Ranger Plans for FA

I actually have no idea what the Rangers plans for FA are, but here's what I think they should do.   First, unless they can trade a big contract, be that Nash, Staal or St. Louis, I don't they should go after any outside FA's.  It's a bad class, and the only value in it is Stastny and as such he will get crazy money.   Instead they should sit tight, lock up their RFA's and let most, if not all of their FA's go.  I wouldn't mind keeping Dom Moore, and Dan Carcillo, but the rest will be overpaid by some team, and it should not be the Rangers.  Though in any event, I expect them to hire a thug as soon as the market opens.

Instead, the Rangers should keep their powder dry, and keep refining their core from what's in the system and the young players they may be able to trade for.  They already have their current core locked up, and really, why not use camp to really fill out the roster?   It will be great for the young guys like McD, Step, Kreider, Hags, Brass and Moore,  to break in some even younger guys, like JT Miller, Fast, Lindberg, McIlrath, Connor Allen, and the other talented guys in Hartford.  They are a little like the Giants, in that they only have to find their way into the playoffs to make a run.

So, use the first half of the year to go through the growing pains with the kids, then be a kick ass machine down the stretch and in the coming years?

Also, if we do make a trade of one of the big deals, we have to get picks back, including a one for next year!   We'd be in much better shape right now if we had our first two picks from 2013 in the replacement mix.

But that's really what they should do.  Keep the powder dry, refine the core and make smart trades that bring back assets and picks.

NBA Free Agency Opens

Carmelo Anthony is now free to talk to other clubs and his current dance card includes Chicago, Dallas, Houston, and The Lakers.   The Suns were making some noise on Monday about getting both Melo and LeBron, but I have no idea where that is.

Now we will start to see if there are any more parts to Phil Jackson's first year plan than the obvious wait for Melo stuff, and what he'll be able to attract with the Knicks limited resources.    I'd still let Melo go,  but the Knicks and others still seem to think he'll be back.

Rangers Prospect Camp: Skjei Weighing his Options

Former first rounder and current Minnesota and Team USA star defensemen Brady Skjei is back at prospect camp and says he's weighing his options.   It's interesting because he said that at the end of his interview on Blueshirts United.   Earlier, he had looked at the camp as another chance for the organization to look at him.   So maybe he's waiting to see what the Rangers want him to do.  Over the weekend, Gordie Clark said he though Brady was ready to turn pro.   So maybe that hasn't been communicated to him.   Skjei is an elite athlete with a big upside.   Like McD, he's O will be a work in process whenever he arrives, and might take a bit to get going, like McD's.

Knicks Fail To Qualify Murry

The Knicks declined to qualify T. Murry today.  On the face of it, it looks like they're giving up on a young talent, and that doesn't make much sense.  On a practical level, they are saving a millions dollars, which they could be doing for a reason yet unknown.  It's very interesting in any case, and our Vegas rotation just got shorter.  We'll soon see what Phil is up to.

Rangers: Just a Hunch

I wouldn't be at all surprised if tomorrow, on the eve of free agency,  Sather makes one of his Jedi Mind trades to get further under the cap and perhaps address an organizational shortcoming, too.  Just a hunch, but he was seen talking to a lot of the other GM's during the draft, and that's often where trades start.

Rangers Prospect Camp Starts Tomorrow.

The Rangers are holding their annual prospect camp starting tomorrow out in Rye or wherever the hell their practice facility is these days.    This is the occasion when they gather all of their most recent draft picks who haven't made their NHL Debut, as well as the undrafted FA's they've signed over the same period, as well as foreign UDFA's and a bunch of tryouts.

They usually sign a kid or two from this camp.  Kyle Jean was signed from prospect camp, and that was after his clash of knees with McIlrath cost Dylan half a season and who knows what else?

All they really do at these camps is skate and scrimmage.   There's minimal contact, especially since McIlrath injury.   But it's a chance to get all of the kids from this year's draft on the ice and have a look at them, as well as a chance for the youngest members of the organization to  play together and feel they are part of the organization.

Many of them will leave camp and not see their Ranger teammates again till next year's prospect camp, as they go back to their respective teams and leagues.   Of course, some of them will probably be invited to training camp, and a group of those guys will also play for the Rangers in the Travis City Tournament that's held every non-lockout year, in Michigan.

There will also be some intrigue at this year's camp as the Ranger FO tries to gauge whether or not Brady Skjei is ready to turn pro or whether he wants to go back to school.   Stepan turned pro after Sophomore year, while McDonagh and Kreider went back to be juniors.   So, we'll see what Brady wants to do.   He could really clarify our options if he signs.

Another guy, who I believe is already signed, is Calle Anderson.   The Swedish offensive-defenseman they had high hopes for.   I think he'll be coming over one way or another, but it will be interesting for them to get an idea of how close he is.

It will be our first look at Anthony Duclair since a concussion spoiled his super season 59 games, 50 goals and 99 points into it.

Two recent draft picks who won't be there are Boo Nieves, who would have had to pay his own way under NCAA rules, and Ryan Graves, the intriguing Ranger type D they drafted last year, who is out with a shoulder.

Another interesting guy to check in on is Notre Dame's Steven Fogarty.  He's that kid they took with the pick they got for Grachev.   He looked good playing in that little junior league before going to ND, but hasn't really broken out at ND.   Maybe he's not a good system fit.   I guess the Rangers will take another look.

It will also be the first ice time for the UDFA college guys the Rangers signed in Spring like Ryan Haggerty, Mat Bodie and Chris McCarthy,

Also, both of yesterday's goalies will be there as well as McKenzie Skapski who's done some good things since we drafted him last year.

Can't wait till they they start posting the video over at Rangers.com and Blueshirts United.   The key things, are health, signings and how well everyone skates.

Rangers: The Fourth Line

It looks like the successful 4th line of our Championship Rangers is being decimated by a trade and free agency.   On Thursday or Friday Dorsett was traded, and now it looks like Boyle and Dom Moore could be asking for much more than the Rangers are willing to pay in roles for Boyle and money/term for Dom Moore.    They may be able to bring back Carcillo.

This unfortunate but no tragedy.   Ideally, the Rangers would have traded Boyle's negotiating rights, and retained Moore instead of Carcillo.    Going forward, it would have been great to have Moore center two kids every year and the sort of Captain of the fourth line, while training them up in all aspects at the same time.

I'm not sure Carcillo is who we want taking that role, but the 4th line should always feature at least two kids going forward.   It's a way to break in the kids away for the one year contracts the Rangers keep handing out the third liners.  

Heck, if Moore is going, I'd let Carcillo go, too, or keep him on the bench depending on opposition,  and roll three rookies on the fourth line next year.  Both Miller and Lindgberg are C's by nature.

Yankees And Cashman's Latest Creepiness

Yikes.  Last night Brian Cashman was still talking about adding another starting pitcher.   This was after Nuno was great Friday, Tanaka was great - except for a mistake - last night, and the farm had starters in Tripe A throw 7 1 hit innings, in high A throw 6 no-hit innings and in low A throw 6 1-hit innings these past few days.   Oh, and CC made a high A rehab start last night, and just needs two more.   Oh and Nik Turley is recovered and just a 40 man roster move away.   The prognosis for pitching -- if he sits on his hands -- is good.

Hitting is the problem and it's solution might be at AAA where Refsnyder, Pirella and Roller are all rolling.

In any trade the Yanks make for pitching the other team is going to ask for the top of the farm.   They're going to want Severino or Clarkin or both.  Plus, they will want Sanchez or Judge or both or Jagielo or Cave or both, etc. etc.     He's not going to be able to make a trade for a starter that doesn't really hurt the team going forward.   This is scary stuff.

Rangers Draft Review Pt.2

Aside from taking two high upside goalies, the Rangers, yesterday too 2 forwards and 3 defensemen. Their second pick, which was a third rounder saw them taking WHL scoring tough guy Keegan Iverson.

Keegan's an interesting guy for a few reasons.   First, the draft had him listed as a Left Wing, but the Rangers called him a Center.  Now the Rangers are listing him as a Right Wing for prospect camp.   Second, I've seen two different heights on Keegan, one is 6 feet even, the other is 6'2".    I'm assuming the 6'2" height is the most recent.   In any event, it's interesting that there's some confusion over him.

After he was drafted I went to YouTube to see if he could skate.   There are massively more tapes of him fighting than skating.  So I know a chunk of Ranger fandom is going to be tickled over this pick. The good news is that it does look like he can skate.  In fact, he looks very power forwardy.    Gordie says his scoring chances will go up this year with the graduation of 5 really skillsy guys from Portland.   So Keegan will be on the first line next year.  Whether it will be as a C, a RW or a LW will have to be seen.

The other F they drafted is Richard Nejezchleb, a gritty Right Wing for the Czech Republic who's been playing for the Brandon Wheat Kings.  This guy missed some time, but he's got good size, good hands and can skate.    He may also qualify as a power forward, or at least a hard to play against scorer.  Like Iverson, he's from the WHL, which is a tough league and a rough way to grow up.  He's already 20, so I don't know if they'll leave him with Brandon or try to may ECHL him for a year.   He'd probably be better off with Brandon to complete development since he missed time early in his career.

They also took a trio of D's.  Ryan Mantha is a big 6'5 225 pounder who likes to play in his own end, but, according to Gordie, can move the puck and has a bomb from the point.   The big note on Ryan is he has to get more physical and use his size more.   His future is up in the air a bit, as he can either go to North Dakota in the fall or play Major Junior.  I think his rights are owned in the OHL, but I'd love to see him toughen up or perish in the WHL.   He looks like a good skater, and in some ways resemble Marc Staal.

The other 2 D's they took with their final 2 picks in the 5th round were left shot Daniel Walcott and right shot Tyler Nanne.   These are both puck moving, scoring offensive defensemen - the kind the Rangers have been whiffing on for about 20 years.

Let's side track for a second.   It is beyond my understanding that the team that could once find Brad Park, Ron Greshner, Mike McEwen, Brian Leetch and Sergei Zubov has gone so long without finding another one.  Lately, they've missed on Sanguinetti,  Del Zotto and Pashnin - have had to teach McD how to handle that role, bit by bit at the NHL level.   It seems to defy the odds.   Of course, MDZ was plenty talented -- he just couldn't be coached.

But that has nothing to do with Daniel or Tyler.  Walcott is a kid who went to a small college last year and didn't get drafted.  Then he went to the OHL as a 19 year old and did.  His college to major juniors move is reminiscent to the one Tambellini made this past year.    Of course, Adam did it in season, not for season to season.  Anyway, Walcott might be one of the sleepers, ringers or steals of this draft.  His skating seems plus and they had him playing in all situations as the year went on,

Tyler Nanne, is a gifted offensive defenseman who's going to have to overcome size.   He's only 5'10" as of now and will have to find ways to build himself up at Ohio State.   I expect both Walcott and Nanne to be among the stars of prospect camp this week.  The camp has always favored guys who can skate and guys who can handle the puck, and sort of suppresses the play of the gritty guys.

In all, I thought it was a typically solid Ranger draft, with plenty of thought behind it.   It will be great if any of these kids pop.   And we're already starting to feel the sting, talent wise, of two years without first rounders.

Yanks Hang Tanaka Out To Dry

Joe Girardi will not bat Derek Jeter any lower than second.  Thus, in the ninth inning of tonights game -- after lots and lots a terrible ab's all night by an under talented and overpaid Yankee lineup-- when Brett Gardner worked and 8 or 9 pitch walk, it was no sweat to the Sox.  They just threw Jeter a sinker and watched him GIDP.   He's on pace to do it 19 times this year.   Of course, Ellsbury followed that with a  bases empty single.   But but Girardi being the imbecile that he is, won't bat Ellsbury and Gardy back to back, even though there have been a few nights this year when only Jeter can get Gardy out.

Also, Tanaka was tied 1-1 in the top of the ninth with 2 out an 2 strikes on Napoli, who had been swinging and missing at the split and the slider all night.  So why did he decide to throw him a fastball?   Did McCann call that or did Tanaka?   It was phenomenally stupid and cost Tanaka and the Yankees a game.

Oh, and Refsnyder wasted another homer for Scranton tonight.  I have no idea what's wrong with Cashman, but when he's had minor leaguers who could hit before, he hasn't waited till July.

This Week On The Blog

Should be an interesting week on the blog.   Three of our four teams should be really active.

Yankees: Finally, we get to "meet" the dozen or so members of the Yankees IFA super class.  What's more, all the unsigned picks are free to sign, so we could see more signings there, as the July deadline looms.  Dreadfully, we could see a trade or two.  Cash has been talking again.

Rangers:  The Rangers will go into NHL Free Agency on Tuesday.  While I think they'll be hiring a C, we could still see more trades because the salary cap is 2M less than they thought it would be.   And of course, they will run their annual prospect camp, that creates a lot of video and interviews over at Rangers.com and BlueshirtsUnited.     Good, good stuff.

Knicks:  The Knicks will enter NBA free agency looking to fulfill the initial stages of Phil Jackson's culture shifting vision.   This should also be really interesting.  Should know the whole Vegas roster, too.    And maybe they'll even name the assistant coaches.

Giants:  They may all be on vacation, or they may still be holding tryouts for the fringes of the roster.

Should be a lot of fun around here.

Jacob Lindgren Promoted to the Sally

The Yanks, who, like the Rangers had no first round pick this year,  assigned the first pick that they did make, LHP Jacob Lindgren to their Charleston Riverdogs affiliate in the low A Sally League.   This should be fun and he could end up moving quickly, once he starts getting regular work.  He pitched a scoreless inning this morning down in the GCL, so he probably won't pitch again till Monday or Tuesday.  But he was drafted to fill that left handed reliever ace roll we've needed filled since Sparky (or Howe).    Nice to see them being aggressive.

It would be even nicer if they got more aggressive with the trio a AAA hitters who are ready for MLB pitching and to help the big club.

Rangers Draft Review Pt. 1

First off, I think it's a terrible idea to go two years without a #1 pick in the NHL draft.   Going three years will be absolutely reckless, but they have a whole year to see if they can fix that.   The reason it's so terrible is if you are starting your draft in the second or third round, you have to get incredibly lucky to find an impact player -- your chances are much better if the have a first rounder.    A problem with a the productive Ranger system has not been producing pro's, but in producing impact players.   Thus they've had to hire Gaborik and Richards, and trade for Nash and St. Louis.   Nash and St.Louis are where all our #1's went and those deals will push the cycle to renew.   So the Rangers have put themselves behind the impact 8 ball at least until next year.

Anyway, onto the picks they did make.   During their draft preview yesterday on BlueshirtsUnited,  Gordie and Jeff Gorton said it was a good year to draft goalies.   Gordie revealed that he never wants to draft a goalie who's ceiling is backup, and that you can find guys like that elsewhere.   Anyway, after that I felt it was likely they'd take a goalie or two and they did.

I, for one, think that was a pretty good idea.   Just like it was a good idea for the Giants to draft a WR, an OL and a Back in a draft where those positions were deep, it was a good idea for the Rangers to draft into the strength of this draft and take goalies.

In Halverson and Shesterkin are two kinds of goalies.   Halverson in big and athletic like Hank at 6'4", while Shesterkin is 6'1 and considered really acrobatic.   So I like that they got some variety within that position group and some depth.   Stacjer never got healthy, so it was just Skapski in the system among drafted players.   Now we have Halverson is juniors and Shesterkin in the KHL.

If any of the three progresses we can either trade Talbot or replace when he's free.  

Btw, a notion on the Ranger Goalie drafting process:  somewhere in the brain trust there is either the believe or theory that a bigger goalies are going to revolutionize things.   Remember LaFleur?   And they've had Missaean around the system for a few years and he's like 6'8".    Halverson is 6'4" so not as super tall as those guys, but big.

Interestingly, two different scouts cited Halvorsen and Shesterkin as the "second best goalie in the group."    So, there's a chance we got impact either for us or in future trades with the picks.

So I think the addresses their lack of depth at goalie with two pretty high upside players.   I'll be back with some more thoughts, later.

Rangers Give QO's to The RFA's, Except Falk

The Rangers gave qualifying offers to all of their RFA's, then Sather immediately went to work chipping away at Kreider and MZA's value.  Holy crap he hates paying these guys when he can get them at their cheapest.   Looks like it's gonna be another summer of hard feelings for this year's group.    They didn't qualify Falk, even though they were willing to trade a pick for him last summer. They trade picks like it's going out of style, and it's going to bite them.

Knicks to Pursue Pao Gasol?

This morning, it's being reported that the Knicks are more and more confident Melo will return.  And they say that Phil Jackson is targeting UFA C Pau Gasol.    Pau's not what he was, but I have always loved this player because he knows how to play!   I hope they can give him a contract that will just cover the years till we can sign his brother, but it's still a nice idea.  They might have to platoon him a bit since his D has declined and his O is still very good.

Rangers Take 2 Puck Moving D's

At 140 and 142 the Rangers took 2 really intriguing offensive defenseman in lefty shot Daniel Walcott and righty shot Tyler Nanne.   Daniel has taken an unusual path to the draft.   He dominated at New Trier HS, then moved on to the Q as a 19 year old, where he more than held his own.    He's just under 6 feet and about 170 right now.

Tyler Nanne is Lou Nanne's grandson.  If you don't know who Lou Nanne is, you're not a hockey fan.    He was and is he King of Minnesota Hockey.   He got Herb Brooks the 1980 Team USA gig.  Heavy, heavy hitter.  Anyway, Tyler is undersized and that's why he was available at 142.   He's just 5'10" and 165 or something and is scheduled to play for OSU next year.  All that being said, they say he has crazy agility and a surprisingly heavy shot for his size.

Really intriguing picks in the 5th.   As of right now, I think the Rangers are out of picks, but let's see.

Rangers Take F Richard Nejezchleb

With their first 5th, the Rangers took Richard Nejezchleb, a 20 year old Euro playing for the Wheat Kings.   6'2" 212.    Good size and has had some injuries,   Not a point a game guy, but productive and must have some other value.

Rangers Take Russian G Igor Shesterkin

Igor is 6'1" and played in the MHL where he was dominant, then the KHL this past year.   They say he's good at the angles, but another interesting goalie prospect in a draft where we seem to be cleaning up on some organizational shortages.   They traded their 119 pick for picks 140 and 142.

Rangers Take D Ryan Mantha at 104

Okay, the Rangers took their 3rd American in a row, in 6'5" 225 D Ryan Mantha.   He is the nephew of Moe Mantha.   Seems like a big stay at home 1 goal 6 assists per year type.   Huge kid for 18.  Right shot, but doesn't shoot a lot.

Rangers Take F Keegan Iverson at 85

Fighter with scoring.  Played in the WHL, which is tough.   6' 2" and 217.    We'll learn more about this one, too.  And we'll have time, since the Rangers also traded their 3rd round pick #89 to the caps for 104 and 118.  So they now have 3 4th rounders, including 118 and 119 which are back to back.

A little more on Keegan.   He played for the Winterhawks, in the WHL, which is a high profile team, and he started doing so as a 16 year old American.  That's unusual.  Most Americans are 18 or 19 when they hit the WHL.   And he wears #13 in honor of his friend Jack Jablonski, another prospect who's stuck in a wheel chair these days.  He says he plays to fulfill Jack's goals and his own goals.   I think he'll be one of our favorite kids.

Rangers Take G Brandon Halverson

So the Rangers stood pat and finally picked big (6'4") goalie Brandon Halvorsen, for the OHL.   He's an 18 year old American kid who seems to be from Traverse City.  He played for Salt Ste. Marie last year.  I'll find out more about him, as it comes out.   They said it was a good year for goalies...

Rangers Draft: Rangers Stay Put on Night One

The Rangers did not trade up for Josh Ho Sang.   The Islanders did.   It was actually pretty strange, because at pick 28 (our original pick) the Islanders traded both of their this year's twos to move up seven spots and get Ho Sang.  I think they thought the Rangers or someone else was going to do it, otherwise there seemed no reason for it.  Ho Sang was in free fall, and a bunch of teams apparently just hated him.   It's still a little weird league in some respects, and I hope he fell for better reasons than the fact that he noticed some racism in juniors.

Enough about that, and we may never know why the Islanders felt that had to trade up.  But, the Rangers head into tomorrow with a 2, 2 3's, a 4 and a 5.  I don't know what happened to the acquired 6 they were supposed to have.   Gordie Clark and the scouts have been pretty brilliant on these day 2's.  Witness last year.   So it could still be a really good draft for the Rangers.  It's just 3 years without a 1 is going to hurt at some point.

Yanks Win a Nuno Start

It must be a Friday, because one of the Yanks underachievers hit a homer.    Last Friday it was Beltran, this Friday it was McCann who hit one late to make it 6-0.   Nuno pitched 5.2 innings of shutout baseball.   The Yanks were up 4-0 because Gardy and Kelly Johnson had homeroom, but Girardi still got the yips and wasted a Betances appearance.  Fortunately, he only wasted Warren, too, before McCann made it a 6 run lead and Robertson was spared.   Big win with bad managing.   Girardi is Torre.

Rangers First Round Draft Night

As of right now, the Rangers don't have a first round pick.   Having waited for the Knicks to pick one up last night, wasted a bunch of time, but, darn it, I'm willing to do it again.   Sather has been seen on the floor talking to people and they're about to do the roll call.   I'll update if there is one.

It's Starting: Rangers Trade Dorsett for Pick 85

The Rangers just traded 4th line rotational wing Derek Dorsett to Vancouver for the 85th pick in the draft.  That will fall in the 3rd round, and ahead of where the Rangers other third is.   So we know they are working the phones.  Let's see if we can get into the first round, tonight.    Getting interesting, as Dorsett was under control  and Carcillo and Boyle are potential UFA's.

Rangers Draft Pt. 3 or 4

Gordie Clark and Jeff Gorton have given their annual pre-draft interview over at BlueShirtsUnited.  Not too many hints so far, and how could there be any with so few picks at this point?  But Gordie did say there were looking at Goalies and it was a good year to do so.   He also chided Gorton for not having a first round pick "yet." So you can make of that what you will.   I cannot adequately express how grateful I am that they give us so much info before, during and after the draft.   Of course, Giants.com is much the same.   The Yanks not so much, though Damon Oppenheimer does usually talk to PinstripesPlus before and after each draft, and it looks like the Knicks might finally be coming around on franchise openness and accountability.    So we're in pretty good shape info-wise, but Gordie and Jeff are the bomb.

Knicks Today

So, the 2014 draft has come and gone, and the Knicks have three more new players -- or two more new players and one bookmarked asset.    It's still too early to tell if they'll be more or less competitive next year, but, we do know that they have not yet traded Iman Shumpert, and that this Thanasis kid looks to be at least as good a defender but at small forward.   So the Knicks should have certain times where they can more or less shut down the wings.    That would be unbelievably cool, if they had someone to shut down the point guard, and someone to protect the rim.  They don't have those players.  I mean, yes, you could put Shump on the point, but you're exposing a wing.   And Dalembert is probably not the answer back there.

I've been watching a lot of tape of Cleanthony and Thanasis, though I had seen Early a few times because Wichita State is one of my favorite programs.  The thing that jumps out at you about Thanasis is his electric energy, and his ability bounce up, sometimes twice in a row,  to block shots.   It's really impressive.   They say he doesn't rebound much yet, but a lot of that is his spacing and the fact that he's up in the air trying to alter the shots.  I don't think he's soft by any means.

Early is really interesting on tape, cause he really can score, and I think the only reason why he only averaged 16 was because he was only playing 26 minutes.     The kid can score, and some of his spots and moves are just like Carmelo's.   And with his back to the hoop, we are reminded of Bernard King.   Now, obviously, if he was actually that combination, he'd have gone no lower than third overall, but he does play a game we've seen before.   We'll see how his D is.

With both of these guys there are supposed to be times when they are not focused.   That will have to be cleaned up, but I think cleaning stuff like that will be part of the culture.   Anyway, we've added two very good athletes, who know how to play, and will add depth to the team.

Of course, we're still waiting to see what the rest of the team looks like.  The Vegas squad should be hot.

Oh, and we could also use some assistant coaches.

Rangers Draft Tonight

As of right now, the Rangers have no first rounder tonight, thus it is scheduled to be a dull first night for their fans.   But, just because they don't have one now, doesn't mean they won't get one.  Withouth getting one, they are facing the prospect of no first rounders for 3 straight years.   That's brutal for an organization and will manifest, probably shortly, as diminishing returns from the farm, and a weaker, highered gun roster.

I've put up a picture of Josh Ho Sang.   He's been a bit outspoken about his treatment as a black kid in junior hockey.  And because he's probably right, he could start falling.  If he does, the Rangers should jump up or jump in and get him.   He's got a crazy combination of speed and skills, and the Rangers LOVE fast guys who are more than straighline skaters and have a shot.   Josh would be a great fit, so I'm sort of hoping something works out that way.

Otherwise, they'll probably find some gems on day 2.  They're very good at doing that.   Let's Go, Rangers!

Knicks Acquire #57 Pick Louis Labeyrie From Pacers

Knicks probably traded their 1.3M allowance for the #57 pick in the draft 22 year old Louis Labeyrie of Fance.  Now this might actually be a stash player.  He's 6'10" and his numbers don't jump out at you.  Must be something they like for the future, though.

At 51 Knicks Take Thanasis Antetokounmpo

Knicks took the DLeague route with pick 51, selecting shooting guard/small forward Thanasis Antekounmpo from Greece.    Seems athletic,  though not as athletic as his younger brother Giannis who plays for the Bucks and is called the Freak.  This is sort of like when the Knicks took Dominique Wilkens' brother, Gerald, in the second round of the `85 draft.   He played in Delaware this year.

Knicks Take Cleanthony Early at 34

The Knicks, who apparently could not find a first round match for a player they liked, stood pat and select 6'8" 217  pound Wichita State combo-forward, Cleanthony Early.   Early is already 23 and is from Middletown, New York.   He has some sick highlight stuff, and he was expected to go a little higher.   He's a great athlete with a knack for scoring the basketball.    Throws another athlete with some skills into the mix.

Yankees: Clarkin Pitches 6 1 Hit Shutout Innings

Ian Clarkin is good.    Man, tonight he walked the first two batters in the first, got out of it, and then got out 9 straight before walking another guy.  Then he gave up a bloop hit off a bat handle in the top of the 5th, then nothing.  Walked the first guy in the sixth, then struck out the side to finish his 6 shutout innings.  He had 7 K's total, and who knows about those walks.  They could not square him up AT ALL.  And he got K's whenever he needed them.  He's on a roll, and they may or may not promote him if he keeps it up.  Lately. the Sally hasn't been able to handle him.

Knicks Draft Tonight

Okay, the draft starts in about 30 minutes, and the Knicks currently have the 34th and 51 picks.   They don't yet have a first, but that could change and things seem fluid.    Phil Jackson just chatted with the media and said that teams have been calling about roster players.   He also said yesterday's trade had been in the works for weeks, and that he had both told Melo about it ahead of time, as well as wanted to do it so start changing the culture.   He says he likes the way Calderon organizes a team, pushes the ball and shoots.  In other words, how he plays the game.

Which brings us to what kind of players I want the Knicks to pick up.   Even thought everything has changed, I still want guys who know how to play the game, over guys why are just great athletes.   NBA teams, more than football teams, and way more than hockey teams and baseball teams in the top 10 rounds, go for athleticism over knowing how to play.   And because of that, good players, who know how to shoot, pass, space, play D, set picks, etc. should be available to us at 34 and 51 and obviously, also if we get back up into the first.

I'd love to see them come away with 2, 3, or even 4 guys who know how to play and can easily leard the Triangle.   Let's go, Knicks!

Rangers Stuff

So, they say 10 teams want Pouliot.  Excellent.  Trade one of them his negotiating rites.   Same with Boyle and Stralman.   Look, they've all flashed and been fine most of the time in their roles, but they are all eminently replaceable,  we have some fast forwards and some defensemen who need a chance.   And what's the point of having a system, when you keep blocking them with average-ish players?  You want to lock up your stars, and keep the farm or savvy trades supplying the rest of the positions.   So, while it would be okay to just let all three go, it would be great to get something for the negotiating rites that could be used in this weekend's draft.

Yankees: Turley Pitching for SWB Instead of Mitchell Today

Nik Turley, finally over his ST injury, will start the second game of Scranton's double header today.  Bryan Mitchell was supposed to start it.  Thus I wonder if the Yankees are calling him up for Nuno insurance tomorrow, or to take Nuno's spot.    Interesting stuff.

Clarkin pitches today.  Jose Mesa makes his 2014 debut, and Domingo Acevedo is also pitching today.  So's Jairo Heredia.   Good stuff.   But where's Mitchell?

Next 6 Days on the Blog

Okay, the next 6 days on the block could end up being pretty historic for three of the franchises we love.

Today the Knicks swung a deal and got into tomorrow night's NBA draft.   So far they have picks 34 and 51, but will they get up into the first round.  Will they spin off assets from today's trade to do it.   This is where Phil Jackson's plan goes into action.   And then on the first, free agency opens.   They'll be able to sign and trades, even if they retain Melo.   Or they can really press for big assets in any Melo S&T.

Friday through Sunday, the Rangers will be drafting.  Can they get a first?  We'll find out how close they really are and how willing they are to draw the line on Stralman and Brian Boyle.   They're going to need a C and a captain, let's see what they do about it.   And free agent opens for them on July 1.   Sather made his best ever Ranger trade on the eve of free agency.  Can he do it again?

And on July 2, the Yanks will unveil, part, most or all of their ballyhooed IFA class.   We'll see if they are who we think they are.   And we'll still have to remain vigilant about trades.

Also, Ian Clarkin pitches tomorrow, and Bryan Mitchell gets his second AAA start.  Let's see if he can limit walks.

Yanks Win!

DRob just had a 5 out save (hadn't pitched in a week cause the Yanks have been losing).   Tex hit another homer and none of the really old guys did anything so bad that it couldn't be overcome.   Kuroda's upswing continues.    We could really use the good version of him through the deadline.

Btw, Dustin Fowler left his game tonight after a routine groundout.  I hope it's not serious and does't mean he was traded.

Knicks: Done Deal, What's Next?

I liked Shane Larkin in his draft year and, probably in Vegas, we'll see how his AA matches up with Hardaway's.   Calderon is the annoying contract, but if all works out, he'll start this year then give way to Larkin some time next year, and become a second team jump shooter guy.   Ellington can hit three's and if he can do it in the triangle he stays, if not, he goes.  Heck, he could be packaged with Shumpert tomorrow night or sooner.  Dalembert has a buyout coming up, so no worries there.

Plust we have the 34 and 51 picks.   I wonder if we will try to package 34 and a player to get into one, or if we'll just try to get into the first using Shumpert or some other concoction.   This was a fine first move for the Phil Jackson Knicks, and they actually gained picks instead of losing them.    Larkin is the potential steal of the trade, unless someone great comes out of 34 or 51.   Chandler had a good year, then seemed to be hurt a lot and in decline during his Knick tenure.  I wish him well.

What's important now are the next moves.  It appears that the Mavs may have enough cap room to make a real run at Melo without an S and T.    We probably do want an S and T for Melo now if he's leaving, because we need assets, including now picks and future picks.   If he comes back, we still need assets.

I guess we'll see, and will the Knicks get into the first round?  I'm starting to think so.

Knicks Reportedly on the Verge of Trading Chandler and Felton

The Knicks are reportedly on the brink of trading Tyson Chandler back to the Dallas Mavericks, along with Ray Felton.  That's all well and good, but the take back of Jose Calderon, Shane Larkin, Wayne Ellington and Sam Dalembert, not only lacks any picks, but also, jams up their future cap.  So the question will be, can they turn any of these acquired players into picks tomorrow night?  Larkin has some upside, and might be the keeper in the deal.

UPDATE:  The Knicks may indeed be getting both of the Mav's 2's, 34 and 51 tomorrow.  Big difference!

Yanks: Severino Pitches 6 No-Hit Innings in Second FSL Start

Luis Severino had his second start in the FSL today.  He pitched 6 innings, struck out 6 and walked 1.   He allowed no hits, and got a ton of bad contact.   For whatever reason, they took him out after 73 pitches, after a 7 pitch 6th.   Sort of uncool - he's not a rehabbing player.   Anyway, this is why Cash would be crazy to trade him for an older starter.   He could make the bigs next year!

Tampa is crushing today, btw, Cave is 4-4, Bird and Dante are hitting, and Judge has walked twice and tripled.

Yankees Stuff

Interesting tidbits around the Universe this morning.  First, San Diege wants to interview Billy Eppler for their GM post.   I have no idea if the Yanks will give permission in season, but that could inure to our benefit.   I remember back in the `90s. the Yanks tried unsuccessfully to get compensation for San Fran poaching Brian Sabean between seasons,  I think in-season, the Yanks would have a better chance at compensation.

Second, and this is really annoying, over the past 48 hours, the Yanks have been associated with David Price because they supposedly had "extra" scouts at his last start.  It's unlikely that the Rays would trade Price in division.   It's also unlikely that even if they were willing to do that, they would settle for anything less that didn't include Severino, Clarkin and Judge, in other words -- a huge chunk would be taken from the Yankees fairly near future.

Finally, the aforementioned Luis Severinon is pitching for the Tampa Yankees right now.   And he's retired the first 9 batters...

Rangers: NHL Pre-FA Tampering Period Has Begun

That weird period where tampering is legal in the NHL has begun.  And the Rangers are already being associated with Dan Boyle.  Of course, this may or may not be true, since they've needed someone to be able to run their PP from the blue line since Leetch moved on.   In general, this is an interesting offseason for the Rangers, they're in good cap shape and can make more if they want, but it will be interesting to see how close they really think they are and if they want to try to load up to get back there an win it fair and square next season.   The moves they make between now and July will give us our answers.   I'd feel slightly more comfortable if Sather had, perhaps, retired and turned things over to Gorton.

Knick Pre-Draft 2

Alright, the NBA draft is tomorrow, and the Knicks still don't have any picks.   That's okay,  I believe they will and I believe they'll make one or two trades for 1's and then buy a 2.   The reason why the Knicks going nuts on with trades on draft night is less scary than the Giants losing their minds at the draft would, or the Yankees making any trades at all is: is because the Knicks have nothing to lose, and a huge opportunity to improve the roster, if not their 2014/5 results.   And it will be interesting to see what kind of players they will take if they get some picks.   Hopefully, they will draft like the Spurs do now, and the old Knicks and Celtics did back in the day, and just take guys who know how to play.

Rangers Pick Up An Extra 2 for 2015

When the Martin St. Louis trade was made two terms were unlikely to be met.  First, it was unlikely that the Rangers would advance to this year's conference championships, which would replace the 2014 2nd round pick with a 2014 1st round pick.  They did and it did.  Second, it was really unlikely that Ryan Callahan would re-sign with the Lightning, bringing the Rangers Tampa Bay's 2014 second round pick.  But, rather than shuffling off to Buffalo, Cally resigned with the Lightning tonight, and the Rangers now have 2 2's next year.  They have no ones this year or next or last, because they've forgotten how to negotiate the pick parts of trades, but they have 2 2's next year.  Which is better than no 2's, which we had last year, or a few years before when we traded 2 2's for a defensive prospect who couldn't make the team and got sent to Cleveland for Nash (so he cost, 2 2's, a 1, Dubi and Artie, for those keeping track at home).

Hopefully, they do some wheeling a dealing to get into the first round on Friday.   They're system has had too many graduations lately, and a few more on the way.

Breaking: Palladino Pitches Well!

Jumbo starting pitcher, David Palladino, who was a top ten pick by the Yanks in 2013 just had the best start of his professional career, throwing 6 innings of 3 hit, shutout, 2BB and 8K ball.   This is fantastic for David, as the hope was this year, he'd start turning his potential into production.   He had a terrible first start to the season, then was better during his second start.  Today, he pitched like a short season ACE and that's great news for the Yankees.  Let's hope he can keep it going.   This is better than a lot of the project type draft picks ever perform, so it's reasonable to be a little excited.

The Yanks Will Not Trade IFA Slots This Year

Last week, an idea started floating around about the Yankee sites, that the Yanks, who are planning on bringing in a ton of IFA's in 8 days, should then go ahead and trade their IFA pool slots for prospects or as parts of other deals.  I checked.  They're not doing that.   I think it's because they are going to use those up all those pool slots to offset their fines.  In other words, they will only plan on being fined for dollars spent beyond their they pool number, and not for the whole thing.

Also, just as the Yanks aren't the first team to do what they'll do in 8 days, they won't be the first to trade their pool space, or even trade for more pool space of a further offset.   Just like they weren't the first to trade for those traceable draft picks.   The Yanks seem more comfortable following these days.

The More You Pay Attention to the GCL, The More You Realize--

That the system isn't as bereft of talent as the uninformed claim.     Right now both GCL teams are crushing the competition, like the GCL program has done most years.    And some of the best players on the team are once again former IFA's.   That sure indicates that the DSL program may be up to speed.

Of course, the DSL program tends to get kids when they are 16 or even 15 (once they have a July 2 agreement, the kids often start hanging out and playing ball at the complex), and no one leaves the island till they can meet certain standards of play.  The Yanks used to have a limit to the number of visas they could get per year, but I think that's since been negotiated.

So what are the standards that lead IFA players stateside?   For pitchers it seems to fastball control, and having the rudiments of another pitch or two.   Velo probably plays into it for some.

For hitters, it seems to be contact-ability and defense with a smidgen of plate disc. thrown in.    And whatever  it is, it's working, because by the time the kids get to the GCL, they're looking good.

I think that is microcosmically instructive of what the overall development plan should be for all the kids in the system.

For pitchers, fastball control is the key.

For hitters, plate disc and contact is the key.

As of right now, this is somehow falling apart between the GCL level and the Sally League, and it's not being put back together up the chain.

Not  really sure when fastball control became such an issue with the system, btw.  It wasn't around 2006 or so, and has just become so in the past few years, when all of a sudden, at the MiLB level, Banuelos and Betances weren't throwing strikes, and no one was fixing it.  I wonder if that had to do with all the pitching coaches moving around or moving on.

Anyway, after the MiLB season wraps up every year, the Yanks have what's called "instructs."   They hold them in both the USA and the DR.  The them of both should be fastball control for pitchers and plate disc./contact for hitters.   Those things need  to be re-inforced, instead of having them fall apart after the GCL level.