“Everyone loves OG Anunoby, but am I the only one who thinks the Knicks lost that trade? RJ Barrett has become more consistent and the Knicks never replaced IQ. — Shelton L, Brooklyn, NY.
Statistically, you are not wrong. Last season, RJ Barrett outscored (21.1 ppg to 18.0 ppg), outrebounded (6.3 rpg to 4.8 rpg), and out-assisted (5.4 apg to 2.2 apg) OG Anunoby despite playing less minutes (32.2 mpg to 36.6 mpg).
And you are right that the Knicks are still trying to fill the back-up point guard void since Immanuel Quickley was shipped with Barrett and a second-round draft pick to the Toronto Raptors for OG Anunoby, Precious Achiuwa, and Malachi Flynn on December 30, 2023.
However, the bottom line is that New York Knicks are 88-51 (.633) and they’ve won three playoff series since the trade was made. Unlike Barrett and Quickley, Anunoby doesn’t need the ball in his hands to be effective. Which is a valuable trait on a team featuring Jalen Brunson and Karl-Anthony Towns. Plus, he is a proven defensive player, having made the NBA All-Defensive Second Team for the Raptors in 2022-23.
The Knicks famously did NOT win the “Zion Williamson” lottery in 2019 and ended up with the third overall pick. Considering Williamson’s struggles to stay healthy and in-shape, and Ja Morant’s troubles with the law, Barrett has had the most consistent start to his career. Together with Quickly, they make up 40% of the Raptors starting lineup.
The trade benefited both teams, but there’s no way the Knicks would ask for a do-over. Anunoby is a key piece in their championship pursuit.
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“I’m frustrated. The Rangers keep changing coaches but they all prefer vets to the rookies. They called (Brennan) Othmann up, played him once and then sat him. Today they sent him down but didn’t bring Gabe Perreault up despite the fact that he’s on fire in Hartford. I’m tired of seeing (Taylor) Raddysh and Connor Sheary ” — Anthony S, North Caldwell, NJ.
The New York Rangers have only played 13 games under Mike Sullivan. However, based on the short sample size, I disagree with your assessment.
First, Taylor Raddysh and Connor Sheary might not be sexy names, but they are playing the type of responsible 200-foot hockey that Sullivan is preaching. Plus, Raddysh leads the Rangers with 5 goals and Sheary has added 4 assists.
Second, Sullivan has been very open about how he feels about Brennan Othmann. He has said that he has NHL skills and will have a long career but needs to become more consistent without the puck. “We talked to Otter just about attention to detail,” Sullivan explained on November 3 at the MSG Training Center in Greenburgh. “A little bit of predictability and reliability, with respect to his game away from the puck and that being an important element of him earning his way on the roster as a regular.”
Finally, Sullivan has already exhibited that he runs a meritocracy. As an example, 22-year-old rookie Noah Laba forced his way onto the opening roster and now has risen to second line center between Will Cuylle and Alexis Lafreniere.
Now, I understand why you reacted to Jaroslav Chmelar being called up instead of Gabe Perreault. Perreault is the Rangers’ top prospect and was just named the Hartford Wolfpack’s first AHL Player of the Week since January 2023.
But Sullivan said when he talked to GM Chris Drury, Hartford GM Ryan Martin, and Hartford Head Coach Grant Potulny they said Chmelar has been the Wolfpack’s best forward. “It’s as simple as that,” Sullivan said. “It’s a great message for everybody, performance matters”.
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“Rob Manfred recently talked about restructuring Major League Baseball. I do not like the concept of eliminating the National and American leagues and mirroring the NBA and NHL into East vs West Conferences. I think it completely destroys the legacy of baseball. I’d love to get your thoughts on it… Also, would expansion dilute the talent on the field and create a mediocre product?” — Michael M, Murrells Inlet, SC
Ah, a baseball purist from South Carolina!
Regarding your concern about the legacy of baseball, let me ask: what do you think about interleague play, the DH rule, the Ghost Runner, and the pitch clock? Baseball continues to evolve. I can remember when Babe Ruth was the most famous pitcher who hit home runs!
I’m not a baseball purist, but I’ll withhold final judgment until I see Commissioner Rob Manfred’s ultimate plan. If he can come up with a way to uphold the sanctity of the regular season, and also eliminate the randomness of the Wild Card round, then I’ll be all for it.
Regarding expansion, I have no doubt that there is enough talent for baseball to expand for the first time since 1998 when the Arizona Diamondbacks and Tampa Bay (Devil) Rays joined MLB. Since then, baseball has continued to become a more international sport. A record 265 players, representing 18 different countries and territories outside of the 50 United States were on 2025 Opening Day rosters.
Want some good news? According to Fox Sports, there are nine potential expansion cities, including Charlotte, NC. According to Google, that would only be a 3-hour, 29-minute drive for you!
The RantBack Digital Mailbag is a periodic feature where SportsRantNY readers get to pose questions, make comments or just get something off their chests. Last names are withheld to protect the innocent.
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