Kidd-Gilchrist Finally Joins Mavs In NBA Orlando Bubble
The Dallas Mavericks have solved their "mystery.'' And they've got their man.
Mavs officials tell DallasBasketball.com that the Michael Kidd-Gilchrist "logistics''' problems are cleared up and that he is, as of Sunday, with the team in the Orlando bubble.
It had been an open secret: Mavericks backup Michael Kidd-Gilchrist hasn't been with the team in Orlando, and everybody's known it ... But nobody really wanted to discuss it.
After Wednesday's workout, however, Mavs coach Rick Carlisle provided a bit of clarity.
"We're working to get him here logistically and we hope that it happens soon," Carlisle said.
"Logistically,'' of course, is the only way such a thing can happen, and last time we checked, Kidd-Gilchrist - the 6-6, 232-pound forward who joined the Mavs in February - was "logistically'' still in Dallas.
Until Sunday, that is.
As with Trey Burke (apparently still a "logistical'' absentee), the Mavs have declined to detail much more, all along essentially insisting that "everybody is here and healthy'' ... when that was only kinda true.
Do Dallas' chances in Orlando pivot on the performance of MKG? Of course not; everybody on the roster isn't going to be a Luka Doncic. But dismissing him as a non-story was an insult to the intelligence of Mavs fans, given the fact that both Carlisle and GM Donnie Nelson mentioned, in the days leading up to the NBA re-boot, how his physical stature and rebounding ability might help the Mavs out if they need extra help inside, even at center.
“In a pinch, he can provide some minutes as a finesse 5,” Donnie said.
He signed here for the veteran’s minimum after being bought out by the Hornets. He will be an unrestricted free agent after the season, so he's maybe not in the team's long-term plans. But Charlotte made him the No. 2 overall pick in 2012 because of what he is capable of ... and Kidd-Gilchrist being in Orlando - "logistically'' - is better than any mysterious absence.
