D'Angelo Russell Discussion: Adopting A Professional Attitude

Larry isn't gonna want Russell and cetainly not for Paul George, if this is how we use him and pump up his trade value.

 

I think it's clearly reached that point right? You may have well been right earlier, but I think we're here now at least.

As for Russell specifically and the benching... I just can't shake the feeling that there's a reason he has been put in this position. There's got to be a reason that two completely different coaches with two vastly different styles reached this same conclusion. Even so, he absolutely hasn't responded to this type of coaching. His poor focus has gotten somehow worse. I think it's clear he's packed it in and any reaction from here is now a dead end. Put him back in the starting lineup and his poor behavior is rewarded. Keep him on the bench and he continues to pout and destroy his own value. Either way is a dead end. It's becoming more and more clear that we're going to have to trade him.

 

I'll leave y'all with this thought. Imagine that you have a job where the only thing you're to do is show up, shut up, and do as told. Now imagine that after starting at this awesome job, you have lots of struggles. Until finally things start clicking. For two weeks, you're kicking a** at your job, and you're doing about as well as anyone ever has at your job. And you're also arguably the best person at your company. Then you have a bad day at the job, and your company speaks negatively about you in public. Then you show up to work to see that you're not on the front lines now, being replaced by someone older, not as good, and utterly a known quantity. Imagine you think that have a solution - a way to work together - and you suggest it. But you're shot down.

I'll agree DAR is immature. He's 21. That's not old. I'll agree that he's pouting. There's no question in my mind about that. But I ask you to consider what's best for all parties involved at this point. Is it to tell him to sit down and shut the f*** up? Is it to bench him? Is it to tell him to man up? Or is it to sit down, talk with him, offer encouragement, tell him you appreciate the good work he has done, and try to bring more of that out of him?

I trust your judgment, so I'll leave it to you.

 

Putting him in the starting lineup isn't rewarding bad behavior. It's admitting that you as a coach made a mistake. Good leaders can admit that. They can even turn it into a positive.

 

I agree with this. You can say whoops, bad lineup change, and simply switch it back. Not like we were awesome with Russ as a starter, but the last 5 games before he was benched we lost by 20, 12, 11, won, and lost by 2. Last 2 games, lost by 28, and 39. Whoops, bad lineup change, switch back.

 

I'm eager to not have Clarkson run point again that's for sure. He's a god-awful point guard that regressed wildly as a playmaker from his rookie season.

 

I think there's a bunch of reasons. We're trying to lose. We're trying to evaluate how kids play in certain positions. We're trying to put pressure on these kids to see how they react. We're trying to lose... I do think Clarkson is better served as a guard off the bench and he's just not a point guard. He can try his heart out all season and not have the passing ability of Russell. He's just not built that way. And mind you, I'm not certain Russell is a point guard either, that's how poor of court vision and passing ability Clarkson has. Not to mention a ball stopper.