Giants suffer another injury, Knicks suffer another loss (sort of)

Another year, another injury for the Giants.  This time it's left tackle Will Beatty.  He apparently tore his pec while lifting weights.  Unfortunately this kind of news is becoming expected for New York.  They were the most injured team in the NFL the last two years.  And when they get injuries, they get em' big.  Last year, for example, they lost Victor Cruz, Jon Beason, Geoff Schwartz, Prince Amukamara....ok, that's enough, I'm getting aggravated.  The question everyone should be asking is--why?  Why are they sustaining 50 million injuries a year, and to their starters nonetheless?  The Giants front office needs to take a long hard look at the strength and conditioning coaches.  I understand injuries happen, and no, I'm not asking for anyone's head, but given that it's not even June and already they're down a major starter screams "problem" to me. 

Could it be they're drafting/signing injury prone players?  Certainly a possibility (Beason, Amukamara).  But there's just way too many injuries every season for that to be the major reason.  So what gets done?  Probably nothing.  Just pray there's no more devastating losses, because they'll never be able to compete if they keep losing starters.   

Speaking of losing, the Knicks just can't help themselves.  Yes, yes, I know.  They had no control over which ping-pong balls were going to be pulled on Tuesday night.  They certainly could have helped themselves by not winning a couple of late games, especially against the Hawks.  But they did win, and their odds of the 1st pick went down because of it.  They still had the second best chance of getting the 1st pick, but instead ended up with the 4th.  Is that terrible?  No, it might not be, but we won't know right away.  Unless the player they draft comes out and plays lights-out, we'll probably have to wait a couple of seasons before assessing whether or not he was a good pick. 

So who will still be there at number four for New York?  To me it's a guarantee that Jahlil Okafor and Karl-Anthony Towns will not be there.  So that leaves two point guards: Emmanuel Mudiay and D'Angelo Russell.  However, the Knicks will probably just have to take whomever the Sixers don't, because they're in the market for a point guard as well.  I think I'd be ok with either Mudiay or Russell.  Mudiay is more of a mystery since he played in China this past season, but the reports say that he's an explosive athlete in the mold of Russell Westbrook.  Well, if he can be half the player Westbrook is, then that would be a home run.  D'Angelo Russell gets high praise as well for being a play-maker who can read the court extremely well.  I think either guy would be a great addition to a depleted Knicks roster.  If they can draft one of those fellas, while bringing in some solid free agents like Greg Monroe, Tobias Harris, Wesley Matthews, etc., (sorry, no big name free agents will be coming to New York) to help out Carmelo Anthony, then there's no reason why this team can't be a playoff team next year.  Whether or not any of this happens is yet to be seen, of course, but it at least gives us Knicks fans a reason to be hopeful.