Welcome to another addition of Jeremy's Weekly Worm! In the coming weeks I will have the very first audio addition of Jeremy's Weekly Worm via podcast so keep a lookout for that. Gotta a lot to get into, so lets dig in!
The METS
We start on the lowly Mets who just finished their post all-star break road trip with a dismal 2-9 record scoring about 7 runs during the entire break. Ok maybe not 7 runs, but anyone who followed the series knows exactly what I am talking about. The Mets' bats just disappeared on this road trip and they got lucky in one game, which allowed them 2 wins when it should have been 1. Jason Bay cannot hit a beach ball right now, David Wright has hit a slump and everyone else seems to have an oblique injury. The return of Carlos Beltran has provided nothing to this team as he himself has done absolutely squat since coming back.
It's time to face the music in that this organization needs a major over-haul in both management and players. Mets fans who are frustrated and barking for a trade, please stop. This team needs to hang onto every young asset it has for the future because this ball club needs some new blood. There is no move that will make this team better right now. Don't tell me about Roy Oswalt, the team can't hit!!! They have been getting stellar pitching from Santanna and Dickey with nothing to show for it. Helping the bullpen won't do much unless you can get KRod outta there and replace him with a closer who can make batters swing and miss. And if you try to add a bat, at what position do you add? Jason Werth doesn't work for two reason, 1, the Mets are already trying to rid themselves of Jeff Francouer and 2, I doubt that the Phillies would trade him to a rival. As far as the infield goes, 3 of the 4 spots are occupied for the long-term and the other spot, 2nd base is occupied by a guy that no one wants. Not to mention that even if someone would take Castillo, who is available that is a significant upgrade at 2nd base? Same goes for catcher.
And for those fans looking beyond this season and hoping the Mets throw millions upon millions for Bobby Valentine to come back, no way I see him taking this job. For one, if Minaya is still GM, why would any good manager want to have this guy as their GM? Look at what he did to Willie Randolph and look at the moves he has made during his time there. Why go to a losing franchise with an idiot GM when there are much more desirable jobs out there? The Braves, Marlins, Orioles and Cubs jobs are all more attractive than the Mets. Very sad, but very true.
Speaking of sad, the saddest thing about the Mets is that they have wasted some of the prime years of the career of Johan Santanna. Since he has been with the Mets Santanna has lost out on the opportunity for so many wins that he still has not hit 150 mark. He is only 31, but I believe that he has lost any chance for 300 wins.
The YANKEES
After being carried by the starting pitching in the first half of the season, the Yankee bats have finally woken up, scoring at least 10 runs in 3 of the last 5 games or so. And it could not have come at a better time. Andy Pettite is on the DL, A.J. Burnett continues to beat himself, Hughes seems to be hitting a wall because it's the first time he's pitched this much in the Majors and Vasquez is still no sure thing.
And what is also definately not a sure thing is the bullpen. While Robertson has come around nicely since his terrible start, Joba is having major issues with control. Had a good 1-2-3 yesterday only after giving up a walk and a homerun. Boone Logan did a good job yesterday as well but getting a reliable arm via trade has to be a priority. The starting pitching can tread water until Pettite gets back because of the bats being hot right now, but the bullpen will need to be upgraded for the post-season run.
Mark Teixeira has reached base in 41 straight games, since June 8th, he has rasied his average from low .200's to .264. The Captain has also been on a nice little tear bringing his average to respectability, but still not near his career average. Cano continues his fine season. Granderson hit 2 homers yesterday and it would be nice to see him finish the season strong. And although A-Rod has been stuck on 599 for a few days, he has not slumped as he hit the 80 RBI mark yesterday.
The KNICKS
Well it looks as though Chris Paul is not going anywhere from the reports that I have read on espn.com. And Knicks fans I would not be too upset about this, and in fact, I am elated at this outocome and I will tell you why. For one, I am still holding out on the possibility that Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony want to team up with Amare Stoudemire here in NY. And as of right now with Chris Paul not being traded away from the Hornets, as long as Melo does not sign that extension with Denver, that possibility is there.
Chris Paul staying put allows the Knicks to go into this season with what they have right now, which is a young, athletic and talented team. I want to see what Felton, Gallo, Randoplph, Stoudemire and Chandler can do as a team. This way, should Melo not sign, the Nuggets would have to give serious consideration to trading him at the deadline so they do not have to go through what the Cavs just did. Randolph, Chandler and some expiring contracts would be a very nice package.
And even if there is no deadline trade for Melo, with Eddie Curry finally coming off the books, we will be under the cap once again next summer. Perhaps with one year left on his deal Chris Paul could then force his way out of New Orleans, and the Knicks could put together a package or Randolph, Chandler, Gallo, and maybe Toney Douglas.
To me Chris Paul remaining a Hornet was the best situation for the Knicks. Thid will now give them a chance to develop some of these young players into a team, or to use them as trade bait for the Summer of '11. Or as I now think it will be, the "Summer of the Knicks."
That's all for today folks. Stay tuned as later this week I will have my training camp previews for both the Jets and Giants.
Monday, July 26, 2010
Monday, July 19, 2010
JEREMY'S WEEKLY WORM - Week of 7/19/10
Welcome to another addition of Jeremy's Weekly Worm as I wiggle in and out of the hot topics in NY Sports today as well as the sports world in general.
We start with the Yankees who have had a turbulent 8 days that started with the passing of Bob Sheppard, the former "Voice of Yankee Stadium" followed the passing of "The Boss" the day after. I'm sure that the Yankees were filled with mixed emotions as they opened up a three game set against the second-place Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, a game that I was fortunate enough to attend in person. Before that game the Yankees honored both men with a ceremony that included a moment of silence as well as Mariano Rivera laying two long stemmed roses across homeplate. Very touching moment.
That night Nick Swisher honored both men baseball style in walk-off fashion with 2 outs and 2 one in the bottom of the ninth. Will go down as one the most memorable nights in Yankees history. And although the Yankees took the series from the Rays, it was still a down weekend as the Yanks lost Andy Pettite to a groin injury and the speculation is that he will miss up to five weeks. This is a huge blow to the Yankees especially when Phil Hughes is going to be dispatched to the bullpen likely by early September and A.J. "Bonehead" Burnett keeps injury his pitching hand by slapping walls a la Kevin Brown.
According to the team, Sergio Mitre who is due off the DL at week's end will take Pettite's rotation spot. This to me means that Brian Cashman must make a deal for bullpen help. Going forward you cannot expect more than 5-6 innings per outing from Mitre, and with Hughes' innings limitations, the bullpen will have to eat up innings during those starts. I would make a move for a reliever before I go for a starter. The Yankee bats seem to be heating up and that should take some burden off of the pitching staff. With the trade deadline roughly 13 days away, Cashman will not stand pat.
In another news the New York Mets barely avoided a sweep at the hands of the Giants last night due to a bad call by the homeplate umpire. K-Rod with yet another blown save, but still got the win. Carlos Beltran returned to the Mets' lineup on Friday and went 1-4. Tonight with Reyes and Castillo back in the lineup, the Mets will have their complete lineup together for the first time this season. Although it won't help if their bats don't support the strong outings by their starter's, or if the bullpen continues to blow leads, or unless the Braves start losing, which isn't likely.
In addition the Mets simply have to play better on the road. They started this post All-Star break with an 11-game road trip in which they have now started 1-3, which one call should have made it 0-4. Hopefully, the mental satisfaction of having their entire team will provide them with a spark. That, plus they now have a three game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks which should help the even out that road trip record.
From the NBA:
Dwayne Wade made a stupid comment with regard to the Miami losing a couple of games in a row, that fans will treat it like the World Trade Center coming down again. What an idiot. No matter how much I try to like what these 3 guys have done, it seems eveyday one of them is doing, or saying something that makes you hate them more.
And speaking of the Miami Heat trio, the Great One Michael Jordan offered his comments on the unification of the three best free agents in the Summer of 2010 landing together. This according to espn.com:
"There's no way, with hindsight, I would've ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, 'Hey, look, let's get together and play on one team,' " Jordan said after playing in a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada. "But that's ... things are different. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys."
Well said MJ. I can't get anymore into this LeBron stuff until the NBA season starts. We have to see how it plays out.
Tiger Woods lost another major yesterday finishing well behind. Watching some of the highlights, the guy does not look to be in the right place mentally. He needs to take a few months and get away from golf, the media and just out of the public eye in general. I think it will do him some good.
Well that's all for this addition of the Jeremy's Weekly Worm. Stay tuned for next week's addition as I preview the Jets and Giants as they open up training camps.
We start with the Yankees who have had a turbulent 8 days that started with the passing of Bob Sheppard, the former "Voice of Yankee Stadium" followed the passing of "The Boss" the day after. I'm sure that the Yankees were filled with mixed emotions as they opened up a three game set against the second-place Tampa Bay Rays on Friday, a game that I was fortunate enough to attend in person. Before that game the Yankees honored both men with a ceremony that included a moment of silence as well as Mariano Rivera laying two long stemmed roses across homeplate. Very touching moment.
That night Nick Swisher honored both men baseball style in walk-off fashion with 2 outs and 2 one in the bottom of the ninth. Will go down as one the most memorable nights in Yankees history. And although the Yankees took the series from the Rays, it was still a down weekend as the Yanks lost Andy Pettite to a groin injury and the speculation is that he will miss up to five weeks. This is a huge blow to the Yankees especially when Phil Hughes is going to be dispatched to the bullpen likely by early September and A.J. "Bonehead" Burnett keeps injury his pitching hand by slapping walls a la Kevin Brown.
According to the team, Sergio Mitre who is due off the DL at week's end will take Pettite's rotation spot. This to me means that Brian Cashman must make a deal for bullpen help. Going forward you cannot expect more than 5-6 innings per outing from Mitre, and with Hughes' innings limitations, the bullpen will have to eat up innings during those starts. I would make a move for a reliever before I go for a starter. The Yankee bats seem to be heating up and that should take some burden off of the pitching staff. With the trade deadline roughly 13 days away, Cashman will not stand pat.
In another news the New York Mets barely avoided a sweep at the hands of the Giants last night due to a bad call by the homeplate umpire. K-Rod with yet another blown save, but still got the win. Carlos Beltran returned to the Mets' lineup on Friday and went 1-4. Tonight with Reyes and Castillo back in the lineup, the Mets will have their complete lineup together for the first time this season. Although it won't help if their bats don't support the strong outings by their starter's, or if the bullpen continues to blow leads, or unless the Braves start losing, which isn't likely.
In addition the Mets simply have to play better on the road. They started this post All-Star break with an 11-game road trip in which they have now started 1-3, which one call should have made it 0-4. Hopefully, the mental satisfaction of having their entire team will provide them with a spark. That, plus they now have a three game set against the Arizona Diamondbacks which should help the even out that road trip record.
From the NBA:
Dwayne Wade made a stupid comment with regard to the Miami losing a couple of games in a row, that fans will treat it like the World Trade Center coming down again. What an idiot. No matter how much I try to like what these 3 guys have done, it seems eveyday one of them is doing, or saying something that makes you hate them more.
And speaking of the Miami Heat trio, the Great One Michael Jordan offered his comments on the unification of the three best free agents in the Summer of 2010 landing together. This according to espn.com:
"There's no way, with hindsight, I would've ever called up Larry, called up Magic and said, 'Hey, look, let's get together and play on one team,' " Jordan said after playing in a celebrity golf tournament in Nevada. "But that's ... things are different. I can't say that's a bad thing. It's an opportunity these kids have today. In all honesty, I was trying to beat those guys."
Well said MJ. I can't get anymore into this LeBron stuff until the NBA season starts. We have to see how it plays out.
Tiger Woods lost another major yesterday finishing well behind. Watching some of the highlights, the guy does not look to be in the right place mentally. He needs to take a few months and get away from golf, the media and just out of the public eye in general. I think it will do him some good.
Well that's all for this addition of the Jeremy's Weekly Worm. Stay tuned for next week's addition as I preview the Jets and Giants as they open up training camps.
Friday, July 9, 2010
THE DECISION - THE DEBACLE OF LEBRON; MY CONDOLENCES TO CLEVELAND
While its not necessarily a good day to be a Knicks fan, I cannot imagine what it must feel like to be a Cav's fan and Cleveland sports fan in general. Last night LeBron James sent a shockwave through the NBA by renouncing his throne and his manhood by by deciding to play second fiddle to Dwayne Wade on the Miami Heat.
Please everyone spare me on the bullshit that he is a facilitator like Magic Johnson or that Miami does give him the best chance to win championships. If LeBron would have said last night,
"Sorry Cleveland, but I was wrong and cannot bring you a championship on my own. I have given you everything I could over the past 7 years and I now feel that it is time for me to part ways with the Cav's organization. This is strictly a basketball decision and while I do not expect anyone in Cleveland to be happy with me, I hope that in time you will be able to forgive me. I have decided that my chance at winning a championship right now and near future is to ride the co-tail of Dwayne Wade in Miami."
And to correct myself, this is what he should have said on July 1st. There is not a single person in this world that can tell me that this whole idea of Wade, James and Bosh playing together in Miami was not orchestrated from the very beginning. Perhaps as far back as the '08 Olympics. Your telling me that LeBron woke up Thursday morning anhad an epiphony and decided to go to Miami, when Pat "the Rat" Riley was preaching "Dynasty" months ago? Give me a fucking break!!!!
I'll leave that conspiracy theory for another day, the day that Chris Paul joins that trio in Miami. Don't act surprised folks, it'll happen.
What I'm most interested in however, was the process. Dwayne Wade having a 2nd meeting with the Bulls, Pat Riley meeting with James' agent at night after the Knicks visited James earlier in the day, Chris Bosh refusing a sign-and-trade that would have put him with LeBron and Mo Williams in Cleveland and given him a max contract, and that cheesy, bullshit interview that Wade and Bosh did after they announced that they were both signing in Miami. Where at the end Bosh with a smile and two thumbs up, wishing LeBron good luck. The photo a few days before with Wade and Bosh having dinner and the empty seat in the middle, with Bosh saying, "It feels like somebody is missing." Oh and by the way, it was reported on ESPN.com that early Wednesday morning at about 12:30AM the three of them had a conference call. I wonder what they talked about??? Looking back, it looks like a giant, pre-orchestrated scheme to play everyone into this whole bonanza.
My gut feeling is that the Knicks ahead of everybody else caught a whiff of this and tried to make a move in order to maybe sway him from joining Miami. Hence the addition of Amar'e so early in the process. The Bulls were caught napping but were able to land Carlos Boozer before it was too late. I think New Jersey was doomed from the start but completely whiffed as they came away with nothing.
I know for a fact that I am not alone in that I am highly disappointed in LeBron and how he carried himself over the last few months. For a man dubbed "The King", "The Chosen 1" and claims everyone else to be his "Witnesses", he made a bad decision for his career. He may believe that winning a title or two or three will erase what happened in the last two weeks but it won't. Here's why:
1) I do not think that he fully understood just what exactly he did to the city of Cleveland and the state of Ohio. The look on his face when they showed the fan burning his jersey last night on live television said it all. This is now a city that has to claim the Cleveland Brwons as its best sports team! He was the one that talked about his mission being to bring a championship to the city of Cleveland. And so much for his loyalty. He decided that on national television, with the world watching, he was gonna stab Cleveland right in the heart. This is unforgivable. I fear for his safety the next time he has to go back to Cleveland.
2) This is the A-Rod and Jeter situation all over again. I did not hear last night that he conceded that he is going to Wade's team. Maybe he feels that it should be understood, maybe not. Keep in mind that A-Rod did not understand that he could never be greater than Jeter no matter what he did in a Yankee uniform. It took a humbling experience of being caught for PED use for him to finally get it. While LeBron will be loved in Miami if he helps bring another title there, it will always be that Wade did it first. And if LeBron get 2 rings while he is there, it won't matter because Wade will have 3. Heck, he will be playing his home games in Miami-WADE County. And let's say that the first 2 years don't net a championship, where will the fingers point? Certainly not at Wade, he has 7 years of loyalty from the Miami fans and Bosh isn't a credible enough star to bear the blame because he is not expected to carry them to one. Keep in mind if LeBron failed by himself elsewhere it would be understood. With this team, he has no excuse.
3) So much for him and his "Brand" and being Global. He killed all hopes of that once he uttered the words "South Beach." You now have at least 5 more cities/places (Cleveland, Chicago, NY, New Jersey, Brooklyn) in addition to at least L.A. that people will despise him. Not to mention all the others who were just simply fed up by the whole process that seemed to linger on forever. The uttering of those words "South Beach" instantly made him the most hated athlete at least in this country. He just made A-Rod look like Jeter and Bret Favre look like Peyton Manning in one fell swoop. In addition he may have burned his Jay-Z bridge, and any future bridge he may have had in NY.
4) He can forget any comparison to Jordan or Kobe. Some may say that he never wanted to be compared to those guys. Bullshit! He is arguably the best all-around player in the world. And he decided that he is going to spend at least the next 5 years being Scottie Pippen to Wade's Jordan. Why would he do that? He would be the alpha dog in NJ, Chicago and NY. This is what puzzles me the most. Why Miami? Why with Wade? He has no more legacy to speak of.
He will be remembered as a narcissistic, ego-maniac who strung the NBA world along for a bogus ride. As the man who failed in Cleveland and then stab the heart of his hometown city/state on national televsion. The man who could have had the world in NY, but was afraid of the stage and to the easy way out.
The lies and collusion that were involved in this process will make the next collective bargaining agreement very tough. We will see radical changes in how contracts, caps, free agents and the structure of player options are handled. And NBA Free Agency will never be the same because of the humiliation that teams and their management were put through.
There is also the economic fallout the Cleveland will suffer because of his departure. And the fact that the Cav's roster is in shambles because of the various moves to acquire/keep players around him who had bad contracts. Moves that were made to appease him and done with his approval.
Congratulations to the Miami Heat and LeBron James as they both hit a trifecta yesterday.
Miami landed the top 3 free agents in the offseason. LeBron James just killed his career, his legacy, and the city of Cleveland.
My condolences to Cleveland & R.I.P. LeBron James.
Please everyone spare me on the bullshit that he is a facilitator like Magic Johnson or that Miami does give him the best chance to win championships. If LeBron would have said last night,
"Sorry Cleveland, but I was wrong and cannot bring you a championship on my own. I have given you everything I could over the past 7 years and I now feel that it is time for me to part ways with the Cav's organization. This is strictly a basketball decision and while I do not expect anyone in Cleveland to be happy with me, I hope that in time you will be able to forgive me. I have decided that my chance at winning a championship right now and near future is to ride the co-tail of Dwayne Wade in Miami."
And to correct myself, this is what he should have said on July 1st. There is not a single person in this world that can tell me that this whole idea of Wade, James and Bosh playing together in Miami was not orchestrated from the very beginning. Perhaps as far back as the '08 Olympics. Your telling me that LeBron woke up Thursday morning anhad an epiphony and decided to go to Miami, when Pat "the Rat" Riley was preaching "Dynasty" months ago? Give me a fucking break!!!!
I'll leave that conspiracy theory for another day, the day that Chris Paul joins that trio in Miami. Don't act surprised folks, it'll happen.
What I'm most interested in however, was the process. Dwayne Wade having a 2nd meeting with the Bulls, Pat Riley meeting with James' agent at night after the Knicks visited James earlier in the day, Chris Bosh refusing a sign-and-trade that would have put him with LeBron and Mo Williams in Cleveland and given him a max contract, and that cheesy, bullshit interview that Wade and Bosh did after they announced that they were both signing in Miami. Where at the end Bosh with a smile and two thumbs up, wishing LeBron good luck. The photo a few days before with Wade and Bosh having dinner and the empty seat in the middle, with Bosh saying, "It feels like somebody is missing." Oh and by the way, it was reported on ESPN.com that early Wednesday morning at about 12:30AM the three of them had a conference call. I wonder what they talked about??? Looking back, it looks like a giant, pre-orchestrated scheme to play everyone into this whole bonanza.
My gut feeling is that the Knicks ahead of everybody else caught a whiff of this and tried to make a move in order to maybe sway him from joining Miami. Hence the addition of Amar'e so early in the process. The Bulls were caught napping but were able to land Carlos Boozer before it was too late. I think New Jersey was doomed from the start but completely whiffed as they came away with nothing.
I know for a fact that I am not alone in that I am highly disappointed in LeBron and how he carried himself over the last few months. For a man dubbed "The King", "The Chosen 1" and claims everyone else to be his "Witnesses", he made a bad decision for his career. He may believe that winning a title or two or three will erase what happened in the last two weeks but it won't. Here's why:
1) I do not think that he fully understood just what exactly he did to the city of Cleveland and the state of Ohio. The look on his face when they showed the fan burning his jersey last night on live television said it all. This is now a city that has to claim the Cleveland Brwons as its best sports team! He was the one that talked about his mission being to bring a championship to the city of Cleveland. And so much for his loyalty. He decided that on national television, with the world watching, he was gonna stab Cleveland right in the heart. This is unforgivable. I fear for his safety the next time he has to go back to Cleveland.
2) This is the A-Rod and Jeter situation all over again. I did not hear last night that he conceded that he is going to Wade's team. Maybe he feels that it should be understood, maybe not. Keep in mind that A-Rod did not understand that he could never be greater than Jeter no matter what he did in a Yankee uniform. It took a humbling experience of being caught for PED use for him to finally get it. While LeBron will be loved in Miami if he helps bring another title there, it will always be that Wade did it first. And if LeBron get 2 rings while he is there, it won't matter because Wade will have 3. Heck, he will be playing his home games in Miami-WADE County. And let's say that the first 2 years don't net a championship, where will the fingers point? Certainly not at Wade, he has 7 years of loyalty from the Miami fans and Bosh isn't a credible enough star to bear the blame because he is not expected to carry them to one. Keep in mind if LeBron failed by himself elsewhere it would be understood. With this team, he has no excuse.
3) So much for him and his "Brand" and being Global. He killed all hopes of that once he uttered the words "South Beach." You now have at least 5 more cities/places (Cleveland, Chicago, NY, New Jersey, Brooklyn) in addition to at least L.A. that people will despise him. Not to mention all the others who were just simply fed up by the whole process that seemed to linger on forever. The uttering of those words "South Beach" instantly made him the most hated athlete at least in this country. He just made A-Rod look like Jeter and Bret Favre look like Peyton Manning in one fell swoop. In addition he may have burned his Jay-Z bridge, and any future bridge he may have had in NY.
4) He can forget any comparison to Jordan or Kobe. Some may say that he never wanted to be compared to those guys. Bullshit! He is arguably the best all-around player in the world. And he decided that he is going to spend at least the next 5 years being Scottie Pippen to Wade's Jordan. Why would he do that? He would be the alpha dog in NJ, Chicago and NY. This is what puzzles me the most. Why Miami? Why with Wade? He has no more legacy to speak of.
He will be remembered as a narcissistic, ego-maniac who strung the NBA world along for a bogus ride. As the man who failed in Cleveland and then stab the heart of his hometown city/state on national televsion. The man who could have had the world in NY, but was afraid of the stage and to the easy way out.
The lies and collusion that were involved in this process will make the next collective bargaining agreement very tough. We will see radical changes in how contracts, caps, free agents and the structure of player options are handled. And NBA Free Agency will never be the same because of the humiliation that teams and their management were put through.
There is also the economic fallout the Cleveland will suffer because of his departure. And the fact that the Cav's roster is in shambles because of the various moves to acquire/keep players around him who had bad contracts. Moves that were made to appease him and done with his approval.
Congratulations to the Miami Heat and LeBron James as they both hit a trifecta yesterday.
Miami landed the top 3 free agents in the offseason. LeBron James just killed his career, his legacy, and the city of Cleveland.
My condolences to Cleveland & R.I.P. LeBron James.
Tuesday, July 6, 2010
JEREMY'S WEEKLY WORM - 7/6/10; NBA FREE AGENCY EDITION
Hello to all those that read my blog and my dearest apologies for no posting in the last 4 months. The truth is with things picking up in work life as well personal life with the arrival of summer, I have just been extremely busy.
But anyway much to get into with the NBA free-agent frenzy in which the NY Knicks have added in principle Amar'e Stoudemire which instantly makes the Knicks a better team. And while he is the ideal signing, he does make the Knicks look more attractive right now than say two days ago. For me, this signing is just a step in the right direction, the first one in a long time towards making the Knick relevant in the NBA once again.
But anyway much to get into with the NBA free-agent frenzy in which the NY Knicks have added in principle Amar'e Stoudemire which instantly makes the Knicks a better team. And while he is the ideal signing, he does make the Knicks look more attractive right now than say two days ago. For me, this signing is just a step in the right direction, the first one in a long time towards making the Knick relevant in the NBA once again.
The addition of Stoudemire to Gallinari, Chandler, Douglas, Bill Walker and the draft picks by the Knicks this year is a pretty good foundation for a re-building team. Of course it means Adios to one my favorite Knicks, David Lee, but those things are just part of the NBA. I hope that the Knicks to right by him and themselves and explore every sign-and-trade possibility that would either help them add players or re-coup draft picks for those possibly lost in the deals that put the Knicks under the cap. As far as rumors of sign and trade possibilites where the Knicks get back Montae Ellis or Ricky Rubio, STAY AWAY FROM THOSE TWO PLAYERS!!!!!!!!!!
Ellis is a taller version of Allen Iverson but is no way nearly as efficient as a scorer. Just a ball-hog looking to get his stats. Rubio although many people like him, he is an unknown when it comes to playing in the NBA. We do not know if he will be a Manu or a Sergio Rodriguez and the risk is simply too great. Put San Antonio on the spot by offering them Lee for Tony Parker straight up. Or if Lee can net you a solid Center or play-making PG or both, you have to pull the trigger. I will reserve comment on Carmelo Anthony potentially coming to the Knicks next summer until he rejects the Nuggets offer of a 3 - year extension.
In other news, ESPN reports that the Raptors would be open to a sign and trade with the Cavaliers which would send Bosh to Cleveland should LeBron stay. The question becomes would Bosh really go to Cleveland? And if he does, does Wade leave Miami for Chicago?
Which brings me to another point, if LeBron does not stay in Cleveland, where is he going? It seems like it would have to either the Bulls or Knicks at this point. I just do not see Miami or New Jersey as players anymore for LeBron. And if he leaves and chooses the Bulls, don't be upset Knicks fans for that may work out best for the Knicks. If LeBron chooses the Bulls, Chris Bosh will follow him there. That leaves a window for D-Wade to come to NY since I do not believe he will stay in Miami just to have Carlos Boozer or David Lee play next to him. I would think that playing with Gallinari and Stoudemire would be much more appealing in addition to Melo possibly coming to the Knicks next summer (whoops!!!! Sorry couldn't help myself)
But for now like everyone else I must sit and wait for LeBron to make up his mind. Which by the way I don't think he has yet, hence the long waiting period. My gut feeling tells me he signs in Cleveland where he can opt out (again) after 3 years and then bolt for Brooklyn. Should that be the case, I would love to see a Lee sign and trade that gets a PG here and signing Mike Miller and the Knicks are back in the playoffs after a long drought. GO NY, GO NY, GO GO!!!!!!!!!
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