Sanchez Strikes it Rich

This might just say it all.....Mark Sanchez will be making two million dollars more than Aaron Rodgers next season.  The Jets extended Mark Sanchez's contract three more years.  The total deal comes out to be five years, $58.25 million.  The deal includes $20.5 million in guarantees in 2012 and 2013.  It includes $40.5 million in "new" money and Sanchez can make an additional $10 million in escalators.  The deal gives Sanchez the seventh highest overall contract amongst NFL quarterbacks.  This obviously bows the Jets out of the Peyton Manning sweepstakes as well as Manning had no desire to play for the Jets.

Jets fans are sitting around scratching their heads wondering why GM Mike Tannenbaum is throwing more money at Sanchez, who looked to have regressed as an NFL quarterback last season.  The Jets did not beat one team that finished over .500 the entire season.  After going 8-5, Sanchez and the Jets lost their final three games to finish with an 8-8 record and missing out on the playoffs.  Sanchez was hard to watch throwing seven picks in the final three games as the Jets saw their playoff hopes fade away. 

Sanchez did have a good start to his career leading the Jets to two consecutive AFC Championships.  Sanchez did have a tremendous defense and running game as well those first two seasons.  Sanchez was extremely clutch in the playoffs both seasons playing mistake-free football and nearly getting the Jets to the Super Bowl.  Many thought that Sanchez would continue to improve this season, but he seemed to have gotten worse and faced much scrutiny from the media.  

In all fairness to Sanchez, the Jets did not have as good of a supporting cast as Sanchez had the prior two seasons.  The Jets defense clearly was nowhere near what it was the prior two seasons.  The offensive line also was extremely disappointing this season and injuries troubled the Jets as well.  The Jets defense struggled mightily forcing nearly no pressure on the quarterback after losing defensive end Shaun Ellis to the Patriots in the offseason.  The offense was forced to do more than it had to in their two seasons making the AFC Championship game.  

There are many Jets fans who are frustrated right now.  Jets fans need to realize that there are bright spots to look forward to.  Yes, the Jets may have overpaid a guy who struggled last season, BUT they did free up over six million dollars in cap space for 2012 from this deal.  Also, they will have a fresh start and a new playbook offensively as Brian Schottenheimer will not be back next season.  Schottenheimer was very conservative with his play calling at times and in the matchup against the Giants had Sanchez throwing an astounding 64 times.  A new season and a new playbook and some time to develop in the offseason will be pivotal for Sanchez in getting better and helping the Jets get back to the playoffs again.  

There has been a lot of ups and a lot of downs with Mark Sanchez under center.  Jets fans need to take a deep breathe and give Sanchez a chance next season.  The Jets have some cap room and will make this team better any way they can, especially on that defensive line as well as the offensive line.  Tannenbaum, Woody Johnson, and company believe in Sanchez.  Jets fans need to have some hope and confidence as Sanchez will be under center for at least the next couple of seasons.  

Nets Should Be in Desperation Mode

The NBA Trade Deadline is just 12 days away.  Rumors have been circulating around several players with the big name being the best center in the NBA, Dwight Howard.  The soon to be Brooklyn Nets are sitting in a tough situation right now.  Their star point guard Deron Williams will be a free agent this summer.  The only way Williams stays as a Net is if GM Billy King can bring in another star such as Howard.  Besides Williams, currently the Nets have one of the worst rosters in the league as their 11-26 record shows.  The Nets have got to be in desperation mode as the trade deadline is under two weeks away.

The Nets have the possibility of losing out on the chance at Williams and Howard if King and company do not become aggressive in the chase for the star center Howard.  The Nets do have a shot this summer as well at Howard as he becomes a free agent, but many teams are going to be in the market for the superstar who is averaging an astounding 20 points and 15 rebounds a game. 

The Nets got their center, Brook Lopez back just in time from injury to audition him for a trade.  The Nets have the pieces to move to get Howard.  The question is if they want to pull the trigger and if the Magic would be willing to deal Howard before free agency.  The trade package would most likely build around Lopez and possibly rookie Marshon Brooks who has had a surprising and overlooked rookie season.  The Nets have one of the better deals that could be put in place for "D12" as Lopez is still young and continuing to get better and Brooks is just a rookie.  

If the Nets want to sell tickets and bring in new fans into their new Brooklyn arena next season, they are going to need to get in the driver's seat and make a push for Howard.  If they can get a deal done before the March 15th deadline, they would sign Howard to an extension and most likely be able to sign Williams to an extension as well.

The Nets could possibly have one of the best point guards and the best center in the same lineup opening up the Barclays Center this fall.  That would not be a bad way to start off the franchise in their new dwellings.  If the Nets cannot trade for Howard in these next 12 days, their last hope would be to sign him as a free agent this summer.  As we all know from the past (cough cough Lebron James), that is not always the best option.

Baron Davis Thriving in New Role

For his entire career, Baron Davis has been more of a scorer and a bit of a selfish player.  He is used to taking a good amount of shots per game and throwing up threes from different area codes.  As a Knick, Davis has a new role, and so far since returning from injury, he has thrived at it.  Davis is now looked at as the guy to come in and distribute the rock when Jeremy Lin gets rest.  He knows that the Knicks have so many threats and he has been finding them all.  Davis does not come in and play with an ordinary group of bench players.  The Knicks have one of the best benches in the league.

Davis has guys like Steve Novak, J.R. Smith, and Iman Shumpert he can get the ball to off the bench who are all guys who can knock down shots.  As seen last night, Novak was draining threes from all over the place.  Novak made clutch three after clutch three in the fourth quarter helping put the game away in a 120-103 win against the Cavaliers.  Shumpert and Smith are guys who can also finish big close to the hoop.  They were the recipients of a couple of dazzling alley oops courtesy of Davis as well as Lin.

 The key to the Knicks success off the bench all starts with number 85.  Davis has changed his game up in a way that has made the Knicks extremely successful.  He knows he does not need to put up many shots for them to be successful.  He just needs to continue to be a catalyst and find the open guys because someone is going to knock down the shot or get a tremendous pass inside for an easy finish.  Davis was even finding Jared Jeffries for easy finishes last night.  Jeffries is more known for his defensive abilities.  Davis found him a couple of times last night for easy finishes making it look easy.  Lots of credit has got to go to Baron for the Knicks superb bench play over the month of February.

This Could Be the Knicks Year

Since Jeremy Lin's emergence on February 4th against the Nets, the Knicks have turned into an entirely different team.  They are playing with much more energy and playing team basketball.  Now, everything is starting to come into place.  The Knicks are getting healthy and are starting to get everyone back.  Sunday, the Knicks proved that.  J.R. Smith made his Knicks debut Sunday against the Mavericks scoring 15 points.

Tonight, against the Nets, the Knicks should get back Carmelo Anthony.  Also, Baron Davis will be in uniform ready to play.  The Knicks are getting everyone back just in time.  With these new additions, the Knicks are undoubtedly one of the deepest teams in the league.  They have Lin, Landry Fields, J.R. Smith, Baron Davis, and Iman Shumpert as their guards.  There are not many teams that are that deep in the backcourt.  They have Anthony, Stoudemire, discount double check Novak, and Bill Walker at forwards and Tyson Chandler and Jared Jeffries as centers.  They are still missing Josh Harrelson, who has been out with an injury.

The Knicks have all the weapons in place to make a deep playoff run this year with the way they are playing.  They hope to continue the Lin-credible team play with the return of Anthony tonight.  They also hope for some solid bench production from Baron Davis, who has been sidelined all season due to injury.

Yesterday afternoon at Madison Square Garden was a playoff atmosphere.  MSG has not had this much excitement and hype in too long.  Knicks tickets have skyrocketed from what used to be an easy $50 ticket on game day to $200 and above.  I think most Knicks fans will take the continued success over cheaper tickets.  It has been a LONG time since the Knickerbockers were as fun to watch as they are now.  Lin-sanity has truly created an atmosphere that has Knicks fans feeling nostalgic.

This roster is built to win.  They have had superb bench production from guys like Novak as seen yesterday making clutch three pointers in the fourth quarter that helped put the game away.  Jared Jeffries has come in and played hard-nosed basketball drawing charges, grabbing rebounds, and even scoring a little.  J.R. Smith is another shooter the Knicks have to come off the bench and drain a clutch three pointer.  Every night, the story continues.  After an 8-15 start, this team has turned into a completely different team.  This could just be the Knicks year to make that run for an NBA Championship.  The Lin-probable run continues tonight at the Garden.

The New Look Knicks

The Knicks have become an entirely different team than the team we saw just seven games ago when they were an abysmal 8-15.  They were a couple losses away from Mike D'Antoni being jobless, Jeremy Lin being cut, and Carmelo Anthony banging himself up even more.  The Knicks were being led by a banged up Anthony and a struggling Amare Stoudemire.  Two men were attempting to carry the team on their backs.  It just could not be done.  They needed a change.  That's when the Knickerbockers would make a Lin-probable return to winning basketball and an excitement in New York that we have not seen since the days of Patrick Ewing, Allan Houston, and Latrell Sprewell.

The Knicks are now at .500 at 15-15 and in the thick of the playoff race securing the eight seed in the Eastern Conference right now.  Lin has helped lead the Knicks putting up unbelievable numbers.  Lin has scored at least 20 points in six of the seven games and has had at least seven assists in every game.  Three of the games he has recorded a double double.  Lin dropped 38 points against Kobe Bryant and the Lakers in front of a packed Madison Square Garden without Stoudemire and Anthony.  It has been a story that has gotten Lin several endorsement offers and the financial assets to move him off his brother's couch and into his own place.  Lin has thrived even with all the attention he has received.

When everyone thought the Lin-sanity would take a halt for a game against the Raptors in Toronto, Lin scored six points in the final minute including a game winning three pointer with less than a second to go.

This story has been one of the most inspiring stories and one that has Knicks fans believing in a championship this season.  Just today, the Knicks signed J.R. Smith hoping he can add some depth from the shooting guard position.  When Smith is on, he is an explosive scorer.  Him and Anthony played together in Denver as well.  The Knicks have a potential starting lineup of Jeremy Lin, J.R. Smith, Carmelo Anthony, Amare Stoudemire, and Tyson Chandler.  That is arguably the best lineup in the NBA.

The question is whether Anthony will be able to co-exist with Lin and the rest of the team.  Melo will have to do a lot more passing and less shooting.  This Knicks team has thrived moving the ball and getting everyone involved.  They have gotten great bench play from Steve Novak as well as Jared Jeffries and Bill Walker.  The team has played superb team basketball since Anthony has been out.  The Knicks need Anthony to return, be healthy, and move the ball with this new look team.  If this team can co-exist and continue their unselfish play, we might just see a deep playoff run and MSG rocking come late May for the first time in over a decade.

Lin-Credible

One man has single handedly saved the job of head coach Mike D'Antoni.  Carmelo Anthony you say? Amare Stoudemire you say? Maybe Tyson Chandler? Nope. Jeremy Lin.

Since Jeremy Lin has taken over as the Knicks starting point guard the Knickerbockers are 5-0.  They have beaten the Nets, Jazz, Wizards, Lakers, and the Timberwolves.  All of New York has been going absolutely Lin-sane as Lin has been the biggest contributor for the Knicks since the Harvard graduate got a chance to get key minutes.  Lin's most dazzling performance came on the biggest stage.  Lin dropped 38 points on a Friday night at Madison Square Garden on ESPN against the almighty Lakers.  The spotlight does not get much bigger than that. (in the regular season at least)  The second year point guard put on a show against future hall of famer Kobe Bryant.  Lin, who did not play much for the Warriors and was cut by the Rockets in December is finally getting his chance to shine in New York.  In just five games he has Knicks fans on the edge of excitement for the first time this season.  Until Lin's surgence the Knicks were playing bad basketball.  They were 8-15 coming into last Saturday night against the Nets when the Knicks would make a Lin-probable comeback.  The Knicks now are the eight seed in the east taking a leap in the standings since their abysmal start.

The Knicks have played much improved team basketball with the absences of Stoudemire and Anthony.  Stoudemire will return to action Tuesday against the Raptors following his absence due to the loss of his brother.  The Lin story has truly been one that has millions of people going Lin-sane.  The Knicks are back to being the fun team to watch as Lin's thrilling play has had MSG ticket prices through the roof of late.  If the Knicks can continue to play good team basketball when Stoudemire returns and Anthony eventually returns, this team might just be a force to be reckoned with come playoff time in the eastern conference.

Jets Playoff Hopes Still Alive

The Jets season has come down to a game by game scenario.  Each and every game has their playoff hopes  on the line. The Jets control their own destiny the rest of their way as of right now.  They hold the six seed in the AFC playoff race.  The problem is the tie breakers are not in their favor.  The easy way in for the Jets would be to win their last three games and finish the season 11-5.  That would give them the six seed and a chance to make a playoff run like they have the past two seasons.  The problem is that the Jets have to play on the road against a talented Eagles team, home against a Giants team with all the motivation in the world, and on the road against a Dolphins team who loves to play spoiler against the Jets in the last week of the season. (cough cough Brett Favre days)  It is not going to be an easy road for Gang Green, but if they keep playing the style of football we have seen the last couple weeks out of them, the Jets look like they can be a team to be reckoned with come January.

End of an Era in Queens

Since 2005, Mets fans have been used to seeing the same man run out to shortstop every day.  They have been used to seeing the same guy go diving into second base safely on a steal.  They have seen the same guy round second and head for third for a triple a dozen plus times a year.  They have been used to the same guy being called at the top of the lineup every day.  They have been used to the same man teach them new Spanish words every home game.  Now, yet another man will be taking his talents to south beach.

Jose Reyes will now be a member of the Miami Marlins.  Reyes signed a 6 year, $106 million deal on Sunday night.  The deal includes a $22 million option for a seventh year.  Reyes will leave the Mets for the team that looks to have a lot of promise in the future.  The Marlins have already signed closer Heath Bell.  They have been in contact with Albert Pujols and are prepared to make a huge offer.  Also, they are going to be looking for a starting pitcher, with Mark Buehrle being a definite option.  Not to mention, they have a brand new stadium next season and have changed their name from the Florida Marlins to the Miami Marlins.  This move obviously changes the Mets team completely as well as the National League East.  The Phillies, Braves, and Marlins are now looked at as the major contenders in the NL East while the Nationals and Mets seem to be on the outside looking in.

Mets fans saw it coming.  They knew there was no way the Mets could bring an offer higher to the table than what the Marlins brought.  The Mets just do not have the financial room to keep Reyes and then add more pieces, which they clearly need after having an extremely disappointing last couple of seasons at Citi Field.  Losing Reyes completely changes up everything in Queens.  It ends an era of one of the most exciting players we have ever seen in baseball.  Reyes was exuberant on the field and a one of a kind type player.  From his stolen bases to his triples to his flashy fielding, Reyes will be missed in every sense of the word.  Taking over for Reyes as shortstop will be 22 year old, Ruben Tejada.  Tejada got a good amount of playing time last season playing in 96 games and batting .284.  For Mets fans, it will never be the same.  Reyes is a guy that you do not see everyday.  He is a special player and a guy who changes the face of the team.  Tejada will not be that guy and still is developing as a player.  The Mets lose a leadoff hitter, a leader, and an all star and replace him with a bottom of the lineup type hitter who is solid defensively.  The Mets will learn in the coming seasons that nobody can replace what they had in Reyes and it is a tough road ahead for the Mets, who seem to be in a rebuilding mode.

For at least the next six years, Mets fans will now have to watch Reyes compete against them 18 times a year.  Fans have to see Reyes run out to shortstop nine times a year at Citi Field….in a Miami Marlins uniform.  For nine times a year, the first pitch at Citi Field will be made to Reyes.  It is going to be a bizarre feeling for Met fans.  It is a tough loss for the Mets to swallow, but it is time for the Mets to move on and try and build pieces to somehow replace one of the best shortstops of our era.