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New York Knicks intrigued by Devin Vassell’s nasty competitive streak

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New York Knicks, Devin Vassell

The New York Knicks are looking forward to the 2020 NBA Draft on November 18th. In the midst of talking to NCAA coaches, assistant coaches, scouts, and so forth, the assistant coach for the Florida State Seminoles by the name of Charlton Young had an interesting viewpoint of Devin Vassell’s overall competitive nature.

FSU’s assistant coach Charlton Young told NBA Insider Ian Begley the following.

When he first came to Florida State, I thought he might be there for three-four years and be a pro,” Young says. “Like, ‘Bambi’s going to get some bucks on his head, and it’s going to be over.’… Exactly what I thought was going to happen, happened. But what I didn’t factor in – he was (a) high-character gym rat.

“His humility was through the roof and all he wanted to do was get better. Everything we told him, he tried to do.

According to Ian Begley, Young was the first coach from a top program to offer Devin Vassell a scholarship. After receiving a heads up from Steve Bouye, the head of Vassell’s AAU team, Charlton Young went to watch the 6’7″ 180lbs forward at a scrimmage. After just a few minutes, he offered Devin Vassell a scholarship. Young immediately knew Vassell was a special talent.

The New York Knicks are intrigued by a worker, not a talker:

Devin Vassell doesn’t use words to win over coaches, scouts, General Managers, and so forth. The young talented forward from FSU attacks his weaknesses vigorously with hard work. The approach to the game and work ethic of the young NBA Draft Lottery candidate is impressive, and it’s also evident in his shooting improvement from the high school level to college.

According to Young, a Devin Vassell shooting video recently surfaced on social media, which had Knick fans panicking, and writing off the young talent was nothing more than Vassell just messing around at the end of a workout. The assistant coach at FSU also went on to say that Vassell didn’t change his form at all.

New York Knicks 2020 Mock Draft (with trades)

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Tyrese Maxey, Knicks

With the 2020 NBA Draft less than a month away, there have been the usual slew of rumors connecting the Knicks to various prospects and speculating what they might do come draft night.

With that being said, I figured I’d join the party with my take on what I think the Knicks might do on November 18.

TRADE: Knicks send pick 8 to the Celtics for picks 14, 26, and Romeo Langford

Marc Berman of the New York Post recently reported that the Knicks might be looking to trade down if prospects like LaMelo Ball and James Wiseman aren’t available at their pick, which is most likely going to be the case. Berman also noted that the Knicks would be looking to acquire another player on his rookie deal while still picking in the lottery.

The trade I have listed above fulfills both of those desires. The Boston Celtics have three first-round picks, and they are probably going to use them in order to trade up into the top 10 and grab a guy they love.

This would be a win-win for both teams, as the Knicks get an extra first that they can pair with the 27th pick to move up, and they also get an intriguing young player in last year’s 14th overall pick Romeo Langford who simply has too many guys ahead of him on the depth chart for him to get any consistent playing time in Boston.

Langford only appeared in 32 games as a rookie with two starts for the Celtics and put together an underwhelming stat line of 2.5 points and 1.3 rebounds while averaging roughly 12 minutes per game. He’s also dealt with a long list of injuries dating back to college, so his health is a legitimate concern that diminishes his trade value.

Nevertheless, he’s a very talented player with a good all-around skill set, and he would be a nice throw-in for the Knicks. Langford would be able to find more playing time in New York, and if he can stay healthy, the Knicks could have themselves another young building block.

Pick 14 (from the Celtics): Tyrese Maxey, G, Kentucky

With the 14th pick in the 2021 NBA Draft, the Knicks select guard Tyrese Maxey from Kentucky. Maxey has been a player that has been linked to the Knicks heavily over the last few months, and he would likely be a player they target if they indeed trade down.

A one-and-done with the Wildcats, Maxey had an inconsistent but promising freshmen year. In 31 games played and 28 starts, Maxey averaged 14 points, 4.3 rebounds, 3.2 assists, and roughly 1 steal in 34.5 minutes per game. His shooting percentages were a bit low, shooting 42.7% from the floor and 29.2% from three, but he has a good offensive skill set and can score from all three levels. He is also a solid defender and plays hard on both ends of the floor.

New York would be a very good landing spot for Maxey, as the Knicks need more scoring, and he would be a nice fit alongside RJ Barrett. The Knicks also have former Kentucky associate head coach Kenny Payne on Tom Thibodeau’s staff, who coached Maxey and has reportedly been praising him in draft discussions.

TRADE: Knicks send picks 26 and 27, 2022 2nd to the Timberwolves for pick 17

Surprise! After collecting another first-round pick from the Celtics, the Knicks package their now back-to-back first-round picks along with their 2022 second-round pick to move back up into the late teens. Leon Rose is not messing around and is willing to move all over the draft board to get his guys.

Pick 17: Kira Lewis Jr., PG, Alabama

You know what they say: speed kills. And the Knicks are getting themselves a lot of that with Kira Lewis Jr.

The 6’3” sophomore point guard had a great second season with Alabama, averaging 18.5 points, 5.2 assists, 4.8 rebounds, and almost 2 steals per game while shooting 46% from the floor and 37% from three. Lewis’s speed and burst allow him to get up and down the court in the blink of an eye and get to the basket quickly and effectively. Lewis also possesses a strong jump shot, a good handle, and a high IQ, and he would be a great pick for the Knicks.

He’s still a little raw, but Lewis has all the tools and is exactly the kind of high-upside prospect who I would love to see new associate head coach Johnnie Bryant work with. Having a speedster like Lewis would do wonders for Barrett and the players around him, as Lewis would draw a lot of defensive attention and maximize open looks for others.

If Lewis is able to be properly developed and reaches his full potential, the Knicks very well could have found themselves their franchise point guard and a huge steal outside of the lottery.

Pick 38: Isaiah Joe, G, Arkansas

To close out the draft, the Knicks add more shooting with Isaiah Joe out of Arkansas.

The 6’5” guard, while erratic at times, was a great shooter from all areas of the floor over his two seasons with the Razorbacks. He has a very smooth stroke and was effective finishing around the basket as well. He averaged 15.2 points, 3.4 rebounds, 1.7 assists, and 1.5 steals over his two collegiate seasons.

Joe is pretty raw and needs to develop a stronger shot selection and improved decision-making, but the talent and upside is there both offensively and defensively. He can end up being a valuable role player for the Knicks down the line if he’s able to tighten up some of the loose ends to his game.

The Knicks were one of the league’s worst shooting teams last season, so they need to add as many scorers as possible. These three draft picks provide exactly that with the potential for much more. This would be a very promising first draft class for Leon Rose, and the new front office, one that should have Knicks fans very excited and could go a long way in getting the team closer to basketball relevance once again.

Yankees’ Domingo German fires back at Marcus Stroman’s twitter tirade over starting pitching rotation

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New York Yankees, New York Mets, Marcus Stroman

New York Yankees’ starting pitcher Domingo German had a few words for Marcus Stroman following his words on Twitter about the Yankee pitching rotation. Currently a free agent, Stroman replied to Barstool Sports’ Journalist Jared Carrabis saying that the Yankees are currently in a drought and they should be winning World Series’ “left and right” with their current payroll.

An Instagram account (@yankeesavenue) made a post following this tweet with a photo of Luis Severino who is supposed to return for next season after undergoing Tommy John surgery and missing all of the 2020 season, hinting that the Yankees still have Sevy.

German commented on this photo, “talking sh*t coño.” If you’re unaware of what that word means, it’s time to check out a translater for a good laugh.

Despite this short social media tirade, Stroman did pay respect to Luis Severino saying via a tweet, “Forgot about Sevy! When he’s healthy, he’s unreal. One of my favorites to watch. Cole and Severino. There’s still 3 spots in that staff that need help! Am I wrong? Lol.”

Stroman also mentioned that even though he wasn’t trying to knock the Yankees and he was just simply sharing his thoughts, he said that he’s open to competing anywhere. In a replied tweet Stroman said, “I don’t hold grudges ever. I’m open to compete wherever next year. Excited to see how free agency plays out!” and “I’m open to competing wherever my man! That’s including the Mets and Yankees!”

After electing to not play during the 2020 season after suffering a calf injury, Stroman’s contract with the New York Mets has expired and he’s now an unrestricted free agent. The Yankees currently are looking to possibly add one more solid starter to the rotation and it’ll be interesting to see if this small knock on the Yanks will affect that.

The New York Giants need to be sellers at the trade deadline and nothing else

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New York Giants, Dave Gettleman

The Nov. 3 NFL trade deadline is quickly approaching, and the New York Giants find themselves in an interesting dilemma.

They aren’t a playoff-caliber team, not by a long shot, and yet they are still firmly in the race for the NFC East division title despite sitting at 1-5 on the season. Coming off a close win against the Washington Football Team last week, if the Giants win their second divisional game in a row Thursday night against the Eagles, they would be tied for first place in the division.

Getting a win on Thursday, however, could be potentially dangerous for the Giants. Not to say winning is bad, but the Giants being right in the thick of the NFC East race might prompt general manager Dave Gettleman to try and make a move to acquire a player at the trade deadline in an effort to win the division. That is the opposite of what the Giants should be doing, as they are a rebuilding team who needs to acquire more draft capital by giving away players, not the other way around.

Gettleman is widely expected to be let go after the season, according to ESPN’s Dan Graziano, and this could force him to go into desperation mode at the deadline. But, the reality is this team is nowhere near in position to be giving up more draft picks and future assets because they aren’t a win-now team, no matter where they are in the divisional standings.

The Giants only have five picks in the 2021 NFL Draft as is, after giving up a 5th in the Leonard Williams trade last year and a 7th for cornerback Isaac Yiadom right before the season started. The last thing they can afford is having even less draft picks to work with for this draft and potentially beyond, especially if there’s going to be a new general manager calling the shots.

There have been some players around the league rumored to be potential trade targets who could help the Giants, such as Cincinnati Bengals speedy wide receiver John Ross. The former first-round pick could provide a much-needed boost for the Giants lackluster passing game and give Jason Garrett an intriguing down-field threat to work with.

But, no matter who may be available via trade, the Giants need to resist the temptation and look at the big picture. Making a move at the deadline that would possibly help the team in the short-term would handicap them in the long-term, and that’s what this team should be focusing on. Is it really worth it for the Giants bring in a player who gets them to maybe 6-7 wins at best and buys them a first-round exit in the playoffs? Not only that but by winning the division, the Giants would have a late first-round pick and miss out on a lot of the top draft prospects, which would be a nightmare scenario.

The Giants need to be looking at players on their roster who they can potentially move for any semblance of value. Some possible options include wide receivers Golden Tate and Sterling Shepard, and outside linebacker Markus Golden. If they can draft picks for any one of those players, they need to pull the trigger and stock up for the future.

With Gettleman seemingly on his way out, Joe Judge and the Giants need to stop Gettleman from giving in and making another Leonard Williams-type trade in a last-ditch effort to try and save his job. This team needs to be focusing on building for the future, getting any value they can for expendable players who aren’t part of the long-term plan, and developing the young players they have on the roster currently.

Therefore, the Giants need to be sellers this trade deadline rather than buyers because the only thing they would be buying themselves is another ticket on the same carousel they’ve been riding since 2011.

3 free agents the Yankees should consider in 2021 offseason

by
trevor bauer, New York Yankees

After having a huge offseason last year when they snagged Gerrit Cole off the free-agent list, the New York Yankees have found themselves still having similar problems to last year’s roster. One of the main issues is pitching along with defensive adjustments. Here are three free agents the Yankees’ front office should consider when looking to fill these holes.

Trevor Bauer

One of the more obvious ones that come to the minds of Yankee fans, Trevor Bauer would be a great fit in the Yankee rotation. With the possibility of Domingo German and Masahiro Tanaka possibly not coming back next season, having Bauer and Cole as a 1A and 1B type situation would be huge for the team. That’s exactly what both 2020 World Series team have right now. The Dodgers have Clayton Kershaw and Walker Buehler and the Rays have Tyler Glasnow and Blake Snell.

After having a dominant season and proving to be the best pitcher in the National League by far, Trevor Bauer is most likely going to win the NL Cy Young award. Because of this, he’s also probably looking to get paid this offseason. Luckily for him, the Yankees have money. There’s only one concern when it comes to Bauer wearing pinstripes: he and Cole apparently don’t along which has stemmed from when they were teammates at UCLA. However, if they got along at UCLA, they can figure it out in the Bronx too.

J.T. Realmuto

This is one of the more unlikely signings for the Yankees, however, J.T. Realmuto has proven himself to be a top-three catcher in all of baseball especially for his defense. Gary Sanchez has proven for a few years now that all he can do is hit and is clearly a defensive liability behind the plate. Yankee fans saw this when they had to start back up catcher Kyle Higashioka during the ALDS against the Rays.

Realmuto is a two-time all-star and has won two silver slugger awards in the last three years. The reason why this pickup is unlikely for the Yankees is that they already have Sanchez and Higashioka and the Phillies are also probably going to try to resign him for some good money. It’ll be interesting to see where he lands up, but the Yankees should definitely keep their options open.

Marcus Stroman

Despite not playing during the 2020 season because of a calf injury, Marcus Stroman has proven himself to be a dominant starter and a premier pitcher in the league. He also fits in well in the Yankee rotation, being an extremely solid two or three depending on if Luis Severino returns.

Stroman holds a career 3.76 ERA and because of his prior two teams (Blue Jays and Mets), his record from last season doesn’t give him justice. With the Yankee run support, Stroman’s stuff will play in the Bronx. The Yankees should definitely keep him an option judging that every other team is probably going to shop Bauer hard.

New York Yankees: Possible landing spots for Masahiro Tanaka during his free agency

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New York Yankees, Masahiro Tanaka

New York Yankees’ right-hander Masahiro Tanaka just completed his seven-year contract with the club and is now an unrestricted free agent. Throughout those seven years, Tanaka has been solid for the Yankees, especially in the postseason. However, it’ll be interesting to see what his next contract will look like.

It was reported that the Rakuten Golden Eagles from Nippon Professional Baseball’s Pacific League in Japan are considering to offer Tanaka a considerable amount of money to come back to Japan to play ball. The club reportedly is offering anywhere from $20-25 million a year. The length of this contract is currently unknown. Tanaka has already spent some time for the Golden Eagles, playing seven years with them before coming to the New York Yankees.

As for the Yankees, their highest priority is making sure batting title winner DJ LeMahieu resigns with the team. Due to LeMahieu’s extremely successful two seasons in pinstripes, the Yankees definitely know he is looking to get paid this offseason. This could get in the way of Tanaka’s contract though. A contract between $30-40 million for three to five years is realistic, and that saves the Yanks some money and gets a few more years out of a starter who still has more left in the tank.

Other teams that need starting pitching that could possibly go after Tanaka are the Red Sox, Orioles, Giants, and Blue Jays.

The Yankees will probably extend an offer to Tanaka because of his success over the last several years. Although, they know that because of his age he’s looking for some length. There’s also the concern with injury since Tanaka has had UCL trouble over the past few years.

It’ll be interesting to see where Tanaka ends up this offseason and what contracts he is offered. The Yankees and the rest of the MLB know that he still has some gas left and can be a quality starting pitcher somewhere.

New York Yankees: What’s a realistic contract offer that could bring back DJ LeMahieu?

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New York Yankees, DJ LeMahieu

New York Yankees’ slugger DJ LeMahieu just completed his two-year contract with the club and is now a free agent. In those two years, LeMahieu picked up a batting title, was an all-star, and won a silver slugger award. He also led all of Major League Baseball this year in batting average, on-base percentage, OPS, and OPS+.

Yankee fans are begging the Yankee front office that they resign LeMahieu at whatever price he asks for. However, the Yankees definitely lost money this year since they have such a big payroll and there were no fans. So it’ll be interesting what they offer LeMahieu especially when he is going to get significant offers after having two great back-to-back seasons.

LeMahieu’s previous contract with the Yankees was for two-years, $24,000,000 million. He is now 32 years old and is probably looking for some length in his next contract, and I’m sure the Yankee front office is aware of that. So a realistic contract I could see the Yankees offering is anywhere between four to six years for around $80-120 million.

Luckily for the New York Yankees, they may be able to find a bargain with LeMahieu. It’s no surprise that LeMahieu wants to be on a good ballclub that has postseason potential every year, which the Yankees offer. LeMahieu has also made it quite obvious that he wants to remain in pinstripes. Earlier this year he said, “I want to stay here. I’ve said that a few times. You never know how it goes. I thought I was going to stay in Colorado and I didn’t. So, obviously, I’m hoping to be back here. You just never know how it goes.”

It’ll be interesting to see how the LeMahieu free agency will play out. Other teams are definitely going to be pursuing him so it’ll fun to watch where he lands up.

New York Yankees: Is it finally time to let Brett Gardner go?

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New York Yankees, Brett Gardner

New York Yankees’ center-fielder Brett Gardner has spent 13 years with the Yankees and has been with the club for his entire career. The Yankees signed him to a one-year, $12.5 million dollar contract for the 2020 season and he is now a free agent this offseason. The question is, do the Yankees resign the MLB and Yankee veteran back?

Brett Gardner was the last player on the roster this season that was apart of the 2009 World Series championship team. He’s known to be a great leader in the clubhouse and a role model for younger players. Gardner has been willing to do whatever the Yankees asked of him throughout his career in pinstripes and he always played his heart out.

However, it’s time that the Yankees realize the younger talent on their roster and let Brett Gardner walk during his free agency. It became obvious that Clint Frazier is ready to take a full role on the MLB roster and to get a ton of playing time. Left-handed Mike Tauchman, as well. The team already has established superstars such as Aaron Judge, Giancarlo Stanton, and Aaron Hicks that should be the regular starting three in the outfield. Of course, the injury concern always comes into mind when talking about these three, but that’s where Tauchman and Frazier would cover.

Garnder hit .223 in 29 games this season while slugging five homers. The previous year Gardner hit a career-high 28 home runs and held a .251 batting average. He is 37-years-old and is at the end of his career. That’s not to say that he won’t find himself in a one or two-year deal over the offseason, but I think the Yankees and other clubs know Gardner’s career is coming close to an end.

It’s the same idea with Didi Gregorius last offseason. The Yankees knew that young slugger Gleyber Torres was the future shortstop of the franchise and let Gregorius walk during his free agency. Even though all Yankee fans loved Gregorius, it was realistic to let him go. The same goes for Gardy. New York Yankees fans across the board love him, but realistically looking at it, it’s time to let him go

Yankees’ Masahiro Tanaka could leave MLB after end to 2020 season

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New York Yankees, Masahiro Tanaka

New York Yankees‘ right-handed pitcher Masahiro Tanaka reportedly may leave Major League Baseball to return to the Japan league. The 31-year-old is a free agent this offseason and the Rakuten Golden Eagles may have the best offer for him. According to several reports, the club is offering between $20-25 million per year. The length of the contract is unknown. The contract would also be a major record for a contract in Nippon Professional Baseball.

Tanaka has already played for the Golden Eagles from 2007 to 2013 before he signed his seven-year, $155 million dollar contract with the Yankees that expired this year. In 2013 with the Golden Eagles, Tanaka had a tremendous year where he held a 24-0 record and 1.27 ERA.

Tanaka is definitely going to pick up some major looks this offseason because of his free agency, and because of the interests from the Golden Eagles, it will only give Tanaka more attention during the winter.

After seven years with the Yankees, Tanaka held an overall 78-46 record and a career 3.74 ERA. Throughout a total of 1054.1 innings pitched for the Yankees, Tanaka fanned 991 batters. Except for this season, Tanaka was known for his dominance in the postseason, being a big reason that the Yankees did well in 2017 and 2019.

Despite having a heartbreaking ending to a solid seven-year career with the Yankees, Tanaka will definitely have his options this offseason. There are numerous teams (still including the Yankees) that are in desperate need of quality starting pitching. Other big free agents this offseason are Trevor Bauer, Marcus Stroman, Mike Minor, and Jake Odorizzi. Even though this free-agent class is not as special as last year’s, it’ll be interesting to see where some of the big names end up.

New York Yankees: Poor pitching decisions allowed Rays back into series

by
New York Yankees, Aaron Boone

The New York Yankees dropped Game Two of the ALDS yesterday to the Tampa Bay Rays in a 7-5 loss. After announcing that 21-year-old young star Deivi Garcia would be starting the game, the Yankees pulled him after just one inning. Granted, Garcia is young and he allowed a home run in that one inning of work, but it was completely unnecessary to pull him after just one inning.

The Yankees utilized the “opener” strategy yesterday, which is used for teams that don’t have many quality starting pitchers. That’s where the Yankees went wrong. Although he is young, Garcia is one of the top prospects in baseball and any of the 29 other teams would trade their top prospect for him. So even though he’s not an established pitcher in the big leagues yet, letting him go only one inning was not a good move.

The opener move by the Yankees almost looked like a “panic” move, as YES Network broadcaster Michael Kay described it. The Yankees have now put themselves in a position where for Game Four (which there definitely will be) Jordan Montgomery is lined up for that start. The Yankees took a gable with the opener move and it blew up in the faces. That was one of the main reasons why they dropped Game Two.

The only good that came from Game Two was that the bullpen was able to rest. Except for Ottovino, all high-leverage guys were not used. Chapman, Green, and Britton did not pitch so they are all on a day’s rest.

Tonight’s game is huge for the Yankees and Tanaka needs to pitch well. The first pitch is at 7:10 PM at Petco Park.