43 Comments
Nov 21, 2022Liked by Jonathan Macri

Thanks JM, always appreciate your thoughts! I have a radically un-radical hypothesis -- and your answer, I suspect, will resemble your response to those who point out that RJ is coping with offseason trade talk.

As players, play-by-play folk, and writers never tire of pointing out, basketball is deeply dependent on energy and momentum -- who has it and who doesn't -- something this year's Knicks struggle with. And it's not just effort, it's some ineffable quality of energy. Last year, especially relative to the year before, was miserable in that regard. Randle was -- and continues to be -- the main culprit on the floor, directly enabled by Thibs (who is of course just a golem breathed into existence by Rose and co).

Over the years RJ has watched as Randle slowly and painfully grew out of his patented dribble-spin into a double-team; or launched early-in-the-clock 3s against teams without rim protection; or played matador D; or jogged the ball up (or jogged behind his cover...or with his head down after a f*@kup); and all of the other energy- and fun-sapping habits we're all accustomed to.

I can only imagine it's as demoralizing to play with, night in and night out, year in and year out, as it is to watch as a fan. RJ has only played with Randle. His entire pro career. He has never seen accountability. He's never been with a leader who leads by playing hard all the time, not taking plays off and throwing his hands up. And now RJ is effectively throwing his hands up, bowing his head, taking plays off. He sees a ceiling on a team with Randle wearing the same color jersey -- and it's sort of brushing against his head.

Julius Randle actually seems like a lovely guy. He seems like an especially sweet man, to be honest. But he also seems like he has some demons, and they seem like demons he hasn't taken so much as a step toward facing quite yet. Moving on from Randle (yes, and Thibs... and hopefully Rose and Dolan, but let's stay on planet Earth) isn't just a helpful move to improve the team's chances, it may actually be an existential issue with respect to RJ -- to say nothing of Obi, IQ, and the rest.

I should note that while I'm not a hater, I'm no RJ stan. I think he tops out as 3rd best player on a contender, but I like him. Problem is, his best qualities -- the grit, heart, toughness, will -- are the very qualities that you put in jeopardy by playing him with someone like Randle.

Anyway, thanks for all you do. I know how much work this is. It sure ain't about the money.

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Nov 21, 2022Liked by Jonathan Macri

Thanks as always! You know, being a Knick fan don't come easy.

But, each great Knick play, [a crucial block, a thunderous dunk, a felonious steal, a game winner trey] lives on in our memories. Moments of joy. Some teams raise banners, others amazing seasons, we have precious moments. Frustrating, yes. Treasured, always.

Give Grimes the ball!

Set Sims free!!

I would hate to see RJ figure it all out and finally be the nice player he can be in Toronto or Miami. But, he might take the skills of a Spoelstra or Nurse for him to get over himself. He is still young, notwithstanding his MSG tenure [Fizdale's time should not even count] and extension contract. He is still developing. Being who you can be is the struggle of a lifetime. I hope he can get over himself and figure out how to be his best self in NYC.

Gracias. It is a joy to contemplate sports in a world with much sorrow. I remind myself: Even a Knick fan should be thankful. Enjoy your families.

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Nov 21, 2022Liked by Jonathan Macri

Jon, me replying to you is therapy for me, thanks for listening! I love your points and the way you write. Because of the mess that is Randle and RJ, I have decided not to watch the start of games to save me from the frustration. This has become the definition of insanity, doing the same thing and hoping for different results. There is no doubt that the best decision for this team is to cut back on both Randle's and RJ's minutes, and almost eliminate the time they are on the floor together. Thibs hoping they will work it out is difficult to watch and is maybe grounds for firing him. Even if they begin to figure it out together, we know the ceiling on that mess. I will add that Obi is a fresh and fun alternative, but his play has issues, in particular his defensive rebounding, but I think we can see he is working on it. And quickly has his limitations, in particular creating an advantage off the dribble. I wonder what it would like like to live into Brunson as our initiator when he is on the floor. The others play off him until they prove they can do more and earn the initiator role. Thanks again Jon!!!

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Nov 21, 2022·edited Nov 21, 2022Liked by Jonathan Macri

I want to pull back for a moment and look at the larger picture of whats happened over the past few months. You've written about this, but the negative mental effect on a player who knows that he was 99% traded, is very real. Sure, it might motivate some to prove their FO wrong, but it also works the opposite way: why would a player feel motivated to give 100% for a team that agreed to trade him, and most likely will seek to do so again in the future given their star-driven aspirations and plans. RJ is many things, but he's not a fool. He knows its a business, but he also probably knows that he is the teams most valuable player asset for a star-trade, and will be right back on the table within the next year, regardless of how he plays now (largely b/c of the 2+ years of good evidence that hes a good NBA player with potential). I'm not trying to justify why hes playing the way he is, but it certainly isn't the best playing environment when you know all of these things. Couple this with the fact that every few weeks, new reports leak from the Mitchell to the Knicks trade saga, further reminding everyone about it. Just last week, Mitchell gave an interview with The Athletic, and said that he had heard the deal with for RJ and "hella picks". He didn't say Obi, IQ, Grimes, Cam or Fournier, he said just RJ. And you know that RJ heard that, since everyone across the league probably heard it. To me, it just seems like salt keeps getting poured into a deep wound, a wound that looks like it may be having an effect on RJ and his play.

I have been a fan of RJ over the last couple seasons and had reasonably high expectations for him, which were largely justified b/c of the last 2 years. As you wrote, I have confidence that he will turn it around eventually, and I'm hoping its sooner rather than later.

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Nov 21, 2022Liked by Jonathan Macri

So is Brunson like WTF did I get myself involved in here ?

Personnel wise - Someone wanted Cam out of town, now they can’t seem to live without him. Grimes, who wasn’t ready to play more then a handful of minutes all of a sudden leads the team yesterday. Sims is looking like a great pick and rotation player - things that could have been figured out had he played more last year, then they wouldn’t have had to re-sign or sign Mitch and Hart.

Lastly, as the team you most hear as a Randle landing spot, the Suns, he quite possibly played like shit on purpose to give them a first hand look at what they could be considering getting themselves involved in. Opinion, not a question. 😀

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Nov 22, 2022Liked by Jonathan Macri

Indeed, with consistent time, it will! Enjoy your day Bruh💪🏽

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Nov 21, 2022Liked by Jonathan Macri

We're doing everything earlier this season...which is nice. It usually takes a bit longer for me to look myself in the mirror and say "you live in LA where there are two pro basketball teams, why are you devoting so much mental energy to this NYK team? You don't have to be tortured like this. You are choosing this torture." You nailed it on that merry-go-round of energy displayed. What NYK team are we going to see tonight. Said this before, but a lot of this steams from not having a vet leader to challenge the effort level. Thibs can only do so much. The days of Kurt Thomas and Sheed holding people accountable made for a magical one year shift in who the Knicks are. Maybe Brunson can be that guy...maybe it's too early, but damn...hope he's planning his in-your-face moment with Ju.

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Nov 21, 2022Liked by Jonathan Macri

Nice one Macri! RJ did this last year and came on strong, but you can't look at his skills and say he's destined for all-star teams. It would be hard to be on our bench and watch him just chucking bricks game after game. Like, I bet Feron Hunt is like...(under his breath) 'I could do a lot better than that,' and I bet some of the other Knicks are like (under their breath) 'Feron could do better than that.' They should sit RJ for a few games. Give him a rest.

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Nov 21, 2022Liked by Jonathan Macri

Is it just me or does Hartenstein look terrible out there? So much for the value of having a “stretch five.” The guy might as well be my height (5’11”) for all the rim protection he gives you.

When he’s on the floor, it almost becomes comical watching them defensively. The team collectively can’t or won’t guard on the perimeter and when anybody drives to the basket it’s like watching a layup line. Are him and Randle the worst 4-5 defensive combination in the league? There’s probably worse but it can’t be by too much.

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Nov 21, 2022Liked by Jonathan Macri

RJ looks just SOOOooo bad you gotta wonder about the commitment. It's the inconsistency, followed by the bravado. I can't imagine what it will take to get this guy right.

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Nov 21, 2022Liked by Jonathan Macri

Well said but depressing. I always felt like the best comp for RJ was/is Wiggins. Can you compare RJ with Minny Wiggins. RJ needs the right system and spacing. Brunson and Randle do him no favors. The question is, is he talented enough to justify building a team around him? On the defensive side, his awful offense is bleeding into his defense. Additionally can someone compare thibs defensive scheme to other coaches? Does thibs demand more? I was intrigued by how much better randle looked when the team played switch D. My theory is thibs defense is a harder scheme necessitating communication and high IQ from all 5 guys. A difficult feat which results in making certain players look worse than they really are.

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I just HAD to comment today Mac... that's TOTALLY unfair to say the team didn't play well (not exactly how you put it) under Deuce, bc... they're is no under Deuce... he doesn't run the team at all, bc he's stuck in the corners for the most part: and WHEN he is allowed to bring the ball up court, [H]Immanuel quickly comes and demands the ball, as soon as Deuce comes over mid court. Deuce is NEVER in the game by himself as the lone PG, (its with Archie or [H]Immanuel)... Totally unfair, inho Bruh...

On a lighter note... the Rodman, "Julia" and the worm reference had me spitting up my tea 🤣🤣🤣

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