Game 1: Wolves at Lakers, 9 p.m. on TNT

[Calinks]

Chemistry is always an underrated thing for a team. Randle didn't play in preseason and it showed today.

Yea I didn't feel like we did a good job in pre-season preparing for the regular season. Last year seemed like we ramped things up a lot better. Randle only played one game for one thing.

[Loaf_of_bread]

No reason to overreact. We lost to the raptors first game last year, and started 2-2 if I remember correctly. But, damn, where was the intensity? Where was the toughness? We looked un-ready..

No poise, no patience, no carefulness, no intention, no identity. Deer in headlights look out there. I chalk this failure on the coaching staff..

But damn, Randle was bad tonight.

[Guest84]

Why is everyone dogging Ant???

Only him DDV and Naw came with any energy to start the night.

It wasn’t a well played game by Ant. He got tunnel vision during a time they were still in it and never came out of it.

Granted, most guys didn’t shoot well but he’s got to understand that him shooting every time down isn’t always the best solution.

Pass more, cut more, set some back screens to get other guys opportunities. It’s the first game and I get it. However, there were bad habits developing in this game in my opinion.

[wolves_89]

The first data point in the Randle experiment was not encouraging. He showed little defensive effort, didn't box out well, was slow getting back on Lakers fastbreaks, and got caught sleeping multiple times. His offense was OK, but he didn't have much chemistry or flow on that end.

[m2002brian]

Why is everyone dogging Ant???

Only him DDV and Naw came with any energy to start the night.

It wasn’t a well played game by Ant. He got tunnel vision during a time they were still in it and never came out of it.

Granted, most guys didn’t shoot well but he’s got to understand that him shooting every time down isn’t always the best solution.

Pass more, cut more, set some back screens to get other guys opportunities. It’s the first game and I get it. However, there were bad habits developing in this game in my opinion.

I’m not sure he got tunnel vision.
The way I saw it was, he could see the lack of energy and connectedness and decided he would try to inject energy into the game. The fact he had to tell his team to “wake up” says a lot.
Also felt he really wanted to throw one down on AD.

[younggunsmn]

Why is everyone dogging Ant???

Only him DDV and Naw came with any energy to start the night.

It wasn’t a well played game by Ant. He got tunnel vision during a time they were still in it and never came out of it.

Granted, most guys didn’t shoot well but he’s got to understand that him shooting every time down isn’t always the best solution.

Pass more, cut more, set some back screens to get other guys opportunities. It’s the first game and I get it. However, there were bad habits developing in this game in my opinion.

The coach needs to have a hand on the damn wheel.
Start calling some freaking plays that make him move without the ball and force the other team to make some tough decisions like switching and defending rollers.
It was a whole lot of one guy dribbling and 4 other guys frozen like deer in headlights.
And the same things when Randle had the ball.
Finch might as well have been sitting in the 3rd row again tonight.

We're gonna get killed by Sacramento on Thursday unless something drastically changes.
I know it's a long season, but we can't afford to fall too far behind in the standings as loaded as the west is this year.
It might take 44-45 wins just to make the 10 team play in let alone top 8.

[vtime]

15-0 run in the 2nd quarter, lost that quarter by 14. That was the game. They won the other 3 quarters.

[Guest84]

Why is everyone dogging Ant???

Only him DDV and Naw came with any energy to start the night.

It wasn’t a well played game by Ant. He got tunnel vision during a time they were still in it and never came out of it.

Granted, most guys didn’t shoot well but he’s got to understand that him shooting every time down isn’t always the best solution.

Pass more, cut more, set some back screens to get other guys opportunities. It’s the first game and I get it. However, there were bad habits developing in this game in my opinion.

I’m not sure he got tunnel vision.
The way I saw it was, he could see the lack of energy and connectedness and decided he would try to inject energy into the game. The fact he had to tell his team to “wake up” says a lot.
Also felt he really wanted to throw one down on AD.

That’s fair. But again, try and make a play for somebody to get them going vs you shooting all the time. At least that’s my thought on it. Show us what you learned from Curry, Bron, etc during the Olympics.

He does have to improve with his feel/control of the game. Again, take it with a grain of salt…first game of the season after a huge change. Chemistry was def disrupted but it’s a long season. They should bounce back.

[younggunsmn]

I don't know how I feel about paying Rudy nearly 40 million in his age 35 season, which will be the 2nd to last year of Ant and Jaden's contracts and the year DDV hits unrestricted Free Agency.
But we didn't really have a choice, this choice was made when we traded KAT.

[Araxen]

If we only make the play-in this season, it's all on Finch. We have the offensive weapons to have a great offense. It's up to him to make this offense work. The continuous ISO ball isn't going to work.You can't win championships doing it. The great Phil Jackson had to make Jordan see the light back in the day. It's up to Finch to do the same with Ant.

[Domejandro]

Why is everyone dogging Ant???

Only him DDV and Naw came with any energy to start the night.

He was lost of defense a ton and put up one of the worst ball-hogging performances of his career.

He mostly made shots, but his hands were sticky the entire game, and it really dragged the entire team’s offensive flow down.

[LSWF]

I don't think Randle was our big problem tonight. He was our only starter with a positive +- tonight. Conley was just not good. DDV didn't play very well. Jaden picking up fouls also killed us.

[Klomp]

I feel like we really missed Towns defensive presence

So did the Knicks.

[Domejandro]

Julius Randle was a disaster defensively and on the glass, but the offense looked vastly better when he was the one facilitating.

[Klomp]

If Jingles comes in we lose. We need defense and energy. Minott over Jingles.

Joe Ingles’ stability on offense was very positive for the team, in that stint. Minnesota sorely needed it.

Maybe, but his energy and defense were… commensurate with his age . Bronny also really helped him and us.

Basically every team not named Boston has a Bronny-type player.

[m2002brian]

I don't think Randle was our big problem tonight. He was our only starter with a positive +- tonight. Conley was just not good. DDV didn't play very well. Jaden picking up fouls also killed us.

Randle just looked out of shape and slow.
Not sure he’s played much ball since the shoulder surgery.

[minimus]

When Austin Reaves has more rebounded than McDaniels and Edwards combined it doesn't matter if we play small ball or twin tower lineups. Although I wish we had someone like Walker Kessler on the bench

[Klomp]

There are teams where our interior will be an issue. The Lakers are certainly one of them.

Luckily, Tim Connelly didn't make the trade looking only at the Lakers game on Oct. 22. We will be fine.

[LSWF]

I don't think Randle was our big problem tonight. He was our only starter with a positive +- tonight. Conley was just not good. DDV didn't play very well. Jaden picking up fouls also killed us.

Randle just looked out of shape and slow.
Not sure he’s played much ball since the shoulder surgery.

Yah, he didn't look great, but 16 points, 9 rebounds, 4 assists and a +2 in 34 minutes seams okay for his first game.

[Klomp]

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