I will not even link it is so stupid but it deserves a rebuttal.
Basically Jeff Goodman over at Fox Sports declares that Ty Lawson is lacking courage by not playing on Thursday. He are some of the choice sections.
The drama surrounding Ty Lawson is getting old.You really think Tyler Hansbrough would be sitting out an NCAA tournament game with a sprained big toe?
Not a chance.
But North Carolina's speedy point guard isn't Hansbrough. He's an enigma and a major point of frustration for the entire Tar Heels team — even though you'll never hear Tar Heels coach Roy Williams or any of Lawson's teammates admit it.
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Lawson injured the big digit on his foot in practice last week when teammate Mike Copeland fell awkwardly and Lawson ended up jamming his foot on the support underneath the basket.
"I felt bad," Copeland said.
He shouldn't because for most guys this would be a nonstory.
But Lawson, well, that's different.
I hate questioning a player's threshold for pain, but remember, this is the same guy who sat out three weeks and six games last season with an ankle injury which teammates privately questioned whether he was milking.
Lawson wants to be 100 percent before he gets back on the court.
But this is lose and go home. There aren't any more chances if the Tar Heels don't win.
It's fine to sit out the ACC tournament as he did this past weekend in an effort to get back as close to 100 percent as possible.
But sitting out the Big Dance?
If I were Lawson, I'd run for my life from Hansbrough if the Tar Heels get knocked off while he sits on the bench as an observer.
My guess is he's still fast enough to get away — even with that sore toe.
Goodman does not know what he is talking about. He rolls into Greensboro, takes in a few interviews, makes a few observations then write this certifiable tripe. This is a cheap shot. Yes, I will be the first to tell you that last season there were questions of whether Lawson stayed out too long with the ankle injury. With this I think the situation is different. The reason I think that is because Lawson played against Duke. In fact he played by taking the unusual and now revealed dangerous route of having a pain killing injection in the toe just so he could even be 90%. Was Goodman around after the Duke game to ask him why he did it? Probably not but since had he been, he would not have written this garbage. Lawson said he played because Roy Williams asked the underclassmen to get it done for the seniors on their day so he answered the bell. He did it because beating Duke meant something in the rivalry sense and everything in terms of taking the ACC Regular Season outright. And if Goodman was paying attention he would know that the decision to play in that game created the situation today.
According to Lawson, playing against Duke made the toe "100 times worse." In reflection Lawson now says the better move would have been to sit against Duke. In his estimation had he done that, he would be 100% by now. That being said, had Lawson opted to sit against Duke and two games into the ACC Tournament Goodman or someone else would have written something like this last week instead of now. Goodman says he hates to question a player's threshold for pain then he shouldn't because (1) he has no idea how the toe feels and (2) he, like everyone else in the media, have been telling us every day since the injury that UNC cannot win a national title without Lawson at 100%. In that respect not only is Goodman a cheap shot opportunist but he also is dabbling in a major contradiction if he thinks it is wise for Lawson to come back in a game UNC can win without him if it means risking further injury.
Lastly, if Goodman had spent any time examining the things Lawson has said versus what Roy Williams has said, he would realize that the caution in bringing the junior point guard back resides mostly in the coaches' corner and not Lawson's. On Saturday, Lawson said he thought he would be ready. On Wednesday afternoon, he thought he could be ready and be a game time decision. If Lawson does not play versus Radford, he has already said he thinks he will be able to play in the 2nd round. I am not sure you can ask much more from him at this point. Lawson wants to play but the decision is not his alone. That and the fact the Heels should be able to handle a #16 seed is reason enough for me to afford as much caution as possible. That is the point Goodman seems to miss. No one has ever suggested Lawson sit in a game UNC could lose but one they have a 96% chance to win? Seems like a good idea to me, Roy Williams and most everyone else. Better part of valor and all of that. Why Goodman cannot get a clue is a genuine mystery but at least now he will be a cult hero among the ABCers and major morons on the message boards.