Frustration has been building in New York as they haven’t won many games over the past month. Now the Knicks are not only long in games, but also in money. The team recently deviated from a set of media rules the entire league follows religiously. The Knicks were fined $25,000 for violating regulations set by the NBA.
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The New York Knicks organization has been fined $25,000 for violating league rules governing media access by refusing to make Julius Randle available after last night’s game against the Pelicans.
— Shams Charania (@ShamsCharania) January 21, 2022
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The reason for the fine
The team’s leader and star player, Julius Randle, has been made unavailable to the media by the organization. Randle hasn’t spoken to the media in eight of the last nine games. This led to awkward interactions between fans and Randle where they booed him. He responded by giving them a thumbs down gesture.
A little extra context: The last time Randle spoke to reporters after the game was the Jan. 6 game when he gave the fans a thumbs up, then told reporters later what it meant to the fans. shut up fans. The League then fined him for insulting a presser. https://t.co/bsElV1MXPe
— Fred Katz (@FredKatz) January 21, 2022
The Knicks denied access to Julius Randle after the recent loss to the Pelicans. The Knicks lost by a whopping 102-91 margin.
Julius Randle explained the thumbs down gesture by saying he wanted to tell local fans to “sHut the f–k up“. However, this was not appreciated by NBA authorities and was seen as a blatant use of profanity at the presser.
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Julius Randle and his season
Randle has had an extremely inconsistent performance this season. Ignoring the media and costing the organization more money is just another insult to injury. Given his recent antics, it seems fans are turning on the Knicks’ star player.
The team is sure to lose if none of the fans on the pitch support the team. Randle isn’t performing well this season, and avoiding the media is another big deal. Fans demand accountability. Randle set huge expectations for the Knicks when he outplayed everyone last season.
However, in this moment, Randle’s three-point shooting percentage has dropped, along with his overall shooting percentage. Additionally, his playstyle revolves around heavy isolation and tunnel vision, which makes his below average shooting a huge problem.
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Moreover, he even yelled at an official when the first half buzzer sounded. He finished with four points on one-for-nine shooting as the Knicks fell to 22-24, putting them in the lottery if the season ended today.
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Do you think Randle is right to ignore the media? Let us know in the comments below.
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