While the New York Knicks hope to land LeBron James, there is a good chance that he will choose to go elsewhere. With that in mind, they need a backup plan. That plan seems to involve the duo of Joe Johnson and Amare Stoudemire. It is tough to believe all of the 1,000,000 rumors out there about the 2010 free agency. But it seems legitimate to believe that the Knicks will be meeting with Joe Johnson at 12:01 on July 1st. Whether or not they get James, the Knicks would still have enough to offer big money to Johnson.

If they fail to land LeBron, the Knicks may go after Amare Stoudemire. Like Johnson, Stoudemire played for Mike D’Antoni back in Phoenix. Every Knicks fan wants to see LeBron James wearing blue and orange. But if not, the combination of Johnson and Stoudemire is not too shabby.

by David at the Sports Fan Blog Network

New York Yankees third baseman, Alex Rodriguez will be in the Yankees line up tonight against the Philadelphia Phillies. Rodriguez will bat clean up and will play as the designated hitter. Hopefully his minor groin injury will not affect his plate appearance and he can help the Yankees take another game from the Phillies. Rodriguez was batting a .317 in his last 10 games before his injury occurred.

As the season gets closer, all I think about is what is Darrelle Revis doing? I understand that he wants to get paid as a big time player that he has proven to be but at the same time one season does not mean anything. Yes he did do work on the field but he has to prove himself once again to be worth all the money that he is asking for. I agree with him that he should be paid more but not the amount that he is asking for.

I believe that he just needs to get to practice, do his work and prove his wealth. Once he proves himself in practice he can use it as leverage to get the amount that he needs. At the end of all this I think he needs to prove himself this season because one season does not mean anything. He needs to go show that he is a valuable asset and his skills are not a one time deal.

Knicks blogs these days have only been harping on whether or not superstar Lebron James will come to New York in the offseason. I understand plan A (whether Walsh will refer to it as that or not) was to clear enough cap space to entice James and another superstar to come to the Knicks, but what if he doesn’t come?

He has plenty of other options, including staying in Cleveland, joining Derrick Rose in Chicago, going to Jay-Z and the Nets, or even the Clippers. So what do the Knicks do if he doesn’t come?

Aside from James the other top names available are Chris Bosh, Amare Stoudemire, Dwyane Wade, Dirk Nowitzki and Joe Johnson. There are plenty of other players available, but if the Knicks are looking for a star, they have to sign one of these guys—unless they plan on working out a trade for a player like Chris Paul or more surprisingly Carmelo Anthony.

I do not see Wade signing with the Knicks. He has never given any sign that he is interested in New York and from all indications he likes Miami. Most sources have said he would like to stay put with the hope Miami can bring in another top player this off-season. If Wade does leave, it will most likely be for Chicago, his hometown and a team that is already set up pretty well.

Putting a trade aside and taking Lebron and Wade out of the mix, I think the Knicks best option is to sign Joe Johnson.

Bosh is good, but he has failed to prove he is good enough to lead a team to the playoffs or a championship. He has missed the playoffs the past two seasons and the two years he made it his team was eliminated in the first round. Personally I don’t think he is that much better than David Lee and if Lee could be signed for 10-12 million I would rather that than the 18 million they would have to pay Bosh. Plus I doubt Bosh would come to New York without Lebron signing anyway.

Amare has proven to be dynamic, but he has health issues and is worse at defense than Lee is. As for Dirk, there is no way he leaves Dallas for New York unless a really good player is coming with him.

Joe Johnson has proven he can lead a young team to the playoffs. He is a professional in the locker room and is the scorer the Knicks need for down the stretch. In addition there is a chance the Knicks will be able to sign him for less than the maximum.

With the extra cap space they could sign a proven point guard like Raymond Felton, or trade for Darren Collison from the Hornets as it is believed he will be available. They could send Curry’s expiring contract alongside Wilson Chandler for Collison and Emeka Okefor solving their issues at both point guard and center.

They might even have enough left to re-sign fan-favorite David Lee. Lee has been working on his 3-point shooting and improving his defense, if all goes well he could slide over to power forward and play at an All-Star level.

If they could pull these moves off the Knicks would sport a starting line-up that consisted of Collison at point guard, Joe Johnson at shooting guard, Danilo Gallinari at small forward, David Lee at power forward, and Emeka Okafor at center. They would also have Bill Walker, Toney Douglas and their two second-round picks on the bench.

There are a lot of options out there and this is just one of the possibilities. Not only would this be a very good offensive unit, but a top-notch defensive one. I truly believe the Knicks can assemble a team like this, and it can easily lead the Knicks back to the playoffs, and possibly even a championship. It just goes to show you that there is more to talk about than Lebron.

by Evan Slavit at the Sports Fan Blog Network

Last year the New York Giants went 8-8 in a tough NFC east division. The main problem with the New York Giants was their defense. The Giants defense let up the most points in the NFC East at 427 points against. The Giants stepped up their defensive secondary by signing Antrel Rolle. Rolle has been a great player for the Arizona Cardinals helping them make it to a Super Bowl. He is definitely a key player that the New York Giants need for their secondary. Another area of their defense that needs to be looked at our adjusted before the beginning of the season is the linebacker positions. Once they get healthy, continuous starters, they will have a decent core to play with. The offensive line has been very steady and it seems that they will be good once again come this season. The Giants look poised to do well this season and I can see them finishing 2nd in their division with a playoff spot.

The Giants offense its a very good offensive team and will look to up their game next season. Brandon Jacobs played hurt throughout the ‘09 season and was effective at times. After his knee surgery, he will look to return to old form when he first arrived and create havoc on the field.

Darrelle Revis’s recent contract dispute with the New York Jets is expected to carry on for quite sometime until he or the Jets organization decides to budge. I do understand Revis’s point but his terms are ridiculous. Revis one of the best corners in the league wants a contract that will make him the highest paid cornerback in the league, people believe the numbers to be about $16 million a year. While Revis is one of the best he is not the best, Revis Island and all the un-explained media coverage definitely added to his self-believed worth.

Now as a Jet fan I have to worry about the organization not being able to sign their other notable free agents including Nick Mangold and others. If you ask me I think Revis needs to stop worrying about the money and play. I do not know the exact numbers being discussed but if its for example $13 million a year vs. $16 million he really needs to take a step back and look at the fact that he is already making a ridiculous salary while others in the country cannot find minimum wage jobs!

On Saturday, Miguel Cotto and Yuri Foreman will bring boxing back to Yankee Stadium for the first time since Muhammad Ali and Ken Norton went toe-to-toe for 12 rounds in 1976. The return to the big stage has fight fans all across the Big Apple talking. And talking. And talking.

If there’s one thing New Yorkers aren’t shy about, it’s sharing their opinions. And not just about the match itself, but how the historic bout touches on religion, literary boxing influences, ethnic parades, hip-hop and the ongoing interborough grudge match.

“Anytime you have anything other than baseball at Yankee Stadium, it’s a prestigious event. To have [Miguel] Cotto fighting there is incredible, it’s cultural for us. Cotto’s a gladiator, he’ll die in the ring. He has my respect as a man any day. It’ll be exciting because the Brooklyn fans will be out to support their fighter. I was there at MSG when Cotto fought [Zab] Zudah and the environment in the building was tense. I’m gonna get ringside in Yankee Stadium, up close and personal to watch my man Cotto explode and knock [Yuri] Foreman out. I’m not much of a decision guy; I want the fireworks.” — Fat Joe, rapper/CEO of Terror Squad Entertainment, Bronx

• “We’re going to have a real clash of the titans right here in the Bronx, in our very own brand-new coliseum. The enthusiasm for this fight and the return of boxing to Yankee Stadium is very obvious across the Bronx. We’ve always been known for world-class baseball, and now we’ll be known for world-class boxing as well. While I think both fighters are solid, Miguel Cotto has a huge fan base in the Bronx, myself included.” — Bronx Borough President Ruben Diaz Jr.

Click here to read the full article – By Patrick Sauer of ESPN.com

Last season, the Jets ran the ball 607 times, compared to only 393 pass attempts. Their leading rusher from 2009, Thomas Jones, is now a Kansas City Chief, and the question of who will carry the load for the Jets’ rushing game is on the minds of many of their fans.

The most obvious replacement for Jones’ production is Shonn Greene. As a 3rd round draft pick out of Iowa, Greene’s rookie season was largely quiet, as he rushed for 540 yards. In the playoffs, however, Greene rushed for 304 yards in only 3 games, and had several memorable touchdown runs which raised expectations for this season. Despite Greene’s impressive talent, however, he has shown weaknesses in the past. Last season, he fumble 3 times in only 108 carries, and he failed to record a reception. Despite these worries, however, Greene showed a combination of speed and power that has many Jets fans excited for his 2010 season.

While Shonn Greene appears to be entrenched as the starter, his backup will be one of the best running backs in NFL history. LaDainian Tomlinson, signed from the San Diego Chargers, will likely be featured as the Jets’ 3rd down back. In his prime, Tomlinson was one of the top pass-catching backs in the NFL, but it seems as if Tomlinson’s prime ended two seasons ago. Last season, Tomlinson appeared to have lost a step, as he averaged only 3.3 yards per carry for a dynamic Chargers offense. Tomlinson’s season ended against the Jets’ defense, as he rushed for only 24 yards on 12 carries. Heading into this season, Tomlinson’s ability will be called into question by most Jets fans. If he can return to the form that made him one of the best running backs of all time, then the Jets offense will feature two running backs who compliment each other well. If Tomlinson’s decline continues, however, the Jets offense will likely struggle on passing downs, or in the event of an injury to Greene.

One final wildcard in the Jets 2010 backfield is their 4th round pick, Joe McKnight. Heading into college at USC, McKnight drew comparisons to fellow Trojan Reggie Bush. Although he failed to match Bush’s college production, McKnight is still regarded as a shifty runner who could serve as an asset to the Jets’ offense. With the departure of Leon Washington to Seattle, the Jets will need a quicker running back to take over Washington’s role. Although McKnight did not make the best first impression by appearing out of shape at the Jets’ first rookie mini-camp, there is speculation that his familiarity with his college quarterback, Mark Sanchez, could help him get onto the field as a rookie.

With the continued development of Mark Sanchez, it’s likely that the Jets will throw the ball far more than they did last season. Despite this fact, however, the Jets will likely remain a running team. In order for the Jets to succeed, they will need their running game to remain a dominant force. With the presence of three talented running backs, there is no reason for the Jets not to have success, but all three backs have question marks that won’t be answered until they step onto the field to open the season.