Tag / julius randle

Julius Randle, New York Knicks
by Alex Fischbein

What’s up with Julius Randle | The Atlantic Files Ep210

On this week’s episode of the Atlantic Files, Klay Thompson finally returns to the floor, Tobias Harris is now on the block, Julius Randle is feeling the heat in his seat, Joel Embiid is back to his MVP level of play, the Atlanta Hawks are shopping John Collins, and the Memphis Grizzlies are going nuts!

First things first, we wanted to give the shout-out to Klay Thompson on finally returning from his slew of major injuries. Rehabbing from back-to-back injuries of that magnitude is no minor feat. Now, the Golden State Warriors look like they’re going to be big-time favorites to win the Western Conference and even could be NBA Finals favorites on top of that.

Then, there are the more surprising things to take place this season. The Memphis Grizzlies are all of a sudden near the top of the West and Kyle Kuzma has been playing out of his mind. This drove us to the question of which of these two things are the most surprising? Did anyone see the Grizzlies being this good or did they see Kuzma improving as much as he’s showing lately?

Going to the Atlantic, finally. Daryl Morey and the Philadelphia 76ers are still in all of the rumor mills and on all of the news sites for more trade talks. This time, they’re actually trying to package Tobias Harris with Ben Simmons in trades. Yes, they’re putting together $80M worth of contracts together and trying to get something out of it. Harris has been a name on this podcast that has been thrown in trades already, but which team is actually willing to take on that contract?

This all brings us to our main topic of Julius Randle. Last season now looks like a very distant memory due to the lack of effort, lack of production, and all-around bad play this year. The Knicks are nowhere near the level that everyone expected after last season, and they could be in danger of only making a play-in tournament spot or even missing the playoffs. Julius Randle was in the highest of graces with the Knicks fans and all of a sudden that came crashing down as he had to tell them to shut up and cursed at them along the way.

Finally, there was another prominent Eastern team working the trade phones. The Atlanta Hawks are now shopping John Collins and they’ve even been linked to the Sixers. At this point, who knows what kind of craziness will go down before the trade deadline.

Timecodes:
0:00 – Intro
1:34 – Klay Thompson returns!
5:03 – Memphis Grizzlies vs Kyle Kuzma, who’s more surprising?
15:06 – Tobias Harris on the Philadelphia 76ers trade block
25:27 – Joel Embiid back to MVP numbers
31:06 – John Collins is on the block for Atlanta Hawks
37:04 – Julius Randle stinking and New York Knicks fans are fed up

Stephen Curry, Golden State Warriors, NBA Record
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic (12/14/21)

History was made on Atlantic Division soil last night, so this week it’s not only Atlantic players that we’re highlighting!

Standings:
Brooklyn Nets(1) 20-8
Philadelphia 76ers(6) 15-13
Boston Celtics(9) 14-14
Toronto Raptors 13-15
New York Knicks 12-16

Let’s talk about last night!

Stephen Curry

We have to start this thing off with the historic moment from Stephen Curry. This man is the greatest shooter to ever hit the NBA. There is no debate. I don’t care about any kind of argument about players from the old days, I don’t care about any Ray Allen stans, Stephen Curry is the best shooter to ever grace the league. It was only fitting that the record was broken at Madison Square Garden. Sorry Knicks fans.

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Julius Randle

Now, let’s get back to the Atlantic! Julius Randle, at least, gave a valiant effort to win this game. I can’t help but notice that there are some confidence and effort changes from last season. Shots that he’d normally take and some hustle plays that he’d normally make aren’t really happening anymore. This game was still a good line for him with 31p & 7r, but the outcome has been a loss more often than not this season. When the only differences in this team compared to last year are some additions, you have to start looking at effort, mentality, and confidence.

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Scottie Barnes

We’re back again to highlight Scottie Barnes! This man is just out here competing against the best and not backing down to anyone! He was taking Kevin Durant head-on and he made some very gutsy shots that he might not normally take. While I’m aware the Brooklyn Nets were not at full strength, it was still impressive to see Barnes cash in a very nice all-around game. He ended up with 23p, 12r, & 5a.

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Kessler Edwards

Kevin Durant and Patty Mills had 34 and 30 points respectively. We’ve highlighted those two plenty, however, so let’s talk about a rookie. Kessler Edwards received his moment to shine with a very short-handed Nets team. He even doubled the minutes of Cam Thomas, which could be surprising given how much hype has been surrounding him. Edwards delivered a very nice game in support of the offense. He finished the game with 17p, 10r, 2a, & 2s. He showed a willingness to shoot with a quick trigger, filled lanes correctly, and hustled in the paint relentlessly. If he can play at or close to this level consistently, that just gives the Nets a ton more depth than they currently have.

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James Harden, Brooklyn Nets
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic (11/30/21)

Highlighted by a primetime game, the Atlantic was on full display. The battle of New York did not disappoint at all!

Standings:
Brooklyn Nets 15-6
New York Knicks 11-10
Philadelphia 76ers 11-10
Boston Celtics 11-10
Toronto Raptors 9-13

Let’s talk about last night!

James Harden

James Harden was looking like Houston James Harden before putting on the extra weight! He was out there hooping and not worrying about semantics. During an interview the other day, he talked about not knowing when to be aggressive, when to be a playmaker, etc. During our latest episode, we talked about how he doesn’t have to choose, he can do them all in the same game! This is one of those times where he did that and the outcome was a nice win over the Knicks. Harden finished 38p, 10r, 8a, & 3s on 55% shooting from the floor!

Julius Randle

Julius Randle was another player in this game that looked back to the ways that we became accustomed to! The Knicks especially needed his all-star level of play with RJ Barrett only playing eight minutes and Kemba Walker getting ousted from the rotation for the time being. He helped big time in the 4th quarter to keep the Knicks in the game, but a costly mistake from Mitchell Robinson ended up sealing their fate. Either way, this was a great game for Randle as he dropped 24p, 9r, 8a, & 2s!

Scottie Barnes

We are here again to talk about the fact that Scottie Barnes continues to cement his case for Rookie of the Year. While the Raptors did lose this game against Memphis, Barnes had a VERY nice all-around game. Hustle on both sides of the ball and confidence in every facet looked like it was extremely high. His stat line at the end of the night was 19p, 7r, 3a, 2s, & 4b on 8-16 FG and 3-6 3P!

Ben Simmons, Jaylen Brown, Sixers, Celtics, Trade, Atlantic Files
by Alex Fischbein

The Atlantic Files ep202: Jaylen Brown for Ben Simmons?!

This week’s episode of the Atlantic Files is a spicy one as we talk about the rumored Ben Simmons for Jaylen Brown trade, Nikola Jokic and Markieff Morris fighting, Kyrie Irving still not getting a change for the vaccine mandate, plus some quick-hitter topics about the New York Knicks and Toronto Raptors.

First of all, the thought of a Wrestlemania type of fight between the Jokic brothers and the Morris brothers sounds like some amazing television. If you haven’t seen the video of the little spat that Jokic and Markieff Morris had, then you should go check that out and come right back. Nikola Jokic’s even made their own Twitter account to reply to Morris’ tweet about noting that Jokic pushed him when he turned his back. We’re getting our popcorn ready for this one!

Shams Charania of The Athletic reported that there were apparently trade talks between the Philadelphia 76ers and the Boston Celtics. Those talks were centered around Ben Simmons and Jaylen Brown and included Marcus Smart, Robert Williams, and picks. Everyone knows that a haul like that would be way too much for Simmons. Would a Brown for Simmons straight-up trade make any more sense? Brad Stevens might want to get a little crazy in the front office, who knows!

After a bunch of big man injuries, the New York Knicks are starting to slow down from their hot start in the first week or two of the season. Julius Randle is delivering every other game, and the rest of the team is very inconsistent. We know the team will be in playoff contention, but how far can they really go with this version of the team?

Finally, Pascal Siakam made his return from injury this week. For a return from a lengthy absence, it wasn’t a bad game by any means! Now that he’s making his way back to full force, it begs the question of whether or not this team is destined for the playoffs. They’ve played very well without him, now they add his talent, and this team could really surprise a lot of people,

Timecodes:
0:00 – Intro
1:35 – Nikola Jokic and Markieff Morris kerfuffle
20:38 – Ben Simmons for Jaylen Brown trade
38:00 – Kyrie Irving still waiting on a vaccine mandate change
51:08 – Are the New York Knicks good enough to truly compete?
57:38 – Pascal Siakam returns, playoffs for the Toronto Raptors?

Julius Randle, New York Knicks
by Alex Fischbein

Last night in the Atlantic (11/8/21)

Something was very off last night as all three Atlantic teams either barely scored 100 or didn’t even reach 100. The New York Knicks did bounce back though as the Brooklyn Nets dropped hard to the Bulls.

Standings:
Philadelphia 76ers 8-3
Brooklyn Nets 7-4
New York Knicks 7-4
Toronto Raptors 6-5
Boston Celtics 4-6

Let’s talk about last night!

Julius Randle

Julius Randle is the sole reason for the Knicks’ win. If it wasn’t for his 31p, 12r performance, then they were destined to fall to the shorthanded Sixers. He stepped up each time that it mattered most though. There were a few times that the Sixers looked like they were ready to finally take the lead, but Randle either hit a three or a tough layup. Other than him, only three other Knicks scored in the double digits as they just squeaked by the Sixers with a seven-point win.

Andre Drummond

Andre Drummond is exactly what the Sixers have needed in a backup center for Joel Embiid ever since he entered the league. Admittedly, I’ve been very skeptical of Drummond after his past couple of stops in Los Angeles and Cleveland. The way he’s been playing, however, is perfect for the role he was given. On a night that the Sixers were without all of their other rebounders, Drummond cashed in a 14p, 25r night! His offensive rebounds gave them many more chances than they probably even deserved and he was a key component to limit the chances for the Knicks too.

Kevin Durant

We’re back again, talking about Kevin Durant. This man is just unreal, yet again. His teammates just did not help him, yet again! KD had 38p, 10r, 4a and the rest of the starters had only 25p combined… Throw that in with the fact that they played the Chicago Bulls and anyone can see why they lost in a blowout fashion. Especially with the fact that the Bulls had six players in double digits compared to the Nets three. Durant is really going to need some more consistent help if they really want to win a ring this year!