Julius Randle unfollowed the New York Knicks the day he became eligible for a trade
It seems Julius Randle is looking to get out of New York
Exactly one week ago, we revealed that Julius Randlewas about to be traded away from the Mecca of Basketball. So like a proud and ignorant kid who got one of their 100 calls correct, we're now patting ourselves on the back because Julius Randle has officially unfollowed the Knicks on Instagram. To make things even worse than that, the Knicks have made Randle unavailable to the media and are subsequently being fined, according to a Knicks Reddit post.
No part of this story is left for the imagination. Randle left the NBA players calling card for 'GET ME THE HELL OUTTA HERE' for the media to find, and we found it.LeBron did it with the Cavaliers when things were getting rough and we know how that eventually turned out. Some go even more out of their way with a straight-up cry to leave, followed by a made-up story later about not liking the barbers.
But they all left.
Randle's expiry date went off.
The truth is Randle never fit the mold as a franchise player for a team like New York City. Instead, he led a one-and-done narrative for an organization that was sick of being looked over and ridiculed. But, of course, there's always an expiry date when you get your confidence from being the underdog. Randle's seemingly occurred when his neck closed up in the playoffs; his flaws revealed all to be handed a 4-year extension worth $117 million.
Julius Randle Stats Comparison
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2020-21: 24.1 PPG, 10.2 RPG, 6.0 APG, 41 3P%, 52 FG%
2021-22: 18.5 PPG, 9.9 RPG, 5.1 APG, 30 3P%, 41 FG%
Worse than an apparent reduction in efficiency and production in '22 that had painted the picture of Randle's first six seasons, his also escaping the player that was so dominant just a season prior. He's taking a career-high 33% of his shots from the trey, even though he is at his scariest when attacking the rim.
Sources indicate Thibodeau may already given up.
According to the NY Post, head coach Tom Thibodeau has admitted to having trouble getting Radle to fully buy-in and play a more selfless team-winning role. But Knicks fans should not associate their playoff-contending team with the savior that brought them out of those cavernous dumps. In fact, it might be the opposite. Stat muse has Randle's '21 plus-minus numbers at +153, while this season's fall under -172.
That stat alone explains the growing sentiment of fans booing the crap out of Randle at home. At the same time, Randle's STFU reply illustrates why he was never built to be a superstar for a place like New York. A place where Carmelo Anthony, Patrick Ewing even MLB captained champ Derek Jeter took more heat from fans and rose because of it.
With the imminent deadline approaching, Randle's name will be in as many trade rumors as De'Aaron Fox, except this time if Julius stays, they might as well throw their play-in tournament dreams down the drain. From what we know of Randle, someone better bring the tissues because he will sulk and lose interest faster than his temporary turning of a corner for only one short season.
