This was around the time the Mets assembled a pitching staff worth billions of dollars, worked their way through the minor league system, and arrived in Queens with a score of 98. A recurring theme was that of dark clouds. That is, how to prevent young weapons from bursting into flames, exploding and exploding.
The manager at the time was Terry Collins, who had a great interest in the subject as he had taken a PhD-level course on the subject from Dr. Frank Jobe years earlier when he was managing the Angels. . Jobe invented Tommy John surgery and knew better than anyone else on earth how fragile an athlete’s health is every day.
Jobe’s words stuck in Collins’ brain and heart and are still there.
Mr. Jobe told Mr. Collins, “No matter how hard you try, no matter how hard you try, if it’s going to break, it’s going to break.”
I relayed that old chestnut to Tom Thibodeau on Tuesday night, the day after they defeated the Pistons in the same gym, the undermanned and outgunned Knicks were defeated 115-92 by the Pelicans at Madison Square Garden. That was about 90 minutes ago. He’ll be leading a short-handed team again — “We’ve been short-handed all year,” he said with a weary smile — and this time with a chevy instead of a uni on the bench. Another name will be added to the list of players.
Jalen Brunson.
On Monday night, he was doing his best, as usual, trying to lead the Knicks past Detroit. On Tuesday morning, he woke up with a spasm in his neck, spent the entire day trying to get rid of it, and ultimately made the wise decision to sit out the game.
It’s a case of playing the long game over the short game. In the short term, the Knicks will have a hard time beating anyone without Brunson. If it’s an extended absence… well, that’s too bad to even think about. So Branson sat down.
I brought up Collins’ old sentiments. Thibodeau nodded grimly.
“It’s a sport,” Thibodeau said. “That’s what happens. The only way to ensure nothing happens is not to play.”
For Thibodeau, this has been a chronic problem he has had to deal with since his early days in Chicago. He’s a tough coach, and the players he’s interested in coaching are tougher on themselves than he’s ever been. That means showing up. That means playing. That sometimes means poking the minute police with a stick.
And interestingly, in the hot field of sports right now, within the same amount of time, and sometimes within the same sentence, you can hear loud, angry rants about how “load management” is the biggest scourge in sports. …And just as loud, there are similarly angry criticisms of coaches like Thibodeau who choose not to have their players wear bubble wrap.
Someone who actually believes players should play.
For Thibodeau, this all goes back to that fateful afternoon on April 28, 2012. His second Bulls team earned the No. 1 seed in the East and was tied with the Spurs for best overall record at 50-19. It was the result of a relentless attack during the regular season that put them in optimal position heading into the playoffs.
Then, with 1:22 remaining in Game 1 of the postseason, with Chicago leading by 13 points, Derrick Rose went down with a torn ACL. And that injury has haunted Thibodeau in the years since, even though Rose himself has aggressively exonerated the coach. According to PT Patrol, he played too many matches with him. He played too many minutes with him. He played his way into the match with a comfortable lead.
So as the Knicks’ talent drain grows (particularly the long absences of their entire front line, including Mitchell Robinson, Julius Randle and OG Anunoby), the protocol police are desperate to find blame. Tibus is an easy target for that reason alone.
“It’s part of the sport,” he said. “People get hurt. Everybody’s dealing with something, everybody’s got something they’re working with. We know how lucky we are to have the guys we have. — Jalen, Julius , Isaiah [Hartenstein], they take matters into their own hands and give everything they have. Our team has many such players. ”
But…well, it’s a sport. The pitcher splits his elbow. The running back busts his knee. Hockey players get concussions like baseball cards. And basketball players hurt their shoulders, ankles, Achilles tendons, elbows, and necks. None of them have bubble wrap. If it’s going to break, it’s going to break.
