Knicks forward Julius Randle chalked up his latest meltdown with the officials to his competitiveness and his desire to win, but the two-time All-Star said Monday that he knows he’s not perfect.
Before Monday’s home game against the Rockets, Randle addressed the media for the first time since drawing a technical foul for a third consecutive game — and arguing with teammate Immanuel Quickley on his way off the court at halftime – in Thursday’s loss in Orlando.
“Name a perfect leader. Name a perfect human being,” Randle said at the team’s Tarrytown practice facility, adding there’s a fine line between being a competitor and keeping his cool.
“Yeah, it’s a line. It’s a line, for sure.”
Randle said that referee Leon Wood told him during the second half that he may have whistled the technical foul prematurely during the argument, although the NBA hasn’t announced any change to the call over the four days since the incident.
“Leon, I can’t put it in his hands, but he told me he would talk to them about rescinding it, so we’ll see,” Randle said. “Because he said I didn’t curse at him or say anything inappropriate to him or anything like that. Just trying to have a conversation.
“Maybe it was a little bit quick, maybe it wasn’t. But at the end of the day, I can’t put it in his hands like that.”
The Knicks’ leading scorer has spoken often this season about trying to cut down on his combativeness with officials after getting slapped with 12 techs in the 2021-22 season. But he entered Monday with 11 T’s this year in 75 appearances, including four in his past seven games.
“I think it’s difficult for everybody. Credit to [the referees], they have a tough job, so it’s tough,” Randle said. “When you want to win a game, and certain things get in the way or plays are missed or whatever it is, as a competitor, it’s tough. But they also have a tough job, too.
“At the end of the day, I just want to win and compete and that’s where my focus is. If I’m frustrated that’s where I’m coming from.”
Asked if he apologized after the incident to Quickley, who was trying to pull him out of the argument with Wood, Randle added, “I mean, what happens within our team, happens within our team. So I’m not gonna speak on specifics, on how we handle things. But at the end of the day, we’re a team, we’re good, and we’re just focused on winning.”
The Knicks (42-33) enter Monday’s game in the fifth playoff position in the Eastern Conference, two games ahead of the sixth-place Nets and the No. 7 Heat, who will visit MSG on Wednesday.