Mike Cruz Articles - Page 52

It’s no secret that LeBron James is one of the most decorated superstars in the history of the NBA. At this point in his career, anything that the Los Angeles Lakers superstar accomplishes down the road is just icing on the cake. On Saturday’s 125-120 win over the Golden State Warriors, James padded on his […]

Brooklyn Nets forward Kevin Durant recently revealed on the All The Smoke podcast his reasoning for leaving the Oklahoma City Thunder in the summer of 2016. According to Durant, he needed a change of scenery and grew tired of being the only Thunder player capable of knocking down jump shots and three-pointers consistently. This didn’t […]

LeBron James and Anthony Davis have become one of the best one-two punch combinations in the NBA. The Los Angeles Lakers superstar tandem have built tremendous chemistry alongside each other in just a short amount of time. However, that wasn’t the case to start the game against the Golden State Warriors. James and Davis had […]

The Miami Heat made some huge moves at the trade deadline. But it appears like Pat Riley and company are not done. In a conference call via Barry Jackson of The Miami Herald, the long-time Heat executive was asked whether they will look for some added rim protection via the buyout market. Riley admitted that […]

The Milwaukee Bucks need to clear a roster spot after cashing in on former Charlotte Hornets forward Marvin Williams, who was bought out of the remainder of his contract recently. Unfortunately, this comes at the expense of former No. 4 overall pick Dragan Bender. Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN reports that the Bucks have waived Bender […]

A controversial missed call stained a quality Utah Jazz-Portland Trail Blazers match-up on Friday night. The referees failed to call a goaltending violation by Jazz center Rudy Gobert on Blazers star Damian Lillard’s potential game-tying lay-up down the stretch. This ultimately cost Portland the game, as the Jazz came out on top, 117-114. Dallas Mavericks […]

The Miami Heat parted ways with its 2015 10th overall pick Justise Winslow after they traded him to the Memphis Grizzlies in the deal that netted them Andre Iguodala. Though the Heat traded him, Winslow gave a touching farewell message to Miami fans on his Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/p/B8ThtG0nJke/?igshid=gwtx5keqwj2c Miami traded Winslow and Dion Waiters to the […]

The Utah Jazz escaped with a 117-114 win over the Portland Trail Blazers on Friday night. Unfortunately, it was stained with controversy as officials missed an obvious goaltending violation by Rudy Gobert on Damian Lillard’s potential game-tying layup in the closing seconds of the game. The referees provided an explanation for what happened, though they […]

Portland Trail Blazers big man Jusuf Nurkic took a shot at the referees for their missed call in their 117-114 loss to the Utah Jazz. The Bosnian Beast posted a picture of the Bird Box meme with a caption “That’s all folks,” clearly referring to the controversial non-call on Rudy Gobert’s goaltend on Damian Lillard’s […]

The NBA completely denied that commissioner Adam Silver is pushing Toronto Raptors president Masai Ujiri to go to the New York Knicks, per Marc Stein of The New York Post. In response to my latest newsletter about a perception in some corners "that the league office (specifically Commissioner Adam Silver) is pushing Masai Ujiri as […]

There were plenty of moving parts in the blockbuster four-team trade involving the Houston Rockets, Atlanta Hawks, Denver Nuggets, and Minnesota Timberwolves. This all seemed to confuse Timberwolves star Karl-Anthony Towns, who posted his thoughts on the deal on his Instagram. NBA Central took a screen grab of KAT’s emotions during the entire process: Confused […]

Ben Simmons only needed one word to describe the Phildelphia 76ers’ embarrassing 137-106 loss to the Miami Heat on Monday. Speaking to reporters after the defeat, Simmons called their effort against the Heat “soft,” per Noah Levick of NBC Sports. Philadelphia’s road mishaps continued as it lost its third road game in a row. The […]

Trade season in the NBA is heating up, and it’s only expected to get hotter as the Feb. 6 deadline gets closer. The Houston Rockets are among teams looking to make changes, and one player they have reportedly made available is starting center Clint Capela. The Rockets are reportedly aggressively shopping the 25-year-old big man. […]

A couple of Memphis Grizzlies youngsters, Dillon Brooks and Ja Morant in particular, had something to say about the Andre Iguodala situation in Memphis. Brooks first took a shot at Iguodala, telling reporters that he can’t wait for the former Finals MVP to be traded so they face him and show him what Grizzlies basketball […]

The NBA trade deadline is fast approaching. Usually, this is the time where contending teams consider making moves to further bolster their chances of winning a championship in June. While some teams found success over the past years by making trades at the deadline (e.g. the Toronto Raptors last season when they traded for Marc […]

Carmelo Anthony is enjoying an on-court view of the show that Portland Trail Blazers superstar Damian Lillard has been putting on over his last six games. Anthony has been in the NBA for 17 seasons, but according to Kevin Pelton of ESPN, he admitted he has not “seen anything like” Lillard’s recent scoring binge: “I […]

The NBA recently announced the participants for this year’s Rising Stars Challenge. Among those who did not make the cut is New York Knicks sophomore center Mitchell Robinson. Per Marc Berman of the New York Post, some people from the Knicks’ front office fully expected Robinson to make the Rising Stars game on Feb. 14: […]

Brooklyn Nets star Spencer Dinwiddie won the All-Star Saturday night Skills Challenge in 2018. However, he didn’t even get the chance to defend his crown last year in Charlotte. Apparently, the Brooklyn Nets guard still has hard feelings over not getting invited back into last year’s contest, per Zach Braziller of The New York Post. […]

Demar Derozan is having a strong 2019-20 campaign for the San Antonio Spurs. However, Derozan missed out on making this year’s All-Star team. Derozan’s exclusion from the main event of the All-Star weekend festivities in Chicago reportedly surprised Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich, per Jeff McDonald of ESPN. Pop, however, understood that his star shooting […]

Los Angeles Clippers superstar Kawhi Leonard receives a lot criticism over his controversial load management program. This is why some naysayers have discredited Leonard as the best player in the NBA today. However, Clippers head coach Doc Rivers believes that Leonard is “playing as well as anyone in the league right now,” per Nick Friedell […]

Peyton Manning was deeply moved. The entire world continues to grieve for the loss of Kobe Bryant, who died in a tragic helicopter crash along with eight other people, including Bryant’s daughter Gianna, last Sunday. The tributes for the life of the Los Angeles Lakers legend are coming in left and right. The latest to […]

Cleveland Cavaliers fans booed Golden State Warriors forward Draymond Green during pregame introductions. This became all the motivation Green needed to turn in his best game of the season to lead the Warriors and Steve Kerr to a dominant 131-112 win on Saturday. Green’s standout performance came as no surprise to Kerr. The Warriors head […]

Brooklyn Nets star Kyrie Irving will undergo an MRI on Sunday after suffering a right knee sprain in Saturday’s contest against the Washington Wizards, according to Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN. Irving will undergo an MRI on right knee Sunday, per source. https://t.co/tqetvIGhTe — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) February 2, 2020 Irving sustained the injury a little […]

Los Angeles Clippers big man Montrezl Harrell made a heartwarming gesture to a fan prior to their game against the Minnesota Timberwolves on Saturday. According to Harrell (via Tomer Azarly of ClutchPoints), he was going through his usual pregame shootaround when someone approached him. The man knew someone who was dying of cancer and wanted […]

It has been nearly a week since the helicopter tragedy that took away one of basketball’s most respected and decorated superstars in Kobe Bryant. As soon as the news of Bryant’s untimely passing broke out, fans immediately flocked Staples Center and built a memorial tribute for the Los Angeles Lakers legend. Lee Zeidman, the president […]

New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday has garnered plenty of attention this season as a potential trade target. Especially among the contending teams. The Denver Nuggets and the Miami Heat are reportedly two teams interested in acquiring the two-way combo guard. Via Shams Charania of The Athletic Denver and Miami are among interested teams in […]

Several teams are eyeing New Orleans Pelicans guard Jrue Holiday as a potential trade target ahead of the February 6 trade deadline. However, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic, Holiday appears to be happy in New Orleans. It is unlikely that the Pelicans part ways with the two-way combo guard. Throughout this season, there […]

An artist in Austin, Texas recently created a mural to honor the late Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant. However, someone already defaced the mural just hours after it was unveiled, per Paul Livengood of 10 News WTSP. The culprit deface the mural with the word “rapist.” A local (@0Rashad) posted a photo of the […]

The depleted Denver Nuggets only fielded in nine players on Friday night against the Milwaukee Bucks, but it didn’t stop them from scoring their biggest win on the season. All nine guys contributed in a big way in their impressive 127-115 road victory over the Bucks. In addition to their best win of the season, […]

The 2020 February trade deadline is just right around the corner. One of the hottest commodities in this year’s market is Robert Covington. Many teams are reportedly positioning themselves in prying away the elite 3-and-D specialist from the Minnesota Timberwolves. The Denver Nuggets should really consider trading for the 6-foot-7 small forward. Though they are […]

Former NBA player Etan Thomas shared on Twitter that his wife recently participated in a conference call with hundreds of other NBA wives. According to Thomas, the ladies discussed how they can support Kobe Bryant’s now-widow Vanessa Bryant through this extremely difficult time. I can’t imagine what Kobe’s now widow Vanessa is going through. My […]

It’s no secret that Devin Booker grew up idolizing Kobe Bryant. And just a couple of days since Bryant’s untimely passing on Sunday morning, Booker fittingly broke one of his idol’s records this season. According to StatsCentre, the Phoenix Suns rising star surpassed Bryant as the fourth youngest player ever to record 7,000 career points. […]

The entire world is still grieving the loss of one of the NBA’s most legendary superstars, Kobe Bryant. That includes the Dallas Mavericks organization. In the Mavs’ game against the Phoenix Suns on Tuesday, head coach Rick Carlisle rocked a rare pair of Kobe retro sneaks in honor of the late Los Angeles Lakers legend, […]

The world is still obviously shaking from the shock of Kobe Bryant’s tragic passing on Sunday morning. Among those extremely affected from the devastation is Bryant’s former partner-in-crime with the Los Angeles Lakers, Shaquille O’Neal. The four-time NBA champion gave an emotional, tearful tribute to the late Lakers legend on a special edition of Inside […]

Jimmy Kimmel dedicated a tribute show for Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant on Monday, filming the show without a studio audience to pay homage to the late NBA superstar: Remembering Kobe… 💜💛💜💛 https://t.co/n0DUqUwmJi — Jimmy Kimmel Live (@JimmyKimmelLive) January 28, 2020 The outpouring of love for the life of Kobe Bryant has been tremendous […]

James Harden has missed the Houston Rockets’ last two contests. However, The Beard should be ready to go in their upcoming game against the Portland Trail Blazers on Wednesday night: Rockets optimistic James Harden will be ready to play in Portland on Wednesday, source said. — Jonathan Feigen (@Jonathan_Feigen) January 28, 2020 Harden sat out […]

Dallas Mavericks center Dwight Powell ruptured his right Achilles tendon last Tuesday. After weighing his options, Powell decided to undergo surgery to fix the injury. There is no timetable for his return: pic.twitter.com/mVCZn8WLRm — Brad Townsend (@townbrad) January 28, 2020 Obviously, Dwight Powell will miss the remainder of the 2019-20 season. His loss is definitely […]

It’s no secret that the Philadelphia 76ers have championship aspirations this season. On paper, the team looks like it could run through the best the league has to offer. Philadelphia has arguably two of the best rising stars in the league in Joel Embiid and Ben Simmons. However, the more we see them on the […]

LeBron James became the third-leading scorer in NBA history on Saturday night, passing Los Angeles Lakers legend Kobe Bryant on the all-time list. Several personalities around the NBA already sent their congratulatory messages for The King, including The Black Mamba himself. However, arguably none of them touched LeBron James’ heart more than the montage of […]