KnickDanger wrote:Man, is Randle coming back? Really starting to wonder. And as much of a fan of his as I am, would shoehorning him into the lineup with a bad shoulder come playoffs be effective? More will be revealed.

It's like when Jordan returned from playing baseball. he is the best in the world but does he have the time to get back to that level this season

Nalod wrote:

EwingsGlass wrote:I am normally down on Randle cause its often a tale of two Randles. One I love. One I hate. A stint on the DL can be very helpful for a guy like Randle. He has to see the ball movement that is causing this team to win. He has to be watching Josh Hart rack up triple doubles in this lineup and realize that role could/should be his. Hartenstein talking about how much more fun it is to play 'the right way with ball movement' (paraphrasing perhaps), has to give him a moment to reflect.

Triple Double 2Way Randle completes this team better than any other PF I can think of outright. But we need that guy every night.

Brunson / DDV / OG / Randle / Hartenstein
MM / Hart / Achiuwa / Robinson

This would be my playoff rotation, assuming health. Burks, Bogs and Sims are situational.

I think Randle will come back a better player for having watched tape and having seen this team perform at this level. I am optimistic that we get a triple double guy back that just bulldozes the paint.

Perhaps consider the play he was doing before getting hurt. His kick outs and playmaking was exceptional for him. Once he got his rhythm down, he was passing. Once DDV was in the line up, the ball flowed.
Can that be replecated? I'd say he needs 5-10 games as a guess. The team is deeper now than last year.
OG should be fine. If not, and if Randle is out sorts, then we go home earlier than hoped.
Repeat of last year? We went two rounds. We were happy then. This team is getting better each year.

He was getting there for sure. He had instances where he put his head down and dribbled into oblivion. His lack of vertical athleticism shows from time to time. But, yeah, he turned it on after a poor first 10 or so games.

EwingsGlass wrote:I am normally down on Randle cause its often a tale of two Randles. One I love. One I hate. A stint on the DL can be very helpful for a guy like Randle. He has to see the ball movement that is causing this team to win. He has to be watching Josh Hart rack up triple doubles in this lineup and realize that role could/should be his. Hartenstein talking about how much more fun it is to play 'the right way with ball movement' (paraphrasing perhaps), has to give him a moment to reflect.

Triple Double 2Way Randle completes this team better than any other PF I can think of outright. But we need that guy every night.

Brunson / DDV / OG / Randle / Hartenstein
MM / Hart / Achiuwa / Robinson

This would be my playoff rotation, assuming health. Burks, Bogs and Sims are situational.

I think Randle will come back a better player for having watched tape and having seen this team perform at this level. I am optimistic that we get a triple double guy back that just bulldozes the paint.

Yes! Cotdamnit! Someone finally got the point of this thread!!! Thank you, EG!

fitzfarm wrote:Honestly would you trade Randle for the Greek freak? The Greek freak is gonna cost a lot more, and he can’t shoot . Obviously his defense and ability to get to the hoop and finish are elite . Is the freak really that much better than Randle ? Especially when you consider the roster, in my opinion Randle fits better and is gonna cost the cap way less for roster flexibility.

Dude, now we're talking. I think if a deal for Giannis is possible, you just do it. Likely it would be all about the picks. The thing is if Milwaukee were to rebuild, they don't control most of their own future picks so a rebuild becomes really tough to swallow.

gradyandrew wrote:

Panos wrote:So.... you're saying that if I can't come up with a list of players I WOULD trade him for I can't say I'm happy to have him and he's an important piece?

Yes. This is exactly what I'm saying because when people say "I'd trade him for a star" it's a total cop out because there's no way to realistically evaluate the how and at what cost that happens.

We'll have to agree to disagree.
I'm basically saying he's not for sale unless someone blows me away with an offer.
Sorry if you can't understand that.

Nalod wrote:He is a star.
He is not a super star.
How many PF’s are better than him?
Durant and Gianis are first two.
Lebron plays anywhere.
Giannis is an upgrade.
One thing though is you empty the cupboard for a star and he gets hurt we are ****ed.
Randle goes down we survived. Maybe super duper stars are great if you organiclly grow them/draft/FA but if you trade they drain resources.

I think the following guys slotted in for Randle would be an upgrade: KD, Giannis, LBJ, Lauri, Tatum, KL, PG, AD, Zion, and Jimmy Butler. I also think a few guys like OG or Grant upgrade the team's shooting and defense at PF but you would need to also add a little offense from the 3 or 2 for the team to be better. I am not sure how I feel about PS being swapped for Randle. I don't think any of this is hate. He is good. He is also not the 2 or 3 best option at this position despite earning the All-NBA nod

NYKBocker wrote:Just hope randle is mature enough to understand and not let ego dictate what he does

Exactly...was also thinking about that. We've proved that we have other scorers on this team and don't have to rely on his back to the basket iso's where he loses the ball or gets it taken away.

VDesai wrote:I listened to Fred Katz on the Knicks Film School pod. Basically he said that they are trying to strengthen the muscles around Randle's shoulder to help them withstand contact for reinjury. He is also still experiencing pain. He said Randle has rarely admitted to pain, but when asked but this, he says it varies from day to day - so for him that's an admission that it must be pretty excruciating on some days. He had two paths - surgery and don't play or this Rehab which is physically demanding and painful. Randle obviously believes in this team and feels like if he can come back it would be meaningful so he continues to go down this path.

My gut says how much can they do in the next 2 weeks to strengthen this further? I think the lack of progress here is kind of telling. I'm hopeful, but I'm starting to feel like the best case is he tries to play 1-2 regular season games and tries for the playoffs or tries to come back mid playoffs. I was hoping he'd get at least 10 games to integrate/get in rhythm, but now we're down to 11 games already.

Wow. Nice summary. Definitely describes Randle in a way we have all witnessed. We know he is putting the work in.