Minnesota Sports Forum

kekgeek1 wrote:Cam this is getting a little bit ridiculous, I mean we agree on a lot of things but give bennett shot, he might end up sucking, but don't take every chance you get to rip him, I am not a huge bennett fan either but I will at least have an open mind about him and that he just played in the NBA one year. I mean Pek didn't look like an NBA player after year one, Lance didn't play meaningful minutes until year three. There are also guys who look good after one year who turn out to be bust like Foye (not fully a bust) and Flynn. Give Bennett a chance

I didn't think I was over the top, honestly. The POBO/Head Coach told him to join a program, and he did. I'm rooting for him to complete it and gain positive results from it. I just don't think it should get twisted into anything more, like Bennett going out of his way to join this program to prove anything. Flip asked him to do it, and so he will. Employer to employee interaction, if you will.

I'm actually looking forward to what Bennett might bring off the bench. Last year I looked at D-Will as a potential spark off the bench offensively and he was unable to thrive in that role. If Bennett can do that, I'll take it, though I'm not happy he's making $5M+ to be just that. I also don't see him taking over PF as long as Young is here either. I'm giving Bennett a chance, though, as I will always root for the team no matter what side of a player debate I'm on.

(Pek also was adjusting to new rules/referees/country; also wasn't a lottery pick. I fail to see how that is a good comparison.)

My thoughts on this thread:

-kek, I agree except at no point did Flynn look good. He was a high usage rookie, but was a poor defender and gave zero flow to our offense (he'd have the ball in his hands dribbling around for 80% of every shot clock and made absolutely noone better).

-Camden, I see your point, but your comment about Pek is no more relevant than their comparison given that Pek had body issues as a rookie, was ~24 years old (as opposed to 19 for AB), and Pek would have been a lock to be a lotto pick if it would have worked financially to get him over from Europe. I remember Bilas saying during that draft that Pekovic going #1 in the 2nd round that year was a lock because he was a lottery talent but that the locked in salary structure wouldn't allow for him to come over. So while I agree that the comparison isn't a mirror image, Pekovic definitely had issues as well. Zach Randolph didn't do anything his rookie year, and always had the weight issues, but got it on track. Many big guys have... remember that AB is still a baby in NBA standards, plenty of time for him to improve. But if his BB IQ is truly that bad, then there won't likely be a fix.

mrhockey89 wrote:-Camden, I see your point, but your comment about Pek is no more relevant than their comparison given that Pek had body issues as a rookie, was ~24 years old (as opposed to 19 for AB), and Pek would have been a lock to be a lotto pick if it would have worked financially to get him over from Europe. I remember Bilas saying during that draft that Pekovic going #1 in the 2nd round that year was a lock because he was a lottery talent but that the locked in salary structure wouldn't allow for him to come over. So while I agree that the comparison isn't a mirror image, Pekovic definitely had issues as well. Zach Randolph didn't do anything his rookie year, and always had the weight issues, but got it on track. Many big guys have... remember that AB is still a baby in NBA standards, plenty of time for him to improve. But if his BB IQ is truly that bad, then there won't likely be a fix.

Right, Pek had the talent to be a lottery pick, but because of circumstances, he wasn't. The point I was making was that expectations weren't as high for Pek as they were for Bennett, due to where they were selected in the draft. I guess I should have been clearer about that. I hope that is much better.

The thing I have to continue to remind those on here is that Bennett isn't a Randolph, Aldridge, Love type power forward. Those guys know what they are, and what they're elite at. Bennett has called himself a small forward multiple times in the past, most memorably during draft workouts. His game reflects that as well, as he'd rather take his man off the dribble from the perimeter or settle for jumpers, and it's not particularly that great in his case. That's a hybrid type game, whereas Randolph and those guys are bangers. I've said time and time again that Bennett might be a better player if he played closer to the basket more often. This way he could take advantage of his athleticism, length and touch (if he has any) to go over defenders. Instead he floats around the perimeter. And no, he's not a good enough shooter (Love, Anderson, Nowitski) or creator off the dribble (Green, Young, T.Jones) to do this consistently. His mentality has to change while he evolves his game. I have serious doubts that he will make the necessary change(s) to his mindset.

WITH ALL OF THAT SAID, I'M ROOTING FOR THE GUY. I root for the name on the front of the jersey.

Cam did you hear Flip talk about Bennett after the trade was done and saying he took too many 3 pointers and said something like we are going to fix that or not going to let him shoot that many and he is a PF. I liked hearing that. I like that Bennett has a nice shot and has nice ball handling skills but he has a body type that should be banging around a decent amount in the post not pretending to be a perimeter type player. I think he should spend a year closer to the painted area before extending his game out.

Williams is a poor comparison to Bennett. The only things they have in common are the position they play and a disappointing rookie season. Bennett is far more skilled than Williams - a better ball handler and much better passer. To say that Bennett has the same low level basketball IQ as Williams is way off the mark. Bennett actually has basketball instincts; Williams has none. Williams started playing basketball very late in life and it showed on the court in a complete lack of any feel for the game. Bennett has been playing most of his life and he does have a feel for the game. Williams has been a flop for three NBA seasons after two years in college. Bennett has had only one bad rookie season after only one year of college.

Bennett's poor rookie season was clearly tied to has preseason surgery, sleep apnea and poor conditioning. It would appear that all three issues have been resolved. In any event, lots of really good NBA players had very poor rookie seasons. I'm not projecting Bennett as an eventual all-star, although I think he has that kind of potential. I'm just suggesting that the Williams comparison is a very poor one. Meanwhile, it is WAY too soon to project Bennett a failure on par with Williams.

Thank you kekgeek! Cam's disdain for Bennett was ridiculous. I couldn't read 2 consecutive posts without Cam interjecting on a Bennett rant.

He hasn't even played a game yet! So what if he's not an ideal PF? What if we play 2 SF? Some people get so hung up on position. Rubio brings the ball up and Pek clogs the paint-everybody else is a hybrid.

lipoli390 wrote:Williams is a poor comparison to Bennett. The only things they have in common are the position they play and a disappointing rookie season. Bennett is far more skilled than Williams - a better ball handler and much better passer. To say that Bennett has the same low level basketball IQ as Williams is way off the mark. Bennett actually has basketball instincts; Williams has none. Williams started playing basketball very late in life and it showed on the court in a complete lack of any feel for the game. Bennett has been playing most of his life and he does have a feel for the game. Williams has been a flop for three NBA seasons after two years in college. Bennett has had only one bad rookie season after only one year of college.

Bennett's poor rookie season was clearly tied to has preseason surgery, sleep apnea and poor conditioning. It would appear that all three issues have been resolved. In any event, lots of really good NBA players had very poor rookie seasons. I'm not projecting Bennett as an eventual all-star, although I think he has that kind of potential. I'm just suggesting that the Williams comparison is a very poor one. Meanwhile, it is WAY too soon to project Bennett a failure on par with Williams.

A lot of excuses floating around here.

Just a reminder...

-Bennett hasn't shown to be a good passer. Williams averaged more assists at Arizona than Bennett did at UNLV and during their rookie years (per-40 and total).
-Despite Williams playing another year in college, both were 20 during their rookie year
-Williams also had surgery to correct breathing after his rookie year
-Williams also lost weight and got in shape after his rookie year

There are several similarities, but excuses can be made for everything

I think it is safe to say we all have different degree of hope for Bennett, GR3, and Shabazz.

If Wiggins, LaVine, or Dieng turn out to be busts we are going to be bad for another 5 years.

monsterpile wrote:Cam did you hear Flip talk about Bennett after the trade was done and saying he took too many 3 pointers and said something like we are going to fix that or not going to let him shoot that many and he is a PF. I liked hearing that. I like that Bennett has a nice shot and has nice ball handling skills but he has a body type that should be banging around a decent amount in the post not pretending to be a perimeter type player. I think he should spend a year closer to the painted area before extending his game out.

I actually didn't like that comment by Flip...reminded me too much of Randy Wittman when he told Kevin Love not to shoot 3-pointers. Bennett was a true stretch power forward in college, scoring both inside and out (37.5 % on threes compared to 34.4% for Love). And if you watch his shooting stroke, you can see that he has the form to consistently hit 3-pointers. Yes, he should continue to use his size and long arms to score inside too, but the stretch power forward is an important part of the modern NBA game, and he is the only guy on our current roster with the potential to be an effective stretch forward. Wittman didn't let Love be Love, and Adelman didn't let Ricky be Ricky, and both players were held back by that poor coaching decision. Let's hope Flip doesn't make the same mistake with AB, but rather allows him to use all the skills he brings to the table.

longstrangetrip wrote:

monsterpile wrote:Cam did you hear Flip talk about Bennett after the trade was done and saying he took too many 3 pointers and said something like we are going to fix that or not going to let him shoot that many and he is a PF. I liked hearing that. I like that Bennett has a nice shot and has nice ball handling skills but he has a body type that should be banging around a decent amount in the post not pretending to be a perimeter type player. I think he should spend a year closer to the painted area before extending his game out.

I actually didn't like that comment by Flip...reminded me too much of Randy Wittman when he told Kevin Love not to shoot 3-pointers. Bennett was a true stretch power forward in college, scoring both inside and out (37.5 % on threes compared to 34.4% for Love). And if you watch his shooting stroke, you can see that he has the form to consistently hit 3-pointers. Yes, he should continue to use his size and long arms to score inside too, but the stretch power forward is an important part of the modern NBA game, and he is the only guy on our current roster with the potential to be an effective stretch forward. Wittman didn't let Love be Love, and Adelman didn't let Ricky be Ricky, and both players were held back by that poor coaching decision. Let's hope Flip doesn't make the same mistake with AB, but rather allows him to use all the skills he brings to the table.

I remember that too. I hope Flip said he is not going to let Bennett fall in love with shooting just from the outside.