I didn't think Abeer was hating either - just reacting to the ridiculousness of missing all of Randle's good games and catching the bad ones.
He had a bad game...but all rookies do, even KAT and Porzingis (and surprisingly Porzingis has been very mediocre since his stretch of ridiculous games). Randle will be fine. I still think we should try to get what we can for him this summer (meaning a superstar player). I would LOVE to be wrong about Julius though. I just don't see all star / superstar on him because he has physical limitations. However, many players before him had those physical limitations (Barkley anybody?)....but julius has a ways to go to really warrant the Barkley comparisons.
I am not a Randle hater at all. I love the guy. I was just commenting on last night's game showing the problems a Simmons/Randle tandem would have. I think an Ingram/Randle could be great. It's about fits. You are right. It could work. But if we get Simmons, and someone wants Randle, and is willing to give up a really good player in their mid-20s to get him that fits better, then you need to look at it.
Ha, I knew I wasn't the only one who was thinking this, I even asked in game time chat if this was the longest team in the NBA and joked how every one of their players arms go to their knees. I kept losing track of who was who out there because of this, like I kept thinking Parker was someone else because I do not remember him being that big in college. I feel like he was a traditional 3, but now he looked like a stretch 4 and huge. Anyway, I agree, Randle does have some bad games and struggles against teams with length, it's not a big deal to point that out, it's something he can work on and fix, and it doesn't happen all the time, just some nights he goes against some trees and struggles to figure it out. Rookie season, young player, plenty of time to work on figuring it out, as we see he's already a terrific rebounder so it's not like his height or anything is holding him back there.
I'll listen to any trade, but I'm just saying it would take a lot for me to get there. I'd love to have the problem of Simmons and Randle together.
Not Julius' best offensive outing - forced a few down low in a crowd, shot only 45% and missed his FT's. But still managed another double double and grabbed 14 boards!
The boards don't die with this kid. He's always out there hustling for more. Actually I think I'd rather he get 1-2 less rebounds and challenge more shots around the rim. His defensive footwork is just gawd awful. He and Clarkson need to work on that a LOT this summer.
Yeah. All his attention on defense is grabbing the board, not actually stopping his man. Kind of reminiscent of Kevin Love in his Minny days. Just devouring boards, but not playing a lick of defense.
Agreed all the way realdeal. The boards are natural talent and desire. But he and Clarkson HAVE TO get better on D, badly. They really need guidance and practice on it this offseason. Look at last night - we gave up almost 70 points to Memphis (!!!) in the first half. Memphis who always struggles to score. That's just terrible D. Clarkson has become a prodigy in the scoring department, and Randle a prodigy in rebounding. But man, they have to work much, much, much harder on the other side of the ball where they are both way behind in development. Especially going forward when they are going to be our main guys along with Russell who has already impressed me with some of his natural defensive instincts and ability.
Yeah I'd say Russell is by far our most instinctual basketball player besides Kobe Bryant. He definitely has a knack for being in the right place and making the right plays. I would love if Kobe and Cooper and Metta took some time this summer to teach these kids just proper defensive footwork and spacing. It seems like Julius is never in the right spot defensively. Even in the post he's leaning way too much defensively which lets guys get past him with their length. I've seen flashes and we know he has the ability to be a good defender, but it's like he's never been taught anything defensively and he has no desire to figure it out. Frustrating. Same with Jordan. He's got all the ability in the world to be a rangy defender, but he's constantly out of position.
Add Kareem to that as he could teach Randle proper post positioning. Apparently no one has taught him that.
I know Boron's not worth a dump in communicating with these guys, but with Julius who certainly has Kobe's knowledge if he wants it since Kobe was his idol growing up and Randle seems to want to be "good" and a hard worker, and supposedly Metta (all world defensive savant in his prime) was kept on the roster primarily to be able tutor Randle and then Worthy also brought into the player development position for our big men this year ...... why in the world is Randle STILL so freaking horrible on important fundamentals .... ^^^ like defensive footwork? That seems a fair question. I don't get it?
Because this team is a tanking team designed to lose... I'm afraid these kids aren't actually getting the leadership/mentorship they thought they'd get or that they deserve.
I guess somewhat, but I think more of it falls on Julius for whatever reasons. Is he not that bright? Metta was working with him and scrimmaging against him all summer, plus early in the year when expectations of everyone were that the roster was way too improved for it to become a "tanking" year. Metta wants to coach at least in some capacity and be paid for it. So I would think he has done his best all along with Julius. I doubt anyone told him to back off because it was now formally a tank season and helping Randle where he really needs help would be counter productive? Plus Randle definitely has "quickness" which would go a long way toward good footwork on defense, along with his mass and strength.
I wouldn't say he's dumb. He's never struck me as an unintelligent kid. Jerry West hinted he might not be bright though so there's that. I think the reality is they're all kids and they all have a million things happening for them at once. They're not as focused as they should be. I've heard Julius in a couple commercials lately. Jordan, while he's been saying "defense", is focusing on offensive development. D'Angelo is still looking to find a balance in the NBA. I don't think they're all as focused on the right path as they should be and the team has developed a losing culture that doesn't help at all.
As you guys know I'm rather not a Randle fan...yes he has great rebounding stats and averaging 11/10 as a rookie is actually pretty good. But when I see Russell and Randle...I can see Russell becoming a star and I cannot see Randle becoming a star. He looks completely clumsy on offense and doesn't seem to have an idea of what he is doing. He doesn't seem particularly bright (basketball-wise) either. He doesn't have any moves except for his spin move to the left, doesn't have a consistent shot and can't score really with his right hand. He doesn't "out-PLAY" his opponents. He simply overpowers and outspeeds them. He is simply much faster than his opponents and can get by them regularly but thats not enough to be someone you can bank on every single night. Randle simply isn't smooth or particularly elegant. He has a herky jerky way of playing, admittedly with a lot of energy, and can rebound. But his rather awful defense, lack of any shot blocking ability along with a not so smooth and consistent offense is simply not a recipe for being a cornerstone of a contending franchise. He is a good fourt option...but he is not going to be part of any "big 3"...if you know what I mean. My observation isn't based on any stats or anything...its a gut feeling based on the eye test and experience. No fans will ever admit that their "lottery pick" isn't going to be great in their rookie seasons. Fans will always find reasons why something works or doesn't work...I wish Randle nothing but the best because I want the Lakers to be successful and it would be awesome if this core can lead them there. But Randle simply doesn't ooze greatness to me. Russell on the other hand looks completely smooth and I can easily see him being a top 2 player on this team long term. I know that I will get a lof of heat for this post but thats simply my opinion. Right or wrong...we won't know before a few years have passed. Hindsight 20/20 so hopefully I'm wrong.
I don't expect you to get a lot of heat, that was a very reasonable post KB . I agree with most of it, except that Randle is not going to be part of any BIG 3. Yes he's not elegant by any stretch of imagination. His moves look awkward out there more often than not, and his repertoire of moves is limited. He may also have small hands and be somewhat undersized. Why I believe in him though - he seems to have great work ethic, heart and selfconfidence. He is athletic and strong as hell. The fact that he is able to get by much more polished players at this stage of his career is a very promising sign to me. There is no reason to believe he cannot improve his jumper (3 included). That alone combined with his athletic abilities will make him a very dangerous player on offense IMO. If he ads a few go-to moves in the post, I expect him to become also a lot more comfortable and more "elegant". Who will be able to stop him if he does add those few thing to his game? Why should he not be able to improve in these areas within the next 3-4 years? If he does, he would still only be entering his prime at that time and could be one of the better post players in this league already. The fact is that none of us knows for sure what he'll become, but considering the already elite rebounding, athleticism and work ethic, I have very, very high expectations.
i was hoping james worthy would be in his ear in ways that i could see on the court. he's really only had a handful of games where he actively sought good position around the basket off the ball the way i was hoping. maybe that's a scheme issue, but i don't think so. i think it's someone who doesn't know how to play without the ball. as for kb's post, it's right on. i've caught some heat for not being bullish on randle, but it's not like i'm not trying. i WANT him to be a star-level player, but i don't see any reason to expect it at this point. and that's not just me being a negative nancy--i think russell has a good chance at becoming a star. my biggest concern is that, as kb said, randle, on basketball talent, isn't going to be a top-3 player on a good team. but his game requires that you use him in very specific ways on offense. to make use of his skillset right now, you'd have to commit to building a team around his strengths and weaknesses. i don't think he's good enough to warrant that. it's much easier to build a team around russell's skillset. i know this isn't a randle vs. russell thing. we have them both, which is good. but they're the two nba rookies i see the most, so comparing and contrasting comes naturally to me. i've seen more growth in russell over the season, and i see more potential going forward. his game won't have to change dramatically for him to be really good. randle's will. i hope the latter happens.
I'm getting less and less worried about his offense and rebounding, and more worried about his lackadaisical defense. I think throughout his development as a player on the defensive end, he's always had some sort of anchor really cover his holes, and a lot of his focus went to grabbing boards and pushing the ball up the court, which by all means, is a great skill for a player of his size. But many times he's too slow to rotate in help situations, out of position, and sometimes gets outworked on the boards if he isn't focused on boxing out. I'm sure if we have someone to cover for him and it works out, great. But Julius has the tools to be a two-way player. He seems to preoccupied on the other side of the court. He really needs to cover his grounds and put in his share of effort on the defensive end.
I said earlier he's like Kevin Love in Minny a couple years ago. Obsessed with grabbing boards at the expense of actually guarding his man. The difference though is Randle is a much better athlete than Love and could play really good defense if he wanted to.
