I'm back from my little Thanksgiving hiatus, and while I'm thankful for the holidays, I'm also very thankful for the 9-2 New York Football Jets, and the 10-9 (they're over .500 baby!) New York Knicks!
Here are a few things that have really caught my attention recently...
Amar’e is in another league than David Lee
The Knicks have won seven of eight games and are a game above .500 this late in the season for the first time since 2004. While I know it’s pathetic to make a big to do about being a game above an even record at just the end of November, it’s exciting that the three best players on the team are new additions, and that the team seems to be improving their chemistry, and gaining confidence at the same time.
Amar’e Stoudemire, the teams coveted free agent acquisition, has scored 37 and 35 points over in the teams last two games. I hate to keep going back to Amar’e’s predecessor David Lee, but Lee has never in his career had back-to-back 30-point games. Stoudemire has also gotten to the free-throw line at least 10 times in four of the teams last six games. He’s not the best big in the league, but he’s the type of player the Knicks have been starving for since Patrick Ewing deteriorated. He gets to the basket, blocks shots, can play with power and finesse, but most importantly, he possesses the confidence to lead his team with his abilities. He makes big plays on both sides of the court, and while he isn’t going to be able to shut down a Brook Lopez, he will go tit-for-tat with him and not disappear in big games.
Although Stoudemire’s playing great, Raymond Felton’s contributions to the team cannot be overlooked as one of the factors behind the Knicks early success. Felton’s always looking to push the ball, plays hard-nosed defense, and has an ability to take over a game that this team hasn’t had in a point guard…in a really long time. Marbury had the ability to do it, but he didn’t do it with the Knicks the way he did with other teams. When the offense has struggled, Felton has often times been the one to put them on his back with his ability to get to the basket and finish in traffic with a scoop or a tear-drop, but has also sparked the offense with his quick first step and much improved jumper.
Felton and Stoudemire have really embraced their role as team captains, but the other guy that I see making the biggest impact on the team is rookie second round pick Landry Fields. I recognize that both Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari may be more talented, and maybe even more important to the team than Fields, but without Fields hustle and intensity on both ends of the court, we’d be looking at less second-chance points and less defensive efficiency. Fields impact on the game is immeasurable. All I know is that anytime I see him on the court he’s staying in front of his man on defense, taking smart shots on offense, and is always near the ball on rebounds regardless of who’s shooting the ball.
I’m not going to get ahead of myself by saying the Knicks have turned the page, because they really haven’t by any means. It’s very encouraging that they came back from a six game losing streak to win seven of their next eight, and it’s great to see them look like they’re clicking, really on both ends of the court. They have a tough schedule in December, and I think we’ll really get an idea of what this team is made of over the next several weeks.
These Big East guards can ball!
It shouldn’t be a secret, but the Big East really has a talented crop of guards this year. Let’s start with the Player of the Year to this point in Kemba Walker. Not only is Walker leading the nation in scoring with 30 points per game, but he led the unranked Huskies to upsets over ranked Michigan State and ranked Kentucky last week combining for 59 points in the two games. Needless to say UConn isn’t unranked anymore, but Walkers basically outscoring his teammates and is doing everything he can to get UConn back on the map after a disappointing season in 2010.
Walker isn’t the only Big East guard to not only vastly improve himself, but improve his team. Austin Freeman has put up back-to-back 30 point games as his #14 Hoyas have started the season 7-0 including road wins over NC State and #8 Missouri. Freeman has knocked down 13 threes in his last two games and he and battery mate Chris Wright make up one of the nations best backcourts.
While Walker and Freeman have been complete studs, don’t forget about Pitt’s Ashton Gibbs, the Corey’s (Fisher and Stokes) in Villanova, and I still see you Jeremy Hazell (Harlem stand up!). Since this may be the most attention he gets all season, the senior has averaged over 20 points per game for Seton Hall since his sophomore season. You won’t hear much about him as he’s stuck at the bottom of the Big East, but so far Hazell is shooting a career best from the field, down town included, and led the team to wins over Cornell and Alabama before breaking his wrist and missing the teams last three games.
North Carolina looks NIT bound…again
It’s very early to say this, and I’m not saying this to beat anybody to the punch, but I don’t think North Carolina is considerably better than they were last year. Harrison Barnes looks like a complete stud, he’s absolutely the real deal, and sophomore John Henson has shown signs of improvement, but teams don’t win because they have good forwards. Freshman guard Reggie Bullock may turn out to be solid, but between Larry Drew II and Dexter Strickland I just don’t see how this team is going to compete…at all. Those two guards are slow, they turn the ball over in transition at an alarming rate, and neither of them has any scoring abilities.
I can’t see how a Roy Williams coached team could have back-to-back disappointing seasons, but I just can’t see how this team will be competitive. It is still very early, and there’s lots of talent on the team. It’ll be interesting to see what Roy can do with this team this year.
This Derek Jeter mess needs to be cleaned up immediately
I’m not even saying the Yankees need to change their offer to the Captain, I’m just saying one way or another, this needs to end. I don’t know if this is the media digging for everything they can so they can make more of a story of the situation and sell newspapers, or if Jeter really feels he deserves A-Rod money and the Steinbrenners don’t want to pay him for what he has meant to the franchise. It really is a difficult situation, and as a Yankees fan, I really have to side with my team.
We saw Bernie Williams get old in pinstripes not too long ago, and as much as he meant to the team, you don’t want a guy who’s a shell of the all-star he was rotting away in your lineup and stinking up your teams defense. Not to say that Jeter isn’t the player he was in 2009 when he should have been named American League MVP, but he’s only getting older and his mobility isn’t going to get better. I hope Jeter continues to be the consummate professional he’s been since he donned the pinstripes and that he accepts his still overpaid contract (Jonny Damon had a better season in 2009 offensively than Jeter did in 2010, and the Yankees wouldn’t even offer Damon seven million a year). Either get Jeter what he wants, or move forward and start the Hanley countdown. One way or another, this has to end soon…
And lastly…The weeks hottest position in all of sports: NFL Wide Receiver!
Not only did Andre Johnson become the first wide receiver ever to notch 60 receptions in each of his first eight seasons this past Sunday, he also notched a fourth-quarter knock-out of Titans cornerback Cortland Finnegan. The fight didn’t seem to frazzle Johnson’s counterpart, but Johnson wasn’t the first receiver to show frustration with Finnegans defensive tactics, and as a guy who goes out and lets his play do the talking week in and week out, its good to see him put his foot down and lay a beating on a guy who looks like Pauly D from the Jersey Shore.
Andre wasn’t the only Johnson to make waves Week 12. Let me take you back to Buffalo real quick, 10:38 to go in overtime, the Bills have 1st and 10 at the Steelers 40, Fitzpatrick steps back, fires it into the endzone to a wide open Steve Johnson, he has Ike Taylor beat and even the safety Ryan Clark won’t catch him, over his shoulder, and he drops it! Ok, I know you all heard about it by now, even God heard about it via Johnson’s twitter account. Let it go buddy, you’ve had an unbelievable season for a 2-9 team, and things can only get better (hell, they can’t get worse).
From the good, to the bad, to the absolute ugly. Ok, I’m reaching here, but I wouldn’t want to be Early Doucet after Derek Anderson’s Monday night freak out. Not as if Anderson didn’t get everything out in his postgame tantrum, but for him to name-drop Doucet and add him as a catalyst to the walking disaster that has become Derek Anderson/the Arizona Cardinals just isn’t fair. You didn’t do it, but your name has been associated with the blame. Find new friends Early, better yet, find a new quarterback.
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