Randolph Riding Pine..and Enjoying It

by Thelonious Dunk on Nov 20, 2010 12:17 PM EST

Good morning, vibraphones. In a combination post to cover for 1. not watching the Warriors game last night and 2. a pretty heavy dry-spell in my fanpostin' and toastin, I do share with thee an interesting piece of literature that the magnificent Alan Hahn woke my ass up with this morning.

There's been mucho discussion over D'Antoni's decision in the past few games to completely deprive our bouncing baby Anthony Randolph of playing time, hitting him up with two consecutive DNP-CD as of the game in Oakland. Some say it's because of Randolph's penchant for astute knuckleheadery out on the floor; some say it's because of D'Antoni's passionate love affair with the short bench rotation. Pause.

According to the head coach himself, it's an efficiency thing. From the Hahnery:

D' Antoni has been criticized in the past for a lack of communication with players, but with Randolph, the coaching staff has been very clear. The 6-11 Randolph's game is extremely raw, erratic and, at this point, undefined. The Knicks would like to see him define it by observing versatile players such as Lamar Odom, Boris Diaw and Marcus Camby. "At the end of the day, you have to be efficient,'' D'Antoni said. "And we're trying to get him efficient.''

Good gravy, not again. In Golden State, Randolph had the penthouse suite in whisky fan Don Nelson's doghouse, despite his clear talent (although raw), amazingly ridiculous upside, and overall stretchiness. After a few seasons of this, Nelson more or less alienated the young man through his grumpiness at Randolph's goofy mistakes. Would D'Antoni make the same mistake with Randolph in New York?!? Say it ain't so, Mike! But, Posters and Toasters, here it is, Alan Hahn to the rescue:

"This is a cakewalk here. I love it,'' Randolph said. "Nellie had his ways but, not to say I didn't enjoy myself out here, but this situation is a lot more easier, there's a lot more dialogue with the coaches.''

So it's only been a handful of games, and there's plenty of time for Anthony to get frustrated with sitting next to Roger Mason Jr. for a few months, but the kid understands why he's in basketball time out and is willing to prove himself before he is just handed minutes.

The interesting thing to this cat is the idea that the coaching staff wants to refine Randolph's game through a whole lot of observin' and conservin', instead of by getting gametime burn to smooth out his rough edges. Practice is valuable, but I don't think there's much of a replacement for getting valuable experience during games. But hey, I have a silly name. So take that for what you will.

Questions? Comments? Leave your opinions down yonder and let's get a good discussion going!

Have a nice weekend, ticklemonsters.

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Comments

Anyone feel like D'Antoni might go to his traditional short rotation?

He did last night. Seems like some games he plays guys and some games he wont. I.E. Bill Walker and Roger Mason. They seem to be swapping back and forth, one of them would have 12 or so minutes while the other would have 0. Who knows what D’Antoni is thinking.

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by MikeTheIntern on Nov 20, 2010 12:27 PM EST reply actions

Mike D has always said

that he doesnt like to play guys for 5 min, as it is hard for them to get into a rhythm on the court.

I am a fan of both the mets and knicks... so just kill me now.

by gbaked on Nov 20, 2010 4:02 PM EST up reply actions

We played nine last night

which I have always thought is perfect. 8 wears players out, 10 doesn’t allow them to get in rhythm.

"I feel like this: You can't hate me." -Toney Douglas

by The Rooster on Nov 21, 2010 4:40 PM EST up reply actions

Yes

Mike is playing 8.5 guys. Mozgov is really only playing when there is foul trouble up front.

by Robert Currence on Nov 22, 2010 4:31 PM EST up reply actions

I think the short rotation is a good thing over the short term.

In the first 5 games of the 6-game losing streak, the offense was prone to stagnation and defensive rotations were non-existent.

Shortening the rotation and allowing the vets to get acclimated is a good thing. These guys know how to play, they just need to learn the nuances of each others’ games and to get comfortable with each other within the system. Thats exactly what has been happening over the last 3 games. The pace of the offense has picked up, and everybody’s game has picked up (most notably Felton). Once the vets are established and solidified, guys like AR can be eased back in more fluidly.

AR is going to need a simplified yet clearly defined role; and he needs everybody around him to know exactly what it is that they’re supposed to be doing so that he can figure out how he fits in. I think that right now, the best way for AR to play is exactly like Turiaf. Do that, and get that down, bc its exactly that style thats going to make him most effective and will always be a core of his game. Efficient passer, good rebounder, great shot blocker, and high energy. Then he can develop his game from there into a Camby/Diaw -type player (fuck Odom and his pussified style).

by Crackback on Nov 20, 2010 1:11 PM EST reply actions

I like that there's dialogue

between the coaches and AR. It seems that he’s feeling good about it too..or at least as good as you can feel about being benched.

It was obvious that AR just didn’t fit on the court for the Knciks just yet. You can’t just throw him out there and expect the shit to stick on the wall.

This to me as AR said is different then the Golden State situation. Bringing him along slowly instead of just an outright benching coupled with sporadic playing time…I like the bring him along slowly idea.

Like Crack said, much better to let the guys who are less in need of been spoon fed, get out on the court and gel.

Eventually AR will get out on the court. I like this idea of doing this in practice as well. I just don’t think the Knicks are quite good enough to let him work through his problems in game.

Last night, a comedian died in New York. Somebody knows why. Somebody knows

by Rorschach44 on Nov 20, 2010 1:27 PM EST reply actions

I think Mozgov gets play over Randolph

as it seems that Mozgov can at least guard the basket semi-well, he just needs consistency. As the season goes along I expect both to play more and that can do nothing but help the team.

Last night, a comedian died in New York. Somebody knows why. Somebody knows

by Rorschach44 on Nov 20, 2010 1:29 PM EST up reply actions

Moz is a 5

and AR is a 4. We just need 5’s, so he will get PT first.

I am a fan of both the mets and knicks... so just kill me now.

by gbaked on Nov 20, 2010 4:01 PM EST up reply actions

Just Keep Talking Them Up, MDA

As long as the coaches and the Head coach keep the dialogue open with these guys, they will get better and not lose their confidence.

Gallo is a starter,................ but A.I. Can't get a Run? Donnie Walsh get on the job!!!!!!

by J-BooGie on Nov 20, 2010 2:17 PM EST reply actions

When Nate was benched for a month

he changed the entire leagues view of him by busting his ass during that time, not sulking, and saying the right things.

I know the reasons behind it are different, but its up to AR to act the exact same way. By putting the team first and his feelings second.

I always felt that the benching was the best thing for Nate’s career, and hopefully some time to observe will do the same for AR.

I am a fan of both the mets and knicks... so just kill me now.

by gbaked on Nov 20, 2010 4:03 PM EST reply actions

We will see.

As per gbaked’s comment that Pringles has said in the past he doesn’t like giving guys only a couple minutes. I think Raandy needs time to get into the flow. I definitely think we will NEED his talent on the floor soon, maybe even now. But even if he makes mistakes, I want him to stop looking at the bench and be worried about getting pulled every second.

These Knicks have deep talent, but we want to keep winning, we need guys like Raandy on the floor, IMO.

I’m encouraged that Pringles has open communication lines though. That seems to be new, lol.

"Madison Square Garden is the ultimate basketball stage. That's where I belong. That's where I live. That's the home of the New York Knicks." - Amar'e Stoudemire

by Chris Child's Fist on Nov 20, 2010 6:22 PM EST reply actions

This is great.

We at least know that he isnt in the doghouse so to speak. They just want him to learn exactly what is expected of him before he gets back in the rotation. Which is good coaching. Study the film with him, have him work on it in practice. Let him get acclimated to his role and embrace it.

Meanwhile, the regulars are starting to gel. That allows the staff to see wherre AR fits in better. He can come back and know exactly what is asked. Less thinking, more doing.

by JerzeeBalla on Nov 20, 2010 7:28 PM EST reply actions