Mike Cruz Articles - Page 47

Everyone who watched ESPN’s “The Last Dance” documentary, which focused in on the Chicago Bulls’ 1997-98 season, witnessed the unrelenting competitive nature of Michael Jordan. Certainly, Jordan’s hard-nosed leadership style isn’t everyone’s cup of tea and may rub some people the wrong way. However, for L.A. Clippers star Paul George, that isn’t going to be […]

The Golden State Warriors were the most recent iteration of a dynasty in the NBA. They won three titles in five years with Steve Kerr manning the ship. Apparently though, it did not take long for the Warriors head coach to realize that he had a budding dynasty on his hands. The 54-year old recently […]

The Charlotte Hornets haven’t had much success over the course of their history. They have been especially bad with Michael Jordan as its team owner. It’s safe to say that the consensus greatest player of all time hasn’t seen as much success making decisions as an owner or general manager as he did playing basketball […]

No doubt, Paul Pierce is one of the most beloved players in Boston Celtics history. Having spent 15 seasons in the roster of the historic franchise, Pierce had many accomplishments in Boston. Among them, an NBA championship and a Finals MVP in 2008, 10 All-Star appearances, and 5 All-NBA nods. The Truth also holds multiple […]

The Sacramento Kings currently own the longest playoff drought in the NBA. The Kings last made the postseason in 2006 and it looks like that will extend to 15 years by next season. Sacramento has repeatedly failed to land marquee free agents, leading to questionable deals handed out by management. Over these past few years, […]

It’s no secret that the Miami Heat are targeting Giannis Antetokounmpo when he hits free agency in the summer of 2021. But so do 29 other teams around the Association. The Heat certainly have a shot of luring the reigning NBA MVP away from the Milwaukee Bucks. However, that will depend on the timing of […]

No matter what happens, debates in the NBA will always happen. Recently, “The Last Dance” documentary lit up the debates about Michael Jordan and LeBron James. On ESPN Countdown, the crew discussed about Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James and late Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. Paul Pierce gave the nod to Kobe for the reason […]

The New York Knicks have been in the dumps for the majority of the past two decades and are in dire need of a franchise star. One polarizing figure the Knicks are willing to take a gamble on is LaMelo Ball. He is apparently the no. 1 point guard on New York’s radar right now, […]

The hype for “The Last Dance” is as real as it gets, and it is reaching ridiculously extreme heights. In fact, a game-worn Michael Jordan Chicago Bulls from the 1996-97 season just sold for a record-setting $288,000 at Goldin Auctions. This 96-97 Jordan game-used Bulls uniform just sold for $288,000 at @GoldinAuctions, a record for […]

Hoops fans around the world, as well as past and present NBA players, have been debating over the rightful owner of the Greatest Of All Time (GOAT) title. Majority of the choices come down between Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan and current Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James. Magic Johnson, an NBA all-time great himself, […]

He may be gone, but Kobe Bryant continues to make an impact in the world. Granity Studios, Bryant’s multi-media content company, will release a novel “Geese are Never Swans” created by the late Los Angeles Lakers legend. Vanessa Bryant, Kobe’s widow, shared on Instagram a sneak peak of her late husbands posthumous novel and called […]

Houston Rockets star Russell Westbrook’s NSFW-filled words apparently stuck with Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr. While talking to Bill Murray in his “Flying Coach” podcast with Seattle Seahawks coach Pete Carroll, Kerr recalled one of his favorite quotes of all time and it came from the 2016-17 NBA MVP. Via Drew Shiller of NBC […]

Miami Heat star Jimmy Butler prides himself on his insane work ethic. The 5-time All-Star recently posted a number of videos that show a sneak peek of what goes on during his intense workouts during this quarantine. https://www.instagram.com/p/CAVMxX-hXtZ/ Jimmy is puttin' in WORK. 😤 (🎥: @JimmyButler, h/t @overtime) pic.twitter.com/BVh3qSVwXF — theScore (@theScore) May 23, 2020 […]

Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan and Miami Heat president Pat Riley share mutual respect towards each other despite their heated battles in the 1990s. Riley showed up a number of times throughout the recently concluded “The Last Dance” documentary, which focused on the Bulls’ 1997-98 season. However, according to the documentary’s director, Jason Hehir, a […]

With an estimated net worth of $2.1 billion, Michael Jordan is by far the richest former professional athlete in all of sports. However, the Chicago Bulls legend actually never breached $100-million in salaries through his Hall of Fame career. In fact, majority of his career earnings came in his final two seasons with the Bulls, […]

Utah Jazz forward Bojan Bogdanovic is set to undergo season-ending surgery on his right wrist Tuesday. With the 2019-20 NBA season on hold due to the coronavirus pandemic, the veteran opted to go under the knife to repair the scapholunate ligament in his wrist. Bogdanovic apparently hurt his wrist in late 2019 and had been […]

Michael Jordan is universally considered the greatest player to ever play the game of basketball. With countless classic moments, clutch shots, and breathtaking dunks — all with his tongue hanging from his mouth — Jordan captivated the basketball world and dominated a decade with the Chicago Bulls to cement his legacy as the greatest of […]

Five years ago, a 52-year-old Michael Jordan confidently said he could beat his Charlotte Hornets players one-on-one. However, he admitted he didn’t want to do that so as to not shatter their confidence. Considering Charlotte’s current roster make-up, perhaps he can confidently say that right now, as well. Hornets sophomore forward Miles Bridges recently saw […]

After his days in the NFL, Ahmad Rashad made a name for himself in the 1990s as the host of “NBA Inside Stuff.” Now, the renowned reporter is set to host an “Inside Stuff”-like Q&A panel on the NBA’s Twitter account that will feature a slew of Hall of Famers. The show will start at […]

Adam Morrison started out his NBA career playing for former Chicago Bulls legend Michael Jordan, who was then a part-owner of the Charlotte Bobcats (now Hornets). Via Jim Meehan of The Spokesman Review, the former 3rd overall pick recently shared a cool story about how he managed to nab $100 from the Bulls legend himself. […]

The world is still severely affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Large gatherings are impossible at this moment, which is why graduating students can only settle for a virtual ceremony. Former U.S. President Barack Obama headlined the event “Graduate Together: America Honors the High School Class of 2020” which aired on several media outlets on May […]

ABC aired the historic farewell game of the late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant on Saturday night. Larry Nance Jr., Bryant’s former teammate, tuned in to reminisce that game against the Utah Jazz and still couldn’t believe what the Black Mamba did on that special day. Sitting here watching this game like I don’t […]

The Phoenix Suns hit the jackpot when they were able to nab Devin Booker with the 13th overall pick in the 2015 NBA draft. With the way Booker’s career has panned out so far, perhaps he would have landed on a much higher spot if teams did a redraft this time around. That’s exactly what […]

Loyal fans of NBA teams have opposing players and squads which they absolutely despise. Boston Celtics and Los Angeles Lakers die-hards share a mutual hatred for each other. Chicago Bulls had heated battles with the New York Knicks and the Detroit Pistons back in the day. The Cleveland Cavaliers only saw their most successful run […]

Everybody has their bad games. As a role player, Steve Kerr certainly had his fair share. While speaking at The Ringer podcast, the Golden State Warriors head coach admitted he found a very creative way to get out of his funk: by being Jeff Hornacek for practice. “I always tried to pick guys in the […]

LeBron James has played with a lot of terrific players in his career. Some of them include Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh with the Miami Heat, Kyrie Irving and Kevin Love with the Cleveland Cavaliers, and now, Anthony Davis with the Los Angeles Lakers. Looking back, however, James could have very well started his Hollywood […]

Andre Iguodala has had a lengthy NBA career with a lot of accomplishments. He has three NBA championships attached to his name, along with a Finals MVP in 2015 and an All-Star nod in 2012. Even though he’s nearing the end of his career, Iguodala is still valuable to any team looking to contend for […]

The NBA world was on hold when Kawhi Leonard was still mulling his free agency decision on where to take his superstar talent next. Coming off a championship with the Toronto Raptors, the prospect of the reigning Finals MVP staying put in Canada was not out of the question. However, the possibility of playing in […]

Often regarded as the Robin to Michael Jordan’s Batman, Scottie Pippen doesn’t quite get as much of the recognition as His Airness does. Despite not getting the credit he deserves, many basketball fanatics still consider the Chicago Bulls do-it-all star as one of the greatest players to ever play the game. It’s arguable that none […]

The Chicago Bulls were undoubtedly the team of the 1990s and established themselves as one of the greatest teams in NBA history. Through that decade, they won six NBA championships, split by two three-peats, led by the iconic duo of Michael Jordan and Scottie Pippen. What’s more impressive about their title wins is that they never […]

Most millenials and Gen Z-ers would argue that players in the 1960’s wouldn’t survive in this era of basketball. Given the advancement in knowledge and technology, most players are definitely more skilled now. However, Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James believes that won’t matter with the great Jerry West. James took to Twitter his thoughts […]

The New Orleans Pelicans debuted in the 2002-03 season when the then Charlotte Hornets relocated to New Orleans. The now Pelicans stood as the Hornets up until the 2012-13 season. The following year, they renamed to the Pelicans, while Charlotte regained its Hornets moniker and history. The NBA, then, agreed that the Pelicans franchise history […]

Antoine Walker knows that Shaquille O’Neal won four NBA championships in his career – three with the Los Angeles Lakers and one with the Miami Heat. Surely, winning a three-peat is a difficult feat as only a handful of teams have done so. However, Shaq’s title win in Miami apparently holds a dear place in […]

Duke basketball holds one of the richest histories in all of college hoops. Likewise, several Hall of Famers and NBA stars have undergone the program of one of the greatest college mentors ever: Mike Krzyzewski. The legendary Duke coach has certainly seen a lot of great players come and go. Recently, per Shawk Krest of […]

The NBA season is still up in the air due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, that doesn’t mean teams are not preparing for the possible resumption of the season. Prior to the suspension of the season, the Boston Celtics were among the top teams in the Eastern Conference. All-Stars Kemba Walker and Jayson Tatum were […]

Two names defined the second half of the 2010s: Stephen Curry and LeBron James. LeBron Goat is usually just something people say, but what if there’s more to the story? Is it LeBron or Steph? Is Steph Curry better than LeBron? With the two as the main faces of four consecutive NBA Finals from 2015 […]

Dallas Mavericks owner Mark Cuban tried to get Michael Jordan to team up with his Mavs Big Three of Dirk Nowitzki, Steve Nash, and Michael Finley before His Airness returned to play for the Washington Wizards. Jordan ended his storybook career with the Chicago Bulls in 1998 with one of the most iconic shots in […]

The coronavirus pandemic will not stop the NBA from holding its annual Jr. NBA Leadership Conference. With everybody staying at home, the NBA tapped some big names to banner a virtual event. According to USA TODAY Sports, Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry will feature in a one-on-one interview with renowned ESPN analyst Doris Burke […]

There are a lot of factors that go into winning an NBA championship. In basketball, the need for a superstar or superstars to build around is a must. Likewise, surrounding those franchise cornerstones with the right role players is key to building a championship contender. Moreover, having the right coach with the right system in […]