Why Zach Randolph Could Be A Sixer

[Pure Hatred]

I don't really like this potential move at all, it's a high risk, moderate reward type move. If Zach doesn't pan out and get his head screwed on straight, it is highly possible that he could ruin the locker room chemistry (one thing I've learnt from this season is never to underrate team chemistry). If he does pan out; reverts to 23/10 form with mediocre D--does he really elevate us to the level of LA, BOS, NO, SAS or any of the other upper level teams?

That said, I wouldn't be in a completely suicidal mood to see him don a 76ers uniform, I'd probably wait to see if ES follows it up with anything else before slitting my wrists or anything

-pH

[#1KnicksFan]

Knick fan here:

You want the inside scoop on Zach Randolph? You got it...


DEFENSE

Not as atrocious as Eddy Curry, but he is quite easily in the bottom half of the PF's in the league. He is surprisingly adept at steals in the paint, but he will not block shots or take charges or really take any pride in manning the paint at all.

REBOUNDING

Easily in the top 10 of PF's in rebounding. He's such a thick body, and really does work to get position. Can't fault him here.


SCORING

He's shooting like 46% from the field this year, which is what he usually shoots, which if you know anything is pretty sub-par for a big man. He has range on his J, but he's at his best within 10 feet, usually on a driving hook shot (which despite his height is impossible to block).


PASSING

It's not skill that's the problem, it's willingness. Zbo is actually a skilled passer believe it or not. He could EASILY put up 4 assists a game, but he's such a black hole and sometimes is so determined to shoot.


BEST SUITED TO PLAY FOR?

Not your team.

A.) Although he CAN run, and is fairly adept at dribbling up the court, he wouldn't last more than 28 minutes a game playing at that pace.

He would also drop your defensive ranking from top 5 to 10-15. And being that you like to score in quick spurts, Randolph would kill your team chemistry I'd have to believe.

Plus you have no veterans, and Larry Brown wouldn't help out the Knicks, even for his friend Donnie Walsh...



THAT SAID...

Please, please, please take him off our hands.

PLEASE.

[#1KnicksFan]

Lemme clarify about his "attitude":


Randolph is a shy, fairly polite individual. He's no Ruben Patterson or even a Rasheed Wallace.

I think his getting in trouble has far more to do with who he hangs with than being a bad seed.


That said, if I were Sixer fans, I'd only be happy for Zbo if you really REALLY needed inside scoring and rebounding.

[Jemini80]

First off, Randolph sucker-punched Patterson because Patterson was antagonizing and harassing the rookies on the trailblazers.

Not previously mentioned, is the fact that Zach Randolph desperately more than anything wants to win. He has the Kobe attitude, which is a big problem on a losing team. He will do what is best for the team (which this season is him taking the shots, since him taking a shot double-teamed has more of a chance of going in than anyone outside of Crawford or Nate taking an open shot). He also as mentioned before is a good passer. His main problem is the fact that Portland mismanaged him when he was younger, and has never really had a defined role.


You guys really are about one piece away from contending, and that piece is a low-post scoring presence that can thrive when you are forced to run half-court sets. Now it seems like the complicating issue is the fact that Andre Miller is old, which requires you to look at getting proven scoring talent as oppose to developing your own or getting cheaper younger post players. Really your only two options are Elton Brand and Zach Randolph. Josh Smith is a great player, but cannot score in a half-court set. The same thing for Marion.

If I was the 76ers, I would rather take a gamble on Jermaine O'neal though who has a contract that is shorter by one year compared to Randolph, and is also a better defensive player. The only advantage Randolph has on O'neal, is health, rebounding, and shooting range.

The problem with Jermaine though is that Indy will not just give him away for how cheap Randolph is. So getting him would probably require losing Young, Carney, or Williams. Plus a 1st rounder.

Boris Diaw would also be an interesting option for you guys since he is only 25. Phili is about the only team that could really trade for him too, since the team will need cap space or great luck salary-wise since Diaw is a BYC player.

I think your wish-list should go

Elton Brand
healthy Jermaine O'neal
Zach Randolph
Jamison
Jermaine if health is a question mark
Aldridge (I think he becomes available for the right offer once they are sure of Oden's health)


worst comes to worst, Phili could ponder the idea of Rashard Lewis, but that is honestly the worst contract in the history of the NBA, and manages to make the Allan Houston contract look good.

[sixerguy]

-= original quote snipped =-



You have a real liberal definition of the word "obvious". I just did a quick check and it's 50/50 of people who would take Zach if other options fail and those who want nothing to do with him.

What's the score now?

oh yea, I vote No

[freshie2]

Lemme clarify about his "attitude":


Randolph is a shy, fairly polite individual. He's no Ruben Patterson or even a Rasheed Wallace.

I think his getting in trouble has far more to do with who he hangs with than being a bad seed.


That said, if I were Sixer fans, I'd only be happy for Zbo if you really REALLY needed inside scoring and rebounding.

Sounds like a larger, less productive version of Iverson...I don't think this franchise is ready to go back there at this point.

[corwin]

TGP, I don't really want to review past history too much but let me try to explain my main perspective on this. BK couldn't complete the roster in 05-06 when we didn't make the playoffs. One reason was Webber's humongous salary. That was the year he was 20/10 but played little defense outside of 5 feet from the basket. The next year. Shav got hurt & there was no one there to play when it became obvious that Webber was done. So, by giving too much money to a guy who is a major question mark, you're taking a real risk in flexibility. Randolph is younger and he can score if he's into the game. He can't pass, s a black hole on offense, has had microscopic surgery & by many accounts has a history of poor behavior. I don't know if or not he is a team cancer. Why take the chance? I'd really rather use the space to grab a short-term solution & maybe an extra pick (like Seattle did with Kurt Thomas) and take a chance on the draft or free agency. Just my preference.

[SouthJersey]

From a Salary Cap perspective, it could actually make sense to do a trade for Randolph. His Salary and Sams would be expiring at the same time giving us alot of cap space and also pieces to use in a trade. I dont think he's the first option, but if he's a good teammate and wants to win, he might not be a BAD one.

[bebopdeluxe]

#1KnicksFan and Jemini:

Thanks for chiming in. I don't know enough about the guy personally to know if he is a true thug or just a guy who has chosen to run with the wrong crowd now and then. If the guy really want to rehab his rep and win, this could be a good spot for him. We really don't need him to play 38-40 minutes a game - he will get primarily Evans' minutes, and it's not like Reggie is filling the wing on the transition break...

My main interest in Zach stems - again - from two things:

1) He is an NBA proven low-post scorer and rebounder, and

2) He will be available and - in the overall scope of things (by trading Green and Evans) - relatively cheap.

And for those who are still begging for Brand, Okafor or Smith, please tell me how the Sixers are going to get these guys with $10-11 mil in cap room? They might not even become available...and in that case, what is your option that is better than Randolph?

[Louis Williams]

I know I'm in the minority here, but I think an upgrade at SG is needed more than at PF. I'm fine with Evans, Young, and Smith timesharing at the position.

I don't think paying Zach all the money takes us to the next level.

[freshie2]

Are you opposed to moving Iguodala to SG and Thad to SF or prefer keeping Iguodala @ more of a SF or just getting rid of him all together? In my mind, the move of AI to SG and TY to SF is just a natural transition of your best assets, but I could be sold on other options if they make sense.

[The Guilty Party]

By the way, as said before.... the purpose of this thread was more or less to wake up some posters who are living a lie.

While I would love to get Brand, Okafor, or Smith over Randolph (and probably a few other players as well).... this attitude of "if we strike out on Brand, we should go after Okafor. And if we miss out on Okafor, well.... we should just go ahead and overpay Josh Smith"... that attitude is becoming a touch much for me when you consider that we will not have the money to sign any of these guys straight up. And if it's a sign and trade that you're thinking about, then we'll be competing against 29 other teams for those players which will most likely mean parting with future picks and Thad Young.

I think your wish-list should go

Elton Brand
healthy Jermaine O'neal
Zach Randolph
Jamison
Jermaine if health is a question mark
Aldridge (I think he becomes available for the right offer once they are sure of Oden's health)

I just can't see Aldridge becoming available at this time since he'll be entering year 3 of his rookie contract but if he does, he instantly goes to the top of my list over Brand or Okafor or Smith.

[freshie2]

Agree...Aldridge has a decent outside shot, and would appear to be an amazing complimentary piece next to Oden (or vice versa). Would be amazed if they moved him. He would be a piece I'd trade Iguodala for.

[The Guilty Party]

If Aldridge became available... I'd move anyone on our team to get him including Iguodala. That said, he's not going anywhere. If the Blazers were owned by some other cheap owner, I would say that there would be a chance of him being moved since they will have to pay the max for Oden and Roy but Paul Allen doesn't have a problem spending the money to keep a team together.

Also... Kevin Pritchard has proven himself to be one of the smartest GMs in the league and I doubt he lets Aldridge go for 60 cents on a dollar.

[philly262]

If we could get Randolph without trading Evans I would do it.

Randolph is soft, but he's also a great scorer inside, and he would probably come for cheap. I think if we could trade Green, Jason Smith and utah's pick for Randolph that would be great.

It would be a great risk, but I would rather take that risk and see what happens, worst case Randolph gives us 17/10, but plays average defense and doesn't pass the ball. That would already better than what Green and Smith gives us.

Also I think Randolph might just be on bad teams, he played on a bad portland team, and a horrible Knick team. I think going to an unselfish core group like the Sixers might really help him. It's kinda like how Rasheed Wallace changed a lil bit once he went to the Pistons.

And the best case for Randolph is that he averages 20/10, is a model citizen, he plays average defense, and passes the ball time to time. If he can do just do THOSE couple of things he'll elevate this team to ECF level.

And with a bench of Evans, Hill, and add 1st round pick. We should have enough toughness off the bench. And we could still if we wanted to, play Randolph at Center, and have Thad at PF sometimes and run the break.

[Mozy-76er Fan]

I agree 10 -11 mil is not going to get us Brand, Okafor, or Smith. Is there anyway we can get more cap space before FA season starts via a trade?

[blazehound]

If no one is available in the offseason, then the sixers can just sit on the money and spend it in the 09 offseason. This is the first time the sixers will have had cap space in sometime. I doubt they're going to blow their load on a marginal player.

Anyone have any Idea what the 09 free agency will look like?

[Wilfried]

If no one is available in the offseason, then the sixers can just sit on the money and spend it in the 09 offseason. This is the first time the sixers will have had cap space in sometime. I doubt they're going to blow their load on a marginal player.

Finally an intelligent view.

People who think Randolph can help this team in a positive way: stop using crack guys!!

[blazehound]

Here is a list of 08, 09, 10 free agents. Not sure how accurate this is...

http://www.stopmikelupica.com/2007/12/n ... part_1.php

[The Guilty Party]

I believe the best name in free agency '09 will be a 30 year old Lamar Odom. That's the other thing that makes me wonder. So many people on here are all for using the space on Brand, Okafor, or Smith and if we miss out on them, save it for next year. Well, what's next year? 2009 is a down year for free agency and it won't be until 2010 that you *might* have a chance at LeBron, Amare, or Wade.

If the Sixers go through this off-season and do not spend the money, how long into next season will it take before those same people who told them to wait then start to criticize the team for being cheap?

As said before... Randolph is not the 1st name on my list or even close but I'm open to the idea of it should we swing and miss on several other fronts. Hopefully it doesn't come to this but at least we now know that our current coach had a great relationship with the player in question and that's more than I could have said a week ago.