Mike Cruz Articles - Page 9

After sputtering at the start of the season, largely due to De’Aaron Fox’s injury, the Sacramento Kings are once again back to their winning ways. With Fox back and playing like a dark-horse MVP candidate, the Kings have won six of their last seven games. Sacramento looks poised to take the next step after getting […]

The Los Angeles Clippers understandably received a ton of flak when they lost five straight games to begin the James Harden era in L.A. However, the Clippers are slowly but surely finding their rhythm. Los Angeles finally ended the losing skid this past weekend over the Houston Rockets after Harden knocked down one of his […]

Given how the previous two seasons have gone for the Hornets, few expect the Charlotte Hornets team to be competitive in the Eastern Conference. Charlotte has tipped off the first month of the 2023-24 NBA season with a 4-9 record. Still, despite the record, there is a lot to be excited about this Hornets roster […]

The NBA trade market is about to open up with several free agents signed during the offseason set to become available come December 15th. The Toronto Raptors are a team that always seems to find themselves in trade rumors. They were in on the Damian Lillard sweepstakes. Now they’re in the Zach LaVine marathon as […]

Last week, the Chicago Bulls and Zach LaVine reportedly opened the idea of potentially shipping the All-Star guard out of Chicago. The news spiraled into a heavy dose of trade rumors, trade scenarios, and potential destinations, not just for Zach LaVine, but pretty much every significant player on the Bulls roster. Yes, the trade talks […]

Julius Randle looks like he’s finally recovered from that historically horrendous slump he had to begin the 2023-24 NBA season. That still doesn’t mean the New York Knicks shouldn’t trade him this season. Not if they want to be more competitive in the Eastern Conference. The Knicks are currently seventh in the East standings with […]

It’s safe to say that the 2023-24 NBA season has not gone as planned for the Detroit Pistons. For the second straight year, the Pistons look well on their way to another lost campaign. Through the first month of the regular season, Detroit is staring at the worst record in the league (2-13) and is […]

Several teams across the NBA are closely monitoring the situation with the Chicago Bulls, whose season is once again off to a rocky start. Should the losses continue to pile up this season, the Bulls could be in for a massive fire sale prior to the February trade deadline. The three stars — Zach LaVine, […]

The season is once again going south for the Chicago Bulls. If the team does not right the ship anytime soon, the Bulls could be well on their way to a massive fire sale of assets later in the season. One player that a boatload of teams — which include the Heat, Bucks, Lakers, Warriors, […]

Despite being tied for the third-best record in the Eastern Conference at 7-4, the Milwaukee Bucks have tipped off their 2023-24 NBA season in rather underwhelming fashion. There were certainly lofty expectations for the Bucks when they landed Damian Lillard via trade this offseason and paired him alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo. However, Milwaukee hasn’t met those […]

The Charlotte Hornets are off to a 3-7 start to the 2023-24 NBA season. Not many really expect the Hornets to be competitive in the Eastern Conference, considering they’ve been bottom dwellers over the last couple of years. Still, looking at their roster, the team has the personnel to at least make some noise and […]

The Cleveland Cavaliers have sputtered, or more like limped, right out of the gates to begin the 2023-24 NBA season. With a 5-6 record, this is certainly not what Cavs fans envisioned for their team, especially after they won 51 games in the regular season last year. Still, injuries played a part in Cleveland’s struggles […]

This 2023-24 NBA season for the San Antonio Spurs is all about Victor Wembanyama’s rookie campaign. Every Spurs game will highlight and showcase the spectacle of the French phenom. This team does not intend to compete. Though Wembanyama’s talent alone can somehow win them some games and potentially be in the mix for a play-in […]

After an underwhelming 2-4 start to the 2023-24 season, the New York Knicks have slowly regained their footing over the last couple of weeks. They’ve gone 3-1 since then and the Knicks are slowly establishing their identity, especially on the defensive side of the floor. The Knicks currently have the third best defensive rating in […]

The Atlanta Hawks are in the midst of a resurgent campaign with a 6-4 record to start the 2023-24 NBA season. This comes after a pair of disappointing first round playoff exits following an Eastern Conference Finals appearance in 2021. The Hawks have looked good so far under the tutelage of Quin Snyder, whom the […]

The future is now for the Oklahoma City Thunder. With a 7-4 record through the first four weeks of the 2023-24 NBA season, Oklahoma City is off to its best start in five years. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander has emerged as a legitimate All-NBA star. The Thunder have surrounded him with an intriguing young core that could […]

The Chicago Bulls’ dismal start to the 2023-24 season has reportedly prompted the franchise to explore trade options involving All-Star guard Zach LaVine, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. With the development, several teams emerged as potential suitors for LaVine. The Golden State Warriors are on that list of possible trade destinations for the […]

As the Chicago Bulls’ dismal season unfolds, there has reportedly been an increased openness from the franchise and Zach LaVine to explore trade options involving the All-Star guard, according to Shams Charania of The Athletic. As soon as the news broke, several teams emerged as possible suitors for LaVine. That shortlist includes the Philadelphia 76ers. […]

The Orlando Magic had an encouraging finish to the 2022-23 NBA season, where they went 29-28 from December 7th onwards. Orlando has carried the momentum from last year, as the team has started 5-4 through the first three weeks of the new campaign so far. With the Magic looking to compete for a playoff spot […]

The Indiana Pacers are one of the early surprises of the 2023-24 NBA season. Fairly enough, a lot expected the Pacers to make a leap this season following Tyrese Haliburton’s breakout 2022-23 campaign that saw the young point guard emerge as an All-Star. However, nobody really saw Indiana sport the best offense in the NBA […]

The 2023 offseason was a “here we go again” summer for the Philadelphia 76ers after James Harden publicly denounced GM Daryl Morey and demanded a trade from the organization. Fast-forward to Week 4 of the 2023-24 NBA season, even with the Harden hullabaloo spilling into the campaign, The Beard is no longer a member of […]

NThe Sacramento Kings start to the 2023-24 NBA season is not what Kings fans expected, especially their team’s Cinderella run last year. Sacramento is just 3-4 to begin the campaign and currently sits at 9th in the Western Conference standings. Nonetheless, the Kings’ sluggish start could be attributed to injuries. De’Aaron Fox, who has averaged […]

Chicago Bulls and disappointment. Name a better duo. You can’t. Those two are pretty much synonymous already at this point ever since Chicago built its “Big Three” of DeMar DeRozan, Zach LaVine, and Nikola Vucevic. With a 3-6 record, the Bulls are once again off to a disappointing start to the 2023-24 NBA season. The […]

If you’re in the mood for a hearty laugh while watching the NBA, come see the Washington Wizards play basketball. The Wizards aren’t here this season to compete. They’re just in it for the vibes. Open a Wizards game randomly on TV or on the NBA app this season and the first thing you’ll likely […]

It’s safe to say the Milwaukee Bucks have underperformed so far to start the 2023-24 NBA season. It’s hard to blame NBA fans for their lofty expectations of this team. They happen to have arguably the best duo in the NBA in Giannis Antetokounmpo and Damian Lillard. Milwaukee won the offseason when the team swooped […]

The Washington Wizards are a movie. But what kind of movie genre are they? Comedy might be the one. There’s really not much to talk about the Wizards other than they’re just here this season for the vibes. If there’s any play this 2023-24 NBA season that encapsulates that, it should be this Jordan Poole […]

After winning 51 games and finishing as the fourth seed in the Eastern Conference last year, the Cleveland Cavaliers are off to a sluggish start to the 2023-24 NBA season. Cleveland is just 3-5 through the first couple of weeks of the new year and sits at 11th in the East. A lot of things […]

After a couple of bumps in the road following their 3-1 start to the 2023-24 NBA season, the Oklahoma City Thunder are back on track with consecutive wins at home this week. Shai Gilgeous-Alexander is playing out of his mind for Oklahoma City to begin the season and could very well bag another All-NBA nod […]

Despite all the James Harden hullabaloo the Philadelphia 76ers went through in the offseason and into the new campaign, Joel Embiid and co. are off to a flying start to begin the 2023-24 NBA season. Philadelphia has won six straight games since losing to the new-look Milwaukee Bucks in its season opener. Embiid is playing […]

The New Orleans Pelicans were off to a great start to the 2023-24 NBA season, winning four of their first five games. They have since lost three straight and are now back down to .500 following their 122-101 loss to the Minnesota Timberwolves on Wednesday night. Zion Williamson missed that game for the Pelicans due […]

There is no question that the Minnesota Timberwolves are Anthony Edwards’ team. The 2020 No. 1 overall pick has proven with his play this 2023-24 NBA season that he is the undisputed franchise star in Minnesota. He has led the Timberwolves to a 4-2 start and these include wins over the two best teams in […]

Led by franchise star Tyrese Haliburton, the Indiana Pacers have one of the most exciting young teams in the NBA. The youth is definitely showing for Indiana this season as they own one of the more enigmatic offenses in the NBA. With one of the best facilitators in Haliburton running the show, Rick Carlisle has […]

The New York Knicks 2023-24 NBA season has been up and down and a mixed bag so far. They currently have a 3-4 record and are 9th in the Eastern Conference. Jalen Brunson has had some explosive games, which included a 45-point outing during the Knicks’ 2023 NBA In-Season Tournament opener against the Milwaukee Bucks. […]

The Milwaukee Bucks won the offseason when they acquired Damian Lillard from the Portland Trail Blazers and paired him alongside Giannis Antetokounmpo to form one of the best duos in the league. However, despite sporting a 4-2 record, the Bucks are off to a rather underwhelming start to the 2023-24 NBA season. They haven’t particularly […]

The Dallas Mavericks are off to their best start since the 2004-05 season. With just one loss in seven games, they only trail the defending champion Denver Nuggets in the Western Conference standings through the first two weeks of the 2023-24 NBA season. The Mavs have been clicking on all cylinders to begin the campaign. […]

There is really no point in beating around the bush. Julius Randle is the biggest disappointment for the New York Knicks so far in the 2023-24 NBA season. Who else would it be? In fact, Randle might be the biggest disappointment in the league period. New York fans are already calling for the Knicks to ship […]

James Harden finally got his wish when the Philadelphia 76ers traded him to the Los Angeles Clippers in a midnight blockbuster last week. When the Sixers and Clippers made the deal, there were questions about how Harden would fit in a team that has three other stars in Kawhi Leonard, Paul George, and Russell Westbrook. Adding […]

Dread it. Run from it. Destiny arrives all the same. Scottie Barnes is the captain now. We can use all these famous movie references to say that the Toronto Raptors are now Scottie Barnes’ team. But that’s just the reality of the situation. Scottie Barnes isn’t here to take part. He is here to take […]

It took eight games before the Golden State Warriors won their first road game of the 2022-23 NBA season. This year, the Warriors are already up to five wins outside of Chase Center and own a 6-2 record, good for third in the Western Conference. Golden State is obviously off to a way better start […]