SU actually watched a good part of last night’s Knick games.  Truth be told, the TV was on during that time but I slept through a good portion of the 1st half.  I mean it’s not that compelling.  But in the first 5 minutes of the 3rd quarter, the ball was moving all over the place, Melo was actually driving and dishing (repeat: Melo was actually driving and dishing) and they had 8 assists in 5 minutes!  The lead ballooned to 15 points and they were in control until early in the 4th quarter.

Then, the offense switched back to isolation play.  And for the final 4 minutes, it stuck in Melo’s hands.  Even Clyde Frazier took time out from his “swishing and dishing” nonsense to comment on how the ball was no longer moving.  It was back to isolation offense similar to what we have seen for the past 5 years since Anthony was traded to the Knicks.  SU kept looking for Mike Woodson – surely he must have left the LA Clippers bench for a game and wanted to see his isolation offense in all its glory again in NY.  The Knicks hung on in the last couple of minutes as Calderon made a couple of plays with and without the ball.

SU asks these questions:

• Did Melo decide to no longer share the ball on his own?
• Did Derek Fisher decide to revert to an isolation type offense?
• Do questions 1 and 2 even matter?

While it’s a players’ league, you need the coach to have his players carry out what he wants.  Either Fisher can’t control Anthony in those situations or he is exercising poor judgment and moving away from what got him the lead.  Either way, it’s wrong.

SU is a simple guy and asks this question: Aren’t there analytics that show offensive efficiency when the ball moves on offense vs. isolation style of play?   Isn’t this a no-brainer?  I know isolation play makes coaching offense so much easier but it cannot be the most productive and efficient style of play.  In a world of data analytics, what is the answer?

Those of us that closely follow the sports world know that all coaches and managers eventually get fired.  Sure, there are some exceptions where guys go out on top – see John Wooden, Dean Smith, Red Aurebach.  But in more recent times, this is the exception.  Even Joe Torre with his remarkable run with the Yankees went out after the 2007 season when he lost in the playoffs.

Tom Coughlin had a great run with the Giants for 12 years.  He won two Super Bowls and clearly cared about winning and losing.  But the reality is that ownership allowed him some extra years to turn things around and he failed to get the team back to the playoffs or even have a winning record.  It’s funny though: this year’s team may have been his least talented group but he had them in position to win a number of games late in the 4th quarter.  The problem was that his coaching contributed to a number of those losses.  So it goes.  He was allowed to resign and will be remembered as one of the Giants’ best coaches in their history.

SU does not understand how General Manager Jerry Reese is still there.  He has put together a really bad roster for several years now.  Other than Eli Manning and Beckham, none of their other players likely starts for most NFL teams.  I will be surprised if he makes it through but the Giants’ ownership is pretty loyal to its staff and he just may.

No doubt Ray Handley is chomping at the bit for another shot at the helm.  There are lots of good young assistants who deserve a shot at a top position.  SU hopes that the Giants at least retain McAdoo as the offensive coordinator given how Eli Manning has thrived in his system this season.

Meanwhile, the Jets laid a major egg on Sunday and Ryan Fitzpatrick reverted to form.  You have to figure he will be brought back next season given his strong overall numbers for the season and how few good quarterbacks are around now in the NFL.  Surely you don’t want to rely on Geno Smith for next season.

SU went back into the archives to check on the preseason Super Bowl prediction.  It was Green Bay over Denver.  OK, you say, Green Bay has no shot but Denver is the #1 seed and could make a run with a rejuevenated Peyton Manning.  I also saw that Sports Illustrated had the Baltimore Ravens winning it all.  Nuff said.  It’s  all a crapshoot.

Anyone care to make a Super Bowl match-up forecast?

From the category of “When Will People Learn” comes this  news flash this morning:

http://espn.go.com/mlb/story/_/id/14464136/stephen-drew-washington-nationals-agree-one-year-deal

How is this possible?  If he hit .220 last season, Drew may have been able to get an $8 million contract plus incentives.  He must be kicking himself now.  SU says if he hits .160 this year, some team will come back with the 3-year long-term deal next sesason.  The bar for Stephen Drew is just lower than it is for anyone else.  Buyer beware.

SU caught last night’s UConn women’s basketball game vs. Maryland at MSG with long-time subscriber M. Levine.  It’s important to periodically see how basketball is supposed to be played by watching a true team in action.  Every player touches the ball on each possession.  There are back door cuts, high/low plays to score underneath and full-court pressing defense.  Sure, they turned it over a lot last night but this is the game that I like to watch.  No isolation plays, no jab stepping for 15 seconds, no walking the ball up the court and no dogging it getting back on defense.  Yes, fans, there is still real basketball being played out there – in Golden State, San Antonio, Michigan (see John Beilein’s style of play) and a few other places.  There is hope.

SU thought this was an interesting perspective on the Chapman trade and how a suspension helps the Yankees in multiple ways.  Worth a few minutes to check it out here:

http://www.nj.com/yankees/index.ssf/2015/12/why_a_lengthy_suspension_for_aroldis_chapman_could.html#incart_most-readsports

As always, SU has its finger on the pulse of the sports world.  This just in from Jack Curry of the YES Network on Twitter:

The Yankees are looking at a trade of four prospects for Arondis Chapman.  Supposedly, none of their top prospects would be included in the deal nor would Andrew Miller or Dellen Betances.  That would be an impressive 7 – 9th inning trio.

The guy has issues certainly with the recent domestic violence charges.  But he does throw 100 mph.

Good move for the Yankees???

I don’t know about you but I find it hard to make it through a full NFL game these days.  The TV ratings are still strong and the NFL is still the #1 professional sports league by a wide margin.  But SU has issues with the quality of the product:

• Quarterback play: there are traditionally about 15 QBs who are top tier.  If you play Fantasty Football, you know there are a few elite guys like Brady and Aaron Rodgers and then another 10 or so that consistently put up big numbers.  But it seems like the performance level drops off dramatically after that and you are left with a lot of Charlie Whitehurst level QBs who struggle to just complete a pass.  Once injuries set in (see Tony Romo), the number drops to about 10 – 11 and some games become just unwatchable.
• Injuries: we are at the point where pre-season predictions are silly in the NFL as injuries play a huge part in determining team success.  Sure, you can have depth and that helps but increasingly it feels like it’s the luck of the draw whether you have the right guys standing come playoff time.  It’s true that teams like the Patriots are there year after year but others come and go based on the health of a few key players.
• 3rd Down Success: SU does not believe that it was so hard to make a 3rd and 7 first down 30-40 years ago.  Now, it’s cause for celebration when a team can complete a pass and will actually throw it past the 1st down marker.  The blitzes and pass rushers with their intricate schemes make it that difficult.
• Celebrations: enough already.  You get a sack and even if your team is down 35-3, it’s a reason to dance wildy.  Same for a tackle, breaking up a pass and making a first down.  SU says act like you’ve been there before.  Hey, score a touchdown and have at it.  But at some point, it’s just silly and just constant attempts by playes to draw attention to themselves.

SU admits that I am also starting to feel this way about NBA games.  Perhaps I am just getting old or deep down I’m old school and don’t appreciate all the dancing and preening.  I am curious if anyone else feels this way.

The Peyton Manning HGH story is out there and he was quick to react.  Naturally, we are all skeptical of players who deny the story so vehemently given the track record of those who have come before them (see A-Rod).  For me, Peyton falls in the Derek Jeter category when it comes to drug usage – just can’t be right?  On the other hand, I am long past the point of being shocked by any story and time will tell if this story has legs.  If his wife used it, that’s her business – it’s not illegal if prescribed for the right reasons.  And no doubt MLB will be investigating its players that have been mentioned in the story.

So, what the hell was going on with Odell Beckham Jr. yesterday?  He totally lost it and just could not regain his composure for an entire game.  At some point, you are hurting your team and someone needs to take you aside and set you straight.  SU says that 5 years ago, Tom Coughlin is that guy and he is riding the bench – must game or no must game.  Surprisingly, he let it go and even after the game, he sure didn’t sound like Tom Coughlin to me.  I guess he sees the hand-writing on the wall and the finish line is in sight.  Beckham is his best player and he just doesn’t want to bring the hammer down on him.  In past years, there would have been some senior citizen on the roster who had the respect of the team who could have taken care of this.  But other than JPP, hard to put a finger on who that might be this year.

He will surely get suspended for a game and that just hurts the Giants’ playoff chances even more.  As a fan, you like the fight and the passion but it’s misplaced.  Coaches at every level have pulled guys off the court or field for the last 2,000 years when they start acting this way.  SU doesn’t feel there will be any long-term effects.  Beckham is a smart guy and he knows his brand will suffer if he keeps letting defenders get under his skin.  He will make the adjustment and move on.

The Giants lost in predictable fashion.  No pass rush means having to blitz all the time and they still couldn’t get to Newton.  Oh well, only a couple more weeks of torture from this year’s group.  The Jets meanwhile still have a pulse and find ways to win.  You have to give Bowles a lot of credit in his first year as coach.  Rex may be on the way out after just one year up in Buffalo.

SU was glad to see Rob Manfred not reinstate Pete Rose and allow him to be involved in MLB which also puts the kabosh on his Hall of Fame chances.  The guy has had tons of chances over the years to come clean and express some remorse for betting on games including his own team’s games.  But he is so arrogant – which probably also made him a great player for so many years.  He just cannot bring himself to do it.  SU would like to see MLB release the full contents of the investigation that was done many years ago. I am sure that would be very enlightning.  As we know, the public is always willing to forgive but he just does not seem to understand that.

SU is predicting that the Giants will end Carolina’s perfect season this Sunday.  No particular reason other than the Giants falter when they are supposed to win and seem to play better in the underdog situations.  I recognize that most of their players couldn’t start for other NFL teams and that their offensive line is decimated.  But Eli is really thriving this year and can put points on the board.

In terms of Super Bowl predictions, SU’s preseason pick was Denver over Green Bay and I will stick with that as is my custom.  Clearly, neither team is dominant at this point although Denver’s defense is very strong.  If Petyon Manning can get healthy enough to play come January, then this could be his swan song and a Super Bowl win is a great way to go out on top.  It should be a great NFL playoff tournament as the field is wide open this year given New England’s injuries.

SU respects Bo Ryan at Wisconsin but the mid-season retirement is an odd move.  SU says finish what you started.

Finally, SU is binging on the series Friday Night Lights.  If you haven’t seen it, it’s worth a look on Netflix.  Given the length of the NBA season and that we are still in pre-conference NCAA play, a welcome distraction at this time of year.

SU was encouraged to see that the Mets had a plan B after the Cubs grabbed Ben Zobrist.  $56 million for 4 years is too much for Zobrist who is already in his mid-30s, and I was glad that the Yankees also took a pass.

But the Mets moved quickly in response:

• The trade of Jon Niese for Neil Walker takes care of 2nd base with Daniel Murphy moving on.  Niese was an extra piece and Walker’s numbers are as good as  Murphy’s.  He is also seen as a better defender.  SU ran into long-time subscriber and big Met fan S. Brett on the train and his reaction to the trade was definitely “meh.”  But the Mets have a top prospect in the minors who can inherit this spot in the next couple of years and Walker seems to be a good stop gap move.  He’s also cheaper than what it would have cost to re-sign Murphy.

• The Mets then went out and grabbed an everyday shortstop by signing Asdrubal Cabrera in a 2-year deal.  Some writers do not like this move as Cabrera is not seen as a good defender.  But SU has seen its share of Cabrera over the years with the Indians and he can hit.  He was always a guy you worried about in a big situation with RISP.  I know you want to have a strong defense given the pitching staff but truth be told, with pitchers that throw 95 mph+, you are going to get more pop-ups than ground balls.  SU likes this move.

Over in the Bronx, the Yankees traded one of their 3 trusted relievers, Justin Wilson, for 2 minor league starters.  Wilson was pretty one-dimensional with a plus fastball (as Al Leiter likes to say) but he generally got the job done.  He was going to be arbitration eligible and Cashman made some remark that they save some money in this trade as well as restock the minor league system with some starters.  SU has to believe that Cashman is going to flip at least one of these guys plus Gardner for a starting pitcher.  I mean are they the Kansas City Royals now worrying about an extra $5ook?  Otherwise, they must have a lot of confidence in the relievers who were shuttling back and forth to Scranton last year – none of whom distinguished themselves.

Surely, there is a bigger move in the works here.

SU has had a little time to digest and ponder the Starlin Castro trade by the Yankees.  I am not that familiar with Castro.  I know he was a highly regarded player who was elevated to the major leagues at a young age.  He had a couple of good years in Chicago and then plateaued and probably wore out his welcome.  He will only be 26 at the start of next season and appears to have some pop in his bat.  He will play 2nd base and given that he is really a shortstop, he can back up Didi Gregorius.

One of the bonuses of this trade is that Brendan Ryan gets moved out of NY.  He was brought in a couple of years ago as part of Cashman’s initiative to have a team of just utility infielders.  Just another .200 hitter who was always on the DL.  Probably good buddies with Stephen Drew.

But here is what makes SU a little uncomfortable.  Adam Warren has proven that he can pitch in NY – both out of the bullpen as well as in a starting role.  And unlike CC, Pineda, Nova, Tanaka and Eovaldi, Warren has been healthy.  This is the part that I don’t get.  The Yankees’ rotation, health-wise, is a mess.  None of these guys can make it through a full season and Tanaka has a tendon that can go at any point.  Wouldn’t you want to hold on to a pitcher that can be slotted in a variety of places including the rotation?

SU says there has to be another move coming for a starting pitcher involving Brett Gardner.  There has to be.  Otherwise, come mid-May, you will be hearing the following: “I’ll bet the Yankees wish they had held on to Adam Warren now.”  Thus, SU will hold final judgment til then.  IF there is no other trade, I don’t like this move as they will be scrambling to fix the rotation all year or scrambling to fix the bullpen.

Thoughts?  Opinions?  Anyone care to weigh in?  The floor is open.