And if he plays well after we add to this roster folks will still kill him for '21-'22
As well they should. In '21-'22 he played like ass. Lazy as f'k. Told NYC fans to f'k off. Disgraced Bernard's Uni. A guy who takes every other year off deserves to be killed. What's the problem?
You definitely have a point. His game on offense was predictable and slowed things down. On defense, his energy and attention frequently wavered. And toward the end, he sulked on the fucking court!
And yet, and yet, I like Randle. And I thought the problem was how he was used.
That's why, after last year's debacle, I don't grasp how the Knicks could bring both Randle and Thibs back again. Why expect different results? One of these guys should go. Thib's offensive approach seems dated. Musty. Tedious. As I said last year, we had playoff talent.
Maybe there's an alternative. Maybe they'll give an assistant coach given more power/opportunity to run the offense, and push Julius (and the point guard) to a different scheme. Maybe there's someone there unafraid to give honest feedback to Randle.
But if not? A strong next season seems a pipe dream with that coach and that "star."
The idea that Thibs is utterly incapable of reading the tea leaves and adjusting remains to be seen.
And while fate intervened in the form of injuries to force feed IQ, Obi and Jericho into the fray, even before JR got hurt, the offense was flowing through RJ as a facilitator.
I have my own thoughts, moving forward, including small ball lineups with JR at the 5 and Obi at the 4, but would Thibs go that way, any more than JVG would play Houston or Spree at PG?
Thibs got to contrast the methodical nature of his first half offense, with the energy and pacing of the post-All Star Break Knicks.
Within a month, we'll have some clues.
Proportional to a most significant shoe dropping.
Is Mitchell Robinson in our future?