Kentucky Sports Radio
[Moderated by Matt Jones, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson]
[Moderated by Matt Jones, Drew Franklin and Tyler Thompson]
The “abject terror” expression was an appropriate call, considering who’s picking.
That title sounds a lot grosser than it is. Yesterday, three ESPN.com columnists joined the lineup of folks prognosticating the name to be called with the second overall draft pick. After all, the first pick is easy, so the discussion begins with that number two spot.
The gang, consisting of Dana O’Neil, Myron Medcalf, and Eamonn Brennan, examines three players, who most believe to be the most solid bets for the pick: Brad Beal, Thomas Robinson, and MKG. Each took a different side, and tried to explain why they’re right.
For Beal, Medcalf harped on the ability to play in the spotlight, which apparently Beal did in leading Florida to the big stage. And by big stage, I mean the Elite Eight. Which is cute. For Robinson, Brennan touted a perfect mix of upside and instant impact, saying that teams would get both with T-Rob.
O’Neil, though, spoke for MKG:
To me, it should boil down to two simple, easily answered questions: Can he play and does he win? With Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the answer to both is an emphatic yes. That’s why I’d take him with the No. 2 pick in this year’s draft.
I get the questions. I get that he doesn’t fit in neatly with the NBA’s checklist. He’s not an obvious No. 2 pick because he’s not exactly the right size for any one position and he’s not exactly an offensive player and he’s not exactly a slasher.
I’ve also never heard anyone wax poetic through the NBA Finals about a player’s wingspan and how it’s won a team games. The Charlotte Bobcats are in dire need of a lot — an intervention, perhaps, at the top of the list — but above all else, they need two things: They need guys who can play basketball and guys who know how to win.
Michael Kidd-Gilchrist knows how to play and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist knows how to win.
Sometimes you just don’t need to make things more complicated than that.
Dana fails to mention (we can forgive her) that in the five combined games that MKG played against both Beal and T-Rob, he won all five. Perfect record. Granted, his team was substantially better than the teams surrounding the other two guys. But also consider that you’re comparing the best player on those two teams with a guy who was the second-best player on his own team.
I think many of us agree that we don’t want to see MKG go #2, even though a couple people who live in NC have told me that they’d love to see MKG play in Charlotte for $12 a ticket. But regardless of whether you’re subversively rooting for him to go #3 to the Wizards to be paired up with John Wall to form the best young transition offense in the league, I think we all know that he should go second. He’s better than those other two guys, and is a proven winner.
We’ll see what happens after these NBA Finals are over. Although, by the looks of it, there may be quite a bit of time between them.
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June 20th, 2012 at 9:04 am
The Bobcats are raising ticket prices too???
June 20th, 2012 at 9:07 am
Not awful, but I still need you to follow my previous advice. More quotes, less you. Corey Nichols SUCKS!
June 20th, 2012 at 9:15 am
Best young transition offense in the league? dude you are an absolute clown with zero knowledge of the NBA. OKC???!!!! are they not “young.” Wall and MKG don’t sniff OKC’s transition offense.
June 20th, 2012 at 9:19 am
He deserves to be the #2 pick, but I sure hope he goes at #3 to Washington. He’s worked too hard to be stuck with the Bobcats.
June 20th, 2012 at 9:27 am
bobcats will take robinson or barnes
June 20th, 2012 at 9:30 am
3 sorry to say but wall and MKG would give defenses fits it would eventually rival OKC’s Im not sold on westbrick as a PG KD is definitely legit.
June 20th, 2012 at 9:31 am
Don’t get me wrong, I am a HUGE MKG fan, and think his potential is rediculous. But to say right now that he is better than Thomas Robinson, is clearly not objective. I hate Kansas as much as the next guy, but just because someone suited up in the big blue doesn’t make them a superior player. Okay, now revoke my BBN card, that was hard to say…
June 20th, 2012 at 9:33 am
I like MKG as much as the next guy, but worrying whether he goes #2 or #3 in the draft is not high on my list of concerns. Why don’t we have more reporting on the UK administration’s failure to maintain a competent football program or is that taboo on KSR?
June 20th, 2012 at 9:38 am
ANOTHER Lazy post of picking up on the work of others; in this case ESPN and Dana O’Neil. Instead of just saying that UK won in all 5 games MKG played against Beal and Robinson…why not break down some numbers on the performance of all said players in those games. The focus of the article was the INDIVIDUAL play of each of these men…that’s what will determine their draft position, not how their TEAM did.
June 20th, 2012 at 9:39 am
As much as I’d cheer for MKG in Washington I think he’d have a better chance to succeed in Cleveland. MKG and Wall are electric in transition but neither can shoot at all. Any game they played in the half court they would lose. Wall shooting 7 percent from three land and playing no defense isn’t the kind of running mate MKG needs. Sorry to say but Irving is much better. I guess revoke my BBN card too.
June 20th, 2012 at 10:03 am
ONeal, Medcalf, and Brennan are just talking heads and doing what they do best…..making opinions. I couldn’t care less what they or anyone else has to say about anything, because they just talk to hear themselves pratter away about any random thing. Almost Like Eric Crawford had on his blog yesterday about Barnhart, I couldn’t tell if he was for or against him. (referring about the price increases for BB tickets) I know this though, Crawford will NOT say one damn thing against Turtle Neck Tommy or the way he does business for fear he’ll never be invited to one of Pitino’s “DINNER” outtings. It’s kind of amusing that in a state that just WON a National Championship, there’s hardly EVER anything said in the way of props toward it,even in their local birdcage liner. (LHL)
June 20th, 2012 at 10:16 am
7) #AnthonyDavisSaysGTFO
June 20th, 2012 at 10:28 am
First off not a bad post Corey. Now regarding the #2 pick I think it should be obvious by now that Jordan will pick Harrison Barnes because he has a knack for picking overrated UNC guys constantly. Meaning MKG will prob slide down to 3-5 on the board
June 20th, 2012 at 10:29 am
It’s pretty naive to just say that MKG is a better player than Beal and/or Robinson. Let’s try to be a little objective here. Beal is a stud, hands down! And despite the loss to us in the championship game, Robinson has done nothing but prove that he’s a beast down low for the past 2 yrs. I’m all for backing our guys and wishing them the best, but to act as though they’re better players simply because they played here doesn’t make much sense.
10 – Agreed, 100%! MKG and Wall is a broken rim waiting to happen. He would be a way better fit playing with Kyrie in CLeveland.
June 20th, 2012 at 10:42 am
“subversively rooting”
Really?
June 20th, 2012 at 11:22 am
This post was horrific. I am a huge MKG fan but, from a wing standpoint, I would never take him over Harrison Barnes because I am unsure how mkg’s game will transfer to the league. Will root hard for him but in order for him to be a top 5 pick he’s got to get a consistent outside game.
June 20th, 2012 at 12:01 pm
Unfortunately for the reader, aside from the KSR standard of stealing hits from legitimate journalists and writers, this post contained exactly ONE original thought: “But regardless of whether you’re subversively rooting for him to go #3 to the Wizards to be paired up with John Wall to form the best young transition offense in the league…” In a sea of misguided opinions, that make up the disaster that is this post, that is but one small example of your complete and total lack of knowledge and writing ability, this sentence stands alone. Please, for the sake of actual college basketball fans, the English language, and the integrity of the University of Kentucky, never write another public article/post/word regarding basketball again.
June 20th, 2012 at 12:49 pm
Often I go number two while reading this site but espn doesn’t talk about that. #gocats
June 20th, 2012 at 2:49 pm
If MKG isn’t a slasher, then who is?
June 20th, 2012 at 3:51 pm
I am not exactly the right size for any one position and am not exactly an offensive player and not particularly a slasher. But i can play and i know how to win.