By JOSH HELLER
Staff Writer
1. Knicks Trying to Shop Melo
The Carmelo Anthony Era in New York looks like it’s coming to an end, and the Knicks are trying to find a team to take him.
Reports first came out about a week ago that Anthony and Jackson were having conversations about the Knicks moving on from Melo, and a few days later, another report came out saying the Cavaliers rejected an Anthony-for-Kevin Love swap.
Just before the weekend, it was learned that Jackson and the Knicks front office were trying to ship out Anthony, as the Celtics and Clippers were reported as front-runners in a possible deal.
The Celtics have since fallen out of such talks, but the Clippers have somewhat remained. However, the Clippers and Knicks would need a third interested party, if any deal was to be made.
Trading Anthony may be more difficult than initially thought, as he is just one of three players in the league, along with LeBron James and Dirk Nowitzki, with a no-trade clause in his contract, but reports say Anthony could waive the clause if he were to be traded to the Clippers or Cavaliers.
At 32, Anthony is looking to get a ring, and it’s going to be very hard to do that on a Knicks team currently in 11th in the Eastern Conference.
2. Kanter Punches Chair, Breaks Forearm
Following a sideline-blowup, Thunder center Enes Kanter will be sidelined for six to eight weeks with a broken forearm.
During Thursday’s game against the Mavericks, Kanter was frustrated on the sideline, and punched a chair. Kanter’s frustration was shown in the second quarter in the Thunder’s eventual win. Oklahoma City went on to beat Dallas.
The next day, Kanter underwent successful surgery on his forearm, and is confirmed to be out for at least six weeks. Kanter apologized to his teammates for his outburst, stating that he needs to learn how to better control his emotions.
Kanter didn’t miss a game last season in Oklahoma City, and the minutes left in his absence will be handled by their two main big men, Steven Adams and Domantas Sabonis. Thunder currently sits sixth in the Western Conference.
3. NFL Investigating Steelers, Seahawks’ Injury Reports
Two star NFLers and their teams are currently under investigation for not reporting injuries, reports NFL.com.
It started in early January, when Seahawks head coach Pete Carroll said that star cornerback Richard Sherman played through a “legit” MCL injury. The problem was that Sherman was never on the official injury report with any knee injury. Sherman said he didn’t believe the injury was serious, so “it would be odd” if the Seahawks were punished in any way.
After their elimination at the hands of the New England Patriots, Le’Veon Bell, who exited the AFC Championship with an injury, told reporters that he had been dealing with groin issues for a couple of weeks prior.
Like Sherman, Bell (and Steelers’ coach Mike Tomlin) said the injury was not serious, and non-serious injuries don’t need to be put on the injury report. Bell’s absence proved to be costly to Pittsburgh, as they were routed by the Patriots’ en route to their Super Bowl appearance against the Falcons.
4. Holland Signs One-Year Deal with Rockies
After missing all of the 2016 season, former Royals All-Star closer Greg Holland has agreed to a one-year deal with Colorado.
Holland, who underwent Tommy John surgery in October of 2015, is slated to earn $6 million next year, with $8 million in incentives on the line.
In January 2016, the Rockies made a trade with the Rays to acquire closer Jake McGee. McGee was expected to be a good stop-gap for the Rockies’ bullpen, but after an injury early last season, Adam Ottavino took over the closer role for a while.
Holland pitched in a showcase back in November, and reports were that he looked healthy. This deal is sort of a show-me deal to prove he can be back to his elite ways.
The Nationals looked to be a good fit for Holland, as they were looking for a Mark Melancon replacement (as he signed with the Giants).
But Holland and the Rockies found mutual interest, and Holland is looking to get back to his old self.
5. Bettman Meets with Press Before All-Star Game
Before this weekend’s NHL All-Star festivities, commissioner Gary Bettman met with the media to discuss pressing NHL issues.
The most prominent and discussed topic in the league was one that Bettman spent less than 15 seconds on: the 2018 Winter Olympics in Pyeonchang, South Korea.
The NHL Board of Governors and the NHLPA have been battling back-and-forth on the league’s participation in these Olympics, and the BOG have even used them as a bargaining chip.
Bettman said that no changes have been made to the potential status of the league in the Olympics, while Deputy Commissioner Bill Daly said not to anticipate the league at the Olympics.
The BOG see the Olympics as an injury risk, with the condensed schedule, and see no boost to the players in this competition, while the players very much want to go and play for their countries. The bargaining over the Olympics will most likely continue for the foreseeable future.
Another hot topic at Bettman’s press conference was the Vegas Golden Knights.
Daly told the media they hope the Golden Knights’ transaction to be finalized by March 1, and by that time, they can begin to make transactions, such as trading prospects, draft picks and signing undrafted free agents.
Bettman, meanwhile, was caught up in All-Star fever, and said that fans could expect an All-Star Game in Las Vegas in the coming years, closer to the franchise’s inauguration. Vegas would be a great spot for an All-Star Weekend, one that lacked the entertainment this year that it usually has.
The commissioner also touched on jersey advertisements, saying that, barring something “unusual,” advertisements on jerseys are not currently being discussed.
This was a fear many fans had, since Adidas will take over as jersey manufacturers from Reebok starting in the 2017-18 season. Adidas already gave fans a preview of their work, as they made the jerseys for this year’s World Cup of Hockey.
