Bruno Manrique Articles - Page 54

Luka Doncic has surprised many in NBA circles with his quick ascendance to the conversation for the league’s Most Valuable Player, quickly putting his name among some of the usual suspects for the highly-coveted award. At 20 years old, the Slovenian wonderkid can become the youngest-ever MVP, eclipsing Derrick Rose’s record after doing so at […]

LeBron James offered some perspective as to what Anthony Davis can expect upon his return to New Orleans. The Los Angeles Lakers new big man is bound to hear some boos after choosing to leave the franchise once he made his trade request public in the eve of the last trade deadline, something that left […]

LeBron James has emerged as a defensive force once again after taking years off from the less-lauded end of the floor. Los Angeles Lakers head coach Frank Vogel has noticed his intensity and praised his leadership after James said the formula to become the best team in the league would start with the team’s commitment […]

Marcus Smart infamously punched a frame in a Los Angeles hotel after a one-point loss to the hapless Los Angeles Lakers in 2018. To this day the Boston Celtics guard still keeps a piece of the glass that cut his hand and forced him to miss 11 games with a deep laceration. The defensive ace […]

Draymond Green has had to endure plenty of cold punches in this losing season for the Golden State Warriors, but none of it compares to a cold tub, where Green met with Anthony Slater of The Athletic for an interview before revealing a quirky bit of truth. Comparing the interview setting to Kevin Hart’s show […]

Clint Capela trotted out yet another 20-plus-rebound game, finishing with 22 boards during Sunday’s 137-123 loss to the Dallas Mavericks. Forward PJ Tucker, who starts next to Capela as part of the Houston Rockets frontcourt, noted the big man steals a lot of his would-be rebounds. “He steals a lot of my rebounds. Trust me […]

Brooklyn Nets point guard Spencer Dinwiddie has been filling in admirably for Kyrie Irving during a five-game absence, and while the All-Star floor general will miss the next two games as well, Dinwiddie won’t necessarily have to return to the bench. Head coach Kenny Atkinson hinted Dinwiddie could potentially start next to Irving, among plenty […]

New Orleans Pelicans guard Josh Hart has had to do some damage control after he was heard on the Sept. 6 video iteration of his podcast “LightHarted” with some dubious comments about his time with the Los Angeles Lakers organization. Hart had teammate Lonzo Ball as a guest, first getting his take about the visit […]

LaMelo Ball became the youngest player in Australian National Basketball League history to record a triple-double, as the 18-year-old phenom poured in a game-high 32 points, 11 rebounds and 13 assists to help the Illawarra Hawks beat Cairns 114-106 in overtime on Monday. Ball’s game-tying 3-pointer with six seconds left in regulation sent the game […]

Dallas Mavericks star Luka Doncic was showered with shouts of “MVP” in Houston after pouring in 41 points (one shy of his career-high) along with six rebounds, 10 assists, and two steals — handing the Rockets a 137-123 defeat, their third straight. Doncic has quickly put his name among those deserving consideration for the Most […]

Spencer Dinwiddie hung a game-high 30 points on the New York Knicks, but the Brooklyn Nets starting point man didn’t get them easy. Dinwiddie praised his Knicks counterpart Frank Ntilikina, who drew the start and made it tough for the 6-foot-5 floor general in a narrow 103-101 win to give the Nets their third straight […]

New Orleans Pelicans vice-president of basketball operations David Griffin claims his rookie star Zion Williamson is “on schedule” during an interview with ESPN Radio New Orleans. Via ESPN’s Andrew Lopez: “He’s on schedule,” said Griffin. “He’s progressing exactly as I hoped he would. … You can map out where eight weeks could be.” The No. […]

The Golden State Warriors will be without Draymond Green for the second consecutive game, as he’s bound to miss Friday’s game against the Utah Jazz with a sore right heel, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Head coach Steve Kerr is expecting his star forward to return Monday when the Warriors start their home […]

Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart promptly responded to Los Angeles Clippers defensive ace Patrick Beverley’s scoffing when asked how he felt to have another player who could match his intensity. Beverley said “that’s funny” when asked about the comparison, and Smart was quick to bark back after hearing about Beverley’s comments: “You put me up […]

Jimmy Butler’s venture with the Miami Heat has been going better than anticipated, as his team is flying high with a 10-3 record and four straight wins to put them in third place in the Eastern Conference. Butler was grinning from ear to ear, even after coming back into familiar soil, set to face his […]

The Orlando Magic find themselves in murky waters after losing their two best players in the second quarter of Wednesday’s game against the Toronto Raptors. Nikola Vucevic and Aaron Gordon were both forced to leave the game early with their respective injuries, which will now have the franchise scrambling for answers after another shaky start […]

Toronto Raptors big man Serge Ibaka chopped it up with Charlamagne Tha God during an episode of Bleacher Report’s “How hungry are you?” telling the radio personality how he really felt when Kawhi Leonard decided to leave for the Los Angeles Clippers. Charlamagne went sizzling hot from the jump, quickly asking Ibaka about Leonard’s departure: […]

Carmelo Anthony had been shunned from returning to the NBA, seemingly in a hole too deep to come back from after the Houston Rockets elected to waive him after 10 games last season. Now that he’s found a home with the Portland Trail Blazers, Melo explained why so many teams with open roster spots and […]

Los Angeles Lakers bench cog Jared Dudley took his share of flak this summer after many media personalities noticed Carmelo Anthony had yet to find a place on an NBA roster. LeBron James had clamored for Melo as a potential help piece in the past, but the Lakers opted to add a veteran spot-up shooter […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo remembers the first time he had to go against Carmelo Anthony. For Melo it was just another day in the office, but the then-New York Knicks star would soon find out the kid from Greece had the right cojones to take him on. Now a member of the Portland Trail Blazers, Melo reminisced […]

Giannis Antetokounmpo still recalls the first time he matched up against Carmelo Anthony. On Thursday night, his Milwaukee Bucks were able to get past the Portland Trail Blazers, Anthony’s new team after a year-long absence from the NBA, but back in Dec. 18, 2013, Antetokounmpo was not The Greek Freak, but a talented player trying […]

The Charlotte Hornets are eyeing a new center for the future, zoning into Detroit Pistons big man Andre Drummond, who they could acquire via trade or as a free agent next season. Drummond could receive a hefty $28.7 million check by opting into his player option, but his market has never been higher, especially after […]

Ben Simmons made his first career 3-pointer on Wednesday against the New York Knicks, garnering an NBA-wide ovation after going 0-for-17 in his previous attempts in the last two seasons. Teammate Al Horford, hype aside, looked at the potential of having another capable shooter on the floor could open up for his Philadelphia 76ers: “I […]

New Orleans Pelicans center Derrick Favors will not play against his former team on Saturday night, as the big man did not make the trip to Salt Lake City to face the Utah Jazz, according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. Favors has been great for his new team when healthy, but he’s already missed […]

Carmelo Anthony showed a little more of his potential to help the Portland Trail Blazers, scoring 18 points in 29 minutes in Thursday’s 137-129 loss to the Milwaukee Bucks. CJ McCollum, who led the way with 37 points on the night, argued Melo is still getting his legs under him in his second game after […]

Orlando Magic All-Star center Nikola Vucevic will miss a minimum of four weeks with a right ankle injury, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. The Magic already had one of the worst offenses in the league and taking their leading scorer and rebounder could put them in serious trouble after a 6-8 start to […]

Pau Gasol is still looking for one last chance to hold onto his NBA dream after being waived by the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday. The Spanish international is still recovering from the foot fracture he suffered last season while with the Milwaukee Bucks and has not had any NBA offers thus far, as Barcelona […]

Jimmy Butler gave former teammate Joel Embiid some praise of the highest order, not only calling him the best player in the league but also attesting to his talent level and dedication to be recognized as just that. The now-Miami Heat star jelled with the Philadelphia 76ers talisman in ways he hasn’t meshed with other […]

Carmelo Anthony had only a handful of days to prepare himself for his return to the NBA as a member of the Portland Trail Blazers. The team reportedly staged workouts before he made his season debut against the New Orleans Pelicans on Tuesday, which his trainer, Alex Bazzell, ensured would put him in the best […]

A recent column from Kevin O’Connor of The Ringer displayed Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo’s recent improvements with his 3-point shooting, as he’s now shooting a respectable 37.2% from deep this season. Is the improvement here to stay or merely a fallacy of small sample size? O’Connor explains it in the graphic below. Giannis is […]

The Philadelphia 76ers roster seems readier than ever to make a push for the Eastern Conference crown, taking wins and losses a lot more seriously in 2019-20. According to ESPN’s Zach Lowe, holdover players have noticed the change in attitude after recent losses, claiming players are taking Ls to heart — a stark contrast from […]

The world of professional sports had a strong reaction to James Wiseman’s 12-game suspension by the NCAA, but many are especially up in arms by the ruling that the Memphis Tigers freshman is being forced to pay a whopping $11,500 in donations to charity to be restituted and regain eligibility. Not only has the NCAA […]

Golden State Warriors talent D’Angelo Russell has become the face of Li-Ning’s Way of Wade signature line, following in the footsteps of three-time NBA champion Dwyane Wade. The Golden State Warriors guard had been one of the last few sneaker free agents left on the market after his deal with Nike expired, wearing brands like […]

Luka Doncic is taking the NBA world by storm, even more than he did in his rookie season after being drafted third overall by the Dallas Mavericks following a gut-check draft night trade. The 20-year-old Mavs star is quickly entering the MVP conversation while nearly averaging a 30-point triple-double for the season, something veteran teammate […]

Los Angeles Clippers guard Lou Williams shared an anecdote from the crypt of NBA stories, one involving his former teammate Kobe Bryant that perhaps could put him in hot waters. Williams had a brief cup of tea with the Los Angeles Lakers, playing the entire 2015-16 season (Bryant’s 20th and final NBA campaign) and 58 […]

Charlotte Hornets guard Devonte’ Graham has joined an exclusive club, becoming just the fourth NBA player to record at least 50 3-pointers and 100 assists throughout the first 15 games of the season. Former Hornet Baron Davis, Charlotte native Stephen Curry, and Houston Rockets star James Harden (twice) have all achieved this feat, making Graham […]

Magic Johnson has an early-season pick for the Most Valuable Player award. Surprise, surprise, it’s Los Angeles Lakers star LeBron James. While some Lakers bias is to be expected from the Hall of Famer and former president of basketball operations, Johnson argued that if King James can keep up playing at this same pace for […]

Los Angeles Clippers star Paul George has some heartwarming words of praise for coach Doc Rivers, encouraging his well-rounded approach, from Xs and Os to his interpersonal skills: Paul George on Doc Rivers – “Doc is just phenomenal from play calling to kind of just being a father figure… I think just the relationship with […]

Los Angeles Clippers star Kawhi Leonard explained his dunk on Boston Celtics center Daniel Theis and his game-saving block of point guard Kemba Walker in the most boring way possible. Perhaps too on brand for his own good. While the two were arguably his two biggest plays of the game, Leonard resorted to giving a […]