Rangers Acquire Defenseman Brendan Smith From Detroit

In their only move before the trade deadline, the New York Rangers have acquired defenseman Brendan Smith from Detroit in exchange for two draft picks.

The trade includes the Rangers’ third round pick in this year’s Entry Draft and Ottawa’s second round pick in the 2018 NHL Entry Draft, which the Rangers acquired after sending Derrick Brassard to Ottawa in the offseason for Mika Zibanejad.

Yes, the Rangers have a habit of trading away important draft picks but in this case, this was a good move.

Smith has skated in 291 career NHL games over a span of six seasons, spending his career so far with Detroit after being drafted 27th overall in 2007. He signed a three-year entry level contract in May 2010 and made his NHL debut on November 17, 2011. He’s tallied 67 career points, 15 goals and 52 assists, along with 281 penalty minutes.

In the 2013-14 season, Smith notched career-highs in goals (five), assists (14) and points (19). As a member of the Red Wings, he has played in the playoffs in each of the last four seasons, tallying six points (two goals and four assists) and a plus-one rating in 27 games.

This season, he has played in 33 games, registering two goals, three assists and 34 penalty minutes. He averages 18:44 of ice time, which was a career high and gave him the fourth rank among Detroit defensemen last season.

The Rangers have had various injuries on defense all season, so adding a veteran like Smith will only benefit the team overall. He could be one of the top defensive pairings and be a mentor for the younger players.

Smith will have some familiar faces on his new team. He played three seasons for the University of Wisconsin-Madison, along with Rangers captain Ryan McDonagh and center Derek Stepan.

 

 

NBA Trade Deadline Passes, Melo and Rose Remain in New York

Like it or not Knicks fans, the team didn’t make any moves before the Feb. 23 trade deadline, which means Carmelo Anthony and Derrick Rose will still be wearing orange and blue.

While there were significantly more trade rumors surrounding Anthony for about six weeks, one rumor involving Rose was ignited in the final days before the deadline. Moving Rose would have been more likely considering how he’s played so far in his first season in New York.

The Minnesota Timberwolves reached out to the Knicks and expressed interest in acquiring Rose in exchange for their starting point guard Ricky Rubio.

However, the trade reportedly fell through at the last minute when the Knicks tried to gain a second piece in addition to Rubio. By the time they withdrew their request for another player, the 3pm deadline had passed.

“The sense I’ve gotten from talking to other teams who’ve talked to New York is they feel like the Knicks would almost give away [Rose] right now,” Adrian Wojnarowski of the Vertical said Wednesday.

Rose is averaging 17.7 points per game on 46% shooting from the field. He’s shooting 24% from deep and 4.5 assists and four rebounds. Defensively, he’s ranked fifth-worst in DRPM among 89 point guards.

On the other hand, Rubio is a playmaker that would have made a great difference in the Knicks’ lineup. Averaging eight assists and just two turnovers all season, he would have been beneficial to Kristaps Porzingis’ development.

While these players remain on their respective teams for now, we’ll just have to wait and see what the offseason brings.

 

 

 

Timberwolves Show Interest in Trading for Derrick Rose

With the NBA trade deadline coming Feb. 23, teams are racing to make final decisions.

While I don’t think we’ll see another move as crazy as the one between the Sacramento Kings and New Orleans Pelicans, interesting rumors have been circling around New York Knicks point guard Derrick Rose and the Minnesota Timberwolves.

For those who don’t know, the Kings traded Cousins, their star player, and Omri Casspi to New Orleans for Buddy Hield, Tyreke Evans, Langston Galloway and the Pelicans’ 2017 first- and second-round picks in what people are calling one of the worst trades in NBA history.

 

Teams have their fair share of trade talks. New York Knicks fans know just how tiring it can be to hear non-stop trade rumors and scenarios.

Rumors have been swirling around Carmelo Anthony and the Knicks for weeks, but things have since calmed down and it doesn’t seem like Anthony will be leaving New York. His teammate, however, was just named in new trade rumors.

Derrick Rose, in his first season with the Knicks, is already sparking trade talks from various teams. The one that seems the most likely is the Minnesota Timberwolves.

Ian Begley of ESPN reported that the Timberwolves have reached out to the Knicks to discuss possible trades for Rose.

What makes Minnesota stand out from the other teams is that Rose played for Timberwolves president/coach Tom Thibodeau during his time with the Chicago Bulls.

While this is all just trade talks, it’ll be interesting to see what comes about.

 

Charles Oakley Banned From MSG

The craziness surrounding the Knicks organization continues following Charles Oakley’s outburst at Madison Square Garden on Wednesday night.

It was reported Friday that the Knicks legend was banned from MSG after being ejected during Wednesday’s game and then arrested soon after.

Team owner James Dolan called for Oakley’s ban. During an interview on the Michael Kay Show on Friday, Dolan was quick to make accusations and showed no support for the former player.

“He has a problem with anger,” Dolan said. “He’s both physically and verbally abusive. He may have a problem with alcohol. We don’t know. But those behaviors of being physically and verbally abusive, those are personality problems.”

The team had released two statements following the incident but they were just to throw Oakley under the bus. The organization seemed to jump to conclusions without getting the former player’s point of view.

Oakley said afterward that he had “a couple drinks” but before entering the Garden.

When asked if the Knicks should be embarrassed for what has happened in the last 48 hours, Dolan responded: “I would say that Charles should be embarrassed.”

For the sake of the team and its reputation, let’s hope that this all gets resolved soon.