Bruno Manrique Articles - Page 71

The Miami Heat are still interested in acquiring Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Chris Paul as they enter the 2019-20 NBA season, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. Paul was equally interested in landing in South Beach after being traded by the Houston Rockets, but OKC and Miami could not agree to a deal […]

The Brooklyn Nets are looking increasingly unlikely to sign Carmelo Anthony at this time, despite the recent wave of interest from players. The Nets recently lost Wilson Chandler to a 25-game suspension, which made Anthony and other players like Dante Cunningham, Lance Thomas and Luol Deng surface as potential candidates to take that spot. Yet […]

Klay Thompson’s return from a torn ACL will have the Golden State Warriors wait for another five-to-six months until he sees the court again, but neither the hardwood nor the company will be the same after an offseason of vast changes. Besides moving to a brand new state-of-the-art arena, the Warriors have also been part […]

Despite a potentially career-altering injury suffered at a crucial moment, the Golden State Warriors showed Klay Thompson the ultimate loyalty by doling out all $190 million over five years — a max contract for a player with eight years of service and a massive reason why the Warriors made a fifth consecutive trip to the […]

Klay Thompson isn’t often one to meddle in others players’ free-agent decisions, but the perennial sharpshooter told former teammate Kevin Durant that the Golden State Warriors had the potential of being the greatest dynasty to ever exist before the two hit free agency: “I mostly just let him be, but I told him we could […]

Klay Thompson is not quite champing at the bit to come back to the Golden State Warriors’ starting lineup, knowing he has a demanding road back to full health after suffering a torn ACL in Game 6 of the NBA Finals. The sharpshooter has researched how long it has taken other athletes to recover from […]

Klay Thompson was at the peak of his professional career at a time of need in the NBA Finals. The Golden State Warriors, who had the dire need to get Kevin Durant back against the Toronto Raptors, were clinging to every bit of hope — requiring Thompson to be at his very best, something he […]

Lonzo Ball’s relationship with his father, LaVar Ball, has come a long way since the day he was drafted No. 2 overall by the Los Angeles Lakers. Following two years of underwhelming results after some sky-high expectations, the oldest of the Ball brothers finds himself no longer in La La Land after being traded along […]

The Golden State Warriors will have the chance to fly under the radar for the first time since 2014, a five-year window that has since made them into the hunted instead of the hunters. Klay Thompson, who is bound to sit out for at least half of the season, is looking forward to being the […]

Golden State Warriors sharpshooter Klay Thompson has a long comeback mission ahead of him this season and a very different team to return to, yet the cult icon has no hard feelings after Kevin Durant chose to leave for the Brooklyn Nets this summer. “It was no hard feelings, man. I know Kevin,” Thompson told […]

Los Angeles Lakers Hall of Famer Magic Johnson is among the train of believers in a young Ben Simmons, who has put in the work to improve his jump shot this offseason. Simmons was seen taking (and making) several jumpers during open runs throughout the summer, though there are many skeptics that have argued that […]

Hall of Famer Magic Johnson was not shy to humble-brag about his decision to draft Lonzo Ball in 2017, a move that eventually defined his short-lived tenure as a front office executive with the Los Angeles Lakers. Magic went on ESPN’s First Take, insisting the Pelicans will be an exciting team, mentioning his former Lakers […]

Hall of Famer Magic Johnson is hoping Kevin Durant is able to find happiness after making his second move in three years, this time leaving the Golden State Warriors for the Brooklyn Nets. Johnson, who was fortunate enough to spend his entire career with the Los Angeles Lakers, noted he is hoping that “KD, I […]

ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith joined Hall of Famer Charles Barkley and the Philadelphia 76ers bandwagon, picking them to make the NBA Finals. The household sports radio and TV voice made the claim during Friday’s iteration of First Take. “The Philadelphia 76ers are going to the NBA Finals,” said Smith, noting the Boston Celtics still have […]

The Houston Rockets will sign free agent forward Thabo Sefolosha, according to Marc Stein of The New York Times. The deal will be for one year at the veteran’s minimum, according to Jonathan Feigen of The Houston Chronicle. At the wake of Iman Shumpert’s decision to turn down a contract offer, the Rockets front office […]

Klay Thompson was forced to watch Team USA’s quest for gold at the 2019 FIBA World Cup from home, after tearing his ACL in Game 6 of the NBA Finals and needing surgery to follow. While others with much healthier summers turned down the option to play with Team USA, Thompson admitted it was tough […]

The Los Angeles Lakers will bring in a well-studded one-two punch at the center spot, one JaVale McGee expects will give opponents some real trouble in the upcoming 2019-20 season. McGee will likely have to compete to keep his starting spot against Dwight Howard, but he has been pretty confident that he might keep his […]

JaVale McGee will head into the 2019-20 season expecting to be the starting center for the Los Angeles Lakers, even after the acquisition of Dwight Howard in the wake of DeMarcus Cousins’ torn ACL in the summer: “Yeah, I’ve thought about my role,” McGee told Spectrum SportsNet, having inked a two-year, $8.2 million deal with […]

PJ Tucker has been waiting to get an extension to his contract that will allow him to remain with the Houston Rockets for the long run. However, general manager Daryl Morey hinted that might not happen during this 2019-20 season: “We’re open to the concept of extensions early. We have done it with players in […]

The Toronto Raptors will enter a key stretch of their franchise core-building, as young Pascal Siakam, the NBA’s Most Improved Player last season, is due for an extension of his rookie contract. NBA executives are divided on whether the 25-year-old is deserving of a max extension or not, as some believe he’s worth the risk, […]

Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey thinks the recent trade for Russell Westbrook boosts his team’s chances to win a title by 30%. The longtime fan of advanced analytics told Howard Beck of Bleacher Report of that increase, which only made ESPN’s Rachel Nichols suspicious of the math: Houston GM @DMorey told @HowardBeck the #Rockets […]

The Houston Rockets will bring back a nearly intact core of players, some of whom have played a hefty amount of minutes during the last few seasons. The duo of Russell Westbrook and James Harden is notorious for wanting to play every game of the regular season and bringing that same competitiveness to every matchup, […]

Hall of Famer Charles Barkley believes Philadelphia 76ers big man Joel Embiid can enter the conversation for Most Valuable Player in the upcoming 2019-20 season. The former Sixer has been somewhat harsh on today’s Sixers stars during the regular season and even more so in the playoffs, but Sir Charles admits there’s a part of […]

With close to a month before the start of the new NBA season, Houston Rockets general manager Daryl Morey is going into this new campaign thinking his team is the favorite, always shooting for the top seed in the West despite a wild change on many rosters. Both Los Angeles teams, the Denver Nuggets, the […]

Stephen Curry is ramping up his workouts ahead of the start of the NBA season, including doing the much-needed calf raises to get closer to his golf idol, Phil Mickelson. While the Golden State Warriors guard isn’t quite up to the calves of gold standard that Mickelson’s at, the lifelong golfer gave the NBA star a […]

The Milwaukee Bucks are not worried about potentially losing Giannis Antetokounmpo to the Golden State Warriors in 2021. While there is a friendship and a connection between the reigning MVP and Warriors franchise star Stephen Curry, The Greek Freak could take the precedent of Kevin Durant’s three-year stint in Golden State as an example of […]

LA Clippers head coach Doc Rivers can vividly recall the anguish and gut-knotting anxiety that came with the pursuit of Kawhi Leonard, even the bits and pieces of the moments prior to locking down a verbal agreement with the star. Among them was an anecdote of his dinner time meal, in which he was forced […]

The LA Clippers had a vital stretch early in their offseason in a quest to acquire Kawhi Leonard. Yet the wait, doubt and constant consternation of whether they would be able to net his services was a helter skelter of frantic confusion. Head coach Doc Rivers was at the center of it all, now on […]

LA Clippers head coach Doc Rivers played a massive part of bringing in Kawhi Leonard in free agency, considering the stakes and vacillation between three teams coveting his services. The longtime coach explained how he went about recruiting the recently crowned NBA champion in the early days of July: “We had a meeting with Kawhi […]

Washington Mystics star Elena Delle Donne has been named the 2019 WNBA Most Valuable Player, the league announced on Thursday. A seven-year veteran, Delle Donne has won her second MVP award and become the first player in WNBA history to earn the honor with two different teams. The 30-year-old was also selected as MVP in […]

Alex Abrines might have decided to go back to his native Spain after a short stint in the NBA, but the former Oklahoma City Thunder has nothing but nice things to say about his former teammate Russell Westbrook, now of the Houston Rockets. Abrines left the NBA citing his own mental health issues, a part […]

The Houston Rockets agreed to sign Nene to a two-year, $20 million contract on Sept. 6, complete with numerous bonuses. Yet almost two weeks later, the league has yet to put its stamp of approval after seriously mulling the potential consequences of such an unprecedented deal. It’s no secret that new owner Tilman Fertitta and […]

The Milwaukee Bucks are not sweating the recent rumors surrounding the Golden State Warriors arising as a “serious threat” to snatch away their franchise talisman Giannis Antetokounmpo in 2021. The Greek Freak has been intent in staying in the small market franchise, appearing to be a low-maintenance superstar with a fondness for the city of […]

Team USA has managed to keep its longtime spot as the best team in the world in the updated FIBA rankings despite a disappointing seventh-place finish in the recent 2019 World Cup, according to The Associated Press. The Americans lost to France in the quarterfinals and then Serbia in the consolation bracket, only salvaging a […]

The newly-assembled duo of Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant caught a big financial break at the time of signing with the Brooklyn Nets. The franchise was expecting to sign them to their respective max contracts, including $4-5 million in unlikely bonuses so that the stipulations fit into the salary cap. However once the Golden State […]

Anthony Davis’ arrival in Los Angeles has put the Lakers on an automatic championship-bound mission, and while he’s yet to discuss those hefty expectations with the rest of his teammate, it feels unnecessary to do so after the series of changes the franchise has gone through this summer. “We haven’t talked about it yet, but […]

Miami Heat center Bam Adebayo took one of the most colossal losses of his life, but it was one in good fun and with an even better purpose — even if it was a 20-1 loss he will never forget. The 6-foot-10 and 265-pound big man matched up against a 5-foot-8, 143-pound rival — usually […]

Two of the Indiana Pacers new acquisitions are feeling great upon their arrival to their new home. Malcolm Brogdon, who came over from the Milwaukee Bucks in a sign-and-trade as a restricted free agent and TJ Warren, who was traded by the Suns, are already feeling right at home roughly a week before the start […]

Golden State Warriors point guard Stephen Curry has already made his intentions to play for Team USA abundantly clear, but despite a seventh-place finish at the FIBA World Cup a few weeks ago, he’s still unequivocally confident the Americans are still the hunted rather than the hunters: “We’re still the best,” Curry told ESPN’s Nick […]