Bruno Manrique Articles - Page 41

Zion Williamson is close, very close to making his NBA debut for the New Orleans Pelicans. Vice president David Griffin has tracked his recovery every step of the way, and he insists — his No. 1 overall pick will be better, much better than what he showed in the preseason. The prized rookie forward tore […]

Sacramento Kings general manager Vlade Divac was not the biggest fan of head coach Dave Joerger, but even the slightest nudge pushed Joerger to the doghouse. At some point during the 2018-19 season, Joerger had told Divac he had an ace in the hole that could change the scope of the franchise. According to Sam […]

The Houston Rockets, one of many teams eyeing Minnesota Timberwolves three-and-D specialist Robert Covington, are no longer interested in acquiring him, according to Kelly Iko of The Athletic. The Rockets had shown previous interest in Covington, but talks have cooled down since then — no longer bidding for his services. The Timberwolves were bound to […]

New York Knicks forward Julius Randle was miffed at the end of a 121-98 loss to the Phoenix Suns on Thursday, nearly getting into it with backup point guard Elie Okobo at the end of regulation. The two exchanged words in the dying seconds of the fourth quarter, as Randle lightly tossed the ball toward […]

It’s taken much less than half an NBA season for Frank Vogel to impress his new Los Angeles Lakers team, including the stars like LeBron James and Anthony Davis. Anthony Davis, who came over via trade over the summer, revealed Vogel earned his respect by holding everyone accountable, including him and his superstar sidekick James. […]

The New York Knicks won’t chase down a trade for Detroit Pistons center Andre Drummond, but will try their luck in free agency instead. The Mount Vernon native is heavily expected to opt-out of his contract this summer, which has made more teams unwilling to give up the first-round compensation the Pistons seek in exchange. […]

Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo is well aware of how the NBA is officiated nowadays, tending to favor the offensive player and giving him the benefit of the doubt. “The way NBA is built, it wants you to flop. It kinda wants you be weak,” said Antetokounmpo, according to John Askounis of EuroHoops. “When you’re […]

The Atlanta Hawks have ended trade conversations with the Detroit Pistons revolving around center Andre Drummond, according to Chris Haynes of Yahoo Sports. Drummond is expected to decline his $28.8 million player option for the upcoming season in hopes to test free agency this summer, making it imperative for the Pistons to move him before […]

The Denver Nuggets will be without 60 percent of their starting lineup as point guard Jamal Murray, shooting guard Gary Harris, and power forward Paul Millsap are set to miss Thursday’s game against the Golden State Warriors, according to Nick Kosmider of The Athletic. Murray suffered an ankle injury on Wednesday against the Charlotte Hornets, […]

Marquese Chriss signed a two-way deal with the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday, only a week after the team announced it would waive him to make room for swingman Damion Lee. While Lee took his roster spot and recently inked a three-year deal with the team, Chriss was able to occupy the vacant two-way spot, […]

Executives around the NBA voted in a 25-man poll in hopes to find the few NCAA Division I coaches who are most likely to have a successful NBA stint. Villanova head coach Jay Wright ranked above them all, scoring only one point above Virginia’s Tony Bennett and notching six first-place votes in the poll conducted […]

Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid has been cleared for non-contact drills and an update is expected to be given next Thursday when he is re-evaluated, according to Serena Winters of NBC Sports Philadelphia. Embiid underwent surgery to fix some loose tendons in his left hand after dislocating his ring fingers in a collision with […]

New York Mets new manager Carlos Beltran will end his tenure as the team’s skipper before seeing a single out, as the former player has informed the organization it will be best to step down due to his involvement with the Houston Astros sign-stealing scandal, according to Tim Brown of Yahoo Sports. Beltran is now […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves are reportedly not done making moves after dealing Jeff Teague and Treveon Graham to the Atlanta Hawks in exchange for Allen Crabbe on Thursday. The Wolves have been in talks with teams searching another ballhandler, according to Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer. They Wolves recently went after Indiana Pacers second-year point man […]

The Atlanta Hawks have traded shooting guard Allen Crabbe to the Minnesota Timberwolves for point guard Jeff Teague and Treveon Graham, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Teague will return to his old stomping grounds in Atlanta, likely as a backup for star point man Trae Young, while Crabbe will get a shot in The Twin […]

Zion Williamson’s impending debut has come with plenty of doubts from different NBA circles, as many have wondered how a 6-foot-6, 285-pound body could survive the grueling nature of an 82-game NBA season. Yet the New Orleans Pelicans are paying less attention to the numbers in the scale, but rather focusing on his mobility: how […]

There are very few if any tales explaining Brandon Roy’s decision to part ways with the Portland Trail Blazers. To most, his surgically degenerates knees and a lack of cartilage were the main reasons he chose to call it quits after five seasons in the league, yet there was also the toll his absences had […]

The Houston Rockets had yet another disappointing outing, losing against another sub .500 team on Wednesday night, this time on national television, as they took an L at home against the Portland Trail Blazers. Russell Westbrook, who led the way with a 31-point, 11-rebound, 12-assist triple-double, was the only one who talked in a pin-drop […]

The quest to get Zion Williamson back on the court has been an exhausting yet fascinating one for the New Orleans Pelicans. Executive vice president of basketball operations David Griffin has been closely monitoring Williamson’s rehabilitation as well as keeping an eye on how to best trot his No. 1 overall pick into action. Williamson, […]

Despite many absences through the first 42 games of the season, newcomer D’Angelo Russell has been praised for his positive locker room presence with the Golden State Warriors. The 23-year-old arrived into a Warriors locker room with veteran stars like Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green, but has taken it upon himself to be […]

Markelle Fultz plans to immortalize his Wednesday night performance against the Los Angeles Lakers, as the Orlando Magic guard posted a 21-point, 11-rebound, 10-assist triple-double over LeBron James and company. While Fultz has had another triple-double in his career (had one at the end of his rookie year with the Philadelphia 76ers), this one holds […]

Wednesday’s ESPN doubleheader brought a matchup between the Houston Rockets and Portland Trail Blazers, one that offered Carmelo Anthony’s return to the Toyota Center since he was first exiled by the team. For Russell Westbrook, this was an opportunity to go head-to-head against Damian Lillard, who ended his postseason in 2019 with a massive 3-point […]

Carmelo Anthony said he has no hard feelings toward his recent 10-game stint with the Houston Rockets, one that saw him exiled from basketball after the team chose to part ways with him early in the season, forcing him to miss the vast majority of the 2018-19 campaign. The Portland Trail Blazers forward dropped 18 […]

The 2020 NBA Draft’s projected top-three overall selection LaMelo Ball is shutting down his season with the Illawarra Hawks of the National Basketball League in Australia to rehabilitate his foot and prepare for the upcoming draft, according to ESPN’s Jonathan Givony. A bone bruise, which LaMelo Ball suffered in early December, has sidelined him for […]

LeBron James gave his nod of approval after the WNBA and the WNBA Players Association hammered out a new eight-year collective bargaining agreement, one that will give players additional compensation and benefits for the ensuing seasons. The Los Angeles Lakers star has been a big proponent of the WNBA game, its quality, and the worthiness […]

The Golden State Warriors have signed swingman Damion Lee to a three-year deal, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. His contract will have a partial guarantee for next season, the second of the three-year pact. Lee exhausted his last two days of two-way eligibility last week after suiting up in games against the Milwaukee […]

Sixers big man Joel Embiid can’t wait to get the green light from the medical staff to rejoin his Philadelphia 76ers teammates on the court, but the star big man ensured to leave one thing clear — he’s not changing for anybody. While the 7-footer took some constructive criticism from the big man duo of […]

New Orleans Pelicans vice president David Griffin anticipates his rookie star Zion Williamson will make his NBA debut at home on Jan. 22 against the San Antonio Spurs, according to William Guillory of The Athletic. The 6-foot-6 forward has been out since the start of the season, nursing a torn meniscus injury that left him […]

Stephen Curry revealed he will make the trip to Pullman, WA to attend Klay Thompson’s jersey retirement ceremony, as his Golden State Warriors backcourt partner is set to be honored by his alma mater Washington State on Saturday, Jan. 18. Curry, who’s been out of action since suffering a broken left hand on Oct. 30 […]

Indiana Pacers star Victor Oladipo vows to “go full throttle” when he makes his much-awaited return to the court. Oladipo is on track to return from his knee injury on Jan. 29 against the Chicago Bulls: “I’m not gonna ease my way into anything,” Oladipo told Shams Charania of Stadium during a recent sitdown interview. […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo joked about his recent postgame conversation with star point guard Stephen Curry, one that took place shortly after his Milwaukee Bucks escaped with a 107-98 win last Wednesday. The two were seen sharing a quick moment, one which had lip-reading “experts” on Twitter soon making out what Curry was telling the reigning MVP. […]

Atlanta Hawks guard Trae Young has been avidly compared to draftmate Luka Doncic throughout their brief NBA careers, a trend that’s unlikely to stop anytime soon. The Dallas Mavericks guard, drafted No. 3 overall in 2018, has his team riding high to the sixth spot in the West, only a year after the organization decided […]

The Atlanta Hawks are having a season to forget in 2019-20, filled with locker room drama and a bevy of losses causing it. Yet second-year point guard Trae Young is shooting his best shot at potential free agents, and this heave comes from 40 feet out: “If you’re not on a team right now where […]

The Golden State Warriors have received a blow to the mouth after winning a season-high four straight games at the tail end of December, now sporting a nine-game losing skid after a blowout loss to the Dallas Mavericks on Tuesday night. Head coach Steve Kerr has seen his team go from encouraged to hopeless, losing […]

Paul George called fellow Los Angeles native Kawhi Leonard to congratulate him shortly after the Toronto Raptors secured a Game 6 victory against the Golden State Warriors and won their first-ever NBA title. That call eventually “took a life of its own,” ensuing a series of countless text messages, phone calls, and two meetings at […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have made a conscious effort to loosen the ropes and unleashing their rookie star Ja Morant, a risk that has paid huge dividends for the organization that now finds itself in the playoff race after a statement 121-110 win over the Houston Rockets. First-year head coach Taylor Jenkins admitted his rookie point […]

The Utah Jazz have turned malady into opportunity, racing to a league-best 10 straight wins after Tuesday’s win over the Brooklyn Nets. Rudy Gobert and Donovan Mitchell, two of the staples of this win streak, admit they wouldn’t like to mess with a team grooving like this. “I wouldn’t like to guard ourselves,” said Gobert, […]

Following a 124-97 stomping at the hands of the Dallas Mavericks, Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr sung praise for Luka Doncic, hailing him as the next Larry Bird. Mavs coach Rick Carlisle nodded but warned he’d stay away from comparisons to allow his cornerstone player to develop into his own. “That’s all legitimate,” […]

Kristaps Porzingis claimed he’s ready to go on Wednesday after the Dallas Mavericks raced past the Golden State Warriors on Tuesday night, 124-97. While it will be head coach Rick Carlisle getting the final word, it’s encouraging to see Porzingis that upbeat about playing after missing the past eight games with a sore right knee. […]