Khem Birch is a Luke Walton All-Star

[Def Swami]

Khem Birch made Zach Lowe's 8th Annual Luke Walton All-Star Team. Well-deserved.

Khem Birch, Orlando Magic
After an early-season practice, Steve Clifford pulled Birch aside, the Magic coach says. Birch was good enough to play in the NBA, Clifford told him, but it would be hard to find minutes with Nikola Vucevic and Mo Bamba ahead of him.

"Whatever you need me to do," Birch responded, "I'll do. I'll be ready."

A few weeks later, Birch called his agent, and said it was time for an uncomfortable conversation. "I talked about going overseas again," says Birch, who previously played in Greece and Turkey. "I never doubted myself. I just didn't think I was going to get an opportunity."

Birch really did not want to go abroad again. He still hasn't received all his guaranteed salary from those years, he says. He remembers one road game in Turkey when referees stopped play because fans pelted Birch's bench with bottles and coins.

Only days after that call to his agent, Orlando announced Bamba would be out indefinitely with a leg injury. Birch felt badly for the rookie. But he knew: He had a chance.

He has made the most of it. Birch knows his role on offense: set hard picks, dive like hell to the rim. Only six rotation big men roll to the basket more often per 100 possessions, per Second Spectrum.

You might go 10 rim-runs without touching the ball. The attention you draw unlocks open looks for others, but who notices? Where does it show up in traditional box score stats that still play a disproportionate role in getting paid? Birch bought in anyway.

"I'm not here to score points or be the hero," Birch says. "I'm just trying to help my team win."

(Birch is easy to miss in other ways. Everyone with the Magic calls him one of the quietest people on the team. One official even asked Birch -- who grew up in Montreal -- whether he kept to himself because he was more comfortable speaking French, Birch says. He does not speak French.)

He moves his feet on defense, and is a surprisingly explosive leaper. Opponents are shooting only 50.9 percent at the rim with Birch nearby, the third-stingiest mark among all 172 rotation players who challenge at least 2.4 such shots per game. He's also among the per-minute leaders in drawing charges.

"Everyone loves playing with him," Vucevic says.

Since Bamba's injury, the Magic have outscored opponents by five points per 100 possessions with Birch on the floor, per NBA.com. Birch helped stabilize a bench that had been bleeding points. Bamba's injury was a blessing in disguise for Orlando's playoff hopes. That's not an indictment of Bamba; he's 20.

Birch is headed to free agency this summer. "Hopefully I stay in Orlando," he says. "But it's good to know people are noticing me a little."

[mojo13]

What do you guys think happens with him in the offseason?
RFA right? He can seriously play and is a legit back up big in this league. I can't see how he is going to be satisfied signing on as the 3rd center in Orlando. What's his value out there?

There has a to be a few teams that will offer him a defined back-up role with a hefty pay increase. The dumpster-fire Lakers should be pounding down his door.

[Orium]

If Vuc resigns here, then Birch begins to make Bamba look like a real enticing trade piece.

[rcklsscognition]

That bit in the article about Birch calling his agent when he wasn't getting any playing time. Do you all think Birch was attempting to go to Europe in the middle of the season, or talking to his agent about leaving after this season?

[SOUL]

If Vuc resigns here, then Birch begins to make Bamba look like a real enticing trade piece.

Birch is a soon to be 27 year old overseas player that has carved out a nice bench role this year for us, and props to him, because we needed him.

If we traded Bamba just to keep Birch.. that would be another awful Magic move.

[Orium]

If Vuc resigns here, then Birch begins to make Bamba look like a real enticing trade piece.

Birch is a soon to be 27 year old overseas player that has carved out a nice bench role this year for us, and props to him, because we needed him.

If we traded Bamba just to keep Birch.. that would be another awful Magic move.

It wouldn't be simply to keep Birch. If Vuc resigns then we'd be developing Bamba for a backup role? With an adequate backup already available, and Bambas ceiling being much higher, it really doesn't make sense to keep him when he might fetch us something nice. Unless we are just going to keep Bamba on the bench and be happy with that. :shrug:

[Mad Guru]

Guys like Birch are replaceable, but great to have on your team. Reminds of Ed Davis.

[SOUL]

If Vuc resigns here, then Birch begins to make Bamba look like a real enticing trade piece.

Birch is a soon to be 27 year old overseas player that has carved out a nice bench role this year for us, and props to him, because we needed him.

If we traded Bamba just to keep Birch.. that would be another awful Magic move.

It wouldn't be simply to keep Birch. If Vuc resigns then we'd be developing Bamba for a backup role? With an adequate backup already available, and Bambas ceiling being much higher, it really doesn't make sense to keep him when he might fetch us something nice. Unless we are just going to keep Bamba on the bench and be happy with that. :shrug:

I mean, yeah, of course it matters what the return would be, just sounded like your incentive for the move was to keep Birch over Bamba... instead of the return from a Bamba trade being the most important thing and knowing that we have a good backup already in Birch.

But I'd definitely see what we have in Bamba first.. I think with weight gain + experience he will make a big leap in the next few years.

[dsg2021]

Birch doesn’t seem replaceable. We have three amazing centers. Keep them all. Vooch needs conservation as he gets older. Bamba needs to gain a lot of experience. And Birch is in the sweet spot of providing us a big 14 minutes off the bench.

[Knightro]

It's going to be really interesting to see how this Vucevic/Bamba/Birch situation plays out.

Vucevic is very likely going to be resigned for probably double or close to double his current salary.

Bamba is the only one with any immediate trade value because Vucevic and Birch are both free agents.

Birch right now is better suited to be a 15 MPG balls-to-the-wall backup C than Bamba is, but Bamba obviously has starting 30+ MPG potential than Birch will never have.

Bamba's also only 20. Even if the Magic opt to keep Vucevic, it wouldn't at all eliminate Bamba from eventually becoming the Magic's starting C in the next 2-3 years.

[yoyojw17]

If Vuc resigns here, then Birch begins to make Bamba look like a real enticing trade piece.

Birch is a soon to be 27 year old overseas player that has carved out a nice bench role this year for us, and props to him, because we needed him.

If we traded Bamba just to keep Birch.. that would be another awful Magic move.

whew.... beat me to it. lol

RFA... sign him... then trade him when most advantageous or needed. He can be a great sweetener at some point. bamba is what birch was 5 or so years ago... skinny and frail in comparison to most. His ceiling well surpasses birch. haha... shoot make bamba battle birch for them minutes... even play em together at times.

[KillMonger]

Earned him some money however I hope not with us. I really like him but if I have to choose between him and bamba then to me the answer is clear. Once bamba comes back healthy how could you split time between both? Let birch walk, way too early to give up on bamba

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[thelead]

Earned him some money however I hope not with us. I really like him but if I have to choose between him and bamba then to me the answer is clear. Once bamba comes back healthy how could you split time between both? Let birch walk, way too early to give up on bamba

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Since he's a restricted FA, why not resign him and then trade him later for a better fitting asset?

[KillMonger]

Earned him some money however I hope not with us. I really like him but if I have to choose between him and bamba then to me the answer is clear. Once bamba comes back healthy how could you split time between both? Let birch walk, way too early to give up on bamba

Sent from my SM-G960U using RealGM mobile app

Since he's a restricted FA, why not resign him and then trade him later for a better fitting asset?

if he's fine with getting no minutes? why not...If we keep Vuc it's going to be slim pickings and since i'm a big believer in bamba's talent i don't really want any interference that WE can control, injuries can happen. Let some other team sign the offer sheet let him walk and get mozgov's ass out of that suit and on the court. He might be a stiff but at least we'll have another big if (Hopefully not) bamba gets injured again. I think Bamba is probably 2 years away from really becoming that dude so i think we need to put that train on rails as soon as possible. Don't take that as a slight to birch though i really like him, if we didn't have bamba i would want him to stay on but....

[Skin]

Been saying he's our most important FA and the reason why we could trade Vuc at the deadline.

Gimme Birch at 4 years, $16M before Vuc at 4 years, $116M. Easy call.

[KillMonger]

Maybe in 2k

Been saying he's our most important FA and the reason why we could trade Vuc at the deadline.

Gimme Birch at 4 years, $16M before Vuc at 4 years, $116M. Easy call.

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[Def Swami]

Been saying he's our most important FA and the reason why we could trade Vuc at the deadline.

Gimme Birch at 4 years, $16M before Vuc at 4 years, $116M. Easy call.

As long as we're all okay with 25 wins next year, then sure. And there's an argument to be made for that path.

[thelead]

Maybe in 2k

Been saying he's our most important FA and the reason why we could trade Vuc at the deadline.

Gimme Birch at 4 years, $16M before Vuc at 4 years, $116M. Easy call.

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You think Vuc is worth $29 mil per?

[KillMonger]

Maybe in 2k

Been saying he's our most important FA and the reason why we could trade Vuc at the deadline.

Gimme Birch at 4 years, $16M before Vuc at 4 years, $116M. Easy call.

Sent from my SM-G960U using RealGM mobile app

You think Vuc is worth $29 mil per?

Depends on the deal, what I do know for certain is that if we just let him walk we'll be back to having 25-30 win seasons. There isn't anyone on this roster that comes close to bringing what vuc does to the table. While some of you may want tank seasons , me personally I've had enough.

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[fendilim]

Been saying he's our most important FA and the reason why we could trade Vuc at the deadline.

Gimme Birch at 4 years, $16M before Vuc at 4 years, $116M. Easy call.

Hahaha