Bruno Manrique Articles - Page 49

The Toronto Raptors have already started to kick the tires on their attempt to woo Milwaukee Bucks star Giannis Antetokounmpo in free agency, ensuring there’s enough cap space to make him a max-level offer in 2021. Bucks co-owner Marc Lasry is confident that the machine the franchise has built in the last few years will […]

Victor Oladipo’s road to full recovery has been long and arduous, but former Indiana Pacers star Paul George thinks he’s doing just fine taking his time returning from injury. The now Los Angeles Clippers forward suffered a compound fracture of his right leg in 2014 after crashing into the stanchion during a White vs. Blue […]

The New York Knicks might be forced to make some moves before the upcoming trade deadline, but one many didn’t see coming was that of their first acquisition of the summer, Julius Randle. The franchise is reportedly “open” to trading Randle, according to Steve Popper of Newsday, despite having his contract guaranteed for next season. […]

Jamal Crawford is among the last players of an older generation yet to receive an NBA chance after playing in the league last season. Boston Celtics guard Jaylen Brown advocated for Crawford, confident the soon-to-be 40-year-old can still play the game at the highest level: “I would like to see him on the floor in […]

A recent report suggested the Washington Wizards had no willingness to trade Davis Bertans, who has surfaced as one of the palpable targets for teams looking for frontcourt shooting. General manager Tommy Sheppard doubled down on that concept, saying the team has “every intention” of keeping him: “We have every intention of retaining him,” said […]

The Milwaukee Bucks had all the means to keep their NBA-best streak alive and extend it to 19 games against a Luka Doncic-less Dallas Mavericks. Instead, it was the Mavs who pulled off a surprising win and caught the Bucks in a struggle, becoming the first team to snap a winning streak of 15 or […]

San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray downplayed the importance of a shoving match with Houston Rockets star James Harden during Monday night’s game, calling it “nothing.” Asked what happened between him and the NBA’s leading scorer, the young floor general said “it’s just basketball,” hoping not to make much of it, according to Tom Orsborn […]

The Toronto Raptors have given no indication that they would let go of team president of basketball operations Masai Ujiri, but amid the rumors of the New York Knicks aiming to hire him, the baseline to do so would come at a stiff price. Ujiri is under contract until 2021, but he turned down a […]

San Antonio Spurs guard Dejounte Murray knows the Houston Rockets will be out for revenge after a crazy end to their last matchup. The Spurs managed to rally from down 18 to tie the game by the end of regulation, forcing two overtimes and walking away with the win after a pair of DeMar DeRozan […]

Jrue Holiday could be one of the names floating around during the trade deadline, as ESPN’s Zach Lowe suggested on a recent TV special next to colleague Adrian Wojnarowski (h/t Sagar Trika aka @BlazersBySagar). The New Orleans Pelicans have only won six games this season and are in the midst of a 12-game losing skid […]

The trade deadline is bound to bring along plenty of interesting names, but none are more exciting than those that weren’t expected to be there in the first place. Among them is Los Angeles Clippers big man Montrezl Harrell, who will become an unrestricted free agent after this season, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (h/t […]

The Chicago Bulls are undergoing a rollercoaster situation this season, with several mind-boggling losses followed by encouraging wins and the headache that comes with assessing what to expect from a team with no clear sense of identity. The Bulls have not been able to put wins together this season besides a two-game win streak against […]

The Golden State Warriors stealthily snubbed two-time champion Kevin Durant from a tribute tweet self-promoting their recent win as “Franchise of the Decade,” as voted by the Sports Business Journal. The tweet includes snapshots from each year — from 2010 through 2019 — none of which include the two-time Finals MVP in them. The Golden […]

The Toronto Raptors made a savvy move this summer, tacking on an extra year to Kyle Lowry at $30 million to make his contract more appealing to potential trade partners. Yet the Raptors might be too good to go into “sell mode” right away and deal Lowry, according to ESPN’s Zach Lowe (h/t Sagar Trika […]

The San Antonio Spurs are undeniably on the brink of a complete overhaul after starting 10-15 through the first 25 games and now 11th in a deep Western Conference. While there’s still plenty of times to get a grip on the playoff race, this season might just be the one that sparks an inevitable rebuild […]

The Los Angeles Clippers believed to have a three-year, $40 million agreement with forward Marcus Morris after it became evident the Boston Celtics wouldn’t re-sign him, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (h/t Sagar Trika of Blazers Edge). Morris soon after verbally committed to joining the San Antonio Spurs on a two-year, $20 million deal, before […]

The Los Angeles Lakers are breezing their way through their start to the season, now with a 24-3 mark that puts them at the top along with the Milwaukee Bucks. Yet the Lakers aren’t merely putting together long win streaks, but also providing a show in ways that haven’t been seen since the Showtime days. […]

Denver Nuggets forward Will Barton struggled to find his game after feeling “abandoned” once he started struggling last season. Barton had re-signed with the Nuggets under the condition of being a starter, which the organization honored. But he soon felt the splinters of his repeated shooting slumps, which eventually forced head coach Mike Malone to […]

Leaders of the NBPA are meeting with G League players to discuss the possibility of unionizing the NBA’s minor league, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski. Players and NBPA representatives will talk during the G League Showcase event in Las Vegas this week. Both sides talked about the prospect of making this happen during last year’s […]

The Brooklyn Nets handed the Philadelphia 76ers a 20-point loss on Sunday, an effort led by Spencer Dinwiddie, who has taken the reins after Kyrie Irving went down to injury. Following the end of the game, Sixers star Ben Simmons praised Dinwiddie: “He’s aggressive. He’s very talented,” said Simmons, according to Anthony Puccio of NetsDaily. […]

Denver Nuggets head coach Mike Malone opined about the firing of his colleague David Fizdale earlier this month, a hot topic of discussion after the New York Knicks started 4-18 this season with him at the helm. Following the Nuggets’ 111-105 win over the Knicks, Malone gave his sincere thoughts on the matter. ‘They needed […]

The Toronto Raptors are interested in re-signing point guard Fred VanVleet, but don’t want to compromise the cap space they’re hoping to free up to make a run at Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski (via RealGM). “I think for Toronto, they look at this season and then they look at the […]

Anthony Davis claimed his body was running mostly on adrenaline against the Atlanta Hawks after suffering a sprained right ankle. The Los Angeles Lakers forward rolled his ankle with 4:14 left in regulation after landing from a layup, with his team leading by seven points, putting their win streak on the line. “I just wanted […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder have had a hard time finding a team desperate enough to trade for Chris Paul, a large component of what it would take to haul in the remaining $124 million of his contract. According to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com, the Thunder gambled, thinking they could find a team to flip Paul […]

The Memphis Grizzlies have “great confidence” that they can trade exiled forward Andre Iguodala before the trade deadline, but the Houston Rockets have already given up on three- and four-team trade permutations to acquire him, according to ESPN’s Adrian Wojnarowski and Zach Lowe (via Sagar Trika of Blazers’ Edge). The Rockets have wanted Iguodala ever […]

The Golden State Warriors will hold out rookie Eric Paschall for Friday’s game against the Utah Jazz due to a hip injury, though head coach Steve Kerr says he’s not concerned for the long-term effects of this injury, according to Logan Murdock of NBC Sports Bay Area. Paschall is coming off the two worst games […]

Thaddeus Young addressed a recent report from the Chicago Sun-Times claiming he is “not thrilled” with his role with the Chicago Bulls and would be willing to ask for a trade if it continues that way. Young, who signed a three-year, $41 million deal this summer to play for Chicago, was quick to note he […]

New Orleans Pelicans sharpshooter JJ Redick unintentionally roasted former NBA player and current TNT color commentator Chris Webber while answering to criticism of former Sixers teammate Joel Embiid from Shaquille O’Neal and Charles Barkley. Embiid was criticized by O’Neal and Barkley for not dominating like he can. He responded with a monster 38-point, 13-rebound, six-assist […]

D’Angelo Russell has dealt with a slew of trade rumors ever since he agreed to sign with the Golden State Warriors, with most seeing him as potential trade deadline bait as a player that doesn’t lend to their style of play. Head coach Steve Kerr explained how his star has handled the hoopla surrounding him […]

The Portland Trail Blazers have applied for a disabled player exception worth $2.85 million in the wake of the season-ending Achilles injury to Rodney Hood, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Hood, who turned 27 in October, suffered the injury on Friday in the first half of a game against the Los Angeles Lakers. […]

Former New York Knicks head coach and ESPN color commentator Jeff Van Gundy went back to memory lane to recall his stint at the helm of the Knicks (1996-2001) and how the franchise has crumbled down since. A guest in Mike Krzyzewski’s Basketball & Beyond with Coach K SiriusXM show, Van Gundy recalled the end […]

Former Philadelphia 76ers sharpshooter JJ Redick spoke highly of his ex-teammates and former coach Brett Brown, noting he watched Thursday night’s game between the Sixers and the Boston Celtics, pulling for his former team to win. “It’s weird to say this but I’m enjoying their success, I really am,” said Redick, according to Rich Hoffmann […]

Joel Embiid proved Charles Barkley and Shaquille O’Neal had reason to criticize his play in a win over the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday, as the TNT analysts demanded more than a 22-point, 10-rebound effort from the dominant 7-foot center. The Philadelphia 76ers star wasted no time, pounding a 38-point, 13-rebound, six-assist effort on Thursday, taking […]

DeMar DeRozan has been one of the top names swirling in recent trade rumors, but the San Antonio Spurs shooting guard could be heading into a dry free-agent market in 2020, with very few teams able to sign him. According to ESPN Insider Bobby Marks, only the Atlanta Hawks, Charlotte Hornets, Cleveland Cavaliers, and the […]

The Minnesota Timberwolves were once rumored to be willing to part ways with Andrew Wiggins if a team was willing to take him in a trade, but the team has given no indication of such since the summer, according to Jon Krawczynski of The Athletic. The belief across the league this summer was that Wiggins […]

Joel Embiid brought every bit of his game to the TD Garden, where he was showered with boos and trash talk by rowdy Boston Celtics fans, something the Philadelphia 76ers admitted to enjoying after his team grabbed a 115-109 win on Thursday. “The loudest game I’ve been a part of was here in Game 2 […]

Dallas Mavericks second-year star Luka Doncic has heavily leaned on the team’s trusted veterans, namely JJ Barea, who is the lone remaining piece from the time the Mavs last made the playoffs. Doncic is coming off winning the Rookie of the Year award, but there is still plenty he could absorb from Barea’s wisdom, now […]

Hassan Whiteside has been in the middle of trade rumors with less than two months left until the trade deadline. The Portland Trail Blazers rumored interest in Kevin Love leaves room for interpretation, as Whiteside’s gigantic expiring contract could be used to salary-match that of Love’s. Whiteside was heard teasing Carmelo Anthony during a 17-point, […]

Philadelphia 76ers star Joel Embiid said he called Shaquille O’Neal on Wednesday after receiving criticism from him and Charles Barkley in the wake of a non-dominant performance against the Denver Nuggets. Embiid said Shaq thought he was mad at him, but he wasn’t. They talked about Embiid being more aggressive, according to ESPN’s Tim Bontemps. […]