Josh Hart defends Tom Thibodeau on injuries: 'It's idiotic to put that on him' / News - Basketnews.com

Josh Hart of the New York Knicks defended his coach, Tom Thibodeau, against accusations that his practices are causing injuries on the team.

Credit: AP-Scanpix Credit AP-Scanpix

New York Knicks player Josh Hart defended his coach, Tom Thibodeau, after narratives began to form about the team's practices causing injuries.

Josh Hart

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"People love to have a narrative or a label. They love to run with it. None of those guys are here watching us practice," Hart said. "[This is] the seventh year of my career. I probably had [the most] off days by the years. ... Everybody thinks we do three-hour practices of scrimmaging," he joked.

"It's idiotic to put that on him, the player retorted. "He's not going to say anything about it. ... At the end of the day, people are going to say things for clicks. They are going to say things that make them feel like they stuck it to him."

"If they're not in this building or in this locker room, whatever they say, it doesn't mean anything," he concluded.

Despite having a decent playoff run so far, the Knicks have been affected by the injuries of certain players.

To begin with, Julius Randle has been out since the beginning of April. In the first round of the playoffs, Bojan Bogdanovic and Mitchell Robinson have been ruled out for the season.

In addition, OG Anunoby has been out since Game 2 against the Indiana Pacers, with the Knicks not expecting him to return earlier than Game 5. In the meantime, Jalen Brunson also suffered a minor injury but has recovered from it without missing games.

At the moment, the Knicks-Pacers series is tied at 2-2. The next game is on May 15.

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