Knicks

Knicks Trade Kristaps Porzingis to Mavs in Blockbuster Deal

Coveted Knicks star Kristaps Porzingis voiced his frustrations with team management regarding the organization’s direction, giving the impression that he would prefer to be traded from New York. His wish was granted as the Latvian big-man will head to Dallas along with Tim Hardaway Jr., Courtney Lee and Trey Burke in exchange for Dennis Smith Jr., DeAndre Jordan, Wesley Matthews, and two first-round picks.

This move opens up immediate cap space for a Knicks team banking on a successful 2019 free agency to crawl their way back into contention. By dealing Hardaway and Lee, New York rids themselves of two multi-year, $10M+ contracts to make room for two max contract slots in July.

However, Knicks fans are in shock over losing their franchise centerpiece for expiring contracts. Porzingis was supposed to be the cornerstone that the team was built around, but now the front office must start over to bring a competitive team back to the World’s Most Famous Arena.

The only player still on the books at the end of this season is Dennis Smith Jr., who the Knicks infamously passed on with the 8th pick in the 2017 NBA Draft for Frank Ntilikina. Smith was named to the All-Rookie Second Team in his first year after averaging 15.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, and 5.2 assists per game.

New York also acquired DeAndre Jordan, a former All-Star center who led the NBA in rebounding twice. He is primarily known for his defensive prowess and dunking abilities, a combination that has allowed him to consistently be among the top players at his position. He has earned a spot on the NBA All-Defensive First Team in 2015 and 2016, a year where he also made the All-NBA First Team.

The real implications of this deal come after the end of the season when the Knicks enter free agency with $70M to spend. If the organization is unable to land Kevin Durant as they plan, what is the next move? They just traded away the only All-Star caliber player on the roster, which makes New York even less desirable as a potential offseason destination. The city is known for striking out when it comes to adding big names in the summer, and if they are unable to land a marquee player, the Knicks may have pushed the rebuilding process back another five years.

Although the team currently owns the worst record in the NBA which gives them a 25% chance to land the #1 pick and a chance to draft Zion Williamson or R.J. Barrett, this trade improves the roster in the short-term. This should lead to a spike in wins and move them further out of the running for these high-level prospects.

The future is uncertain, but this organization is going to have to roll with the punches.

 

 

 

 

 

Featured Image via Flickr/Keith Allison

Yankees

Troy Tulowitzki Signs With New York Yankees

Veteran shortstop Troy Tulowitzki has reached an agreement with the New York Yankees for the league minimum.

Tulowitzki was released by the Blue Jays in December after his worst season since he was a rookie, batting .249 with 7 home runs and 26 runs batted in. The Yankees are in need of a shortstop as Didi Gregorius recovers from Tommy John surgery so they will give the accomplished middle infielder a shot.

Once upon a time, Tulowitzki was the best shortstop in baseball. He is a five-time All-Star, two-time Gold Glove Award winner, and two-time Silver Slugger Award winner. He even has two fifth-place finishes in the MVP race.

His best season came in 2011 with the Colorado Rockies when he hit .302 with 32 homers and 105 RBIs, but since then, he has steadily declined. However, there may be some light at the end of the tunnel. According to Toronto Blue Jays GM Ross Atkins, “He looks like he is healthy. He’s recovering well. He has full range of motion. He has his strength. … Our reports are very positive.”

The Yankees can only hope that a change of scenery will revitalize the once dominant shortstop and truly transform him into a “Bronx Bomber.”

 

Featured Image via Flickr/ Terry Foote

Knicks

Enes Kanter Ejected After Scuffle With Giannis Antetokounmpo

After suffering a fourteen point loss to the Bucks on Christmas Day, the New York Knicks couldn’t bounce back in their rematch with the Greek Freak, losing in Milwaukee by a score of 112-96.

However, the real story was the altercation between Knicks center Enes Kanter and MVP candidate Giannis Antetokounmpo. Following a collision between the two players where no foul was called, Giannis appears to pump Kanter before they went head-to-head in a very heated moment. Kanter was issued two technicals and ejected from the game as a result.

Enes took an elbow on the previous play from Thon Maker that would require three stitches, which was why he thought he had to leave the floor. He thought he was just receiving medical attention for the gash to his eye, not knowing that he had been ejected and unable to return.

Referee Brian Forte explained why he gave the two technicals to Enes by saying that “during instant replay review for the altercation, we observed an unsportsmanlike act by Kanter, and that is what led to his first technical foul. After the out-of-bounds foul, Giannis and Kanter came face-to-face, and so they were both assessed dead-ball technical fouls.”

After the game ended, fellow teammate Kristaps Porzingis posted on his Instagram story to express his frustrations with the way the whole situation was handled.

“That was some bs tonight!!!” Porzingis said. “And that bucks assistant coach needs to sit his ass down before grabbing Enes like that. Grab your own players not the opp. team.”

It has been a rough couple of weeks for Kanter. He had lost his starting job to Mitchell Robinson earlier in the year, but Robinson was sidelined due to an ankle injury that allowed Kanter to re-enter the starting lineup for a short time. However, in last night’s game against the Bucks, Fizdale decided to give the starting nod to Luke Kornet instead. Kornet had a career night, scoring 23 points while logging 5 assists and 3 rebounds. This was much to the dismay of Kanter, who conveyed his frustration on Twitter after being benched yet again.

His effectiveness on the floor has also taken a hit as of late. Despite averaging 14.7 points and 10.8 rebounds this season, his numbers have dipped to 10 points and 5.3 rebounds per game in the last seven days.

Hopefully, this altercation will motivate the Knicks big man to continue improving his game and return to being the scoring and rebounding machine from earlier in the year.

 

Featured Image via Wikimedia Commons

Mets

The Mets Are Interested in Corey Kluber

The Mets recently completed a trade for 8-time All-Star Robinson Cano and Edwin DĂ­az, the AL Reliever of the Year. This move by Brodie Van Wagenen sent a message to all Mets fans that the organization is attempting to build a win-now team, and more transactions could be on the horizon.

According to reports, New York has also expressed interest in standout starting pitcher Corey Kluber.

Kluber has been a force to be reckoned with in the past few years. He had a 2.89 ERA and 0.99 WHIP with 222 strikeouts during the 2018 season, finishing third in the voting for the American League Cy Young Award. This is not unfamiliar territory for Kluber, who won the coveted award the year prior as well as in 2014.

He is one year removed from the best season of his career. During the 2017 season, Kluber’s numbers were astounding, posting a 2.25 ERA (1st in the AL), 18 wins (1st), and 265 strikeouts (2nd).

Kluber has been particularly effective in the last three years, being named an All-Star in each season as he quickly rose to one of the most dominant pitchers in the MLB today.

Although the Mets gave up their No. 3 & 4 prospects in the Cano deal, they still have plenty of young studs in their farm system that they could move to acquire the Indians starter. If New York can work out a deal, pairing Kluber with deGrom would undoubtedly be the deadliest 1-2 punch that the MLB has seen in a long time.

While it remains to be seen whether or not the Indians have any motivation to trade their ace, Brodie Van Wagenen and the Mets front office have made it clear that they are willing to pay top dollar to compete next season.

 

Featured Image via Flickr/ Erik Drost

Mets

Could Bryce Harper be an Option for the Mets?

Mets General Manager Brodie Van Wagenen has spoken about bringing a “culture of positivity” to Queens by bringing in established stars in the league that would instantly transform their offensive production. One free agent that would meet these dreams would be the 2018 Home Run Derby Champion, Bryce Harper.

Some fans are skeptical that the Mets have any interest in the phenom, but Mike Puma of the New York Post has set the record straight.

“Van Wagenen has made it clear, according to sources, that he is interested in the All-Star outfielder,” Puma wrote. “But there is skepticism within the industry that team owner Fred Wilpon would approve an outlay of $300 million-plus for that type of acquisition.”

New York hasn’t exactly made a habit of giving out monster contracts to superstar players, but opportunities to land players of the same caliber as Bryce Harper don’t come around every day. It’s time that the Mets embrace a “carpe diem” mentality, which translates to “seize the day.”

Harper, 26, has been a top player in the MLB since he entered the league in his early 20s. In his short seven years in the league, Harper has put together quite the resumĂŠ. He has been named an All-Star 6-times and has taken home the Rookie of the Year Award, among other accolades.

His best season by far came in 2015 when he batted an outstanding .330 to go along with a league-high 42 home runs and 99 RBIs. In recognition of his fantastic performance that season, Harper was bestowed with the NL Hank Aaron Award, Silver Slugger Award, and the NL MVP Award.

Although he hasn’t duplicated this kind of output in the past few years, Harper has still been a productive player. Last season, he posted a .249 BA with 34 HRs and a career-high 100 RBIs.

 

Harper is a five-tool player who is able to field, throw, run the bases, hit, and hit with power. This unique combination does not come around that often, and the Mets should recognize that signing Harper could be a complete 180 for the organization. They should take advantage of the opportunity before them, no matter what the cost.

 

Featured Image via Flickr/ Matthew Straubmuller

Opinion

David Fizdale: The Player’s Coach

Learning the ropes as an Assistant Head Coach in the NBA isn’t always easy, but being able to do so under Erik Spoelstra and a Miami Heat team that won two championships in four years from 2010 to 2014  made it that much easier for David Fizdale. Among players in the league, Fizdale is known as a humble, personable coach who actually cares about his players’ best interest both on and off the court. Chris Bosh, one of Fizdale’s former players and a member of the “Big 3” with LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, is extremely appreciative of Fizdale’s style and coaching abilities.

Fizdale received such high praise and recognition from around the league that he began to make a name for himself and was hired by the Memphis Grizzlies as their head coach for the 2016-17 season. Leading the team to a 43-39 record and a playoff berth, players like Marc Gasol and Mike Conley loved the culture and attitude that he brought and ultimately embedded into the organization. In Conley’s case, he signed the NBA’s biggest contract (five-year / $153 million) to date during the summer in the free agency before Fizdale was hired.

Conley articulated how grateful he is for Fizdale’s impact on his playing career. After signing such a huge contract, Fizdale was able to unlock parts of his game that allowed him to be worth the over $30 million per year that the Grizzlies were giving him. Unfortunately, the start to the 2017-18 season was not one that the Grizzlies had expected, starting the year with a 7-14 record which led the Grizzlies to cut the cord quickly on Fizdale. On the other hand, this opened the door for his opportunity with the New York Knicks where he resides today. Having the 3rd youngest team in the league with an average age of 24.6 and their franchise player still sidelined with an ACL injury, Fizdale’s task as the Knicks’ leader would definitely not be an easy one, and his main objective would be to develop the young players rather than attempting to make a playoff push. As Fizdale put it a few days ago:

“It’s about, are these guys staying in the trench to get better every single day? That’s our focus. We know the win-loss category is going to change when we become a better basketball team. So we’re not putting all our stock in wins and losses right now and our group understands that.”

Developing over winning is a tough motto to resonate with, but Fizdale’s track record has proven that he is up for the task and is in it for the players and their development as young men and NBA players. Although he has yet to subtweet Joel Embiid’s infamous “Trust the Process” quote, Fizdale is definitely embracing the process and understands that the Knicks are a project, one that may take years to come to fruition.

 

Featured Image via Flickr/ Michael Tipton

Mets

Mets Aggressively Trying to Work Out Deal for Robinson Cano

The Seattle Mariners have been looking for a potential trade partner to take on Robinson Cano, and the club has contacted both New York teams in an attempt to move the second basemen.

Although the Yankees don’t seem to be that interested, the Mets are being aggressive in their pursuit of the 8-time All-Star.

Cano has a strong connection within the Mets organization, being the formal client of GM Brodie Van Wagenen. Van Wagenen negotiated Cano’s monster 10-year $240 million deal with the Mariners back when he was an agent, and now he is looking to bring in a familiar face to bolster New York’s struggling offense.

While Cano was suspended half the season for violating baseball’s drug policy, he did manage to bat .303 with 10 home runs and 50 RBIs in 80 games played.

While these numbers may not be that impressive, it is worth considering how successful Cano has been in years past. In his 14 year career, he has batted over .300 nine different times, holding a .304 career average to go along with 22.2 homers and 88 RBIs. His best season came in his final year with the New York Yankees when he hit .314 with 27 HRs and 107 RBIs. His stellar career has allowed him to accumulate five Silver Slugger Awards along and two Gold Glove Awards, not to mention the fact that he was a World Series Champion in 2009.

Cano has experience playing in the Big Apple and knows what fans will expect from him. While he may not be the player he once was, the Mets are desperate for a big bat, and Cano could help fill that void.

 

Featured Image via Flickr/Keith Allison