RealGM

C
Picks: No. 2 Michael Kidd Gilchrist, No. 31 Jeffrey Taylor

The Bobcats had a tough decision to make, and went with a proven winner, high character kid and two-way player. He gives Charlotte a constant in a lineup that saw little consistency. They added a player that will add toughness, hustle and defense which should help push them towards developing a winning attitude. The problem is that MKG lacks offensive potential, and this team really struggles to score. Kidd-Gilchrist is more of a glorified role player (think Kawai Leonard or Gerald Wallace) than a super star in the mold of a Scottie Pippen. Players such as Harrison Barnes or even Thomas Robinson made more sense, and trading the pick for multiple picks seemed like the obvious move. There will be quite a few players taken after this pick that we project will end up better than MKG. Charlotte also added Jeffery Taylor, a versatile forward who can guard three positions and knock down shots on the perimeter.

Charlotte Bobcats

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist (2): The Cats took a great player with excellent motor who is an athletic freak and has excellent work ethic. So why did they wind up with a B-? MKG fills a need for the Bobcats, especially after the trade of Corey Maggette for Ben Gordon. But with limited ability to score on his own, and with so many needs, you have to wonder if a trade down wouldn't have been better for the franchise.

Jeffery Taylor (31): Athlete at a discount. Taylor fell out of the first round and the Bobcats were there to catch him. They need talent. He has talent. Great get.

Overall grade: B-

Grade: B

Michael Kidd-Gilchrist is an incredibly talented defender and gifted offensive player in transition.

However, while his star-caliber talent will be a welcomed sight in Charlotte, Thomas Robinson was arguably the better prospect to build a team around.

The Bobcats are not a team known for its outside or inside shooting prowess, and with Kidd-Gilchrist—who needs to hone his jump shot—they still lack that go-to scorer.

-Ian- wrote:NBA Draft Grades: Where The Bobcats Are Finally Winners

Charlotte Bobcats

Selected SF Michael Kidd-Gilchrist No. 2 overall, SG Jeff Taylor No. 31 overall, traded Corey Maggette to Pistons for SG Ben Gordon, future 1st round pick

Maybe Rich Cho is much smarter than anyone realized. The Bobcats were dealt a crushing blow when they lost the lottery, but they've played things just about perfectly from there. The Ben Gordon trade gives them someone who can score, and even though he's way overpaid, the Bobcats would have had to overpay people anyway just to meet the salary floor over the next few years. Plus, they picked up a 1st round pick from the Pistons in one of the next three drafts (depending on lottery protections).

But, the main story: Cho played things close to the vest all along, feigned disinterest at No. 2, milked Cleveland and Houston to see if they'd offer something truly insane, and then when (apparently) they didn't, the Bobcats went ahead and took the second best player in the draft.

They must have been tempted by Thomas Robinson's ability to contribute immediately, and Kidd-Gilchrist isn't the sort of player who's going to come in and put up huge numbers to get fans excited. But in the end, if you're trying to build a serious contender, MKG was the second-best weapon available, and he's much, much better than all the Gerald Wallace comparisons would suggest. It took guts to go for an unorthodox superstar given how barren the rest of the roster is, but Cho made the smart play, and added Gordon to help provide scoring while MKG contributes in other ways. Getting Jeffery Taylor (maybe the best perimeter defender in the draft) at 31 was just a bonus. Considering the situation that were dealing with, you couldn't ask for much more.

GRADE: A+

7:43 — The Bobcats take … Michael Kidd-Gilchrist? WOW! They did the right thing?!?!?!? We're stunned! I can't stop using exclamation points! Probably not a good sign for the MJ era when it's shocking that the team picking second took the second-best player. Great pick. I couldn't be a bigger MKG fan, as explained here. As Bilas gushes, "You can't teach relentless." He's going to be a killer pro. Think Scottie Pippen crossed with Gerald Wallace, only if they had a hyphen and played every game like it was Game 7 of the Finals.2

FORD: With Charlotte's no. 2 pick, I'm taking Michael Kidd-Gilchrist.

Personally, I think Kidd-Gilchrist has a chance to be the second best player in this draft. He has more holes in his game than several of the top picks in the draft. He's just a so-so shooter with a hitchy jumper. He's not a great ball handler yet and doesn't really know how to create his own shot. That doesn't scream no. 2 pick.

But he's won at every level (high school, AAU, NCAA) and has a Rondo-eque type of motor and toughness. He's an elite finisher at the rim. He runs the floor as well as anyone in the draft. He can defend at least three positions. He's a gym rat and a relentless worker. Most of the analysts who followed him in high school thought he made major improvements as a freshman in virtually every area. And he's the youngest player in the draft (doesn't turn 19 until late September). Most of the players his age were high school seniors last year. He really has skipped ahead a year. I wrote yesterday that Kidd-Gilchrist "just might be a Gerald Wallace clone, or he might be a saner version of Metta World Peace. But if we are talking ceilings, I think his is Scottie Pippen. Pair him with an elite scorer, and I think he'll have a few rings by the time he retires." Do you agree with that?

SIMMONS: Chad, this pick makes so much sense that I can only assume you mistakenly thought MKG was Slovenian. Everyone keeps saying there's no "sure thing" in this draft after Davis. Why isn't MKG a sure thing? You know what you're getting — he's the most competitive guy in the draft, he's an incredible athlete, his teams win everywhere he goes, he's the prototypical über-athlete swing guy who can defend three positions, and he could absolutely be the second-best or third-best player on a title contender some day.

I'm judging every lottery pick in this draft by one question: "Could you have played in that insanely athletic 2012 Finals I just watched?" We can't say that's where the NBA might be headed because it's already there — we just saw it. And for MKG, the answer is, "Yes, he would have absolutely fit into that Finals … and maybe even slowed down Durant or LeBron a little." I don't care that he can't shoot yet. He'll figure it out. I agree with you — Pippen is the right comparison here. But it's his competitiveness that really stands out for me. You stick someone on your team who cares that much and everything else will fall into place.

BrotherDave wrote:C-

Let's face it. We drafted a guy who can't dribble, can't shoot and has so-so athleticism. At some point, you have to stop wanking about intangibles and look at the actual skills and MKG is a project. I don't care about his motor, his hatred of losing, his relentlessness. I'm sure we could have found a marine playing pick up ball at the base that matches all those in addition to not being able to shoot or dribble. We've basically got a less crazy Artest, whose potential is super duper role player, but never a legit star. Maybe that's the best we could do, maybe we picked the best role player in a draft full of them after Davis but I hate putting all our eggs in one hyphenated basket when guys like Royce White, Drummond, Lillard, Leonard, Moultrie, Lamb, or even PJIII are floating around and a combination of them could probably be had easily. I like MKG but he's not #2 pick worthy.

I like Jeff Taylor. He's the best Vandy player in the draft IMO and a great BPA pick. Too bad we already drafted a defensive 6'7 SF earlier but at least we've got depth there.

BrotherDave wrote:C-

Let's face it. We drafted a guy who can't dribble, can't shoot and has so-so athleticism. At some point, you have to stop wanking about intangibles and look at the actual skills and MKG is a project. I don't care about his motor, his hatred of losing, his relentlessness. I'm sure we could have found a marine playing pick up ball at the base that matches all those in addition to not being able to shoot or dribble. We've basically got a less crazy Artest, whose potential is super duper role player, but never a legit star. Maybe that's the best we could do, maybe we picked the best role player in a draft full of them after Davis but I hate putting all our eggs in one hyphenated basket when guys like Royce White, Drummond, Lillard, Leonard, Moultrie, Lamb, or even PJIII are floating around and a combination of them could probably be had easily. I like MKG but he's not #2 pick worthy.

I like Jeff Taylor. He's the best Vandy player in the draft IMO and a great BPA pick. Too bad we already drafted a defensive 6'7 SF earlier but at least we've got depth there.