Embattled New York Knicks coach Mike Woodson has ordered his players to hole up together at a hotel on Friday night for Saturday's 12 p.m. game against the Memphis Grizzlies at the Garden, citing previous noon games where his Knicks played lethargic ball that resulted to blow-outs.
"Yeah, we've had those troubles and you know, we're going to all get together tonight and huddle together. I'm not going to let them hang out. We're going to all get together, ourselves, as a team," Woodson told the New York Daily News.
The Knicks were blown out in New York by 31 points by the San Antonio Spurs on November 10 and 41 points by the Boston Celtics on December 8, with both games played at high noon. Asked if the results of both noon games forced him to 'babysit' his players, Woodson said: "Well, we're going to be together. Put it that way."
Star forward Carmel Anthony said he was hearing that the Knicks had set a 10 p.m. curfew. However, he also said that the Knicks had stayed together at a hotel before the Celtics game. "We've done that plenty of times where we stayed at a hotel together, the night before a game. Sometimes it helps sometimes it works. We'll see about that tomorrow," Anthony said. "We didn't do it the San Antonio game. Sometimes it works - early games. Sometimes it don't.
He continued: "It's just a matter of us coming out the gate and establish that early. I don't think it has anything to do with us staying in a hotel or not. That's what Coach wants to do and we're going to do it."
The 8-17 Knicks have been among the biggest disappointments in the NBA this season after being the second seed in the 2013 East Playoffs.
© 2023 Sportsworldnews.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
