fishmike wrote:Last year was tough to watch but Im not sure all that was Randle's fault. Is this guy salvageable?

I think so. He was asked to be #1 - we all know he is not that. I know a lot of people want him off the bench but I disagree, I think he could be a high end third option. I think he ha a lot of talent. If he embraces Thibs I think he will be a huge asset for us. The Knicks were +3.2 with him on the court, and I thought he was great playing with AD. I wouldn't run him off I'd get him help. His play was ugly af at times but he also had a few 30/10 games so it's not like he's a complete scrub

Knixkik wrote:

smackeddog wrote:You can’t play him in a starting lineup with Mitch and RJ. Don’t think Thibs would play him at C either. I don’t hate Randle, I like his work ethic, but he just doesn’t fit with the team as it currently is- maybe the offseason roster moves will make him more of a fit, but my nightmare is we keep him at PF and sign Melo as starting SF.

Yeah he can definitely be a good player, just doesn't really fit if the plan is to build alongside Barrett and Mitch, which Thibs pretty much confirmed today based on the quotes.

Not sure what the plan is when you have a really bad team and management is only sending out Memo's.

The one thing we do know is that we aren't tanking.

Randle is Talented, he just needs better players around him, and to ditch the ball handling duties..IDK WTF fiz was thinking, I knew he was doomed from training camp, he looked so overwhelmed.

He's definitely a horrible fit with any team that can't space the floor, and Mitch and Rj are not there yet

Knixkik wrote:My hope is backup center mainly. We add a stretch 4 to start and then Randle backs up Robinson, with some additional minutes at PF to get him up to the 26-28 mpg mark.

Randle has poor situational awareness on the court. I don't think that can be fixed.

Ideal situation is a small ball 5 where he becomes part of a two man pick and roll unit. Given what's out there in terms of trade/FA, the best compromise situation is to pair him with someone like Troy Daniels. ( Daniels is a push/pull guy. He's mediocre except as a pure long range gunner, but the calculator brigade will start to factor in the additional floor spacing he can provide)

Better defensive effort from Randle ( and everyone else) will create more opportunities in transition, which will help game flow, pace and opportunities for Randle on the other end. Thibs has to sell this to him. Randle has to be willing to be an energy guy, but that's a big commitment from a player who has never shown that tendency.

In the 2018 draft, I didn't think SGA would fall far enough for the Knicks to get him, he obviously would have been a better choice over Knox, but barring that, not taking Mikal Bridges was also a mistake. Part of the problem with Randle is the poor drafting that doesn't create situations where other players can help shade Randle's limitations

The Knicks desperately need to space the floor better. They need a lot of things, but that's one thing that will immediately pay positive dividends for them.

Nalod wrote:Wonder if Julius is think girls “What Will Thibs do with me”.
Same for anyone not named RJ.

After what was Fiz thinking? Well it wasn’t working or had yet to gel given his turnovers. Who fired Fiz? Mills?
Now, I’m not going to think Fiz would turn it around but lets be real, the guy was handed new players on short deals. He was given Dennis who was not fixed, Elf who not a good shooter, and then franks third coach in two seasons. Let’s just say Fiz was not given much to work with and he did not do a good job. But..........Dolan put the screws to Mills and shyt flows down stream, so Fiz got his taste.

But......was done is done, hope miller sticks and I’m pumped to have Tommy The Priest now the coach.
I’m super curious who stays and who goes.......

Fiz was a bad coach....Miller did more with the same players...granted Fiz expected to coach KP and another star but when that did not materialize you get your grind on with players...that is what Miller did...

ekstarks94 wrote:

Nalod wrote:Wonder if Julius is think girls “What Will Thibs do with me”.
Same for anyone not named RJ.

After what was Fiz thinking? Well it wasn’t working or had yet to gel given his turnovers. Who fired Fiz? Mills?
Now, I’m not going to think Fiz would turn it around but lets be real, the guy was handed new players on short deals. He was given Dennis who was not fixed, Elf who not a good shooter, and then franks third coach in two seasons. Let’s just say Fiz was not given much to work with and he did not do a good job. But..........Dolan put the screws to Mills and shyt flows down stream, so Fiz got his taste.

But......was done is done, hope miller sticks and I’m pumped to have Tommy The Priest now the coach.
I’m super curious who stays and who goes.......

Fiz was a bad coach....Miller did more with the same players...granted Fiz expected to coach KP and another star but when that did not materialize you get your grind on with players...that is what Miller did...

I was a big Fiz supporter and i was so disappointed in him. His mistakes were so surprising. He ran this team almost to stick it to the guys that assembled it for him. Miller came in and sped things up, more threes, less iso, better defensive strategy, just simple stuff that all other teams are doing and they became a better team. Fiz was either clueless or just trying to ruin his career on purpose. Going to be hard for him to get another HC job after this, but i'm sure he will still get a chance down the line as he improves.

Uptown wrote:Julius is an undersized 4 who doesn't play much D. Other than RJ and Mitch, the only players Thibs mentioned during the press conference, everyone else seems to be available for trade.

I don't think he's undersized for a 4, i think he's more of a 5 and he's undersized for that. But you're right about one thing, Thibs made it clear where priorities lie. RJ and mitch are the core and everything else is up in the air at this point.

Knixkik wrote:

Uptown wrote:Julius is an undersized 4 who doesn't play much D. Other than RJ and Mitch, the only players Thibs mentioned during the press conference, everyone else seems to be available for trade.

I don't think he's undersized for a 4, i think he's more of a 5 and he's undersized for that. But you're right about one thing, Thibs made it clear where priorities lie. RJ and mitch are the core and everything else is up in the air at this point.

He's listed at 6'8 (6'9 according to his NBAdraft profile), but looks closer to 6'6 to me. Not only is he too small to play center, but he offers no resistance defensively in the paint and he does not protect the rim at all. Thibs mentioned paint touches as a priority on the offensive end. If thats the case, I'm sure as a defensive coach, his priority is to keep the other team out of the paint. Randle at center doesn't make sense for Thibs.