Jaxson Dart Deserves Better Than This

Since blowing a 19-point lead to the Denver Broncos at Mile-High Stadium on October 19, the New York Giants have lost to the Philadelphia Eagles and the San Francisco 49ers. Neither game was competitive. For the third year in a row this franchise, which has made the playoffs only twice since its last Super Bowl win in 2011, is off to a 2-7 start. The previous two seasons it finished 6-11 and 3-14 respectively. Based on the level of play through nine games, there is little reason to expect that 2025 will be any different. 

New York has given up 249 points this season. Only the Tennessee Titans (257), Dallas Cowboys (277) and Cincinnati Bengals (300) have given up more. Yes, they have sustained injuries, especially to their beleaguered secondary, but there isn't a team in the league that hasn't had to contend with injuries. Indeed, the 49ers were missing several key players, including Brock Purdy and Nick Bosa, yet still had their way with the Giants. Quite frankly, it was embarrassing to watch.

The one, lone bright spot in this train wreck of a season has been Jaxson Dart. The rookie has thrown for 1175 yards in six starts with 10 touchdowns and 3 interceptions. His QBR of 61.2 is 14th among starting quarterbacks; five points higher than Drake Maye's was in his rookie season, and eight points higher than Eli Manning's was in 2007, the year he won his first Super Bowl. In fact, Dart's QBR is higher than Bo Nix, Michael Penix, Jr, Jayden Daniels and Caleb Williams; the latter the number one pick in the 2024 NFL Draft.

Ever since the retirement of Eli, the Jints have been looking for someone to take over the reigns. Daniel Jones was supposed to be that guy; and for two seasons - his rookie and 2022 - it certainly looked that way. But, alas, it wasn't to be. Danny Dimes is now on the Indianapolis Colts where he is having his best year as a pro. Good for him.

As for Dart, it's obvious that the Giants have found their franchise quarterback. His resilience is matched only by his exuberance. If spunk was measured in dollars, Dart would be the richest rookie in the NFL. The kid is unflappable. But there's a limit to any man's resolve. John Mara is playing with fire if he thinks that this level of incompetence won't eventually get to the best quarterback this organization has drafted in its history. I'm not being facetious here. Phil Simms took five years to become a good quarterback; Eli didn't come into his own until his third full season; Dart is already there, and with inarguably the worst receiving corps in the league. 

But past performance is no guarantee of future success. Sam Darnold and Justin Fields were highly touted prospects out of college who were both badly screwed up by their respective teams. Darnold eventually resurrected his career in Minnesota and now Seattle, but Fields appears to be a lost cause. Ironically he's with the Jets, the team that drafted Darnold. You can't make this shit up.

Mara has an obligation to make sure history doesn't repeat itself. Even he decides to retain Joe Schoen as his GM, the entire coaching staff must go, starting with Defensive Coordinator Shane Bowen. His play calling is directly responsible for two losses this season. And Brian Daboll's reluctance - i.e, refusal - to criticize his assistant, is an indictment of him as a head coach. After the Denver loss, you could tell he lost the locker room. At this point, most of the players are just going through the motions. The lone exceptions are Dart and Brian Burns, who is having a career year. He currently leads the NFL with 11 sacks. 

The argument for keeping Daboll is based on the premise that with a young quarterback, continuity is essential. After all, Daniel Jones had four different offensive coordinators in his tenure as a Giant. No doubt that stunted his development. It's perfectly reasonable not to want to do that to Dart.

But the counter argument is that it's far worse for a young quarterback to be saddled in a system that, no matter what you do, keeps spinning its wheels. Even the most incurable optimist would have a hard time winning under those conditions.

If you want proof, look no further than Drake Maye. In his rookie season with the New England Patriots, his head coach was Jerod Mayo and his offensive coordinator was Alex Van Pelt. The Pats went 4-13 and Robert Kraft cleaned house. He hired Mike Vrabel as his head coach and Vrabel hired Josh McDaniels as his OC. The result is that Maye is fifth in the NFL with a QBR of 74, and New England is in first place in the AFC East with a record of 7-2.

Daboll's claim to fame, and the thing that made him attractive to Schoen, was that he helped Josh Allen become the player he is, but that doesn't mean he's a quarterback whisperer, or for that matter even a good head coach. The fact is that after a surprising 9-7-1 maiden season under Daboll, the Giants have been one of the worst run teams in the NFL since. I find it hard to believe they couldn't find someone considerably better to manage the sidelines, while also developing Dart.

Walking and chewing gum at the same time is something millions of people do every day. It's about time the Giants learned how to do it.

Jaxson Dart deserves no less.

Is It Possible That Maybe the Rangers Just Aren't That Good?

"I do think they will make the postseason; they have too much talent not to."

- Peter W. Fegan

Some days I thank my lucky stars that I don't put my money where my mouth is. I'd be living in my car right now, or under it. Look, I realize it's still early; after all, the 2013-14 Rangers got off to a 3-7-0 start under Alain Vigneault and they not only made the playoffs, they went all the way to the Stanley Cup finals. This core is only one year removed from winning the Presidents' Trophy; certainly there's plenty of time to turn this ship around.

God, I wish that were so, I really do. But if we're being honest with ourselves, the only thing that Rangers team has in common with this one is the logo on their jerseys. This team looks old and slow. With the exception of two road games against the Pittsburgh Penguins and the Montreal Canadiens and two home games against the Washington Capitals and the Edmonton Oilers, they have been outplayed in all the other games. FYI, they lost both those home games. Think about it: they're 2-2 against teams they outplayed, and 1-3-2 against teams that outplayed them.

The top six has looked more like a bottom six. Artemi Panarin is tied with Adam Fox for the team lead in scoring with seven points, and four of those points came against the Canadiens; Mika Zibanjead has three goals, and is on track to finish the season with 50 points; the "Captain" J.T. Miller has two goals and six points; and Alexis Lafreniere hasn't scored since October 9. There are kids on milk container cartons that are more conspicuous. At times this season, the bottom six has performed better than their top six counter parts. Exhibit A: perennial fourth liner Taylor Raddysh leads the team with four goals. 

The Rangers are the second worst scoring team in the NHL this season. Last night, they gave up five goals to a Calgary Flames team that had scored even fewer. And that was two nights after they lost 6-5 in overtime to the previously winless San Jose Sharks. Think about it: against two of the worst teams in the league, the best the Blueshirts could muster was one point. Just imagine what's going to happen when they start playing the elite teams. If the season ended today, not only would the Rangers not qualify for the playoffs, they'd be in excellent position to win the draft lottery. 

It's time to admit a painful truth: this team may not be as talented as I and others like me thought they were. Even with a healthy Vincent Trocheck - who, by-the-way, still hasn't resumed skating and is likely out until late November - this roster doesn't exactly scare the pants off you. From the 2021-22 season through the 2023-24 season, the Rangers power play was fourth in the NHL at 25.3 percent. Not coincidentally, they posted records of 52-24-6, 47-22-13 and 55-23-4. But last season, that vaunted power play plummeted to a paltry 17.6 percent, (21st) and as a result, the Rangers finished 39-36-7 and missed the playoffs.

This season, the power play has gotten off to an even worse start. After last night's game in Calgary, it's 19th in the league at 16 percent. For a team that struggles as much as the Rangers do at even strength, that simply isn't going to cut it. Let's face it: for three straight seasons, under two different coaches, the formula was pretty simple: score on the power play and let Igor Shesterkin do the rest. If either one didn't come through, the result was typically a loss. And that is precisely what we've been seeing the last two seasons: a flawed team that relied way too much on its power play and its goaltending to win, and is now sowing what it reaped.

So what happened? How did a team that went through a four-year rebuild end up with a three-year window? It's complicated. 

Let's go all the way back to that memo then G.M. Jeff Gorton sent out in the winter of 2018 informing the fanbase that he was going to break up the core and start a rebuild. Over the next twelve months, the Rangers traded Rick Nash, Michael Grabner, Ryan McDonagh, Miller and fan favorite Mats Zuccarello. As a result, they missed the playoffs two straight seasons. 

But while Gorton may have cleaned house, he did not strip it down to the studs, so to speak. He left enough talent in place for the team to be competitive. That spring, the Rangers wound up with the second overall pick in the Amateur Draft and selected Kaapo Kakko. The New Jersey Devils, with the first overall pick, chose Jack Hughes. The consensus at the time was that Kakko was a can't miss prospect who had the potential to be an elite winger in the NHL.

Then in the summer of 2019, Gorton short-circuited his own rebuild by trading for Jacob Trouba and signing Panarin to a seven-year contract worth $11.6 million per. While the Rangers record improved enough to qualify for the play-in round against the Carolina Hurricanes, they were none-the-less swept in three games. It wasn't a total loss, though; the Rangers wound up with the number one pick in the 2020 Amateur Draft, which they then used to select Lafreniere.

I'll say it again: both Kakko and Lafteniere were considered legitimate picks at the time they were taken, especially Lafreniere, who all the scouts agreed was the best player on the board. That neither has blossomed into the elite forwards they were projected to become, does not change anything. When you have the number one pick, you take the number one prospect. 

But even with two promising young wingers and Panarin, the Rangers still missed the playoffs. Owner James Dolan was growing impatient with the rebuild and after the Tom Wilson incident at the Garden, he lost it. In what can only be described as the most bizarre moment in Rangers history, he fired Gorton and Team President John Davidson.

Enter Chris Drury. Dolan gave the new President and GM two marching orders: 1. Make the playoffs; 2. Make sure the Wilson incident was never repeated. Drury fired David Quinn and replaced him with Gerard Gallant. He then traded Pavel Buchnevich for Sammy Blais and used the remaining cap savings to sign Ryan Reaves and Barclay Goodrow. Under Gallant, New York had its best season since 2015. With Reaves and Goodrow, the Rangers were no longer easy pushovers. They not only made the playoffs, they advanced all the way to the Eastern Conference finals before losing to the Tampa Bay Lightning in six. 

Despite the loss, the season was considered a glowing success. Zibanjad, Panarin, Fox and Chris Kreider all had career years. Shesterkin established himself as an elite goalie. The Kid Line of Kakko, Lafreniere and Filip Chytil, whom Gorton had drafted in 2018, was growing up in front of our eyes. The future certainly looked bright for the Blueshirts.

But when the 2022-23 season didn't get off to a good start, doubts about the core began to creep in. Trouba, who had been named captain before the start of the season, threw his helmet and screamed at his teammates. Drury grew frustrated at the inconsistencies he saw on the ice, and went whole hog at the trade deadline, acquiring both Vladimir Tarasenko and Patrick Kane. The Rangers went into the playoffs with arguably their most talented roster since the 1991-92 team. It didn't matter. After going up 2-0 against the Devils, New Jersey won four of the next five games to eliminate New York.

Drury pinned the blame for the collapse on Gallant and replaced him with Peter Laviolette. And just like they had done in Gallant's first year behind the bench, the Rangers not only had a great season under Laviolette, they won the Presidents' trophy for the first time since 2015. Once more, they advanced to the conference finals where they lost to the eventual Stanley Cup champion Florida Panthers. It was a bitter end to an otherwise excellent season, but this time around, Drury saw something that didn't quite sit well with him.

Despite their record, the Rangers were still a middling team at even strength. Too many of their wins were owed to their special teams and goaltending. The Panthers didn't just beat them, they schooled them. To his credit, Drury took notes. That summer, needing cap space, he waived Goodrow and attempted to trade Trouba. The former complained; the latter balked. The offseason maneuvering did not sit well with the players. Despite getting off to a 12-4-1 start, Drury still didn't like what he was seeing. He sent a letter to every GM in the league indicating he was open for business. Both Trouba and Kreider were mentioned in the letter. Trouba eventually cried uncle and accepted a trade, while Kreider, who was already having an off year, sulked along with his BFF Zibanejad. Kreider would eventually be traded this summer while Zibanejad reiterated he had no intention of going anywhere. The only good thing to come out of that hellish nightmare of a season was Drury reacquiring Miller for Chytil, who despite his enormous potential, could never stay healthy.

Once more Drury changed coaches. Mike Sullivan replaced Laviolette behind the bench. The hope was that Sully would be able to motivate this team, but that hasn't happened. The same issues continue to plague them: an inability to generate offense at 5v5; over-passing in the offensive zone, poor puck management in the defensive zone; an ineffective and predictable power play. When Igor isn't standing on his head, this team looks absolutely pathetic. 

So here we stand: a Rangers team that, on paper at least, should be better than its record indicates. Despite an average age of 28, most of the core is over 30, with Panarin leading the way at 34. And while Panarin will be a UFA next summer, Zibanejad, Trocheck and Fox are signed for the next several years to contracts that have either no movement or no trade clauses. That means Drury is as stuck with them as we are.

I honestly don't know where we go from here. What I can tell you is this: the Devils are a good, young team with a much more promising future than the Rangers, and at UBS Arena, the Islanders, thanks to winning the draft lottery, have the best young defenseman to lace up a pair of skates since Cale Makar. 

I'm old enough to remember the mid-1970s when the Rangers couldn't get out of their own way and a GM by the name of Bill Torrey assembled a team on Long Island that would go on to win four consecutive Cups.

I would not be in the slightest bit shocked if history ended up repeating itself. 

Knicks Get Off to a Good Start

To quote Monty Python, "And now for something completely different." 

The New York Knicks got the 2025-26 season off to a good start by beating the Cleveland Cavaliers 119-111 at the Garden. But it was how they beat them that was the story. Eschewing the half-court offense of their former coach Tom Thibodeau, the Knicks employed an uptempo game, distributing the ball equally around the court leading to many open shots. It was a refreshing sight to behold.

True to his word, new head coach Mike Brown went with a deep rotation, By the end of the first half, eleven players had entered the game. The only time that many players saw action under Thibs was when the Knicks were ahead by 20 with a minute to go. The bench, which had been much maligned last season, had 20 points by halftime to help New York build a 65-50 lead. In all, they finished with 35 for the game. Apart from OG Anunoby, not one starter logged more than 34 minutes.

Of course, the men in orange and blue just couldn't resist a trip down memory lane. They reverted back to their old ways in the third quarter and the result was predictable. The Cavs outscored them 37-22 to tie the game at 87. Donavan Mitchell had 21 of his game-high 31 points in the quarter. But then New York snapped out of it and went on a 14-2 run to start the fourth quarter. 

The Knicks got balanced scoring from their players. O.G. Anunoby led the way with 24 points, 14 rebounds and three steals; Jalen Brunson was next with 23 points and five assists; Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 19 points and 11 rebounds; Mikal Bridges chipped in with 16, 12 in the first half; and Deuce McBride had 15 points off the bench and was a game-best plus 17. Indeed, every Knick was a plus for the game, except Landry Shamet and Ariel Hukporti.

The Knicks out-rebounded the Cavs 48-32 overall, including 39-28 on the defensive boards, and scored 42 points in the paint. They also shot 86.1 percent front the free throw line, compared to 66.7 percent for Cleveland. For a team that went a combined 0-10 against the Cavs, Boston Celtics and Oklahoma City Thunder last season, last night's win was a statement game. This year's Knicks team is not last year's.

Of course, Brown was quick to put the win in perspective. "Pretty good effort from our team. The great part of it is we got a lot of room to grow, and that's what's exciting." Translation: let's hold off on the parade down the Canyon of Heroes.

That being said, it's clear that this team - even without Mitchell Robinson and Josh Hart in the lineup - is pretty deep and talented. If they're this good in their first regular season game, imagine how good they're going to be in game 10 or 20?

What impresses me most about Brown is that he isn't afraid to utilize his bench in crucial situations during the game. At one point he had Tyler Kolek, Jordan Clarkson, Guerschon Yabusele and Hukporti on the court at the same time. Can you imagine Thibs doing that? Again, this is not about hating on the former Knicks coach; it's about having enough faith in your players. 

Game one is in the books; game two is Friday in Boston. 

2025-26 Knicks Preview

The last time the New York Knicks entered an NBA season with this much anticipation, Pat Riley was the head coach and Patrick Ewing was the center.  Over the last thirty years, there have been a lot of ups and downs with this organization - mostly downs - but one thing has remained constant: the love and devotion of a fanbase that, since 1973, has waited patiently for a chance to celebrate another title. 

Well their wait could finally be coming to an end. I say "could" because, as New York sports fan will tell you, getting your hopes up is a sure-fire recipe for disappointment. Lest we forget, the Giants, Jets, Mets and Rangers play in this town. The Giants have made the playoffs twice in 14 years; the Jets haven't won a Super Bowl since 1969; the Mets haven't won a World Series since 1986; and the Rangers have won one Stanley Cup since World War II. If you looked up the word Disappointment in the dictionary, there'd be an arial view of the five boroughs next to it.

But at the risk of sounding pollyanna, I'm bullish on the 2025-26 Knicks, and not just because they may be the only team worth watching in about a month. It's because I believe Leon Rose has assembled a roster that is not only talented but deep. Indeed, this may be the deepest bench the Knicks have had in decades. And despite the Debbie Downers, Mike Brown is the perfect coach for this team. I was never a Tom Thibodeau hater, it's just that driving your starters into the ground, as Thibs often did, didn't seem to make much sense for a team with championship aspirations.

So what should we expect?

Well for starters, if Brown is able to implement his system successfully, the Knicks will be a lot more exciting to watch. The half-court offense that Thibs employed is out. Look for this team to move the ball quickly up court. I'm not saying they're going to be the OKC Thunder, but the days of waiting until there are seven seconds left on the shot clock to set up a play are gone.

The biggest beneficiary of Brown's system will be Jalen Brunson. If I had a dollar for every time the captain would dribble the ball across the time line only to be met by a double team, I could buy a court-side seat at the Garden for a month. It was excruciating watching Brunson set up the offense in that system. In Brown's system that won't be the case. In fact, Brown doesn't believe in calling out plays; he wants his team to read the defense and react accordingly.

While that might be easier said than done, it's worth noting that a system which relies more on reaction than established plays is less predictable, hence harder to defend. If Brunson is going to lead this team to a championship he can't constantly bear the brunt of one double team after another. This isn't the '70s anymore. In today's NBA if you don't have an effective transition game, you're not going to go far in the playoffs. The Indiana Pacers exposed a fatal flaw in the Knicks game, and Rose rectified it by changing coaches.

Another beneficiary of Brown's system should be Mikal Bridges. The player Rose sent five first-round draft picks to the Brooklyn Nets for is considered one of the best defensive wings in the league, and yet there were times last season when he seemed lost in the shuffle. I fully expect Brown to utilize him more. If you want to know how effective Bridges can be, take a good look at what he did in his first year as a Net. In 27 games, he averaged 26.1 points as the two, where he is expected to play this season alongside Brunson. And with Bridges at the two, and Karl-Anthony Towns at the four, O.G. Anunoby can move back to the three where he is a much better fit. If Mitchell Robinson can stay healthy, this should be the best starting five the Knicks have had since the mid '90s.

The bench will play a critical role for the Knicks this season. Unlike Thibs, who rarely utilized more than six or seven players, Brown will employ a full ten-man rotation. Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele are versatile additions to this roster. Clarkson will play the one or the two, while Yabusele will replace Precious Achiuwa at the four or the five. Both should get plenty of minutes, along with Josh Hart and Deuce McBride. I wouldn't be at all surprised if McBride has his best season as a Knick under Brown. Tyler Kolek, Landry Shamet and Ariel Hukporti will round out the reserves.

Chemistry should not be an issue. Unlike last season, when Bridges and KAT were the new kids on the block, this core is pretty much set. If there is any acclimation period, it'll be to Brown's system. I would give it 10 to 15 games for everyone to get up to speed.

With Jayson Tatum and Tyrese Haliburton both lost for the season, neither the Boston Celtics nor the Indiana Pacers will be much of a threat. That leaves the Cleveland Cavaliers as the only other legitimate contender in the Eastern Conference. Providence has apparently intervened in New York's favor. The only thing standing in the way of the Knicks making it to the finals for the first time since 1999 will be the Knicks themselves.

So, bottom line, where will they finish? Last season, the Knicks finished third in the East with a record of 51-31. Assuming Rose isn't pressured into doing something stupid like trading for Giannis, I expect this team to finish first in the conference with a record of 58-24. Can they go all the way? That depends on who they face in the finals, but yes.

As I've done the last two years, below are my predictions for the top teams in each conference, as well as who will make it to the conference finals and who will win it all. I'm sure I don't have to remind anyone not to take them seriously.

Eastern Conference:

Knicks

Cavs

Magic

Pistons

Celtics

Pacers

Hawks

Bucks

Heat

Bulls

Western Conference:

Thunder

Nuggets

Mavericks

Rockets

Timberwolves

Warriors

Lakers

Kings

Grizzlies

Spurs

Eastern Conference finals:

Knicks over Cavs 4-3

Western Conference finals:

Nuggets over Mavericks 4-2

NBA Finals:

Knicks over Nuggets 4-3

Mile Low City

Some losses are inevitable, others are preventable, and still others are reprehensible. Guess which one this was?

Through three quarters at Mile High Stadium, the New York Giants played the prefect road game. They led the Denver Broncos 19-0. Their defense had limited the Broncos to just 111 total yards of offense. While on the other side of the ball, Jaxson Dart threw two touchdown passes; the first one to a wide open Daniel Bellinger. It was the first touchdown Denver had allowed in the first quarter this season. All Big Blue had to do to secure a win was to continue to play aggressive on defense and move the ball on offense.

When Theo Johnson caught a deflected pass by Dart for a touchdown with 10:14 left in the fourth quarter to put New York up 26-8, it certainly looked to all the world that they were going to do just that. I mean, who blows an 18 point lead with 10 minutes to go, right? Even Broncos fans knew it was over; many of them started leaving the stadium at that point. They missed one helluva comeback.

Denver would score touchdowns on their next three possessions, one aided by a Dart interception, to take a four-point lead with 1:51 remaining in the game. To his credit, Dart led his team down the field and, thanks to a pass interference penalty on the Broncos near the gaol line, took it into the end zone to regain the lead for his team.

With 33 seconds left and New York ahead 32-30, the Broncos, with no timeouts left, took the ball all the way down to Giants 21 yard line, where Wil Lutz kicked a game-wining 39 yard field goal. The reason it was a game-winning and not a game-tying field goal is because Jude McAtamney missed the extra point on the Giants last touchdown drive that would've put them up by three. Then again, if McAtamney hadn't missed an earlier extra point, the Broncos would've needed a touchdown to win the game. In all, Denver scored 33 points in the fourth quarter, the most ever by a team that had been held scoreless through three. 

You can always tell when a team is in trouble: they start watching the clock instead of managing the game. The Giants, not wanting to lose, went into a shell; the Broncos, with nothing to lose, pulled out all the stops. I've watched Sean Payton teams over the years. Regardless of what the score is, there's a tenacity to them. They can be ahead by ten, they can be trailing by twenty, you'd never know it by the level of play on the field. He may have only one Super Bowl win to his credit, but he is a Hall of Fame coach, and his players all know what's expected of them.

Brian Daboll is no Sean Payton, that should be obvious. But as bad as Daboll has been over the last three seasons, his defensive coordinator Shane Bowen deserves the lions share of the blame for this latest abomination. His decision to rush only three on the Broncos last scoring drive was inexcusable. This is the second time this season that the Giants have lost a game in which they led with less than 40 seconds remaining in regulation. The first was against the Cowboys in Dallas in week two. New York lost that game in OT, 40-37.

As painful as that loss was, though, it pales in comparison to this one. According to Adam Schefter, since the 1970 merger between the NFL and AFL, only two teams have overcome a fourth-quarter deficit of 19 points or more to win a regular-season game: the Indianapolis Colts against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers in 2003 (21 points) and the Broncos against the Giants yesterday.

I can't imagine what the players must be going through. For three quarters they played their hearts out. They were minutes away from what would've been back-to-back wins against playoff teams. Jaxson Dart went 15/33 for 283 yards, with three touchdowns through the air and one on the ground. Brian Burns had another dominating performance on defense, recording two sacks and two quarterback hits. He was visibly upset after the game, and deservedly so.

Yes, I know the old cliche that good teams find a way to win and bad teams find a way to lose, but it's not that simple with this team. The Giants are not the Jets, or the Miami Dolphins, or the Tennessee Titans. There is talent on this roster, more talent than their record would indicate. They should be 4-3 and in the thick of the playoff race; instead they're 2-5, and facing the very real prospect of going 2-6 after they lose to the Philadelphia Eagles next Sunday.

This was no self-inflicted wound, like we saw in New Orleans against the Saints; this shot came from the sidelines. Even if Daboll fires Bowen tomorrow, the damage has already been done. How do you recover from a loss like this?

The season is all but done, and once more, Giants fans will have to wait until next year to raise a banner of hope.

Record Setting

First, the good news: So far this season, Igor Shesterkin has stopped 103 of 106 shots on goal. His backup, Jonathan Quick, has stopped 20 of 21 shots on goal. Together, the pair have a combined save percentage of .969, by far the best in the league. More good news, over their last three games, the New York Rangers have thoroughly outplayed their opponents, out-chancing them 95-56; and 29-12 in high danger chances.

Now for the bad news: Despite all that, the Rangers are 2-3-0 under Mike Sullivan. As if that weren't bad enough, they are the first team in the 107 year history of the NHL to be shut out in their first three home games. Now that's what I call record setting.

In the five and half decades I've been following this team, I thought I'd seen it all. Injuries to key players, fluke goals, bad giveaways, bad luck, no luck at all. But I never saw this coming. Then again I never saw the Mets collapse either. And to add insult to injury, Chris Kreider, who Chris Drury traded over the summer, has scored four goals in three games for the Anaheim Ducks. The Monday morning quarterbacks are already in mid-season form.

There are two ways of looking at this. 1. The Rangers have been victimized by some pretty damn good goaltending, which for them is a switch since usually it's the other way around; 2. They lack the firepower to finish in the offensive zone.

If I had to guess, I'd say it's a little bit of both. Let's be honest, after being the beneficiaries of Igor's heists over the last few years, it was inevitable that the pendulum might swing back, if only for a while. The hockey gods do have a sense of humor, you know. But with Vincent Trocheck on LTIR and Artemi Panarin clearly not himself after sustaining a pre-season injury, that's hardly the 1985 Edmonton Oilers out there.

It's telling that the Rangers leading goal scorer is Adam Fox with three. No one else has more than one. Last night against the Oilers, the best line on the ice for the Blueshirts was Sam Carrick centering Adam Edstrom and Matt Rempe. They combined for three of New York's ten high-danger scoring chances. 

For this team to have any chance of making the playoffs, let alone advancing, they are going to need their top six to produce. And by produce, I mean more than four goals. Mika Zibanjead leads the league in shots on goal with 22, which is nice to see, but he has found the back of the net only once. That isn't going to cut it. Until Trocheck returns, he has to take up the slack.

And while Panarin gets back to his old self, the spotlight is on Alexis Lafreniere. This is his sixth year in the NHL and the former overall number one draft pick still has yet to deliver on his promise. Aside from the game against the Sabres in Buffalo, he has been virtually invisible so far this season. It's time for him to shit or get off the pot.

Look, I'm not going to panic. J.T. Miller has a point when he told reporters after the game, "Let’s not make this bigger than it is. It’s game five. A lot to like about our game. It’s a unique situation, but let’s not blow this out of proportion here." However, if they're still having trouble scoring after twenty games, I'd start worrying.

For now, as an old manager of mine used to say, "It is what it is." The Rangers have played five games this season; they've lost three of them. Not the start they wanted, but it's still early.

Knicks Should Stay Clear of Giannis

In the winter of 2011, the New York Knicks expressed interest in acquiring Carmelo Anthony from the Denver Nuggets. But when the Nuggets asking price was too high for then GM Donnie Walsh, he rejected it. Undeterred, Knicks owner James Dolan decided to intervene and, by-passing Walsh, negotiated directly with Nuggets owner Stan Kroenke. On February 21, the trade was finally consummated. The Knicks received Anthony, along with Chauncey Billips, Sheldon Williams and Renaldo Balkman in exchange for Danilo Gallinari, Wilson Chandler, Raymond Felton, Timofey Mozgov, a 2014 first-round draft pick and two second rounders.

While Anthony was undoubtedly the best player in the deal, the prevailing sentiment by fans and sports media alike was that that Knicks overpaid to get him. Felton, Gallinari, Mozgov and Chandler were four of New York's top six players. Losing them seriously depleted the team's depth, and even though the Knicks went to the playoffs three straight years - beating the Boston Celtics in 2013 - they never achieved their ultimate goal of winning an NBA title with Anthony.

Fast forward fourteen years. The Knicks, fresh off an Eastern Conference finals appearance last season, and favorites to advance to the league finals this season, have been linked to a potential trade involving Giannis Antetokounmpo. It seems back in August, Leon Rose, and his counterpart on the Milwaukee Bucks Jon Hurst, discussed what the particulars of a deal might look like. From all accounts, it never went any further than tire kicking.

Thank God.

Let me be as direct as I can. Under no circumstances should the Knicks even entertain a trade for Giannis. Not because he isn't a great player; he obviously is. But because, like Carmel Anthony, bringing him to New York would gut the core of this team, which I believe is knocking on the door of a championship.

Unlike that 2011 Knicks team, which Walsh was still in the process of putting back together after Isaiah Thomas all but destroyed it, Rose has spent the last four years transforming this team into a bonafide contender. And this summer, he not only replaced his entire coaching staff, he signed some valuable players that will allow Mike Brown to employ a true ten-man rotation.

Any trade that would bring Giannis to New York would almost certainly include multiple players going back to Milwaukee. The most likely to be sent packing would be Mikal Bridges and OG Anunoby. While a front court of Mitchell Robinson, Karl-Anthony Towns and Antetokounmpo would be imposing to say the least, there are some problems; most notably having Giannis at the three, where he would stick out like a sore thumb. It also would mean starting Jordan Clarkson or Deuce McBride at the two.

Could it work? Perhaps, but consider this: without Bridges last season, there's no way the Knicks would've beaten the Celtics. His defense was the sole reason New York took games one and two at Boston. Under Brown, Bridges true potential could be unlocked. And with Towns switching back to the four, where he played with the Minnesota Timberwolves, Anunoby would return to his natural three position. In other words, as currently constructed, the Knicks are a more cohesive unit now than they were last season under Tom Thibodeau. Why on Earth would anyone - even Dolan - want to tinker with that?

Look, I realize that in this Fantasy Sports era we live in, every would-be GM with a smartphone thinks he knows how to construct a championship roster. Most of them would have a hard time managing a wet dream. Trust me, I'm also a Rangers fan. You should see some of the trades these bozos have hatched over the years. Sometimes I wonder what it would've been like had Twitter been around when Phil Esposito was running the organization in the mid 1980s.

Bottom line, up until now, Leon Rose has resisted the urge to go after the shiny new toy, be it LeBron James or Kevin Durant. Assuming Dolan doesn't stick his nose in and fuck things up again - always a big assumption with him - Giannis will stay in Milwaukee for the foreseeable future. And the Knicks, with a little luck, and a ton of perspiration, might make it all the way to the top of the mountain for the first time since 1973.