Get Today’s New York Sports Here Tweet of the Day
--------------------------------------------------------------- Good morning. 1. The NBA [announced]( the results of 546 COVID tests on players on Wednesday night, with 48 positives. 2. Potential Knicks target Russell Westbrook was [traded]( to Washington.
--------------------------------------------------------------- Today's sports schedule...
- UConn MBB vs. USC, 7 p.m. 🏀
Word count: 765 words (about six minutes)
--------------------------------------------------------------- SNY originals...
The Putback with Ian Begley
- [Assessing the Knicks' offseason and their remaining cap room]( Baseball Night in New York
- [Was Dom Smith’s on-field ascension the biggest development in NY baseball in 2020?]( What are the Odds?
- [Can the Giants finish the job and win the NFC East?]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 1. Sam Darnold hasn't been great in 2020. Neither has the rest of his offense Kevin Wexler/USA Today The Jets' offense is averaging a league-low 13.8 points per game entering their matchup with the Raiders on Sunday. Second-to-last Denver is 5.2 points ahead.
- Some of that can be blamed on Sam Darnold, who's gone from surefire franchise QB to perhaps on a new team in 2021.
- (On the topic, [here]( SNY's Ralph Vacchiano's stab at finding a potential trade partner this offseason).
Darnold clearly hasn't taken the step the Jets were hoping for in year three, but an evaluation of him requires a look at the team's collective offensive personnel, which falls flat in every other position. Using Pro Football Focus' [player position rankings]( here's the highest-ranked Jet compared to the rest of the NFL at every offensive spot:
- QB: Joe Flacco, 36th in the league. (Darnold is 38th)
- RB: Frank Gore, 46th
- WR: Denzel Mims, 39th
- TE: Ryan Griffin, 59th
- Center: Connor McGovern, 29th
- Guard: Alex Lewis, 28th
- Tackle: Mekhi Becton, 30th
Adam Gase has said throughout the year that it's been hard to judge Darnold without the "[three dudes]( at wideout -- Jamison Crowder, Breshad Perriman and Denzel Mims.
- That may be true -- and Darnold had those three to throw to last Sunday -- but it may also be easier to judge Darnold when his three best passing options aren't ranked 39th (Mims), 48th (Crowder) and 76th (Perriman) by PFF.
On SNY.tv: [Gase says Darnold’s confidence hasn’t wavered](
--------------------------------------------------------------- 2. Who is the better offseason option for Mets -- Springer or Lindor? SNY graphic George Springer is a free agent this offseason for the first time. Francisco Lindor, one year away from the same liberty, is [available]( via trade. The Mets have been linked to both players.
- But which All-Star is more likely to be on the Mets' roster come 2021 Opening Day?
Each specific situation might play the biggest factor, said SNY's Andy Martino on yesterday's Shea Anything podcast:
- "It's always seemed more likely that they'll spend on George Springer than trade for Lindor. ... With money, it's just money and the owner has it, so that's easier to do than to sacrifice a player."
To listen to the entire segment, click [here](. On SNY.tv:
- [The Blue Jays are reportedly prioritizing signing Springer over Marcell Ozuna](
- [The ripple effects of the Mets signing Trevor May]( --------------------------------------------------------------- DAILY TRIVIA Of the 10-highest individual sack totals in an NFL season, three belong to a Jet or a Giant. Can you name all three? 3. Every Mets and Yankees tender and non-tender from last night Mitch Stringer/USA Today Last night at 8 p.m. was MLB's non-tender deadline, which means the deadline for teams to tender (give a contract to) pre-arbitration and arbitration-eligible players. A non-tender means a player becomes a free agent. The Yankees...
- ... tendered Gary Sanchez -- there was some speculation that they might not -- along with Luis Cessa and Ben Heller.
- ... and non-tendered Jonathan Holder.
The Mets...
- ... tendered Steven Matz and Robert Gsellman.
- ... and non-tendered Ariel Jurado, Paul Sewald, Chasen Shreve and Nick Tropeano.
For every Mets transaction from yesterday, click [here](. For the Yankees, [here](. On SNY.tv:
- [Analyzing whether Matz is a fit for Mets in 2021 and beyond](
- [Sabathia says Sanchez "for sure" can turn his career around with the Yankees]( --------------------------------------------------------------- 4. The best Knicks and Nets quotes from this week Kim Klement/USA Today New Knick Austin Rivers, yesterday on Zoom:
- "I think we’re caught in an era where everybody likes riding a wave and people want to go to places that are already on the rise or go to teams and franchises that are doing really well and people have lost interest in going somewhere and making it great again. So I don’t understand someone not wanting to play for a city like New York. I just didn’t get that. I still don’t understand that."
(Doc Rivers played three seasons for the Knicks. Read Austin's full comments [here](. Tom Thibodeau, [on the idea]( of developing players over prioritizing immediate winning:
- "You have to impact winning, you have to put the team first. There has to be sacrifices made. And that's what we're going to strive for every single day. We have a very strong staff. The focus is going to be on teaching and work."
Kevin Durant, [on the James Harden-to-Brooklyn rumors](
- “I heard all the noise that James potentially wanted to come to the Nets. But anyone can make up stories, anyone can write a story and it gets some traction. Nothing’s ever set in stone until it’s set in stone, so I’ve never thought too much about it, just focused on myself. And my teammates probably did the same thing, and we just move forward.”
Thibodeau, [on his first impressions]( of Obi Toppin:
- "His energy, his skill set, his ability to shoot -- I think offensively he's about as ready as a young guy can be coming into the league."
On SNY.tv: [The Nets are set to take on the Warriors on Opening Night](
--------------------------------------------------------------- 5. The New York Minute - [READ]( Quinnen Williams says he loves being a Jet: "Despite the [0-11] record, every day, those guys on the team come out and work their butts off."
- [READ]( Colt McCoy's recent start sheds light on how the Giants should deploy him if he starts on Sunday.
- [READ]( What Trevor May learned from his time with the Twins. --------------------------------------------------------------- Trivia answer: Michael Strahan (22.5), Mark Gastineau (22), Lawrence Taylor (20.5) That's the buzzer, folks. Stay safe and enjoy your Thursday This email was sent by:
SportsNet New York (SNY)
150 Greenwich st 50th floor
New York, NY
10007
US
[Unsubscribe]( [Twitter](
[Instagram](
[Facebook](