How Should the Knicks Handle the Trade Deadline?

Author: Frank Caggino

For the first time in a long time, the New York Knicks had expectations of being a winning team. That has not been the case, as the Knicks are two games under .500 and have lost to teams they should have beaten. There have been injuries and certain players not performing as well as they did last year. This team can use some upgrades and with the trade deadline right around the corner, the Knicks have to make some changes.

One of the main reasons for the Knicks success last season, was the play of Julius Randle. He was an all-star and the organization rewarded him with a contract extension. Knicks fans were praising Randle’s performance from their homes, since they could not be in attendance at the games. Julius did not play well in the postseason and the hope was it was just one bad series. That has not been the case, as Randle still has not been the same player and is one for the main reasons for the Knicks struggle. What has made the situation worse, is the way Randle has behaved the past month. He gave a thumbs down to the fans and had a harsh response when asked about it. It is clear that he is not a fit in New York, and the Knicks have to move on from him. Fortunately, there is a team that might have some interest in Randle.

Ian Begley from SNY reported that, “Some people with Sacramento were interested with Julius Randle. Maybe there’s something there.” If the Kings do have interest in Randle, they have a player that would fit the Knicks nicely. For over a decade, the Knicks have been in need of a point guard. Sacramento has a young point guard with some talent that they may be looking to move on from. De’Aaron Fox’s name has come up in some potential trade talks, and is someone that can help the Knicks. Fox being 24 years old, would fit in nicely with the rest of this young team. New York has not been able to develop a point guard yet and it is extremely rare for quality young point guards to be available. The only reason Fox is potentially available, is because the Kings have Tyrese Haliburton. Damian Lillard is clearly better than De’Aaron, but Lillard just had abdominal surgery and has not been made available by Portland. Even if he was on the trade market, he will be 32 next season and would not be with the Knicks for a long time. Once an athlete is 32, they only get worse as they get older. Fox would be the better fit and is most likely available. The Knicks have plenty of draft capital and if they can package that with Randle, they might be able to make the team better now and better in the long term.

Other names that have been mentioned in potential trades is Jalen Brunson, Domantas Sabonis, and Myles Turner. Brunson would be a nice fit with his age and being from New Jersey. Sabonis is a solid all-around player, who would likely not be a good fit next to Julius Randle. Turner would fit next to Randle, but the only difference between him and Mitchell Robinson is Turner’s ability to shoot three pointers. This would help the Knicks and particularly, open up the paint for Randle to play closer to the basket where he is more effective. This unfortunately will not be enough to make the Knicks a team that is a perennially playoff contender. Having a good point guard, is similar to having a good quarterback in the NFL. It is extremely important to have a stable point guard and that is why De’Aaron Fox should be the main focus. Especially if the Knicks can move on from Randle in the process, it would be a good fit and the first step to get the New York Knicks on the right track.

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE

Top International Prospect Signs with the Yankees

Author: Spencer Reyes

Average, everyday fans see superstars like Bryce Harper, Mike Trout, and Aaron Judge compete year after year in the majors, but they often fail to see the progression of these athletes. It all starts in the minor leagues. MiLB provides a way for these athletes to make a name for themselves and set the roots of their professional careers. One of the most overlooked clusters of players are international prospects. They are often signed as young as 15 or 17 years old and play under the ballclub’s international affiliates. Some of the most recent big international stars have been Juan Soto, Vlad Jr., Wander Franco. Some players like Soto were able to rush through the minor league system, but others like Eloy Jimenez and Gleyber Torres had to wait their turn.

Regardless, international prospects are a very underrated way to accrue talent for each ballclub, and the Yankees seem to have struck gold twice in 4 years. Back in 2019, the Yankees went out and picked up the top international prospect known as “the Martian” for $5.1 million. At 18 years old, Dominguez has 56 games under his belt between the FCL Yankees and the Class-A, Tampa Tarpons. He has a career batting average of .252 and has added 19 RBI’s and 5 HRs to his name. The Martian is currently ranked as the 17th prospect in baseball, the 2nd for the Yankees, and 4th for all outfielders. He seems to have the physical capabilities to make it the show and his newfound partner, SS, Roderick Arias has a similar ceiling.

Roderick Arias was signed for $4 million, and he may be the backup to rising shortstop sensation, Anthony Volpe. Arias is 17 years old and although he is 6’2” and weighs only, 178 pounds, he is as swift as they come. He is a switch-hitter and has an excellent arm. If the Yankees farm system seasons him for the right amount of time, Arias has the potential to become the next big New York infield duo with Volpe.

Arias will probably report to the FCL team like Dominguez did in 2019, and hopefully get promoted with ease. This may be the beginning of another influx of successful Yankees minor leaguers.

NFL Divisional Round Outlook and Predictions

Author: Zachary Patlin

The Super Wild Card round of the 2022 season saw a record 6 games over the course of three days. After a very strong performance by the Cincinnati Bengals, defeating the Raiders in the final seconds of the fourth quarter, the rest of the games went just about as expected. Some key takeaways from this past weekend are that Joe Burrow is as good as advertised, the Buffalo Bills may be the most complete team in the entire NFL if their offense is running the way it did, the Cowboys remain the Cowboys, and Mahomes and company are a force to be reckoned with.

All of these storylines from last week's matchups will be in full effect as we move into the divisional round of the 2022 playoffs, where the 4 matchups are all extremely competitive and can go either way. Let us start with the first game of the weekend, the Bengals against the one-seed Titans. The Titans come into the weekend favored by 3.5 points over the Bengals, as Derrick Henry will look to make a return to this potent offense. This game will all come down to which QB will be able to make the big throw in key spots, and even with the run offense of the Titans, I believe Joe Burrow will lead the Bengals to their first AFC championship game since 1988. Final score prediction: 28-24 Bengals.

The nightcap of Saturday’s games is a historic matchup between the 49ers and the Packers at the Frozen Tundra at Lambeau. The Packers were the clear best team in the regular season, however, if there is a formula to beat this team it would be to do exactly what the 49ers do best: rush the passer and dominate on the ground. The 49ers will have to establish the run throughout the entire game in order to keep the ball out of the hands of MVP frontrunner Aaron Rodgers. Also, they must be able to constantly pressure Rodgers. With Warner and Bosa as questionable, the Packers are listed as the 6 point favorites, deservedly so, and will win this game by a one-score margin I believe. Rodgers and Devante Adams and co. will be too much for the Niners to keep up with. Final score prediction: 31-24 Packers.

This brings us to Sunday’s doubleheader of action, featuring two absolute great games on paper. The first game being the Rams, coming off of a dominant performance at home against the Cardinals, against the Buccaneers led by Tom Brady. The Buccaneers were without their top two running backs on Sunday against the Eagles, but were still easily able to establish the run with Bernard and Vaughn. But this matchup will be much tougher for the Bucs, as they lost to the Rams early in the regular season pretty handily. The Rams’ front four is as good as any in all of football, and if they are able to consistently make Brady uncomfortable like they did Kyler, this game should sway heavily in the favor of the Rams. However, if the Bucs are able to mix in the run offense with a quick dink and dump offense that Brady has become so good at, this game will come down to the final possession. With Stafford and Odell proving themselves that they are here to play, and Cooper Kupp being the ultimate team player, the Rams will sneak away with a win this weekend. Prediction: 23-20 Rams.

Lastly, the Sunday night matchup on CBS is the best matchup of the weekend, at least on paper. Two absolute wagons of offenses will face off against one another for the first time since early in the regular season when the Bills steamrolled the Chiefs. This game, however, was not overly relevant to this current matchup because the Chiefs are a completely different team now than they were in this first matchup. Under Steve Spagnuola, the Chiefs have figured out their offense and have become one of the best defensive teams in all of football. However, the Bills were the number one scoring offense in all of football and absolutely dominated the patriots in Buffalo just a short week ago. This matchup between Allen and Mahomes will be one for the ages and I can not wait to see who comes out on top. My prediction: A lower scoring, dogfight of a game, than anticipated. Chiefs 24, Bills 27. This weekend looks to be an incredible slate of football games. Let’s go!

SPORTS ARE OUR UNIVERSE