Bruno Manrique Articles - Page 159

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri expressed confidence in star point guard Kyle Lowry getting past the heartbreak of seeing former backcourt mate DeMar DeRozan traded to the San Antonio Spurs. Ujiri said he wasn’t surprised by Lowry’s reaction to the trade, but “is confident he’ll be a pro and lead the team once camp opens, […]

Minnesota Timberwolves president and head coach Tom Thibodeau will travel to Los Angeles to meet with star forward Jimmy Butler on Tuesday, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. The meeting between the coach, general manager Scott Layden, and Butler was initially scheduled to take place in Minnesota, but plans changed within the last 24 hours. Why […]

The Denver Nuggets backcourt duo of Jamal Murray and Gary Harris have arrived, now slated in the top-50 of ESPN’s latest Top-100 NBA players ranking for the 2018-19 season. Murray, who ranked 45th after going unranked last season, battled for the starting point guard spot, leaving Emmanuel Mudiay to come off the bench and ultimately traded […]

Despite the short time between the trade that shook the NBA world this offseason, Kawhi Leonard is expected to return to Toronto and join the Raptors for training camp shortly, according to Josh Lewenberg of TSN. President Masai Ujiri indicated that his star forward would be “ready to roll” by the start of camp, saying […]

Washington Wizards point guard John Wall took a dramatic tumble out of the top-15 in ESPN’s Top-100 rankings, now ranked as the 32nd-best player heading into the 2018-19 season. Wall was previously in the 15th spot during last year’s rating but slid due to a nagging history of injuries and yet another quick playoff exit. […]

Richard Jefferson might not be ready to retire, but father time is surely calling. Unless the longtime veteran gets an offer to play for one more year before the start of the season, he will joining the YES Network to cover the Brooklyn Nets for this 2018-19 season, according to Nets Daily. The veteran wing […]

Boston Celtics shooting guard Jaylen Brown was surprisingly ranked above teammate Gordon Hayward on ESPN’s Top-100 NBA players list, coming in at No. 37 while Hayward came in at No. 40. Oh, how a year changes things… Hayward was ranked as the 20th-best player heading into 2017-18 but dropped a massive 20 spots after sustaining […]

Philadelphia 76ers rookie guard Zhaire Smith is expected to return from a Jones fracture around Christmas time, according to Keith Pompey of The Philadelphia Inquirer. The Sixers youngster first suffered the injury in early August during a team workout, causing his surgery on Aug. 9 to repair an acute Jones fracture of the fifth metatarsal in […]

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jimmy Butler will meet with president/head coach Tom Thibodeau and general manager Scott Layden today to address the direction of the franchise, and while he doesn’t seem thrilled with the route they have taken, he’s still willing to hear them out, according to David Aldridge of NBA.com. Butler isn’t dead set in […]

Aaron Gordon had a timely breakthrough season in 2017-18, finally showing more than mere flashes of brilliance for the Orlando Magic throughout the entirety of the campaign. New head coach Steve Clifford has taken notice of his star’s prowess, but notes he must make a jump at the less lauded end of the floor in […]

Luka Doncic has yet to play a single game on American soil after missing the entirety of the Summer League, but the Dallas Mavs rookie is quickly becoming the best player in pickup games at the team’s practice facility, according to ESPN’s Tim MacMahon. While his resume says so very clearly, Doncic was far and […]

The Phoenix Suns have set their sights on LA Clippers point guard Patrick Beverley to play alongside phenom Devin Booker this season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. “They’re looking for a point guard and I’ve been told they’ve been targeting Clippers guard Patrick Beverley,” said Charania. “He’s been at the top of their […]

Fresh off a team change in the offseason, Mavs center DeAndre Jordan’s ESPN ranking has taken a massive slide after only one season, going from 30th last season to 80th heading into 2018-19. The list, which was curated by an ensemble of ESPN beat writers and national columnists, aims to reflect the player’s potential going […]

DeMarcus Cousins was recently ranked 68th on Sports Illustrated’s Top 100 NBA players list, but he faced an even worst fate in ESPN’s rankings, falling one spot below his SI ranking. The ranking was decided by a panel of ESPN beat writers and national columnists, which determined his place on the list coming into the […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are heading into a dice roll of an NBA season, having secured the biggest free agent of the summer in LeBron James and surrounding him with a plethora of supporting pieces on one-year deals. Lakers head coach Luke Walton is optimistic about his team, though, even going as far as thinking […]

The upcoming meeting between Minnesota Timberwolves leader Tom Thibodeau and superstar swingman Jimmy Butler might just force him to choose between Butler and Karl-Anthony Towns as the team’s franchise player. While neither player has signed an extension this offseason, negotiations in Towns’ contract will likely be kept on hold until issues have been ironed out […]

Minnesota Timberwolves forward Jimmy Butler is scheduled to meet with head coach/president Tom Thibodeau in a “last-ditch” effort to address the issues between him and the franchise, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Butler turned down a contract extension with the team earlier this summer and could become a free agent at the end […]

Boston Celtics point guard Terry Rozier has no qualms about the road to his NBA career, having had to earn it the hard way despite being drafted with the 16th pick during the 2015 NBA Draft. The man now known as Scary Terry had to play a part of his first NBA season with the Maine […]

A young Terry Rozier idolized Dwyane Wade, perhaps more than some thought, going as far as trying to replicate the constant hard falls the Miami Heat superstar would take on a daily basis in the NBA hardwood. The Boston Celtics point guard would imitate what he saw in a young D-Wade, going to measures no […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are not happy that young center Ivica Zubac opted to play for the Croatian national team during World Cup qualifiers, according to Lithuanian reporter Donatas Urbonas of 15min. The 7-footer isn’t fond of the international system, which often cuts off NBA players from making appearances in the qualifying process, saying so […]

Dwyane Wade will head into his final NBA season for “one more dance” with the Miami Heat by taking a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum of $2.4 million. That last deal will put his career earnings just shy of $200 million at $199.3 million, according to ESPN’s Bobby Marks. Wade has never been the […]

The New York Knicks’ front office tandem of president Steve Mills and general manager Scott Perry have installed a brand new system, revolving around a key element the franchise had grown devoid of — patience. Mills took over the helm after former president Phil Jackson was fired last summer, quickly bringing in Perry, who had […]

The San Antonio Spurs are hiring former player Brent Barry for a role within their front office, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Barry spent 14 seasons in the NBA, four of his last five with the Spurs during the twilight of his career. He posted 9.3 points, 3.0 rebounds, and 3.2 assists per game during his […]

Terry Rozier got a surprising boost of confidence from an injured Kyrie Irving as the Boston Celtics readied to make a postseason run without their two best stars on the roster. The Celtics were also still missing defensive ace and de facto point guard Marcus Smart, who was also out with an injury, putting Rozier […]

The front office duo of president Steve Mills and Scott Perry has started to change how decision-making is done in New York, giving the Knicks a complete revamp of mentality. Mills and Perry had to teach a lot of new things, among them is patience — something that is hard to come by with the demands […]

San Antonio Spurs legend Manu Ginobili had one last go-around with the press after announcing his retirement earlier this summer, giving Argentinian talisman Lionel Messi his due after the soccer great showered him with praise after Ginobili announced his retirement. via ESPN, translation by Reddit’s paulitocv: Interviewer: “A lot of press in Europe call you the […]

The Golden State Warriors will once again enter the start of the preseason with another championship in mind. Yet despite the several long postseasons played throughout the last four years, Stephen Curry and company will come in hot and ready for training camp — something coach Steve Kerr is likely to tone down. The years […]

The internet recently saw the lost tape of the track that LeBron James and Kevin Durant recorded back during the lockout of 2011, giving us a decent glimpse of The King’s less-favorable gifts. This time around, the Los Angeles Laker’s own wife Savannah caught him dancing in the house, filming the entire thing as an […]

Former Phoenix Suns forward/center Alan Williams has agreed to a two-way deal with the Brooklyn Nets, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Williams was waived by the Suns early in free agency after spending three seasons with the team, but missing the vast majority of the 2017-18 season due to injury. While it’s quite uncommon to […]

The relationship between NBA players and game officials was as poor as it has been in the last few decades, going from constant banter and disagreements over calls to a downright hostile interaction — a them against us type of relationship. The league has recently seen plenty of veteran officials hang them up for good, […]

Kyrie Irving’s former Cleveland Cavaliers teammate J.R. Smith put up no fronts about Uncle Drew’s chances to get signed by the New York Knicks. The Boston Celtics star has been linked to the Big Apple after turning down a contract extension earlier this summer, putting the Knicks at the forefront of speculation after being one of the teams […]

The arrival of head coach Dwane Casey brings in a new mindset and also a new play style to the Detroit Pistons, who struck gold by hiring the Coach of the Year after he was fired by the Toronto Raptors after being swept in the playoffs. Luke Kennard is one of the players looking forward […]

The San Antonio Spurs mulled potentially trading Kawhi Leonard to teams like the Los Angeles Lakers, the Boston Celtics, and the Philadelphia 76ers — but neither team was willing to offer what the franchise demanded. Turns out that San Antonio was looking for an immediate return, and in the case of the Sixers, the franchise […]

Toronto Raptors swingman Kawhi Leonard was putting in work this summer, as a recent photo saw him posing next to Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant in what could be seen as an omen for those hoping he stays in Toronto past this 2018-19 season. While Bryant has been known to help plenty of people, […]

Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma has been putting in the work during this offseason and with the help of none other than franchise icon Kobe Bryant. The up-and-coming Lakers young star went to work with The Black Mamba, hoping to elevate his game that much more after a breakthrough rookie season. “Yeah I did,” […]

Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri has a big task ahead of himself, needing to lock down his newest acquisition Kawhi Leonard after he becomes a free agent by the end of this upcoming season. Ujiri’s plan is far from complex, just to be as genuine as possible and sell him on the culture he’s helped […]

Dirk Nowitzki will head into his NBA-record 21st straight season with the Dallas Mavericks, and while his career has certainly made him a legend in town, his reputation won’t keep him from taking a step back. The German international would even be open to the possibility of coming off the bench, especially with the Mavs […]

Dallas Mavs icon Dirk Nowitzki was en-route to playing 80-plus games during last season after coming off an injury-marred campaign in 2016-17, cutting his time short and undergoing a season-ending ankle surgery to clean up bone spurs. The hope, as Nowitzki quickly announced, was to maximize his time of recovery, allowing him to start what […]

Dirk Nowitzki will head into his 21st season with the Dallas Mavs without having lost an ounce of humor. New teammate DeAndre Jordan found that out very soon into this stint with his new team, as the German international jokingly threatened to take his spot in the starting five. “Obviously, the last couple years, I’ve […]