BLACKFEET 2010 wrote:Carlos Boozer and KAT were bigs he succeeded with despite their shortcomings on defense. I could see Thibbs getting Randle right. I could see Randle having the impact we optimistically hoped he would have when we realized he was our lone big free agent grab.
The Boozer vs. Randle comparison is an interesting one. There's some history there, with Boozer starting for the Lakers ahead of Randle, and I believe they stay close. Boozer worked in Chicago by being the third option with an offense built around MVP Derrick Rose. Randle might work in that same context - with the caveat that we of course would need viable first and second options to begin with.
However, defense is a completely different story. Recall that Thibs had Taj Gibson to call on when Boozer was too much of a liability on defense. His minutes with the Bulls kept falling because of his defensive limitations, and was ultimately amnestied. I don't think Thibs is a miracle worker that can make anyone into a good defensive player. What Thibs does best is distribute minutes so that his better defenders stay on the floor longer.
Assuming Randle is still here come the winter, I expect his minutes will be noticeably lower under the Thibs regime, with the slack taken up by Taj and another defensive big we add in the offseason.