It takes loads to maintain legendary New York Knicks participant/broadcaster Walt “Clyde” Frazier away, however the crew had at the very least yet one more shock in retailer for him earlier this month.
Talking on the FanDuel internet sequence “Run It Again,” Frazier famous that the change of Julius Randle as a result of Karl-Anthony Cities left him “shocked”. The take care of the Minnesota Timberwolveswhich additionally included Donte DiVincenzo, ended the tenure of Randle, who established himself as an everlasting NBA star throughout his time in New York.
Whereas Frazier praised the potential affect Cities may have on the Knicks’ championship fortunes, he could not assist however remorse the misplaced alternative. Randle in Manhattan, particularly after final season ended prematurely attributable to damage.
“I like Randle,” Frazier stated. “I believed he would come again with a vengeance, he had loads to show.”
Randle’s time in New York maybe defines the idea of bittersweet in NBA circles: he undoubtedly performed a serious function in returning the Knicks to the realm of relevance and changed the crew throughout of three All-Star Video games. Accidents, nonetheless, have eaten away at his postseason affect, together with a shoulder ailment that ended his last metropolitan tour in January.
To that finish, Frazier believes Randle holds an “unprecedented” place within the minds of Knicks followers.
“I’ve by no means seen that earlier than, as a result of Knicks followers are the most effective,” Frazier stated when requested by host Lou Williams why New Yorkers could not absolutely respect the metropolitan heritage by Randle. “I feel what turned them off towards Randle was that he gave them the center finger as soon as or one thing and that type of alienated half of them. They by no means forgave him the opposite half did that.”
Frazier was referring to an incident in January 2022 through which Randle, who was struggling to construct on his breakout season, gave a thumbs-down gesture to Knicks followers once they supplied him a sarcastic cheer throughout a rivalry sport towards Boston. Whereas Randle put up constant, high quality numbers after that cursed season, he by no means reached the opposite subsequent Knicks All-Stars throughout their respective tenures.
“He was by no means a man like Bernard (King) or any regular famous person that performs for the Knicks, the place he obtained that adulation,” Frazier defined. “However I used to be completely satisfied to see, now that he is been traded, that they are saying what he did for the crew. I imply, he was an All-Star, All-NBA participant, so he introduced some stability to the franchise earlier than he left.”
Randle can now reestablish his legacy in Minnesota, which seems to construct on final season’s run to the Western Convention Finals. In his first three video games as a Wolf, Randle is averaging 24.3 factors and seven.7 rebounds and missed a double-double in Saturday’s victorious dwelling opener towards Toronto.
Randle will return to Madison Sq. Backyard on January 17. Within the meantime, the Knicks (1-1) will host the Cleveland Cavaliers on Monday night time (7:30 p.m. ET, MSG).
