OT: MKG Charlotte bust

[uconngb]

"Just saying" what? What's the larger point you were hoping to make by randomly dropping Hasheem Thabeet into a thread about Michael Kidd-Gilchrist?

Just saying that people on this board love to revel in it when Kentucky or Duke or Syracuse have a guy drafted too high that flames out....when Thabeet is one of the biggest busts of the last 10 years. At least MKG is still playing meangingful minutes in the NBA.

 

[champs99and04]

The 2012 draft is going to haunt the Charlotte franchise for the next decade unless Kidd-Gilchrist turns it around. It became obvious about two minutes into the Heat series that the Bobcats were working at an unmanageable talent deficit. Guys like Henderson, McRoberts, Neal, and Kidd-Gilchrist - valuable role players who played a big role in the Bobcats making the playoffs - were forced out of their comfort zone. Realistically, while those guys all provide valuable skill sets, they can't be relied on as your third, fourth, fifth, and sixth scoring options. And if we're being honest with ourselves, Kemba's probably more of a third or fourth option than a second option, at least at this point in his career. He shot 39% this season because he was forced to shoulder more of the burden than he was capable of carrying (though he was very good in the Miami series).

That stuff is all fixable through free agency, though (even if you have to overpay). What Charlotte doesn't have, and, unless they strike gold in the draft, won't have for the foreseeable future, is a franchise player. Jefferson's proven to be able to drag mediocre teams to the postseason, but if you're designing a team featuring him as your best player, you're pretty much selling your soul for the revenue of two home playoff games. He's a drain on any defense (credit Steve Clifford for minimizing his potentially crippling pick and roll defense by adjusting his schemes) and somebody whose offensive efficiency can be questioned with further digging (low free throw rate, poor passer).
Would Jefferson be absolutely fine as a second banana if somebody like Anthony Davis was flanking him? Of course. And if the Bobcats had snagged Drummond in the 2012 draft, they probably go down a completely different path and sign somebody like Paul Milsap over the offseason instead (which would have yielded the same short-term result with exponentially greater potential for a long-term payoff). The point is, players like Jefferson can be had at a reasonable price. If you're calling Portland, Washington, New Orleans, or Detroit and asking about the availability of their first round pick in the 2012 draft, be prepared to be hung up on. There were four potential franchise players in that draft class and Charlotte struck out on all of them despite picking second. You just can't afford to waste those chances when you're a small market.

 

[TheChamps990411]

AD is a great player... now. He fell to where he did in the draft because he had a terrible freshman year. The reason he wasn't drafted lower than where he did is because he is an athletic freak of nature. But, from a basketball standpoint his only year in college was mediocre. Obviously every GM that passed on him other than New Orleans is dissapointed now, but you can't blame them after seeing him struggle in college. Again, he got drafted as high as he did because GM's picking that late were scared to not take him in the first round, but that was based solely off of his athleticism and ceiling, not because of the skill he showed in college.

You make good points but i thought it was a bad decision then and it looks just as bad now for any team that didnt take AD after Eyebrows Mcgee. No matter what he did or didnt do in College the physical talent was off the charts. The nba draft is about potential and teams really dropped the ball on AD. Maybe its because he was here so maybe im biased but i would not of passed up on him if i were a gm. you cant just find a super athletic 7 foot 270lb 19 year old in every draft. those come around once every decade at best.

 

[Gurleyman]

Just saying that people on this board love to revel in it when Kentucky or Duke or Syracuse have a guy drafted too high that flames out....when Thabeet is one of the biggest busts of the last 10 years. At least MKG is still playing meangingful minutes in the NBA.

The context here is that we want the Bobcats to be good because of Kemba. We're not reveling in it - we're pissed that Kemba's team isn't better because of a poor draft selection. Nobody is even discussing where he went to college.

 

[UCHuskies08]

I hated when the Bobcats didn't win the lottery that year. Really thought Davis would be a franchise changing player. Instead they got a guy whose been adequately described in this thread as not being worth such a pick. Beal would have been a nice backcourt-mate for Kemba as well.

I really hope he doesn't sign an extension there, but given the kind of guy he is, I'm guessing Kemba will be loyal and stay.

 

[WhereistheDove?]

I won't write him off but that shot needs to be completely re-worked. I think more likely he'll end up as a defensive stopper that a good team would love off the bench, but obviously not a guy worth anything near where he was picked.

 

[caw]

I won't write him off but that shot needs to be completely re-worked. I think more likely he'll end up as a defensive stopper that a good team would love off the bench, but obviously not a guy worth anything near where he was picked.

He definitely has potential to be a taller Tony Allen. If he somehow fixes his shot, he could be very good but I don't think I've seen a worse shooting form. It's amazing coaches let him get away with that for so long. I could see if he had poor form but hit a high percentage but he doesn't.