New York

The New York Knicks added another scorer to their bench.

Cleanthony Early brings versatility to the Knicks rotation and depth at the 3. The 6'8" rookie from Wichita State rebounds well and should be an effective cutter in the triangle offense. He possesses good athleticism and ought to become a reliable defender in the NBA. 

Made in New York

Early was born in Middletown, New York and frequently professes his gratitude:

With a wise head on his shoulders, he should become a consistent rotation player for head coach Derek Fisher. Via Tim Bontemps of the New York Post, Early said the following in regard to his current opportunity: "With no school, I have nothing else to do but time to work on my craft, and I’m all for it. That’s what I’ve wanted to do for my whole life, and now it’s here. You think I’m not going to do it?"

Early could use a little more muscle, but at 23 years old he's more than capable of backing up Carmelo Anthony and contributing on both ends. 

He's been asking questions and studying game film from Phil Jackson's Chicago Bulls and Los Angeles Lakers teams to better understand the triangle offense, as he says in the interview below:

Early has the desire to grow into his unique skill set. 

Expectations

Aside from some initial rookie jitters, Early should adapt to the NBA game rather easily. He can score off the dribble and is athletic enough to thrive in transition and finish around the rim.

He was a little tentative at times during the summer league, but that could be chalked up to inexperience.

An NBA scout said the following about Early, via Marc Berman of the Post: "He still hasn’t shown he wants to put the ball on the floor. But his defense is good. He plays hard."

Early had no problem putting the ball on the floor and scoring against the opposition in college, and as his confidence rises with experience, he should find himself and become a productive slasher. 

He'll get plenty of opportunities to cut to the basket and finish easily around the rim as long as the triangle is executed correctly. 

Early also possesses enough range to be a factor along the perimeter. 

The Knicks have a talented young player who should provide the franchise with another consistent option on offense and defense. 

The Brooklyn Nets are no longer shortsighted and settling for flashy veterans.

In past years, general manager Billy King sacrificed youth, depth and potential in the form of future draft picks for overpaid players in the twilight of their careers. That was no longer the case when King acquired three second-round draft picks and let Paul Pierce go in free agency instead of crippling the franchise with luxury-tax implications. 

Looking ahead, some turbulence may be expected, but there are reasons to be hopeful. 

Rounding Out the Roster

Brooklyn did well to compensate for Shaun Livingston's departure by trading for Jarrett Jack and picking up Markel Brown. Both players should be solid pieces in head coach Lionel Hollins' rotation.

A little more size could be useful, however.

The Nets don't have much depth and reliability up front, aside from Mason Plumlee and Mirza Teletovic due to Kevin Garnett's age and Brook Lopez's injury history. Andray Blatche also hasn't yet been re-signed, which could further weaken Brooklyn's front court if he goes elsewhere. 

Blatche needs to be retained if possible, and a play should be made for a shot-blocker like Ekpe Udoh, who is only 26 years old. Standing in at 6'10", Udoh's long arms and good athleticism will fill a void for the Nets. 

He runs the floor well and should be effective in transition. His energy and leaping ability will be a nice catalyst off the bench, and he shouldn't come at too high of a price. 

There could always be a couple of trades made in the near future that help mold the Nets and provide a sustainable outlook.

Headwinds Ahead

Deron Williams and Brook Lopez have been sidled by chronic injuries, and there are no guarantees whether they will play enough games at a high enough level to justify their contracts. Both men are immensely paid and one has to question whether the risk justifies the reward when it comes to paying max contracts to two injury-prone players.

When healthy, Williams and Lopez are two of Brooklyn's best, but if they peaked performance-wise due to their body's woes, there may not be much rationale in keeping them as their value dwindles. 

Williams and Lopez could return to form this season, but their health will always be of concern. It may make the most sense for King to move one or both men while their legacies are in front of their shadows, instead of rolling the dice and delaying the inevitable rebuilding process. 

Shedding Williams and Lopez's contracts while bringing in young players and draft picks will change popular sentiment toward the organization.

Instead of sporting a bloated salary cap on the verge of the luxury tax while floundering in the playoffs, chasing financial flexibility will allow for a long-term vision and plan to develop. 

There are no guarantees when it comes to draft picks and cap space, but the future for Williams and Lopez is equally questionable. 

Derek Jeter continues to break career records, and at this age, it’s no surprise. Earlier in the season. he eclipsed Lou Gehrig’s doubles record of 534, and most recently he passed Carl Yastrzemski for seventh on the all-time hits list. The hit was a quintessential Jeter base hit through the right side gap on a well executed hit-and-run. With this latest accomplishment, fans have to wonder how high he will move up on the hit list.

Jeter is currently only 10 hits behind fellow shortstop Honus Wagner, who ranks sixth all time with 3,430 career hits. But the thought is prevalent amongst fans: how much more the 40-year-old shortstop could accomplish if he didn’t retire at the end of this season.

Jeter will pass Wagner in the immediate future, and he will likely also pass Cap Anson shortly after that, who, by some accounts, has 3,435 hits, while others have him listed at 3,011 hits. But despite the controversy, the Yankee legend will realistically finish either fifth or sixth all time. Although it will be close, he does have the potential to finish fifth all time by passing Tris Speaker, who has an outstanding 3,514 career hits.

Regardless, Jeter will go down as one of the greatest hitters of all time, but it's enticing for fans to think about him finishing within the top three.

If Jeter were to play another two years, let’s say, then he would certainly achieve that, or at least come close. And it seems like he could continue on, at least physically, if he wanted to.

Jeter looks healthy after a season plagued with injuries. He is ranked fifth in the league for average from a shortstop with a .278 clip. Albeit, his average is down from what he has hit for his career, which is .311, but his current average is pretty impressive when you take all things into consideration.

At the moment, the Yankee captain has 104 hits on the season and could conceivably pick up around 180 to 185 total by the end of the year. In 2010, he had a similar year when he batted .270 and collected 179 hits total for the season. Most critics thought that season would be the demise of Jeter, but he proved them wrong with a bounce-back year in 2011 with a .297 batting average, then again in 2012 when he hit .316 and led the league in hits with 216.

Even in this subpar year by Jeter’s standards, he has proven he can still play. Pete Rose said a couple of years ago that Jeter wouldn’t be able to break his all-time hits record of 4,256. According to ESPN New York in 2012, Rose had this to say:

I don't think he can get 200 more hits at 41, but let's say he does. OK, now he's 42. He's gonna get 200 more hits then? At 42? Let me tell you, I've been there; the body locks up. Jeter's a great hitter ... but he's gonna get 200 hits when he's 42? I don't think he will. And even if he does all that, he's still 150 hits short.

We won’t get to find out what would happen with Jeter at 41, or 42, but it does make us think about Rose’s hypothetical. If Jeter were to play an extra two years, he might not catch Rose or Ty Cobb, but surely he’d pass (if he were able to stay healthy) Stan “The Man” Musial and possibly the great Hank Aaron, who have 3,630 and 3,771 hits, respectively.

If he were able to accomplish that feat, that would mean he’d rank third all time in hits, but it would just be icing on the cake in what has been a marvelous career. And for Jeter, he's never been one to fret over individual stats, but rather his focus has always been on team accomplishments.

His All-Star Game performance showed shades of his youth, when he made a diving stab to almost rob Andrew McCutchen of a base hit, followed up by his leadoff double in the bottom of the inning.  And if his All-Star Game performance was indicative of anything, it’s that the man can still play.

However, it’s understandable that Jeter wants to hang it up now, when he’s still on top. Yes, he may be fading a bit, but he’s still one of the better players in the game. Some players overstay their welcome, and in turn, they don’t get to retire in the fashion they want and with the team they began with.

For Jeter, who has lived a near-flawless legacy, now is the right time. But for fans, the thought of him staying longer seems tempting, knowing that he can accomplish even more than he already has.

Follow Evan on Twitter @Emoneyball22