Mike Cruz Articles - Page 65

When Noah Vonleh entered the league in 2014, many were intrigued about his tantalizing upside. However, five years later, that potential hasn’t quite translated just yet. The Minnesota Timberwolves, looking to incorporate more three-point shooting into their offense this upcoming season, will be Vonleh’s fifth team in six seasons. The former 9th overall pick is […]

For the first time in over a decade, the NBA will once again allow high school prospects to jump straight into the pros. This is why many view the 2022 draft class as one of the most loaded draft classes in a while. With that said, teams are already looking to stockpile 2022 first-round picks […]

New Washington Wizards forward CJ Miles appeared at the American University for kids basketball camp on Tuesday. During the Q&A portion, Miles confirmed that he will wear number 34 for Washington this season, per Chase Hughes of NBC Sports. He added that Bradley Beal is his favorite current Wizards player. In his Q&A with kids […]

The BIG3 recently announced that former NBA All-Star Carlos Boozer has signed with Power. 🚨BREAKING NEWS🚨 Carlos Boozer has signed with Power. Mychel Thompson has been waived and is now a free agent. pic.twitter.com/5nDII7IYPj — BIG3 (@thebig3) July 23, 2019 Ghost Ballers previously waived their former co-captain, but Boozer didn’t need much time to find […]

A random baller was talking smack to Miami Heat big man Bam Adebayo at the Miami Pro League – and Bam shut him up by letting his play do the talking. As seen in the clip below, Adebayo first took the man one on one and scored over him after a series of crossovers. Then, […]

The Oklahoma City Thunder will usher in a new era starting next season, and they are matching that with a fresh new set of jerseys. The Thunder Twitter account unveiled the team’s uniform kit for the 2019-20 season: Introducing your 2019-20 uniform kit. pic.twitter.com/ap6Uqzgo9S — OKC THUNDER (@okcthunder) July 23, 2019 The Association (home) and […]

The LA Clippers pulled off the coup of the offseason, signing reigning Finals MVP Kawhi Leonard and acquiring All-NBA forward Paul George from the Oklahoma City Thunder. However, getting the two-way superstars came at a hefty price. The Clippers had to give up veteran Danilo Gallinari, promising sophomore Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, and the most massive haul […]

The LA Clippers pulled out all the stops to bring in prized free agent Kawhi Leonard. They succeeded, getting the reigning Finals MVP to buy into their vision as he heads to an all-important phase in his career. According to a special insider report by The Athletic, LA had a masterful pitch for Leonard in […]

The entire NBA world had waited nearly seven long days on Kawhi Leonard’s decision earlier this July. His decision came down to both his hometown Los Angeles squads, the Lakers and the Clippers, and the team he just won a championship with, the Toronto Raptors. Leonard was very careful making his decision, placing the entire […]

There are very few people still left on Andrew Wiggins Island. Nearly everyone who believed in the former No. 1 overall pick has just about left the bandwagon after Year 5 of the Andrew Wiggins Experience showed little to no improvement in his game. The Minnesota Timberwolves swingman entered the NBA in 2014 with lofty […]

In an article by Clevis Murray of The Athletic, Chris Paul discussed the importance of educating players who enter the league about managing their finances. The newest member of the Oklahoma City Thunder also admitted that money is a touchy subject in the NBA locker room: “I think the reason why I’m so passionate about […]

On June 20, the day of the 2019 NBA draft, Tacko Fall did not hear his name called out as one of the 60 selections. All 30 NBA teams passed on the 7-foot-7 behemoth. The Boston Celtics was the only team that took a chance on Fall and tapped him to be part of their […]

Jarell Christian could soon be part of a bigger operation in the nation’s capital. The Washington Wizards recently made changes to their front office, promoting Tommy Sheppard to the role of general manager. Sheppard has a lot of things on his plate as the Wizards plan toward the future of the franchise. Likewise, he is […]

In an episode of Get Up, ESPN analyst and former NBA player Jalen Rose said Kevin Durant has a chance to make his mark and write his own history by leading the Brooklyn Nets to an NBA championship: “Well, you get to build a nostalgia. We just Kawhi Leonard get to do that with Toronto, […]

Former BYU guard Elijah Bryant had a strong showing in this year’s summer league playing with the Milwaukee Bucks. This has earned him a number of suitors around the NBA, as he reportedly has “multiple NBA offers” according to Tony Jones of The Athletic. https://twitter.com/Tjonesonthenba/status/1151917649078583296 After going undrafted in 2018, Bryant has worked his way […]

Perry Jones hasn’t played a game in the NBA since 2015. Back then, he was just a 23-year old trying to make his name in the league with the Oklahoma City Thunder. Unfortunately, injuries and some unfortunate circumstances derailed what looked like a promising NBA career. Four years later, Jones is feeling healthy again. And […]

After losing out on the Kawhi Leonard sweepstakes, the Los Angeles Lakers immediately moved on to his long-time teammate Danny Green and signed him to a two-year $30-million deal. With Green, the Lakers bring in a 3-and-D player that fits perfectly next to the superstar tandem of LeBron James and Anthony Davis. While Green is […]

According to Antonis Stroggylakis of EuroHoops, the San Antonio Spurs have elected not to bring in former first-round pick Nikola Milutinov this season. The Spurs have owned the rights to Milutinov since they selected him with the 26th pick in the 2015 NBA Draft. It seems his NBA dream will have to wait at least […]

According to Shams Charania of The Athletic, free agent point guard Frank Mason III has reportedly agreed to a two-way deal with the Milwaukee Bucks. Guard Frank Mason III has agreed to a two-way NBA contract with the Milwaukee Bucks, league sources tell @TheAthleticNBA @Stadium. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 20, 2019 The Sacramento Kings […]

Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon has reportedly withdrawn from the Team USA training camp, and will effectively no longer be a part of the FIBA World Cup this summer, per Shams Charania of The Athletic. Houston Rockets guard Eric Gordon has withdrawn from Team USA training camp and FIBA World Cup this summer, sources tell […]

Without a doubt, Filipino boxing legend Manny Pacquiao will go down the ranks as one of the best ever in his sport. He has also amassed a massive fortune in his Hall of Fame career. Aside from boxing, the 40-year old superstar also has a ball-is-life mentality. TMZ Sports recently asked Pacman if he has […]

Anthony Davis is already immersing himself into his new home of Los Angeles. However, the newly-acquired Lakers forward has yet to buy a permanent home in Tinsel Town. According to TMZ Sports, Davis has reportedly opted to go the temporary route instead, renting out an insane $14-million Bel-Air Mansion for around $50,000 per month. The […]

After playing with the Utah Jazz for nearly his entire career, Derrick Favors, now a 10-year vet, is moving on to a new chapter with the New Orleans Pelicans. In a piece by Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com, Favors expressed his excitement to step into a leadership role with the Pels – despite being younger than […]

Derrick Favors flipped over to a new chapter in his career by signing with the New Orleans Pelicans this summer. Favors is excited with what lies ahead with his new squad, as he apparently felt like playing behind former front-court mate Rudy Gobert limited his capabilities on the court, per Jim Eichenhofer of NBA.com. “In […]

San Antonio Spurs legend Tony Parker announced his retirement from the NBA last June. Just a little over a month into retirement, folks from the BIG3 are already trying to get him on-board. Former NBA-All Star and current BIG3 coach Kenyon Martin said that Parker’s addition would be “beneficial” for the league, per Jeff Garcia […]

Shams Charania of The Athletic reports that the New Orleans Pelicans have given their second two-way slot to 25-year old point guard Josh Gray. Guard Josh Gray has agreed to a two-way NBA contract with the New Orleans Pelicans, agent EJ Kusnyer of @beyond_am tells The Athletic and Stadium. — Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) July 19, […]

Ben Simmons just signed a five-year, $170 million contract extension, locking him up through the 2024-25 season. However, the Sixers have added a nice little caveat to the deal in an effort to motivate Simmons further this upcoming 2019-20 season. According to Bobby Marks and Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN, Simmons’ extension is broken down into […]

Without a doubt, shooting is the most glaring weakness of Ben Simmons’ game, and it seems like he has been working on it this off-season. Harrison Grimm of The Painted Lines pointed out a very intriguing detail that suggests just that. Simmons’ teammate, Tobias Harris, recently posted a picture of his training workout alongside the […]

Troy Daniels became one of the Los Angeles Lakers’ first free agent signings this off-season. The 28-year old sniper seems like a perfect fit into a roster centered around LeBron James and Anthony Davis. He’s already salivating over the kind of open looks he’ll get playing alongside The King and The Brow. Daniels isn’t one to […]

Willie Green recently joined the Phoenix Suns as an assistant under new head coach Monty Williams. Green has had a pretty smooth transition from being a long-time NBA player to becoming one of the most well-respected coaches around the Association. In an interview with Gina Mizell of The Athletic, Green shared how he eventually got […]

New York Knicks rookie R.J. Barrett had a pretty rough showing in the NBA Summer League, especially in terms of his shooting. ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla simply called Barrett play like he saw it: inefficient. Fraschilla added that, while Barrett certainly has a bright future in the league, this is exactly what the 19-year old […]

The Boston Celtics announced in a Monday press release that they have officially signed center Vincent Poirier to deal. The deal is reportedly for two years. Following the announcement, Poirier expressed his excitement to fulfill his lifelong dream of playing in the NBA and joining the Celtics, describing the storied franchise in a colorful way: New Celtics […]

Milwaukee Bucks superstar Giannis Antetokounmpo is arguably one of the best basketball players in the world today. But when it comes to baseball, the reigning NBA MVP is a total noob. In fact, the Greek Freak admitted that Monday night was the first time he had ever touched a baseball, per ESPN. He also added […]

New York Knicks rookie RJ Barrett remains undecided whether he will suit up for Team Canada in this year’s FIBA World Cup, per Josh Lewenberg of TSN Sports. The Toronto native has a little over 50 days to decide whether he will represent his country this summer. The FIBA World Cup is set to commence […]

Portland Trail Blazers sophomore guard Anfernee Simons was lighting up the Utah Jazz in the Las Vegas Summer League before his night took a turn for the worse just moments before the final buzzer sounded. Simons had already scored a league-high 35 points before he turned his ankle late in the fourth quarter. Peter Socotch […]

Enes Kanter surely knows how to make a fuss on social media. On Tuesday, the newest Boston Celtics big man gave fans a sneak peek on what he claims is the biggest #CheatDay he has ever had. The Turkish center had a lot on his plate for his enormous feast – a ton of pizzas, […]

Former Nets veteran Jared Dudley made waves this summer when he himself pitched on joining LeBron James and Anthony Davis on the new-look Los Angeles Lakers. Dudley, in fact, became one of the first pieces to fall into the Purple and Golds’ hands in free agency. The 33-year old leaves a similarly budding powerhouse team […]

A number of teams positioned themselves with a significant amount of cap room to sign two max-salary free agents this summer. However, only a select few were actually able to successfully fill in those slots with two legitimate superstars. One of them was the Brooklyn Nets, who signed both Kyrie Irving and Kevin Durant. The […]

The Brooklyn Nets were one of the major winners in this year’s free agency. They landed two of the biggest names on the market in Kevin Durant and Kyrie Irving. In an interview with Chris Mannix of Sports Illustrated, Nets GM Sean Marks admitted he had been eyeing this 2019 class for several years now: […]