We "Don't" Want the Monk: The Malik Monk Thread

[HoopsMalone]

Article points out exactly what i said the last few pages. Monk is a disaster at SG in this league. He has to learn to play PG or he's headed to Europe

[catch20two]

Lou Williams don’t play PG and he’s shorter than Monk. He’s also usually a intrical part of a winning team.

[Snidely FC]

Here is my problem with the Monk pick.

They scouted Donovan Mitchell and all indications were he would be the pick.
Monk dropped.
Mgmt didn't seem to expect Monk to drop.
What did the team think of the hyped Monk?
They had like a minute and a half to decide.
Monk 3 pt specialist, not a PG, 19, skinny frame, no defense, 3 yrs to impact
Mitchell: scorer, high flyer, not necessarily 3 pt shooter, combo guard, strong frame, long arms, excellent defender, could play right away
They know what Mitchell brings on both sides of the ball, and they like it.
They know what everyone else says Monk brings . . .

Tick tock they're on the clock
So here is my question: Does Mgmt of this team know itself? Do the owner, GM and Clifford, recognize that they prefer mature college players who can contribute on both sides of the ball immediately? Do they recognize that the team is in a win now mode, not pick a guy to develop for 3+ yrs mode? Do they recognize that while they need shooting, a combo guard who can impact on defense as well is needed next to Kemba? Do they pick a player based on what everyone else thinks, or do they trust their own evaluation?

I saw a post earlier in this thread stating that nobody on this board would have taken Mitchell over Monk. Not true. I don't like specialist players. In the modern NBA versatility is everything. I would always choose a two way player over a one way specialist, especially on a small market team that needs to win via depth. I was begging the tv to let the Hornets take Mitchell, and disappointed when they didn't. I am not saying that I could imagine how good Mitchell would look in year 1. I had no idea he was this good. Just that Mgmt should have bucked the Monk hype, examined the team's current needs, and stood by their original evaluation to choose a ready two way player, Donovan Mitchell, over a developmental specialist.

This was the second time the franchise chose a player that dropped (Vonleh), and both decisions have proved damaging. Management of this team has for years lacked a coherent approach to player personnel and roster building. They profess to want to play a modern style, yet populate the roster with the wrong kind of player. My problem isn't Malik Monk, its a team that took a guy they set up for failure.

[yosemiteben]

It's way too early to judge Monk.

We also knew in advance of draft night that he might be available, it wasn't a last minute thing while we were on the clock.

[Bassman]

I made the mistake of seeing Monk dropping and hoped we’d have a shot at a “top 5 rated” pick. Made the same mistake on Vonleh too. Then again, I am not a scout or a coach, studying film and putting guys through a workout. We trust the professionals to do that.

When you regularly have a lottery pick that is outside the star range you are tempted by the falling star. The problem is our professionals made amateur mistakes (like I would have made). A good reason Cho is gone. Clofford needs to be next.

[BlackOutBuzz]

I'm not as concerned at distinguishing Monk as either a PG or SG. In the modern NBA, the traditional five positions have been narrowed to about three: guards, wings, and bigs.

You need at least two legitimate ballhandlers now, the point forward is the holy grail but more often it's the guards functioning as dual-point guards (Lillard/McCollum, Payton/Booker, Rondo/Holiday, etc.).

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[Braggins]

I'm not as concerned at distinguishing Monk as either a PG or SG. In the modern NBA, the traditional five positions have been narrowed to about three: guards, wings, and bigs.

You need at least two legitimate ballhandlers now, the point forward is the holy grail but more often it's the guards functioning as dual-point guards (Lillard/McCollum, Payton/Booker, Rondo/Holiday, etc.).

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Totally agree. If Monk has a good work ethic and attitude I think he'll be a very good player.

The fact that Clifford openly discusses Monk from the perspective of very outdated and rigid ideas of positions (example, saying he has to be a PG to be a starter) is just reason number 1000 while we should be ousting him. We can't be developing players and the team by forcing them through the prism of Clifford's old school ideas about NBA basketball. Its why the team keeps regressing despite getting more talented. The approach of fighting harder and harder to continue swimming upstream will get this franchise nowhere.

Monk might always be at least a bit behind Mitchell, but with close to max development (which is admittedly rare) he could be as good and I feel pretty good about the gap between them eventually not being too big. I think Monk can be an elite scorer and potentially as good or better on offense, but Mitchell will likely always have a significant gap on defense, so Monk would have to become a dominant scorer to be as good overall.

[Braggins]

Monks length is actually pretty similar to Mitchell. Mitchell's standing reach isn't as high as you would expect for his wing span and there used to be an unofficial measurement for Monk on draftexpress from a UK pro day or something that had his standing reach the same as Mitchell's was at the draft combine (Monk didn't participate).

Mitchell has a better overall frame and I don't think Monk will ever be as powerful/strong as Mitchell, which limits him relative to Mitchell in a few areas, but Monk also has excellent quickness and a promising handle (imo). Hes also just as much of a high flyer as Mitchell when he has space. He has more potential as a shooter as well.

I totally get being disappointed about missing on Mitchell, but I don't get why everyone is so down on Monk. I still think he is a fantastic prospect, just not as good as Mitchell.

[mrknowitall215]

Lou Williams don’t play PG and he’s shorter than Monk. He’s also usually a intrical part of a winning team.

Funny that you say that because Monk's rookie season eerily reminds me of Lou Williams' rookie season. Both 19 years of age their first season playing on a middling treadmill team on the outside of the playoffs (38-44) still trying to make a push because of the veterans on the roster (Iverson, Webber) and a coach fighting for his job (Cheeks). Williams actually saw much less time on the floor than Monk. In fact, Williams didn't really see any meaningful playing time until his 3rd season in the NBA

With that said, that's not to compare Monk to Williams but to say that's it way too early to consider him a disappointment nevertheless a bust. Unfair to criticism it's just as easy for me to say that Donovan Mitchell likely wouldn't have even got drafted had he came out after his freshman season at Louisville, and the same could be said about my team favorite and now Hornets' legend Kemba

[yosemiteben]

Interesting question is how would we judge Monk if his career perfectly tracked Lou's.

[catch20two]

Interesting question is how would we judge Monk if his career perfectly tracked Lou's.

If Monk’s career mirrored LouWill’s then we’d have to consider it a good pick. LouWill has had a solid career as a 6th man that has played a intricate part of 7 playoff teams and 4 of those were the original team that drafted him. And looking at what he’s done for the Clippers this season with starter minutes it’s arguable that he may should’ve seen more playing time in the past.

[HoopsMalone]

Lou is almost as bad on defense as he is good on offense. And Lou is very, very good on offense.

Monk is just like Lou without any of the offense.

[Braggins]

Lou is almost as bad on defense as he is good on offense. And Lou is very, very good on offense.

Monk is just like Lou without any of the offense.

Monk has shown flashes of defensive effort. He actually tried to compete on that end when he was getting minutes earlier in the season. He was still bad, but if he just gives passable effort he'll be at least slightly better than Lou on defense.

[Lwcasu]

Too early to judge. He hasn't got the opportunity and he's going to be better than NV. All that being said he should be getting some of Graham's minutes.

[catch20two]

Lou is almost as bad on defense as he is good on offense. And Lou is very, very good on offense.

Monk is just like Lou without any of the offense.

Without any of the offense? Lol. You gotta be trolling or just extremely impatient and unfamiliar with young players more often than not taking some time to get adapted to the NBA game.

Do you not remember the couple of 20pt games Monk had earlier in the season before Batum returned? LouWill didn’t have a single 20pt game until his 3rd season in the NBA.

[HoopsMalone]

Lou is almost as bad on defense as he is good on offense. And Lou is very, very good on offense.

Monk is just like Lou without any of the offense.

Without any of the offense? Lol. You gotta be trolling or just extremely impatient and unfamiliar with young players more often than not taking some time to get adapted to the NBA game.

Do you not remember the couple of 20pt games Monk had earlier in the season before Batum returned? LouWill didn’t have a single 20pt game until his 3rd season in the NBA.

I'm trying to think if any player has ever been this horrible in his rookie year and gone on to even become a valuable role player on a team... He's probably the worst player in the NBA this year...

[catch20two]

Lou is almost as bad on defense as he is good on offense. And Lou is very, very good on offense.

Monk is just like Lou without any of the offense.

Without any of the offense? Lol. You gotta be trolling or just extremely impatient and unfamiliar with young players more often than not taking some time to get adapted to the NBA game.

Do you not remember the couple of 20pt games Monk had earlier in the season before Batum returned? LouWill didn’t have a single 20pt game until his 3rd season in the NBA.

I'm trying to think if any player has ever been this horrible in his rookie year and gone on to even become a valuable role player on a team... He's probably the worst player in the NBA this year...

Glen Rice, Michael Redd, Scott Skiles, Reggie Jackson, Gary Harris, Terry Rozier, Spencer Dinwiddie, etc.

And out of all of them Monk has the most pts per 36 minutes and the highest FG%.

[HoopsMalone]

Without any of the offense? Lol. You gotta be trolling or just extremely impatient and unfamiliar with young players more often than not taking some time to get adapted to the NBA game.

Do you not remember the couple of 20pt games Monk had earlier in the season before Batum returned? LouWill didn’t have a single 20pt game until his 3rd season in the NBA.

I'm trying to think if any player has ever been this horrible in his rookie year and gone on to even become a valuable role player on a team... He's probably the worst player in the NBA this year...

Glen Rice, Michael Redd, Scott Skiles, Reggie Jackson, Gary Harris, Terry Rozier, Spencer Dinwiddie, etc.

And out of all of them Monk has the most pts per 36 minutes and the highest FG%.

I'm a Monk fan and liked the pick. I still think he's got a shot to become a great scorer. But he's got a lot further to go than most of you seem to think.

[catch20two]

I'm a Monk fan and liked the pick. I still think he's got a shot to become a great scorer. But he's got a lot further to go than most of you seem to think.

Of course he do. You can go through this thread no more than the last 3 pages and see me fairly ridiculing Monk but it’s way too early to write him off especially when he’s not even getting the opportunity to play any meaningful minutes.

It’s going to take a strong offseason of dedication and focus for Monk. I personally think he needs to get his mental approach to the game fixed as much as his physical. I think he needs to find his confidence again. He needs to better his shot selection. And most importantly he need to fix his attitude to be more positive. I dislike when I see him with a moping face on the sidelines as if he actually deserves to be in the game when he’s struggled mercifully and even more when he finally got a few chances over the past few months.

[Braggins]

Lou is almost as bad on defense as he is good on offense. And Lou is very, very good on offense.

Monk is just like Lou without any of the offense.

Do you not remember the couple of 20pt games Monk had earlier in the season before Batum returned? LouWill didn’t have a single 20pt game until his 3rd season in the NBA.

At that point our coaching staff should have started actually trying to incorporate him into a small role to take advantage of his scoring/shooting talents, since that is one of our biggest weaknesses, but predictably they decided that they had to completely cut him from the rotation asap to give MCW as big of a role as possible. Its kind of maddening to think about. We've tolerated so many crappy defenders over the years, but we can't incorporate Monk at all and try to take advantage of a few of his scoring outbursts to steal wins?