Anthony Bennett a bust?

[Nick Young]

Whats the deal with this guy? He's on a crap team and not doing anything.

[DukeDelonte13]

Meh. He's not playing enough or getting enough touches.

Kid goes from putting up 15-20 shots a night to maybe shooting 2 or 3 shots a game.

I wouldn't call him a bust at this point but he's been disappointing for sure. He's just now not huffing and puffing after one minute in but he still isn't conditioned enough to play heavy minutes.

He's passing, defending, and rebounding well but the dude looks very scared/nervous on the offensive side of the ball.

[CelticBaller]

Too soon to tell, but for a #1 he's been shit and does not show improvement.

[DukeDelonte13]

Too soon to tell, but for a #1 he's been shit and does not show improvement.


no he's improved a lot since the preseason.

His passing and D have improved, he's starting to get when and when not to help and not fouling nearly as much. He got a lot more burn +touches in the preseason. He's in much better shape now but still not where he needs to be.

With Bennett its just going to be a matter of getting comfortable out there. He's being forced to devote all his attention and energy on the defensive end for the first time in his career. I think it will be a while before he starts easing in to his role.

[Take Your Lumps]

Why did he get a DNP on Saturday? Does Mike Brown seriously trust him less than Sergey Krasev and Alonzo Gee at this point?

[DukeDelonte13]

Why did he get a DNP on Saturday? Does Mike Brown seriously trust him less than Sergey Krasev and Alonzo Gee at this point?


well karasev and gee are wings while Bennett is a 4...


I don't know for sure but Mike Brown was experimenting with Earl Clark at the 4 for a couple of lineups. He's sat Earl out a few games earlier in the season.

[brandonislegend]

Rather have Kwame at least he was a great low post defender.

[ROCSteady]

How the hell can a guy with less than 20 career games be considered a bust already?


I feel like a dude needs two healthy seasons, at least, before 'bust' can be thrown around

[Eric Cartman]

How the hell can a guy with less than 20 career games be considered a bust already?


I feel like a dude needs two healthy seasons, at least, before 'bust' can be thrown around

bust @ first sight

[STATUTORY]

I knew this guy was a bust when he was drafted, when your greatest attribute in the lower levels is your strength, that's obvious low ceiling and potential

[TylerOO]

Why did he get a DNP on Saturday? Does Mike Brown seriously trust him less than Sergey Krasev and Alonzo Gee at this point?

Cuz he's fat and can only play once a week

[Meticode]

Personally, I think it was a mistake for the Cavaliers to pick him. I don't see how he's part of the future starting lineup if Thompson turns out and we keep him long-term.

[DukeDelonte13]

I knew this guy was a bust when he was drafted, when your greatest attribute in the lower levels is your strength, that's obvious low ceiling and potential


his greatest attribute at the lower levels was his advanced offensive skillset for a bigman.


His biggest weakness was his defense and effort.

Now he's hustling and playing D, but we aren't seeing much on the offensive side. Like i've been saying, AB taking 1-3 shots a game isn't doing him any favors.

[Meticode]

Why did he get a DNP on Saturday? Does Mike Brown seriously trust him less than Sergey Krasev and Alonzo Gee at this point?
Because Mike Brown is just throwing rotations together on the whim. On the ride to Washington he straight up told Earl Clark that he would be playing PF in stretches of the Washington game. They went on a few things on the ride to Washington and Earl Clark in fact played some power forward. After the game he said in so many words "I was a chicken with my head cut off, I wasn't sure where I needed to be."

[DukeDelonte13]

Personally, I think it was a mistake for the Cavaliers to pick him. I don't see how he's part of the future starting lineup if Thompson turns out and we keep him long-term.


I didn't mind the pick at the time and i still don't mind the pick. I wanted Nerlens but i think Bennett can be a very good player in the league. He just needs to get his confidence and conditioning back up and he'll be fine.

Problem is its not going to be easy to gain confidence when you are playing 10 minutes a game and touching the ball two or three times.


Thompson did turn out; he's a legit starting PF with a lot of room to grow. He was also declared a bust.

[Meticode]

I didn't mind the pick at the time and i still don't mind the pick. I wanted Nerlens but i think Bennett can be a very good player in the league. He just needs to get his confidence and conditioning back up and he'll be fine.

Problem is its not going to be easy to gain confidence when you are playing 10 minutes a game and touching the ball two or three times.


Thompson did turn out; he's a legit starting PF with a lot of room to grow. He was also declared a bust.
Yes, but how does a 6'8" 245 pound player who clearly has the body of a PF fit on a team long-term where you already have a long-term PF that continues to grow? I don't understand how Bennett fits long term. I mean sure, he probably could play SF in some stretches, but that isn't a long-term place for him.

[DukeDelonte13]

Yes, but how does a 6'8" 245 pound player who clearly has the body of a PF fit on a team long-term where you already have a long-term PF that continues to grow? I don't understand how Bennett fits long term. I mean sure, he probably could play SF in some stretches, but that isn't a long-term place for him.


You take BPA with the number one pick in the draft and you worry about the rest later.

The best "fit" for the team would have been Otto Porter, but I honestly don't think he would have been that productive of a player his first year, and don't know if he would have played ahead of clark and/or gee.

I don't want Bennett playing SF.


I think the long term fit (if the cavs FO keeps both of them) is Bennett at the 4 and Thompson at the 5. There are probably only a handful of centers in the league that would abuse him, Howard, Hibbert, etc., but it's not like every team in the NBA without a legit 7 footer gets abused by those guys. It's not like Andy can hold his own better against them either.

I don't consider Bynum to realistically be a part of the cavs after his second season if he even makes it that far.

[RoundMoundOfReb]

Cavs should've taken Noel. I really believe he has the potential to be a special defensive player.

[DukeDelonte13]

Cavs should've taken Noel. I really believe he has the potential to be a special defensive player.


I think that too, i wasn't really concerned about the ACL but i was more concerned about his size and frame.

We won't know what the cavs should have done until a year or two has passed.

Bennett looks rusty and nervous, Dipo looks pretty legit, Porter hasn't seen the floor, Zeller looks all right but not special, Len and Noel have their question marks, Ben Mac and Kentavious look good. MCW looks great.

[senelcoolidge]

He can't keep shooting 14.3% for the year. I think he'll finish in the low to mid 30's. He should bump up that 1.4ppg to somewhere in the 4.0 or 5.0 ppg range. He did play 20 minutes the other day and had 6 points on 3-11 shooting with 5 rebounds. He will get better.

[TheReal Kendall]

All I know is this dude is mad overrated on 2k14.

He be killing on there

[Meticode]

You take BPA with the number one pick in the draft and you worry about the rest later.

The best "fit" for the team would have been Otto Porter, but I honestly don't think he would have been that productive of a player his first year, and don't know if he would have played ahead of clark and/or gee.

I don't want Bennett playing SF.


I think the long term fit (if the cavs FO keeps both of them) is Bennett at the 4 and Thompson at the 5. There are probably only a handful of centers in the league that would abuse him, Howard, Hibbert, etc., but it's not like every team in the NBA without a legit 7 footer gets abused by those guys. It's not like Andy can hold his own better against them either.

I don't consider Bynum to realistically be a part of the cavs after his second season if he even makes it that far.
Thompson at the 5 is a horrible idea to me. He can play it in spurts, but I don't think that's a long-term answer. He's not a Ben Wallace defensively, he'll just get murdered by centers that are legit centers, and there's some up and coming good ones too.

[senelcoolidge]

Thompson at the 5 is a horrible idea to me. He can play it in spurts, but I don't think that's a long-term answer. He's not a Ben Wallace defensively, he'll just get murdered by centers that are legit centers, and there's some up and coming good ones too.

Thompson would be so undersized as a center. I guess the Cavs drafted a back up PF with the #1 pick. That sounds silly.

[hawkfan]

Mike Brown.
Give Bennett some time.

[Meticode]

Mike Brown.
Give Bennett some time.

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/9203952/

When I read this the day it happened, my reaction... :facepalm

[Lebron23]

Mike Brown.
Give Bennett some time.


Byron Scott is a better coach than Brown.

[Meticode]

Byron Scott is a better coach than Brown.
Neither of them would work out for the Cavaliers. Scott isn't coaching now though. Commentating...

[FindingTim]

Anthony Bennett will be a multi-year all-star selection. Have some patience.
Ever heard of a Sequoia tree? The word contains every vowel.
Also, the seeds are very small. But they grow into the largest living organism on planet earth.

[JimmyMcAdocious]

There's nothing wrong with being a great sixth man, even with the first pick. Those players become extremely valuable to championship contending teams.

I don't know if Bennett becomes that (maybe less, maybe more), but I honestly don't see a problem if that was what Bennett was drafted for. I don't' know if that is, btw, just saying based on the posts in here. Cavs seem content with their starting 5, other than SF. Again, an outsider's opinion.

[DukeDelonte13]

Byron Scott is a better coach than Brown.


that's laughable. Did you even watch any cavs games over the past two seasons? Byron Scott singlehandedly lost several games on his own.



Thompson at the 5 is a horrible idea to me. He can play it in spurts, but I don't think that's a long-term answer. He's not a Ben Wallace defensively, he'll just get murdered by centers that are legit centers, and there's some up and coming good ones too.


Just how many legit centers are in this league? TT can play C just as well as Andy can. Not saying its a perfect situation or anything...

[DukeDelonte13]

There's nothing wrong with being a great sixth man, even with the first pick. Those players become extremely valuable to championship contending teams.

I don't know if Bennett becomes that (maybe less, maybe more), but I honestly don't see a problem if that was what Bennett was drafted for. I don't' know if that is, btw, just saying based on the posts in here. Cavs seem content with their starting 5, other than SF. Again, an outsider's opinion.


Cavs need a big starting C for the long term but then again every team needs one of those.

I don't think the cavs were thinking about need when they made the pick.

The rumors were that the Cavs were supposedly between Mclemore and Bennett, two positions that they just used lottery picks on.

[pudman13]

Not to defend Bennett in any way, but I can't think of a worse coach to develop a young player than Mike Brown. When he coached the Cavs the first time it was the place rookies came to die.

[brownmamba00]

his greatest attribute at the lower levels was his advanced offensive skillset for a bigman.


His biggest weakness was his defense and effort.

Now he's hustling and playing D, but we aren't seeing much on the offensive side. Like i've been saying, AB taking 1-3 shots a game isn't doing him any favors.
The only thing Mike Brown can teach your players is defense. It's crazy how this guy keeps getting headcoaching jobs.

[Take Your Lumps]

Anthony Bennett will be a multi-year all-star selection. Have some patience.
Ever heard of a Sequoia tree? The word contains every vowel.
Also, the seeds are very small. But they grow into the largest living organism on planet earth.

So you're saying he's going to get fatter?

[DukeDelonte13]

Not to defend Bennett in any way, but I can't think of a worse coach to develop a young player than Mike Brown. When he coached the Cavs the first time it was the place rookies came to die.


The cavs had like what, two or three draft picks the entire time Mike Brown was head coach? And its not like the cavs were in a developmental stage when Brown was hired. They were playoff bound every year he was here.

JJ Hickson might have been the only first rounder. Correct me if i'm wrong. JJ is an all right player, he's very dumb, but he got plenty of burn and was used pretty effectively while he was here.

Other draft picks i can think of are Danny Green, (Byron Scott's choice to cut) and Darnell Jackson.

[Unbiased_one]

Whats the deal with this guy? He's on a crap team and not doing anything.

Playing on a bad team doesn't help bad players.

[jzek]

He makes Kwame look like an All-Star.