NYKMentality wrote:

Swishfm3 wrote:

NYKMentality wrote:This Julius Randle hate is disgusting.

He led us to the playoffs last year as an All-Star.

And this year? He's taking ALL OF THE PRESSURE OFF OF THESE YOUNGER KIDS and putting it all on himself.

This year his 3 ball has yet to fall but his numbers outside of FG% are damn near identical to last year

I personally love Julius Randle and appreciate him.

Dude got 15 rebounds last night but yet OP is calling him out. Pathetic.

The people calling for Randle's head are the ones that, for some odd reason, feel Obi Topping should be starting and playing 30+ minutes a night.

ignore them

Obi Toppin deserves more minutes. He's #1 on our team in Player Efficiency Rating but I personally believe Thibs is developing him the right way. Obi is coach Thibs 1st draft pick in NY and I believe Thibs has a long term plan for Obi.

But this Julius Randle hate is disgusting. He's our most dominant player and the ONLY PLAYER who can take pressure off of all of these younger kids 23 years of age and younger (6-7 of them).

He'd easily be a 30 PPG player if the refs didn't let him get beat up every game without giving him superstar calls, something Randle critics refuse to acknowledge.

ccch wrote:I know there will be a lot of people on this board that won't agree with this post. If you don't I would like to know why.

1. Doesn't play D
2. Lopes up and down the floor...no hustle
3. Starting to complain on almost every call.
4. Dribbles right into double teams when he has a wide open 15-17 footer
5. When he does dribble into trouble he has no court awareness that player run at him on his blind side and strip away the ball.
6. Can't function under pressure...either misses free throws, throws the ball away, forces bad shots or just plain gets stripped.
7. No sense of game situations...must have a low basketball IQ

Don't know why Thibs plays him so much but I think Thibs will figure it out. If he benched Kemba he sure as heck can cut down his playing time especially when he's playing like zombie. On balance I thing this team would be better without him...does more damage that good.

Every player on this team has a list of Flaws including the Coach..

And I'm not quitting on him. Not after only 35 games I'm not.

Not when we were only 25-27 last year @ two games below .500% (after 52 games)

I love our PF situation. On nights where Julius Randle is struggling; we've got an electric Energizer Bunny off the bench in Obi Toppin to change the momentum. Randle/Toppin. I love it. And Julius Randle is the 27 year old veteran who can keep Obi Toppin fresh come postseason playoffs basketball.

Some of you forget how coach Thibs during year #1 was led to the playoffs as a #4 seed with the help of Julius Randle. With the NBAs #1 Defense too. Who became an NBA All-Star for coach Thibs during year #1 (despite a 25-27 52 game start).

And some of you expect for coach Thibs to forget that? And throw Julius Randle away here in 2021 by quitting on him? When only 35 games in? Nope. Not happening.

Philc1 wrote:Perry and Rose seriously need to look at trading him next summer

Why?

If we make the playoffs again this year that'll make coach Thibs 2-0 @ making the playoffs with Julius Randle his starting PF.

When's the last time NY made the playoffs back to back years?

Julius Randle goes nowhere. He's here to stay. Coach Thibs will work with him, not QUIT on him.

Philc1 wrote:

NYKMentality wrote:

Philc1 wrote:Perry and Rose seriously need to look at trading him next summer

Why?

If we make the playoffs again this year that'll make coach Thibs 2-0 @ making the playoffs with Julius Randle his starting PF.

When's the last time NY made the playoffs back to back years?

Julius Randle goes nowhere. He's here to stay. Coach Thibs will work with him, not QUIT on him.

Because Obi is too good to spend the next 3 years riding the bench.

You know, if you compare advanced stats and per 36 min for Obi and John Collins at the same age, not much of a difference so far. The three point shot is what really separates them. Collins is a legit threat from out there and Obi is still trying to find his rhythm. But, if Randle is as dinged up like Thibs says,that should be all the more reason to give Obi burn. I'm not sure where Obi lands as a player, but right now he is scorer who provides energy, which is lacking in the starting lineup. Thibs need to free Obi!

franco12 wrote:

BigDaddyG wrote:

Philc1 wrote:

NYKMentality wrote:

Philc1 wrote:Perry and Rose seriously need to look at trading him next summer

Why?

If we make the playoffs again this year that'll make coach Thibs 2-0 @ making the playoffs with Julius Randle his starting PF.

When's the last time NY made the playoffs back to back years?

Julius Randle goes nowhere. He's here to stay. Coach Thibs will work with him, not QUIT on him.

Because Obi is too good to spend the next 3 years riding the bench.

You know, if you compare advanced stats and per 36 min for Obi and John Collins at the same age, not much of a difference so far. The three point shot is what really separates them. Collins is a legit threat from out there and Obi is still trying to find his rhythm. But, if Randle is as dinged up like Thibs says,that should be all the more reason to give Obi burn. I'm not sure where Obi lands as a player, but right now he is scorer who provides energy, which is lacking in the starting lineup. Thibs need to free Obi!

It's not hate to say Randle is playing like crap. I heard the post game comment- and perhaps Randle is dinged with one of those nagging injuries that impacts a players ability.

With our players getting back, all the more reason to give Randle a break- either sit him for a game or two- or let him come off the bench.

Yep, it's one thing if he's hurt, but we don't options. We have a guy who's providing energy and spark. If Randle is hurt, Thibs has to man up like he did to Kemba and tell Jewlz he's cutting his minutes until he's healthier.

blkexec wrote:I don’t think we should sit Randle. He’s our star player. But I do think he’s the wrong type of star player for this team to reach the next level. And trae young wasn’t the only reason we lost. Randle and Thibs takes some blame for how they prepared for those double teams. We built our off season based on that series which is why we added EF and Kemba. But clearly that wasn’t the problem.

Obi is not on Randles level YET and he’s only a role player right now. Let him evolve into whatever that is. But sitting Obi for Randle is not the move I care about. Swapping Randle for a different type of star is a discussion I rather have and something I think is needed.

Even though Randle and RJ played well together last year. I still believe RJ has another level and adding a YOUNGER star with a different skill set than Randle would do wonders for this team. Maybe a defensive minded 2 way star or up and coming star. Bey from Detroit looks legit or Grant who’s becoming a great 2 way player. In fact there has been quite a few matchups that Randle had this year where his man might be a better fit on the Knicks than himself. Some of these younger star forwards have been giving Randle fits all season. Adding a future who might be less talented but could also be a better fit for the team overall.

I think Randle is great at what he does. I just don’t trust his mental makeup sometimes during the game. He seems to be affected by too many things like missed shots or bad team defense. And things we can’t see like off the court stuff. I’m married with 2 boys and there are days where my family issues affects my desk job. So I understand because in basketball I can’t afford to have those types of distractions and most players will never talk about that. He appears to allow team play and his own play mess with his energy.

He’s not a star player.

blkexec wrote:I don’t think we should sit Randle. He’s our star player. But I do think he’s the wrong type of star player for this team to reach the next level. And trae young wasn’t the only reason we lost. Randle and Thibs takes some blame for how they prepared for those double teams. We built our off season based on that series which is why we added EF and Kemba. But clearly that wasn’t the problem.

Obi is not on Randles level YET and he’s only a role player right now. Let him evolve into whatever that is. But sitting Obi for Randle is not the move I care about. Swapping Randle for a different type of star is a discussion I rather have and something I think is needed.

Even though Randle and RJ played well together last year. I still believe RJ has another level and adding a YOUNGER star with a different skill set than Randle would do wonders for this team. Maybe a defensive minded 2 way star or up and coming star. Bey from Detroit looks legit or Grant who’s becoming a great 2 way player. In fact there has been quite a few matchups that Randle had this year where his man might be a better fit on the Knicks than himself. Some of these younger star forwards have been giving Randle fits all season. Adding a future who might be less talented but could also be a better fit for the team overall.

I think Randle is great at what he does. I just don’t trust his mental makeup sometimes during the game. He seems to be affected by too many things like missed shots or bad team defense. And things we can’t see like off the court stuff. I’m married with 2 boys and there are days where my family issues affects my desk job. So I understand because in basketball I can’t afford to have those types of distractions and most players will never talk about that. He appears to allow team play and his own play mess with his energy.

I agree with a lot of this, especially on the Randle parts. Randle is a second tier player, at best. Had a phenomenal season last year. Not sure he has the mental makeup to be the guy. If he had someone else as the Alpha, I think his dips in play are hardly noticeable compared to the level of scrutiny he gets now.

Help me understand one thing though: What are you and perhaps others seeing in RJ that you think he has another level? I am constantly looking for flashes of things happening on the court. You could see it with young KP all the time but injuries have leveled him. I don't see the flashes with RJ that project him out.

blkexec wrote:

martin wrote:

blkexec wrote:I dont think we should sit Randle. He;s our star player. But I do think he;s the wrong type of star player for this team to reach the next level. And trae young wasn;t the only reason we lost. Randle and Thibs takes some blame for how they prepared for those double teams. We built our off season based on that series which is why we added EF and Kemba. But clearly that wasn;t the problem.

Obi is not on Randles level YET and hes only a role player right now. Let him evolve into whatever that is. But sitting Obi for Randle is not the move I care about. Swapping Randle for a different type of star is a discussion I rather have and something I think is needed.

Even though Randle and RJ played well together last year. I still believe RJ has another level and adding a YOUNGER star with a different skill set than Randle would do wonders for this team. Maybe a defensive minded 2 way star or up and coming star. Bey from Detroit looks legit or Grant whos becoming a great 2 way player. In fact there has been quite a few matchups that Randle had this year where his man might be a better fit on the Knicks than himself. Some of these younger star forwards have been giving Randle fits all season. Adding a future who might be less talented but could also be a better fit for the team overall.

I think Randle is great at what he does. I just dont trust his mental makeup sometimes during the game. He seems to be affected by too many things like missed shots or bad team defense. And things we can;t see like off the court stuff. Im married with 2 boys and there are days where my family issues affects my desk job. So I understand because in basketball I cant afford to have those types of distractions and most players will never talk about that. He appears to allow team play and his own play mess with his energy.

I agree with a lot of this, especially on the Randle parts. Randle is a second tier player, at best. Had a phenomenal season last year. Not sure he has the mental makeup to be the guy. If he had someone else as the Alpha, I think his dips in play are hardly noticeable compared to the level of scrutiny he gets now.

Help me understand one thing though: What are you and perhaps others seeing in RJ that you think he has another level? I am constantly looking for flashes of things happening on the court. You could see it with young KP all the time but injuries have leveled him. I don't see the flashes with RJ that project him out.

I remember you questioning RJs ceiling from draft day. First I need to know what you think his ceiling is? I also see and agree will almost all the negatives you mentioned. But the main talent or skill (I get the 2 confused but they are different) I see in RJ is his heart and determination to be great, and not afraid of the moment. Right now hes a Jack of all Trade, master of none, which is not a bad thing for a 21 yr old. Some players in the league reach a certain level and they settle. The great ones never settle and always looking to improve.

To me RJ has that fire plus he came from the right environment that will not allow him to fail between dad, Nash and now Thibs. But I think RJ can reach that second tier level that Randle is in, and impact this team even better than Randle some day, just not right now. RJ can take over games on both sides. Yes he looks unbalanced and clunky when driving to the rim. But he;s a big guy thats going to get stronger and agile enough to guard small players like Bradley Beal. And his quick decisions with the ball and scoring in transition is good for the team.

RJ is also not afraid of the big moments. Or taking the big shot. Randle folded in the playoffs to me, but thibs and injuries hurt as us as well, along with atl game planning to double Randle. Randle seems to reduce his energy in big situations. RJ looks for those situations.

At duke Coaches all over the world came to watch Zion. What did coach K do in crunch time all season and during march maddness? Put the ball in RJs hands. He's 21 yr old playmaker who;s not afraid of the moment. Now Im not saying hes a super star. But he belongs in this second tier of star players once his skills catch up to his drive.

Basketball is a young mans sport. Even though Randle is what 27, thats a lot more than 21. Basketball is like dog years. At 27 or 28, Randle is an older dog Settling into his own style of play. Not sure RJs exact age, but hes younger than Randle, still developing and both to me either can be in RJ case or currently is in Randles case, a second tier player. Im not married to RJ. For the right trade I will pull the trigger. But at the same time I see the potential. His growth will be different from KP and others. But RJ will develop as he gets older gaining nba experience.

Awesome R.J. post.

New York fans seem to not realize how R.J. Barrett at only 21 years old is still the Knicks 2nd youngest player (only behind Deuce McBride).

What I love about R.J. is he's a great teammate with no self ego. He was drafted into Duke as the #1 HS player in the Country and @ Duke? It was Zion getting the media hype but it was R.J. who was just as good as Zion and R.J. Barrett didn't fold. He became a great teammate alongside of Zion.

Last year was no fluke. He was 20 years old, put up damn near All-Star production and helped lead NY into the playoffs as only a 2nd year player alongside of Julius/Rose.

I absolutely love R.J. Barrett. His potential as a two way player moving forward is going to be super fun moving forward. Has all the makings of a future All-Star. Once R.J. Barrett is 23-24 years old he's going to become an awesome player for NY.

▪︎ #3 overall pick out of Duke.
▪︎ Only 30 games into his 3rd year.
▪︎ Still only 21 years old.
▪︎ 2nd youngest talent on the Knicks.

I'm rocking behind R.J. Barrett. Because he didn't get red hot until towards the end of last year; and that's when he went into beast mode.