Anthony Bennett

[Monster]

While there are some outlying opinions, I think most of the board agrees that it would not be prudent to give up on Bennett at this time. It was only 24 months ago that he was dominating at UNLV, and while in retrospect it seems foolish, the Cavs though enough of him to make him the #1 pick. He has followed that up with 2 very disappointing seasons, but frankly, really only one season of games due to all his injuries. He possesses an attractive combination of size, athleticism, skill and shooting touch that you don't often find in a PF. And beyond that, he is a hard worker...lots of reports about him in the gym late at night working on his game. I'm puzzled by those who say he is a tweener, because I think PF's need two things with respect to size...length and bulk...and AB has both of these.

AB was one of my biggest disappointments this year, in a season of many disappointments, but I am far from giving up on him. I would like to see him in an offense that doesn't always start the PF at the top of the key. The explosiveness he showed on a few dunks this season showed me that he should live closer to the basket, rather than out around the 3-point line...although I do think the long-distance shot has to be incorporated into his game too.

This is very similar to the reasoning that we went through with DW and that dude was at least healthy for 2 YEARS also DW had just as much of a PF body as Bennett he is taller and just as long if not longer.

At some point I don't give a rip what these guys did in college. D-league guys that are tearing it up in that league might be more impressive or at least the same because quite frankly that league might be getting more and more legit each year especially with some franchises keeping a significant amount of their players year to year.

I'm not saying Bennett doesn't have potential to be worthwhile but for that money if someone was willing to take him off our hands I'd have a hard time passing up that opportunity. The point about Payne being old at 24 but Bennett is 2 years younger. Is that really such a big difference? I kept saying over and over how people ripped on keeping Hummel cause he was too old etc. He is probably more worthwhile if he was healthy than all these younger guys. I haven't seen Hamilton play but he seems to be doing more in his time than Bennett ever did and he is supposed to be a lot less talented.

Cam keeps making the point about why trade for Payne when you could have gotten a d-league guy for nothing. Let's be honest if Bennett wasn't the high draft pick he is we wouldn't have a thread dedicated to what to do with him. Jeff Adrian was clearly a better player when he was here and he isn't even in the league right now. Tell me what it is that Bennett can do that makes you want to have him around? Dude can't stay healthy and even if you think he is being held out of games now (which seems very unlikely since they have nobody to play) there were a few games earlier in the season that he would not have played if they hadn't needed him. In his 2 years Bennett hasn't even been as good/bad or whatever the standard set by DW.

I am sorry for the rant (I hope LST you don't feel I was attacking you) but the more I think about Bennett the more I'm done with the guy. It probably doesn't matter what we do with him because he isn't bringing anything exciting back. We traded away a PF and we got a PF prospect back so that was good but Bennett doesn't look like he is gonna be much of an answer. It was worth a shot and he was salary to make it work.

[Tactical unit]

AB is all upside and lets face it we traded Love for Wiggins and a big fat hope that AB could be coached up. If anyone gets into the scouting process of rookies and watched AB in college what you seen was a player that dominated one end of the floor. He was frequently lazy in hustling back in transition and should have never been #1 overall.

As an active duty member of the military I can tell you what this kid needs. A change in mindset, stop thinking you're good, you've amounted to nothing. He needs to broken the way they break you in boot camp and then rebuild him back up. Let's start with hustle if you hustle 100% (J. Hamilton style) then you can get back on the floor. Until then you do as your told and the only response I want is SIR YES SIR!!!!
He should be required to sprint onto the court and off the court because doing it his way and being a so called "hard working gym rat" has lead to what? F-ing BUM!

I see your upside AB but your the only one that can actually reach it. Play hard and you'll be amazed on what your production starts to look like.

[longstrangetrip [enjin:6600564]]

No, I don't feel attacked, monster...and I completely understand yours and Cam's position on AB. He hasn't played well at all in his 2 years in the NBA, and I'm also frustrated. And I get the parallel to Williams, although something in the way he carried himself led me to give up on him earlier than AB.

But I disagree with your point that the only reason we are having this discussion is because he was #1 pick. If AB was an unknown guy from the D league and we brought him up for a look see late in the year, and we observed that 7-1 wingspan, sweet jump shooting form, and jaw dropping explosive dunks, we would be talking about his potential. This guy has all the tools to be a good NBA player...as TU says, it's up to him what he does with it.

[Lipoli390]

I'm with Long on this. Yes, I'm disappointed in Bennett and I'm definitely not counting on him down the road. But he still has a big upside and injuries have stifled his development. One year of college and two injury-plagued seasons on bad NBA teams doesn't provide a solid basis for simoly giving up on him. If we can get a solid role player and 1st round pick in return then I'd be fine trading him this summer. Otherwise it would be silly at this point just to dump him. We have a team option on him after next season. If he doesn't show development by the end of next season and we can't get a decent return for him in a trade, then we can simply decline to exercise our team option and free up the salary/roster spot in the 2016/17 season.

I'll add that we can't count on Payne either. I like his aggressiveness and he has some talent, but his idiot factor is off the charts. Passing up wide open 10 foot jump shots in favor of putting the ball on the floor and driving into traffic, repeatedly committing boneheaded fouls, constantly getting lost on th floor on the defensive end.. The list goes on. He should be better after 4 years of college. But it's still too early to simply give up on him.

The Wolves should make it a priority to have their coaching staff work with Bennett and Payne throughout the summer. Both should be on our roster next season and compete for minutes.

Let's remember that we're a rebuilding team. That means two things above all others: (1) talent acquisition, and (2) player development. It also means lots of losing and lots of frustration with the pace of player development. Impatience with young players who have big upsides is precisely the impulse a rebuilding team needs to resist.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

We aren't good enough to just dump top 10 picks because they haven't done anything in less than 2 years in the league. We're still in the throw shit at a wall and see what sticks phase with all these young guys. It's too early to judge any of them. I say bring them all back and let them play each other next year in Summer League and training camp and see who gets better this off season. Then make your decisions. The last thing we can afford right now is ditching guys early in their career to have them make it on a different team. We need all the help we can get around Wiggins so we're better off waiting and seeing than dumping at this time.

[Q12543 [enjin:6621299]]

AB is all upside and lets face it we traded Love for Wiggins and a big fat hope that AB could be coached up. If anyone gets into the scouting process of rookies and watched AB in college what you seen was a player that dominated one end of the floor. He was frequently lazy in hustling back in transition and should have never been #1 overall.

As an active duty member of the military I can tell you what this kid needs. A change in mindset, stop thinking you're good, you've amounted to nothing. He needs to broken the way they break you in boot camp and then rebuild him back up. Let's start with hustle if you hustle 100% (J. Hamilton style) then you can get back on the floor. Until then you do as your told and the only response I want is SIR YES SIR!!!!
He should be required to sprint onto the court and off the court because doing it his way and being a so called "hard working gym rat" has lead to what? F-ing BUM!

I see your upside AB but your the only one that can actually reach it. Play hard and you'll be amazed on what your production starts to look like.

This is why I think some guys need to bounce around a bit before finally "getting it". You start realizing that you aren't entitled to anything and you get tired of moving from city to city, team to team. Plus you grow older and mature.

We really need our own D-League affiliate. Send these young-sters down to the minors and let them grind it out down there for a couple months. I think it can make them hungrier.

[KiwiMatt]

I think Bennett's floor is Patrick Patterson. Sure paying 6 million for a guy of that caliber is too much, but he has the upside to be a lot better.

D Will had nothing in the tank. No motivation, not chip on his shoulder. Bennett does he just can't seem to put it all together. I think he can and he will, I'm just not sure if he will as a T Wolf.

[Camden [enjin:6601484]]

Some of you have a false sense of reality when it comes to Bennett. "Injury-plagued seasons stifling his development". Give me a break with that nonsense. It's not like he was trending upward before any of his injuries. And here's the thing that nobody can answer. What's the one skill that Bennett has shown he can excel at? There isn't one. The guy's a bum and I've been spot on with that analysis for a long time now.

PS: Lip, there's no way in hell a team would give a role player or a first round pick for Bennett, let alone both! That's nuts.

[khans2k5 [enjin:6608728]]

How does someone trend upward before playing a single NBA game? That's when he first got injured. He's played 105 games in his career putting him at 1 and 1/4 seasons played. Glad to know our other guys have until November next year before they are determined to be bums or not. Seems like a reasonable time frame.

[Monster]

I have no problem keeping AB around and hope he does something I just think people that are excited with his potential should be more realistic but I suppose I shouldn't squash the optimism.

Q's point about bouncing around is a great point as well as a true d-league affiliate. We aren't a true good franchise until we have one of those. I think flip wants one but they should be making that a top priority and making it happen ASAP.

Personally one problem with keeping AB is that assuming there is no ridiculous injury issues (but it's the wolves who are we kidding) when does he play? If we pick a perimeter player in the draft that will help the situation but now we have at PF what we used to have with wings a collection of guys you have to pray is the answer.

My biggest reason to question Bennett goes to the problem he has staying on the court and when he has been on the court the number collectively are subpar no matter how you want to spin them. The fact that injuries have held him back is a big red flag for me not a positive.