# Lame Excuses



## Truknicksfan (Mar 25, 2005)

KNICKS CAN'T PLACE ALL BLAME ON INJURIES



> April 22, 2007 -- BOSTON - Apparently, if not for the "I" word, we would be preparing ourselves for some kind of special basketball extravaganza at Madison Square Garden this week. Apparently, if not for injuries, the Knicks were fully revved, fully prepared to take a weed whacker to the rest of the NBA's Eastern Conference.
> 
> "I think it's pretty safe to say had we not been so decimated, things would be different tonight," Thomas said the other night, a few minutes after the Knicks' season ended in Charlotte. "But that being said, we would like to have had a better finish. I feel pretty comfortable and confident in saying that, had we not been hit by the injuries the way we'd been hit, I think it's safe to say we would have squeezed out at least six-to-seven more wins and we'd be sitting in a totally different position."
> 
> ...





> Injuries happen. They happened to the Nets, who somehow managed to reach .500 despite missing Nenad Krstic for most of the year and Richard Jefferson for almost two months. They happened to the Heat, who only lost one surefire Hall of Famer (Shaq) and one projected Hall of Famer (Wade) and ground their way to the playoffs


http://www.nypost.com/seven/04222007/sports/knicks/lame_excuses_knicks_mike_vaccaro.htm

:yes:


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## TRUTHHURTS (Mar 1, 2003)

I found that article to be pretty stupid. 

The Heat didnt lose Shaq and Wade at the start of March.Injuries at the varying times of the season all will have a different impact on the team.Didnt they beat the heat with Shaq AND Wade so why would they have to question a game without one of them ? same goes for the magic with grant hill ?

When I read some of the quotes that were made I never got the feeling they were saying that the injuries held them back but the timing of the injuries like 3 of your top 5 going down with 6 weeks left in the season.


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## thatsnotgross (Dec 4, 2006)

I disagree, when they say timing of the injuries were the problem. Every player that plays sports need to get this through their heads. I'm not just talking about the Knicks but everyone who plays in a beer league, fantasy league or whatever league you're in. The start of the SEASON is as important as the end of the season is as important as the middle of the season. 

If they interpret that way of thinking then they should've played better when they were healthy instead of playing .500 ball.

Excuse me if I'm wrong but I look at the Atlantic Division that is one of the weakest not named the Nets and you look at our depth, we had the best bench of all teams. I'm only saying we had the best bench before this season started, we didn't know Mikki Moore, Nachbar, Boone will be huge in their roles like they are now.

So for us to come out and say that injuries lost us is nonsense. I do feel that this team is talented and we have an above average bench, figuring we can sustain some injuries. I guess we can't.

It is a lame excuse, it just solidfies many Knicks fan perspective of what is going on. There is no way on this team that makes other players better, please name me a player on this team that can make a team better? We have a bunch of role players that makes either max or close to max dollars. Who fault is that...

The creators fault people.

I will give you a couple of examples of what in the world is going on in the playoffs right now.... Orlando and Toronto. 

These two teams are in the playoffs, yet they are probably in their adolescent stage of rebuilding. Someone tell me how is this possible? Could it be that the GMs of this team actually build the team right?

Look at Orlando's case... this team had Hill and Mcgrady as their max players and just couldn't thrive. Traded for Francis (yes it was bad) and got lucky because Isiah thomas had another brain fart (somehow its blamed on LB). Where are they now? Could it be possible that they have Darko, Howard, Nelson and Redick as their nucleus plus going into the playoffs?

Look at Toronto's case... yes people are clamoring that Colangelo is the wonderboy for this team but we cannot forget to give credit to the last GM to create a huge cap space even though he messed up on his drafts. But let it be known, it was Colangelo that got Bargniani (looks like a gem), risky trade (TJ ford), a shooter (Parker) and a bunch of hustle spainards.

These two teams have 1 superstar and a young nucleus to focus around them that could very well be in the playoffs for years to come. It is the coaches who I am worry about but nonetheless the core is there. They have rebuild this team pretty fast, even faster than the Knicks and with a less budget to go around with. While we throw cash and try to take these projects (Curry, Crawford) off their hands by giving them huge sums of money. 

some of you might be happy with an 8th seed to shut us (IT, dolan, Curry, Marbury haters) and say "we told you so this team is good". No, you didn't tell us anything that will make our eyes roll but to actually rebuttal and say, "No, we told you so". Let us all remind you that this is the Eastern Conference and Atlantic Division, yet we can't even pull 2nd.


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## Gotham2krazy (Nov 22, 2005)

Can we really not blame injuries? If it weren't for Collins playing so well, would you have thought the season any worse than what it was? Did you see our last 14 games? The whole team looked so lethargic, without the boosting play of Renaldo Balkman and David Lee. And we really missed Jamal's spontanaeity to just turn it on all of the sudden and try and win a game by himself taking a bunch of rainbows like a maniac. Without those 3 players, I felt our team was at a serious loss. Along with our sharp shooter that played so well this season before going down with injuries. I feel it's real safe for the Knicks organization to hold on to their scapegoat excuse of injuries. I most certainly wouldn't have blamed our losses if it was Stephon and Steve, but most certainly I will with our aforementioned players.


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## Truknicksfan (Mar 25, 2005)

> I most certainly wouldn't have blamed our losses if it was Stephon and Steve, but most certainly I will with our aforementioned players.


Why do u always include steph in your negative spraying? We all know you love mardy and steph takes his minutes....but lets be fair, steph was the most "winning" player on this team this season. In a way he was most valuable to this team. 

Steph did what all his critics have always wanted him to do...and yet he still doesnt get the respect he deserves from some people. 

As for francis...yes he is a bum and would love for him to go away so mardy can be first off bench to relieve steph.


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## urwhatueati8god (May 27, 2003)

Truknicksfan said:


> Why do u always include steph in your negative spraying? We all know you love mardy and steph takes his minutes....but lets be fair, steph was the most "winning" player on this team this season. In a way he was most valuable to this team.
> 
> Steph did what all his critics have always wanted him to do...and yet he still doesnt get the respect he deserves from some people.
> 
> As for francis...yes he is a bum and would love for him to go away so mardy can be first off bench to relieve steph.


The win percentages say that Nate Robinson was the winning est player. :tongue:


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## Gotham2krazy (Nov 22, 2005)

Truknicksfan said:


> Why do u always include steph in your negative spraying? We all know you love mardy and steph takes his minutes....but lets be fair, steph was the most "winning" player on this team this season. In a way he was most valuable to this team.


It's because I choose to believe in the Stephon Marbury Curse, 7 years bad luck for the team he lands on!


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## urwhatueati8god (May 27, 2003)

Gotham2krazy said:


> It's because I choose to believe in the Stephon Marbury Curse, 7 years bad luck for the team he lands on!


It didn't take the Suns or Nets that long.


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## Kiyaman (Aug 14, 2006)

*1) If Lee, Crawford and Q don't get hurt he already had this team in the playoffs.

2) The Knicks were 6 games under .500 when everybody was healthy. That's a 9th seed.* 



Now those are some BIG Factor statements above, what is missing in both sentences is that the Knicks would have not had all those injuries, plus would have been 1 or 2 games under .500 when everyone was healthy if ...... Coach Isiah Thomas would'nt have added player Jared Jefferies (30 MPG) in the rotation, and cut the playingtime of Q.Richardson, Balkman, and Nate Robinson. 

It does not matter how erratic Nate Robinson was playing or how RAW Balkman was in his Rookie season, alongside Q.Richardson and David Lee the chemistry was brewing beautiful at the start of the season when you seen how consistently these players performed in picking up after Weak Eddy Curry in rebounding and defending. They gave Eddy Curry alot of time to practice on his POST-UP Plays with Crawford while their quick hustle perfomance carried the team. Jared Jefferies 30 MPG early in the season messed up the Knicks .500 rotation of players. 

Marbury, Crawford, Nate, Q.Rich, and Lee seem to know what to expect from each other and from Rookie Balkman who gave them the same quick hustle of ex-knick Trevor Ariza. They did not know what to expect from Jared Jefferies game after game. So Isiah Thomas is at FAULT for not letting this Knick Team get a flow of CHEMISTRY organized just incase the team do make the Playoffs.


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## Gotham2krazy (Nov 22, 2005)

urwhatueati8god said:


> It didn't take the Suns or Nets that long.


Okay, okay 7 years is a bit long and exaggerated. 5 years bad luck's more like it.


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## Truknicksfan (Mar 25, 2005)

> It's because I choose to believe in the Stephon Marbury Curse, 7 years bad luck for the team he lands on!


How could anyone arugue with that reasoning?


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## Kiyaman (Aug 14, 2006)

*Lame Excuse!* Injuries had nothing to do with why this Knick team failed to get into the WEAK Eastern Conference Playoff. 

*This team Failed because of POOR Coaching, Poor Preparation, and very poor decision making from the head coach.* 

When the entire Knick-TEAM was healthy we seen what players the coach used as the Starting Lineup. C-Curry, PF-Frye, SF-Jefferies, SG-Crawford, and PG-Marbury.
Isiah Thomas Starting-Lineup lost alot of games in the First quarter or the third quarter. And this prove that the Head-Coach did not know how to assemble this Knick roster.


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