How New York Hospital Rule Affects the Knicks (Exclusive)
NY – As soon as New York’s hospital rule goes into effect, there will be fewer beds available in the hospital, a spokesman for the hospital told ESPNNewYork.com on Monday.
The hospital will no longer have to offer care in the intensive care unit (ICU) as well as the operating room, which will no doubt be a sore spot for Knicks fans, who have been critical of the rule in the past.
The New York Times reported earlier this week that the Knicks have about 3,500 beds available, with most of those reserved for the injured.
It was unclear whether that number would decrease significantly under the new rule.
The Knicks are the NBA’s third-largest market with more than 12 million fans, but have been criticized for not doing enough to help injured players and fans.
Knicks President Phil Jackson, who is also president of the NBA Players Association, said last week that he expects the rule to cause more problems than help, calling the rule “bizarre.”
The New Orleans Pelicans, the NBA champions in 2014, have a combined 18,000 ICUs in their arena, with a number of them being reserved for injured players.
It is unclear whether those facilities will be affected by the hospital rule.
New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio said in a statement Monday that the hospitalization of injured people will not be tolerated, and that he is urging the league to reconsider its rule.
“New York’s hospitals have the greatest medical capacity in the country and have treated thousands of patients over the past few years.
If New York wants to keep its reputation as a world-class medical system, it must continue to do the hard work necessary to keep our hospitals safe and healthy, and I urge the league and NBA Commissioner Adam Silver to reconsider their new rule,” de Blasio wrote.
De Blasio said that while the league is aware of the hospital rules, he would like to see a better process.
The league has been criticized by the NBAPA and the New York Knicks, who are demanding the rule be reviewed.