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Look at the results. Randle is averaging 23.1 points, 11 rebounds, and 5.6 assists... He is shooting 40 percent from three....

He is in rarified air. Here is the list of players to average at least 23 points, 11 rebounds and five assists in a season while also shooting at least 40 percent on 3s: Julius Randle.

Here is the list if you downsize that to 20, 10, and 5 and that 40 percent 3-point shooting: Julius Randle and Larry Bird."

The samples size is big enough now to see this is likely not an aberration at this point. Randle is cementing himself as a bonafide star in this league and YES cornerstone to a potential strong playoff team in the East (if you add another star to the mix).

https://theathletic.com/2391001/2021/02/16/julius-randles-44-point-game-means-more-for-knicks-than-making-him-an-all-star/?source=dailyemail

I think Randle can be a LeBron lite if you give him another bona-fide star where it's not all on him. I do think he can be a number one option (if he continues this high level of play) if we had a true point, better spacing, better shooting and a proven backup so he doesn't have to play 48 minutes a night... This man is exhausted every game and that's with elite conditioning.

Get this man some help. Elfrid hurts his game so much. All he does is play hot potato behind the 3 pt line because he knows he cant shoot. And then he's too score first when he's not. Elfrid helps nobody on the team.

Ideally you would love to pair Randle with someone like Kawhi and have Randle the secondary-ish, play off option but I think Randle has shown he's on his way to becoming one of the best players in the league.

Our team is not that far away from serious contention honestly but we need to add and subtract pieces.

Is this where we talk about our allstar?

cgf wrote:Is this where we talk about our allstar?

Yup. The Randle bashing (or calling him a non-cornrstone third fiddle on a top team) is getting ridiculous at this point. Sample size is big enough and the coaching is there along with his serious dedication. All the elements are there for this to be what we expect to see from him moving forward.

He CAN be a legit star along with one other star player on a very strong playoff team.

KnixinSix wrote:

cgf wrote:Is this where we talk about our allstar?

Yup. The Randle bashing (or calling him a non-cornrstone third fiddle on a top team) is getting ridiculous at this point. Sample size is big enough and the coaching is there along with his serious dedication. All the elements are there for this to be what we expect to see from him moving forward.

He CAN be a legit star along with one other star player on a very strong playoff team.

Not disagreeing, but I don't think it would really matter even if he couldn't. We're not contending yet & Julius is having a big impact on our kids' development, which should be our priority right now. So even if Randle needed to eventually be upgraded upon for us to take that step, he still would have a very important role to play in the interim.

I'd like to see us giving him a raise this summer; something like waiving him so he can bank that 4m as an unofficial bonus, before re-signing him to a 3 year deal for around 75M.

i think that's agreeable. franchise player, nah. but certainly a cornerstone. i mean even "third fiddle on a top team" is a cornerstone. Bosh was a cornerstone in miami...

He's definitely proven himself as a solid All-star level player this season. I need to see him in the playoffs before I can be comfortable with calling him a cornerstone.

And this is kind of the other extreme that I think folks fall into.

Just in case folks are thinking that I only focus on one extreme (the negative one). A 'cornerstone' player? While he's had a terrific season so far, I don't know that he's shown absolute proof that he's a 'cornerstone' player. He's the best player on a team that isn't very talented. I don't think he'd qualify for 'top 15-20 on anyone's list. I don't know that he'd be getting the same type of role on two thirds of the teams in the NBA. I think the Knicks have a very talented player that is producing real nicely for them. If he can show that he can play with the same level of impact for the remainder of this season then sure, he should be considered part of the core of this team moving forward. If that's what you mean by 'cornerstone' then sure. Let's see what happens the rest of this year to make that judgment.

I would not trade him unless the return is mind blowing and fits better in the plans this front office has laid out (which sure appears to be building quickly into a top competitive team and not slowly through the draft).

moocow007 wrote:And this is kind of the other extreme that I think folks fall into.

Just in case folks are thinking that I only focus on one extreme (the negative one). A 'cornerstone' player? While he's had a terrific season so far, I don't know that he's shown absolute proof that he's a 'cornerstone' player. He's the best player on a team that isn't very talented. I don't think he'd qualify for 'top 15-20 on anyone's list. I don't know that he'd be getting the same type of role on two thirds of the teams in the NBA. I think the Knicks have a very talented player that is producing real nicely for them. If he can show that he can play with the same level of impact for the remainder of this season then sure, he should be considered part of the core of this team moving forward. If that's what you mean by 'cornerstone' then sure. Let's see what happens the rest of this year to make that judgment.

I would not trade him unless the return is mind blowing and fits better in the plans this front office has laid out (which sure appears to be building quickly into a top competitive team and not slowly through the draft).

Not calling him AD, LeBron, Giannis, Luca, Harden, KD or anything like that. However he is in the tier just below for overall value he brings to a team. Miami doesn't have any of the top 5-10 guys , neither does Boston. You can win with the guys just below that provided you have at least 2 a good team around them and play good team defense

I don't get why people talk about Randle like he's 31 or 32 years old.

Dude is 26....he's not even in his prime yet.

Never been so happy to be wrong about a player.

Knicks don't draft Toppin if they knew Randle was going to be this good.

Keep: Randle, Mitch, RJ, IQ, Noel (cheap), Rose (cheap)

Add: Another 2-way PG, Another 2-way SG/SF, Another 2-way SF/PF

Target: Kawhi, Beal, Lavine, Trent Jr.

No one saw this coming. Melo would even admit that. I liked Julius when we got him....hated him last year. Expected more of the same this year. Low IQ spin cycle was his forte all year.

This season is definitely an eye opener. Could he be making this leap or is it feasting on a bad team? Looks to be making the leap and I am hopeful it is for real because...we usually trade players who become better elsewhere. This is a pleasant surprise. Keep it up and we pick up the option. Good place to be for a change.

The most surprising thing is that last year he was largely viewed as a huge defensive liability, whereas this year he's holding his own.
Credit to Thibs obviously, but also to a much higher level of conditioning coming into this year.

KnixinSix wrote:

moocow007 wrote:And this is kind of the other extreme that I think folks fall into.

Just in case folks are thinking that I only focus on one extreme (the negative one). A 'cornerstone' player? While he's had a terrific season so far, I don't know that he's shown absolute proof that he's a 'cornerstone' player. He's the best player on a team that isn't very talented. I don't think he'd qualify for 'top 15-20 on anyone's list. I don't know that he'd be getting the same type of role on two thirds of the teams in the NBA. I think the Knicks have a very talented player that is producing real nicely for them. If he can show that he can play with the same level of impact for the remainder of this season then sure, he should be considered part of the core of this team moving forward. If that's what you mean by 'cornerstone' then sure. Let's see what happens the rest of this year to make that judgment.

I would not trade him unless the return is mind blowing and fits better in the plans this front office has laid out (which sure appears to be building quickly into a top competitive team and not slowly through the draft).

Not calling him AD, LeBron, Giannis, Luca, Harden, KD or anything like that. However he is in the tier just below for overall value he brings to a team. Miami doesn't have any of the top 5-10 guys , neither does Boston. You can win with the guys just below that provided you have at least 2 a good team around them and play good team defense

A cornerstone guy is the guys you mentioned. So, by definition, he’s not a cornerstone player. You can’t win a title with Julius Randle as your best player.

He’s playing much better than he ever has and credit has to go to him. If he stays he can be a nice third option if actual superstars are added to the team. Very rarely in this league do teams without a top 5-10 player win a title. That’s what we should be aiming for in the end.

KnixtapeH20 wrote:I think Randle can be a LeBron lite

Jesus Christ.

Good player on a bad team in an atrocious conference, he's not LeBron lite ... we're 14-15 in the garbage East.

If the 3 point shooting holds he could be a good 3rd or 4th best player on a competitive team. Did he finally get in shape because it's essentially a contract year would be my other concern.

NoDopeOnSundays wrote:

KnixtapeH20 wrote:I think Randle can be a LeBron lite

Jesus Christ.

Lebron Zero.

What's crazy about the season Julius is having is by the numbers it is nearly identical to the last 2 seasons. The only major difference has been his improved 3 point and long 2 point shooting. It goes to show the impact of having a great coach who knows how to put players in better positions really changes things.

Polk377 wrote:


What's crazy about the season Julius is having is by the numbers it is nearly identical to the last 2 seasons. The only major difference has been his improved 3 point and long 2 point shooting. It goes to show the impact of having a great coach who knows how to put players in better positions really changes things.

I mean his assist rate is up almost 10% over his career average on identical usage to his last two season & a lower turnover rate...that's a pretty major difference.