Bleacher Report - Articles by Hot Stove New York

NBA Fantasy: Week Five Observations

Hot Stove New York — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:36:49 -0500

1. Carlos Boozer

He's playing like an All-Star. Boozer is averaging 20 points, 10.6 rebounds, 1.1 steals, and shooting 55 percent from the field. He is setting career highs in minutes (35 per game) FT percentage (82.7), and assists (3.4). He has scored at least 20 points in seven of his past eight games and is playing his way into first-round fantasy value.

2. Marcus Camby

His stock is rising. Camby is 10th in the NBA in boards (10.2) and fourth in blocks (2.06). Over the past four games he is averaging 12.5 points, 15.5 rebounds, 3.0 assists, 2.5 steals, and 3.0 blocks.

3. Tim Duncan

Sell high. Duncan has scored 20-plus points in seven of his past eight games. He is fifth in the NBA with 10.8 rebounds and sixth with 1.92 blocks per game. He also is shooting 76 percent from the foul line, his best since the 1999-00 season.

4. Monta Ellis

Ellis is on fire: He is ninth in the NBA in scoring with 23.1 points per game. He scored 34, 37, and 42 points in his three games before his most recent versus the Blazers. His scoring outburst can be attributed to the Warriors being shorthanded. On the season, he averages 39.3 minutes per game, which is sixth in the league. Ellis is also second in the NBA with 2.4 steals per game.

5. Mike Dunleavy

He's back. Dunleavy played his first game of the season last Friday versus the Mavs. He scored 13 points, and recorded a steal, a block, and a three-pointer. He will be limited to around 20 minutes per game, but will have fantasy impact once he gets into game shape.

Honorable Mention

Steve Nash leads the NBA with 12.1 assists per game. Dwight Howard leads the league with 12.4 rebounds per game. The Magic are 14-4, Suns are 14-3, Nets are 0-17.

Week Six Pickups

Hot Stove New York — Mon, 30 Nov 2009 08:36:47 -0500

Week Six (Nov. 30-Dec. 6)

Teams playing four games: Chicago, Dallas, Golden State, Indiana, Miami, Milwaukee, New York, Phoenix, Toronto, Washington

Teams playing three games: Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, Houston, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Minnesota, New Jersey, Philadelphia, Sacramento, Utah

Teams playing two games: L.A. Clippers, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Portland, San Antonio

Guards

Jrue Holiday (76ers)- Starting PG Lou Williams is out for the next eight weeks with a fractured jaw. Holiday has started the past three games and is averaging six points, four assists and 1.3 steals in 25 minutes. Look for his FG percentage and points to increase as the rookie starts more games.

Willie Green (76ers)—Green started his first game of the season yesterday scoring 17 points with three assists, two steals, and three blocks in 38 minutes. With Williams and Elton Brand out of the starting lineup look for Green to have these type of games.

Sergio Rodriguez (Kings)—Rodriguez scored a season-high 24 points yesterday versus the Hornets. He also had five assists, two steals, and two three-pointers. He is shooting 51 percent from the field in the season and has played real well over his past four games.

Honorable mention: Nick Young (Wizards)

Forwards

Dontae Greene (Kings)—Greene had his best game of the season last week against the Knicks where he had 24 points, five assists, four rebounds, six blocks, and six threes. He has started the past three games and contributes in all categories but will be streaky.

Jonas Jerebko (Pistons)—Jerebko has been in the starting lineup since Nov. 3. The rookie scored a career-high 22 points vs. the Clippers last Friday. He also set another high with 11 rebounds yesterday against the Hawks. With Ben Gordon (ankle injury) out of the lineup and Charlie Vilanueva breaking his nose, look for the rookie to step up.

Honorable mention: Mike Dunleavy (Pacers)

Centers

Tyson Chandler (Bobcats)—If Chandler was cut in you’re league it’s time to pick him up. He blocked a season-high six shots last Wednesday and is a good source for some rebounds and FG percentage.

Ronny Turiaf (Warriors)—Turiaf finally made his return last Saturday after missing 12 games due to a knee injury. He is a great source for blocks and could return to the starting rotation soon.

Hasheem Thabeet (Grizzles)—Thabeet blocked a career-high three shots versus the Blazers last Friday. His minutes have been streaky, but the rookie has 20 rebounds and is shooting 58 percent from the field over his past four games.

Honorable mention: Robin Lopez (Suns)

The New York Week That Was (Thanksgiving Edition)

Hot Stove New York — Fri, 27 Nov 2009 11:54:46 -0500

Thanksgiving is the best of all holidays. There’s football all day long, eating all day long, and drinking all day long (actually that sounds like most Sundays during football season). I think there’s something in there about Pilgrims and Indians, too, but I can’t remember what it is. A Chiefs-Patriots game maybe? Did they have muskets and kill turkeys in the old AFL? Or was it Redskins-Cowboys?

The Knicks won a game this week, but it was against the Nets so I’m not sure if that really counts (those teams are a combined 3-27 so far this season), the hockey teams all won some and lost some, the Jets were trounced by the hated Patriots, the Giants went 1-1, and the Mets and Yankees started looking at possible free agents and trades, but they all have something to be thankful for during the holiday season. So here we go:

The Knicks are thankful that the Nets are worse than they are.

The Knicks are also thankful for 1970 and 1973 because that may be it for another 30 years or so.

The Nets players are thankful that they get paid the same amount of money whether they win or lose.

The Yankees are thankful for being the Yankees.

Alex Rodriguez is thankful for Alex Rodriguez.

Hal and Hank Steinbrenner, Jeff Wilpon, and James Dolan are thankful that their dads gave them a team to run for Christmas a few years ago.

Omar Minaya is thankful that he inexplicably gets another chance to save and/or ruin the Mets.

Glen Sather is thankful for James Dolan, who has given him tenure and carte blanche to come up with any crazy plan he can think of for the Rangers, year after year.

The Rangers are thankful for Marian Gaborik. He, in turn, is not so thankful for the support he’s getting from the rest of the team (except for Monday’s game).

The Islanders are thankful they were so bad last year that they got to pick John Tavares in the draft.

The Devils are thankful for Lou Lamoriello, because no matter whom he gets to play on the team, they always win.

The Jets are thankful that Brett Favre has turned back the clock to have one of his best seasons. Oh, wait a minute...where was this last year? Must be the dome.

Fred Robbins is thankful for turducken; why just have turkey when you can have turkey, duck, and chicken?

The Giants are thankful for winning the Super Bowl in 2007 because they’ve been living off of that the last two seasons now.

Player of the Week: Marian Gaborik

The countdown is on for Gaborik. Not the one to break any Rangers scoring records, but can he pass by last year’s goal-scoring leader, Markus Naslund, with 24 in only 30 games? In three games this week, he scored four goals and assisted on two others, leading the Rangers to two wins.

Other Notables

Darrelle Revis

The best corner in the NFL shut down Randy Moss yet again. Now if he can do something about Bill Belichick. Sure, the Pats’ coach is smarter than all of us put together, but how many times will he go out of his way to prove what a classless, unsportsmanlike, petty person he his?

Josh Bailey

The second-year center scored the game-winner in OT on Monday vs. Toronto, and added two other goals during the week.

Dwayne Roloson

The Islanders goalie earns his way onto this list for making 58 saves on Monday against the Leafs.

Eli Manning (Sunday’s Version)

He threw for a career-high 384 yards, three TDs, and put the team on his back in a must-win game and won (and after last night, they’re all must-win games now).

Kevin Boss (Sunday’s Version)

The tough tight end hauled in two touchdown passes against the Falcons.

Mario Manningham (Sunday’s Version)

The second-year receiver led the Giants with six catches for 126 yards on Sunday.

Schmucks of the Week: The Giants (Thanksgiving Night Version)

They were horrible on offense. They were horrible on defense. They were horrible in the first half. They were horrible in the second half. They embarrassed themselves all night long. (No, I’m not bitter.)

Giants Get Off the Schneid, Hold Off Falcons for Overtime Win

Hot Stove New York — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 11:47:07 -0500

The last time the Giants won a game, they played in the Polo Grounds, wore leather helmets, FDR was president, the talking picture machine was all the rage, and the repeal of Prohibition healed a nation.

Or maybe they last won a game in October. But the former sounds more dramatic.

Yesterday’s win prevented Big Blue from being the first team to start a season 5-0 and then lose their next five games.

The win wasn’t pretty, it wasn’t easy, and it made Giants fans nervous, but it was a win. Since this isn’t the BCS, that’s all that matters.

The team needed to stop the snowball of losing that was careening down the mountain in East Rutherford, N.J. and pull out a win one way or another. And that’s what they did—pulled out a win not one way but the other. Getting that winning feeling back is all it takes to turn their season around (well, let’s hope so).

Eli Manning earned his money with his second quality game in a row. The team only rushed for 88 yards, so it was up to him to win the game, and he came through in the clutch. He threw for a career-high 384 yards, with three TDs (and one pick). He combined with all his receivers on a number of long-yardage plays.

He easily drove the team down the field in overtime to win before the Atlanta offense could even step on the field or before the game went into a shootout (isn’t that what happens after 15 minutes of scoreless OT?).

Kevin Boss impressed, with two touchdown catches (and five overall for 76 yards). After almost getting decapitated the past couple of games, he got his reward yesterday with his two scores.

Madison Hedgecock caught a TD pass as well (and is now my daughter’s favorite player because “Madison” is a girl’s name; I’m also supposed to mention that she spent half an hour yesterday morning trying to teach herself how to juggle and I should write one of my “sports articles” about that).

Mario Manningham and Hakeem Nicks made plays all game long, setting up touchdowns and field goals throughout the day. Manningham led all Giant receivers with six catches and 126 yards, while Nicks hauled in five passes for 65 yards.

I wrote at the beginning of the season (or maybe I just thought it and kept it to myself) that it wouldn’t be a surprise if Manningham and Nicks started flourishing later in the season, taking a few months to develop since they’re so young and inexperienced.

So yesterday’s passing game was promising and will hopefully be a sign of things to come (though the Falcons don’t have the best passing defense, so that played a hand in things too, of course).

Now let’s get to the troubling part of Sunday’s game: the defense. They played well for most of the day, even without Antonio Pierce in there (but with Aaron Ross finally seeing some action), and with the score 31-17 late in the second half, it looked like the game was over. But Atlanta did their San Diego impression, this time with two easy drives down field for scores to tie the game.

The Giants D can’t stop anybody when it counts. What would have happened if the Falcons won the coin toss heading into OT? Does anybody have any confidence that the Giants would have prevented them from scoring? The one-time dominant D is nowhere to be found this season.

Speaking of confidence, how about that Lawrence Tynes? He came through in OT but missed another chip shot earlier in the game. He’s no John Carney.

The important part of yesterday is that the Giants came up with the W, stopping their downward slide. The details don’t really matter, do they? There’s hope for the New York Giants yet.

Now they have a short week and take on the free-falling Broncos on Thanksgiving night. Channel 11 is showing Brian’s Song that afternoon, so tears surely will be flowing when Brian Piccolo dies yet again. I just hope I won’t be crying later that night when the Giants game comes to an end.

So as Billy Dee Williams/Gale Sayers might have said: I love the New York Giants. And I’d like all of you to love them, too. And so tonight, when you hit your knees, please ask God to love them—and to make sure they beat the Denver Broncos.

Lou Williams, Trevor Ariza Highlight NBA Week Four Observations

Hot Stove New York — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 08:16:21 -0500

1. Lou Williams and Trevor Ariza Are Overachieving

Williams scored a season-high 30 points last Friday against the Grizzles. On the season, he is averaging 16.7 points, 5.1 assists, and 3.5 rebounds. More importantly, he is shooting 48 percent from the field.

Ariza has scored at least 15 points in every game but one this season. On the season he is averaging 18.3 points per game, but needs to increase his field goal percentage if he wants to reach elite status. Ariza also has at least one steal in every game but one.

2. Drew Gooden Is a Must Start

Gooden has started the past four games with Erick Dampier out and has 14.8 points, 13 rebounds, and 1.3 blocked shots per game. He is shooting 50 percent from the field and 81 percent from the line in 36 minutes.

3. Peja Stojakovic Has Become Important Again

Peja has scored at least 25 points in two of his past five games. He made a season-high seven three-pointers and pulled down 13 rebounds vs. the Suns last week. He has made 20 three-pointers over his past five games.

4. Has Elton Brand Turned His Play Around?

Brand has played much better over his past three games, averaging 20 points, 10 rebounds, 3.3 blocked shots, and 2.6 steals.

5. Chris Douglas-Roberts Is a Scoring Machine

CDR scored a career-high 31 points last week vs. the Bucks. On the season, he is averaging 18 points and shooting 88 percent from the foul line. Over his past three games, he has attempted 64 shots and it looks like his scoring will continue with Devin Harris back.

Honorable Mentions

Magic and Hawks lead the East with 11 wins each, Suns lead the West with 11 wins, Nets are still win-less, and Melo leads the league in scoring (30.5).

James Harden, Drew Gooden among Top NBA Fantasy Week Five Pickups

Hot Stove New York — Sun, 22 Nov 2009 20:48:29 -0500

Week One (Oct. 26 to Nov. 1)

Teams Playing Four Games

Dallas, Denver, L.A. Clippers, Memphis, Milwaukee, Minnesota, New Jersey, New York, Orlando, Philadelphia, Portland, Sacramento, San Antonio, Toronto

Teams Playing Three Games

Atlanta, Boston, Charlotte, Cleveland, Detroit, Golden State, Houston, Indiana, Miami, Oklahoma City, Phoenix, Utah, Washington

Teams Playing Two Games

Chicago, New Orleans

Guards

James Harden, Thunder

Harden has scored 49 points over his last two games, including 10 three-pointers and five steals. The rookie has also played 26 and 30 minutes in each of these games, which has been the most he's played so far this season.

Charlie Bell, Bucks

Bell scored a season-high 19 points yesterday against the Grizzlies. He has started every game since Nov. 3, and is a good source for threes and steals with Michael Redd still sidelined due to injury.

Jarrett Jack, Raptors

Jack scored a season-high 17 points against the Heat last Friday. He played 32 minutes Sunday, and recorded eight points with 11 assists. With Marco Belinelli missing time with a groin injury, it means extended minutes for Jack.

Honorable Mention

Jason Williams, Magic

Forwards

Rodney Carney, 76ers

Carney has scored at least 10 points in two of his past three games. He also has 15 rebounds and five three-pointers in this span.

Kenny Thomas, Kings

Thomas does not play big minutes but has at least seven rebounds in three of his past four games. He is also averaging one blocked shot per game in this span.

Kurt Thomas, Bucks

Thomas had his best game of the season yesterday with eight points, 10 rebounds, three steals, and two blocks in 30 minutes. With Andrew Bogut out two to four weeks due to injury, look for Thomas to play strongly off the bench.

Honorable Mention

Jason Maxiell, Pistons

Centers

Drew Gooden, Mavs

Gooden has started the past four games and 14.8 points, 13 rebounds, and 1.3 blocked shots per game in 36 minutes. With starting C Erick Dampier sidelined, look for Gooden to continue his strong play.

Theo Ratliff, Spurs

Ratliff grabbed a season-high 11 rebounds yesterday against the Wizards. He has blocked six shots over his past two games, and with playing time, can help in these two areas.

Jason Smith, 76ers

Smith has received more playing time with Maurice Speights out six to eight weeks with a knee injury. Smith has blocked at least two shots in two straight games.

Honorable Mention

Narz Mohammed, Bobcats

Joakim Noah playing like an All-Star

Hot Stove New York — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:02:58 -0500

Joakim Noah leads the NBA in rebounds and is no where to be found on the 2010 All-Star ballot. His teammate Brad Miller is on the ballot considering he is averaging nine points and four rebounds.

Noah leads the league with 12.6 rebounds and second with 4.6 offensive rebounds per game. He is tied for seventh in blocks per game (2.0) and is averaging a career high 12.1 points per game The third year player has posted eight double-doubles and five straight while shooting 55 percent from the field.

Noah is up against Dwight Howard , Brook Lopez , Andrea Bargnani and Al Horford in the East but his scrappy play should keep him in the mix. Noah attributes his improvement to bulking up and league experience. On November 7th and 10th he recorded career highs in points (21) and rebounds (21).

The New York Week That Was (11/20/09)

Hot Stove New York — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 09:57:56 -0500

The Knicks won a game this week!

And The Answer may be coming to New York (so the question must be: Will a desperate team do anything to keep their fans interested?). But with last Friday’s loss, the Knicks established the worst 10-game start in franchise history. Things could be a lot worse, though; here are some other bad starts throughout history that may help them feel better about themselves:

The Hindenburg blew up over New Jersey on the first of its 10 scheduled round-trips between Europe and the United States, killing 36 people; the Titanic hit an iceberg and sunk four days into its maiden voyage; William Henry Harrison died of a cold one month into his presidency in 1841; Wally Backman lasted four days as manager of the Arizona Diamondbacks before he was unceremoniously shown the door; Gilligan’s three-hour tour got off to an inauspicious start, getting stranded on a deserted island for 15 years, until the castaways were miraculously rescued, followed by them buying the island but almost losing it in an evil scam until they we re helped out of the jam by the Harlem Globetrotters; Richie Cunningham’s brother Chuck on Happy Days appeared in only two episodes in the first season and was never heard from again; the Seattle Pilots existed for one measly year before moving to Milwaukee; and my career selling rodeo tickets over the phone lasted two days before I woke up and came to my senses.

The lesson in all this for the Knicks is that they could explode in a fireball over New Jersey at any moment, sink to the bottom of the ocean taking Leonardo DiCaprio with them or be written out of the NBA altogether like Chuck Cunningham was. The best case scenario for the team: The Harlem Globetrotters come to the Garden and save their ass.

That takes care of the Knicks; now let’s look at the other local teams and we’ll put fun, convenient labels on them to boot:

An Efficient Machine

Devils : Their nine-game road winning streak (one short of tying the NHL record) and eight-game overall winning streak both ended on Monday night in Philly on Dave Schultz (Slap Shot as an opposing player.) Night, as he was inducted into the Flyers Hall of Fame. Is there any significance or special meaning to that? Schultz was the personification of the brawling 1970s, and holds the all-time single-season record for penalty minutes, with 472 in 1974-’75. Isn’t it about time that somebody started a Hockey Goon Hall of Fame?

Jacques Lemaire and the Devils are the epitome of defensive hockey. They rank 21^st in goals per game, at 2.56, but their league-leading 2.07 goals against average has them in first place in the Atlantic Division (despite two losses in a row). Lemaire spent much of his playing days learning how to play defense by centering a line with Guy Lafleur and Steve Shutt, as he had to backcheck his way through many a game, while those two sharp shooters poured in goal after goal.

Surprise Team

Islanders : After getting off to a rocky start, the Islanders are one of the surprise teams of the NHL. That’s what hard work will do for you. John Tavares is living up to his billing (19 points), while Matt Moulson is turning into the find of the century (18 points). They’re going in the opposite direction than the Rangers, who they’ve caught in the standings, both totaling 23 points.

Sinking (But it’s a Long Season)

Rangers : The good times (7-1 start) are over (4-8-1 since). They can’t score, they’re not tough enough, they’re too easy to play against, they take too many penalties, they have too many defensive breakdowns and they’re shorthanded at center with no replacements in sight. Can they recover or is the makeup of the roster too much to overcome? Maybe John Tortorella should start crying. That seems to be the coaching technique du jour.

Sinking (But There’s Still Hope)

Giants: They had their best week in over a month, with Dallas, Philly and even Atlanta (if you’re starting to keep track of the wild card race) all losing. The Giants haven’t looked this good since they defeated Oakland. The key to their success, of course, was not actually playing a game. Their best strategy from here on out may be to not take the field at all. Can you decline the rest of your schedule the way you can decline a penalty and take your chances on your present record?

Sinking (And They’re Running Out of Time)

Jets: The Jets players are making their coach cry. But poor clock management, wasted timeouts, a plethora of turnovers and a defense that can’t make the big stop are making Jets fans cry. The team has the swagger part down; it’s just the beating the opponent part that’s troubling them. Mark Sanchez has a prepared statement all set to go for his next postgame press conference on why he entered a hot dog eating contest at halftime of their game up in New England on Sunday.

Disaster

Nets: The Nets are doing even worse than the Knicks and are planning to jump back to the ABA before they have a chance to go 0-82. They’re hoping to put a schedule together and play against the Spirits of St, Louis, San Diego Conquistadors, Virginia Squires, Memphis Tams, and Kentucky Colonels once again and regain their dominance in that defunct league. They play the Knicks on Saturday (if they can scrounge up enough players). Will the world explode if one of those teams actually wins the game?

Free Agents Carrying Rangers

Hot Stove New York — Wed, 18 Nov 2009 15:49:35 -0500

The usual state of affairs when the Rangers sign a free agent goes something like this: Free agent is past his prime and his best days are well behind him, but he signs an outrageous contract, then plays like crap while laughing all the way to the bank (see Redden, Wade or Fleury, Theo).

But the Blueshirts have hit the jackpot this year with Marian Gaborik, Vinny Prospal, and Ales Kotalik (well, three out of four ain’t bad—Donald Brashear and the word “jackpot” don’t go together, except to his agent). Unfortunately, it’s the rest of the roster that’s dragging the team down.

Gaborik, Prospal, and Kotalik have scored a combined 26 goals. The Rangers have a total of 62, which means those three free-agent pickups have contributed 42 percent of the team’s scoring.

Prospal’s the bargain of the century with his $1 million contract (I’m so old I remember when a million dollars was a lot of money). Kotalik gives the Rangers the point man on the power play they’ve been missing the past few years. And Gaborik is having his best season, which says a lot. We surely haven’t been able to say that very often: A New York Ranger free-agent acquisition is having his best season ever.

So where the heck has everybody else gone? Let’s run through the rogue's gallery of under-performers: Christopher Higgins, two goals; Chris Drury, two goals; Sean Avery, two goals; Ryan Callahan, three goals; Brandon Dubinsky, three goals; and Enver Lisin, three goals.

That’s 15 goals by six of your top-nine forwards, and a pace of eight or 12 goals for the season for all of them. Artem Anisimov has probably played better than all of them. Callahan hits everybody in sight, but he’s got to start scoring more. And the rest aren’t doing much more to go along with not scoring.

The power play, which helped carry the team during their 7-1 start, is now in a slump. Nobody besides Gaborik, Prospal, Kotalik, and Michael Del Zotto are producing any offense. Combine those scoring woes with a mistake-filled defense, and the result is a not-too-surprising 4-8-1 record in their last 13 games.

The Rangers’ big off-season purchases are carrying the team. But they’re only carrying them to mediocrity because nobody else wants to come along for the ride.

The Mets Need More Than Matt Holliday

Hot Stove New York — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 15:27:40 -0500

In 2006, the Mets were one game away from the World Series. And that’s been their biggest problem the last three years. They still think they’re one game away from the World Series. But they’re not. And they’re not even close. 2006 was their year. It was their chance. Their opportunity. And they blew it. And they’ve been a step behind, plugging holes, sticking their finger in the dike, fixing last year’s problems, or even the problems from the year before that, ever since. Unfortunately, the big problems who go by the names of Omar Minaya and Jerry Manuel (is Wally Backman waiting in the wings now that he’s been hired to manage Brooklyn? God, I hope so) are still here, so we’ll have to live with them at least through the beginning of the 2010 season.

The Mets’ failings are more than the bullpen issues of ’07 and ’08, and more than the power outage and injuries of ’09. The team needs more than Matt Holliday and John Lackey (though they definitely need them). The Mets have shown a glaring lack of hustle, effort, competence, intensity and anything that remotely resembles solid fundamentals on the baseball field. They need a wholesale change of culture. They’ve been much too blasé about winning over the last few years. What they need is a more powerful will to win. All too often we saw them shrug t heir shoulders when losing started piling up, with the attitude that they’d start winning sometime in the vague, nebulous future. “You can’t win ’em all,” was the phrase they seemed to so easily embrace. When the Mets traded for Jeff Francouer , my first reaction was, “Now I have to root for that guy?” He was the last player I thought I would like, but he’s shown more intensity with a will to win than any other player on the team. We all know about his shortcomings at the plate and he’s probably not as good a fielder as his defensive reputation makes him out to be, but he’s the kind of complementary player the Mets need. If he’s batting sixth or seventh, fine. Not every player in the lineup can have a .400 OBP. He’s got that football player mentality that no one else on the roster possesses (well, except Johan Santana ). There’s no need to trade Carlos Beltran , David Wright or Jose Reyes , but they need a new breed of sidekicks in order for the Mets to change their ways on the field.

The Omar Minaya Mets don’t have any grit and toughness. No team is going to win with nine David Eckstein s or nine Jeff Francouers; you need more talent than that to be a successful team. But, no, grit and toughness don’t have to be “intangibles.” If you barrel over the catcher, instead of gently sliding around him, Mets-style (or not even sliding at all), and knock the ball out of his glove to score a run, that’s tangible. That shows up on the stat sheet. Francouer’s the only Met I could even imagine knocking over a catcher. If you block a base preventing an easy path for an opposing team’s base runner and tag him out, that’s tangible. If a fielder sacrifices his body to get in front of a hard-hit ball (Carlos Delgado could barely put in the effort to move his body at all to field a grounder, let alone get in front of a ball, and Wright’s come up with a bad case of the olés the past year) and record an out, that’s tangible. And just running out pop-ups and ground balls can do wonders for a team.

There are rumors the Mets are looking to trade Luis Castillo , with names like Orlando Hudson , Chone Figgins and Brandon Phillips popping up as possible replacements. Good. The Mets need to cut ties with guys like Castillo, and Delgado and Fernando Tatis as well. And their starting rotation is in a shambles. Would you trust Mike Pelfrey , John Maine and Oliver Perez to be three-fifths of your rotation? I can propose some cockamamie trades and signings, but like many Internet/blog proposals, they’d never happen and I’m not smart enough to come up with realistic trade proposals or think I can be a GM. So I’ll just say the Mets need to do more than add a couple of free agents. You can’t keep bringing the same players back and expect different results. Beltran recently stated that he wants to see Delgado back for another year. I surely wouldn’t expect him to publicly say that he doesn’t want the first baseman to return, but I don’t think the players realize the team has bigger problems than last year’s injuries.

The Mets are more than one free agent signing away from being a World Series contender. They need to reshuffle their roster, and import a different brand of player. The Mets look at themselves in the mirror and think all they have to do is comb their hair and straighten their tie and they’ll be all right, when, in fact, they’re not even wearing any pants. They need to stop looking to fix the past and instead find a plan and identity for the future.

Week Three Observations

Hot Stove New York — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:44:01 -0500

1. Brandon Jennings is the real deal: In two games last week Jennings has scored 87 points with 14 assists. So far this season he is averaging 25 PTS (eigth in the NBA), 5 AST, 4 REB, and 1 STL. He also is shooting 49 percent from the field, 83 percent from the foul line, and has 17 three-pointers. In an eight-cat league his fantasy value equals the 10th overall player.

2. Marc Gasol has been playing like his brother: Gasol pulled down 16 rebounds last Saturday for the second time this season. He is averaging 14.8 points, 11.4 rebounds, and 1.7 blocks per game. Also he is shooting 56 percent from the field and 78 percent from the line. He is looking like one of the biggest steals in the draft.

3. Danny Granger is showing why he was a top-four pick: The Pacers upset the Celtics last Friday and Granger was a big part of that with 29 PTS, 6 REB, 4 AST, 3 STL, and six three-pointers. His rebounding has increase with Troy Murphy sidelined.

4. Chris Bosh is outscoring Lebron James and Dirk Nowitzki and out rebounding Dwight Howar d: Bosh is fourth in the NBA with 27.7 points per game. He is third in the NBA with 11.8 rebounds per game.

5. Charlie Villanueva is heating up: Charlie V has has scored 25 or more points in three of his past five games. It looks like his hamstring injury is over with and he should increase his 17 points per game.

Honorable mention: Chris Paul out with injury, Byron Scott fired, Knicks 1-8, Nets winless, Joakim Noah leads in the NBA with 12.2 rebounds per game, Kobe Bryant leads the NBA with 30.1 points per game.

NBA Fantasy Pickups: Nov. 16-22

Hot Stove New York — Mon, 16 Nov 2009 07:35:26 -0500

Week 4 (Nov. 16-22)

Teams playing four games: Atlanta, Charlotte, Cleveland, Detroit, Houston, Indiana, Miami, Milwaukee, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Portland, Toronto

Teams playing three games: Boston, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Golden State, L.A. Clippers, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, New Jersey, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, Utah, Washington

Teams playing two games: Minnesota

Players to Look Out For

Darren Collison (Hornets) —With the injury to Chris Paul, Collison started at point guard and had 10 points, four assists and two steals in 25 minutes last Saturday. Paul could be out for about a month which increases the value of the rookie.

Marcus Thorton (Hornets) —Thorton should receive extended minutes off the bench with the injury to Paul. Thorton has scored 32 points over in last two games including a career high 20 last Friday.

C.J. Watson (Warriors) —Watson scored a season high 19 points vs. the Knicks last Friday. He is shooting 51 percent from the field and averaging a steal per game.

Wes Matthews (Jazz) —Matthews has scored in double-figures in four of his past six games. Deron Williams has missed the past two games which is why Matthews has been starting. The undrafted rookie has played well enough to receive extended minutes in the future.

Jamaal Tinsley (Grizzlies) —Tinsley signed a one-year deal with the Grizzlies on Saturday. In his eight seasons in the NBA he has averaged seven assists per game.

Honorable mention: Jordan Hill (Knicks), Ryan Hollins (Timberwolves), Amir Johnson (Raptors)

The New York Week That Was (11/13/09)

Hot Stove New York — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 10:18:05 -0500

The Yankees win the World Series and as soon as you can say the words “Johnny Damon wants a four-year contract,” the rest of the New York–area teams go down the tubes.

They went a combined 5-11 this past week. It must be a hangover. Are all the local teams riding on the Yankees’ coattails and going to all of their parties?

It’s also possible that many of the area teams just stink. The Knicks and Nets went a combined 0-7 this week, and are 1-16 for the year, for instance. It was only the always-good Devils that skewed the combined record by going 4-0, and they barely count as a local team.

Here’s a day-by-day look at the past seven days.

Friday: The injury-riddled Nets lost to Philly, which kept them winless for the season, and the Devils beat the Islanders in a continuation of the New Jersey–Long Island War of 1801, in which it was so cold and icy out during the Battle of Massapequa that both sides just gave up after 15 minutes and vowed to resume fighting “when they invent the game of hockey and the Colorado Rockies move to New Jersey.”

The big highlight of the evening was, of course, the Knicks game. And, as expected, the Knicks were humiliated by LeBron James and the Cavs. They fought back bravely at the end, but who were they kidding? The game was secondary, though, as the real story was: Will LeBron come to New York next year? The Knicks owe it to their fans after shipping Walt Frazier off to Cleveland as compensation for signing Jim Cleamons and forcing him to wear those yellow, orange and red stripey uniforms.

Here’s an argument for both sides of the LeBron to New York or LeBron stays in Cleveland debate.

5 Reasons Why LeBron James Should Come to New York:

1. On his days off, he can go to Rudy’s and take advantage of the free hot dogs.

2. New York City is the talcum powder capital of the world.

3. He should to get out of town before Eric Mangini’s losing rubs off on him.

4. He can fulfill his lifelong dream of playing in a softball league on Randall’s Island during the summer.

5. Drew Carey will finally have to move out of his basement.

5 Reasons Why LeBron James Should Stay in Cleveland:

1. There’s better oompah music in Cleveland.

2. It’s closer to his vacation home in Toledo.

3. If he comes to New York, Braylon Edwards will have to be traded back to Cleveland.

4. The only Knick players worth having as teammates have long retired.

5. He gets to hang out with Willie Mays Hayes .

Saturday: The Rangers lost the game to Calgary and lost two centers to boot. Chris Drury was knocked upside the head with a cheap shot but his teammates just let it slide.

The Knicks continued their losing ways, falling to Milwaukee, 102-97. “We got outplayed so badly in the first quarter, it really didn’t matter what happened after that,” stated David Lee. It’s looking like you can probably say that about the whole season.

The Nets lost. Again. That Russian billionaire might want his money back at this point.

The surging Devils beat Ottawa, 3-2, and the scrappy Islanders defeated Atlanta, 6-3. How fun would it be to have three top-notch hockey teams in the area?

How good would it be to just have three hockey teams in the area? The Isles can’t go to Kansas City, can they?

Sunday: The Giants suffered a crushing loss. Sure, the Chargers have pretty cool helmets but that’s no excuse for the Jints to lose.

Their defense is just not the same as previous seasons. Where have you gone, Steve Spagnuolo? Giants fans turn their lonely eyes to you. And the offensive game-calling was conservative, playing not to lose instead of to win.

As my daughter once told me after a heated game of Go Fish, “YOU PLAY . . . TO WIN . . . THE GAME!”

Monday: The Knicks lost a heartbreaker to Utah. It was the Toney Douglas show, but he just couldn’t make that last shot. Will he soon be taking over for Chris Duhon?

In better news, Brian Leetch, Lou Lamoriello, and John Davidson were all enshrined in the Hockey Hall of Fame.

Tuesday: There weren’t any local games, so nobody could lose on this day. Mark Teixeira and Derek Jeter won Gold Gloves today, though. No one can argue with the wizardry of Teixeira at first, and Jeter had one of his best seasons on defense.

In the past, Sabremetricians were rolling over in their graves when Jeter would win a Gold Glove. And the ones that weren’t dead were rolling their eyes. And the ones that were wearing eye patches were shrugging their shoulders. And the ones who had their shoulders amputated due to too much shrugging, well, they have bigger problems than Jeter’s fielding.

Speaking of big problems, a svelte Eddy Curry returned to practice. He lost weight easily once he realized the diet he was on for the past year wasn’t working. He had been trying one of those celebrity fad diets: James Gandolfini ’s All Little Italy All the Time Diet.

Wednesday: The Knicks had a big lead but lost to Atlanta. Douglas had his second straight 20-plus point game, after being inserted into the starting lineup as the shooting guard.

The Nets announced before their game against Philly that they would be changing their name to the Washington Generals, and on cue they went out and lost.

The Devils just keep on winning, though, beating Anaheim. And the Islanders scored a late goal to send the game into OT, but ultimately lost in a marathon shootout to Washington.

Both teams ran out of players so Guy Charron had to come out of retirement to score the game-winner for the Caps.

Thursday: The Devils moved into first place with their victory last night in Pittsburgh, which was their ninth straight road win to start the season. One more ties the NHL record.

And the wrong-way Rangers keep going backward. Marian Gaborik scored as usual, and they got two goals from the center position playing with their makeshift lineup, but bad defense, too many penalties and not enough effort did them in again.

Week 4 Pickups

Hot Stove New York — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 09:19:02 -0500

Guards

Toney Douglas (Knicks): Douglas scored a career high 23 points in 36 minutes vs. the Hawks on Wednesday. He scored 16 and 21 points in his previous two games and has made nine three-pointers on the season.

Rudy Fernandez (Trailblazers): Fernandez has played inconsistent minutes all season but has 13 three-pointers and is averaging 1.78 steals per game.

Kyle Lowry (Rockets): Lowry is averaging eight points, 5.12 assists, and one steal off the bench. He has played at least 24 minutes in every game but two this season and has three games with at least eight assists.

Honorable mention: Devin Brown (Hornets)

Forwards

Jared Dudley (Suns): Dudley has scored in double figures in five of his past six games. He has 18 three-pointers on the season and is averaging 1.3 steals per game.

JJ Hickson (Cavs): Hickson scored a season high 18 points in 31 minutes vs. the Miami Heat yesterday. He is starting over Anderson Varejo , which means he could provide a decent amount of points and rebounds.

Taj Gibson (Bulls): Gibson has scored in double figures in three of his past four games. The rookie scored a career high 18 vs. the Toronto Raptors on Wednesday with five rebounds, two steals and two blocks. His playing time has increased because of the injury to Tyrus Thomas .

Honorable mention: Ersan Ilyasova (Bucks)

Centers

Chuck Hayes (Rockets): Hayes has been productive as a starter, averaging seven rebounds, 2.12 steals, 0.75 blocks, and shooting 60.5% from the field.

Nazr Mohammed (Bobcats): Mohammed has 24 points, 13 rebounds, and three blocks over his past two games. His minutes will be inconsistent but he is a cheap source for rebounds and blocks.

Josh Powell (Lakers): Powell has played at least 20 minutes over his past three games. He has played well with 29 points and 14 rebounds in that span. With the injury to Pau Gasol , he has received extended playing time.

Honorable mention: Shelden Williams (Celtics)

Six Reasons Why the New York Knicks are Bad

Hot Stove New York — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 21:26:04 -0500

1. Head Coach Mike D’Antoni has assembled four different starting lineups in nine games.

2. Their opponents have scored over 100+ points in every game but one (Jazz)

3. Opponents are shooting 49 percent and averaging 109 points per game (2nd and 3rd worse in NBA)

4. NY is shooting 29 percent from three (27th in NBA)

5. Starting PG Chris Duhon is shooting 26 percent from the field and needs to be benched

6. Four of their eight eight losses have been by 12 points or more.

What i would like to see the Knicks do:

1) Start Toney Douglas , Wilson Chandler , Danilo Gallinari , David Lee , Jordan Hill …Al Harrington has been effective off the bench

2) Play better defense

3) Buy out Jared Jeffries

There Will Be No Thrill-as….. Without Godzilla

Hot Stove New York — Wed, 11 Nov 2009 11:16:25 -0500

The 2009 Worlds Series had a few firsts’ happen.

A full-time designated hitter won the MVP award for the first time. A 1960 record for most RBI’s r, with the nickname Godzilla, won his first World Series ring .

Hideki Matsui, also known as Godzilla, won the MVP of the 2009 World Series. Matsui, who is a baseball icon in his homeland of Japan, signed with the Yankees in December 2002. This was a huge accomplishment for anyone on earth but in Japan, Matsui became a hero.

On opening day in 2003 at the stadium, Matsui hit a grand slam . Another first for any Yankee to have accomplished. In 2007 he achieved his 2000th hit combined between his time in Japan and in MLB . Two months later he recorded his 100th home-run as a Yankee but in total he has 470 in his professional career total.

With his quiet, humble and professional attitude is admired, not only in Japan but by a vast amount of Americans too. There is never enough about what he has done as a player. This gets masked because Matsui does not bring any drama.

The above is just naming a few of Matsui’s accomplishments since coming to play in the USA . Baseball is a business. The Yankees are the biggest and remind us this each season. Regarding Hideki Matsui, he should stay in the Bronx. Here is some reasons why:

Matsui is a lethal clutch hitter. More importantly, as shown this season as a full-time DH , Matsui is consistent.

If you have ever watched this guy at bat, his focus is almost
surreal.

It is known that a DH is so important in the American League .
The Red Sox would not have won two rings without Big Poppi as
their DH.

The spot or need for the DH gets belittled but ignorant baseball
fans, who are blind to its vital importance. The DH makes the job
of the pitcher harder, the game more suspenseful and can be the
difference maker.

Matsui displayed this all season as the DH for the Bombers.
Godzilla makes the position more important and makes the Yankees
much more of a threat. There is no player on the free-agent
market, the Yankee farm system or really in MLB that has the
talent that Matsui carries with him. The Yankees are an AL team
and the DH counts big time in that league.

THE 3 MMM’S ….

In Yankee language, Media = Money = Matsui.

The worldwide attention Matsui will carry with him wherever he
goes, so if he leaves the Bronx, so will the Japanese press and
fans. The Japanese fans are so dedicated and proud that time
difference is irrelevant when Godzilla is playing.

There would be no World Series win without Matsui this year.

Some might disagree but I truly believe the Yankees would have not been the 2009 Champs without his bat. Matsui tied the
World Series record of scoring six RBI’s off his bat.

Ironically, it was in game six and the night that made the Yanks the winners and crowned champions.

All that is currently known is that Matsui did file for free agency earlier this week. He has made it clear that he is comfortable in New York. He wants to continue playing for the Yanks.

Most recently, it was announced that Matsui will continue playing in the USA and not returning home to Japan.

Hideki Matsui brings a sense of respect and professionalism that is not seen in pro-sports across the board anymore in the USA. He is a warrior and plays by the rules.

Brian Cashman is smart and he will sign Matsui to a one year deal. Cashman can count that the Seattle Mariners will be calling on Hideki. Matsui’s old Japanese teammate and recent Gold-Glove winner Ichiro Suzuki would love to have him on his team.

I can’t really think of any AL team who’s in need of a DH that would not be gunning to grab Matsui.

The thrill-as hit by Godzilla should remain in the Bronx or else the Yankees will kick themselves when they face Matsui next season.

New York Rangers: From Godsends to God Help Us

Hot Stove New York — Tue, 10 Nov 2009 15:23:53 -0500

Eighteen games into the Rangers’ season and this is what we’ve seen so far: the effort comes and goes, the scoring comes and goes, the forecheck comes and goes, the backchecking comes and goes and the defense comes and goes. And they’re not very physical, as we saw when no one stood up for Chris Drury on Saturday night.

Their 7-1 start has been followed by a 3-6-1 stretch, so they’re also inconsistent. With a break in the Rangers’ schedule, now’s a good time to divide up the roster into four categories and see which players are overachieving, which are underachieving and which are, unfortunately, Michal Rozsival .

Godsends: Marian Gaborik , Vinny Prospal , Michael Del Zotto , Matt Gilroy

Gaborik has done everything and more that was expected of him when he signed. He’s seamlessly fit in with the Rangers and produced at a superstar level. Health remains the only question mark for him.

Prospal’s given the team more than was expected, and has certainly earned the A on his sweater. Maybe he even deserves the C. He and Gaborik have great chemistry going, and the scoring load has fallen on their shoulders.

Nobody knew how Del Zotto and Gilroy would fare when the season started, and both have thrived. Del Zotto is the best offensive defenseman on the team, with improving defense and is becoming more physical. And Gilroy has been very sturdy, with flashes of offense.

Surprises: Artem Anisimov , Ales Kotalik

Anisimov has stepped into the lineup and been solid all around. And with the team now shorthanded at the center position, he’s sure to get more playing time to prove himself. Kotalik has shored up the power play with his play at the point and has been one of the few players besides Gaborik and Prospal to provide offense.

As Expected: Henrik Lundqvist , Stephen Valiquette , Michal Rozsival, Wade Redden , Enver Lisin , Aaron Voros , Brian Boyle . These are “as expected (great or good),” “as expected (still developing),” “as expected (fourth liners at best)” and “as expected (God help us all).” You can guess which are which.

Disappointments: Chris Higgins , Chris Drury, Brandon Dubinsky , Ryan Callahan , Marc Staal , Dan Girardi , Sean Avery , Donald Brashear

It took Higgins until the 16th game to score his first goal (but then scored in the next game, too). No matter how many MSG-produced press releases Sam Rosen and Joe Micheletti read to us during the games, Drury isn’t having a good season. The announcers make it seem like the team has ordered Drury not to score goals. It’s possible he may be back on the ice as early as Thursday’s game against Atlanta, though.

This was the year that Staal was going to become a star, wasn’t it? He’s obviously still good but isn’t having the kind of breakout season the team was hoping for. And Girardi has taken turns being awful and great. Dubinsky and Callahan just aren’t producing enough. But the team will sure miss Dubinsky the next month or two. Avery is not playing like the Avery we all love (or hate). Is he afraid to make mistakes and feel the wrath of John Tortorella ?

And finally, Brashear’s been injured, and when he plays he’s useless. He couldn’t even win a fight when he bothered fighting.

(Congratulations to Hall-of-Famers Brian Leetch and John Davidson .)

Giants-Chargers: New York Loses Must-Win Game

Hot Stove New York — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 12:26:00 -0500

What do you do when you lose a self-proclaimed must-win game? The Giants did just that yesterday, wrenching defeat from the jaws of victory.

That’s four losses in a row and counting, and they’ve lost each game in a different way: A bad defensive effort started things off, the offense then followed suit, a total team disaster was next, and now a crushing, last-minute defeat rounds things out.

Let’s count the ways the Giants blew yesterday’s game vs. the Chargers.

The first ominous sign was the botched field goal attempt on the first drive of the game. When the play happened, it looked like Lawrence Tynes just decided to not kick the ball. Was there a fake field goal on, but he was the only one who knew about it? Did the voices in his head tell him a trick play was on?

The announcers were no help, as they didn’t have a clue as to what happened. But on closer inspection, Jeff Feagles mishandled the snap, and everything fell apart from there. Those were the winning three points right there at the beginning of the game.

The Giants can’t score touchdowns. Their red zone foibles are well documented, as they settle for field goals ways too often. They had first and goal at the four-yard line with about three minutes to go in the game, and a TD would have put the whole shebang on ice. Instead of an easy score, they went backwards.

Chris Snee 's holding penalty was the first fly in the ointment. It looks like the guard will be sitting at the kids’ table on Thanksgiving at his father-in-law’s house this year. A short pass followed on first down, and then two handoffs to Brandon Jacobs .

Third and goal to go at the nine and you’re handing off? Yes, it takes time off the clock, but you have to try to score a touchdown there. That’s bad play-calling and way too conservative. They’re trying not to lose instead of trying to win. And what happens when you try not to lose? You end up losing, of course.

Big Blue committed nine penalties for 104 yards. Not good. Where’s the team discipline? The Snee penalty was the backbreaker, but the penalties were going on all game long.

After not trusting his offense in the last few minutes of the game, Tom Coughlin entrusted his defense to stop San Diego on their last drive, and his trust was misplaced.

After looking impressive for most of the game, and especially the two previous times they were on the field, the D couldn’t make the big stop at the end. The pressure on the QB disappeared the last two minutes, as the Chargers marched downfield with ease and scored the TD they needed to win the game. Corey Webster was beaten, and there was no help behind him.

The O couldn’t score the touchdown they needed, and the D couldn’t prevent the one they had to stop.

The Giants have next week off to stew in their own stink. There are only seven games left, but there’s always hope they can stop the downward spiral and turn their season around.

At least I hope there’s hope—because without hope all you’re left with is the Cleveland Browns.

NBA Fantasy Basketball: Week Three Pickups

Hot Stove New York — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:26:49 -0500

Teams Playing Four Games

Dallas, Golden State, Houston, L.A. Clippers, Minnesota, New Orleans, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland, Toronto, and Utah

Teams Playing Three Games

Atlanta, Boston, Bobcats, Chicago, Cleveland, Denver, Detroit, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Miami, New Jersey, New York, Orlando, and San Antonio

Teams Playing Two Games

Indiana, Milwaukee, Sacramento, and Washington

Guards

Ronald “Flip” Murray, Bobcats

Murray made his season debut scoring 15 points and pulling down six rebounds last Friday.

Murray is a good source for threes and should receive consistent playing time with the Bobcats struggling offensively.

Jose Juan Barea, Mavericks

Barea recorded a season-high 12 assists against the Raptors last Saturday.

He is averaging nine points and has played at least 23 minutes in four of the team’s six games.

Will Bynum, Pistons

Bynum continues his strong play off the bench, filling the stat sheet with eight points, eight rebounds, eight assists, and two steals on Sunday.

He has played at least 28 minutes over his last four games because of an injury to Richard Hamilton.

Honorable Mention: Thabo Sefolosha, Thunder

Forwards

Josh Boone, Nets

Boone started his first game of the season last Saturday and played well, with eight points and 12 rebounds.

He will continue to receive minutes in the rotation with Yi sidelined due to a knee injury.

Louis Amundson, Suns

If you are looking for some cheap rebounds and blocks then put this "big" on the watch list.

Before yesterday’s game he was averaging 5.2 rebounds and 1.5 blocked shots in just 18 minutes.

So far this season he has two games of at least eight rebounds and three blocked shots.

Chase Budinger, Rockets

The rookie is averaging 10.6 points in five games and has made eight three-pointers.

He has played at least 21 minutes in his last two games, shooting 52 percent from the field this season.

Honorable Mention: Taj Gibson, Bulls

Centers

Marcin Gortat, Magic

Whenever the Magic blow someone out, expect Gortat to see at least 20 minutes of action.

He has at least five rebounds in four games and is averaging nearly a block per game.

Ben Wallace, Pistons

Wallace is playing like his old self with at least nine rebounds in six games to start the season.

He pulled down a season-high 16 boards yesterday against the 76ers.

He also provides steals and blocks, but the free throws do not help.

DJ Mbenga, Lakers

Mbenga has been a serviceable starter with Pau Gasol and Andrew Bynum out.

Over his past two games he is averaging 12.5 rebounds and four blocked shots in 29 minutes.

Honorable Mention: Zaza Pachulia, Hawks

Week 2 Observations

Hot Stove New York — Mon, 09 Nov 2009 08:26:46 -0500

1. Joakim Noah and Roy Hibbert are fantasy forces: Noah is seventh in the league in rebounding with 11 per game. He is also sixth in blocks with 2.3 per game and is shooting 60% from the field. He is coming off a season-high 21 points and enjoying a breakout start to his third year.

Hibbert is also averaging a double-double with 11 points and 10.4 rebounds. He is blocking 2.8 shots per game (second in the league) and is shooting 52% from the field.

Also Brendan Haywood : 11.3 points, 10.7 rebounds and 2.1 blocks per game.

2. Tim Duncan is what we expected: Duncan has scored more than 20 points in just one game so far. While he has strong rebounding and blocks numbers, he has played 30 or fewer minutes in three games. He is shooting 56% from the line and is not living up to his second-round selection.

3. Chris Kaman is excelling: Kaman has scored at least 20 points in six straight games and is averaging 23 in the season. Along with his scoring, he is averaging 9.9 rebounds, 1.7 blocks, 0.9 steals, and shooting 58% from the field and 80% from the foul line. More importantly, he is playing in a career-high 39 minutes per game.

4. Tyreke Evans is the front runner for ROY: The injury to Kevin Martin allows Evans to play a bigger role in the offense. He scored a season high 32 points on Friday and 23 points yesterday. For the season, he is averaging 16 points and 4 assists.

5. Gerald Wallace is having a strange fantasy season: Wallace leads the NBA in rebounding with 13.8 per game but is shooting just 32% from the field. He also has just three assists in five games and has scored fewer then 12 points in four games.

Other headlines: Rajon Rondo leads the NBA with over three steals per game. Josh Smith leads the league in blocks. Marc Gasol's second in rebounding. Suns 6-1, Heat 5-1, Nets 0-7

The New York Week that Was (World Series Edition)

Hot Stove New York — Fri, 06 Nov 2009 10:10:22 -0500

Finally! The waiting is over! After nine long years without a title, the Yankees are champs once again. Nobody suffers like the Yankee faithful. Think of the toll all those championship-less years have taken on an eight-year-old Yankee fan who’s never seen his favorite team win.

After overcoming the curse of Danny Cater by winning it all in ’77 and the curse of hiring a manager named stump with the team’s ’96 Series win, the Bombers have now wiped out the curse of giving us the image of Jason Giambi in a thong.

This year’s Yankees were a heartwarming story of pies to the face and walk-off wins, and they were, of course, built the old-fashioned way: By buying up every free agent star on the market and paying hundreds of millions of dollars to them.

The World Series celebration was more subdued this year because the only people who can afford to go to a Yankee game are the players and their Hollywood girlfriends. But however big their payroll is, they got it done on the field, so they earned it. And the Phillies were certainly no pushovers.

Instead of the usual Player of the Week mumbo jumbo, here are some World Series observations and fun facts:

With their 27^th championship, the Yanks have won 25.7 percent of all World Series. Whether you love ’em or hate ’em, that’s impressive.

Out of all the players in the history of baseball who have styled their hair using bacon grease, Chase Utley is without a doubt the best of the bunch.

Johnny Damon’s mad dash to an uncovered third base was the best play of the Series and will be the signature highlight of this Fall Classic. If this postseason has taught us anything, it’s that other teams can be as boneheaded and fundamentally lacking as the Mets.

Bud Selig is coming closer and closer to fulfilling his dream of having a baseball game played on Thanksgiving.

If it was his last game with the Bronx Bombers, Hideki Matsui made his mark as a Yankee in this Series by batting .615 with three home runs, eight RBI, and driving in six runs in the clincher, which tied a record set by fellow-Yankee Bobby Richardson in 1960.

Matsui also announced after the game that he would be releasing a tell-all book entitled, Stuff I Overheard in the Yankee Clubhouse after Tricking Everybody into Thinking I Didn’t Speak English .

Is there a cooler character than Cliff Lee? He might as well have been throwing pitches between taking bites of a sandwich.

Do you think Tim McCarver tries to predict every little moment at home like he does when announcing a game? “I can tell we’re going to have pot roast tonight, kids, because your mother is opening the oven door with her left hand. And when she wears an oven mitt on each hand, you just know she’s going to be pulling out a big roast of some kind.”

Phillie fans think Joe Buck is pro–New York and Yankee fans feel he’s pro-Philadelphia. But, come on, he hates all of us east coasters. His allegiance is to Anheuser-Busch and St. Louis.

I imagine the word “choking” won’t be coming out of Cole Hamels’ mouth on the radio this offseason.

Alex Rodriguez finally got his World Series ring. Thank God―we were all worried for him. Will he love himself even more now? Imagine the makeout sessions with the mirror this winter.

Jimmy Rollins made a nice fool of himself with his Patrick Ewing-like prediction before the Series. Maybe he should stop with the yapping and use that time to take some extra batting practice. That’s two years in a row he’s left the heavy lifting for his teammates (.217 in this year’s Series; .227 last year).

It looks like Mark Teixeira is the new/old A-Rod, with his .136 average. Lucky for him the Yankees won.

The performance of the Phillies’ bullpen was no surprise, but the rest of the Phillies didn’t look like the Phillies. What happened to Ryan Howard (he broke the World Series record for most strikeouts, with 13, and batted .174), Rollins, Shane Victorino (.182), and even Pedro Feliz (.174)? That didn’t resemble the Philadelphia team we’ve seen over the last few years.

Andy Pettitte was the winning pitcher in each postseason series clincher for the Yanks this year. Every Yankee fan knows he’s the pitcher you want in a big game. They also know if they need steroids, Pettitte can round some up for them in a pinch.

Joe Girardi: lucky or genius?

The Yankees announced this morning that they will be charging a nominal $2,500 fee to each fan who attends today’s parade. “If we ripped them off before we won the World Series, think of what we can do now that we’re champs. They’re not the greatest fans in the world for nothing,” they stated in a press release.

Baseball's Captain: Why Derek Jeter Deserves to Be MVP

Hot Stove New York — Thu, 05 Nov 2009 00:51:37 -0500

In Major League Baseball, the MVP award goes out at the end of the regular season. It goes to the athlete who has stood out as being the most valuable, above all the rest.

To an individual player, it is a huge accomplishment and honor considered being the elite in your field.

Within baseball, two players, one from the American League and one from the National League respectively, receive this prize each year.

The award's terms incorporate the obvious, which are stats and production for the season. Baseball has more stats than any other sport, but this at least provides an idea of who is in contention.

However, for me, a fan, the MVP means so much more than just that.

A player selflessly plays the game as part of the team, not for his own personal goals. This is by no means a wimp or a loudmouth. His personal goals are for the team and to help the team win.

It is an athlete, proud of his sport’s history, as well as respectful of the veterans who played before him by learning from their wisdom.

The MVP is an athlete who discovers it is not his right to be a professional athlete, but a gift that gets treated as such through hard work and dedication.

Anyone will agree that the first lesson taught in gym class is to be a good sport and a team player. It is the fundamentals of displaying sportsmanship.

Plenty of MVP awards have gone to athletes (aka LeBron James) who do not display these fundamental basics. The kind of message that is being sent is one where stats are all that matter.

That is the furthest thing from the truth. It is so confusing if a player is named "MVP" because they are supposed to be perfect in value to a team. Perfect examples all-around is what I am getting at.

The game of baseball took a beating that goes beyond damage—all the PED talk and the craziness of a list that is destroying baseball name by name. The game deserves to get some of its integrity back.

This only cements why this particular season’s MVP has to be special. A player being one with the obvious quality of having top stats but also who displays what the game of baseball is still. It has to be the story that tops the baseball world by getting everyone to stop and remember why it is America’s pastime.

The answer might be the easiest decision to make.

Simply, it would be to crown Derek Jeter the MVP because he deserves it.

It sends a message to the kids who idolize baseball: that you can play fairly, not being a circus show, not wanting to draw attention to yourself, but to your team, and display the courage to give credit where credit is due, win or lose.

Jeter is the template of baseball, and his stats are good enough to be on the list. The persona that Jeter characterizes so consistently is more valuable to baseball than any RBI or home runs hit.

He not only represents the great city of New York but our country as well at the World Baseball Classic, which took place last February. The players vote for a captain who will represent not only the USA but also themselves. Jimmy Rollins, David Wright, Dustin Pedroia, and Kevin Youkilis, to a name a few, all voted for Jeter without hesitation.

If a room full of your own peers, who are the best of the best, elect you to be their captain, it speaks more to society then the stats on the score sheet.

Derek Jeter is the Most Valuable Player this season. He is the Yankees' captain, he is also America’s captain, and he is baseball’s captain.

No one represents baseball to the fans, to the players, and to the world more than Jeter does.

In addition, what this athlete is to the sport of baseball alone says it all.

Baseball would not be what it is without Derek Jeter, and I am not the only one who thinks so:

Rays manager Joe Maddon said it best: “I’m very happy for him. He carries himself in a manner that’s worthy of passing [Lou] Gehrig.”

“I can’t tell you how much I admire Derek Jeter, everything about him. He’s a symbol of everything that’s right about the game, as far as I’m concerned. He’s a great role model for other players. When I tell my kids or grandkids about the great players from my time, I’ll be proud to say I was on the same field with Derek Jeter.”—Howie Kendrick, Angels

“It couldn’t happen to a better person. He’s a great teammate, a great friend. He’s done things the right way. He’s a great leader on this team, so you can’t say enough about Derek Jeter.”—Andy Pettitte after Jeter broke Gehrig’s hits record

“He’s a leader and a winner, and that’s something I’d like to be.”—David Wright, Captain of the New York Mets

What Happened to the New York Giants?

Hot Stove New York — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 14:03:19 -0500

The Giants’ transformation from an elite NFL team to ineffectual mediocrity is astounding.

Against the Saints, the defense was the culprit; against the Cardinals, it was the offense; but yesterday against the Eagles, it was every aspect of the team that was horrible.

The Giants are misfiring on all cylinders. Alarms are sounding and people are running to the panic room. Are the Giants in a slump? Or are they a bad team? Whichever the case, they’re looking pretty ugly these days, and I mean Oakland Raiders-ugly.

Right now, the defense can’t stop anybody or anything. If a stray dog ran out onto the field, it would run right by the 11 men on defense and score a touchdown. Johnny Damon would go wild against these guys. Not only wouldn’t they be covering third base, they wouldn’t cover home plate either.

The Giants certainly miss Kenny Phillips , Aaron Ross , Michael Boley and Chris Canty , but do they miss them that much? They’ve given up so many points the last three weeks, I thought I was watching the beginning of the NBA season. Is Mike D’Antoni their new defensive coordinator?

“There were a lot of times all you can do is throw your hands in the air and wonder why,” Justin Tuck said.

Giant fans everywhere are wondering why, too, Justin. “There’s a reason, and we need to find it out.” You have one week, now get going.

On the offensive side of the ball, Eli Manning is turning into an interception machine, and when he’s not throwing picks, he’s tossing the ball 20 feet over a receiver’s head. Are they running bad routes or is he just stinking it up right now? Is his foot affecting his eyesight?

And when the Giants were behind by, oh, 90 points in the third quarter, there was absolutely no urgency by the team. They were happy-assing their way to the huddle and line of scrimmage, then handing off on every play while time quickly ticked away. Were they even trying? They could have at least pretended like they wanted to win the game.

Sure, the one-two punch of the shredded D and Manning’s INT put the game into garbage-time mode within minutes of the opening kickoff, but where’s the competence and discipline? Where’s the effort and fire?

The Giants are disappointing us all right now. They’re slacking off and not playing up to their potential. Tom Coughlin needs to start acting like my father.

Should he call them a bunch of idiots and take away the car keys? Ground them until they’ve learned their lesson and start playing the way they’re capable of playing? Kick their ass because they’re ruining the family name?

However he does it, he needs to find the answer and find it fast. There’s still half a season left, but they’re sinking like a stone in the standings. How did they get so bad so quickly? What happened?

NBA Fantasy Basketball: Week One Observations

Hot Stove New York — Mon, 02 Nov 2009 08:21:52 -0500

Here are five things worth noting in week one.

1) Carmelo Anthony Is Playing Like the MVP

Melo leads the NBA in scoring with 37.7 points per game and has scored at least 40 points in two straight games. He also has attempted 41 free throws and is averaging seven rebounds per game. The Nuggets are 3-0 including wins over Utah and Portland. If he continues this all season, he moves into the first round next season.

2) Gilbert Arenas Is Back

Arenas had a season high 31 points vs. the Nets on Halloween. He also shot 69 percent from the field and attempted 12 free throws. In three games this season he is averaging 28 points, 6.7 asssists, 2.3 threes and one steal per game. He was drafted in the late second to early third in most drafts which looks like a steal now.

3) Trevor Ariza and Aaron Brooks Are Fantasy Gold

Ariza scored a season high 33 points last Saturday and has made 11 three-pointers in three games. He is averaging 23.3 points and 1.7 steals in 38 minutes per game. Brooks is averaging 21.7 points, 8.3 assists, 2.3 threes and 1.3 steals per game over 39 minutes.

Both these players should see big minutes all season which will only help their stats. More importantly both players are shooting well from the field so far.

4) Brandon Jennings Is Already Becoming an Elite Fantasy PG

Based on his first two games it seems hard to believe the Knicks drafted Jordan Hill over him. Jennings first game almost resulted in a triple double with 19 points, nine assists and nine rebounds. He followed that game with 24 points, three three-pointers and three steals.

5) Chris Paul Is Making the Case Again Why He Goes Before Lebron James

James is having a strong start to the season but Paul has stepped up his game. CP3 is averaging 26 points and 1.7 threes per game which would be career highs. His assists and steals are down but he is shooting 65 percent from the field.

Other Stories

Devin Harris already out at least a week; Pau Gasol has missed three games already; Chris Bosh is second in scoring and rebounding; Steve Nash is leading the NBA with 14 assists per game.

Channing Frye is averaging 19.7 points per game; Greg Oden leads the league with 2.75 blocks per game; Boston and Miami are a combined 7-0; Nets, Clippers, and Kings all did not have a win.

NBA Week Two: Fantasy Pickups

Hot Stove New York — Sun, 01 Nov 2009 20:53:38 -0500

Teams playing four games: Atlanta, Boston, Denver, Detroit, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, Orlando, Phoenix, Sacramento, Utah, Washington

Teams playing three games: Charlotte, Chicago, Cleveland, Dallas, Golden State, Houston, Indiana, L.A. Clippers, Miami, Milwaukee, Oklahoma City, Philadelphia, Portland, Toronto

Teams playing two games: San Antonio

Guards

Rafer Alston (Nets) : Harris is expected to miss a week with a groin injury. Alston started at point guard and had 20 points, eight assists, three 3-pointers and one steal in 31 minutes on Saturday. Even though he will be a starter temporarily, he is a solid point guard pick up for the short-term.

Juan Jose Barea (Mavs) : Barea is averaging 11.3 points, 3.3 rebounds, 3.3 assists and shooting 93 percent from the foul line in three games. In his last two games he has played at least 23 minutes and will continue to get time with Josh Howard sidelined.

Larry Hughes (Knicks) : Hughes did not play in the first two games but received extended minutes in the home opener with an injury to Nate Robinson. Robinson could miss up to two weeks with an ankle injury which bodes well for Hughes who provided a solid stat line of: 18 PTS, 6 AST, 5 REB, 4 STL in 39 minutes. The numbers are a bit inflated because the game went into double OT, but any player in the Knicks rotation holds fantasy value.

Honorable mention: Delonte West (Cavs)

Fowards

Matt Barnes (Magic) : Barnes posted a solid line starting at small forward Sunday: 12 PTS, 9 REB, 6 STL, and 4 AST. With Vince Carter (ankley injury), Mickael Pietrus (flu), and Rashard Lewis (supsension), all missing time, Barnes should receive extended minutes.

Rasual Butler (Clippers) : Butler has played at least 26 minutes in three of his four games so far this season. Last Friday he scored a season high 19 points in 32 minutes.

Udonis Haslem (Heat) : Haslem has at least 10 rebounds in two of his three games. While he does not block that many shots, he posts solid percentages in about 30 minutes per game.

Honorable mention: Yi Jianlian (Nets)

Centers

Solomon Jones (Pacers): Jones is averaging seven points, five rebounds, two blocked shots and is shooting 55 percent from the field in two games. He is a good source for blocks and will play solid minutes whenever starting center Roy Hibbert gets in foul trouble.

David Anderson (Rockets) : The seven-footer had his best game of the season yesterday with 11 points and five rebounds in 19 minutes. He also hit his first 3-pointer of his career and the rookie should be worked more in the rotation with more game experience.

Channing Frye (Suns) : A popular sleeper going into the season because of his strong preseason did not disappoint in his first game. He scored 22 points knocking down six 3-pointers and pulling down eight rebounds with three steals. Frye scored a season high 25 points (six 3-pointers) and pulled down five rebounds Sunday.

Honorable mention: Hasheem Thabeet (Grizzles)

The Best That New York Sports Has to Offer

Hot Stove New York — Fri, 30 Oct 2009 10:07:10 -0400

All anybody’s talking about in the New York area is the Islanders’ first regulation win over the Rangers (though Jimmy Rollins predicted it on Monday). You can’t walk down the street without somebody stopping you and asking all about the hockey team from Long Island.

Will they get on a roll? Is John Tavares the real deal? Islanders, Islanders, Islanders!

Everybody’s forgetting all about the bad start of the two local basketball teams, and does anybody even know that the Yankees are in the World Series this year? All-Islanders-all-the-time talk is really taking the pressure off the other local teams.

Here at Hot Stove, we know that the Yankees are in the World Series again, as you can’t get anything by us. The Bronx Bombers paid their $200 million entry fee into the Series, setting up a rematch of the 1950 Fall Classic. And with so many off days, it seems like there are about 59 years between games in this postseason.

In the Series, we’ve already seen Cliff Lee nonchalantly put the Bombers’ bats to sleep, and in Game Two, the Yankees proved once again to be Pedro Martinez's daddy.

After the game, Martinez also claimed that Mark Teixeira was his uncle, Hideki Matsui a distant cousin, and Jorge Posada was his Aunt Lucille.

People in New York may not care for the Phillies (or Eagles, or Sixers, or Flyers), but not everything from Philly is bad. They did give us two of America’s greatest cultural achievements (no, not Chase Utley's hair): Cheesesteaks and It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia .

Of course, the mayors from the two cities made their usual bet on the Series. Many ideas were tossed around on what the bet would consist of: If the Yankees lose, New York City would change its name to Mike Schmidtville; if Philly loses, it would change to Little, Smellier, New York; if the Phils win, NYC would have to replace the Statue of Liberty with a 300-foot statue of the Philly Phanatic; if the Yanks win, Philadelphia has to tear down its statue of Rocky and put one up of Clue Haywood; if the Phillies win, Pedro Martinez gets to slam the Yankee coach of his choice to the ground once more for old time’s sake; if the Yankees win, A.J. Burnett gets to smash a pie filled with stuff fished out of the East River in Shane Victorino's face.

They finally settled on the losing city just disappearing from the face of the earth.

In local football news, the Jets and Giants beat Oakland this season by a combined score of 82-7. The Jets kept things simple for Mark Sanchez, who spent the game eating hot dogs in the huddle while watching his running backs go wild.

Teams instantly get back on track when playing the Raiders, but can it work like that in real life, also? If your marriage is on the rocks, can you spend the day with the Oakland Raiders and you’ll be on your way to a second honeymoon?

Failing out of high school? Will three hours with the Raiders get those grades back up and you’ll find yourself enrolling in Harvard?

If your life is falling apart because of an alcohol problem, will running around the football field for an afternoon with the Raiders put everything back into place? Are the Oakland Raiders the cure for all of our problems?

Player of the Week

Shonn Greene

The Jets rookie stepped in when Leon Washington was lost for the season and gained a whopping 144 yards and scored two touchdowns. But how many spellings of the name "Sean" do we need? Shonn, Chone, Shean, Sean, Shaun, Shawn. Stop the madness.

Runners-up

A.J. Burnett

The Yanks needed Burnett to come up big and he was clutch in Game Two, throwing seven strong innings and outdueling Pedro.

Mariano Rivera

After getting a two-inning save to close out the Angels on Sunday, Rivera did it again last night to save Game Two of the World Series (though he got a little help from the umps).

Mark Teixeira/Hideki Matsui

Each blasted a homer to right field, which was enough offense for the Bronx Bombers. But what’s happening to Alex Rodriguez? Zero-for-8 with six strikeouts in the Series? Uh-oh.

Thomas Jones

Another day at the office for Jones: 121 yards and a TD.

Jets Offensive Line

They only let up one sack and have blocked their way to being the first team to have back-to-back 300 rushing yards since the 1975 Bills, who, of course, featured O.J. Simpson. Let’s just hope that none of these linemen become the A.C. Cowlings to Thomas Jones’ O.J.

Calvin Pace

The busy linebacker had three sacks, seven tackles, and two forced fumbles. But does it really count if it’s against Oakland?

Andy Pettitte

The veteran lefty notched his record-setting 16^th postseason win while clinching the ALCS for the Yanks on Sunday.

Kevin Boss

The Giants tight end had three catches, but the one late in the game when he was almost knocked unconscious with a helmet-to-helmet hit earns him a spot here. That’s one tough dude.

Jeff Tambellini

The Islanders went 1-0-2 this week and Tambellini picked up three goals and an assist along the way.

Brook Lopez

The Nets big man scored 27 points, hauled in 15 rebounds, and blocked five shots, but the Nets still collapsed in Minnesota.

Marian Gaborik

The Ranger star had five points in two games and left a gaping hole in the lineup when he missed Wednesday’s game.

R.I.P. Bill Chadwick

Legendary Rangers announcer, Bill "The Big Whistle" Chadwick died on Saturday at the age of 94. He was colorful, loud, and fun.

I ranked him No. 7 on my painstakingly non-researched post of the best local announcers of the last 40 years.

He was originally a referee and invented the hand signals that refs still use today.

I was watching the Rangers game when his death was announced, which reminds me of the time when I was a kid and was viewing the back-to-back Hogan’s Heroes episodes that channel five used to show from 11 p.m.–midnight, when the news team cut in with the startling report that the show’s star, Bob Crane, was murdered.

I instantly blamed Colonel Klink. Coincidence? Synchronicity? The ghost of Bob Crane has haunted me ever since, though. I constantly wake up to find radios in my coffee pot, tunnels built under my house, and Lebeau’s strudel sitting on my kitchen counter.

Schmuck of the Week

Eli Manning

The Giants QB may have been over-thinking things a little too much by changing plays at the line of scrimmage on every down, taking two delay of game penalties along the way, and throwing three picks.

Or was he listening to the Yankees game in the radio in his helmet? At any rate, Manning had trouble hooking up with his receivers all game long and never seemed to solve Arizona’s defense.

Rangers-Coyotes: New York Wins One for "The Big Whistle"

Hot Stove New York — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 12:27:08 -0400

The Rangers ended their three-game losing streak by beating Phoenix last night, 5-2, winning the game for former Ranger announcer Bill “The Big Whistle” Chadwick.

“We’re dedicating our season to the announcing legend. So much of my youth was spent watching the Rangers on channel 9, listening to the antics of Chadwick and his partner, Jim Gordon, that for a while there, I thought Chadwick was my father, and my real dad was just some guy from the neighborhood who sat around the living room drinking vodka all the time. We had to win this game for The Big Whistle or I’d never forgive myself,” said captain Chris Drury.

(Ok, he didn’t come close to saying that; I said it to myself while I was riding on the subway this morning.)

The Blueshirts were going the wrong way the last week or so, but last night they turned things around and put in a steady performance. They fell asleep after taking a 4-0 lead, and got off to a rocky start in the third period when Dan Girardi took a penalty before he even got out of the locker room, put they took care of business the rest of the way.

Brandon Dubinsky and Chris Higgins were set free from chateau bowwow, and both had solid games, though Higgins still can’t buy himself a goal. The defense played well, and Michael Del Zotto is now tied for the NHL lead in points for defensemen, with 12.

The team didn’t constantly turn the puck over like they had been, they didn’t make mistakes in the neutral zone and they were quicker to the puck, getting back to the way they want to play the game. And their special teams continue to be among the best in the league.

The stars of the game were the revamped first-liners: Marian Gaborik, Vinny Prospal, and Enver Lisin. Gaborik and Prospal continue to impress, performing as well as anyone could have expected.

And the talented Lisin seems to fit right in with the two veterans. As John Tortorella stated, “I think you often put a young kid that doesn’t have the skill that he has in a top position and it may not work. Lis is a talented player and is getting better away from the puck.”

Prospal is now two assists behind Joe Thornton for the league lead. The consistently great Gaborik is now tied for the league lead in goals, with 10, and is second in points (18). But we heard the five words no Ranger fan wants to hear last night: “Gaborik limps off the ice.”

He claims the injury is not to his hip or groin, both which have given him problems in the past, and no one around the team seems to be concerned, so hopefully it’s just a routine “lower body” injury and he’ll be back for Wednesday’s game.

The Rangers need to find a little more consistency, and play a full 60 minutes, but as Dave Maloney said after the game, they’re a work in progress, with many new players and a new coach. They got back to their winning ways last night, and, surely, The Big Whistle in the sky was up there watching this game, and I could have sworn I heard him yell, “Shoot the puck, Del Zotto! Shoot the puck!”

Fantasy Basketball: Week One pickups

Hot Stove New York — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 08:54:48 -0400

Week One (Oct. 26-Nov. 1)

Teams playing four games: Boston, Cleveland, L.A. Clippers, Portland
Teams playing three games: Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas, Denver, Detroit, Houston, L.A. Lakers, Memphis, Miami, Minnesota, New Jersey, New Orleans, New York, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Sacramento, San Antonio, Toronto, Washington
Teams playing two games: Golden State, Indiana, Milwaukee, Utah

Guards

Chris Douglas-Roberts (Nets- owned 3 percent in ESPN leagues): CDR had a big preseason averaging 18 points, 4 rebounds, 1.4 steals in 34 minutes over seven games. With the Nets trading G Vince Carter away in the off-season Roberts should play a big role on the offense.

Brandon Rush (Pacers-owned 9.2 percent): Rush is entering the season as the Pacers starting shooting guard. He averaged 12.4 points, 1.3 blocks and 1 steal over seven preseason games. However, his value is his range as he knocked down 14 three pointers.

Anthony Morrow (Warriors-owned 11.7 percent)- Morrow finished second in the preseason with 22 points per game. He also shot an excellent 52 percent from three and attempted 6.5 per game. If he starts the season at shooting guard he posts solid percebts and can light it up.

Honorable mention: Brandon Jennings (Bucks)

Forwards

DeJuan Blair (Spurs-owned 5.9 percent)- Blair averaged 7.9 rebounds in just 17.7 minutes per game during the preseason. If injuries occur in the front court the rookie is worth picking up because of his double-double potential.

Andray Blatche (Wizards-owned 3.9 percent)- Blatche started 36 games last season averaging 11.8 points, 6.8 rebounds and 1.1 blocks per game. F Antawn Jamison is expected to miss the next three to five weeks with a right shoulder injury.

Ryan Anderson (Magic-owned 2.2 percent)- Anderson is expected to start at power forward for the Magic on opening night. It is unclear how he will split time with F Brandon Bass but he could have some short term fantasy value with F Rashard Lewis out. In his final three preseason games Anderson knocked down nine three-pointers.

Honorable mention: Corey Brewer (Timberwolves)

Centers

Joel Przybilla (Trailblazers-owned 2.4 percent)- Even though C Greg Oden was named the starter Przybilla still has value. Oden has been injury prone in his young NBA career and also will battle early foul trouble. “Przy” is a good source for field goal percent, blocks and rebounds.

Carl Landry (Rockets-owned 7.6 percent)- Landry is expected to start at center for the Rockets. Last season he averaged 9.3 rebounds, 5 rebounds, and shot 57 percent from the field in 21 minutes per game. With more minutes this season his points, rebounds and blocks should all increase.

DeAndre Jordan (Clippers-owned 0.4 percent)- F Blake Griffin is expected to miss the next six weeks with a stress fracture of his left patella. This injury could impact other players minutes but with the injury risks to C Marcus Camby and C Chris Kaman makes Jordan an intriguing player. We saw his potential last year as he started 13 games averaging 7.7 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.5 blocks and shot 67 percent from the field.

Honorable Mention: Darko Milicic (Knicks)

How Good Are the Giants?

Hot Stove New York — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 11:52:27 -0400

Ok, that’s two bad games in a row. Last week in New Orleans the defense was the culprit, and last night the offense lost the game for the Giants. Big Blue feasted on the weak teams the first five weeks, but now facing solid teams two weeks in a row, they looked lousy in both games.

The D wasn’t great but came up with two big stops at the end and were good enough to win the game (though the injuries to Kenny Phillips , Aaron Ross and Michael Boley seem to be catching up to them). The offense, on the other hand, was off-kilter and inconsistent all game long. Even Jeff Feagles was terrible. Here’s what we didn’t like:

Eli Manning – he threw three interceptions, only completed about half his passes and looked rattled and confused by Arizona’s defense the whole game.

And what’s with all the delay of game penalties? He spent most of his time at the line of scrimmage shaking off Jorge Posada . The receivers didn’t help Manning, though. They ran bad routes and dropped a whole bunch of passes. Mario Manningham missed a pass that was right in his hands that was a sure TD. Even the TD pass that Hakeem Nicks caught was pure luck.

Ahmad Bradshaw ’s fumble near the end of the game killed them. They were finally putting together a good drive, and he doesn’t take care of the ball. And what was he thinking punching a 300-pound man in the facemask? There were way too many three-and-outs, with some curious play-calling at times. And the offensive line gave up three sacks and Manning was pressured all game.

So how do we judge the Giants? They’re not as good as the 44-7 ass whooping they gave the Raiders, but they’re probably not as bad as the last two games. So how good are they?

Are they better than the Redskins but not as good as the Cowboys and Eagles?

Or are they still the best team in the NFC East (they are still in first place, after all)?

Are they better than 9-7 but not as good as 14-2?

Are they better than the Raiders but not as good as the Saints?

Are they better than the ‘72 Giants but not as good as the ‘86 Giants?

Are they better than the Angels but not as good as the Yankees?

Are they better than Sammy Hagar Van Halen but not as good as David Lee Roth Van Halen?

Are they better than the remake of The Longest Yard but not as good as the original?

Are they better than How I Met Your Mother but not as good as The Office ?

Are they better than choking A-Rod but not as good as 2009 A-Rod?

Are they better than Jon Gruden but not as good as Cris Collinsworth ?

Are they better than tomato juice but not as good as beer?

Just where do the Giants stand? It’s hard to tell right now. Here’s the oddest moment of the night—I flipped to YES during a commercial, and Smokey Robinson , who was on Center Stage, claimed that his all-time favorite movie is Back to the Future, and he’s seen it over 30 times and knows the dialogue to the whole movie.

Why do I find that a little strange? Back to the Future ? Sure, it was a nice little entertaining movie, but can you really watch it more than 30 times? And do you want have the whole script taking up all that space in your brain?

Maybe the Giants need to go back to the future or back to the drawing board and find out where they’ve been going wrong. Next week they take on the Eagles, and they better turn things around before they start sinking in the standings.

Fantasy Basketball Round Eight

Hot Stove New York — Mon, 26 Oct 2009 09:28:48 -0400

Here's a look at my 85-96 picks.

85. John Salmons

86. Blake Griffin

87. Wilson Chandler

88. James Harden

89. Andre Miller (me)

90. Tyrus Thomas

91. Mike Conley

92. O.J. Mayo

93. Ron Artest

94. Rodney Stuckey

95. Aaron Brooks

96. Mike Bibby

Five more point guards were taken this round as well as the first two rookies.

My Strategy

Looking back, maybe I should have selected Stuckey or Mayo based on upside, but Andre Miller has good value this round.

Even though he is coming off the bench, as of now, we know he is a steady producer. He has missed three games over the past three years and averaged 16.5 points, 6.5 assists, 4.5 rebounds and 1.3 steals for the 76ers last season.

While he does not shoot many threes, he posts solid percentages and should be a steal once he gets inserted into the starting lineup.

Best Pick

There were several picks I liked this round: Salmons, Chandler, Thomas, Mayo, Artest, and Stuckey.

Questionable Pick

I think Harden can have a solid rookie season, but there were better players on the board.

Riskiest Pick

The Hawks acquired Jamal Crawford in the offseason, which crowds the backcourt. Bibby is coming off a solid fantasy season, but his numbers will take a hit.