Retroram52
Moderator
These refs suck!!
Nick Young goes down. These guys cannot stay healthy.
Been like that for the last couple of seasons...
I think Stephen A Smith said it best on dumbtoni:
However you want to frame it, guys who play for him just don't stay healthy.
Stephen A. is a moron. His players in Phoenix stayed healthy. Nash and Amar'e started having injury issues after D'Antoni left and they started getting older.
In fact, if memory serves, Nash only had one season where he missed significant time prior to last season.
1) In 2013 - Howard, Nash, Blake, Kobe, Meeks, Gasol, Hill, Duhon, Howard, MWP all got injured multiple times. All in all there were 17 injuries for a total of 176 games.
2) In 2014 - Bryant, Henry, Young, Gasol, Kaman, Nash and Farmar among others all go t injured for more than 250 total games.
That will be roughly 450 games missed due to injuries under his care by year's end. At some point it is no longer coincidence.
And how is that D'Antoni's fault? I swear, some of you think the guy is responsible for global warming too. Howard was already injured when he came to the Lakers, Kobe has been battling injuries for years and Gasol was starting to show wear and tear as well and hasn't been truly healthy in at least 4 years. Kaman also had injury issues pre-D'Antoni. MWP also had some injuries pre-D'Antoni.
The issue was that the Lakers had a bunch of older players with a lot of mileage on them, traded for a center who was coming off of back surgery and it caught up to them as some experts thought it might. THAT was the problem, not D'Antoni.
And before you say: "it's his system". It absolutely isn't his system. He slowed it down for the older guys and if played correctly, his system would actually be easier on the older guys because there aren't a lot of iso's which put more stress on the players bodies.
I don't think you can blame D'Antoni for all those injuries though. Gasol's vertigo was a result from earlier health issues that had nothing to do with basketball. Nash's issues stem from a freak leg injury that had nothing to do with the coach. Other injuries such as ankle sprains happen regardless of system. D'Antoni's offensive philosophy wasn't the best for the ages of the main players, but I don't think that can be blamed for all the injuries.
If you and I were riding in a car together (you driving) and we get into a car wreck... Police rule it was other driver's fault. Slight injuries but nothing major.
Next week you are driving me again - another accident. This time a minor fender bender.
Finally, a month later I get into your passenger seat again. You are forced to brake suddenly... Car behind you may have been following too close... Rear ends you.
** At some point, I am going to stop riding with you. I don't care to hear "it was other guys fault." At some point it is no longer coincidence.