Mike Cruz Articles - Page 12

Seattle Seahawks rookie Devon Witherspoon will finally make his debut on Sunday in their NFL Week 2 game versus the Detroit Lions. Asked about Witherspoon’s highly-anticipated debut, Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll couldn’t contain his enthusiasm for the 22-year-old. “We’re really excited for him,” Carroll said. “[Witherspoon] is a real fireball. He’s loving the fact […]

Chicago Blackhawks fans must feel ecstatic after witnessing Connor Bedard’s first game with the franchise. Selected first overall by Chicago in the 2023 NHL Draft, Bedard wasted zero time in showing why the Blackhawks stud is head and shoulders above everybody in his class. In his first game in five months, the Blackhawks center scored […]

Boulder was the talk of the football town on Saturday with Colorado edging out Colorado State in a “hot garbage” 43-35 double-overtime thriller. Deion Sanders just couldn’t let Jay Norvell get his spotlight as Colorado orchestrated a miraculous comeback with just over two minutes remaining in regulation and closed out Colorado State in 2OT to […]

It seems like Buffalo Bills fans may need to wait at least another week to see the return of Damar Hamlin on the field. The Bills have listed Hamlin as inactive ahead of their NFL Week 2 matchup against the Las Vegas Raiders on Sunday. Per @StaceyDales, Damar Hamlin once again is inactive with that […]

The Kansas City Chiefs have revealed their plans for the respective debuts of tight end Travis Kelce and defensive tackle Chris Jones for Sunday’s NFL Week 2 game against the Jacksonville Jaguars. Kansas City previously announced that Kelce and Jones will indeed play their first game of the season after missing Week 1’s contest against […]

Some analysts believe Karl-Anthony Towns’ time with the Minnesota Timberwolves has run its course. However, the Timberwolves remain optimistic that the twin-tower frontcourt of Rudy Gobert and Karl-Anthony Towns could still work this season. Frankly speaking, it really doesn’t make sense for the Timberwolves to be paying two centers on max deals and another (Naz […]

After reaching the Western Conference Finals in 2022, the Dallas Mavericks took a major regression the following year and completely missed the 2023 NBA playoffs. A lot of factors went into why the Mavs failed to capitalize on what should have been a step forward. Dallas never really recovered from Jalen Brunson’s departure in free […]

The James Harden trade saga must be the messiest situation in the entire NBA right now. Of course, it once again involves the Philadelphia 76ers. There’s no knowing how this situation will end or how long it will even take. But one thing is for sure, James Harden does not want to be a Sixer […]

World champion or not, nobody can deny that the Denver Nuggets were the best team in the best league in the world last season. Led by perhaps the best player in the world Nikola Jokic, the Nuggets dominated the 2023 NBA playoffs to capture their first championship in franchise history. Denver’s main core of Jokic, […]

The New York Knicks have the assets. The question is: Should the Knicks swing for the fences? New York owns a ton of draft capital to go all in on a franchise star to improve their chances of becoming a legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference. As currently constructed, this Knicks team isn’t built to […]

There is so much uncertainty clouding the Memphis Grizzlies heading into the 2023-24 NBA season due to Ja Morant’s 25-game suspension to begin the campaign. Memphis actually had a stellar 20-5 record without Morant in 2021-22, but that was an anomaly. This past season, the narrative that the Grizzlies are just as good without Morant […]

If the 2022-23 NBA season wasn’t enough to convince you that the Oklahoma City Thunder birthed a new superstar for the NBA, then his all-world performance for Canada during the 2023 FIBA World Cup should. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is officially a superstar, ladies and gentlemen. And there’s nothing anyone can do about it. Nobody was able […]

Amidst the standstill between the Miami Heat and the Portland Trail Blazers, Damian Lillard to South Beach seems destined to happen. The latest development in the Dame-to-Heat trade saga is that there is no development. Both sides are apparently not engaging with each other and there is no momentum on a deal going down. Nonetheless, […]

It wouldn’t be a surprise if the Orlando Magic make a jump to becoming a playoff team next season. Through the latter half of the 2022-23 season, it just looked like this Magic squad was on the cusp of a leap and a breakout this upcoming 2023-24 campaign is just waiting to happen. After starting […]

John Wall deserves another shot at the NBA. Sure, Wall has dealt with an unfortunate string of injuries throughout his career that derailed his athleticism. But even if he is just a shell of what he once was, there is still enough talent in that 6-foot-3 frame of his that can still help a championship […]

The Washington Mystics had a very underwhelming campaign as they finished with just a 19-21 record in the regular season. Nonetheless, that did not prevent the Mystics from qualifying for the 2023 WNBA Playoffs as they made it as the 7th seed. Their reward? A first-round date with Breanna Stewart and her newly-formed superteam with […]

Let the real games begin. In their quest for back-to-back WNBA championships, the defending champion Las Vegas Aces left no crumbs on their way to a historic 34-6 campaign. The Aces dominated the 2023 regular season in every sense of the word. Las Vegas had the most potent offense in the WNBA. They led the […]

The 2023 WNBA regular season that saw historic campaigns from the Las Vegas Aces and the New York Liberty has come to a close. With that, an epic month of women’s hoops should be on the docket until the third week of October as the WNBA Playoffs commence on September 13. This season has been […]

The Chicago Bulls are one of the most storied franchises in the history of the NBA — and that is in large part due to one particular man: Michael Jordan. Chicago is one of the biggest and brightest basketball markets in the league. But surprisingly enough, the Bulls haven’t really had much success in landing […]

It’s Colorado football coach Deion Sanders’ world and we’re all just living in it. Sanders made his home debut as head coach of Colorado against Nebraska on Saturday. Coach Prime made sure to let his guys know that the game was “personal” with an epic pregame speech that hyped up the boys. It’s safe to […]

The Pittsburgh Steelers are getting a key defensive boost for NFL Week 1. Defensive lineman Larry Ogunjobi is reportedly set to suit up for the Steelers against the San Francisco 49ers on Sunday, ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler reports. Ogunjobi has an ailing foot and was listed as questionable ahead of the Steelers’ regular season opener against […]

The New York Jets reportedly inquired about the availability of Los Angeles Rams quarterback Matthew Stafford before swinging for the trade that landed them Aaron Rodgers. According to a report by Ian Rapaport of the NFL Network, there was no interest for the Rams to part ways with Stafford, especially with Sean McVay returning to […]

Devon Witherspoon’s NFL debut may have to wait another week. According to ESPN’s Ian Rapaport, the Seattle Seahawks rookie isn’t expected to play in their Week 1 matchup versus the Los Angeles Rams on Sunday. Witherspoon, whom the Seahawks drafted with the No. 5 overall in the 2023 NFL Draft, is reportedly still dealing with […]

Darren Waller should be good to go to make his New York Giants debut. According to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, Waller is expected to suit up for New York in their Week 1 showdown versus the Dallas Cowboys. The Giants tight end was previously listed as questionable for Sunday’s season opener due to tightness in his […]

The giant slayers will play for the right to be called the 2023 FIBA World Cup Champions as Serbia and Germany take center stage and vie for the gold medal this Sunday. Everyone expected a United States versus Canada finale, but the Germans and the Serbians had other plans as they shocked the world with […]

The countries that were expected to make the finals of the 2023 FIBA World Cup are instead going to fight for the bronze medal as the United States and Canada square off for third place this Sunday. Check out our FIBA World Cup odds series for our Canada-United States prediction and pick. Canada’s Cinderella run in […]

The rematch is happening as the United States clashes with Germany in the semi-finals of the 2023 FIBA World Cup. Check out our FIBA World Cup odds series for our United States-Germany prediction and pick. The United States had a rude awakening at the hands of Lithuania this past weekend and unfortunately for Italy, they felt […]

The semi-finals of the 2023 FIBA World Cup are here as Canada battles Serbia for the right to book a ticket in the championship round. Check out our FIBA World Cup odds series for our Serbia-Canada prediction and pick. Serbia spoiled Lithuania’s undefeated record and advanced to the semi-final round with an impressive 87-68 win over […]

The Toronto Raptors entered the NBA as part of the league’s efforts to expand the game into Canada. Since then, they have become one of the best-ran organizations in the NBA. Throughout its history, the Raptors have done well in the NBA Draft. Toronto has found gems late in the first round and has selected […]

With the semi-finals set for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, let’s not forget the 5 to 8 classification bracket that will take over Thursday’s slate of games, which includes a showdown between Lithuania and Slovenia. Check out our FIBA World Cup odds series for our Lithuania-Slovenia prediction and pick. Lithuania bowed out of the tournament following […]

With the semi-finals set for the 2023 FIBA World Cup, let’s not forget the 5 to 8 classification bracket that will take over Thursday’s slate of games, which includes a showdown between two teams that exceeded expectations in the tournament — Italy and Latvia. Check out our FIBA World Cup odds series for our Italy-Latvia prediction […]

The quarter-finals of the 2023 FIBA World Cup are in full swing as Canada battles Slovenia for the right to set a date with Serbia in the semi-finals. Check out our FIBA World Cup odds series for our Canada-Slovenia prediction and pick. Canada pulled out an inspirational comeback win over Spain to book their ticket to […]

The quarter-finals of the 2023 FIBA World Cup are in full swing as Germany battles Latvia for the right to set a date with the United States in the semi-finals. Check out our FIBA World Cup odds series for our Germany-Latvia prediction and pick. Germany is blasting through the 2023 FIBA World Cup with an undefeated […]

The Indiana Pacers are not exactly a prime free agency destination for the top free agents in the NBA. But this offseason, the Pacers did land a sought-after free agent in Bruce Brown, who became a key piece for the 2023 NBA Champion Denver Nuggets this past season. Brown isn’t a star by any means […]

The Orlando Magic haven’t always been on the good side of history in terms of free agency. Rather than landing some of the top free agents in the NBA, the Magic have seen some of their top stars leave Central Florida for other bigger market teams. Shaquille O’Neal’s departure for the bright lights of Hollywood […]

We are back with another prediction as we move on to the second round of group play in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. It’s a game between Friday’s streak-enders in Group I as Puerto Rico (3-1) goes toe-to-toe with Italy (3-1) with the competition heats up in round two. Check out our FIBA World Cup […]

We are back with another prediction as we are right in the thick of the second round of group play in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. It’s time for some Group K action as Georgia (2-2) takes on Australia (2-2). Check out our FIBA World Cup odds series for our Georgia-Australia prediction and pick. Germany ran […]

The Chicago Bulls are one of the most recognized franchises in NBA history. Led by Michael Jordan in the 1990s, this team elevated the NBA into the global brand that we have grown to know and love. They were the rockstars of that era and everywhere the franchise went, international fans flooded the streets just […]

We are back with another prediction as we move on to the second round of group play in the 2023 FIBA World Cup. This should be a good one as Australia and Slovenia square off for a rematch of the Tokyo 2020 Bronze medal game to open the second round of group play. Check out […]