NEW YORK, NY — You just never know when a blockbuster trade in the National Basketball Association is set to go down. Early in the morning, or extremely late in the evening, basketball fans have seen it all…
The beginning of training camp is normally not the time NBA teams engage in trades. Yet, that was what happened this past Friday night when the Knicks received four-time NBA Dominican All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns from the Minnesota Timberwolves in exchange for Julius Randle, Donte DiVicenzo, and a 2025 first-round draft pick.
BREAKING: The Minnesota Timberwolves are nearing a trade to send All-Star Karl-Anthony Towns to the New York Knicks, sources tell me and @JonKrawczynski. pic.twitter.com/cFbrvj1c9l
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) September 28, 2024
Another reason everyone was surprised was that there were no rumors about it. Even though Adrian Wojnarowski recently retired from ESPN to become a basketball administrator at his alma mater, St. Bonaventure University in western New York, there are still plenty of NBA insiders who break trade rumors routinely on social media.
Knicks president of basketball operations, the mysterious Leon Rose, knows that you need superstars to win NBA championships. Karl-Anthony Towns fits that description, and pairing him with guard Jalen Brunson means the Knicks starting five should be able to compete with that of any other team, including division rivals, the Boston Celtics, the Philadelphia 76ers, and Milwaukee Bucks.
Latinos in the NBA: Jaime Jaquez Jr. and Karl-Anthony Towns – Image Credit: NBA
The Minnesota Timberwolves did not let themselves get fleeced, however. Yes, Julius Randle often struggled in playoff series and was no stranger to the injured list because of his hard-nosed play. On the positive side, Randle was a key reason the Knicks were able to get back to the NBA postseason too many forgettable seasons. As every Knicks fan knows, Donte DiVicenzo, who signed with the team as a free agent last year, was a sharpshooter who could drain three-point shots from anywhere on the court.
Broncos-Jets put up Baseball Score at MetLife
The Jets and the Broncos set pro football back 75 years on Sunday. The Jets lost 10-9, but that does not tell the story. The Jets were penalized thirteen times, and most were on the offense which killed numerous drives. In the second quarter, the Jets had the ball on the one-yard and had three downs to score a touchdown. They had to settle for a field goal which was fitting since they could not find the end zone all day.
Robert Saleh and the Jets stand 2-2 on the 2024 season – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
The Jets defense was strong in the first half, but they could not stop the Broncos running backs in the second half. This is inexplicable because everyone in MetLife Stadium knew Broncos rookie QB Bo Nix was not going to throw the football much under the best of conditions, let alone on a rainy day.
Another problem was Jets left tackle, and 2024 first-round draft pick, Olu Fashanu, was asked to move to right tackle to replace the injured Morgan Moses. That is not a simple transition in the NFL. It is like being asked to write with your other hand. Fashanu was called for a couple of penalties and could not adequately protect quarterback Aaron Rodgers.
It is no secret Jets head coach Robert Saleh is on the hot seat. This game raised the temperature even more.
Citi Field to host Dominican Winter League Game for second-straight year
Image Credit: MLB
There will be November baseball at Citi Field this year, and it will not involve the Mets. The Aguilas Cibaeans and the Licey Tigers of the Dominican Winter League will meet at 1 PM on Sunday, November 10.
1962 Mets vs. 2024 White Sox
Baseball scholars will debate which was the worst team in modern baseball history, the legendary 1962 Mets or the 2024 Chicago White Sox. That Mets team finished with record of 40-120 while this year’s White Sox had a 41-121 record. Mets radio voice, and Cardozo High school and Queens College alum, Howie Rose told me he was hoping the 1962 Mets’ record for futility would not be challenged.
Who would win a game between the 1962 Mets and 2024 White Sox? – Image Credit: Bill Menzel/Latino Sports
That inept, but lovable, team of underdogs who were managed by Casey Stengel have long been a source of perverse pride for longtime Mets fans.
One Final Oakland Send Off
The Oakland Athletics drew over 46,000 fans to their final game in Oakland last Thursday. Much has been written about penny-pinching billionaire owner John Fisher both investing in the payroll of his team, and his attempts to shake down Oakland civic leaders and taxpayers to build a stadium for his team. The plan for the Athletics is for them to play three years in a minor league ballpark in Sacramento until a stadium is completed in Las Vegas.
While Fisher deserves the overwhelming blame for the Athletics leaving the Bay Area, the San Francisco Giants do not have clean hands either.
Thank you, Oakland Coliseum 💚💛 pic.twitter.com/8l4ER08UTp
— Oakland A's (@Athletics) September 26, 2024
The Athletics wanted to move to the southern end of San Francisco Bay to San Jose. Giants officials feared they would lose lucrative suite revenue from Silicon Valley corporate customers if the Athletics moved down there, and they exerted pressure on MLB team owners and commissioner Rob Manfred to put the kibosh on that idea.
Netflix’’s Six Part Series on the life of Vince McMahon
If you are even a casual fan of professional wrestling, then you should not miss Netflix’s six-part series on the life of Vince McMahon and the history of World Wrestling Entertainment titled “Ms. McMahon.”
The producer of the project is Bill Simmons, the founder of the sports and pop culture website, The Ringer. The taping started in 2021, and Vince McMahon was willing to sit down and open up about both his life and the wrestling business he revolutionized from a mom-and-pop cottage industry to a multi-billion dollar publicly traded corporation. McMahon ended his participation in June 2022 when numerous sexual harassment lawsuits were filed against him. This past January, the Justice Department was able to get an indictment against him from a grand jury for sex trafficking.
Image Credit: Netflix
Even though Vince stopped talking to Simmons two years ago, he was able to continue his project by speaking with pro wrestling legends as Hulk Hogan, “Stone Cold” Steve Austin, Dwayne, “The Rock” Johnson, Mark “The Undertaker” Caraway, and John Cena. Simmons addresses issues which plagued the WWE such as the use of steroids; the premature deaths of too many wrestlers; and the questionable storylines WWE writers tried to push on the talent to generate “heat” (wrestling parlance for an angle which helps generate box office revenue for live shows).
More on Netflix’’s Six Part Series on the life of Vince McMahon
Queens notables are featured in the documentary. The late legendary talk show host, Kew Gardens native Jerry Springer, is cited as an influence by McMahon. His friend, Jamaica Estates’ own Donald J. Trump, was a big wrestling fan and even took part in a “hair vs. hair” gimmick at 2007’s Wrestlemania. Much of Trump’s bluster at rallies can be traced to his love of wrestlers saying outrageous things to elicit a reaction from the crowd, and by extension, the viewers watching at home on television.
"This was this intentional blurring of what was fictional and non-fictional."
Mr. McMahon, the six-part documentary series chronicling the rise and fall of WWE's founder, is now playing. pic.twitter.com/UytdlZtu7m
— Netflix (@netflix) September 27, 2024
Hollis native Bonnie Hammer, cable television’s most successful cable television network executive, is featured prominently because she oversaw USA Network when WWE’s Monday night ratings juggernaut, “Raw,” came on its air. She admits she had some misgivings about some WWE plotlines. Incidentally, Hammer has authored a new business book, “15 Lies Women Are Told at Work” (Simon & Schuster).
Dick Vitale inducted into Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame
ESPN’s iconic college basketball analyst, Dick Vitale, was inducted into the Broadcasting & Cable Hall of Fame last Thursday night. Vitale has had a lengthy battle with cancer, and his wife told me he completed his 30th radiation treatment, and his physicians are hopeful. Another ESPN college sports voice, Brian Custer, served as emcee for the evening, along with former “Good Morning America” weather forecaster Spencer Christian, who is now working at San Francisco’s ABC affiliate, KGO-TV. “I would love to return to New York to finish my career,” he told me.
BagelFest at Citi Field
New York City may be the bagel and bialy capital of the world, but that did not stop out-of-town bagel producers from coming to Citi Field for BagelFest last Saturday and competing for honors. Bagel makers came from Baltimore, Denver, Costa Mesa (CA), and even Lisbon, Portugal.
Image Credit: New York BagelFest
Queens was represented by Forest Hills’ Gotta Get a Bagel, and Whitestone’s Utopia Bagel.
Remembering and Paying Tribute to Kris Kristofferson
I was saddened to learn of the passing of singer-songwriter-actor Kris Kristofferson at the age of eighty-eight on Sunday. Songs he composed as “Me & Bobby McGee,” “For the Good Times,” “Help Me Make It Through the Night,” and “Sunday Morning Coming Down” were able to bridge country and pop music in the early 1970s. It helped make me interested in Nashville music.
You can read more of Lloyd Carroll’s columns posted weekly on The Queens Chronicle.
