D'Angelo Russell Discussion: Adopting A Professional Attitude

I would say this is 90% correct. The other issue is he doesn't seem to be willing to take his game up a notch in terms of just focus. It's always a fun backyard game with friends err teammates.
Totally gets that you can get frustrated with the refs and other teams hacking at you as you're a thin dude but you have to be able to keep your focus. Lazy TO's and the ball watching when you're only job on defense is to cut off the short corner 3 just won't cut it.

I think he'll be better at home - with the home crowd feels more like his type of thing

 

I for one would. Like the Lakers to go in a different direction I'd offer that 17# to Memphis for tyus and look for a sign and trade for dlo

 

one could read that very negatively in two ways: 1. deflecting blame (though he did say he and others could do things to help get AD free) and 2. maybe being passive aggressive about his role?

now, i don't think it's either of those things, but he should be mindful that people will run with statements like that.

 

The positive way to look at it would be that he’s simply describing how this team has a lot of playmakers, and therefore everyone has to be a positionless player depending on the situation rather than staying within the lines of a predefined role.

I think his actual intentions are somewhere in the middle.

BUT, when Westbrook made similar comments, I never gave him the benefit of the doubt. I took it as passive aggressive pouting, deflecting accountability, trying to signal to the rest of the league that his poor performances were due to the team situation, etc

So after a stinker of a playoff game, I have to keep that same energy with DLo. Very disappointed.

 

Stupid comment from D-Lo, but now I'm starting to realize that MAYBE, just MAYBE...LeBron dominates the ball too much and it annoys point guards that can actually do the same? Look at how much better Russ is playing with the Clippers...it's because he's their primary ball handler and he doesn't have to defer to anybody. I can see how that is a difficult transition for any point guard...really the only "point guard" that thrived next to LeBron was Kyrie.

Oh and trust me....thsoe kyrie whispers will get louder and louder the more D-Lo turns in performances like this.

D-Lo has to find ways other than scoring to impact the game - I think he's doing that with hsi playmaking and he's also stretching the floor enough when he's out there where AD/Bron have their space. But we gotta do a better job of running plays for him too...similar to how we are with Reaves.

We can go very far if D-Lo becomes that 3rd guy for us. So far, he's been our 4th/5th guy. That can only work for so long...if we wanna be elite, he has to be the third guy.

We'll see how he does at home...we got the split but I'm definitely not happy with D-Lo's post game comments because I know that ppl can run with it...and maybe he meant for it to be vague...which is a problem in itself.

 

Kyrie would have looked good here too btw. I don't see a way that we can be hardcapped in a sign and trade for him, and keep Rui and Austin locked up, but the cap masters around here may be able to come up with a scenario. That being said...D'Angelo and Malik represent around 47 million dollars in contracts(thanks Russ), and I'm pretty sure that we will resign both regardless. However if they don't play well, it will be to trade em. That's the negative outlook on the situation, on the positive side, we don't need D'Angelo to do a whole lot. Hit those jumpers, stay aggressive and get his teammates the ball on forays into the paint.

He's going through the "Lebron effect" for PG IMO. It's tough playing with Lebron as a PG..he's a PG himself, you must be able to knock down perimeter shots in order to excell playing next to James. I was very interested in how D'Angelo would play with him, because the jumper has been his strength this season. I'm inclined to be more patient here, the kid has talent, his game theoretically fits here, he has to work through this and just relax, Lebron is going to go to him, the home crowd will have his back. Breathe young man..you can do this!

 

dallas needs a center. bamba/dlo for kyrie can work, but we'd probably have to just cut beasley or trade him for lower salary because we'd get hardcapped at the apron if we took in a S&T.

i'd rather just keep russell on a reasonable deal. i think he's a good fit, and i think he can get past these playoff struggles in time.

 

Lebron is not the issue and I'm going to be adamant about this: he completely deferred in game 1 and if anything has been passive in the first half of game 2. The Lakers only came to life when it went to Lebron in the post (which people have been clamoring for). The problem was Game 2 that DLo had plenty of opportunities to play PG, SG, whatever and he sucked. DLo, as someone has noted, should be thriving in his playoffs: with his on ball skills he can target the weakest defender and if not he can play off ball as well to punish double teams. That is what is frustrating with him, is that he should be good either way and he's been bad. Doubly frustrating that I like him as a player and teammate.

Russ is the same Russ as with the lakers: really high highs and really low lows, the difference is not Lebron here. Kawhii has a very high usage rate. The problem was with the Lakers he took so much cap space that the Lakers had no depth. THe Clips have tons of good players. If you put Russ in with this laker team and use as needed as Lue does it would look a lot different

 

Kyrie is a high end talent, he'd be great here, exactly why Mark Cuban wouldn't go for it IMO. Now Chicago would be my first choice. They need a point guard and can use some shooting. D'Angelo, Malik and this upcoming 1st rd pick, for Lavine and Caruso sounds like a fair exchange to me. It's Iffy if Lonzo ever makes it back, and D'Angelo is still a young guy, he'd be featured as a 1st or 2nd option there. Of course for us, Zach can score, has great size at 2, and Alex gives us that big guard to throw at folks defensively.. Win, win for both teams huh?

 

yes, and outgoing S&T doesn't hard cap us. don't think chicago lets caruso go in that package, though.

 

LeBron came to life because he operated closer to the basket - not because he was playing point.

D-Lo did not play well, let me be clear on that. But I also think we don't run enough plays for him to get into his rhythm.

We seem fine running plays for Reaves but I want us to give those same looks to D-Lo off of a screen.

I think for us to get to that next level, we have to find a way to get d-lo more involved on offense. He can't NOT touch the ball for multiple possessions which seems to happen when LeBron is taking over point guard duties.

 

Did you watch the first quarter? D-Lo had the ball plenty of times: that was the issue yesterday he had numerous opportunities on-ball and off-ball and he not sucked but his mistakes actively hurt the team. Every time he touched the ball it resulted in a poor shot, flailing for a foul, or a pass to nowhere.


Look at what happened when he touched the ball:
10:43 D'Angelo Russell defensive rebound 0 0
10:41 LeBron James makes two point shot (D'Angelo Russell assists)
8:45 D'Angelo Russell defensive rebound
7:41 D'Angelo Russell defensive rebound
7:39 D'Angelo Russell out of bounds bad pass turnover
7:00 D'Angelo Russell misses 26-foot three point jumper
5:54 D'Angelo Russell bad pass (Tyus Jones steals)
5:09 D'Angelo Russell misses 26-foot step back jumpshot
4:02 D'Angelo Russell bad pass (Luke Kennard steals)
4:02 Luke Kennard makes 24-foot three pointer
4:02 D'Angelo Russell shooting foul

You can't afford to play this guy and run plays for him if this is the result bottom line. I actually really like DLo but this was one of those games where I'm screaming at the stream for Ham to take a guy out. It was not just the shooting, but unforced TO's, and bad defense. Lebron having to do more with the ball was the consequence of DLo's play not Lebron having the ball triggered D. Lo to lose touches

 

I still think of our last game against MIN, when AD flew out to contest Conley in the corner for a 3 that would tie the game with time expiring, AD gets called for the foul, Conley's first FT bounces on the rim twice, falls in. We all know if he misses ONE, we win. He swishes the other two: OT.

What a nervous system! As long as I've followed basketball (1971), this kinda thing is what I've thought about when I find myself in a "tight" situation in life, and I need to act, pronto. "This is like having to make a FT to win it with the clock at 0.3," etc. I saw Jerry West do it in the 1970s and never got over it. Later: Magic, Kobe.

Imagine 20,000 people screaming at you to miss...or make. Don't wanna let your teammates down. Gotta stay cool. Man, alive...

 

Don't be a puss tonight, at least 16 points tonight

 

He was OK aside from some ill-advised shots.

 

Better for him: acceptable.
Still not a great game: some dumb shots and TO's but at least he was overall a positive and hit a big shot in the 4th

 

Good bounce back. Had some bad decisions in the 4th, but the overall as a scorer and facilitator was much better. I think the home crowd helped feed him.

 

One of the best +/- in the team

 

I’m doing a sign and trade with him this summer. I don’t care for guys who can only bring it in the regular season.