Knicks Sign Ronnie Brewer

Today, the Knicks continued there odds and ends reload by signing former Bulls 2 guard Ronnie Brewer. He's 6'7" which is huge for a two with decent O though not a great shooter. He does add another rock solid defender and will probably play a lot in the absence of Iman Shumpert, the Knicks lone young player. This offseason is seeming a little Zekey, though the parts are generally better than what he was bringing in, even if most are old. Still not over the Lin blunder.

Yanks Get Ichiro

Huh. The Yanks just picked up Ichiro and cash for DJ Mitchell and Farquhar. Now I have no idea what Ichiro has left, nor have I ever liked his style of play for a corner guy. That said, he gives us another lefty hitter for the stadium and he can probably still play some D. Not a bad deal, just a surprising one. Go Yanks!

Patient Rangers Get Their Nash

According to multiple sources, the Rangers have acquired Rick Nash from Columbus for a package of Dubinsky, Anisimov, Erixon and a first. With Nash the Rangers also got a 3rd and a minor league Dman whose identity is not yet known. Earlier rumors had Hagelin in the deal, but he apparently is not. I believe this gives the Rangers 4 3rds next year. They'll be able to get back into the first round of the draft if they would like.

This is quite a haul, especially if Hagelin is not in the deal. Dubi and Artie are good players who still have upside and were draft picks who managed to make their way through the system and help the Rangers get better. I will alway appreciate what they meant to us. Erixon had the bloodlines, but Del Zotto really came around this year, and the Rangers remain deep in Dmen.

Rick Nash at this price is a no brainer. I'm interested to see who the minor leaguer is because the Rangers know the minors as well as or better than every other team in hockey.

Now let's see if they also get Doan. Remember, Nash has a big deal, but Dubi going the other way eats up 5M of it. Go Rangers!

UPDATE: The minor league D is Steve Deslisle. The 3rd is conditional and will got back to CBJ if the Rangers make it to the cup finals.

Yanks Draft and IFA Review

Friday marked the deadline for the Yanks to sign their 2012 picks. They were able to sign Ty Hensley (RD1, HS, RHP), Jose Mesa Jr.(RD24, HS, RHP), Jose Diaz (RD29 LHP, HS)Dalton Smith (RD36 HS, C), and Charles Haslup (RD 26, RHP, College) at the deadline. Overall they signed 28 of 41 picks. 10 of the 28 signees were preps, the rest collegians. This reverses the trend we had been seeing before the new rules were put in place, as the Yanks had been singing more and more preps in the last few drafts.

This years preps are;

Ty Hensley RHP

Austin Aune SS/CF

Nathan Mikolas OF

Caleb Frare, LHP

Chris Breen C

Dayton Dawes RHP

Brady, Lail RHP

Jose Mesa Jr. RHP

Jose Diaz LHP

Dalton Smith C

It's a pretty good group, headlined by Hensley who may have top of the rotation stuff, Aune and Jose Mesa Jr. But certainly pitching heavy with some hitting potential. The Yanks weren't able to come to terms with Vincent Jackson or Ty Moore who may have been the two best prep hitters they picked.

On the other hand, in IFA the Yanks big three signings were all hitters: Louis Torrens C, Yancarlos Baez, IF, and Alexander Palma RF. All three look like good hitters and hopefully they'll eventually make up for the lost ability to sign guys like Jackson or Moore. Of course they are two years younger and will probably take a little while longer to shine than a draft pick might. The Yanks have about 6 more moves they can make at the 50K bonus level and an unlimited # they can make at 7500 or below. They've actually had some luck at those levels over the last few years, so who knows what else they got or are getting?

Collegiately, the Yanks added a potentially big bat in Pete O'Brien and a few more interesting hitters in Refnsyder and Butler, but once again the focus was on pitching, especially relievers.

In all, the Yanks did well, and behaved logically. The new rules did; however, cramp their style and as a result fewer hitters will be entering the system they have entered in the last two years. Barring trades, and undrafted college FA's, the amateur signing season is over for the Yanks. If Hensley turns out to be a top of the rotation guy, they had a great year. If not, they'll have to hit on some others.

Knicks Bring Back Thomas and Felton

The Knicks have just completed a sign and trade with Portland, picking up former Knicks Kurt Thomas and Ray Felton for Dan Gadzuric had Jared Jeffries. All night on Twitter it sounded like it was just a Felton deal, that had some thinking that the Lin offer sheet would not be matched. But having Thomas in the deal makes it seem they were just getting their back-up 4 and that Felton, who they always liked was just part of the swap. I suppose it's still possible they won't match the Lin offer sheet, but it would be more in line with h0w stupid they used to be than with how bright they've been lately. I still expect them to match.

Meanwhile, with Thomas, added to Camby and Kidd, the Knicks second unit will be phenomenally old. That said, Thomas, like Camby, can still play a bit, and is someone they've wanted back for a long time. This does look like the end of the road for Jared Jeffries as a Knick -- so the ball can never again end up in his hands when we need a basket. I'm okay with that, though, I am also grateful for the effort he always gave. Happy trails, Jared. NOW MATCH LIN!!!

Knicks Re-Sign JR Smith

Okay, they did it. JR Smith, one of the most talented underachievers in the league will be a Knick for 2 more years for 2.8 per year. He's the kind of guy that was getting full MLE's under the old agreement so this isn't terrible. In fact, if he figures a few things out, this is yet another nice move. We could still use depth at SG and another Big. Go Knicks!

Knicks Get Camby!!!

Nice! At the outset, I really believed this offseason would hinge on the Knicks ability to move Amar'e's deal. It didn't and they've really done a nice job, starting out with the retention of Lin's and Novak's early bird rights, and moving through last week's agreement with Jason Kidd. Today, they took it a step further by re-acquring Marcus Camby in a sign and trade with the Rockets. Now, the Knicks had to give up several of their moveable assets including, Harrelson, Jordan, Douglas, two 2's and cash, but can I get a Thank Goodness on Toney Douglas being gone? We got a real player and still a good player for what was most of our summer league team, plus some worthless 2's and cash. But Camby will be worth it, both backing up Tyson Chandler and spotting Amar'e on defense in tight games.

The Knicks have tried the twin towers concept in the past, first with Webster and Cartwright, then with Ewing and Cartwright, but this alignment puts two great defenders out there, neither of whom needs the ball. It's going to be excellent.

What's more, though the Knicks seemed to throw a lot into this S and T, they didn't throw Gadzuric, Balkman's expiring, the rights to foreign guys or about 1M more bucks in cash. So they could still do another S and T if anything is worth it, or if they can free up their taxpayers MLE by still doing an S and T for Kidd. We'll see. They could probably use another big and another shooting guard. But they have improved their depth immensely. Go Knicks!

Novak Stays Put

Sorry, that I don't have a more recent picture, but Steve Novak has re-signed with the Knicks for what is reported to be a 4 year 15 million dollar deal. This may be a little high, but he will be a moveable piece eventually because he has a marketable skill with his three's. Meanwhile, we're still waiting on Lin and Camby and whatever else they are attempting to do (I know JR Smith, but not sure how I feel about that till I see the deal). Glad to have Novak around and hopefully they will learn a few more ways to spring him for three's. Go Knicks!

Marcus Redux?

It now appears like the Knicks are the frontrunners for former Knick Marcus Camby. Of course, they were considered the frontrunners for Steve Nash a few days ago and now he's a Laker. I really hope this works out because Camby was one of my all time favorite Knicks. He's 38 but still defends, blocks shots and rebounds and can take advantage of a PG who can get him the ball in the right places. In other words, there wouldn't be much falloff per night when Camby is in for 15 minutes or so and Tyson Chandler is sitting. This would make that front line not only formidable, but DEEP. I really hope they can get this done, and one of the reasons the papers are saying it is possible is that the Rockets would rather do an S and T with the Knicks than with the Heat. The Knicks are headed to Texas to meet with Marcus today, so we'll see what happens. Go Knicks!

Actually

Okay, things are getting clearer with the Knicks. Sort of. The Nash deal fell through, but they rebounded nicely by getting a commitment from Jason Kidd. Sure, Kidd is 39, but he is also just the kind of leader the Knicks need and he can mentor Jeremy Lin, who agreed to a 3/4 24/30 offer sheet with the Rockets that the Knicks will match. The Knicks are not sure if they're gonna work out a sign and trade for Kidd or just pay him, but they are also interested in adding Marcus Camby and Randy Foye, so there will have to be an S and T or two, or they won't be able to fit everyone. This really could work out nicely, as just a few years ago Kidd was the PG who helped put the finishing touches on Tyson Chandler and a Dallas championship. Go Knicks!

Rangers Add Taylor Pyatt

No big moves yet, but the Rangers today once again added defensive responsibility and grit by signing well travelled Taylor Pyatt to a two year deal with an AAV of 1.55. They also officially announced their new two way deal with Kris Newberry. Not a flashy move, but another solid one and the fourth line now has plenty of options both on the NHL and AHL levels. He's not a fighter, but he is gritty with good size and will be responsible.

On the other hand, at this rate, the market is running out of grit for them to sign. It's time to add some goals, but let's not blow up the farm!

Really?

So the Knicks still seem to be in it on Steve Nash, even though they would seem too cap strapped to land their #1 target. If they get him it will have to be a sign and trade, and they do actually have some pieces that could turn into a pretty good number for Nash. I don't know if that would include Shumpert or not - which I would be against - but it would be closer to what Toronto can offer, so who knows? The Nets have now requested to meet with Nash tomorrow, which tells me they might be thinking the Knicks are way in it. Looks like the back-up plan would be Felton, who probably played his best ball as a Knick. We'll see what happens, but it's pretty interesting that he hasn't said no yet. Go Knicks!

Rangers Lose Prust/Add Punch

So far in free agency today, the Rangers have resigned Stu Bickel on a one way deal, and Kris Newbury on a two way deal. They have also lost Brandon Prust to the Habs for 4/10M, which they were never going to give him, as well as John Mitchell and Chad Johnson. To replace Prust they have added the thugier Arron Asham, to play the 4th line and former Islander thug seen above pounding on Prust, Michael Haley. They remain loaded for a big piece or two. They apparently have had no contact with Parise, so let's hope they don't blow-up the farm. Go Rangers!