Last season, NY allowed 111.6 points per 100 possessions with Randle on the court. They allowed only 104.3 points with Randle on the bench. Thibs said Thursday Randle's team defense was "very good."
Since Thibs says he watches the games, I would also be interested to hear you ask Thibs whether he watched the playoffs. In the NBA finals, the Warriors and Celtics played large stretches of the games with a small ball lineup without a traditional center. Our new PG Jalen Brunson played for the Dallas Mavericks who employed a small ball lineup most of the time. Does he see Hartenstein in the Maxi Kleiber role? Does he envisage the Knicks making the playoffs, and if so, how would his traditional drop coverage / rim protection strategy team defend against small ball lineups? Doesn't it make sense to allocate 5 minutes a game to experimenting if we are trying to make the playoffs?
I'm of two minds; I like that you pressed these hard-ish questions however the reality is in almost any job leadership publicly "calling out" an individual is deemed as bad. I don't hate Thibs answers of don't let poor offense lead to poor defense bc it's true both generally and specifically about Randle but not a headline.
That's def a valid point. There are many different leadership styles and the super successful leaders find unique ways to motivate each employee/player etc. My issue is that Thibs treated Randle with kid gloves last season (while calling out others - such as Obi) and it clearly did NOT work. Randle continued to look miserable and give subpar effort. Thus, I was curious if Thibs was willing to switch up his approach this year. Will he do so if Randle struggles again?
Indeed TB, bc having raised 4 sons, I learned fairly quickly that the USMC corporate punishment model, wasn't the way to go; neither was favoritism, when it came to letting the youngest get away with stuff, the others were chastised for bc it totally jacked up the family camaraderie and it put the youngest in a position of being disliked by his siblings. A Head Coach is much like a parent. Or should view it as such.
I would push back slightly only because Randle on that WC trip was pretty much everything I would want and at the same time Obi really started to show some increased impact. I dont think there's one way to perform "leader" for a group so it's tough to evaluate from a distance. It seems the guys love and or respect Thibs so that has to count for something.
I'm a Randle fan/apologist admittedly so i hope he gets things right between the ears bc I still think he's a really good NBA player. Obi and Randle need to dramatically block shots in practice so Thibs can squint and see 5-10mpg of rim protection with them lol
yeah, I mean he was still one of only three players in the league to average 20/10/5 in a down season. the dude is blessed with incredible ability and has worked hard to improve his all-around game. Which is why the big step back in terms of effort/intensity/focus last season was so bewildering.
Good job Tommy! Keep the pressure on Thibs and see if he will be “accountable” this season. Thibs appears to be a bs artist when it comes to reality.
Good job Tommy.
Since Thibs says he watches the games, I would also be interested to hear you ask Thibs whether he watched the playoffs. In the NBA finals, the Warriors and Celtics played large stretches of the games with a small ball lineup without a traditional center. Our new PG Jalen Brunson played for the Dallas Mavericks who employed a small ball lineup most of the time. Does he see Hartenstein in the Maxi Kleiber role? Does he envisage the Knicks making the playoffs, and if so, how would his traditional drop coverage / rim protection strategy team defend against small ball lineups? Doesn't it make sense to allocate 5 minutes a game to experimenting if we are trying to make the playoffs?
good point, Andrew
Thanks. He is a clown. Will cash his checks from the stands.
I'm of two minds; I like that you pressed these hard-ish questions however the reality is in almost any job leadership publicly "calling out" an individual is deemed as bad. I don't hate Thibs answers of don't let poor offense lead to poor defense bc it's true both generally and specifically about Randle but not a headline.
That's def a valid point. There are many different leadership styles and the super successful leaders find unique ways to motivate each employee/player etc. My issue is that Thibs treated Randle with kid gloves last season (while calling out others - such as Obi) and it clearly did NOT work. Randle continued to look miserable and give subpar effort. Thus, I was curious if Thibs was willing to switch up his approach this year. Will he do so if Randle struggles again?
Indeed TB, bc having raised 4 sons, I learned fairly quickly that the USMC corporate punishment model, wasn't the way to go; neither was favoritism, when it came to letting the youngest get away with stuff, the others were chastised for bc it totally jacked up the family camaraderie and it put the youngest in a position of being disliked by his siblings. A Head Coach is much like a parent. Or should view it as such.
yes sir Unk
I would push back slightly only because Randle on that WC trip was pretty much everything I would want and at the same time Obi really started to show some increased impact. I dont think there's one way to perform "leader" for a group so it's tough to evaluate from a distance. It seems the guys love and or respect Thibs so that has to count for something.
I'm a Randle fan/apologist admittedly so i hope he gets things right between the ears bc I still think he's a really good NBA player. Obi and Randle need to dramatically block shots in practice so Thibs can squint and see 5-10mpg of rim protection with them lol
yeah, I mean he was still one of only three players in the league to average 20/10/5 in a down season. the dude is blessed with incredible ability and has worked hard to improve his all-around game. Which is why the big step back in terms of effort/intensity/focus last season was so bewildering.
Thibs had himself a BEER with BALLS today!
Yes I'm also @NotUrAvgCat2 and made a similar comment on Twatter today, if you saw it.
SO FN PROUD OF YOU TB!!!! THIS WOULD BE A DIFFERENT WORLD, IF MOST MALES WERE STILL MEN LIKE YOURSELF!! 💪🏽💪🏽💪🏽