Julius Randle’s at-time frustration and dissatisfaction has been evidenced by various instances this season, including a thumbs-down gesture and profane quotes to fans and multiple blasts with officials.
This year was a far cry from the two-sided love affair Randle had with New York a season earlier, when he was named an All-Star and NBA’s Most Improved Player for the first time in his career, earning him a four. Annual contract extension valued at $117 million.
The Post reported Tuesday that there are some in the league who believe Randle acted in a “James Harden way,” suggesting he may be trying to force an offseason trade.
But Tom Thibodeau was in disbelief when asked on Wednesday about another claim made by a local radio host earlier this week – which has been described as an “unconfirmed rumor” – that Randle had already expressed that he was after Monday’s win against Chicago at the Garden wanted to get out
“Are you serious? Are you serious? Come on,” Thibodeau said ahead of Wednesday’s home game against Charlotte. “You know I’m not going to answer anything like that anyway. Let’s be real.”
Tom Thibodeau Charles Wenzelberg/New York Post
When asked directly if he thought Randle “wanted to be here,” Thibodeau replied, “Yes. So, as a coach, you train the players you have. And you love them all. And I do. If you play for me, I love you. It is really that easy. The challenge for us is to get the best out of each other.”
Randle has been fined over $100,000 by the league this season for various misdemeanors, including saying “shut up” at a press conference in January to explain that he was watching fans at a game booed in the Garden with a thumbs-down gesture.
Randle also threw the ball away and went straight to the dressing room after Monday’s win. He scored five points in the game’s 1-on-9 shooting, and fans had once again chanted for Obi Toppin as understudy throughout the game.
Knicks forward Julius Randle, 30, against the Pistons.USA TODAY Sports
“Look, every year is different. You face new and different challenges. There’s a lot of things – this year wasn’t like last year,” said Thibodeau. “Hopefully we can finish like last year. Things are always changing. They can go from really good to bad very quickly, and they can also go from not as good as you would like to great very quickly.
“Just keep going. I think that goes with the turf. You’re going to get a lot of credit. You’re going to get a lot of debt. That’s how it works here. Stay focused, come back the next day and just keep working. Work simply further.”
Randle, who missed three games earlier this month with a quadriceps injury, has not been made available to speak to the media since Sunday in Detroit. The Knicks were fined $25,000 at one point earlier this season for preventing Randle from contacting reporters.
“Maybe he broke and did things that helped us win that game. So you look at things as a whole,” Thibodeau said. “When the season is over we will look at things as a whole. We’ll look at things we did well, we’ll look at things we did that we didn’t like. And then we’ll try to make improvements over the summer.
“But that’s still possible. I want us to play good basketball since the All-Star break. Keep it up. Lets see what happens.”