Mike Cruz Articles - Page 59

Trae Young sealed the deal for the Atlanta Hawks. He nailed a cold-blooded step-back 3-pointer to get the Hawks a 103-99 win over the Orlando Magic. With less than 30 seconds remaining on the game clock and the Hawks holding on to a two-point cushion, Young stared down Markelle Fultz and put the moves on […]

Marcus Morris is now a member of the New York Knicks, but he still appreciates the time he spent with the Boston Celtics. However, while the love for Boston is still there, Morris admitted that the Celtics did not even give him a single phone call when he was a free agent last summer. Marcus […]

Danny Green made Los Angeles Lakers history last night in their 112-102 loss against the L.A. Clippers. Per the Lakers Twitter account, Green surpassed franchise legend and Hall of Famer Kareem Abdul-Jabbar as the player with the most points in his debut game for the purple and gold. Danny Green reaches 28 points on the […]

Much like it has been in years past, the Houston Rockets will enter the 2019-20 season with lofty expectations of raising the Larry O’Brien trophy next June. We all know the drill in Houston. They’re a top-heavy bunch that runs everything through their franchise superstar James Harden. Well, this has been their recipe for success […]

Entering 2019 free agency, the Philadelphia 76ers had all the intentions to keep both Jimmy Butler and Tobias Harris, both of whom they acquired in separate blockbuster deals last season. As we came to know, the Sixers were able to retain Harris on a five-year, $180 million deal. Butler, on the other hand, went over […]

The Toronto Raptors will open their title defense later tonight when they host the new-look New Orleans Pelicans at the Scotiabank Arena. Here are some reasons why the defending NBA champions will open the season on a positive note: 1. Highly motivated Raptors The first home game of the regular season is always exciting for […]

A lot of people believe that if Golden State Warriors superstar Stephen Curry retires today, he would be a sure-fire Hall of Famer. Apparently, one Michael Jeffrey Jordan does not share the same sentiments. The man considered as the consensus greatest basketball player of all time made headlines last night when he claimed that Stephen […]

Veteran forward Solomon Hill has secured what looks like the final roster spot for the Memphis Grizzlies this season. According to Michael Wallace of Grizzlies.com, Hill reportedly pleased coaches with his leadership and positive influence on their young players. Likewise, Hill fits in nicely as a 3-and-D guy on new head coach Taylor Jenkins’ system. […]

When the Houston Rockets acquired Russell Westbrook from the Oklahoma City Thunder this summer, pundits such as Jalen Rose immediately expressed their concerns about his fit next to James Harden. With how the Rockets preseason went, Rose — an ESPN analyst — has already noticed a concerning nugget about the superstar tandem’s partnership, per Ian […]

Apparently, when the New York Knicks signed Elfrid Payton to a two-year $16-million deal this past summer, they did so with a promise of a starting spot. According to Marc Berman of the New York Post, the Knicks assured Payton to be the team’s starting point guard when they recruit him during free agency. According […]

The NBA regular season is still a couple of days away, but Houston Rockets superstar James Harden is already in mid-season form. Harden went full throttle in their preseason finale against the Miami Heat and notched 44 points, five rebounds, seven assists, five steals and eight 3-pointers. Harden didn’t really need to go all-out in […]

Predictably, Golden State Warriors guard D’Angelo Russell will need some time and more reps to get acclimated with the system in the Bay Area. Russell had a relatively underwhelming preseason, but capped it off with a stellar 29-point outing in the team’s finale against the Los Angeles Lakers last night. As Anthony Slater of The […]

The Golden State Warriors just dropped Alfonzo McKinnie to open a roster spot for former lottery pick Marquese Chriss. According to Bobby Marks of ESPN, the Brooklyn Nets could become the front-runner for McKinnie’s services, should he go unclaimed on the waiver wire. From Marks via HoopsRumors: Expect the Nets to be “at the front of the […]

Pundits have pointed out that shooting will be the Philadelphia 76ers’ most glaring weakness this upcoming season. That was in full display in Philadelphia’s 112-93 loss to the Washington Wizards. Nevertheless, Sixers head coach Brett Brown doubled down on his belief that they have better shooters than what the rest of the field perceives. “I […]

D’Angelo Russell worked out a lot with Stephen Curry during the off-season and has been a sponge whenever he’s around the two-time MVP. The newest star of the Golden State Warriors admitted, per Mark Medina of USA Today, that he tries to balance when to join the greatest shooter of all time during his shooting […]

Buddy Hield and the Sacramento Kings are currently at a crossroads regarding the sharp-shooter’s contract extension. With both sides looking for middle ground, debates have gone around whether Hield should sign the extension now or wait out until restricted free agency in the summer of 2020. HoopsHype along with an anonymous Eastern Conference executive suggested […]

Rumors have gone around that the Detroit Pistons might shop Blake Griffin if the upcoming season does not go well for them. According to Rod Beard of The Detroit News, there reportedly have been no discussions around the organization about trading their All-Star forward. From everyone I've talked to in the #Pistons organization, including team […]

Blake Griffin and Reggie Jackson of the Detroit Pistons are both dealing with injuries in the preseason. While this could be a cause for concern heading into the 2019-20 NBA season, Pistons head coach Dwane Casey does not believe their respective ailments will linger into the regular season, per James Edwards III of The Athletic. […]

The Chicago Bulls’ analytics department wants Zach LaVine to sack the mid-range jumper from his offensive arsenal. They instead want him to take a James Harden-esque approach to his offense and just shoot shots at the basket or take 3-pointers. LaVine, who regularly uses the mid-range shot in his game, pushed back on the idea […]

Sixth-year guard Dante Exum and rookie Miye Oni got into a heated altercation at Utah Jazz practice the other day. Exum reportedly stormed out of the gym after hitting the canvas hard while being guarded by Oni. Jazz head coach Quin Snyder spoke about the scuffle and dismissed it as a common occurrence that happens in […]

Rick Carlisle thinks it’s only fitting that the Dallas Mavericks honor legend Dirk Nowitzki this season with his signature jumper logo planted on the hardwood at American Airlines Center: “Awesome,” Carlisle said per Brad Townsend of the Dallas Morning News. “It’s a fitting tribute to a guy who stood for all the right things for […]

It’s only preseason, but the preview of the Luka Doncic-Kristaps Porzingis pairing indicates that it is going to be a spectacular show in Dallas. Mavericks head coach Rick Carlisle naturally believes the two will become a major problem for opposing teams this upcoming season: Carlisle on Luka and Kristaps' growing chemistry: "They cause a problem. […]

He’s new to the Miami Heat, but Jimmy Butler is already roasting his teammates. He even started with Miami’s elder statesman, Udonis Haslem. According to Shandel Richardson of The Athletic, Butler apparently joked that Haslem’s beard “looks like a pack of flies” during Dwyane Wade’s roast party on Saturday night: Jimmy Butler delivers the line […]

Time for some preseason overreactions: Zion Williamson is already going to be an All-Star in his rookie season. This year’s no. 1 overall pick has looked as good as advertised – and then some – in his preseason debut so far. Williamson opened his NBA career against the Atlanta Hawks where he scored 16 points, […]

The tweet that Houston Rockets GM Daryl Morey sent out in support for Hong Kong has certainly caused a massive stir around the Association. China didn’t like what Morey did and now, the Rockets might face dire consequences. According to Marc Stein of The New York Times, Houston could potentially lose $25 million in sponsorship […]

Markelle Fultz has had one of the more bizarre starts to an NBA career in recent memory. Once heralded as a must-have prospect and consensus No. 1 overall pick due to his upside, the Orlando Magic guard now finds himself in a situation where he needs to prove himself all over again. Drafted by the […]

Defense wins championships. The Philadelphia 76ers have title aspirations this season. It seems the Sixers are very well aware that defense is where they have to thrive if they want to reach the mountaintop this season. Ben Simmons recently revealed that the Sixers aim to be the best defensive team in the NBA. With the […]

Ben Simmons sent the NBA world into a frenzy when he pulled up and splashed his first career 3-pointer in the Philadelphia 76ers’ first preseason game this year. Now, Sixers fans are excited to see Simmons progress in arguably the weakest part of his dynamic game. However, while head coach Brett Brown loves seeing the […]

New Orleans Pelicans rookie Zion Williamson doesn’t seem to be too fond of his new teammate Josh Hart. Hart has been the victim of some of Zion’s cold shoulders, as the super rookie simply walked by him when he went for a high five during Friday’s preseason game against the Utah Jazz. Hart has had […]

The Philadelphia 76ers have lofty expectations this upcoming 2019-20 season. Throughout training camp, Philadelphia preached about defense as their number one focus heading into the season. In fact, All-Star guard Ben Simmons admitted that Philadelphia wants to establish itself as the best defensive team in the league. “Yeah this is what this team’s about,” said […]

Marcus Smart is doing his best to make the Boston Celtics a professional team despite the abundance of youth in their roster. Per Keith Smith of Yahoo Sports, Smart admitted that the team veterans are looking forward to the challenge of taking care of the young guys this upcoming season. Marcus Smart on this year: […]

United States president Donald Trump tweeted about how he enjoyed seeing Golden State Warriors coach Steve Kerr answer some questions about the hot button issue between the NBA and China. The notorious president called the Golden State Warriors head coach “weak and pathetic” as he addressed the media regarding the China controversy. So funny to […]

Former NBA champions Kendrick Perkins and Brian Scalabrine discussed Kevin Durant’s standing in NBA history as an offensive player. Scalabrine initially said that Durant is the best offensive player of our generation. Perk, however, turned it up a notch and argued that KD is the most gifted scorer in the history of the NBA. Perkins […]

Portland Trail Blazers head coach Terry Stotts and the rest of his coaching staff went full retro with their OOTD in their preseason game against the Denver Nuggets on Tuesday. Nuggets head coach Mike Malone was asked to comment on the Blazers’ coaching staff’s fashion last night. It’s safe to say that the Denver coach […]

The controversy between the NBA and China continues to swirl as the Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets prepare for a pair of exhibition games in the country. In the latest development, the Lakers’ NBA Cares event scheduled on Wednesday was canceled, per ESPN. According to the report, the decision to cancel the event, which […]

Los Angeles Clippers head coach Doc Rivers has not made a decision on whether he will play superstar forward Kawhi Leonard at some point in the preseason: On the #Clippers' injury front, Doc Rivers says he hasn't given any thought to Kawhi Leonard playing in preseason. Says he participated in all of practice today & […]

Washington Wizards star shooting guard Bradley Beal has one of the smoothest looking jump shots in the NBA today. He’s got a picture perfect form that almost always leads to splashes from wherever he launches his jumpers. In an article he wrote for The Players Tribune, Beal gave the nod to his mother for helping […]

The Brooklyn Nets are joining in the LaMelo Ball bandwagon. By way of Nets Daily, Forbes writer Adam Zagoria reports that the Nets are among the teams keeping a close eye on the youngest brother of New Orleans Pelicans guard Lonzo Ball. The 6-foot-6 guard recently made his professional debut for the Illawara Hawks of […]

NBA Draft prospect LaMelo Ball made his debut at the Australia-based National Basketball League on Sunday for the Illawara Hawks. It’s just his first game, but he’s already breaking the ankles of grown men. As he was running down the floor, Ball dropped his defender on the hardwood, not once, but twice. In both instances, […]