Oh, I can see that. A better version of Gerald Wallace. But that's not a superstar. That's not a guy you hand the ball to at the end of a game and tell him to go make a play. And there probably isn't any of those elite players in this year's draft. However, Beal has all the tools. The only question mark about him is his size. Everything else is already there. In my opinion, he's a young Eric Gordon with the possibility of being a young Brandon Roy. So, I'd rather have that guy over an upgraded version of Gerald Wallace. Because guys with the handle and the shot and the ability to finish at the rim and draw fouls.............those guys are much rarer than athletic guys that dive around the floor and run like crazy and finish passes on the break and can dog 1-4 defensively. Both guys are very, very good. I happen to think that Beal's skillset is more rare and therefore more valuable. He has that combination of handle, shooting, finishing, and drawing fouls to get to the FT line that makes him an elite offensive player not to mention he's a good defender. On the other hand, MKG is an elite defender and elite athlete that can finish on the break. But he can't handle his way to the rim if it's not a straight line and he can't score efficiently with his jumper. That's what separates him from Beal.
I think you have legit points about his offensive game. What I like about MKG is his passion and rate of improvement at such a young age. Some scouts mentioned him as the most improved player since high school years in last season. There's a difference between 18 years old prospect and 22 years old prospect. Players like Parsons/Jeff taylor/Thomas Robinson developed a lot since their freshman year. I wouldn't assume any 18 years old will develop into something special, but there's strong possibility for MKG. His almost legendary work ethic, decent free throw shooting, nice handle and basketball IQ all make me believe he has a very good chance of adding offensive weapons and becoming a superstar. Beal has the skills more developed, but he lacks size and explosiveness. Those are limitations can't be overcome by practice. A lot of college stars didn't translate their games to NBA because of that. I like undervalued players like Damian Lillard, Fab Melo, Orlando Johnson... all of them climbed on the draft board recently. But there's reason for some high picks to go at the top. The saddest thing for Michael Jordan will not be how he missed the NO1 pick, but when he passes MKG and pick any other player available IMO.
You haven't seen Beal play much if you say he lacks explosiveness. I hear you about MKG, but for many of us, his lack of offensive skill is troubling for such a "hard working", "passionate" player (as you call him). Did he get this passion recently?
Beal looks like poor man's Eric Gordon to me. MKG is always passionate, and that's why he improved so much so far. Kentucky is loaded with talent, so he played into the system and didn't or didn't have to create shots much. He played PG or point forward before, and can beat his man off dribble. I expect him to grow tremendously in NBA.
You bet the farm on expected "growth". I'll bet on growth AND what can be observed. MKG is a good prospect but he won't be a star. Hope you aren't too disappointed.
It's not like he hasn't been shooting like that since junior high. Shawn Marion never got the kinks out his release, either.
Really good player he's a baller but I'm fair honesty I believe he's not. What we need at this moment
I guess it's ingrained now, but I'm sure shooting coaches can work on it, to develop it. Probably won't change, but minor tweaks might help.
It's not really that those players are undervalued, there's just some fatal flaws that come with them. The saddest thing for Michael Jordan is not losing out on the #1 pick or possibly passing on MKG. It's MJ being desperate and somewhat admitting failure is coming. http://thoughtsofajeanius.com/2012/...ats-offers-unprecedented-season-ticket-offer/ https://oss.ticketmaster.com/html/pack_planlist.htmI?l=EN&team=bobcats&selID=95
If Charlotte had gotten Davis, they would still be tanking next season in hopes of pairing him with Mohammed. Nothing has changed. The only thing about the ticket discount is he probably wouldn't have to do that if they had gotten Davis. Frankly, I wouldn't be surprised if Jordan traded that #2 pick for an unprotected first rounder next year so he can have two chances to win the lottery.
To be honest, I don't see a 1st team all nba in this group. That includes davis too,but there will be some all star caliber type players. Mkg is kinda a jack of all and master of none type. He reminds me of ronnie brewer and corey brewer because he really doesn't have a true high end part of his game. I don't think he will be a superstar or consistent all star,but I think he will be a solid player. That's the problem when these guys are drafted so young without seeing them improve. Felipe lopez was supposed to be can't miss until he went to college. Then he just didn't show improvement at all and had a below avg career. I'm not saying mkg will be a bust, I'm just saying #2 or 3 is supposed to be a great player to me.
MKG is a role player that is getting star hype right now. No way is he a top 5 player in this draft. Good "glue" guy but a high end lotto pick? That's a stretch.
Decent player but type of player Morey likes. Which means I dont like him. Will be a bust somehow. Gotta go for something else like Bradley Beal, Jared Sullinger, Harrison Barnes, or Jeremy Lamb.
For all of the old timers out there: MKG reminds me of Rodney McCray. Not his game but the fact that he was a very fundamentally sound player that could contrbute in many ways but he wasn't really elite in any single area. You never expected McCray to be a star and to be fair he was drafted to complement Ralph Sampson. McCray was a good pro but not worth the #3 overall selection.
Hollinger's draft rater has MKG at #3. "3. High-rated wings usually deliver As I noted with Leonard a year ago, wing players -- especially bigger ones -- with strong Draft Rater marks virtually never fail. Of the eight players to rate above 13 in the past decade, the worst among them was Josh Childress. Five of the players have played in an All-Star Game, and Rudy Gay may play in an All-Star Game soon. The seventh player is Leonard. This year, we have two names to add to that list: Dion Waiters and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Kidd-Gilchrist is probably the safest pick on the board -- a big wing who plays defense, has strong stats and comes with no character questions. From a risk-aversion perspective alone he should be a top-five pick; I have him third on my board after Robinson. (See below for how I would rank the prospects, regardless of their Draft Rater numbers.)"
I don't see that. McCray was a thinking man's baller, very bball smart and savvy, kinda like Battier, always anchored to the floor. He was slow and very non-athletic.
Great point. McCray was an excellent player and, as you said, a jack of all trades, master of none. He could shoot, but not with range, he was an excellent passer (a great example is his perfect inbounds pass with 1 second on the clock to Sampson for The Shot that beat the defending champion Lakers for the WC crown in '86), he was a good rebounder, but again, not elite, an excellent defender. What he was not, as you point out so well, is a star player. If you have the 3rd pick in the draft, you should at least get a star player. Probably not a superstar, those are rare, of course, but a star. McCray wasn't a star, and Kidd-Gilchrist is unlikely to be, as well. Of course, having said that, I'd love to have him! Just not with the 3rd pick in the draft.
Reminds me of the favors pick. 2nd overall and will take 5-7 years to develop. As a player comparison. Worst case: battier/ariza Best case: Ron artest. He's still 18 and may grow some inches as well.
