give everyone another shot and see how the picks would play out in a redraft of the 2016 NBA Draft.

Redrafting the 2014 NBA Draft

The 2014 NBA Draft is a memorable one because it featured two superstar centers, one of which (Nikola Jokic) wasn't drafted until the middle of the second round.

2020 NBA first-round mock draft: Minnesota selects...

The 2020 NBA Draft might not have any superstar prospects, but that doesn't mean it's devoid of talent. In fact, this draft should produce a number of solid contributors, and maybe even a couple of All-Star-level players.

Redrafting the 2011 NBA Draft

The 2011 NBA Draft class will go down as one of the greatest in NBA history. As many as five players will make the Hall of Fame. A number of other players made All-Star teams and/or major contributions to championship teams...

Bubble wrap: What we learned from the 2020 NBA playoffs

That's a wrap! It took 355 days from Opening Night back on October 22, 2019, but the NBA has finally, and impressively completed its 2019-20 season, crowning the LA Lakers as champions.

The top storylines of the NBA Conference semi-finals

After an entertaining first round (and four Eastern Conference Second Round games), there are eight teams remaining in the Orlando Bubble. It's shaping up to be an awesome round and should have more excellent basketball (and hopefully less refereeing).

The top storyline for every first-round series of the NBA playoffs

The NBA has aced its bubble test with flying colors thus far in Orlando. Following a successful round of seeding games, including an epic run to the playoffs by Damian Lillard and the Portland Trail Blazers, the league will move on to a "normal" 16-team playoffs beginning Monday.

One fatal flaw for each remaining NBA playoff contender

We're less than a week away from the start of the NBA playoffs. The NBA's new Play-In Tournament concept has led to a wild race for the eight-seed in the Western Conference.

The biggest storyline for every NBA bubble team

While the MLB, NFL and NCAA are all struggling over how to deal with the coronavirus in a non-bubble setting, the NBA appears to be thriving in its Orlando Bubble.

Four factors that will have a major impact on NBA championship race

Oftentimes in basketball, it’s the little things that make the biggest difference. As the NBA restart date draws near, you know which players are sitting

Will the NBA offseason be just as bizarre as the season has been?

The season hasn't even resumed yet, but that's not stopping Yardbarker's Pat Heery and Sean Keane from weighing in on what players could be on the move in the offseason. Could Giannis, Ben Simmons and The Beard be dealt?

NBA players who have opted out of the bubble

A handful of players have opted out, but only a few of them could impact the title race.

Revisiting the biggest storylines of the NBA season so far

Remember when there was a 2019-20 NBA season? Remember when all we had to worry about was who we thought deserved the MVP? Ah, those were simpler times. 

Wanna play with these dudes? How 'Delete Eight' can nail offseason

The season is essentially done for the eight NBA teams that were not invited to the Bubble in Orlando. Here's what Yardbarker's Pat Heery thinks they should do this summer. 

Bubble watch: Key issues facing NBA's elite teams

If Ben Simmons  jacks up some threes, the 76ers' chances of winning a title may improve. Kawhi Leonard headlines a great roster, but is the Clippers' chemistry solid? Yardbarker's Pat Heery examines question facing five NBA powerhouses.