Anthony Bennett Not Getting A Fair Shake

[octothorp]

What evidence is there that shows that AB has talent at all? Did he preform well in College or something?

The bizarre thing is that he was generally touted as one of the more 'NBA ready' prospects in the draft, by virtue of his great physique and physical tools. If you just watched video of him from last year to this year, you would not believe that it's the same player; this year's version simply looks broken by comparison, in terms of speed, elevation, jump-shot form. It's not like his health issues are totally unexpected, he had issues in prep school too.

I think you always need to be wary of guys who dominate at college level because of superior physiques. If they simply developed early, there's no guarantee that they're going to have the same ceiling as someone who's got all the skills but struggles because their physique isn't there yet. That's the main reason I never saw him as a first-overall pick; he never struck me as really high-ceiling. I still think if he gets his body back to where it was last year, and goes back to the d-league and resets his career, he can still be an above-average NBA player.

[stretch]

Bennett had some big games at UNLV in the preconference schedule and then his play leveled off. He had an ankle injury and the shoulder was a problem, too. He was on a team that didn't share the ball at times with players looking to fill the stat sheet.

[JimiCliff]

The bizarre thing is that he was generally touted as one of the more 'NBA ready' prospects in the draft, by virtue of his great physique and physical tools. If you just watched video of him from last year to this year, you would not believe that it's the same player; this year's version simply looks broken by comparison, in terms of speed, elevation, jump-shot form. It's not like his health issues are totally unexpected, he had issues in prep school too.

I think you always need to be wary of guys who dominate at college level because of superior physiques. If they simply developed early, there's no guarantee that they're going to have the same ceiling as someone who's got all the skills but struggles because their physique isn't there yet. That's the main reason I never saw him as a first-overall pick; he never struck me as really high-ceiling. I still think if he gets his body back to where it was last year, and goes back to the d-league and resets his career, he can still be an above-average NBA player.

Especially a physique that will translate into them being an undersized big man in the NBA.

[isaacthompson]

Hmm, it is interesting, after getting high lottery picks in multiple seasons in a row, all of them are looking like disappointments. Maybe the common variable (coach/organization) is the problem between all their young talent?

For sure. The organization is a complete mess.

In an article written Saturday by the New York Daily News, Deng reportedly told a close friend that, “the stuff going on in practice would never be tolerated by the coaching staff or the front office back in Chicago. It’s a mess."

It was also reported that second-year shooting guard Dion Waiters was kicked out of practice last week but suffered no consequences as a result. Several players also were reportedly partying in New York the night before they played the Knicks.

http://beta.thescore.com/nba/news/422661

[rocwell]

For sure. The organization is a complete mess.



http://beta.thescore.com/nba/news/422661

I'm pretty sure Bennett is having hard time in this environment.

Cavs owners need to step up. They should fire Grant right now and then find a way how to fix other stuff - including Bennett problem.

[isaacthompson]

Roy Hibbert speaks up on his behalf.. interesting:

Who ever made this is wrong for this. The kid is gonna be alright. It takes time. Esp the pressure of being #1. pic.twitter.com/A9c7BmUzHv

— Roy Hibbert (@Hoya2aPacer) February 2, 2014

[ezz_bee]

Hmm, it is interesting, after getting high lottery picks in multiple seasons in a row, all of them are looking like disappointments. Maybe the common variable (coach/organization) is the problem between all their young talent?

There's no fixing stupid. If you have bad owners + bad gms... you can be gifted the greatest player in history of basketball and still eff it up. Management is more important than talent, because with good management you can get talent, but with bad management even if you get good talent you can't do anything with it.

[rocwell]

The Cleveland Cavaliers have fired general manager Chris Grant, league sources tell Yahoo Sports.

— Adrian Wojnarowski (@WojYahooNBA) February 6, 2014

long time coming!

[The Great One]

Step 1 - Bennett needs to get in shape.

Step 2 - Stop shooting 3's and long 2's.

Step 3 - Cavs need to surround him with good veteran players.

[JimiCliff]

Anyone interested in what kind of long-term potential Bennett has should watch this:

http://espn.go.com/video/clip?id=espn:10417145

[rocwell]

Bennett with 19 & 10 last night vs Kings.

Anthony Bennett has 11 points in 1st half, 4th double-digit game in last 8 (had 0 such games in 1st 32 career games).

— ESPN Stats & Info (@ESPNStatsInfo) February 12, 2014

"Over his last four games, Bennett has averaged 10.8 points and 6.5 rebounds while shooting 51.9 percent from the field and 64.7 percent from beyond the arc."

[TSF]

He'll end up okay. The best big man this draft is averaging 7 and 5 (olynyk) at 19 mpg. If he can just maintain a standard almost as good as his february he'll still end up the best big man in this class this year