Knicks forward Julius Randle is back on his bad habits and WFAN host and former Jets quarterback Boomer Esiason has had enough.
The Knicks lost to the lowly Orlando Magic on Thursday despite a second half rally. They fell 111-106 for their third loss in a row. It also marked Randle’s third straight game with a technical foul. The Knicks All-Star also screamed at teammate Immanuel Quickley.
Appearing on his WFAN show, Esiason did not mince his words.
“They have to get rid of him,” he said. “This is it. This is the end of it. I don’t care, it doesn’t matter…it’s exhausting for everyone on the team, his teammates, his coaching staff. It’s just too much.”
Esiason also touched on last season, when Randle’s meltdowns were so frequent that he was almost traded midseason.
“He may be a great player…but man, it’s getting exhausting,” he continued. “It had already been exhausting, and now it’s to the point where it’s like, ‘Come on dude. We’re never gonna win with you.’”
In Randle’s defense, these three meltdowns are a microcosm in what’s otherwise been an excellent rebound season. He’s averaging a career-best 25.4 points per game to go with 10.1 rebounds and has clearly benefitted from having Jalen Brunson as a teammate.
First off, three technicals in three games is never a good look and Julius Randle needs to calm down. This brings his season total to 11. That’s still far from the automatic suspension mark at 18, but that’s not the point. It’s almost playoff time. This isn’t the time for Randle or the Knicks team as a whole to lose focus.
But to get rid of him? That’s a bit much. Granted, Randle’s having a great year and the Knicks should absolutely explore selling high. The difference is it would be less about his attitude and more about maximizing value with only two years left on his contract.
But even so, Randle will likely finish the season with a higher value over replacement player (VORP) than he did when he won Most Improved Player. He’s probably just frustrated because the Knicks are playing .500 ball after a recent 12-2 run across February and March. Moreover, Brunson has dealt with injuries all month and is a significant loss in the rotation.
In the end, nobody likes losing. Not Julius Randle, not a Knicks fan like Boomer Esiason, nobody.
That still isn’t an excuse for acting childish.
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