It didn't seem possible for things to get worse in Brooklyn, but then again, they're already dressed in black for a funeral. Paul Pierce became the latest casualty of the injury bug, felled by a broken bone in his right shooting hand.
The Nets are 5-12, just barely above the New York Knicks at the bottom of the scrap heap in the Atlantic Division, though at least BK has some excuses with all the injuries. Joe Johnson is the only Nets starter to start every game thus far, with Deron Williams and Brook Lopez both out for extended periods.
New York has simply been atrocious, and the team is already beginning to turn on itself. They've had two closed-door meetings in the last few weeks to try and patch things up, to little avail. The nine-game losing streak drove Carmelo Anthony to tell ESPN, "I think we're playing to lose rather than playing to win right now."
With a team playing to lose and one eye in Los Angeles, it might not be too long before 'Melo himself takes a turn for the worse and winds up n the injured list as well. If he needs any advice on extending potential injuries, he can always hit up Santonio Holmes, who's rumored to be developing a patent on his process, best exemplified in his work with the New York Jets.
It might not be a bad look to stock up and wait for free agency, when he'll really need his health. But one way or another, the Knicks and Nets will both be thinking about next season soon. It's more a matter of how soon.
