Washington signs Randolph

[jimsumner]

http://www.wboc.com/story/19588085/wizards-sign-four-for-training-camp

18 for training camp. Still has work to do.

[devildeac]

http://www.wboc.com/story/19588085/wizards-sign-four-for-training-camp

18 for training camp. Still has work to do.

The bad thing for Shav is that he already has 4 fouls:rolleyes:.

[moonpie23]

this is awesome!!! GO SHAV!!!

[NovaScotian]

hooray for shavlik! man, i hope he finally breaks through. any league in which miles plumlee is a first rounder has to be a league in which shavlik randolph finds a place. godspeed!

[johnb]

hooray for shavlik! man, i hope he finally breaks through. any league in which miles plumlee is a first rounder has to be a league in which shavlik randolph finds a place. godspeed!

miles>shav

[Faison1]

miles>shav

No.

More physically gifted....Yes.

But no.....I would take a senior Randolph (even though we never saw that) over a senior Miles any day of the week.

[CameronBlue]

No.

More physically gifted....Yes.

But no.....I would take a senior Randolph (even though we never saw that) over a senior Miles any day of the week.

Yes but it's those physical gifts that give Miles a better chance to make it in the league as a specialist. Plus he's a bigger body. Neither player possesses the complete game to make it as an all-around force in the league. But Miles gets up and down the court very well, can jump out of the gym which suggests he may be able to develop into a consistent rebounder/screener specialist. I don't think Shav has one strength that will afford him more than spot minutes.

[hq2]

Yes but it's those physical gifts that give Miles a better chance to make it in the league as a specialist. Plus he's a bigger body. Neither player possesses the complete game to make it as an all-around force in the league. But Miles gets up and down the court very well, can jump out of the gym which suggests he may be able to develop into a consistent rebounder/screener specialist. I don't think Shav has one strength that will afford him more than spot minutes.

People forget that a while ago, before he had that horrible ankle injury, Shav was starting for the 76ers (with a little help from old friend Billy King). He never quite got back to what he was before that. At this point, he's mostly a backup roster filler; don't see him at age 28 ever being more than that now. But, in his prime, in the NBA he was a better all around player than I think Miles will be; a decent shooter and passer with better hands and some decent offensive moves (but not Miles' athleticism or rebounding ability) and better overall court sense.

[greybeard]

Darko and Randoph in same week. Trying to make team stronger or lower payroll, cost of backups? Neither cares which, and a shot is a shot.

[hq2]

Darko and Randoph in same week. Trying to make team stronger or lower payroll, cost of backups? Neither cares which, and a shot is a shot.

Darko is up there with Sam Bowie as famous #2 draft pick busts taken before future hall-of-famers.
Still, to get a big body up front who will rebound, play some D, and not do anything stupid,
he's a pretty good buy for a big man at a league minimum. The C's are desperate for frontcourt
depth of any type, and at that price, they can't go wrong.

[Biscuit King]

People forget that a while ago, before he had that horrible ankle injury, Shav was starting for the 76ers (with a little help from old friend Billy King). He never quite got back to what he was before that. At this point, he's mostly a backup roster filler; don't see him at age 28 ever being more than that now. But, in his prime, in the NBA he was a better all around player than I think Miles will be; a decent shooter and passer with better hands and some decent offensive moves (but not Miles' athleticism or rebounding ability) and better overall court sense.

Am I missing something? According to his ESPN bio, Shav has started a total of 7 games in his NBA career. He only has one season in which he played more than 13 games... and he averaged 2.3 ppg in that season.

His career totals are 229 points and 230 rebounds. If Miles stays healthy this year, I don't think it's a stretch to say he may surpass Shav's CAREER numbers in just his rookie year.

[hq2]

Am I missing something? According to his ESPN bio, Shav has started a total of 7 games in his NBA career. He only has one season in which he played more than 13 games... and he averaged 2.3 ppg in that season.

His career totals are 229 points and 230 rebounds. If Miles stays healthy this year, I don't think it's a stretch to say he may surpass Shav's CAREER numbers in just his rookie year.

I have no doubt that Miles will have little difficulty in exceeding Shav's totals. But that's misleading.
When I compare the two, I compare Shav right before he got hurt (his peak) with what Miles' peak
will be. Shav had just begun starting, and was getting better all the time. That injury completely derailed his NBA career; he never returned to what he was before then. If it hadn't happened, he might have gone on to be a long time quality NBA starter/rotation player. Whether Miles will approach Shav at his peak is debatable; it's hard to say right now, because we don't really know how good he will be in the NBA. But he will probably have to improve some from where he is now to do it.

[Indoor66]

I have no doubt that Miles will have little difficulty in exceeding Shav's totals. But that's misleading.
When I compare the two, I compare Shav right before he got hurt (his peak) with what Miles' peak
will be.

When and where did you get to see Miles' NBA peak?

[hq2]

When and where did you get to see Miles' NBA peak?

Rest of my post:

"Whether Miles will approach Shav at his peak is debatable; it's hard to say right now, because we don't really know how good he will be in the NBA. But he will probably have to improve some from where he is now to do it."

Good idea to read it all.

[YmoBeThere]

Rest of my post:

"Whether Miles will approach Shav at his peak is debatable; it's hard to say right now, because we don't really know how good he will be in the NBA. But he will probably have to improve some from where he is now to do it."

Good idea to read it all.

So, you are just speculating without seeing any real performance?

Sorry, I just wasted everyone's time.

[greybeard]

Rest of my post:

"Whether Miles will approach Shav at his peak is debatable; it's hard to say right now, because we don't really know how good he will be in the NBA. But he will probably have to improve some from where he is now to do it."

Good idea to read it all.

Nobody ever knows about most. Miles has a very good mid range jump shot. Duke does not feature that in its offense. Miles can get out on the break, beat most bigs down the court. With games counting lesss in the pros than in college, and all but the last 10 minutes counting for nothing, I expect we will see effective and deft finishes. I also think that Miles will learn to soften throughout when he wants, which will not only make him much more dynamic, but also will greatly improve his timing, coordination, nuasance and hands (they are after all connected to the rest of him). Why do I thinik that? That is what everyone around him will be doing; he'll get it. They'll be plenty of one-on-one games with teammates on game days, he'll learn through kinesthetic connections; soon, from the bench he will begin to watch how players seem to soften and tighten as they do different things on the court instead of just looking at movements that have been drummed into him for who knows how long. Soon he will start consciously experimenting. At least that is what I hope happens. :cool:

[hq2]

Nobody ever knows about most. Miles has a very good mid range jump shot. Duke does not feature that in its offense. Miles can get out on the break, beat most bigs down the court. With games counting lesss in the pros than in college, and all but the last 10 minutes counting for nothing, I expect we will see effective and deft finishes. I also think that Miles will learn to soften throughout when he wants, which will not only make him much more dynamic, but also will greatly improve his timing, coordination, nuasance and hands (they are after all connected to the rest of him). Why do I thinik that? That is what everyone around him will be doing; he'll get it. They'll be plenty of one-on-one games with teammates on game days, he'll learn through kinesthetic connections; soon, from the bench he will begin to watch how players seem to soften and tighten as they do different things on the court instead of just looking at movements that have been drummed into him for who knows how long. Soon he will start consciously experimenting. At least that is what I hope happens. :cool:

Well, that's what we hope will happen, anyway. Of course, that's what we hoped would happen at
Duke, too, remember? At any rate, I do believe that the NBA game will suit his skills better. In all
fairness to him, I think he really did get better at Duke, but the shoot-first guards and Mason's better
low post game sort of left him a little on the outside. His bang-and-run skills and nice mid range jumper
could indeed make him a useful NBA player. Let's hope the Pacers can use him better, which I think they will.

[greybeard]

Well, that's what we hope will happen, anyway. Of course, that's what we hoped would happen at
Duke, too, remember? At any rate, I do believe that the NBA game will suit his skills better. In all
fairness to him, I think he really did get better at Duke, but the shoot-first guards and Mason's better
low post game sort of left him a little on the outside. His bang-and-run skills and nice mid range jumper
could indeed make him a useful NBA player. Let's hope the Pacers can use him better, which I think they will.

It DID happen at Duke. You forget the last seven games. He softened, relaxed, and showed a tinge of what his upside might be if he got to do that on a regular basis. That is the NBA during the regular season. Before games, he'll be playing lots of one-on-one, not to win, but to develop, not with instruction, but by exploring new stuff, seeing and experiencing how other players with different skill sets do it. He'll learn through tactile and other sensory imputes while guarding other players as they go through the actions that comprise moves and finishes, the preliminaries to standing and dribble-stop-and shoot jump shots, etc. Cumulatively those imputs will become options that will just present themselves during the course of play and then Miles will start working on his own to develop his own styles and diversity of employing those components that best suit him. That's how learning to have choice beyond the habituated happens; that's how an individual has choice in how a jump shot is to be set up and delivered, that is how an individual gets to grow his own game, not some ideal presented by mechanical imagining that will work optimally in a one-size-fits-all world that does not exist. Sure, there are inputs from such biotechnology that inform and enhance performance; however, they work only to the extent that an individual possesses the ability to self-learn going in. Educating people to recapture the skills of self-learning is outside what machines and how-to directions work. In the end, when one develops choice in how to get into and deliver a shot, the term "jump shot" will become far to vague to that individual to describe his intention and then what it has produced. Those things will then become much more detailed and nuanced and will be free from ambiguity, even as they produce in an instance as a whole.

Miles will have the opportunity to play with exploration to find his way to choice. To the extent that he does might define him as a player, and most certainly will in large part determine how his game grows and, with it, how enjoyable his time in the pro-game will be.

Just my perspective, of course, I hope that some of you might find it of value.

[hq2]

It DID happen at Duke. You forget the last seven games. He softened, relaxed, and showed a tinge of what his upside might be if he got to do that on a regular basis. That is the NBA during the regular season. Before games, he'll be playing lots of one-on-one, not to win, but to develop, not with instruction, but by exploring new stuff, seeing and experiencing how other players with different skill sets do it. He'll learn through tactile and other sensory imputes while guarding other players as they go through the actions that comprise moves and finishes, the preliminaries to standing and dribble-stop-and shoot jump shots, etc. Cumulatively those imputs will become options that will just present themselves during the course of play and then Miles will start working on his own to develop his own styles and diversity of employing those components that best suit him. That's how learning to have choice beyond the habituated happens; that's how an individual has choice in how a jump shot is to be set up and delivered, that is how an individual gets to grow his own game, not some ideal presented by mechanical imagining that will work optimally in a one-size-fits-all world that does not exist. Sure, there are inputs from such biotechnology that inform and enhance performance; however, they work only to the extent that an individual possesses the ability to self-learn going in. Educating people to recapture the skills of self-learning is outside what machines and how-to directions work. In the end, when one develops choice in how to get into and deliver a shot, the term "jump shot" will become far to vague to that individual to describe his intention and then what it has produced. Those things will then become much more detailed and nuanced and will be free from ambiguity, even as they produce in an instance as a whole.

Miles will have the opportunity to play with exploration to find his way to choice. To the extent that he does might define him as a player, and most certainly will in large part determine how his game grows and, with it, how enjoyable his time in the pro-game will be.

Just my perspective, of course, I hope that some of you might find it of value.

Hey, that was pretty good! You must be a psychologist! Well, at a minimum, the Pacers
will be paying him close to a million dollars next year, so from their point of view, I think they
hope it happens sooner rather than later. However if Miles shows real promise, (which I think
he will because he has not only a good worth ethic, but is very coachable) he may do it in the
D league, if it doesn't happen fast enough. However, unlike similar player McBobs, who had clear
cut attitude issues, I think Miles would treat it as a learning experience and not a demotion.
I think Miles is grateful to have been a first rounder (since most people didn't think he would be)
and thus have a guaranteed contract, so I think he'll be glad to go along with whatever they suggest.
We'll see how he does.

[greybeard]

Hey, that was pretty good! You must be a psychologist! Well, at a minimum, the Pacers
will be paying him close to a million dollars next year, so from their point of view, I think they
hope it happens sooner rather than later. However if Miles shows real promise, (which I think
he will because he has not only a good worth ethic, but is very coachable) he may do it in the
D league, if it doesn't happen fast enough. However, unlike similar player McBobs, who had clear
cut attitude issues, I think Miles would treat it as a learning experience and not a demotion.
I think Miles is grateful to have been a first rounder (since most people didn't think he would be)
and thus have a guaranteed contract, so I think he'll be glad to go along with whatever they suggest.
We'll see how he does.

No, I am not a psychologist. Wouldn't begin to try to be one, and probably would fail miserably if I tried. What I am trained to do is to help people who are interested learn how to learn to develop options to habitual patterns and poor concepts that do not work well for them. I also know quite a bit about basketball, what it takes to have good hands, moves, shooting ability, etc, and how to develop choice about how to perform those tasks to met the challenges presented in an ever changing environment. Somethings about performing various tasks in basketball are non negotiable if you want to be effective. Very few. I know what they are. Some are elusive, fly under the rader. Learning how to develop choice is one of them, learning how to develop soft hands is another. There are any number of tasks that are essential to performance on a basketball court that I know nothing about. I could not begin to tell you what they entail, for example, developing explosiveness that is off the charts. Experts can give "how to" instructions that will yield results for high-end athletes who train according to those instructions. If an athlete uses that new found explosiveness with poor organization, poor concepts, wthout the ability to know how to not use it during performance, it will not improve how they play. It might even lead to them hurting themselves.

We have seen Miles develop physically over his four years at Duke; he is a remarkable physical specimen. He clearly understands the game and can perform quite well on the court. How effective was he throughout his career when he got the ball near the rim with inside position? A guy who had the hops and strength that he did? How much did all that work on his body help with his inside game?

Look, I do not expect that my perspectives will resonate with everyone. I offer them only on the chance that a reader might find something of value, maybe that they will simply find them interesting, something to think about, play with sometime. I'm more than fine if people don't.

[greybeard]

Hey, that was pretty good! You must be a psychologist! Well, at a minimum, the Pacers
will be paying him close to a million dollars next year, so from their point of view, I think they
hope it happens sooner rather than later. However if Miles shows real promise, (which I think
he will because he has not only a good worth ethic, but is very coachable) he may do it in the
D league, if it doesn't happen fast enough. However, unlike similar player McBobs, who had clear
cut attitude issues, I think Miles would treat it as a learning experience and not a demotion.
I think Miles is grateful to have been a first rounder (since most people didn't think he would be)
and thus have a guaranteed contract, so I think he'll be glad to go along with whatever they suggest.
We'll see how he does.

I think I have offered some perspectives about how people learn to move beyond what is habitual, to develop other options to do what they want. I am a trained professional at helping people to lean on their own, to develop choice, to have at least several options to come into a jump shot, how to bring the ball up to shooting, etc. I have an understanding, an educated one, of how learning of that sort takes place. I also know quite a bit about the game of basketball, about the skills involved. I also have observed Miles play throughout his four years at Duke. I do not expect that everyone will resonate with my perspectives. I offer them on the chance that it that some people might find some value in them, perhaps see things about improving performance differently. I have no problem if people don't.

Look, trainers come up with "how to" instructions that, if followed by athletes, will lead to incredible growth in athletic performance, speed, agility, strength, explosiveness. But, they will not meaningfully enhance performance if an athlete does not know how to modulate their use. They will not enhance performance if an athlete is fixed in habituated patterns of self use, in poor concepts. They might even increase the risk of injury. We have all seen Miles over the course of his four years at Duke develop into an incredible physical specimen. How much did it help him when he caught the ball inside the defense next to the rim? How come he didn't improve one whit as an inside finisher? Like I said, my perspectives might not resonate with everyone.

By the way, Miles and McRob do not have remotely similar games. McRob's game is nuanced. He knows how to soften his body and use his flexor muscles at just the right time to perform with diversity. He sees much more of the game than Miles does. Had he not injured his back I think that we'd be looking at an NBA star. He has soft hands because he knows how to soften, how to shut off his flexors, or use them when he wants. When one group of flexors are habitually tight from all that ab work, they all are. Flexor muscles close one's hands. Miles currently has much less nuance to his game, much less diversity. I think having the time playing one-on-one with players of his size who present differently will provide him the opportunity to learn to do things differently, to develop diversity and choice that will greatly enhance his play. He will not get any coaching in the pros that is superior to the coaching that he received at Duke.

[-bdbd]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/blogs/wizards-insider/wp/2012/10/27/wizards-cut-shavlik-randolph-and-steven-gray/

Unfortunately the Washington Wizards have today waived Shav Randolph. Let's hope that this remarkable young man catches on somewhere else. He has the size and skills to make an impact. Apparently he was hit in the mouth - is this guy an injury magnet or what?!! - last week at the Cavaliers game, and has seen reduced time since.

Good luck Shav!

[-bdbd]

Correction: Shav was injured in the Washington game with Toronto.
Too bad, as I was looking forward to seeing him in a Wizards uniform.

[moonpie23]

dang.....was pulling for him to make it...

[hq2]

dang.....was pulling for him to make it...
Hey give him a chance! He might still catch on somewhere; it's a long season, plenty
of time for other players to get injured. We'll see.