So far this season, it appears that anything that can go wrong for the Knicks will go wrong. New York is currently 10-15 and seemingly unable to string together any type of winning streak. Carmelo Anthony has battled injuries all season. Mike D’Antoni has been under constant pressure from the fans, who have even chanted Phil Jackson’s name. On top of all that, Amar’e Stoudemire is dealing with a tragedy, as he lost his brother in a car accident early Monday morning. Simply put, life is not good at Madison Square Garden.
You know the fans are restless when they even start getting on the reserves. With Anthony struggling through pain and Amar’e Stoudemire having to leave the team, New York will have lean on players other than their superstars going forward. Point guard Jeremy Lin shined with 28 points during a win over the Jazz Monday night, but others like Jared Jeffries struggled. The crowd booed Jeffries as a result, and D’Antoni was not pleased about it.
“Anybody who boos Jared Jeffries has got to reexamine their life a little bit,” D’Antoni said according to the NY Daily News. “I am sorry to have to say this, I love our fans, I like MSG, the arena. But here’s a guy who came back to us on a minimum contract. He could have gone to a lot of other teams. He plays as hard as anybody could possibly ever play, with injuries, does everything you ask him to. (That’s like) booing what’s good with America.”
Perhaps a bit dramatic from D’Antoni, but Knicks fans are focusing their boos on the wrong guy. Jeffries is averaging 4.3 points and 3.6 rebounds this season. He has never averaged over 6.8 during any season of his nine-year career. Times may be tough, but if you’re going to a Knicks game looking for a standout performance from Jeffries you might as well sell your tickets and stay home.
Chest bump to I Am a GM
