Motor Keeps Going: The Michael Kidd-Gilchrist Thread III

[Bassman]

I dont see how trading MKG helps the team. We arent getting a good two way player or a good draft pick for him. Trading him for another one dimensional offensive player likely makes the team worse and trading him for a one dimensional defender or someone who is average on both sides on the ball seems lateral at best.

I'll second Catch here in that I wouldn't mind trading Batum or even Marv ... but I don't know that an MKG trade really needs to bring a ton back. Just starting Lamb in MKG's place would have made a big difference this year IMHO.

Frankly we haven’t really tried using Batum at his normal 3 with Lanb starting at the 2. Since we cannot trade the 120M mistake, play him at his best spot. Deal hyphen or bring him off the bench.

[catch20two]

Frankly we haven’t really tried using Batum at his normal 3 with Lanb starting at the 2. Since we cannot trade the 120M mistake, play him at his best spot. Deal hyphen or bring him off the bench.

The MKG-Lamb wing combo play better with Kemba than the Batum-Lamb wing combo tho.

I honestly think we need to see what Batum could be as a stretch 4. It sucks that we didn’t use this season to experiment certain lineups like MKG or Batum at the 4 so we’d know how it fair during actual games.

[GoBobs]

In the NBA your position should be what you can guard. Batum should be a 4 or a 5 in the modern NBA, maybe a 3 depending on match ups but not a 2.

MKG can guard anyone so he is very versatile. He is probably best suited at the 4 in the modern NBA but he can easily play the 3 on defense, or the 2 or the 1.

[Braggins]

Frankly we haven’t really tried using Batum at his normal 3 with Lanb starting at the 2. Since we cannot trade the 120M mistake, play him at his best spot. Deal hyphen or bring him off the bench.

The MKG-Lamb wing combo play better with Kemba than the Batum-Lamb wing combo tho.

I honestly think we need to see what Batum could be as a stretch 4. It sucks that we didn’t use this season to experiment certain lineups like MKG or Batum at the 4 so we’d know how it fair during actual games.

I feel like our defense would be atrocious with a lineup of Kemba/Lamb/Batum/Marv or Frank/Cody or Dwight. I really don't understand why people are so eager to ship off MKG or send him to the bench. He should be penciled in as the starting SF until we find a two way wing or get enough defense in our front court to make our wings not matter as much. I get that he is underwhelming and merely an average role player, but you need guys like that on your team and he excels in an area where the rest of the team is pretty weak.

I'm not against benching him if we get a better player to replace him. I'm also not against trading him. If someone was offering a mid 1st like you said in one of your previous posts or we could package him with something else for a better player then I would be fine with that, but benching/trading him just for the sake of it seems pointless.

[Vanderbilt_Grad]

Even with MKG this team is in the bottom half of the league in terms of defense. They are especially bad at allowing 3s.

My feeling about MKG is that he's kind of like the Rudy Gay of defense. When he's on, he takes all the tough assignments and guys like Kemba rest a bit on that end assuming MKG will cover for any mistakes they make. When MKG is injured the other guys actually play better team defense because they know he's not there.

[MasterIchiro]

Part of tiring a team requires ball movement, shot creation and spacing. Exhuasting a team on one end makes it easier to defend on the other. Marvin and MKG create zero offense for their teammates. Neither is a decent passer nor racks up assists. Throw in Dwight and it's a disaster - we're the team that scrambles on defense and gets exhausted while opposing D gets a rest on that end, especially when Kemba sits. Things literally fall apart. A basketball game is an energy equation. If your team does not cost the other energy on defense and they cost you energy on defense, you're going to lose. MKG, Marvin and Dwight need to go. Trading MKG is not difficult to overcome if the new GM and/or coach believes Lamb and Monk need to get more minutes at SG. Simply slide over Batum to SF. There is no other way (trading MKG) to get more minutes for our brightest prospect and our best scoring wing. They won't bench 120 million and they can't trade it. Besides, pairings and net stats aside, there isn't a whole lot of difference between Batum and MKG. The question is if Lamb and Monk are worth the investment, not whether MJ has to eat his investment in Batum. MKG will be traded and it will be addition by subtraction. You heard it here first. Who fought Cho long before you all? You were all in denial. Even the thread for his firing was framed as a lack of extension, and never updated to commemorate his rear-end getting canned.

[MasterIchiro]

The 2 things I desperately wanted for this franchise were 1) Fire Cho 2) trade MKG. It took them too long to figure out the first one, and they still haven't figured out the second. We currently have MKG with Batum and the question is would Lamb with Batum be better because you MUST assume Batum is a constant ie NOT going anywhere including the bench so... Get that denial out of your heads.

[MasterIchiro]

It's Lamb vs. MKG

[Vanderbilt_Grad]

It's Lamb vs. MKG

Lamb made a great case this season. MKG had moments, but overall did not.

[Bassman]

The 2 things I desperately wanted for this franchise were 1) Fire Cho 2) trade MKG. It took them too long to figure out the first one, and they still haven't figured out the second. We currently have MKG with Batum and the question is would Lamb with Batum be better because you MUST assume Batum is a constant ie NOT going anywhere including the bench so... Get that denial out of your heads.

Perhaps by some miracle we could use MKG plus our pick to move up into the “can’t miss” draft pool. Doubtful any team sees enough value there to do that, but stranger things have happened.

[Diop]

It's Lamb vs. MKG

Maybe with a new coach. Clifford doesn’t like to play lamb and batum

[Braggins]

Part of tiring a team requires ball movement, shot creation and spacing. Exhuasting a team on one end makes it easier to defend on the other. Marvin and MKG create zero offense for their teammates. Neither is a decent passer nor racks up assists. Throw in Dwight and it's a disaster - we're the team that scrambles on defense and gets exhausted while opposing D gets a rest on that end, especially when Kemba sits. Things literally fall apart. A basketball game is an energy equation. If your team does not cost the other energy on defense and they cost you energy on defense, you're going to lose. MKG, Marvin and Dwight need to go. Trading MKG is not difficult to overcome if the new GM and/or coach believes Lamb and Monk need to get more minutes at SG. Simply slide over Batum to SF. There is no other way (trading MKG) to get more minutes for our brightest prospect and our best scoring wing. They won't bench 120 million and they can't trade it. Besides, pairings and net stats aside, there isn't a whole lot of difference between Batum and MKG. The question is if Lamb and Monk are worth the investment, not whether MJ has to eat his investment in Batum. MKG will be traded and it will be addition by subtraction. You heard it here first. Who fought Cho long before you all? You were all in denial. Even the thread for his firing was framed as a lack of extension, and never updated to commemorate his rear-end getting canned.

The 2 things I desperately wanted for this franchise were 1) Fire Cho 2) trade MKG. It took them too long to figure out the first one, and they still haven't figured out the second. We currently have MKG with Batum and the question is would Lamb with Batum be better because you MUST assume Batum is a constant ie NOT going anywhere including the bench so... Get that denial out of your heads.

Lamb + MKG is currently our best wing pairing. Why wouldn't we just get rid of Dwight and possibly Marv (or move him to the bench) and move Batum to the bench? There is no reason we have to start Batum and if our management/coaching is starting a player just because he has a huge contract then they are probably inept anyways. Dwight's box score numbers and huge expiring contract might get more value in a trade than MKG. We could even try to turn Howard/Marv into a better starting wing and bring Batum + MKG off the bench at SF/PF (Frank at C). All of those options seems better from a team building standpoint than giving away MKG for a 2nd round pick or a player thats a downgrade . MKG isn't a player you need to get rid of like Dwight is.

[euphorbus]

<if our management/coaching is starting a player just because he has a huge contract then they are probably inept anyways.>

It happens more often than you think. Tony Romo was undrafted, a "placekick holder" for the Dallas Cowboys. It took him over three years to become the starter, even though he was clearly better than the quarterbacks in front of him during training camp the second, third, and fourth seasons. Even then, he only started because of an injury to the veteran ahead of him. Why? Because he was undrafted and had a minimal contract.

This attitude is very widespread in pro sports.

[Robot Rock]

I'd rather see Bacon.

[Hornet Mania]

I don't think MKG has been a liability this season, but I also don't think the difference between 35 wins and 45 wins is that huge in the East. If our bench wasn't such a liability and Batum simply played above-average basketball most of the year we'd be comfortably in the playoffs.

At this point MKG's value around the league is likely so low that it is smarter for us to keep him, because he is a useful 24yr old player and imo he is a net positive out on the floor even with the warts. If we could move MKG for a good backup PG, sure, I'd absolutely consider it. Same if offering MKG and our pick would get us into the top 5. But realistically the most likely scenario if we traded MKG is that we'd receive crap in return, then he'd be used as a valuable situational player on a better/smarter team and we'd look like idiots.

[Liver_Pooty]

Was it ever verified true that we could have sent the 2nd pick of that draft to OKC for Harden?

[Vanderbilt_Grad]

MKG is our Kenneth Faried
http://bkref.com/tiny/VYpNu

Faried has had a good impact on some decent teams, but there is a reason he's nailed to the bench in Denver. He's not a modern NBA PF. We have to face the same thing with MKG. In another era MKG would be amazing. He simply has the wrong skillset for this one unless a team is specifically constructed to take advantage of what he does.

I really like what I've seen of MKG as a person. I rooted hard for him for years to make it. It's *FAR* more likely that he would be much of the same anywhere else he went at this point.

[Joest2003]

Results are in. For the 6th season in a row MKG headlines the All NBA underwhelming team with an unanimous decisions at the SF position. Joining Austin Rivers, Kent Baezmore, teammate Marvin Williams, and Center Tristan Thompson. Congratulations for your hard work of making absolutely no improvement in any aspect of the game and dedication of being the same exact mediocre player as last season.

[Liver_Pooty]

I just want a 3 who can hit a 3 pointer. If Bacon can do that on at least an average basis and play solid defense I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him give MKG a run for his money next season.

[yosemiteben]

I just want a 3 who can hit a 3 pointer. If Bacon can do that on at least an average basis and play solid defense I wouldn't be surprised at all to see him give MKG a run for his money next season.

This is pretty much where I'm at. I love MKG, and I'm wish washy on moving him because the stats back up that we tend to play well when he is on the floor, but I totally agree with Vandy's take. The only team he fits on in is one where everyone else can spread the floor.

If I felt good about Cody regaining the starting spot, I might feel differently, but Cody's glaring red flags when it comes to injuries has me rethinking the best path forward for this team.