William Hung's New York Knicks fan blog

Aaron Heilman, who was traded by the Mets to the Seattle Mariners as part of the J.J. Putz deal, was flipped to the Chicago Cubs for Ronny Cedeno and Garret Olson. Many suspected that Heilman was going to be the closer for the Mariners since Brandon Morrow was going to move to the rotation. The trade is great for Heilman because his competition for the fifth spot with the Cubs are Jeff Samardzija, Sean Marshall, and Chad Gaudin. Only Samardzija really has a higher ceiling than Heilman, but he has yet to play a full season.

Heilman is also a Chicago native, so this is a homecoming of sorts for him. I look forward to the Mets facing him during the season... unless the Cubs pull off a trade for Jake Peavy, of course.

Continue reading "Aaron Heilman Finally Has a Shot At Starting With Cubs"

The New York Knicks finally ended an eight-game losing streak to the Houston Rockets, winning 104-98 on Monday night at Madison Square Garden.

The Rockets played without Yao Ming, and the Knicks received strong bench play behind Wilson Chandler, Nate Robinson, and Tim Thomas, who all scored in double digits. Robinson led all Knicks with 19 points, while Chandler chipped in 18, and Thomas added 11.

David Lee had yet another double-double with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Chris Duhon had 12 points and 11 assists.

Tracy McGrady led the Rockets with 20 points and six assists. Louis Scola, filling in for Yao Ming, had 16 points and 14 rebounds.

The Knicks continue their homestand against the Atlanta Hawks on Wednesday night.

Eddy Curry update: Eddy Curry is in Chicago with his 3-year-old son, who was found covered in blood while trying to wake his slain mother, by Chicago PD. Frederick Goings, a lawyer, is in custody in connection with the murders of Curry's ex-girlfriend. and her 9-month-old daughter Ava.

Continue reading "Knicks Finally Defeat Rockets, 104-98"

When talking about the Knicks, the name Eddy Curry hardly comes up these days. So far this season, the man Isiah Thomas once wanted to build the Knicks around, has played in one game this season.

But Sunday, when I read what happened to his family, all those jokes I used to have about him playing like he's five feet tall went out the window.

On Saturday, Eddy Curry's 3-year-old son, witnessed what no kid should ever have to see. His own mother and baby sister were murdered inside their Chicago apartment. The killer is a "known acquaintance."

The facts were these: Authorities said that Nova Henry, 24, Curry's ex-girlfriend, and her 9-month-old daughter, Ava, were found shot dead by Henry's mother around 6 p.m. Saturday.

This terrible tragedy just adds insult to injury, as Curry is currently embroiled in a wild lawsuit filed by his ex-driver, David Kuchinsky. Kuchinsky is accusing Curry of making sexual advances, forcing him to perform demeaning tasks and twice pointing a gun at him.

Continue reading "Tragedy Hits Eddy Curry"

In a long list of Philadelphia victories over New York, add Saturday's matchup between the Knicks and Sixers to the list. The Knicks lost to the Sixers in a close battle, 116-110 in Philadelphia.

Andre Iguodala peppered the box score with 24 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and two steals to lead the Sixers. Andre Miller added 21 points and Samuel Dalembert dominated the boards for 17 rebounds.

The Knicks were paced by another double-double effort by David Lee who had 20 points and 10 rebounds. Nate Robinson and Tim Thomas contributed 26 and 24 points, respectively, coming off the bench. The Knicks also went 15-32 (46.9%) from behind the arc, but that was not enough.

Injury update: Elton Brand of the Sixers returned to action for the first time since Dec. 17, 2008, came off the bench and scored six points in 13 minutes. For the Knicks, Danilo Gallinari did not play in order to rest his back.

Continue reading "Another NY Loss to Philly - Knicks Fall to Sixers"

With a little over a month left before Spring Training, the Mets still have a few holes to fill.

Left Field: The plan for 2009 is to have Daniel Murphy and Fernando Tatis platoon the position. Murphy hit .313 in 131 ABs, while Tatis hit .297 in 273 ABs. Tatis was out of baseball for two years before 2008. While Murphy has a lot of promise, and  Tatis might continue to be a competent bat, there are just too many question marks to not even explore other options.

Which is why I was surprised to read that Omar Minaya, the king of landing big name players (Martinez, Santana, Beltran), has "no interest" in Manny Ramirez. Ramirez is a raker with a long list of issues, but I'll take 500 ABs from him over the 500 from a Murphy/Tatis platoon. For all the headaches Manny causes, if getting him prevents another September choke job, then do it.

Continue reading "Mets "Not Interested" in Ramirez; Focus Still on Pitching"

The Stephon Marbury saga, which ranges from LA to NY, might last a little longer yet. The talk all this week was about the Olympiakos, the New York Yankees of Greece, of having an interest in the banished guard. However, that ended early Friday when Jannero Pargo became the front runner. The reason is because Pargo has more European experience. I think it's because the Olympiakos just did not want to deal with Marbury's buyout with the Knicks.

 For what it's worth, Marbury did offer to return $1 million. I personally think $1 mil does not make up for: 1) Turning his back on Larry Brown and then Isiah Thomas, 2) Isolating teammates, 3) The Anucha Browne Sanders case, 4) Never winning. I think just for #3 and #4 alone, Marbury owes the Knicks at least half of his remaining contract. Then again, he might pull the Sprewell excuse of "having to feed his kids."

Continue reading "Stephon Marbury Not Feeling The Love"