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New York Knicks: Isaac Okoro’s winning style of play is needed

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There’ve been plenty of draft, trade, and free agency rumors circulating the New York Knicks’ franchise these past couple of days. A ton of things could happen on draft night as well as in free agency. The one thing that’s certain is Isaac Okoro’s winning style of play is needed on a young developing New York Knicks roster.

Isaac Okoro emulates his playing style after players like Jaylen Brown, Andre Iguodala, and Kawhi Leonard. Okoro, praises Kawhi Leonard’s approach to the game during a virtual interview with an NBA analyst.

 

Isaac Okoro was interviewed by NBA Draft analyst Mike Schmitz of ESPN. Mike Schmitz is also a contributor to a private scouting and analytics service by the name of DraftExpress. The two completed a virtual ESPN film session comparing Isaac Okoro’s style to other current and former NBA players.

What would Okoro bring to the New York Knicks? 

The intangibles that Okoro brings to the game on a nightly basis was evident during the entire virtual film session. Okoro’s motor, defense, defensive IQ, finishing ability, and Okoro’s underrated playmaking ability showed that there could be a case made for him to potentially end up being the steal of the 2020 NBA Draft. The prospect out of Auburn has tremendous upside and he’s shown time and time again on the basketball court that he’s a bonafide winner during his freshman year at Auburn.

Tom Thibodeau along with the rest of the current Knicks coaching and developmental staff would be an ideal opportunity for Isaac Okoro. The Knicks staff consist of experienced teachers from the Kenny Paynes’ to the Mike Woodsons’ and Johnny Bryants’. Combine the knowledge of the Knicks’ developmental staff along with Isaac Okoro’s desire to play defense and learn the game, and the potential to become a two-way star for years to come is suddenly a strong possibility.

Overall, The New York Knicks are in a position to select a strong defensive-minded young player filled with potential. The question is whether or not a team selecting before the Knicks will reach for the young talented prospect out of Auburn University.

Miguel Andujar best serves the New York Yankees as a trade piece

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New York Yankees, Miguel Andujar

Now before the Andujar fans start to attack me, let me be clear, I like Miguel Andujar. I would love for the New York Yankees to figure out a way to get his bat into the lineup every single day. He’s a tremendous hitter with such a natural feel when he’s at the plate.

Disregarding his defense, Miguel Andujar is a great baseball player. The problem is that he doesn’t fit in anywhere with the Yankees. It’s not his talent level, and it’s not his inability to be flexible for the team as you saw this year from him trying to play the outfield.

Andujar has done whatever he could to get back on the field with the Yankees. However, there is just no room for him anywhere. Gio Urshela has turned into a star for the Yankees. He’s just as productive at the plate as Andujar, but he combines that with gold glove caliber defense at third.

Andujar tried out left field this year, but Clint Frazier has claimed that spot moving forward. Frazier’s drastic improvement defensively to go along with his great bat have locked up a corner outfield spot for him. We also all know that Giancarlo Stanton has the DH spot locked up for years to come.

What the Yankees should do?

Believe me, it pains me to say it, but the Yankees should really look to move Andujar in the offseason. About a month ago, I wrote asking fans the question on if the Yankees should deal Andujar. The results were pretty split in the comments mainly because of the love for Miggy.

I get it. Andujar became a fan favorite back in 2018 when he came up and shined for the Yankees. That year, Andujar should have won the rookie of the year award in my opinion. However, that honor was given to Shohei Ohtani.

The Yankees are going to be busy this offseason. Priority number one should be locking up DJ LeMahieu. DJ has been the anchor for the Yankees the last couple of years and he’s going to finish in the top four of the MVP voting for the second consecutive year.

Once the Yankees lock up LeMahieu, the infield and the outfield will be set for the future. All of those spots are locked up without Andujar. The focus should then turn to pitching. The Yankees have Masahiro Tanaka, J.A. Happ, and James Paxton all hitting free agency.

The Yankees bullpen has also been shaky at times during this season. If I’m Brian Cashman I’m calling up teams ready to deal Andujar for pitching upgrades. Andujar re-established his value with the way he swung the bat towards the end of this season.

Sure, his value still isn’t as high as it was after 2018, but I don’t think it ever will be. No matter how much it hurts to say it from a fans perspective, the right move would be for the Yankees to trade Miguel Andujar and either bolster their starting rotation or get another solid piece for the back of the bullpen.

New York Yankees: Gerrit Cole and Blake Snell’s thoughts heading into Game One

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After sweeping the Cleveland Indians during the Wild Card Series, the New York Yankees are ready for Game One of the ALDS against the Tampa Bay Rays on Monday night. Sitting on top of the standings at the one seed, the Rays dominated the Yankees during the regular season, beating them eight out of the ten times the teams met.

Tonight, Gerrit Cole and Blake Snell are matched up against each other. Cole held a 2.84 ERA through 12 games started this season and Snell was credited to a 3.24 ERA through 11 games started.

“They’re just a really good ball club all around,” Cole said during a pregame interview. “They take care of the baseball on defense, play good offense, having many different styles on how they play offense. They have a good rotation and a good bullpen.”

Cole commented on because of how the Rays have played this year and the tension between the two teams, he expects there to be high intensity tonight and during the series. “Yeah certainly,” Cole responded when asked about the intensity. “Especially in the postseason. There’s already kind of a baseline of tension and with the history of tension, there’s going to be some people playing on edge.”

Snell had a similar approach to tonight’s game. “I think playing them is just like playing any other team,” Snell said. “It’s a talented team and some people look at it differently, but I just focus on what I can control and what I’m going to be ready for, and that’s their lineup. I’m more excited about that than the ‘he said, she said.’ That doesn’t really bother me.”

The Rays finished first in the AL East during the regular season with a 40-20 record. After starting the season incredibly hot, the New York Yankees faltered for a stretch and fell in the standings, eventually finishing in second place with a 33-27 record. Both teams swept their opponents during the Wild Card round.

Tonight’s game will 8:07 PM in Petco Park, San Diego.

New York Giants: Week three stock report, ups and downs

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New York Giants, Blake Martinez

The New York Giants lost in a blowout fashion on Sunday to the San Francisco 49ers.

It was a game that many in the Giants fans would like to forget as nothing really went right for the team. The final score was 36-9, and much of the game was not even close. The 49ers were able to pick apart the team methodically.

Here’s how this defeat affected the stock of various people inside the Giants organization.

Stock up for the New York Giants

We will start with the very few who actually boosted their status on Sunday.

James Bradberry, CB

The newly signed cornerback once again proved why he is receiving cornerback one money. While he digressed slightly from his league-best week two performance (allowing a few receptions), Bradberry still was able to record three pass deflections and be a tough matchup outside. He is continuing to prove why he is one of the better cornerbacks in the league, and much of this is coming from little to no help from the rest of the secondary.

Blake Martinez, LB

Blake Martinez, another newly signed player, was once again active all over the field. He recorded nine tackles, 2.5 tackles for loss, and one sack. This makes him tied for sixth in the league with 30 total tackles, tied for fifth with five tackles for loss, and tied for 14th with two sacks. He has been another player who has received minimal help from his linebacker teammates but has continued to show out and demonstrate why the Giants signed him.

Logan Ryan, DB

While Logan Ryan played no-where near perfect on Sunday, he once again continued to improve and acclimate himself into this new defense. It is one that he has only had about four weeks to learn. However, he has quickly become one of the better players on this defense, and this showed in week three, where he recorded seven tackles, two pass deflections, and one QB hit.

Dalvin Tomlinson, DT

Dalvin Tomlinson was New York’s highest-graded player by Pro Football Focus in week three’s defeat. His five tackles, two tackles for loss, two QB hits, four QB pressures, and three run stops earned him a grade of 86.4. Tomlinson, now in his fourth year, has continued to develop his game. He is now an elite run stopper and also getting better with his pass-rush, which has lagged behind for some time.

Stock Down

This is heavy. 

There was a lot that went wrong on Sunday, so we might as well just dive right in.

Daniel Jones, QB

The number one player that will be receiving most of the blame is Daniel Jones. On Sunday, Daniel Jones suffered his twelfth loss in just fifteen starts. Jones also recorded his 35th and 36th turnover of his small career. This also marked the sixth turnover committed by Jones this season. Taking care of the ball has clearly been an issue for the sophomore quarterback, and if he is unable to solve this issue, his long-term career with the Giants could be in jeopardy.

Evan Engram, TE

A player that was involved in both of Daniel Jones’ turnovers was Evan Engram. He has constantly been off sync with Jones, and it has resulted in three turnovers so far this season. Engram will need to improve and do what the Giants hoped for him when they picked him in the first round. If not, he may be thrown to the waste side in another rebuild attempt that could happen this offseason.

Offensive Line

The entire offensive line is also a group that should take much of the burden for practically all the losses this season. The unit once again got no push in the run game (Giants’ running backs only rushed for 10 yards) and did not prosper in the passing game as well. Jones was sacked twice and pressured constantly. The pass blocking has been so bad that Daniel Jones has been pressured on over 40-percent of his dropbacks, third-highest in the league.

Darnay Holmes, CB

Moving on to the defensive side of the ball, rookie cornerback had the worst game of his season on Sunday against practically a practice squad offense. The UCLA product was constantly burnt and committed a costly third-and-22 penalty to give San Fran the first down. He proved on Sunday that he is not ready to be an NFL cornerback quite yet.

Devonte Downs, LB

Another player who showed that he should not be out on the field for more than a couple of plays was Devonte Downs. Due to a depleted linebacker core, Downs saw his second career start on Sunday. In this start, he was a constant liability in the run game and did no better in terms of pass coverage. The Giants hoped he could be the linebacker two for this season, but as of now, it is clear that Downs does not have what it takes.

Joe Judge, Head Coach

The final person to blame for the embarrassing week three loss is the head coach, Joe Judge. Even though he clearly does not have the weapons, Judge still recorded the third straight loss of his head coaching career. It is a job that is predicated on winning, and Judge has yet to do this thus far. Things were looking good for him after weeks one and two, but after a blowout loss to a heavily injured team, Judge’s hire will be receiving some backlash. It is important not to jump ship too quickly, as a proper rebuild takes time, but if Judge can not make this team competitive, New York sports fans may get antsy after multiple straight years of losing.

Yankees’ DJ LeMahieu answers his big free agency question

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New York Yankees, DJ LeMahieu

New York Yankees’ slugger DJ LeMahieu made it very obvious that he wants to stay in pinstripes following this season. After Sunday’s loss against the Miami Marlins, LeMahieu said during the postgame interview, “I want to stay here and I’ve said that a few times. You never know how it goes.”

LeMahieu is signed to a 2-year/$24,000,000 contact that will expire after this season. He’ll be an unrestricted free agent for the 2021 season.

Through 49 games, LeMahieu is currently leading all of baseball for the highest batting average where he holds a .359 average. He’s also leading all of baseball in OPS+ at 175. LeMahieu is also in the run for possibly winning his second batting title, where the second closest average is held by Juan Soto at .365.

“If you watch DJ, he’s certainly quiet and business-like, all true. But he’ll show some emotion on the field,” manager Aaron Boone has said about LeMahieu. “I’ve seen a number of times where he’ll come up and he’s pumping his fist. He’s out there to rip your heart out. He plays with an edge, and I think he does love being in this environment.”

“I even said to him maybe before his last at-bat, I’m like, ‘How are you enjoying this environment?’ And he’s like, ‘Yes.’ So, good,” Boone also has said about LeMahieu wanting to stay in New York.

The Yankees will begin their playoff run on Tuesday when they face the Cleveland Indians. The Yankees finished as the fifth overall seed while the Indians are the fourth. Gerrit Cole is expected to start Game One and Shane Bieber will most likely be on the hill for the Indians.

New York Yankees: Probable three-man rotation for postseason

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Despite a 10-2 loss to the Boston Red Sox that night, the New York Yankees clinched another playoff spot when the Seattle Mariners lost to the San Diego Padres. This will be the Yankees’ fourth season in a row heading to the playoffs.

The Yankees rotation this year has been up and down with major inconsistencies. However, there’s a clear three that should be in the three-man rotation for the playoff series.

Gerrit Cole

One of the most obvious ones, Gerrit Cole will be the number one for the playoffs. Having Cole on the mound for three of the four games the Yankees need to win is going to be huge. Cole finished the regular season holding a 7-3 record and a 2.84 ERA. Despite having a three-game layoff where he struggled for a bit, he was dominant in every other start.

Yankee fans should be excited to watch Cole pitch in pinstripes during the postseason this year. He’s consistently been great during the playoffs throughout his career. In seven different series, Cole holds a 2.60 ERA through ten games started.

Masahiro Tanaka

In his final year of the seven-year contract with the Yankees, Masahiro Tanaka had a bit of a rough season. He finished the year with a 3-3 record and held a 3.96 ERA through seven games started. However, Tanaka has always been known to hold it down during the postseason. In eight games started, Tanaka holds a strong 1.76 ERA. He has not allowed more than three earned runs in a single outing during the postseason. His best game during the playoffs was during the 2017 season where he went 7.0 innings against the Astros where he allowed no runs and only three hits.

J.A. Happ

Yankee fans should have more hope in J.A. Happ. He proved during the final few games of the season that he can still hold down a major league lineup. He finished the year with a 2-2 record and a 3.25 ERA. As long as J.A. Happ has his stuff, he’s unhittable.

New York Yankees: Kyle Higashioka or Gary Sanchez in the postseason?

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New York Yankees, Kyle Higashioka

Last night, the New York Yankees duo of Gerrit Cole and Kyle Higashioka continued to do their thing. It’s been noticed that Cole has pitched significantly better when Higashioka is behind the plate as opposed to Gary Sanchez.

So far this year, the Yankees ace had pitched eight games to Gary Sanchez with an ERA approaching four at 3.91. With Higashioka, Cole’s ERA is below one. Cole went 7 strong innings last night again only allowing one run from the Blue Jays in a victory.

I started thinking and looking back over the year. It’s not just Gerrit Cole who has pitched well to Higashioka. When Higashioka is behind the plate, the Yankees starters have pitched to a combine ERA of 2.61 in 14 starts. There is definitely something there with Higashioka.

Aaron Boone was asked about it yesterday and didn’t seem happy about the prospect of the Yankees backup catcher starting with Cole in game one of the playoffs. However, it’s not just about Higashioka catching Cole better, he’s just been better in every area than Gary Sanchez.

The Yankees Dilemma

The Yankees find themselves in an interesting position. Obviously, Higashioka is going to start game one of the playoffs to catch Gerrit Cole. But what about games two and three? Boone said that those would be Sanchez’s games, but are we going to ignore how much better Higgy has been?

Higashioka is hitting .273 this year with 4 home runs and 10 RBIs. He had another big night at the plate last night hitting a two run double that was inches from a home run. Gary Sanchez has been atrocious this year hitting .147.

Yes, Sanchez is supposed to be the Yankees star catcher, but in the postseason, your best team needs to be on the field. The reality is that Kyle Higashioka is better than Gary Sanchez right now. This is not about potential, this about play on the field.

Also, it’s not just about Cole and Higashioka’s relationship. J.A. Happ has pitched a lot better to Higashioka as well. Higashioka was behind the plate for Happ’s eight inning shutout performance against the Red Sox.

I understand where Boone is coming from, but Gary Sanchez hasn’t earned a starting spot this postseason. His offense has been terrible, he’s not been good behind the plate, and Higashioka has been better. He deserves that spot a lot more than Gary Sanchez.

Should the New York Giants try Evan Engram at WR?

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New York Giants, Evan Engram

After his porous Week 1, New York Giants fans are already banging the drum for the team to cut ties with Evan Engram. While the criticism of the 26-year-old is expected and understandable given his play, the Giants would be silly to get rid of him after one very underwhelming performance in his first game back since Week 9 of last season.

However, if Engram’s play Monday night becomes a regular occurrence and more than just a matter of him needing to shake off some rust, it might make sense for the Giants to explore different ways they could utilize his services before they consider moving on from him.

What do I mean by that exactly? Moving him to wide receiver.

Now, before I make a case for the switch, I should make it known that I’m confident Engram will improve and find his footing as the season progresses. He’s too talented, and Jason Garrett’s offense is going to maximize his potential as a tight end. There are ways to scheme around his horrid blocking, and the mismatch he represents at his current position is extremely valuable.

According to reports, Engram generated a lot of hype during training camp and looked very explosive. He quickly caught the eye of head coach Joe Judge, and Judge has not been shy about praising what he’s seen from Engram. Here’s Judge practically gushing about Engram back in August:

“He’s very in-tune, he’s very intelligent, he’s very deliberate about how he works and what he’s focusing on within each period,” Judge said. “I turn his tape on and see him flying around. He’s a fun guy to watch play because he has a lot of ability, but he loves the game, too.”

It’s clear that Judge and the Giants are excited about Engram and the value he brings. They are looking to get him involved a lot, and I doubt one bad game is going to change that. But on the flip side, moving Engram to wide receiver could make sense for multiple reasons. For one, as I mentioned earlier, Engram has never been a good blocker, and that proved to be the case still Monday night.

He’s been trying, so you have to give him credit for that, and he has shown that he is not afraid to get his hands dirty, but throughout training camp, that has been a department where he’s struggled and has just continuously gotten beat my his man. It was no different against Pittsburgh, as there were multiple occurrences where Engram just whiffed completely. The defender lined up against him was able to get past him with ease, causing trouble for Daniel Jones and Saquon Barkley. He was so bad that out of the 64 tight ends that Pro Football Focus graded from Week One, Engram was dead last, being last in run-blocking and second-to-last in pass-blocking.

While there’s always a chance he could improve as a blocker, the likelihood at this point is that he’ll probably always be below average in that area. The Giants can’t keep having him as a blocker, it’s only going to hurt them. Having Engram play most of his snaps on the outside will require him to block a lot less, and when he does, he’ll be facing corners or safeties who he should fare better against than the linebackers and edge rushers he mainly ends up having to block now.

The Giants also have another young tight end, Kaden Smith, who is a very good blocker, so having him replace Engram as the top tight end on the roster would allow Smith do most of the blocking, and that, in turn, would be a better situation for the offense. Levine Toilolo and Eric Tomlinson, the other tight ends on the roster, are also much more capable as blockers than Engram and would be better options as well.

In this scenario, Engram would be able to focus on catching passes, where he’s thrived over his career, and Smith would be able to not only bring a more consistent blocking presence at the line of scrimmage but become more of a focal point in the offense. With his increase in snaps, Smith can build upon the potential he showed as a pass-catcher himself last season.

Additionally, another reason for Engram to make the switch is his height. Standing at 6’3”, Engram has excellent size for the wide receiver position, and the Giants have been needing a big-bodied receiver. Engram has always been a glorified wide receiver, and although he might not get as many mismatches against linebackers as he does currently, he is a good enough route runner with great speed to be able to succeed and make plays on the outside.

Again, I want to reiterate that I only see this as a possible opportunity if Engram continues to struggle in the coming weeks. I still believe he’ll get his act together and improve, and the Giants will definitely still be looking to get him the ball as much as they can. However, this could pose an interesting compromise to trading him or letting him go.

What do you think, Giants fans?

New York Jets Record Predictions for the 2020 season

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New York Jets, Mekhi Becton

We are hours away from New York Jets football. In honor of the season, I have decided to give my official game by game predictions for the Jets season.  I will mark each game with a win or a loss prediction and then, at the end, give my final thoughts on how I predict they finish for the 2020-21 NFL Season.

Week 1: vs. Bills

Then Jets kick off the season in Orchard Park. With Josh Allen gaining new toys this offseason, and Sam Darnold gaining coal, I expect Allen to have success early. Especially after locking down Tre White, this Bills team is riding high, so I’ll say they probably ride out with a W.

PREDICTION: LOSS

Week 2: vs. 49ers

The 49ers have one of the best defensive lines in all of football. You can rebuild any offensive line, but it will be hard for this new one to stop the wrecking crew that San Fran brings. I don’t expect a big offensive game, so the defensive game favors the 49ers immensely.

PREDICTION: LOSS

Week 3: at Colts

The Colts have had an overrated offseason. The defense will take a big step this year, but the offense is not where it needs to be. Pittman and Campbell will have success at some point, but not with Rivers throwing a medicine ball-style pass time and time again. I think the Jets have the edge here.

PREDICTION: WIN

Week 4: vs. Broncos

A few weeks ago, I would have predicted Denver outright. Now, Von Miller is out, and Courtland Sutton is struggling to stay healthy. Without two of their biggest weapons on both sides of the ball, Denver may have a tough day. 

PREDICTION: WIN

Week 5: vs. Cardinals

The Arizona offense is next level. Kingsbury is an underrated leader as a coach, and with all that talent, I expect them to steamroll the Jets.

PREDICTION: LOSS

Week 6: at Chargers

The Chargers will toll in mediocrity this year. Tyrod Taylor is nearly a place holder, and it’s going to take a little for Herbert to be up to par. Tyrod will play well, but I’m going with Gang Green.

PREDICTION: WIN

Week 7: vs. Bills

The Bills sweep the Jets in the season series. The Bills may have some hiccups, but particularly against the Fins and Jets, I expect them to play really good football.

PREDICTION: LOSS

Week 8: at Chiefs

Do I even need to explain this one? 

PREDICTION: LOSS

Week 9: vs. Patriots

Cam Newton has not played too well against Gregg Williams led defenses in the past, and I don’t expect that to let up any time soon. The Jets win a close one against the Pats.

PREDICTION: WIN

Week 10: at Dolphins

Coming off a surprise win, I expect the juices to be flowing, and if the Jets can’t at least win one of the two games, they will be in for a tough AFC East record.

PREDICTION: WIN

Week 11: Bye

Week 12: vs. Dolphins

Coming off a bye, expect Too to debut if he isn’t already. This should be the game a good coach wins, and that’s where Flores outshines Gase.

PREDICTION: LOSS

Week 13: vs. Raiders

The Raiders are a year out from contention. This next offseason needs to be a big one for both the Jets and Vegas to take steps forward. For now, though, the Jets are just a smidge better.

PREDICTION: WIN

Week 14: at Seahawks

The Hawks are my team to watch in the Super Bowl. I expect wild card type noise from Seattle and a deep run, the likes of which the Jets can’t keep up with. 

PREDICTION: LOSS

Week 15: at Rams

The Rams offense is mediocre, but their defense is top-notch. With two of the best in the game, the Rams defense will give Sam nightmares all day long.

PREDICTION: LOSS

Week 16: vs. Browns

Odell likes some weird things, but those won’t help his relationship with Baker. Baker needs to take a big jump, or else the Browns could move on. I think that the Jets’ new brass is devoted to Sam, unlike the Browns to Baker, so I’ll roll with Gang Green to win this one.

PREDICTION: WIN

Week 17: at Patriots

I firmly expect the Pats to be in the playoffs by this point, so this should be a light day for the Pats, which could skew the outcome of this contest.

PREDICTION: WIN

Final record: 8-8

Middle of the road seasons never hurt anyone except the Jets fanbase. This would be significant growth, though, and set the Jets up nicely for a 2021 run at the playoffs.

Yankees’ Jordan Montgomery shows clear frustration being pulled from game, Boone shoves finger in his chest

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New York Yankees, Jordan Montgomery

New York Yankees’ pitcher Jordan Montgomery had just finished a solid outing before manager Aaron Boone seemed to be distressed when pulling him from the game. In 5.2 innings pitched, Montogomery allowed just one run (unearned) on three hits. He fanned nine batters and issued just one walk.

Montgomery was only at 72 pitches when Boone came out to pull him from the game. It looked like Montgomery said something to Boone as he was walking up to the mound and then Boone put his pointer finger on Monty’s chest.

This could have either been a disagreement between Montgomery and Boone on why he’s being pulled from the game, or Boone could have been telling him to keep his head up despite the low pitch count.

Prior to this game, Montgomery was holding a 2-2 record and a 5.72 ERA through seven games started. In his last start, he only lasted 3.2 innings against the Blue Jays and the start prior, he lasted just .2 innings where he allowed four runs on five hits to the Tampa Bay Rays.

Fortunately, the Yankees pulled out the win in the end. Hot-hitting Luke Voit hit a sacrifice fly to centerfield which knocked in DJ LeMahieu for the winning run. The Yankees extended their winning streak to four games in a row and improved their record to 24-21. The Yanks are currently sitting in third place for the AL East, chasing the Toronto Blue Jays and the Tampa Bay Rays. The Baltimore Orioles and the Boston Red Sox are sitting at the bottom of the standings.