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Geplaatst: 13-06-2017 04:14:46 Onderwerp: Michael Sweetney tried to kill himself as a Knicks rookie |
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At the time in his life when Michael Sweetney should have been at his highest point, a tragedy sent him to rock bottom.
Sweetney, selected by the Knicks with the ninth pick in the 2003 NBA draft, in 2003, lost his father, Samuel, to a heart attack days before he was to start his first NBA training camp. Sweetney attended the funeral, and two days later reported to the Knicks training facility.
But basketball did little to distract him from the emotional aftermath of his fathers sudden death, he said, and he tried to make his suicidal thoughts a reality during one road trip with the team.
I remember the night, Sweetney recalled in a tell-all interview with HoopsHype Alexander Edler Jersey published Monday. We were in Cleveland one night and I just took a bunch of pain pills, hoping it would take me out. But I woke up the next morning thinking, Well, it didnt work. Thats how bad it was.
Sweetney, a star forward at Georgetown who averaged a double-double in his last two seasons with his father in the stands for every game, played in just 42 games in his rookie year with the Knicks. His struggles on the court, combined with his battle with depression and a battle with his weight, kept him feeling as if he were in the dark.
I didnt like basketball and I just didnt like life at the time, he said. I went from being a star at Georgetown and having my father at every game, to losing him and not even playing in the NBA. I knew I wasnt going to be given a chance as a rookie because my coach told me, Hey, Im not going to play you.
Don Chaney was the head coach of that seasons team. Sweetney said he didnt seek help http://www.officialvancouvercanucks.com/Adidas-Alexander-Edler-Jersey because he was afraid people would be quick to label him crazy.
Even after I tried to commit suicide, nobody really knew, Sweetney said. I was suffering really bad. I was in New York, battling this while the media was writing articles about me, and I felt like I had nowhere to go. I just kept digging myself into a deeper hole of depression.
Sweetney, 34, spent two seasons with the Knicks before being traded to Chicago in 2005. He lasted two with the Bulls before moving his basketball career overseas. Sweetney averaged 6.5 points and 4.5 rebounds in his four NBA seasons.
Just when the Mets were starting to get healthy, a new malady rears its ugly head. Leadoff hitter Michael Conforto was scratched with a sore back. He was initially in the lineup, but the Mets wanted to be safe with the young outfielder.
I really think it was the heat in Atlanta, manager Terry Collins said of Conforto before the Mets opened a three-game series at Citi Field with the Cubs on Monday. He played [both ends of] the doubleheader [Saturday], which is tough for anybody. Then came the plane Coltsa Womens Jersey ride [home], which didnt help. When he cooled down he was a little stiff.
At the moment, Collins said there isnt a concern Confortos back problem will linger. He doesnt expect it to last for more than a day or two, and the manager was hopeful Conforto would be available as a pinch-hitter.
When Conforto is ready to start, Collins said there is no set plan of how he will juggle the pieces in the crowded outfield with Yoenis Cespedes back. Cespedes was slated to start the first two games of the series, be given Wednesday off, and play the next three days against the Nationals.
Conforto has slumped of late, with just three hits in 19 at-bats on the recent road trip, though he did draw seven walks and score six runs. Jay Bruce has gotten hot of recently, producing four home runs and eight RBIs in his last seven games. and Curtis www.indianapoliscoltsauthorizedstore.com Granderson has hit safely in eight of his last 11 games.
[Monday night] is the perfect example of why were lucky to have four guys, Collins said. Having a quality option on our bench is very, very valuable, and it will hopefully keep these guys strong. Until we know Ces is going to be that everyday guy, I dont think we have any plans etched in stone yet.
Collins also would like to start Juan Lagares, his one true center fielder, against left-handed pitchers. Lagares has been hot, going 8-for-18 on the six-game road trip with four RBIs and three runs scored. |
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