Is Malik Monk the Sacramento Kings Most Important Player?

Is Malik Monk the Sacramento Kings Most Important Player?

I have a Malik monk take after last night’s game and I had this take before last night’s game but uh last night helped underscore my point and in talking about it with a couple of buddies I think I have I think I have ironed out exactly what I mean okay I

Think Malik monk is the King’s most important player okay and I say that fully understanding and fully aware of what dear and fox and deonis sabonis both individually bring to the table and frankly what they bring to the table together okay and I understand that they are the king’s two best

Players Barone that is the case and that is going to be the case night in and night out but the reason Malik monk is so important for the Kings to me is because you know what you’re GNA get nine Knights out of 10 from dearn Fox and frankly with this season 99 nights

Out of 100 you know what you’re going to get 99 nights out of 100 for from demonus sabonis yep that is your Baseline as a team that is your Baseline as a hey that’s a that’s a good NBA team they’re they’re not going to be the

Worst team in the league but just those two guys don’t make you a playoff team yeah and they certainly they they they don’t make you a contender and I don’t think there’s any two players in the league who do make you a contender by themselves Malik Monk Is what puts the

Kings into a different level or onto a different level okay because when plays like he does last night where he is assertive offensively where he is Distributing and being that real like second point guard for them and when anybody who scores 37 points is GNA be

Helpful but doesn’t even need to be 37 it could be 18 it could be 20 there is an energy he brings there is a spark he brings when his threes go down there’s a different pop in the arena like it’s just a the energy is just different when

Malik monk is on the court and when Malik monk is rolling and I think you see that with the crowd I think you see that with the team and deonas sabonis and Daren Fox are great like undeniably Allstar all NBA caliber players got it the Kings this year as constructed

Are going to go as far as Malik monk takes them okay I would say that it was the same last year like I don’t think it’s anything it it is the way this team was like successful last year was when Malik monk brought the energy they were

Different and so I don’t disagree with you but I would also continue to to argue this point with anyone who wants to bring it up because it gets brought up in my mentions all the time the kings are a better team with Malik monk as the

Six guy coming in off the bench and changing the energy in the room 100% I I agree with that he can go be a starter somewhere and maybe that’s what happens here maybe he goes on to be a starter and he’s going to get an opportunity to to run his his own team

But his role in the NBA is likely as this six-man type mentality but a six-man that can play 46 minutes in a game he’s not your standard six-man who comes in and plays 18 minutes or or 22 minutes right some nights sure he plays 22 24 minutes but he’s a guy that

If he’s rolling and if he’s right Mike Brown sticks with him and so Chris DTE he played 10 minutes last night you know he he started again Kung Fu chopping everybody and he went and sat down on the bench and didn’t get to play again you know Kevin herder he couldn’t hit a

Shot at all so you know he played 18 minutes uh Davon Mitchell wasn’t impactful when he came in the game yep so you rode the Malik monk train and that’s that’s how Mike Brown has handled this situation and like I I can’t fault that like I I I had a conversation years

Ago with Paul Westfall and he said no coach in the league will put their best five players on the floor as their starting lineup right and if they do they just don’t understand the dynamic of the game well right or or your roster construction is screw yeah well and this

Was coming from Paul Westfall who at for at some point in his career was a six-man you know and and a guy who averaged 25 points a game like this was a great score he’s like no no no you need someone to come in and change the

Complexity of the game they change the energy change to score baskets in a different way than the rest of your team to not have to play Within the structure of a specific offense to come in and freelance a little bit you need that type of player and that’s what Malik

Monk Is and I hope that he appreciates that and I hope that like whatever it is that the Kings can pay him well I know what the Kings can pay him but I hope that that’s enough to keep him around long term because I really do think he’s

A a very very impactful player that makes the Kings a much better team and you saw it in each of the last two nights I think I think you’re right this was the case last year but to me it really got highlighted High highlighted highlight highlighted it was highlighted the last

Two nights in Malik bunet pulled after five minutes yeah and really struggles against Charlotte and the Kings could never get it going against a bad team yeah and last night very good defensive team in in Orlando and monk comes in and he hits his five threes in in the second

Quarter he scores 15 points he finishes the night with 37 to go with his nine assists M by the way 37- n if you go look at the players who have done that this year I looked that up last night who’ve gone at least 37 and nine in a

Game it’s it’s several guys a bunch of times but like Jaylen Brunson Trey young Luca donic I think LeBron has done it this year Nicola yic has done it it’s the list is just a bunch of really really good players like that’s that’s the level that Malik monk can reach

Reach and when he reaches that level like and again I don’t think he can he’s not going to go average 30 that’s that’s not what I’m trying to say here but if there is a if there is a world where Malik monk can harness that I don’t want to say energy can

Harness whatever he had last night where he is a definitive number two scoring option Darren Fox doesn’t have it tonight well here’s Malik monk Darren fox out for this game here’s Malik Monk and you’re not going to miss a beat if they’re getting the version of Malik

Monk that they got last night and again whether he’s scoring 17 points or 37 I think they are way way harder to beat oh I totally agree and it’s just not it is I we talked about the pecking order thing a while back who’s the king’s pecking order it’s Fox One monk

Two in terms of get them the ball go get a basket oh yeah yeah if you need a basket it’s those two yeah and I just if and again maybe he goes and and has six points on one of 10 in their next game but if you know that you’re getting

Some level of the Malik monk they got last night that again as we talk trade deadline for me changes the calculus of oh hey okay maybe maybe the the player you go get maybe you’re getting a two guard let’s just say a two guard M because that position’s in shambles

Right now maybe you go get a starting two guard that two guard now doesn’t need to be dejonte Murray it doesn’t need to be a guy who can go create his own shot no I mean that’s why I in all honesty it makes Kevin herder extremely Expendable at this point because it’s

Not just Chris DTE that can start you can start Keon Ellis you can you might be able to start Colby Jones like maybe maybe after the All-Star break maybe there’s a possibility that you could start Colby Jones and have him play 16 to 18 minutes maybe even some nights

He’ll play 24 when he’s got it defensively when he’s making the Right Moves some nights he won’t but you can start that type of player at the two as long as you have monk coming in off the bench to do the other things I think where you you have problems is you have

To have somebody else that can play with Monk and someone who’s defensive minded and and they can take on some of that uh whether that’s Davon or whether it’s one of these other players we’re already talking about but like I I think there has to be a blend there but it does make

What’s happening at the starting two like much more you can take risks there you can go with the defensive guy in Chris warte or you can go with a shooter and Kevin herder or you can go with some other random player you can go with just

Like a like again a Keon Ellis who for me is more of just like an instigator like a like a catalyst guy you can do that because Malik monk brings something different to the table do you think so my initial thought last night was as Malik is hitting his fourth three

In the third quarter well Mike Brown did it right the tough love pull him out get the yelling match worked but Mike Brown said after the game that that’s not all that happened it wasn’t like that happened and then they came to work the next day and Malik

Went I’m GNA go score 37 and show you double Birds there was some uh amends making it sounds like yeah yeah so definitely um what Mike said after the game was that following shootaround yesterday he pulled Malik into his office and had a conversation the first thing Mike said was I should

Have coached him which is a lot of what Damen Barling said yesterday on our show and is what Damien said with uh with DLo and Casey he said Mike Brown should not have just benched him he should have he should have like just had a coaching moment right and

I agree that like there are different ways that you can handle a player yeah but I think Mike is is doing like hindsight a little bit like the fact that he pulled him into the office and that he apologized to Malik monk for what happened I’m sure Malik said hey

Look I’m sorry too I I shouldn’t have said something to you on the bench like the back and forth year it’s a good moment where again it’s a coaching moment it’s a teaching moment all that stuff I get it but I don’t agree that Mike Brown needs to say yeah I apologize

Because that shows that Mike Brown is is making sure that the media knows that they’re we okay me and Malik are okay like he’s not going to leave the kings in free agency because of this moment in time where we’re not friends anymore sure right so so Mike has to say this in

To a certain degree but I also think it’s a good moment for Mike to say yeah okay could I have handled it differently sure at the same time like Malik is a straight up Hooper like that dude is not a a workout Warrior he’s not a weight

Room Warrior I mean sure he goes and does his stuff that he’s supposed to do but he’s not that guy what he is is a gym rat he is in there shooting and going crazy and playing basketball all day long I I I guarantee you if you find

Malik monk during the summer months and you’re like where’s Malik monk you go where’s the local game right you show up at the local game and there’s Malik monk taking people’s money m that’s who Malik is hey the only way but but the only way they to for

Mike there there’s one thing that Malle cares about it’s not money sure he wants money it’s not it’s the only thing you can do to impact Malik Monk Is to take away the one thing he loves and that is a game of basketball that’s how you do it and you know like sometimes

Discipline comes in different ways and you handle players differently I get it but at the same time like I don’t think that there’s there’s another way to handle Malik monk in some of these situations and that’s okay do you think that Mike Brown would have knowing what he knows

Now if he could go back and redo the Charlotte game do you think he would do anything differently no like I think he would I I don’t know like I mean the game the win and loss the wins and loss matter and Mike knows that and he’s probably very

Upset with himself that they lost that game and that that might have been a piece to it but let’s be honest the game wasn’t one and loss in the second quarter no no doubt I I I totally agree with you but just from the like you talk about Malik monk loves basketball I

Don’t know Mike Brown personally but I know people who have had extensive conversations with him and people who do know him and Mike Brown loves coaching oh yeah yeah Mike Brown loves to coach basketball and so you brought up Malik Monk and the thing you can do is you can

Take that away from him I think Mike Brown probably regrets not taking that opportunity to be a coach and I think that’s what he would change maybe the outcome of the game doesn’t change maybe monk still goes out and has a bad game and and goes and has a great game

Against the magic but I think that’s why he would change it it’s possible but I would also tell you that I think in that situation Mike was a coach he chose a path and I think that that path that he took like it’s okay like

Sit his ass down and yell at him well we no because from what I know the exchange had happened afterwards when Mike came over in the third quarter and had a he came over and said something to Malik and then said okay we’re done let’s let

Let’s cool down he goes to walkway and Malik said something to him again and that’s when Mike came back and then Jordi Fernandez stepped in like that whole situation could have been deescalate the the first half that that five minutes where he plays five minutes I don’t know like everyone is

Raised differently right so I I had a situation where you know we had to give a kid a ride to school one day and we get uh me and my son we’re driving we stop by my son’s sitting next to me in the car we stop by we pick this kid up

He gets in the back seat and instantly starts telling us a story about how him and his sister um were clowning his mom that morning and she wanted him to do something and they’re just like yeah we’re not doing that and he just kept going on on this story and I look over

At my son and my son’s already looking at his friend and he goes hey you should probably stop telling that story and I just look at my son he goes and I’m like okay he’s like I’m like okay and he goes That’s not how we treat my mom in my

House and I was like oh and it’s like that’s that’s that’s right that’s not how you treat your mom in our house and his friend was like oh he’s like that’s he’s like hey dude that’s disrespectful we don’t treat our mom like that and I

Was like all right and I said and what would happen if you did and my son’s like then I’d have to deal with you right and he like yeah exactly you’d have to deal with me wouldn’t you and I like okay and his friend shut up right

There like oh okay not appropri so my point is that like each kid is like raised differently they have different things but I I will continue to say the one thing that you can do that would make Malik monk feel it is to take away his minutes it’s the only thing you can

Do outside of that I don’t know because and it’s that’s that’s who he is it’s how he’s raised it’s like what is in him and and so I don’t think Mike Brown did anything wrong there um you know we could talk there are plenty of things that Mike Brown probably wants to

Revisit in the last year of coaching and whether it’s like his handling of Kevin herder um or it’s you know the you know how he deals with his big man rotation whatever it is sure there are plenty of things that Mike Brown has done that he probably can second guess that moment

I’m all right with it because the next game that dude went out and scored 37 points and gra and dished out nine assists and help you win another ball game where you gave up 25 threes and you just didn’t have it and somehow you came out on top and it was because

You did some tough love and it worked with that kid and good for you I love when Malik monk just goes into bucket getting mode yeah it’s so fun he had a go I wish I you start writing this stuff down I try and text you like some

Thoughts and notes that I want to remember and the the the exact time of this I I forget I think it was either fourth quarter or the first OT but monk at one point he standed at the top of the key and just put the ball on the

Deck and got a Blow by for an easy layup yeah and I think I get so enamored I my favorite thing about Malik Monk Is The Audacity Of some of the threes he takes I love it like guy in his face that a little side step hand in the face take a

Three falling out of bounds towards the Baseline could have put it up anyway like I I I love that part of his game that I forget how explosive he can be with that first step and the way the variety of ways he scored last night like yeah the five threes in the second

Quarter were great and seven of 13 from three you will take that from any player on any night 90% of NBA players will never do that in their career yeah like you love that but the amount of times they needed a basket last night and it

Was Malik monk getting to the rack and not trying to do too much I was not only just the numbers in the Box Score but just the way he kind of managed the game down the stretch was especially with dearon Fox struggling to put the ball in the

Hoop that was that was I think maybe even more impressive than the numbers yeah and that’s why you know again you don’t want to take away who Monk Is as a player right you don’t want to sit there and and try to like put him in a box that that’s not

What whatever you do with Malik monk from here on out you have to let Malik be who he is on the court but when something’s not right and something the the level of play or the the energy or the you can see it like as Mike can see

It as a coach there’s something he saw that he did not like about what Malik was doing on the court and it’s you can’t pull Malik aside and say hey I need you to use a screen better that’s not that’s not that’s not what we’re talking about you you can’t take away

Who he is you have to let him be who he is on the court but there are times where he doesn’t have who he is and you need to regulate

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