This is one blog post I’ve been dreading. This may be the first time I’ve mentioned Dominic McGuire in the entire site’s existence and at the end of this post, it’s likely to be the last. I figure based on the searches that have brought people here, that this one will set an all time low on hits. No one cares much about D-Mac. I am just going to bite the bullet, take my medicine or whatever you call it and write what I can about Dominic McGuire.
In the off season last year, Bobcats fans started to get used to seeing guys leave. First it was the realization that Raymond Felton wouldn’t be back, then it was the trade that sent Tyson Chandler to Dallas. The roster got trimmed, we all knew MJ wouldn’t pay the luxury tax just to be in the 7 or 8 spot in the East. So, who did they go after? Dominic McGuire. He was the loan free agent acquisition and between him, Matt Carroll’s return and Eddy Najera, Bobcats fans didn’t have a whole lot to be excited about. I loved the reaction, mostly Googling and coming up empty.
Just now, I tried to get some point of reference on D-Mac, but alas, there is nothing but sarcasm. ProBasketballTalk mentioned his trade to Sacramento at the 2010 deadline, calling him “Mr. Irrelevant.” Cowbell Kingdom spoofed the letter that Dan Gilbert sent out after Lebron left with one of their own from the “Maloof Brothers.” Both, funny. Very funny. I had no idea who he was, but some people thought he could do well on defense and maybe gain some playing time off the bench. Little did we know, Larry Brown thought so highly of him, he got some starts! He was the 6th man for a period and fans were still going “Who the hell is this guy?”
Hey, he was signed for the minimum. I’m not going to complain about him too much. Not much else you can get for that. I mean Kwame Brown was a big surprise and a bonus for the minimum. D-Mac, was just what you’d expect. 3.3 points, 3.8 rebounds, .8 assists, .6 blocks and .2 steals per game in 14.6 minutes. He had some really good plays, where he out-rebounded the field, put-back dunks and all those good things “hustle” guys are known for.
You just couldn’t count on him. He didn’t know his own sort of weaknesses and Larry Brown seemed to be in love with the guy. Actually, Dominic was missing the first game after Larry Brown was fired. I think there was a family deal for him, but the jokes that he was the one guy that would want to help Larry pack his stuff abounded.
A little history on the guy, cause that’s what we do on these things. Dominic McGuire went to Fresno State University, not a place known among Durham, Chapel Hill, Lexington, KY or Lawrence, KS. DraftExpress put his ceiling at Danny Granger (ha) and his basement at Renaldo Balkman (we wish). He’s got the size and athleticism to play in the NBA, obviously, he has made it 4 years and he’s not a complete slouch.
He was drafted #47 by Washington. He had a rough rookie year, not scoring much and fouling a good bit for his less than 10 minutes per game. You don’t expect a whole lot out of second round guys but he saw time in 70 games. In his second year, he got a chance to start about 20 games in and took advantage, starting for the remainder of the year. He didn’t do too poorly, scoring in double digits 8 of the 56 games and rebounding at a high rate, 11 of those starts resulted in double digits and lots in the upper signgle digits. The next year he only saw time in 41 games for Washington before the trade to Sacramento. He only scored 8 points total for the Kings. He wasn’t extended the qualifying offer that comes after a rookie-scale contract thus making him an unrestricted free agent. I don’t know if he had other offers, but he probably was wooed by Larry Brown and told he’d get some playing time. So he took the minimum he was offered and came to Charlotte.
Dominic got a lot of time for not doing much. Double digit scoring in only 4 games, double digit rebounds in only 2 games, but they were big being 15 and 17, but none the less, no consistency. He didn’t lock down on defense. He didn’t make you feel good about having him on the floor. The things he was known for he didn’t do; that is, if you could say he was known for something.
I don’t mean to beat a guy who is down, obviously, he’s not guaranteed a roster spot and he does have some nice tools. I just don’t think he’s what the Bobcats need.
Offer Sheet
I wouldn’t offer Dominic McGuire any more than he got last year and that’s league minimum. I wouldn’t offer him anything if I were the Bobcats, unless it gets to the desperate time before the season starts, maybe in the lockout shortened free agency period and they get to the point they have to put someone in the position. In that case it would be good to have someone who knows the system, knows the coaches and many of the players.
Dominic McGuire was a real head scratcher and probably only got attention because he was the only free agent the Bobcats signed last year, except for Shaun Livingston. The playing time that he was given early on under Larry Brown instead of Derrick Brown or maybe Gerald Henderson (at another position) really made him a player that the fans didn’t like. That isn’t his fault, but it will not endear him to me or anyone else. We’ll see if he makes a roster next year.