Woodson says Knicks season could have been different with Bargnani healthy, is serious
There's no way that New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson....we mean, he couldn't actually...he's not...oh, man. It appears that yes, Woodson believes that things could have broken differently if Andrea Bargnani had been healthy all season.
Woodson suggests things could've been different this yr had Bargnani stayed healthy. Used the oft-referenced "big piece of the puzzle" line
— Chris Herring (@HerringWSJ) April 11, 2014
Talk about stretching for excuses.
When Bagrnani damaged ligaments in his left elbow on Jan. 22, the Knicks were 15-27. Since then, they've gone 18-18.
When Bargnani was on the floor, the team was outscored by 6.2 points per 100 possessions. When he hasn't been, they've outscored opponents by 0.5 points per 100 possessions.
Bargnani averaged 13.3 points, 5.3 rebounds and 1.2 blocks but shot just 27.8 percent on threes, occasionally masquerading as a stretch four but mostly, it was just a stretch to find a use for him. His player efficiency rating and true shooting percentage were below average at 14.5 and 51 percent, respectively, and ESPN's new Real Plus-Minus stat ranked him 399th in the NBA on a per-possession basis.
It seems very unlikely the Knicks would have been much better off with Bargnani. But hey, we're not coaches. Maybe Woodson knows something we don't. Or maybe he's just grasping at straws.