Knicks Exact Some Revenge on Bobcats

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Friday, November 8^th, 2013

New York Knicks vs. Charlotte Bobcats

Post Game Recap

The Knicks were able to exact some revenge tonight as they bounced back nicely against the Bobcats with a 101-91 victory after a disappointing loss Tuesday night. The Knicks came out of half time like world beaters, ripping off a 15-0 run after the Bobcats scored the opening basket of the quarter to cut the Knicks lead to two points. The Bobcats are not a top team in the NBA by any means but tonight was an encouraging step in the right direction for the Knicks as they played possibly their best game of the early season. Tonight also marked the head coaching debut of Patrick Ewing, who was taking over for Bobcats head coach Steve Phillips had a heart procedure earlier in the day. The Knicks will be back on the court Sunday afternoon at Madison Square Garden for a matinee against the San Antonio Spurs as J.R. Smith will be making his season debut.

Player of the Game: Andrea Bargnani

AP Photo

Bargnani is the first multiple time winner of the POTG award and tonight it was well deserved as he had his best game as a Knicks. Bargnani came out firing tonight and ended up scoring 25 points on 11 of 25 shooting from the field as he stayed aggressive and showed confidence all night from the field. The confidence carried over to the other parts of his game tonight as he added eight rebounds, three assists and five blocks. To put into perspective how good of a performance it was for Bargnani tonight, the eight rebounds match his season total in the previous four games and he had no recorded a block during that course of time either. It was only one game against a less opponent but in the first game without Chandler on the court Bargnani came up huge and showed that he is capable of holding down the center spot until Chandler returns.

-Positives

• Carmelo Anthony was well deserving of POTG honors as well as he had his most efficient game of the season on the offensive end, going 11 of 22 from the field and finishing with a game high 28 points. Anthony added eight rebounds and handed out six assists as the ball was moving well for the Knicks tonight led by Anthony’s willingness to make the extra pass and hit the open man. The six assists led the Knicks tonight, who had 25 as a team; this comes after a Wednesday disaster at MSG against this same Bobcats team when the Knicks only had 12 assists in the game, a number they matched in the first half alone tonight.

• The assists weren’t the only positive thing for the Knicks tonight on offense, as they shot the ball extremely well from the three point line as well. The Knicks knocked down 12 of 26 attempts from the three point line, led by three from Bargnani and Pablo Prigioni each. The Knicks were also able to keep the turnovers down for most of the night as they ended the game with 12, seven of which that came in the fourth quarter alone. The low turnover rate forced the Bobcats into a half-court game, something they are not built for without Al Jefferson being on the court.

• It was a quite night in the scoring department for Iman Shumpert but he was a big help to the Knicks bringing home the victory tonight. Shumpert only scored five points in 39 minutes but added seven rebounds and four assists. Shumpert’s rebounding will be a big lift with Chandler on the shelf for an extended period of time. Overall tonight the Knicks did a good job on the glass, losing only 41-37 in the game but dominating the offensive glass. The Knicks pulled down 12 offensive rebounds in the game, led by five from Anthony and three from Bargnani. Shumpert will have to continue doing positive things like he did tonight to continue receiving playing time as Mike Woodson’s personal pet project Smith returns Sunday from suspension.

-Negatives

• The Knicks struggled tonight to keep the Bobcats guards out of the paint and that has nothing to do with Chandler being hurt. The perimeter players, specifically Raymond Felton, have to do a better job of keeping opposing guards out of the paint. Kemba Walker struggled with his shot tonight but caused havoc in the paint tonight along with his backup Ramon Sessions. The two combined to go 15 of 15 from the foul line and 40 points, hand out seven assists and turn the ball over only once. The Knicks would help offset the loss of Chandler if they can do better at keeping opposing guards out of the paint, taking some pressure off of Bargnani as a rim protector.

• With the guards attacking the basket so ferociously the Knicks ended up fouling a lot and sending the Bobcats to the foul line too often. The Bobcats went to the foul line 30 times tonight and knocked down 25 of them, compared to only nine attempts and five makes for the Knicks. The foul differential was the only thing keeping the Bobcats in the game as the Knicks were able to come away with a 10 point victory even though they were more than tripled from attempts from the line.

New York Jets Team Grades: Week 9

canalstreetchronicles.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

November 3^rd, 2013

Week 9 New York Jets Team Grades

The New York Jets up and down season stayed true in Week 9 against one of the better teams in the NFL. After a blowout loss to the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 8, the Jets bounced back with a great 26-20 win at home against the New Orleans Saints. The win puts the Jets at (5-4) on the season, which if the season ended today would be good enough for a spot in the AFC playoffs.

Passing Offense Grade (C-)

In the win on Sunday the Jets passing offense wasn’t asked to do much, but maybe most importantly Quarterback Geno Smith took what the Saints passing defense gave him and didn’t turn the ball over. Smith threw for just 115 yards on eight for 19 passing, but what cant be stressed enough is that he protected the football. The “Wildcat” offense showed a nice wrinkle, as Josh Cribbs threw his first pass as a Jet for 25 yards, which clearly caught the Saints off guard. A big loss for the Jets did happen to the Jets passing game in the second quarter, as Jeremy Kerley dislocated his elbow on what was a nasty looking injury, and will be out for a few weeks, but hasn’t been ruled out for the season. Two guys did step up for the depleted Jets receiving core, as Greg Salas had two catches for 57 yards, and Zach Sudfield had two catches for 46 yards. The bye week should allow for the Jets to get Santonio Holmes back, which should greatly help Smith.

Slow Start Too Much For Knicks to Overcome

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Sunday, November 3^rd, 2013

Minnesota Timberwolves vs. New York Knicks

Post Game Recap

The Knicks have no one to blame tonight other than themselves for the 109-100 loss at Madison Square Garden Sunday night. The Knicks were blitzed by the T’Wolves in the first quarter, falling behind 40-19 by the time the second quarter was starting courtesy of a 34-5. The Knicks showed some heart and fought back throughout the game, getting it to within two points in the fourth quarter but they ran out of steam and the comeback came up short. Outside of the first quarter the Knicks actually outscored the Timberwolves by 12 points but it was not enough. The Knicks will look to get back on track Tuesday night back at the Garden against the Charlotte Bobcats at 7:30 PM ET.

Player of the Game: Carmelo Anthony

AP Photo/Frank Franklin III

It was not the best of nights from the field for Anthony but he receives the player of the game for the effort he put forth in the other aspects of the game tonight. Anthony had a game high 17 rebounds and fought hard on the glass against what could be the best power forward-center tandem in the NBA in Kevin Love and Nikola Pekovic. Anthony also added a team high 22 points and three assists as he scanned the court and found open players on multiple occasions. It was not a perfect game by any means for Anthony but he was the lesser of the evils tonight for the Knicks in what was a very ugly game as the end score does not do justice to the disheartened effort they showed in the start.

-Positives

Knicks Struggles Continue in Chicago

By Kenneth Teape (@teapester725)

Thursday, October 31^st, 2013

New York Knicks vs. Chicago Bulls

Post Game Recap

The Knicks fought hard on the second night of a back-to-back but came up short in the end in Chicago against the Bulls, losing by a score of 82-81 thanks to a Derrick Rose floater with 5.7 seconds remaining in the game. The Knicks showed some good resolve tonight as the Bulls enforced their will upon the Knicks but they never gave in. The Knicks went to their best player in Carmelo Anthony for the last possession but he clanked a long jump shot off the rim, a common theme for Anthony tonight against a tough Chicago defense. The Knicks will have a couple of nights off before returning home to take on the Minnesota Timberwolves Sunday night at Madison Square Garden at 7:30 PM ET.

Player of the Game: Andrea Bargnani

Howard Simmons/New York Daily News

Bargnani got the nod for the starting lineup tonight and looked like a disaster at the start. He struggled to get anything going again on the offensive end as he committed three offensive fouls and missed all three of his shots. Woodson showed some much needed confidence in Bargnani going back to him to start the second half and he responded in a big way. He knocked down four of his five shots for nine points and kept the Knicks in the game. He also played and competed hard enough on the defensive end that Woodson was able to get Tyson Chandler some rest at the end of the third quarter and beginning of the fourth by pairing Bargnani with Amar’e Stoudemire. It was a positive night for Bargnani on a night that the Knicks did not have many things go their way.  

-Positives

Knicks Take Season Opener In Sloppy Game

Wednesday, October 30^th, 2013

Milwaukee Bucks vs. New York Knicks

Post Game Recap

It was a tale of two halves for the Knicks tonight as they were able to send the fans home happy opening night with an ugly 90-83 win over the Bucks. The Knicks put on a Jekyll and Hyde performance for the ages as they held as much as a 26 point lead in the first half but struggled to keep up the intensity in the second half as the Bucks came storming back. It was not pretty but in the end the Knicks were able to get a victory to start the season and will have a quick turnaround as they will fly to Chicago to play the Bulls Halloween night at 8 PM ET.

Player of the Game: Tyson Chandler

Jim McIsaac/Newsday

Chandler was a huge difference maker on both sides of the court tonight for the Knicks. He thoroughly outplayed Bucks starting center Larry Sanders all night as Sanders was in foul trouble, playing only 12 minutes and recording five fouls. Chandler anchored the Knicks defense tonight as he challenged shots and made life difficult for the Bucks in the paint. He also added five blocks and three steals to the stat sheet. Chandler also made an impact on the offensive end with highlight put back dunks while showing off his new jump shot, knocking down one of his two attempts from 15-plus feet. Chandler would not let his team lose tonight and was a part of all the good things the Knicks did tonight. Chandler also had the second highest +/- tonight on the team with a +18.

-Positives

New York Jets Team Grades: Week 8

nytimes.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

October 27^th, 2013

Week 8 New York Jets Team Grades

The New York Jets suffered their worst loss of the season on Sunday to the AFC North Cincinnati Bengals, who dominated the Jets, and handed them their fourth loss of the season. The Jets record now half way through the season is (4-4), which is a bit better than most people probably would have predicted at this point.

Passing Offense Grade (F)

Sunday was not an easy day for the Jets passing offense led by Geno Smith, who had one of his bad games against the Bengals good defense. Smith finished throwing for 159 yards on 20 for 30 passing, but the big problems for Smith were the two interceptions he threw, both of which were returned for touchdowns. To Smith's defense one of the interception might not have been his fault, as there was a clear mis-communication between him and Jeremy Kerley. The poor play from Smith, and the lopsided score led to Matt Simms getting some action, and Simms finished up in mop up time throwing for 17 yards on three for seven passing. The one bright spot for the passing offense was the nice game put together by David Nelson, who caught eight passes for 80 yards.

Logical Breakdown of the Vanek-Moulson Trade

Earlier the Islanders traded Matt Moulson, a first round this year and a second round pick next year for Buffalo Sabres winger Thomas Vanek. Fans are in up-roar moaning about giving up fan favorite Matt Moulson and two picks, some are saying the Islanders got “fleeced”. Before any opinion is made lets try and breakdown the trade very logically.

Before getting down into the actual moving parts of the trade lets just breakdown the players.

Matt Moulson is soon to be 30 years old and an unrestricted free agent. Knowing the GMs in the NHL and similar players, it is very conceivable Moulson could get around 6 million dollars per year in the free agent market. Matt Moulson has played 99% of his ice time with John Tavares since joining the Islanders. He was a no show while playing with Tavares in the playoffs, which forced a line change to remove him from that line. Earlier in this season Moulson was not playing well with Tavares in 5v5 situations, which again forced Head Coach Jack Capuano remove Moulson from that line. Most of the damage Moulson has done this year as been on the power-play, where he has 5 of his 6 goals and 2 of his 3 assists. In other words he is not making plays when the situation is even strength. Moulson is also not known for his skating ability, puck handling ability or his defense. He is essentially a one-dimensional player that doesn’t fit the Islanders current play style.

Thomas Vanek is also a soon to be 30 year old unrestricted free agent. He too is a player that could command around the 6-7 million dollar per year mark in the open market. He too has tallied 9 points on the season. He has 4 goals and 5 assists playing for the inferior Buffalo Sabres. However only 4 of his points have been on the power play and only on of those points are a goal. Vanek is 6-2 220 pound, skilled skater, defender, puck handler the Islanders needed to put with Tavares. Scored 20 goals every year he has played in the NHL and was on pace for 40 goals last year in the shortened season. In short Vanek is the far superior player.

Now to the part everyone seems to be moaning about. The traded of draft picks. The Islanders traded a first and second round pick along with Moulson to get Vanek. Here is a question, would you rather trade prospects instead of the draft picks. Would you rather trade players closer to competing at the NHL level, say a player like de Hann? Or even a player who is currently on the team like a Matt Donovan? The draft picks were the best things the Islanders could have given up. They are unknown players who won’t even begin to contribute to this team for  several years. They will also be road blocked by the core of Islanders already locked up, plus the likes of Andres Lee, Brock Nelson, Ryan Strome, Griffin Reinhardt and Ryan Poulock.

The Islanders traded more than fair vaule for Thomas Vanek. Last year Jerome Iginla was traded for a 1^st round pick and two prospects for LESS games than the Islanders will have Vanek for. The most important piece of the trade is that the Islanders now have the inside track to give Vanek an extension. Vanek will have 70 games or so to see if he truly likes playing with Tavares and the rest of the Islanders crew. If Vanek does choose to re-up with the Islanders, it is no brainer that the Islanders won the trade. The only possibly scenario in which the Islanders lose the trade is if they fail to make the playoffs AND Vanek does not re-up with the Islanders. This was a good trade for the Islanders and it brings them one step closer to making that deep playoff run.

Week 7 New York Jets Team Grades

wfmz.com

By Nick Ziegler (@Ziggy26x)

October 20^th, 2013

Week 7 New York Jets Team Grades

The New York Jets were able to pull off a great win against their division rival New England Patriots on Sunday in an overtime thriller. The win moves the Jets to (4-3) on the season, which keeps them right in the hunt for a Wild Card spot in the AFC.

Passing Grade (B)

The passing offense was pretty good for the Jets in this game led by Quarterback Geno Smith, who in his second game against the Patriots played much better than he in the Week 2 loss. Smith did have one major mistake in the first quarter, as he threw a pick six to Logan Ryan when the Jets were driving. Smith did bounce back from his first quarter woes and finished with a nice game throwing for 233 yards on 17 for 33 passing with a touchdown. The Jets receivers did a good job in this game despite being short handed without Winslow and Holmes, as Jeremy Kerley had a fantastic game catching eight passes for 97 yards and a touchdown. David Nelson made the most of his opportunity to play more, as he caught four passes for 80 yards.