I was told, repeatedly, that Julius Randle was going to be traded. Yet the trade deadline is long past, and Randle is still in a Lakers uniform? If the Lakers hated him so much (as also has been claimed repeatedly), why didn’t they take a second-round pick for him and move on with their rebuild? The answer is probably because they don’t actually dislike him that much and that he’s showing potential as a chunky power-player version of Giannis Antetokounmpo. I need to stop listening to the rumor mill. I’ll be happier that way, and when something really does happen, it’ll catch me totally by surprise.
Randle had a very Randle-esque game tonight, scoring 23 by being stronger than everyone else and no other reason. No ill-advised perimeter shots tonight. Big props to him for being one of those HoopMixTape overhyped high-schoolers who actually made it to the pros and contributed. It seems like a rare feat these days. I’m still waiting on Diamond Stone, by the way. And Aquille Carr.