Bruno Manrique Articles - Page 117

The Los Angeles Lakers have a razor-thin margin of error if they hope to make the postseason, but for LeBron James, this upcoming road trip test against three playoff-bound Eastern Conference teams is an opportunity for him and his team to show their mettle. “We have an opportunity,” said James after coasting to a 123-107 […]

Kyrie Irving’s value to the Boston Celtics has been put in question several times this season, despite being the franchise’s best player. However, despite his defensive weaknesses being a lot less glaring since joining head coach Brad Stevens, the Celtics wind up being just as good, if not better, when he doesn’t play. David Thorpe […]

The shove that sent LeBron James stumbling into a wide-open Danilo Gallinari said a lot about the state of the Los Angeles Lakers, as a second-year forward in Kyle Kuzma pushed James toward the open shooter in hopes he would contest the shot. While the play was reviewed, criticized and over-analyzed by those infatuated with […]

Having made the decision to shut out Isaiah Thomas out of the rotation, Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone has started tinkering with the dynamic between starting point guard Jamal Murray and his backup, Monte Morris. The two have played exceptionally well in their stints together on the floor, making a recent 133-107 win over […]

Tobias Harris has shown his mettle ever since being traded to the Philadelphia 76ers to be part of that strong starting core, and his rapport with general manager Elton Brand has proved just as strong, boosting his chances to stick around in The City of Brotherly Love after the season concludes. According to Sam Amick […]

Los Angeles Lakers head coach Luke Walton was ready to break the loose 32-minute playing time limitation for LeBron James, who prepared to enter the game late in the fourth quarter with three minutes left after exiting the game a few minutes earlier, only to run back from the scorer’s table and sit down for […]

Draymond Green’s recent signing with Klutch Sports draws a natural link to LeBron James, just as the the earlier Anthony Davis signing did heading into the season. Yet the Golden State Warriors forward assures his former NBA Finals rival had no need to recruit him to the agency: “It’s impossible to say LeBron played no part […]

Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green has officially signed with a new representation agency in Klutch Sports, a company owned and headline by Rich Paul, the longtime friend and agent representing LeBron James, according to Marc J. Spears of The Undefeated. The forward’s move to Klutch was rumored earlier this year, shortly after the Anthony Davis trade saga went […]

Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone addressed his plan to remove guard Isaiah Thomas from the rotation in a private conversation after not playing him in a 133-107 win over the Minnesota Timberwolves. Thomas had just come back from a 56-game absence this season after a second hip procedure, hoping to be the sixth man […]

It’s been more than a month since forward Kristaps Porzingis was traded to the Dallas Mavericks after his stint with the New York Knicks. While the 7-foot-3 unicorn isn’t expected to play this season, it didn’t keep the Latvian from throwing shade in the way of his old team, telling New Yorkers to “stay woke” […]

Philadelphia 76ers guard J.J. Redick shared a cool anecdote that connects the dots with commissioner Adam Silver’s claims that NBA players are truly unhappy, during a conversation with former teammate Chris Paul in Redick’s podcast on The Ringer. Paul and Redick played together for four years with the Clippers before Redick signed with the Sixers. […]

Lou Williams has done much more than climb up the scoring ranks to become the NBA’s all-time leading bench scorer, but he has helped set a precedent that being a bench player is no longer a sign of not being good enough to crack a starting spot. The LA Clippers guard has harnessed his role […]

Isaiah Thomas is now experiencing what it’s like to have a full-time bench role, much like his now-teammate Will Barton endured through the early part of his tenure with the Denver Nuggets after coming in a trade from the Portland Trail Blazers in 2015. The 5-foot-9 dynamo was once an established starter with the Boston […]

The Boston Celtics were forced to play the waiting game in their quest for the Anthony Davis sweepstakes, given the “Rose Rule” that would prevent Kyrie Irving and Anthony Davis (both under a 30-percent cap hold) to be on the same team upon a trade. To do so, they had to first convince the New […]

Gordon Hayward has gone through a roller coaster of a comeback season after sustaining a freak injury and missing an entire NBA season to recover from it. While the Boston Celtics forward disappointed at first, he has begun to integrate himself in his last few games, stringing together much better efforts. Yet the Celtics have […]

Jimmy Traina of Sports Illustrated had a brief talk with Charles Barkley on the prospect of Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving joining forces to play for the New York Knicks this upcoming summer, but the Hall of Famer doesn’t think they have what it takes to make it in The Big Apple. “You ain’t tough […]

The Los Angeles Lakers’ blatant pursuit of Anthony Davis had reverberations beyond their control, as the constant rumors surrounding the players that would be packaged in exchange for his services sapped the morale of those involved, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe. “The midseason gambit to acquire Anthony Davis almost certainly doesn’t happen, or become so public, without […]

Klay Thompson’s comments criticizing Golden State Warriors fans rang oddly in the minds of many Oracle Arena faithful following a rare loss to the bottom-dwelling Phoenix Suns. Owner Joe Lacob didn’t agree with his star shooting guard’s decision to call out the fans, and he wasn’t shy about saying why: “I love Klay. And I […]

The Golden State Warriors have struggled upon their return from the All-Star festivities, now 4-5 after hitting a new low with what they called the worst loss of the season against the Phoenix Suns over the weekend. Yet owner Joe Lacob isn’t fretting about what this recent slump, still confident in the Warriors’ postseason chances: […]

Toronto Raptors big man Serge Ibaka could be facing a suspension for three-to-five games without pay for his involvement in an altercation with Cleveland Cavaliers forward Marquese Chriss at the end of the third quarter of Monday night’s 126-101 loss. Ibaka already has prior incidents in his record, getting into physical altercations with Chicago Bulls center […]

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Raymond Felton stood up for his teammate Russell Westbrook after the latter was involved in a heated argument with a Utah Jazz fan during a 98-89 win on Monday night. Felton felt like Westbrook had been a target of fans’ insults and all-around belligerence, and claimed the NBA must start […]

The fight between Toronto Raptors big man Serge Ibaka and his Cleveland Cavaliers defender Marquese Chriss might have all started due to something the Cavs forward said after the two played out the last few seconds of the third quarter. Ibaka fell to the ground and Chriss looked at him while saying something, then turned […]

Dwyane Wade wasn’t happy with the excuse provided from a Utah Jazz fan, one that reportedly antagonized Russell Westbrook into threatening and cussing him out and his wife during Monday night’s game between the Oklahoma City Thunder and the Jazz. The Miami Heat guard, who is in his last season in the league, bluntly called […]

Kyrie Irving is now experiencing what it’s like to have the burden of being the leader of a team, one that will go through highs and lows, inevitably struggling from time to time as they gear up for the playoffs. The Boston Celtics guard recently admitted that his handling of the local and national media […]

CLUTCH Summary: NBA free agency has come and gone, with Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green kicking ‘trade Draymond’ narratives to the curb, signing a lucrative with the franchise.  Even with that being the case, as the NBA is a silly group, should the Warriors ever reconsider the trade Draymond narrative? Twitter says one thing, […]

Draymond Green’s offensive efficiency might have wildly decreased this season, but his social-media game remains merciless to this day. The Golden State Warriors found his latest victim after a troll commented on an Instagram post containing the lip-reading of coach Steve Kerr saying he was “so fu***ing tired of Draymond’s s**t” in the closing minutes […]

The Los Angeles Lakers might be without Lonzo Ball and Brandon Ingram for the rest of the season, but it’s likely that feel-good story and longtime G League guard Andre Ingram will be a silver lining on an otherwise disastrous 2018-19 season. The 33-year-old guard agreed to a 10-day deal with the team, according to […]

Some within the Los Angeles Lakers organization have continued to advocate for Luke Walton keeping his job as head coach, according to Bill Oram of The Athletic. Walton has a year left on his original four-year contract, one he signed in 2016 after leaving the 73-win Golden State Warriors, which he led for half of […]

The unforeseen addition of Tobias Harris has quickly sprung the Philadelphia 76ers from hopeful contenders for the Eastern Conference to downright threats to take it come June, as the once-quirky trio of Joel Embiid, Ben Simmons and now Jimmy Butler have finally found that jelling piece to unite them. “100 percent, I see myself as […]

Dallas Mavericks forward Luka Doncic and his glowing Rookie of the Year campaign took a sudden turn during Sunday’s 94-93 loss to the Houston Rockets, as the rookie claimed to feel a pop in his right knee while grabbing an uncontested rebound, according to Gerry Fraley of The Dallas Morning News. “I just felt a […]

Kobe Bryant urged for a change in Ben Simmons, noting the Philadelphia 76ers point man might come to regret not developing a jump shot to go with his otherwise dominant physically-gifted game. “He’s got to get a jump shot,” Bryant said. “It sounds stupid and all that, but I’m dead-a** serious. Because if not, he […]

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr declined to comment on the lip-reading of a late timeout in the fourth quarter, where he’s believed to say “I’m so f***ing tired of Draymond’s s**t” to assistant coach Mike Brown. Forward Draymond Green is believed to be the man in question here, though most reporters were just […]

Following three and a half seasons of a stable basketball life with the LA Clippers, hybrid guard Austin Rivers was traded to the Washington Wizards for Marcin Gortat, but then once again swapped, this time to the Phoenix Suns after 29 games with the Wizards and well before the trade deadline. Rivers was hoping to […]

Houston Rockets guard Austin Rivers has carved himself a niche with his new team after years of being labeled as a misfit in this league. His run-ins with injuries, fluctuating minutes, and constantly changing roles paved a path of frustration for him early in his career — one that seemed doomed from its early start. […]

Boston Celtics star Kyrie Irving has toned down his use of social media in efforts to avoid the constant criticism and the hoopla surrounding his team. This chatter has gone hand-in-hand with his upcoming free agency, the relationship with his teammates, and other negatives that could frustrate his approach to this last stretch of the […]

Klay Thompson had little words to explain a 115-111 loss to the once-cellar-dwelling Phoenix Suns on Sunday night besides an ice-cold shooting night, but he did call for a better reaction from the home crowd. The Golden State Warriors’ backcourt duo of Thompson and Stephen Curry combined for a putrid 8-of-30 from beyond the arc […]

Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James has staked his claim on the Mt. Rushmore of NBA basketball, moving past the shadow of longtime icon Michael Jordan by surpassing him and claiming sole possession of fourth place on the all-time NBA scoring list. The Lakers forward scored his 32,294th point Wednesday against the Denver Nuggets on this […]

The Golden State Warriors suffered their worst loss of the season by way of a 33-point pounding at the hands of the struggling Boston Celtics, losers of four in a row before their primetime tilt at Oracle Arena, with a national audience on TNT. Yet the Celtics did a little more than just embarrass the […]

Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook has never been known to shy away from a trash-talk war. He won’t be the one to start them, but he will sure end them. He engaged in a war of words with Minnesota Timberwolves center Karl-Anthony Towns on Tuesday night, looking to bury the All-Star big man […]