People are saying MDA won't ever play him and I very much agree but... I think if he shows out MDA wouldn't be opposed to playing him. If he shows up to pre-season draining open threes MDA is going to give him a shot. MDA played Lin because Lin proved he could play and if he's hitting open threes then he's going to see the court, especially as a big. Those pre-season games are going to be big for him of course.
You got me curious about that draft. Only about 16 of those guys out of the 60 are solidly IN the NBA. Seems like a terrible draft in that regard, but there were gems that year too. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2013_NBA_draft Looked at 2012 and there's only 19 there. Turns out it's tough to make it in the NBA. If Anthony Bennet was picked 7th during the 2013 draft, we'd all be singing his praises for working his way back into the NBA. I hope this kid continues to shake his demons off and achieve this NBA dream. It's hard to fail and pick yourself back up. CLAP FOR EM. Spoiler
Let's see what he can do against legit NBA 2nd and 3rd stringers..... https://www.thestar.com/sports/bask...all-draft-pick-its-still-the-nba-or-bust.html
In the G-League,he reminds me of another former 1 pick, Glenn "Big Dog Robinson". I think he could contribute if he can knock down the corner 3. PJ Tucker showed us all that you can work your way back.
The one thing I like about Bennet is a wrinkle his presence potentially adds to MDmA's offensive system. In D'Antoni's Phoenix days he had this play where guys would run down and quickly post up from let's say the left side. They would throw it into the high post, then a 3 point shooter would run to the corner and another three point shooter would set a pick for that guy headed to the corner. The high post guy would pass it out to the corner if the defender was watching the ball. If the defender was watching his man, they'd run a quick cut left or right for the shooter to get space, then bombs away. Nice little play with multiple options and it puts defenders in precarious positions. They either have their back to the shooter or the passer, but they can't face both ways.
Never said one word about other GM's knowing or not knowing about him. Odon't care snot other GM's. I simply advocated we sign him because he's ready to contribute, he fits, and we need another value role player for the next 3 seasons with upside potential. Speed up your roll. This will be your only response until you become a contributing member.
You’ve given a good response until the last sentence. What teams can’t afford to sign Bennett to the same contract the Rockets did? I find it impossible to believe every NBA roster was full at the start of the offseason.
Didn't say couldn't afford. But if I got Millsap, Grant, Jokic, and Plumlee at the power spots along with 1 or 2 other youngsters on guaranteed deals (Hernangomez) I'm not real interested in a lesser version of Millsap.
Its hard to shake the stigma of failure and for the reasons he failed , especially when he was picked so high. The world doesn't give a whole lot of second chances …. There's literally no risk , other than taking up a roster spot during the offseason / preseason when you have 20 to play around with. If he got it together , great , if not cut bait and move on to the next project.
If we are going to get a G-League star... let's get Nick Johnson and Isaiah Hartenstein or even Gary Payton Jr.
If he was an unknown player with no relevant history except the G League, I'd say this is a great training camp invite. If he's developed any semblance of professionalism then he could be a great 10-15th guy off the bench. Yes, those matter too. Still needs to lose a bit of weight, there is no point him being that bulky, his game does not rely on strength at all but could benefit from a tiny bit more athleticism. Having said that, work ethic is by far the biggest obstacle in his career.