The Pivot Perspective - Lakers at Wolves GDT

[Coolbreeze44]

FNG, I think it's time you return to the "LongStrangeTrip" name. I'm feeling nostalgic

[Wolvesfan21]

I'm not worried about losing his points Lip. The reality is this team as currently constructed with Randle on the roster is obviously not a title contender. So what do we really have to lose by moving on from him? Since we rely so much on our defense anyway his absence certainly shouldn't hurt us much on that end.

I want this to become truly an Ant-centric team. We finally became that last season when KAT was out and then even when he came back it was clear who our #1 guy was. With Randle on the roster, we are forced to feed him the ball, play a slower pace, and constantly hope he gives enough effort on defense. He's a decent enough player, but not a fit for how this roster needs to look like to maximize Ant while still having Rudy here too.

Agree. Ideal fit for Randle on this team is more of a 6th man coming in to score (give us 15 bench points) OR simply sit in the corner to space the floor while Ant does his thing. I think Naz starting would really help the offense overall.

I also don't like JR on top of the key as much, teams sag and double more off him as his 3P numbers are not as good as they need to really be. He gets left wide open too much especially when we have a non shooter in Rudy and a streaky shooter in Jaden. The offense is just not as good as it can be. Now if those guys start turning it up a notch then teams won't blitz and double Ant as much leaving space to drive.

The other thing is the matchups for Randle against subs. He could cook pretty well with his ISO ball against a lot of backups. Now could his ego, trade value and salary really fit that role?

WF, I may be more of a Randle fan than most here, although I admit he frustrates me at times. But still, I have become an advocate of replacing him in the starting five with Naz. First, while I have been a detractor of Naz on defense over the years, I've seen improvement this season. And unlike Julius, I never question Naz's effort on defense. Defense is still the identity of this team, and Naz helps us there a little more than Randle. Second, I like the way Julius and Donte work together...both seem adept at finding the other one for open looks. Sub in both of them midway through the first quarter, and I see them providing a big spark off the bench. Maybe playing Donte more with Randle would unlock some of last year's DiVo magic. I note that the lineup of Divo, Randle, Ant, Naz and NAW has a net rating of +20 in 170 minutes this season.

For sure. It comes down to politics and long term solutions. Putting Naz in the starting lineup could do a few "bad" things. First it could piss off Randle and probably his trade value (he might even ask to be traded so he can get his "numbers") while also boosting Naz's potential salary next season if his "numbers" go up.

I think we just have to live with Randle starting but maybe we get more Naz in closing time depending on who is playing better, even a little more minutes then Randle overall. It's a delicate balance though too. Got to keep both guys happy really. I think as long as we keep winning that helps a ton. Fans nor media talking heads won't be as down on Randle if the W's stack up.

Now I do think Randle is a solid NBA player. It's just his specific role that isn't super ideal with our squad on offense. He could be a 6th man of the year winner with his ability to get buckets and also be overall pretty solid passing and defending. I would guess he would feel like that is a "downgrade" of his past "All Star" status. However on a championship squad I see it as a big positive.

Whatever it takes to win.

[FNG]

FNG, I think it's time you return to the "LongStrangeTrip" name. I'm feeling nostalgic

Ha, I would consider that, but it's way over my head technologically!

[thedoper]

FNG, I think it's time you return to the "LongStrangeTrip" name. I'm feeling nostalgic

Ha, I would consider that, but it's way over my head technologically!

At least bring back the dead avatar. One day we may have to organize a board jam and do mean half hour scarlet-> fire

[FNG]

FNG, I think it's time you return to the "LongStrangeTrip" name. I'm feeling nostalgic

Ha, I would consider that, but it's way over my head technologically!

At least bring back the dead avatar. One day we may have to organize a board jam and do mean half hour scarlet-> fire

I'm down with that...I'll be Mickey Hart!