John Starks believes his New York Knicks successors can finish what he started.
In a brief essay penned on the Knicks' site, the metropolitan shooter remarked that this season "feels different" thanks to the current team, which he praises as a group that truly defines the brand of basketball Manhattan has frequently sought and become known for.
"I’ve been around this team for years, and I can tell you – this season feels different. There’s something special in the air," Starks said. "Over the last couple of seasons, the Knicks have been building toward something big. The front office has done an incredible job assembling this squad, and now it’s time to take the next step."
"When I look at this team, it reminds me of our run in the ‘90s. That’s where this team is right now – on the verge of something great."
Starks' 13-year NBA career was spent primarily with the Knicks. While he no doubt experienced his share of glory days (such as the run to the final game of the 1994 NBA Finals), a championship proved elusive;
Starks has been a courtside staple at Madison Square Garden in recent seasons, watching the team return the ranks of relevancy. Last season currently stands as the peak with this group, as OG Anunoby, Jalen Brunson, Josh Hart, and more guided the Knicks to 50 wins and the second seed on the Eastern Conference playoff bracket.
Though the Knicks were mostly patient in the prior couple of offseasons, focusing more on asset attaining rather than veteran help, they made big splashes that intrigued Starks and many more: they traded for Brunson and Hart's fellow former Villanova Wildcat Mikal Bridges in June and wrapped up the offseason by obtaining Karl-Anthony Towns in a deal completed earlier this month. All that and more has Starks and friends labeling this season the most legitimately hopeful one the Knicks have had in quite some time.
"With Jalen and the rest of the squad, they’re ready to compete every single night," Starks said. "We’ve seen some new faces come in, but thanks to the leadership in the locker room and Coach Thibs the culture here is set. Now it’s time to go all-in."
"The Knicks know what they’re capable of, and it’s all about leaving it out on the floor and trusting each other to get the job done. You can sense that belief and when they believe in each other, when they lock in, the sky’s the limit."
Starks was one of thousands to take in the first prominent display of the Knicks' newfound power, as they downed the Indiana Pacers by a 123-98 final in their home opener on Friday night. Another Garden date awaits on Monday when New York (1-1) hosts the undefeated Cleveland Cavaliers (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
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The New York Knicks are coming off a successful season that saw them reach the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000. Despite this, New York elected to fire head coach Tom Thibodeau after their playoff exit and eventually replaced him with Mike Brown. They then signed Jordan Clarkson and Guerschon Yabusele in free agency to upgrade their bench which was a massive problem for them last season. It is clear that the Knicks entered the offseason looking to upgrade their bench and Sports Illustrated’s Rohan Raman recently proposed a mock trade that would help them upgrade both their bench and their lineup by trading Karl-Anthony Towns to the Utah Jazz. In the trade, the Knicks would send Towns, Pacome Dadiet and three first-round picks to the Jazz for Lauri Markkanen, Walker Kessler and Keyonte George. The Atlanta Hawks are the third team in Raman’s mock trade and they would acquire Tyler Kolek from New York. While it would be a tough decision to move on from Towns along with three first-round picks, this trade could be a solid one for the Knicks. Markkanen is a great scorer and defender who would bring even more size to their starting lineup next to Jalen Brunson, OG Anunoby and Mikal Bridges. New York would also add a solid young center in Kessler, who they have been linked to over the past few seasons, who would give them a major boost on the defensive end in their frontcourt. For George, he would be a solid young addition to the Knicks’ bench behind Brunson who would provide them with a solid scorer and playmaker. While this trade could work out well for New York, they would be giving up a ton in return and the Jazz may want even more in a potential package as they would be giving up three of their top players.
Having been in an on and off relationship for over two years, Paula Badosa and Stefanos Tsitsipas are quite familiar with each other and their families. It comes as no surprise when the Spanish WTA star appeared to be in agreement with a statement by former player Ivan Ljubicic, where the Croat urged parents of tennis stars to focus less on tennis and more on raising their kids. The high-profile couple made their relationship public in May 2023, and were seen at each other's matches. A year later, they would take to social media to announce they had split ways, only to get back together three weeks later. Known for his volatility on the court, Tsitsipas would engage in a rather heated exchange with his father Apostolos during an opening round loss against Kei Nishikori at the 2024 Canadian Open. The elder Tsitsipas was acting as Stefanos coach at that point, and the Greek star would later take shots at his father in his post-match conference. However, Tsitsipas would later reveal he had apologized to his father soon after the incident. In an interview with SDNA, Tsitsipas stated both men had a long conversation, during which they aired their grievances and the former World No.3 admitted to apologizing to his dad. Badosa co-signs statement by Ljubicic "We discussed it, from my side I had to apologize because it was a big mistake on my part," said Tsitsipas to SDNA. "We have found a new line of communication and a way to talk to each other, so that such things don't happen again and such tensions don't arise again." Ivan Ljubicic, former player who would later coach Roger Federer during the tail end of his career, would chime in on the role of tennis parents, a day after Jannik Sinner dethroned Carlos Alcaraz at the 2025 Wimbledon Championships. "Following last night, second note to parents: your role is CRUCIAL," said Ljubicic. "Your responsibility is to build independent, responsible, strong human beings. Let the professionals do their job, make sure they have all they need. I promise that this is the best formula." Soon after Tsitsipas' interview with SDNA was published, Badosa would return to Ljubicic's post and express her support. "Soooo good ", wrote the Spanish WTA star on Twitter. Although Badosa did not mention Apostolos specifically, the elder Tsitsipas has received backlash for being overbearing towards Stefanos.
The New York Mets are a half-game ahead of the Philadelphia Phillies for first place in the NL East, but their pitching staff is still injury-ravaged despite the recent returns of Sean Manaea and Frankie Montas. Brandon Waddell (hip), Dedniel Nuñez (elbow), Max Kranick (flexor), Paul Blackburn (shoulder), Tylor Megill (elbow), Griffin Canning (Achilles), Drew Smith (elbow), A.J. Minter (lat), Danny Young (elbow), and Christian Scott (elbow) are alll on the Mets' IL. The MLB Trade Deadline is July 31 at 6 p.m. EST, so the front office has one week to add healthy arms from around the league this season. ESPN's David Schoenfield predicted on Thursday that New York would trade for a Minnesota Twins reliever. "One guarantee of the trade deadline: The Mets will add to the bullpen, probably with more than one trade. Though the rotation still ranks fifth in ERA, that was built off a hot start," he wrote. "More importantly, the only Mets starter to complete six innings since June 7 has been David Peterson. As a result, manager Carlos Mendoza has run relievers Reed Garrett, Huascar Brazoban, Jose Butto and Ryne Stanek into the ground. The bullpen had a 2.78 ERA through May, but that figure is over 5.00 since the beginning of June (ranking near the bottom of the majors)." "The Twins have two high-profile relievers in [Jhoan] Duran and [Griffin] Jax, both of whom are under team control through 2027, so they'll be much more expensive than your usual short-term relievers if the Twins decide to trade one or both," he continued. "Duran would be harder to deal -- but bring more in return -- so we'll say Jax will go. Don't be fooled by his 4.09 ERA: He has 68 strikeouts and 12 walks in 44 innings with a 97-mph heater. He's an elite strikeout reliever, the type you want on the mound in October." The Mets are hot despite their injuries, as they're on a four-game winning streak and just swept the Los Angeles Angels. Next up is a road trip against the San Francisco Giants and San Diego Padres. New York right-handed pitcher Clay Holmes (8-5, 3.48 ERA) will face Giants right-hander Logan Webb (9-7, 3.08 ERA) on Friday.
Following his breakout year in 2023, George Pickens was expected to be the WR1 of the Pittsburgh Steelers for the foreseeable future. He had already justified the second-round draft capital that the franchise had initially invested in him, but there were growing concerns about Pickens’ lack of maturity. Fast forward to the 2025 offseason, and even though he’s managed to produce a career total of 2,841 receiving yards throughout his first three seasons in the league, the Steelers were willing to let him go in exchange for nothing more than a 2026 third-round pick and a minuscule value swap with the Dallas Cowboys. While the team has since managed to replace Pickens’ service with that of D.K. Metcalf, fans and analysts alike are still questioning the decision. Thankfully, the self-titled host of The Rich Eisen made the most of his recent discussion with the team’s general manager, Omar Khan, by directly asking him “Why did George Pickens have to go despite developing him?” “I’ll just say, as we went through the offseason and the process, it just became evident that, for both sides, a fresh start was the best thing,” Khan explained. “It just made sense for both of us.” Suffice to say, Khan’s answer, while not very insightful, does suggest that Pickens’ relationships with various Pittsburgh personnel had become fractured beyond repair. Whether it was the Steelers or Pickens himself who was responsible for things not working out does not matter anymore, as Khan’s brief statement brings the entire saga to a somewhat definitive end. For one reason or another, it was no longer in either side’s best interest to continue working together, and that’s that. Much like the rest of his interview with Eisen, Khan and the rest of the Steelers’ organization is now moving forward. When Eisen noted that Pittsburgh’s trade involving Minkah Fitzpatrick and Jalen Ramsey couldn’t have “happened over night,” Khan explained that it took “weeks” to finally get the deal done with the Miami Dolphins. Being sure to cover all of the high notes from the Steelers’ chaotic offseason, the seven-time Sports Emmy award nominee also inquired about T.J. Watt’s latest benchmark contract with the team. While he was unwilling to go into the “specifics of the numbers,” Khan did proclaim that, “I think it just reflects how we feel about him. It was important for me, and the organization, for T.J. to be a one-helmet Hall of Famer. It would be a great thing and hopefully there’s many, many more years to go with T.J., but it was just important. His numbers speak for themselves… As great of a player as he is, he’s an even better person.” At 6-foot-4 and 229-pounds, the aforementioned Metcalf is certainly capable of filling the Pickens-sized hole in Pittsburgh’s receiving core. Likewise, the addition of Ramsey along with their retaining of Watt will help to ensure that the defense is as stout as ever. The Steelers are going all in on the 2025 regular season with the hopes of discovering their first playoff win since January 15th of 2017 and it’s too late for them to turn back now. They’ll have to hope that they’ve made the right moves and prioritized the right signings. Otherwise they’ll risk wasting the final regular season of one of the most storied careers in all of NFL history.
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