Knicks Free Agency Chase

The New York Knicks current star Carmelo Anthony and General Manager Phil jackson have reportedly not spoken since free agency began, showing some serious differences in vision for the Knickerbockers. When asked how Jackson feels about Anthony’s displeasure with the direction the club is taking, Phil only answered that basketball is a team sport that needs to be played together.

Anthony, a widely considered franchise player, has been kept out of the loop regarding the free agency offers that the Knicks have been offering. Robin Lopez, Derrick Williams, Arron Afflalo and Kyle O’Quinn were added to the roster without the stars blessing. New Yorkers do not seemed worried by the rift between the two big names. Phil Jackson has a history of winning, having 11 rings as a coach and 2 as a player with the Knicks. He seems to have the complete trust of the Knicks faithful as New Yorkers will be hoping to watch a “Knicks-tape” of highlights this year.

While some high profile contracts have fallen through the cracks, Jackson’s plan to capture some high profile stars is to build the program one year at a time by winning. By picking the right players to fit into a team system, the Knicks will be able to win more games every year, which attracts free agents looking for an opportunity to win a championship.

He plans to continue to build the locker room in leadership and defensive ability. Jacksons unpopular first round draft pick, Kristaps Porzingis has been playing well in summer league and looks to be positioning himself to make an impact.

While the team gears up for next season, Carmelo is coming off a serious knee injury and no secondary scorer has emerged from the roster. As a true long term team builder, Jackson is building a program to last, the only way he knows.

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from Ari Kellen | Sports http://ift.tt/1fJDVSK

SEC Sensing Competition On And Off The Field

The SouthEastern Conference has long been considered a powerhouse in college football. World beaters, unstoppable, until of course this past year. The all-mighty SEC was taken down by a historic team from Ohio, OSU. From 2006- 2012 the conference won 7 straight national championships, and at each year’s following conference press day many yucks were traded. The scene of the SEC Media Days, a four day long pep rally of sorts for coaches, is much more somber than years past.

Many seem to believe that SEC is feeling a little intimidated, humbled, and possibly scared. The consecutive years without a title has stymied the conferences seemingly unfaltering confidence. The top five teams in the conference went an unimpressive 0-5 in bowl games, quite a drop off from recent years.

For years coaches in the south have used certain camps to tour around NCAA rules, allowing them to get first dibs on the best recruits in the country right in their backyards. This year, new Michigan coach Jim Harbaugh announced he would be taking a tour through the south in an attempt to pick the pockets of the SEC. When coaches got word of this they quickly renounced the camps as recruiting tours. Oddly panicky behavior from the mighty men of the SEC.

The SEC has long kept a powerhouse brand of football. Pro style play is not often seen in other conferences but this worried the reigning champions of the decade little… until it stopped working. Now reevaluations of defensive schemes have been taking place and more than half of the defensive coordinators have been replaced in the SEC.

The major questions that remain for this upcoming season are, who will rise to the challenge, and how will this conference slow down the spread offense of the west?

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from Ari Kellen | Sports http://ift.tt/1IYFirS