Randle caught slapping staffers laptop in LA; head coach says issue ‘resolved’
SALT LAKE CITY — Julius Randle’s emotions have gotten the better of him again with another ugly incident. Will this become the final straw?
Knicks coach Tom Thibodeau said the altercation between Randle and assistant coach/video coordinator Scott King during Saturday’s game with the Lakers has been “resolved” and “taken care of.”
But the positive spin may only last until Thursday’s trade deadline as the sense is team officials are walking on pins and needles around their former All-Star. The incident against the Lakers was caught on video by a fan and posted on social media where it caused a stir because of Randle’s recent emotional behavior.
During a timeout, King came up to Randle in the huddle with his laptop and Randle slapped at the screen and started jawing angrily at him.
Assistant coaches Kenny Payne and Johnnie Bryant separated the two. King was likely showing Randle a defensive lapse in a game the Knicks ultimately lost in overtime after blowing a 21-point lead.
“When you have competitive people, you’re gonna have stuff like that,” Thibodeau said. “That’s normal. Every team has it. It’s competitive people, heat of the moment. They’re good. They’ve got a great relationship. Everyone is trying to win. So, it’s all part of it.”
It is unusual for a coach to bring the laptop into the NBA huddle to show video. Usually a coach will just tell the player tidbits. Thibodeau said the computers, though, are taking over.
In addition, the way Randle carried on for several seconds illustrated his recent temper that also has been seen in his dealings with referees. He picked up two technical fouls versus Memphis last week leading to an automatic ejection in the final seconds.
Rande said the incident isn’t uncommon.
“Stuff like that happens all the time,’’ he said after the Knicks’ 113-104 loss to the Jazz. “Honestly, there’s heated exchanges and ar
guments throughout a game, but it’s all coming from a good place. Everybody wants to win. Everybody’s challenging each other to win. It’s fun. I slapped his laptop today, too. I wasn’t mad, but I slapped it.’’
In January, the hot-headed Randle gave a thumbs-down gesture to Knicks fans, suggesting in his postgame explanation that they “shut the f--k up.”.
Randle also staged a recent media boycott for which the NBA fined the Knicks $25,000. Randle did not talk to beat writers after Monday’s morning shootaround.
With the trade deadline occurring when the Knicks are in San Francisco, Randle seems off. He reacted combatively on Friday when asked his reaction to rumors the Knicks are open to a deal and eventually called it “gossip.”
Asked if it was unusual for a laptop to be brought to Randle like that, Thibodeau said, “[Computers], that’s the modern NBA. Hey look, the technology has been great. To be able to look at plays — we see it more in football because there’s a break in play — but when guys come out or timeouts, you always have that interaction. And often times, the player wants to see it. It might be how he’s being defended. It’s might be a situation that occurred. It’s very helpful. It was heat of the moment. It’s normal stuff.
“There’s a lot of interactions over the course of the season. There’s heat of the moment. There’s competition. There’s competitive people involved. And then there’s great respect for Julius, the coaches, so it’s normal. You fix it. Immediately, it was taken care of.”