With football season off to a disastrous start in New York and hopes high in basketball now is as good a time as any to break down the state of sports in the Big Apple. Unlike the owner rankings, which we last published back in 2018, these rankings will look at the state of each of the nine New York metropolitan area sports teams and what their prospects look like for the next few years in terms of stability as well as championship hopes.
1. New York Islanders
The Islanders are number one with a bullet and it's not even close. Lou Lamoriello has built a legitimate Stanley Cup contender on Long Island and the organization has finally got a new home with UBS Arena set to open after the Islanders' opening 14-game road trip. There isn't any drama in the front office or on the ice as the Islanders are the area's most stable organization by far.
2. Brooklyn Nets
There is a strong culture that has been built in Brooklyn as the Nets went from a laughing stock to a destination for top tier NBA talent. There isn't a more dynamic collection of talent in this town than the one Sean Marks assembled in Brooklyn, headlined by Kevin Durant and James Harden. While the Nets are the most likely title-winner right now the only reason they aren't at the top of this list is the self-inflicted drama Kyrie Irving has created by refusing to get vaccinated against the coronavirus.
3. New York Knicks
It is incredible to imagine that the Knicks are the third-most stable organization in New York but James Dolan has finally stopped meddling with basketball operations, allowing Leon Rose to develop a plan to turn the team around. The early results have been promising as the Knicks returned to the playoffs last season and have established a solid young core of players to build around. Rose also has a solid war chest of draft picks and movable contracts that he can use to trade for a disgruntled superstar who wants out to supercharge the roster.
4. New York Yankees
Things have fallen apart for the Yankees, who have failed to progress since replacing Joe Girardi with Aaron Boone following the 2017 season. Girardi took a talented young roster to within one game of the World Series while the Yankees haven't advanced past that point with Boone, who was recently rewarded with a three-year contract extension despite the club regressing. The Yankees seem content to run back the manager and the majority of their roster despite diminishing returns, likely condemning them to further slides down this list until they commit to serious change.
5. New York Mets
The next two spots here are serious pivot points as these teams have the potential to go way up or down the list in the next few years. The Mets have a significant ownership upgrade in Steve Cohen, who is willing to invest a ton of resources to help the team win, but the roster needs serious changes while the front office is in flux. If the Mets can nail this front office hire, which is far from a given, they could rocket into championship contention as soon as next year.
6. New York Rangers
Things were going well for the Rangers until Dolan overreacted to the Tom Wilson incident by blowing up the front office in the middle of a rebuild due to his perception that the roster underachieved. Chris Drury has taken over and added more will to complement the Rangers' abundance of skill, which isn't a bad thing since there is a ton of talent on this roster. There is championship potential here if the right moves are made but Dolan is involved more heavily here with the potential to rock the boat in the wrong direction.
7. New Jersey Devils
The rebuild continues to march on in New Jersey where a collection of recent lottery picks offers some promise. The addition of Dougie Hamilton on defense was a solid move and ownership appears patient with the process. The Devils are still a few years away from serious contention but are in far better shape than either football team right now.
8. New York Jets
This is really a case of picking your poison since both football teams stink but the Jets at least appear to realize they are all pointed in one rebuilding direction. Years of poor roster management from John Idzik and Mike Maccagnan have seriously depleted the Jets' talent base, forcing Joe Douglas and company to rebuild the whole organization from the foundation up. There is some promise here but not enough to justify real progress in year three of Douglas' tenure.
9. New York Giants
The Giants may have a better record than the Jets but are further behind as an organization since there seems to be some sort of denial as to the state of the franchise. The word rebuild has been resisted since John Mara hired Dave Gettleman as the GM to salvage the last few years of Eli Manning's career, leading to a series of roster moves that have left the team essentially capped out without a ton to show for it. The right move would be to blow up the operation after this season and start over but it is unclear if Mara will go all the way with the housecleaning, leaving the Giants on the bottom right now.