Mike Cruz Articles - Page 82

When LeBron James announced this summer that he would be suiting up for the Los Angeles Lakers for the next four season, many were intrigued by how Lonzo Ball would fit beside him. Unfortunately, we have yet to see them take the floor together as Ball has been recovering from arthroscopic knee surgery in July. […]

Adrian Wojnarowski of ESPN tweeted out on Sunday that the Sacramento Kings are waiving forward Jamel Artis. Sacramento is waiving forward Jamel Artis, league source tells ESPN. He played 15 games for Orlando last season. — Adrian Wojnarowski (@wojespn) October 7, 2018 Artis signed a two-year, partially guaranteed training camp deal with the Kings back in […]

It’s just the preseason and tempers are already flaring high. Boston Celtics guard Marcus Smart admitted to reporters that he did give the nod to Cleveland Cavaliers guard J.R. Smith to meet him in the back. Smart spoke with reporters who clarified his gesture following their on-court altercation during their preseason exhibition Saturday night. “I […]

NBA Hall of Famer Yao Ming has a knack of dwarfing tall people when standing next to him. That will happen when you’re 7 feet 6 inches tall. Dallas Mavericks rookie Luka Doncic recently posted a photo of himself posing with the former Houston Rockets star, along with Mavs legend and teammate Dirk Nowitzki. The Slovenian […]

Minnesota Timberwolves fans have had enough of head coach and team president Tom Thibodeau, and it looks like they are already calling for his head. John Krawcynski of The Athletic tweeted that fans booed Thibodeau during the introductions of the Minnesota Timberwolves’ preseason game against the Oklahoma City Thunder: There are not many people here […]

Los Angeles Clippers center Boban Marjanovic continues to show some love for his best friend on the team, Tobias Harris. When asked on whether he thinks if Harris is a star in this league, Boban had a very interesting answer according to Jovan Buha of The Athletic. “Tobias is a star. Tobias is a star everywhere. […]

Thoughts on Seattle Seahawks’ wide receiver Tyler Lockett as the newest Splash Brother? He certainly proved his case by defeating guard Klay Thompson and forward Kevin Durant of the Golden State Warriors in a mini-shootout that was held in the Seahawks’ meeting room on Friday morning. The Seahawks Twitter page posted footage of the shootout, where […]

Los Angeles Lakers superstar LeBron James once again took to Twitter to accuse some bogus workout trainers on their basketball training scams. Straight up G!! Beware of the scammer 🤡 workout trainers! This will not make your kids better at all. 🤦🏾‍♂️ https://t.co/RqBkw1YXb7 — LeBron James (@KingJames) October 5, 2018 Take it from the four-time […]

Boston Celtics superstar Kyrie Irving infamously claimed last year that he believes that the Earth is flat. He finally retracted on those sentiments a few days ago and apologized for apparently confusing children with his statement. After Irving finally stepped back on his claims, a former Celtics legend came forward and questioned Irving for taking […]

Long time sportscaster and studio host of Inside the NBA Ernie Johnson announced in a Twitter video on Monday that he was diagnosed with blood clots in both of his legs. A message from @TurnerSportsEJ on his absence from the upcoming MLB Postseason pic.twitter.com/fIZ6NFLXdi — TNT Sports U.S. PR (@TNTSportsUS) October 1, 2018 Johnson, or E.J. […]

First day on the job, and Mitchell Robinson already has an enemy. The New York Knicks rookie got inside the head of Washington Wizards forward Markieff Morris, who was ejected for talking smack to Robinson, in their pre-season game Monday night. Morris obviously didn’t like getting thrown out, and had some choice words for the […]

At first glance, NBA Commissioner Adam Silver does not look the part of someone who is good at playing basketball. While the commissioner is considerably tall, his lanky stature does not help his case. And, honestly, he does look like a little bit of a nerd. In an interview with Richard Johnson of Page Six, […]

NBA Commissioner Adam Silver took the subway Thursday night to attend the screening of ESPN’s “Basketball: A Love Story” which was held at the Brooklyn Academy of Music. Taking the public transit as the commissioner of one of the most renowned leagues in sports, comes the expectation of being recognized by a number of locals. But these […]

Los Angeles Lakers guard Lonzo Ball underwent arthroscopic knee surgery back in July and was expected to return to basketball activities in training camp. Ball was initially expected to brought back slowly into the mix, but the former number two pick in the 2017 NBA draft was reportedly up to speed during the Lakers training […]

The San Antonio Spurs have made the playoffs for an unprecedented 21 straight seasons, and have been a symbol of excellence in the NBA for the past two decades. However, the Spurs are now in a period of transition, and are looking at their two All-Stars DeMar Derozan and LaMarcus Aldridge to lead a new […]

When the Minnesota Timberwolves were knocked off early in the 2018, rumors began to surface that All-Star Jimmy Butler would eventually want out. Fast forward to today, those rumors became true when the Butler demanded president and head coach Tom Thibodeau for a trade away from the Wolves. However, Butler’s fellow teammates with the Chicago […]

Milwaukee Bucks forward Giannis Antetokounmpo took to his Instagram account to write a heart-warming letter to honor his late father, Charles Antetokounmpo: “It’s been a year daddy, so many things have happened since the day you left for a better place and I know you been watching down on us with a smile just like […]

Rumors are circulating that the Minnesota Timberwolves are bluffing. Adrian Wojnarowski said on the most recent episode of his podcast, The Woj Pod, that no teams or executives believed the Timberwolves when they claimed that they have received favorable trade offers for superstar forward Jimmy Butler. “I know Minnesota was telling teams last week, ‘We’ve […]

In a statement told to Serena Winters of NBC Sports Philadelphia via Twitter, Philadelphia 76ers budding superstar Ben Simmons claimed that he doesn’t want to be boxed into any one position. Ben Simmons: "I don’t look at myself as a point guard or a power forward or anything like that. I’m a player. I just want […]

Washington Wizards franchise player guard John Wall has high expectations for his squad in this upcoming 2017-18 season. The five time NBA All-Star said in an interview by Chick Hernandez of The Athletic that a 50-win season season and reaching the Eastern Conference Finals would constitute a successful season for the Washington Wizards. CH: What has to […]

Chandler Parsons of the Memphis Grizzlies recently wrote a heartfelt message to the city in The Players’ Tribune, and expressed his determination to make things right with the franchise. “I know the last thing you want to hear from me is a promise about my basketball performance — I know I need to show it […]

While recovering from a devastating Achilles injury, Golden State Warriors center DeMarcus Cousins looks to become a mentor for the team’s young bigs in Jordan Bell and Damian Jones. Cousins spoke to reporters during NBA media day, and one of the things he talked about was how he’s doing his part to help Bell and […]

San Antonio Spurs legendary head coach Gregg Popovich apparently once sent a new team employee to an errand that took hours to complete and later gave him a brand new car. This excerpt was relayed by Rafe Bartholomew, who recently took to Reddit to for a little Q&A with some avid NBA Redditors. Bartholomew, who is the […]

Washington Wizards head coach Scott Brooks apparently can’t get his starting small forward Otto Porter to shoot the ball more. The man was so desperate that he sought the help of the media to ask the former third overall pick of the 2013 NBA draft to take more shots. “I know you guys aren’t trying […]

Of all the quotes, excerpts, and moments that were said and heard throughout NBA media day, arguably the most meme-worthy (aside from Kawhi Leonard’s laugh) may have come from Enes Kanter of the New York Knicks. The Knicks center was asked about his team’s chances of making the playoffs, and here is what he had […]

In the aftermath of the Golden State Warriors’ second-straight NBA championship win, former forward David West teased a cryptic message that there was a lot going on behind the scenes in the Warriors’ title runs the previous years. The now-retired two-time NBA champion finally explained to Marc Spears of The Undefeated what that cryptic message […]

Chicago Bulls current vice president of basketball operations John Paxson won’t admit that he feels vindication on trading former franchise superstar Jimmy Butler last season, as reported by Matt Peck of Locked on Bulls during NBA Media Day. "Do you feel vindicated (re Jimmy trade)?" Pax said that's not what it's about. but "we felt good […]

The NBA free agency period can be one of the most exciting times of the year for the avid NBA follower. Fans wonder what kinds of story lines will surface throughout the period where NBA front offices court the top players to join their squad. However, the processes and the behind-the-scenes that go on during […]

Charlotte Hornets owner Michael Jordan was recently spotted dining with Boston Celtics co-owner Wyc Grousbeck, according to Ian Mohr of Page Six. Dining with the two were Jordan’s wife Yvette Prieto, and two fellow owners Jeanie Buss of the Los Angeles Lakers, and Milwaukee Bucks co-owner Wes Edens. The group was reportedly seen having dinner at Scarpetta […]

Almost every basketball fan around the world agrees to the fact that Los Angeles Lakers forward LeBron James is the consensus best player in the world. Many are giving a case for other players such as Kevin Durant or even Stephen Curry, both of the Golden State Warriors, as close seconds. However, LeBron’s former Cleveland […]

Die-hard Los Angeles Lakers fans without a doubt know the voice that announces some of their all-time favorite players when they are welcomed to the court during every game’s starters introduction. That voice belongs to Lawrence Tanter. Tanter has announced the names of the likes of Magic Johnson and Kareem Abdul-Jabar from the Showtime Lakers in […]

Newly minted Philadelphia 76ers General Manager Elton Brand believes the Sixers still need to add one more star to pair with their emerging studs, Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid. Brand appeared on ESPN’s The Jump with Rachel Nichols and Stephen Jackson, and had this to say when asked whether the team has what it takes […]

Philadelphia 76ers budding superstar Ben Simmons isn’t looking to be just a nightmare on the offensive end of the floor, the Sixers phenom also wants to be one of the best defenders in the league. The Philly Inquirer’s Kieth Pompey tweeted a video of the Sixers guard, claiming that he wants to make it to […]

NBA front offices around the league are confused with the turmoil surrounding the Minnesota Timberwolves situation. A team representative reportedly told Keith Smith of RealGM: “We’ve seen dysfunction before, but this is a new level. Sometimes when there is a transition, you struggle with who to call. This is just a mess, because they are […]

Karl-Anthony Towns is certainly in a good mood today after reportedly agreeing to a five-year $190 million super max contract with the Minnesota Timberwolves. One of the people who was overjoyed with Towns’ extension was his Kentucky Wildcats coach John Calipari. In an exchange on Twitter, Calipari said he just spoke with Towns on the phone […]

Philadelphia 76ers stud and 2017-18 Rookie of the Year Ben Simmons is focusing on improving one of the major flaws of his game: free-throw shooting. Ben Simmons doing free throws as #Sixers first training camp practice wraps up. Very deliberately working on keeping his elbow locked. Results are a hit and miss, but addressing that […]

After going through the mud of tanking hard throughout “The Process” period from 2013 to 2017, Philadelphia 76ers head coach Brett Brown has no other desire but to make it to the mountaintop. The Philly Inquirer’s Keith Pompey tweeted out a video of Brown talking about the team’s goal for the season. Brown said it straight in […]

DeMarcus Cousins of the Golden State Warriors recently unveiled an outdoor basketball court in his hometown of Mobile, Alabama in which he donated $253,000 to help rebuild. Another successful weekend in the books! See you next year!#LoyaltyisLove pic.twitter.com/nc5yKQjsXI — DeMarcus Cousins (@boogiecousins) September 16, 2018 Cousins had made the commitment to donate for this cause […]

The writing was on the wall for Dallas Mavericks forward Dirk Nowitzki when he found out that center DeAndre Jordan signed with the team in the offseason: he would be in a bench role for the first time since his rookie year. The future Hall of Famer chimed in his thoughts on coming off the […]