New York sports have reached an interesting time of year, and most of our teams have managed to do something about it. Three of the four major sports are in their off-seasons, and the fourth is approaching a trade deadline. Due to this timing, potentially season changing transactions are being made in every sport almost simultaneously. This summer has seen a series of moves from New York teams that can either make or break their chances in the near future. This countdown reviews the top five moves made this summer by the Empire State’s teams.
5. Ichiro to
the Yankees-The most exciting thing about this move is how the Yankees enter a
no-lose situation. They gave up two minor league pitchers who were not
considered to be high value prospects, and the Mariners agreed to cover most of
Ichiro’s contract. While he appears to be washed up and past his prime, the
Yanks get to take a chance on a guy who, only a few short years ago, was the
best pure hitter and leadoff man in baseball. Even in this career-worst season,
Ichiro is still an excellent fielder and base-runner who can impact a season
without picking up his customary 200 hits. Under these conditions Yankees still
made a solid acquisition, but if finally playing for a winner revitalizes
Ichiro at the plate, the move becomes an excellent one. The Jones-Ibanez duo in
left field has been decent, but this move will do defensive wonders for an
outfield that, outside of Granderson, has struggled in the field this season.
Filling the left field hole left by the injured Brett Gardner was a must, but
doing so with the once best corner outfielder in baseball could go above and
beyond what we needed from them if all goes well. And if all does not go well,
we basically lost nothing to receive a lot of potential.
4. Jason
Kidd to the Knicks-At surface value, this is a great move that I want to give a
higher spot on this list. Point guard was the number one concern for the Knicks
last year. We have all the weapons we need, but previously had no one in charge
on the floor to distribute the ball and run a consistent and effective offense.
This led to Carmelo holding onto the ball for too long and the offense became
stagnant. Adding a veteran point guard and one of the greatest passers of all
time should solve the Knicks’ biggest problem and create a more complete team.
Felton and Brewer should also make valuable contributions and from this angle
everything looks good for us. However, I just do not trust it. The Knicks have
the innate ability to screw things up and, while things are looking good now, I
feel like the same old Knicks will reappear in one way or another. There are a
lot of injury prone players on this team between Kidd’s age, Shumpert’s already
troubling history and Amare’s entire body. There are also a number of defensive
liabilities and, unless everyone starts to follow Tyson Chandler’s lead, even a
great offense would not be enough in the grand scheme of things. Everything
about the Jason Kidd move makes sense, but these are still the Knicks.
3. Joe
Johnson to the Nets-For a few days after the Dwight Howard talks with Brooklyn
fell through, I relaxed and stopped worrying about my Knicks losing their title
as the least terrible team in New York. Then I realized that being overtaken by
the Nets is still a very real possibility. They have one of the two best point
guards in the NBA, the position that haunted us last season. They may not have
Howard, but settling for Brook Lopez still gives them arguably a top five
center. Finally, Joe Johnson completes the Nets’ big three, and should give
them superstar production at shooting guard. The Hawks inexplicably became
sellers and gave away a potentially elite scorer to an up and coming team that
will most likely make the playoffs next year because of this deal.
2. Mario
Williams to the Bills-One of my favorite annoying facts is how the only NFL
team to actually play in New York is the one that no one really counts as a New
York team. The Buffalo Bills made a huge statement when they signed one of the
league’s best pass rushers. Mario Williams, in my opinion, solidifies the Bills
as the most likely runner up to the Patriots this season. When we talk about
the AFC East, we basically just try to figure out who will win the coveted
second place. As the division seems to get weaker and weaker outside of New
England, the Bills may inherit this title by default. Due to the incompetence
of the other two teams, the Bills now have the best Quarterback, Running Back
and Wide Receiver of those three teams in my opinion. If Mario Williams can
impact their defense as well as most people think he can, myself included, this
Bills team may be ahead of both the Jets and Dolphins next season. The Bills
always seem to start the season well, but with this roster they may be able to
finish an above .500 effort, which should be all it takes to be the Pats’
runner up.
1. Rick Nash
to the Rangers-What partially makes this New York’s biggest transaction of the
summer is the fact that other than the Giants, who did not add anyone overly
significant to their roster, the Rangers are New York’s best team. Therefore, a
big move for them is more indicative of a championship than the Knicks, for
example. But of course this is only a fraction of why this move is a great one,
after all this is not just a countdown of the best NY teams to make a move. It
is one for the best moves made in New York, which in this case was made by the
Rangers because it addresses their one weakness, and they are fortunate enough
to only have one. The flaw that brought the Rangers downfall last season was an
inconsistent supply of offense. This was because we did not have enough reliable
scorers. Marian Gaborik suffered a huge slump at the wrong time and while Brad
Richards elevated his play for the playoffs, he was not enough to carry the
entire offense. Another aspect of this trade is how little we lost in
comparison to the mid-season offer. The names floating around back then were
Michael Del Zotto, an excellent defenseman, and Chris Kreider, who showed a lot
of potential in last season’s playoffs. Brandon Dubinsky’s name stayed and he
has now left the organization, but any Ranger fan can tell you that despite
their fond memories of him, Dubinsky had nothing left to offer us. Artem
Anisimov was a solid player but was worth trading in the grand scheme of
things. Tim Erixon has potential as a prospect, but would have received few minutes
on the MSG ice due to the Rangers’ great defensemen. As for the first round
pick from next year, that was to be expected in any big trade. Overall, we
gained more than we lost on this one. Guys like Captain Ryan Callahan and Brian
Boyle are excellent hockey players who create the Rangers tough and
hustle-filled identity, but you need a few dominant scorers as well. Richards,
Gaborik and Nash are each capable of at least 30 goals next season. Not a bad
first line if you ask me, but Coach Torts will probably split them up to mix in
the talented youth of Hagelin and Kreider or everything that Callahan brings to
the table. Regardless of how they arrange themselves, the Rangers now have all
the pieces necessary for a long awaited championship run.
The most notable move left off of this list was, of course,
Tim Tebow to the Jets. I am not against Tebow or the Jets’ decision to pick him
up in any way. I just thought these five moves were a bigger deal when you put
his fame aspect aside. The Tebow acquisition is a disaster when it comes to
team chemistry because the quarterback controversy will divide the locker room
based on who believes which guy is better for the team. Sanchez will face an
unfair amount of pressure from his own team and fans who will likely chant his
backup’s name whenever he makes a mistake. Despite all this, I am still fine
with the move because quite frankly Sanchez does not deserve to lead the New
York Jets at this point anyway so if the end of his starting career is unfair I
cannot say I mind. Let the unconventional winner have his chance on the biggest
stage and, if he survives, good for him and the Jets. It is said that having
two quarterbacks actually means you have zero quarterbacks, and I believe this.
The reason this move was left out of the top five was because regardless of who
comes out on top, the Jets will receive below average play from the most
important position on the field.
When one of the biggest names in sports cannot crack a fan’s
top five New York transactions list, you know that it has been an exciting
summer. I look forward to watching how each player fits in when faced with a new
level of pressure. As much as I love the Rick Nash acquisition, moving from
Columbus to New York may be a shock to the system if he is not the type of
player who can handle it. New York always provides a new and interesting
challenge for even the most gifted professional athletes. They could all
perform very well in their new homes, but the odds suggest that at least one or
two will get swallowed up by their own city’s expectations.
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