OMFKG! The Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Thread

[SWedd523]

This is starting to get really annoying

[ball teacher]

Anaheim I don't really get what the discussion is about, are you saying MKG isn't a good pick or that he'll be a bust? We needed a SF (among other positions) so we drafted probably the best SF in the draft, what's the beef about?

MKG could have a very good career and by most accouts he's got the type of talent to do so, or he could have a career that doesn't go as expected, that's the case with every person who was ever drafted.

MKG has won on every level he's played and he was one of if not the best player on a dominant college championship team, and in the one summer league game he played, he looked a man among boys. To overlook all of these and just make negative comments about the guy makes you seem like a hater because your criticising him without any real reason. Just say you don't like the guy but don't make it like he's not a talented player.

[MKG14]

I went to the Cavs board and said I thought Waiters was either going to be huge catastrophe or a home run. I went to the Wizards board and said I thought Beal was just the player they needed (while slamming their GM for signposting who they were going to take in advance). I went to the Pistons board, who I had disagreed with many things on (including their love affair with Monroe) and told them Drummond at 9 was awesome, and it was the right move to swing for the fences. I told the Raptors board (who mostly felt the same way) that Ross was a terrible selection. I told the Blazers board they'd come away with 2 good draft selections. I told the Kings board T-Rob was a Kenyon Martin type player, which wasn't bad per se, but that they should adjust their expectations accodingly.

It's a good thing you're here to tell fanbases what happened!

That statement has nothing to do with whether MKG or Iggy is as good as Pippen (hint, they're not even close).

No one would ever says such and such player is as good as such and such hall of fame player. The idea is that they will become better. The idea is that MKG will develop. People like to compare him to iggy and crash because they were good at defense, but I'm looking more at Ron Artest on his best day, which could mean 25 points, 8 rebounds and 6 assists with 1.5 blocks, 2.5 steals and the guy he's defending shooting less than 40%. That's what we think may be possible, we'll have to see, but if it is he'll be the best player in this draft. More likely he lands in the iggy/crash tier but for every other player in the draft (not named davis), it's more likely that they never make an all star game than that they do.

And you'd be wrong. Pippen was 3rd in the MVP voting in 94, all without Jordan, as he led the Bulls to a 55 win record. Pippen, despite being overshadowed by Jordan, ranked from 3rd to 11th in the MVP voting 6 separate years. Pippen made 7 all-nba teams. If you think MKG can produce these results, I'm happy to bet on that, but it's a crazy claim to make.

There are 15 players every year on all NBA teams, and they have to get 2 guards, forwards, and 2 centers for every team. That means 6 forwards. Take the 6 best forwards in the league right now, and tell me: on draft night, did anyone say it'd be crazy if they didn't make an All NBA team? Maybe LeBron, but if that's your standard no one in this draft but Davis comes close. In 2011 you had Zach Randolph in the forward slot. I doubt anyone really figured that would happen.

[Eoghan]

... and in the one summer league game he played, he looked a man among boys...

Well, the easy counterargument to that is that the Kings' SL team is just awful, so bad that they released one of their best looking players on that squad in Whiteside. Every decent player has looked like a man among boys against them.

[SWedd523]

... and in the one summer league game he played, he looked a man among boys...

Well, the easy counterargument to that is that the Kings' SL team is just awful, so bad that they released one of their best looking players on that squad in Whiteside. Every decent player has looked like a man among boys against them.

a bit of an exaggeration, but we can deal with it

[Eoghan]

What's more impressive is that he beasted against that crappy Kings' team on a gimpy knee.

[ball teacher]

What's more impressive is that he beasted against that crappy Kings' team on a gimpy knee.

It was still good to see our high draft pick play well against "crappy" competition though, and you're right, the fact that he did it while hurt was even better.

[AnaheimRoyale]

That the fact that his knee is hurt really shouldn't be a cause for celebration, not when the status of his knee hasn't been cleared up in any article I've seen.

[MKG14]

That the fact that his knee is hurt really shouldn't be a cause for celebration, not when the status of his knee hasn't been cleared up in any article I've seen.

do you really think that's what anyone meant? really?

[KembaWalker]

That the fact that his knee is hurt really shouldn't be a cause for celebration, not when the status of his knee hasn't been cleared up in any article I've seen.

this guy

[AVolumeScorer]

To be honest, I don't understand how you could waste your time here demeaning a pick of a franchise you aren't a fan of. In 2004, were you on the Magic board telling them about how their pick will be a bust and he's a joke?Seriously. Or how about last year with the Cavs?Picking the injury prone guy who played 11 games in college over someone like Derrick Williams who dominated the college game[not saying Irving didn't]. You don't know how things turn out. It's one thing to not like a pick, it's another thing to waste your time arguing with fans of another team when he hasn't even played a game yet.

I'm not a Bobcat fan either, but from watching nearly every Kentucky game last year this guys work ethic alone will prevent him from being called a "bust" imo. To call him "the next Pippen" is premature, but I could see it happening. He doesn't have a polished offensive game, but he's great on the defensive end, has an amazing work ethic, and overall I couldn't see the Bobcats making a better pick. T-Rob is the only guy that I think might have a better career than MKG.

[B-easy]

If MKG does those things, he will indeed be a great pick at #2. Does anyone really think he'll be a top 3 MVP vote getter? Or a 7 time all-NBA teamer (three 1st teams)?

Yes, i am expecting something close to this from him actually.

He is the only player (along with maybe Wroten) that i can see being better than Anthony Davis from this draft.

[_tijo_]

I refuse to engage trolls. They can post their garbage, but they won't get a reaction from me.

MKG is about changing the culture at the Bobcats. Biggest criticism of this team is that they don't look like they cared at all... and that was because of the Boris Diaws and even DJ, who looked like he was having a terrible time here. MKG is a hard worker, Dunlap will crack the whip, and it's about creating the culture of caring, hard work, and winning. MKG, Kemba, Biz, and Dunlap with Cho are the foundation. Everyone else is stopgap until we get more players in the draft.

[dre4bobcats]

I wouldnt compare him to pippen, but gerald wallace with 15 extra pounds sounds more accurate

[countryboi]

MGK is gerald wallace right now...if he doesnt work on his game anymore he can give you a gerald wallace type of game off pure effort

[fatlever]

from grantland in an article about summer league

http://www.grantland.com/blog/the-trian ... mer-league

First, there's the blessing of watching a player who is head and shoulders above everybody else on the court take over a game. You can see that on television, and it translates even better at an NBA game, but when it's in front of a thousand people in a women's basketball gym, it's plain as day. Take Michael Kidd-Gilchrist's performance in the Bobcats-Kings game from the first night, a game that basically ended up serving as the quintessential example of the Tao of summer league for me. On a court with the likes of Kemba Walker and Thomas Robinson, themselves fellow college stars, it would seem unlikely that a versatile, subtle player like MKG would really dominate a game. Well, it happened, and it was beautiful. It felt like watching a pickup game where everyone on the court knows one guy is going to do just about whatever he wants whenever he wants … except with a group of NBA-caliber players watching a rookie during his first game in a pro jersey.

[Liver_Pooty]

So Im guessing his knee is ok?

[MKG14]

So Im guessing his knee is ok?

I think they were just being careful. After his first SL game they felt he was a known quantity, that he'd definitely be starter material and therefore even a little tenderness is worth missing time for, since the games don't really count for anything.

[gamer4Life]

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2012/7/14/3 ... eague-2012

How does Michael Kidd-Gilchrist play hard and with a purpose? We picked out a couple things he demonstrated in his breakout Summer League debut.

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Jul 14, 2012 - LAS VEGAS -- Michael Kidd-Gilchrist played in front of arguably the most rabid fanbase in the country when he was in college at Kentucky. His final game there took place on an elevated stage with 75,000 people watching in the New Orleans Superdome.

And yet, as he prepared for his first professional game in front of a couple thousand clearly tired fans at the Thomas and Mack Center, he was nervous, at least according to his head coach.

"Michael was all nerves before the game started," Mike Dunlap said. "But he settled down. He played at Kentucky in front of 24,000 fans, and what's the value of that?"

Kidd-Gilchrist himself wasn't made available to the media to back up Dunlap's claim, but I think it's safe to say all nerves evaporated pretty quickly. On his first defensive possession, he crouched into his typical defensive stance 75 feet from the basket and shouted at nobody in particular. He wasn't taunting his opponent, the Sacramento Kings, nor was he shouting instructions to his teammate behind him. He was just shouting for the hell of it. From there, the rest was easy.

For the next two hours, Kidd-Gilchrist opened everyone's eyes, showing any remaining skeptics that the clichés about his energy before the 2012 NBA Draft were far more than clichés. The final numbers -- 18 points, eight rebounds, five assists and four steals -- were impressive enough, but Kidd-Gilchrist's breakout was about far more than that. It may not actually be possible to will a team to a 34-point Summer League blowout, but if it were, Kidd-Gilchrist's performance would be a perfect example.

"He sets the tone for everyone else," Dunlap said. "He's a locker room guy. He doesn't use a lot of words, but he has an impact with his voice and he backs it up with an energy."

Indeed, Kidd-Gilchrist's performance was all about putting a cliché into action. How did he will his team? There were so many ways, but two especially stand out.
Defensive intensity

This was always Kidd-Gilchrist's calling card in college, but it was safe to wonder whether the presence of Anthony Davis made it easier for him to go all out. One game of summer league, though, was enough to erase that concern. Kidd-Gilchrist was everywhere on the Bobcats' press, picked up four steals from being opportunistic, guarded Thomas Robinson for most of the game and was always in the proper help position.

Full Summer League Coverage | Schroeder on Thomas Robinson
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All that is impressive, but Kidd-Gilchrist's defensive intensity, at least for this Bobcats squad, is more important once you consider the larger context. Since he arrived as the Bobcats' coach, Dunlap has preached effort, theorizing that so many games in the league are won simply by the team that works hardest. As part of that effort, Dunlap installed a full-court press, instructing his team to do anything they could to pick up the tempo. Making that work requires athletes, intelligent defenders and well-conditioned players. Without those things, Dunlap's team would just give up 120 points every night.

That makes Kidd-Gilchrist's presence so pivotal. His athleticism is unquestioned; his defensive intelligence is advanced beyond his years, and while he had to be taken out every few minutes to get quick breaks, he never stops moving when he's on the court. At times, he centered the press, picking up the ball-handler and sliding his feet to stay with him. At times, he lurked in the back, cutting off easy passes and forcing the ones that he could gobble up for steals. But through it all, he was physically and mentally engaged in the sort of way that you can only be when you have a mindset of playing hard.

In other words, Kidd-Gilchrist played hard, smart and in multiple spots defensively. When he does that, the rest of the team follows suit.
Straight line drives

Kidd-Gilchrist's jumper is a work in progress, but he still found a way to get to the basket at will against the Kings. How? While you'd think that teams would back off him and limit his space to drive, Kidd-Gilchrist counteracts that by working so hard to counteract the space he does get.

There are two kinds of drivers in the NBA: the ones who create space, and the ones who use space. Most players are adept at doing the former. They use fancy dribbling moves to get defenders off-balanced, but once they get that space, they don't really use it effectively. Maybe they settle for bad jumpers. Maybe they think they've created more space than they have and they barrel into a help defender for an offensive foul. Maybe they fail to seize the space that they've gained, almost as if they spend a split second too long impressed or surprised with their own ability to create an opening.

None of that describes Kidd-Gilchrist's game. His drives to the basket in this game weren't as a result of fancy dribbling moves. He just came at defenders, using his quickness to step around them. Nothing fancy, just all-out attack mode. Rather than trying to make an impressive move, Kidd-Gilchrist maps out his path to the basket and immediately processes the most efficient use of his dribble and steps to get there.

"He just plays basketball, taking what the defense gives him," Kemba Walker said. That's a cliché, but it's true. Once the opening is there, Kidd-Gilchrist just seizes it.

Doing this every time is tiring, because it requires all-out aggression that many players don't possess. Kidd-Gilchrist, though, has that aggression and isn't afraid to use it. While it won't be quite as easy in the NBA as it was in this game, he'll manufacture points simply because he won't ever pass on an opportunity to take advantage of space.

***

It was just one game, but already, Kidd-Gilchrist showed why he's the centerpiece of the Bobcats' rebuilding effort. For Charlotte to succeed in its goal of playing harder than its opponent every night, it needs its best player to play harder than his opponent every night. More importantly, it needs its best player to play harder with a purpose than his opponent every night. Kidd-Gilchrist proved he could do that, all while impacting so many areas of the game.

"We need him to guard the best players, get baskets for us and just be really intense for us," Walker said. "I know it's a lot for a rookie, but he's the No. 2 pick, so he better be ready."

So far, so good.

[STL_Cat]

Boner.