SU does not normally pay any attention to what NBA coaches say, or really what any coach or manager says, after games. Phil Jackson was always the master of trying to influence the refs come playoff time – and usually very effectively. Often times, it’s just coach speak and you move on.

Given that the Knicks’ chances of making the NBA finals will run through Detroit this year, SU noted what JJ Redick said last night after the Lakers lost to the Pistons in a late December regular season game:

“I think there’s probably a level of frustration when you’re turning the ball over and you’re feeling like you’re getting fouled,” Redick said. “There’s frustration there, for sure. But I mean, again, I said it even here, we said it this morning: They’re going to foul every possession. It’s just, you got to play through it… ”

“They’re going to foul on every possession, probably three or four times,” Redick said during his pregame remarks to reporters. “And that’s not a knock, I’m not saying it in a negative way, but they’re going to foul three or four times on every possession. [And the officials are] not going to call a foul on every possession.”

If you watched the NBA playoffs last Spring when the Knicks played the Pistons, this is what was going on. The Pistons foul on every possession and it’s up to the refs to make the calls. And it’s exhausting – do you want games to slow down to a crawl with foul shots? No, and so they stop making the calls. Remember Brunson getting bumped just trying to bring the ball up the court? Who wants to watch that?

The ball is in the NBA League Office’s court now to monitor this and it’s up to the refs to start calling the fouls. It will be bad for the fans and the style of play. For the Knicks, it puts a lot of pressure on the team to have the best record in the East as the foul calling is even worse for the playoff games that will be played in Detroit come May. You need to have home court for that series as the refs are influenced by the crowd as we all know.

SU is not knocking the refs who have such a challenging job in the NBA given the athleticism of the players and the pace of the game. But we see it every playoffs where the defense ratchets up. Props to Redick for calling it out now. No doubt he has an eye on June for the finals.

The irony is that the Pistons are legitimately good and have the players to win it all. Sure, play hard on defense but stop the constant fouling. And if they foul, call it.

SU has been largely silent of late and we apologize for that. A few thoughts this morning as the year comes to a close:

1. The NFL has to be ecstatic as the playoffs get ready to start. There is no singular, dominant team this year, and the field is wide open which makes for a much more interesting playoffs. The Niners are hot but their defense is pretty awful and they will have to score in the 30s on offense to get to the Super Bowl. SU endured a season of Saquon Barkley on its fantasy football team, and watching (dare I say rooting for?) the Eagles for a full season on the Red Zone channel. They have a top tier defense but for a team with great skill position players, their play calling is a joke. And why run the play clock down to zero on every play? SU looks forward to once again rooting against them come playoff time. No doubt playoff ratings will be through the roof.
2. For NY NFL fans, all I can say is you really need to get the Red Zone channel. Why be limited to watching such awful football week after week? There is no excuse in the NFL, with a salary cap, for such prolonged bad play. And we don’t need the NFL to add another game to the season – not for this quality of play.
3. Has Brian Cashman been on a sabbatical? Or is Hal Steinbrenner operating under a salary cap again? The obvious move for the Yankees is to bring back Bellinger but with Scott Boras involved, this will drag out and at some point, Cashman will move in a different direction. The Yankees are very left-handed and unless Jasson Dominguez can learn to hit better right-handed, there are problems. The team will be short-handed in the early season with pitchers rehabbing like Cole, Rodon, Schmidt. Right now, the bullpen is worse than last year. Volpe will not be ready in April which will delight many Yankee fans but SU says he is still young and too soon to say he won’t figure things out. Aaron Judge is in his prime for another year or two, and this is the time to try and win vs. earning a profit.
4. The Mets are quietly retooling. Clearly, David Stearns sees something in the Yankee bullpen that its fans did not see in 2025. Can Devin Williams actually pitch in New York? And Luke Weaver? SU thinks the Weaver signing was a good move. There are rumors of unhappiness in the clubhouse between Soto and Lindor but who knows? Stearns has an excellent reputation and you assume he knows talent. But at least they are doing things in Flushing.
5. Michigan has a new football coach from Utah, and SU is happy about that move. Sherrone Moore exits in disgrace and it’s hard to see him ever coaching again although many do get a 2nd chance. Check out the Michigan basketball team for your winter entertainment. They play the right way: unselfish; shoot early in the shot clock; everyone plays defense or they don’t play as there is a 9-man rotation.
6. Fix the transfer portal and get NILs under control. SU has no issue with players getting paid but this level of free agency is way out of hand now. I mean isn’t this about getting an education at some point? And now ex-G-League players are enrolling in college to play hoops. The only positive is that players may stay in school longer as they can make more $$$ than if they go to the NBA but for the fan, there is too much overhauling of rosters from year to year. Part of the fun of college sports is watching players get better each year. That fun does not extend to watching those players play for 4 schools over 4 years.
7. Should the college football playoff be the 12 best teams or should it be teams that win their conferences? Tough one. Tulane and James Madison got womped in their games but they did win their conference championships. Should Notre Dame or Texas have been in the mix? Or some next level team in the Big Ten or SEC? SU is not sure on this one. Part of the problem is that with the major conferences getting so big, you do need to allow more of those teams in. Lots of controversy but as they say, any PR is a good thing as it attracts attention.
8. This has to be the Knicks’ season. Fun team to watch. SU likes the faster pace on offense this season and they are clearly the best team in the East. The key will be staying healthy come Apri. SU believes they are one player short in the rotation but not sure they have the cap room to add someone without trading one of the current rotation players. The NBA Western Conference is so much better that whoever comes out from there may be exhausted come the finals. The NBA does need to fix the tanking of so many teams each year as well as players resting. Ticket prices are high and fans should expect to see the stars.
9. A few viewing tips: The John Elway documentary on Netflix is worth a look. SU learned some things there, e.g., how much he hated Dan Reeves. Also, the A-Rod documentary on HBO Max. I know, many of you are haters – SU never was. Always viewed him as a bit of a knucklehead who made bad choices. He has gone through major therapy – some of that you can fast forward through as after a while, you get it. People on it are pretty honest – like Jeter.

All for today. Have a happy new year everyone and expect to see more of SU in 2026 (I know – that may not be a positive!). As always, the floor is open for your thoughts and comments.