Bruno Manrique Articles - Page 68

Lonzo Ball arrived in training camp with some revamped mechanics on his jump shot, looking a lot more fluid and, quite sincerely, like he belongs in the NBA with a solid stroke. While the New Orleans Pelicans’ recent acquisition was merely taking open jumpers at the team’s practice facility, the signs of the repetition from […]

Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma will be one of the few NBA players to make more money from a sneaker sponsorship than his own NBA deal. The 24-year-old inked a five-year deal with Puma that is expected to net him over $20 million over the life of the deal, making him the face of […]

Ben Simmons is taking his campaign for Defensive Player of the Year pretty seriously from the onset, as the third-year point guard has now become a lot more vocal and intense in practice — a stark difference from his first two years in the league. “Ben is really locked in defensively and locked in offensively, […]

The Sacramento Kings could be in line to swing a trade for Oklahoma City Thunder big man Steven Adams, according to Sean Deveney of Heavy.com. The Thunder have already emptied part of their older roster, trading Paul George early in free agency, then consequently Jerami Grant and Russell Westbrook, leaving Adams as the only keep […]

The co-founder of the Big Baller Brand, Alan Foster, has countersued LaVar and Lonzo Ball for alleged fraudulent concealment and breach of contract, Mike Walters of The Blast reported on Wednesday. Foster, who was sued in April for over $2 million and ousted from the company for operating a “fraudulent scheme” and secreting funds to […]

Kemba Walker has missed out on enough postseasons during his eight years with the Charlotte Hornets, looking to finally turn the page with the Boston Celtics. The 6-foot-1 dynamo has idly watched other point guards compete in the playoffs, but he knows doing so again at the end of this 2019-20 season would be falling […]

Kyle Kuzma became the face of Puma, a sneaker and sports clothing brand that has now resurfaced in the basketball world after nearly two decades out of the NBA realm. The Los Angeles Lakers forward signed a five-year deal worth approximately $3 million per year to become the face of the company. The 6-foot-9 forward, […]

Boston Celtics big man Enes Kanter vouched for the full health of new teammate Gordon Hayward, who made his return to the court last season looking like a shell of his former self. Hayward played in 72 games last season after missing all but five minutes of the 2017-18 campaign after landing awkwardly during an […]

Steve Kerr somehow kept a core of some of the NBA’s biggest superstars hungry enough to make it through five straight NBA Finals, reaching the league’s biggest stage for half a decade. Yet the Golden State Warriors head coach knows his toughest challenge as a coach will come during this 2019-20 season, as he takes […]

Only a few days into training camp, veteran guard Jrue Holiday has already noticed how his new teammates could operate during this upcoming 2019-20 season. The New Orleans Pelicans two-way star praised rookie Zion Williamson and third-year point man Lonzo Ball for their individual skills, which should prove to be assets head coach Alvin Gentry […]

Tim Duncan is the newest voice on the bench of San Antonio Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, but that hasn’t stopped him from going back to his old habits of putting his toes on the line and running sprints at the start of training camp. The five-time NBA champion took the sideline and ran from […]

Draymond Green is coming off five straight runs to the NBA Finals with the Golden State Warriors, yet a new spark of energy lives within him as he approaches a very different 2019-20 season. No longer one of many veteran players in a championship-laden team, Green is now more vital than ever in the Warriors’ […]

Draymond Green does not plan on having a slow start in 2019-20 like the one he had last season. He’s now equipped with the same diet he used to shed 30 pounds at the end of the regular season, tuning him into a lean, mean, shot-blocking machine during the 2019 playoffs. The Golden State Warriors […]

Kristaps Porzingis is back in uniform and looking more chiseled than ever, yet the Dallas Mavericks forward confirmed, contrary to previous reports, that he never intended to return from a torn ACL injury before he was fully healthy: “In my mind, I always wanted to come back when I was 110% and I didn’t want […]

Enes Kanter will try to do undo his reputation as a poor defender in this new venture with the Boston Celtics, hoping he now has the right personnel and the right system alongside him to help him become a better one. The new addition noted it’ll take more than just his own effort to develop […]

Los Angeles Lakers forward Kyle Kuzma has signed a five-year agreement with Puma, becoming the face of the sneaker and sports clothing company, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic and Stadium. The deal is worth about $15 million over those five years, per Marc Stein of The New York Times. The third-year wing came […]

Mario Hezonja will get a chance to explore some hidden aspects of his game, now bound to get a few cracks as a point-forward with the Portland Trail Blazers after showing glimpses of brilliance at that position with the New York Knicks. Head coach Terry Stotts is open to give Super Mario, who averaged 18.8 […]

Mitchell Robinson will be quickly adding to his repertoire after only one season in the NBA. The New York Knicks center made a splash last season as one of the best shot-blockers in the league, thanks to his athleticism and impeccable timing — yet the 7-foot-1 center has been in the lab working on his […]

James Johnson is set to miss the start of training camp after failing to meet the Miami Heat’s strict conditioning requirements the franchise demands of its players. The team said as much on a release on Tuesday, with newly extended head coach Erik Spoelstra adding very little to the specifics: The Miami Heat announced today […]

Andrew Wiggins had no filter when facing the criticism involving his development as a player, quickly pivoting to former head coach Tom Thibodeau as a reason for his struggles in the last two years. The Minnesota Timberwolves forward was given a five-year, $147 million deal after he improved after his first two seasons, though he […]

Sixers superstar Joel Embiid is spending the first few days of training camp trying to figure out a way to mesh alongside newcomer Al Horford, who is bound to slide up to the power forward position in Brett Brown’s starting lineup. The Philadelphia 76ers will trot out the tallest lineup in the league with a […]

Joel Embiid is keenly aware of the losses his Philadelphia 76ers sustained during the summer. Besides Jimmy Butler deciding to sign with the Miami Heat, the Sixers also lost out on some elite sharpshooting from JJ Redick, who gave the team back-to-back career-highs in scoring before departing to join the New Orleans Pelicans. While the […]

Mike D’Antoni has already put some thought into how to make the most of the Houston Rockets’ star pairing of James Harden and Russell Westbrook. The veteran head coach already made it known he plans to utilize his best players’ strengths and plans to keep either Westbrook or Harden on the floor at all times. […]

It’s training camp season and spirits are high for all 30 NBA teams. The Minnesota Timberwolves don’t fall far from that description, as an injury-plagued side is now healthy enough to take the court, starting with point guard Jeff Teague, who sees big things ahead for teammates Andrew Wiggins and Karl-Anthony Towns. “I expect a […]

Jusuf Nurkic suffered a gruesome leg injury in the closing stages of the 2018-19 regular season, but that didn’t keep the Portland Trail Blazers from reaching the Western Conference Finals. The long timeline for his recovery also won’t keep the 7-footer away from the gym, as he feels he’s exactly where he needs to be […]

Kris Dunn has been told the Chicago Bulls will “upgrade” the point guard position, mere words used to describe his likely relegation to a spot on the bench after the franchise acquired Tomas Satoransky in a sign-and-trade with the Washington Wizards this summer. Yet the fourth-year point guard feels like he’s still a starting-caliber player, […]

Joel Embiid has vowed to stop the trash talk for good. Maybe. Perhaps. Mayhaps? Either way, the Philadelphia 76ers big man looks to be laser-focused to win all the individual awards, as well as leading the Sixers to the best record in the East and playing 70 games this upcoming season: “I’m not talking trash […]

Zion Williamson has yet to play a full-fledged game in his NBA career, but he’s already living the dream of what it means to play in the league. The New Orleans Pelicans new star and the No. 1 overall selection of the 2019 NBA Draft is taking matters day by day and soaking in every […]

James Harden delivered on his hard work in the offseason, quickly putting the fruits of his labor on display in the Houston Rockets’ first preseason game against the Shanghai Sharks. The Beard had been seen mastering a one-legged drift-away jumper, and he made use of it when he was shaded to his left, taking a […]

Joel Embiid is taking a different strategy going into his fourth NBA season, managing his own workload after losing 20-plus pounds and putting some lofty goals on his board. Embiid was plagued with knee tendinitis throughout the season despite playing a career-best 64 games for the Philadelphia 76ers, but the injuries, including his back, came […]

Joel Embiid was seen emotionally reacting to a devastating Game 7 loss to the Toronto Raptors in the Eastern Conference Semifinals, one that included one of the NBA’s most throat-gripping finishes with a four-bounce corner shot by Kawhi Leonard that ended the Philadelphia 76ers’ season. That painful loss haunted Embiid into thinking what else he […]

Two respected veterans like Stephen Curry and Draymond Green are aiming for the stars ahead of this 2019-20 season, still with the lofty expectations of reaching the NBA Finals for a sixth straight season. Head coach Steve Kerr and newcomer D’Angelo Russell took a much more measured approach to the Golden State Warriors’ upcoming season, […]

Klay Thompson might not be able to do much moving on the court until the All-Star break, but he has already packed his things and slid into a new place in hopes to be closer to the Golden State Warriors’ new arena in downtown San Francisco. The marksman, however, won’t reveal what district he has […]

The offseason has been a time to put in work for second-year big man Omari Spellman, who claims he has dropped 40 pounds since Summer League, down from the 315 pounds he weighed to 275, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. Spellman was acquired by the Golden State Warriors in a trade that shipped […]

The veteran core of the Golden State Warriors is still plenty confident it has the pieces to make yet another run to the NBA Finals, as the trio of Stephen Curry, Klay Thompson, and Draymond Green have trotted out five straight trips to the promised land after breaking out as the NBA’s Cinderella story in […]

The 2019-20 NBA season is just three weeks away from its start, and Jrue Holiday of the New Orleans Pelicans has already seen flashes of what’s to come for newcomer Zion Williamson. The No. 1 overall selection already wowed plenty of NBA players during his lone season at Duke, but it’s a very different thing […]

Golden State Warriors head coach Steve Kerr is hoping to quickly acclimate the team’s new acquisition D’Angelo Russell into their style of offense. In order to do so, however, he must first give him situations to thrive in and play to his strengths — something Kerr is already looking to incorporate into his sets. “We […]

Much has been made about Ben Simmons’ intense offseason training, as he tried to polish the one part of his game that is clearly keeping him from reaching the next level of superstardom: shooting. The Philadelphia 76ers point guard has been a reluctant 3-point shooter, taking 11 threes in his rookie season and eight in […]

New Golden State Warriors center Willie Cauley-Stein will miss the entirety of training camp after suffering a left foot strain during a recent workout, according to Anthony Slater of The Athletic. This development will give Kevon Looney, who the Warriors signed to a three-year, $15 million deal in the summer, the starting job from the […]