NEW YORK _ The Knicks gave $63 million to Julius Randle to be their star this season.
On Monday, he played like it.
The power forward, who mostly struggled to begin his Knicks career, dropped 30 points in a 123-105 breeze over the Cavaliers, shooting 12-for-17 in his statement performance.
Randle came into the contest on a stretch of inefficiency. His scoring and shooting percentage were way down from the previous season in New Orleans. His turnovers were way up.
Still, Fizdale has allowed Randle to run the offense as the point-forward, a move that absorbed lumps. But the coach was rewarded for his faith on Monday. Randle, who represented the consolation prize this summer after the Knicks struck out on star free agents, had 23 points at the break and finished with four assists and one turnover.
New York took a 20-point lead in the second quarter and never took its foot off Cleveland's throat.
"I think it's just (Randle's) overall decision-making is getting better. He's starting to let the game come to him a little bit more instead of trying to press, press, press. Again, we're asking him to do something different, and be a different player than he's been from the standpoint of being the guy that's relied on to score. He's relied on now to make other people better. I really think he's taking that to heart. Every day he comes in, he watches his film and we specifically watch where his opportunities are to help other people."
Fizdale said he pored over tape on Randle from his time with the Pelicans and Lakers, hoping to find a strategy to unlock the 24-year-old. Ultimately, the coach determined the struggles were more about comfort than schemes.
"I dug deep into a lot of his stuff, and I think a lot of it is just getting comfortable with his teammates," Fizdale said. "Taking pressure off himself to will the Knicks (to be a great team). And once he settles in and starts to relax and play I think we're going to see more good games from him."
Of course, Randle needs this consistently to shake the reputation of being an empty-calorie stat machine. Big numbers with zero playoff games have defined the early part of Randle's career.
And Monday night was, in many ways, a schedule win for the Knicks at MSG. The Cavaliers, projected as one of the league's worst, were in the second night of a back-to-back and rested their best player, Kevin Love. They were on a three-game losing streak.
But the Knicks (4-10) aren't in a position to take anything for granted. About a week prior, Cleveland obliterated the Knicks at MSG, with Cavs' guard Collin Sexton running amok. The Knicks' effort, or lack thereof, prompted Steve Mills to hold a surprise press conference to voice its displeasure for the start of the season.
The temperature on Fizdale's seat was turned up.
Since that impromptu presser from Mills, the Knicks are 2-2 and could easily be 3-1. The schedule turns daunting with 11 straight games against playoff teams from last season, starting Wednesday in Philadelphia.
Regardless of the opponent, the Knicks will be in a much better position to win if Monday night's Randle shows up.
