Buying Low: Anthony Randolph

[Nikolokolus]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/b...urn_to_oakland_with_knicks.html#ixzz15jzTrb1G

UPDATE: D'Antoni has confirmed Randolph may not be playing much for the foreseeable future.

"I told him, right now, this is all about the team and I've got to go with my gut and he might play and he might not," D'Antoni said, according to the New York Daily News. "Right now, it's all about the Knicks. We'll worry about individuals after we get out of the hole a little bit. And then we'll start talking about long-term strategies. But right now, it's just to win today."

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When the Knicks acquired Anthony Randolph in a sign-and-trade with Golden State for David Lee over the summer, many believed the talented, yet inconsistent youngster, free from Don Nelson, would thrive in Mike D'Antoni's system.

There was even talk he could grab a spot in the starting lineup if he performed well.

But so far, things have worked out far different. Randolph had a rough preseason, and an ankle injury had him out for part of this young season. Randolph is only averaging 11.2 minutes a game, and Wednesday night in the team's win over the Kings, he received a DNP from coach D'Antoni.

"There's been too many mistakes, not enough rebounds, blocked shots or accurate jump shots," wrote Marc Beman of the New York Post. "He's more apt to shoot an airball from 20 feet than sink it. Turnovers have been an issue ... It will be interesting to see how D'Antoni plays it from here. They broke their six-game losing streak without him. D'Antoni, whose been under fire the past few days, right now cares more about his future than Randolph's."

As Dec. 15 creeps closer -- the date signings from over the summer can be dealt in trades, and when Carmelo Anthony trade talks may again pick up -- we suppose it's possible the Knicks may dangle Randolph as a young talent, which the Nuggets are reportedly seeking in return for Anthony.

But his resume so far this season isn't exactly one Denver may be looking at with excitement right now.

He's often described as a kind of a Camby-lite when "experts" talk about him and his potential, and apparently he's maybe really ill-suited to the uptempo style with no defense that D'Antoni plays.

He's not playing well, his role is diminishing and there's a chance he'd be just as unproductive here in P-Town, but maybe one ill-fitting spanish 2 guard could be swapped to a place he supposedly prefers to play.

Here's my proposal:
http://games.espn.go.com/nba/tradeMachine?tradeId=2asqrs4

 

[Minstrel]

Make it so. I'm not as high on Randolph as I used to be, but I still think he has potential, whereas I don't think Fernandez has any upside remaining and Babbitt is less intriguing to me than Randolph. Randolph has a a small chance of being an impact player in the future, but I'm not convinced either Fernandez or Babbitt has a higher chance.

 

[Blazer4ever]

Trade the two picks for him.

 

[Blazer4ever]

Another option to consider: Jason Thompson.

 

[Run BJM]

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/b...urn_to_oakland_with_knicks.html#ixzz15jzTrb1G



He's often described as a kind of a Camby-lite when "experts" talk about him and his potential, and apparently he's maybe really ill-suited to the uptempo style with no defense that D'Antoni plays.

You've obviously never seen him play. His greatest strengths are speed, athleticism, and handles for his size. His weaknesses are being light/weak, having no post game, poor jump shot, inconsistency, and possibly a bad attitude or poor work ethic (Nellie had big time problems with him and D'Antoni is already having them). Hes a very good shotblocker and capable of dominating on the glass but inconsistent rebounding it. He can make some really amazing plays going coast to coast weaving through the opposition and drop a gorgeous dime at the end- but he'll fail to hit open J's, make awful turnovers, and give you low efficiency offense, he'll get manhandled in the post. Obviously hes got potential but I think his stock has taken a big hit because he was met with mixed reception from D'Antoni almost immediately. When Nellie had issues with him it was easy to excuse as Nellie likes to fugg with guys, especially young guys, big guys, lotto picks, etc. But how many players can you remember that Nellie gave up on who turned out making something of themselves later? Hes got a damn good track record as far as evaluating talent.

Certainly its worth PDX going after him because you're assets seem to have all gone to shit in a very short period of time. But I think its a god awful fit with Nate and with the style that you guys want to play. I don't see Randolph ever being a great player in a slow-it-down grind-it-out system. Hes a lightweight big man who has zero post scoring skills, can't shoot well, makes a lot of bonehead plays, etc. His main advantages are that hes so much faster than other bigs and has guard skills. Hes still young and could be pretty good but I don't think anyone is expecting him to be a franchise player or even a number 2 type of guy. Maybe a more athletic Lamar Odom? And thats a pretty generous comparison IMO.

 

[Natebishop3]

It's amazing how he went from being a guy with extremely high upside, to a guy that seems to have stock plummeting.

 

[jlprk]

Randolph = Frye.

 

[Mediocre Man]

I like Randolph, and it would be great to have him on the Blazers. That being said, the two teams he has played for are GS and NY, so it's hard to judge how good he really is.

Since Melo wants to be in NY though, I would certainly try and get involved in that trade if it meant a shot at Randolph, and didn't cost us a lot

 

[craigehlo]

Another option to consider: Jason Thompson.

This is the backup banger we've need for awhile. Anthony Randolph doesn't rebound that well when I've seen him play. He will have a nice highlight dunk here or there, but will be a non-factor in other parts of the game.

 

[Nikolokolus]

My only thought is that with a guy like Camby to maybe shepherd him along he seems to at least have some potential to impact the team in the long term ... certainly a better shot than Rudy does.

 

[RR7]

I know he has "tremendous upside potential" and I would be all for trading for him. And I hated the Babbit pick at the time, and still don't care for it. That being said, buying low on a guy who has never done anything in the league really, to me, isn't Rudy Fernandez and a first round pick. For all his inconsistencies, and I know he likely still wants out, Rudy has at leats shown to be a rotation player in the league. Randolph has not.

 

[midnight_show]

WOuld rather Thompson than Randolph. Need someone to get in there and bang and get dirty. Randolph seems not to like that side of the game.

 

[Run BJM]

WOuld rather Thompson than Randolph. Need someone to get in there and bang and get dirty. Randolph seems not to like that side of the game.

Randolph isn't soft hes just stringy and weak. Hes got more potential to be a starter/above average starter/all-star. Dunno why exactly Jason Thompson fell out of favor but he always seemed to have a limited ceiling. That being said hes got an NBA body, average athleticism, and a very polished offensive game. His defense is lacking and rebounding seems average. Probably won't get that much better but he seems like he'd be a very good reserve as is.

 

[BrianFromWA]

I don't know...a "more athletic Lamar Odom" is a pretty damn good player.

 

[Fez Hammersticks]

I think a more realistic comparison is Joe Smith.

 

[Run BJM]

Seems like Eddie Griffin at this point- great athlete, great shotblocker, has talent, dunno if he'll put it together. AR doesn't have any mental issues but he is a bit of a headcase it seems.

 

[hasoos]

It wasn't that long ago that Michael Beasley was bottom of the barrel either. Yet he gets picked up for a draft pick and since then has skyrocketed. Coaching can make a huge difference. I don't think Randolph has played anywhere yet where the bigger players are the focus and the guards are not so much, and that is hurting his development.