Minnesota Sports Forum

lipoli390 wrote:

Brooklyn_Wolves wrote:

bleedspeed177 wrote:If both AB and Payne were free agents. I would expect AB might to get an NBA contract and Payne to be out of the league. (we will see about AB)

meh, it's just your personal opinion, it doesn't carry a lot of weight as you not a NBA decision maker. I'd say all these athletes get multiple chances as they are clearly talented enough to get drafted in the first place. I think you speak with a lot of bias.

Bleed - I think you've been outed as someone who has bias and isn't an NBA decision-maker. Unlike the rest of us. Lol. In spite of your bias (maybe you're Bennett's American brother) I generally agree with you. I don't expect either one to amount to much as an NBA player. But if I had to choose I'd choose Bennett. He has a better overall skill set, is significantly younger than Payne and had stats as a college freshman comparable to Payne's as a college senior.

The bold section is what's essential to consider when we compare these two. I agree with you there, Lip. I don't see Bennett or Payne becoming anything worthwhile. I think the board knows my thoughts on both of them quite well, so, I'll jump to my next thought...

I'd choose Payne between the two, and the reason is because he'll leave all of his energy on the floor whenever he gets minutes. I always value a good motor, even if it's unnecessary or sometimes a liability like Payne's. The energy player has a better shot at carving out a role in the NBA than the more talented player when that talented player doesn't play with effort. I've long thought lack of effort, confidence and smarts were Bennett's biggest detractors. That stands true to this day.

Also, can we please stop bringing up Bennett's college numbers? He played in the Mountain West Conference, for crying out loud. Adreian Payne played in the Big Ten. There's a significant difference in competition there.

Want to know who led the Mountain West in scoring in 2013-14? Cameron Bairstow. Yeah, that's the 14th man for the Chicago Bulls. He can't even sniff playing time. Is anybody going to sell me on Bairstow's NBA potential? Bennett's "impressive" numbers at UNLV are meaningless.

Sometimes I really truly wonder what skills Bennett has that Payne doesn't. Below is the first video that pops up when you google his name and it has a couple of instances where he takes guys off the dribble to get to the rim. I didn't see Bennett do that much despite him being the compared to Larry Johnson. I just don't see that. I think what Insaw from Payne last year is a guy with more skill than he is given credit for offensively especially compared to Bennett who was drafted to score but isn't good at it.

http://youtu.be/HeufYTG5LuM

Also Bennett being 22 and Payne being 24 how significant of a difference is that at this point? I am not sure.

How does the fact that Payne has a significant physical advantage in length factor in? That seems to be glossed over a lot.

Comparing AB to Payne is like comparing the same thing. They both have very very limited ceilings in the NBA and won't ever be rotation players on a playoff team. (AB has a much better chance of this)

Cam - Good analysis.

You and I essentially agree on Payne and Bennett. However, I don't give as much weight as you do to UNLV's conference. Bennett had 15 points and 13 rebounds against North Carolina at NC. He had 22/7 against a very good ISU team and 22/10 against a very good Oregon team. He put up good numbers against San Diego State and New Mexico - 2 tournament teams from his own conference. Also keep in mind that the crux of my comparison was the fact that Bennett's numbers came as a freshman compared to Payne's as a senior. That's significant.

Where you may have persuaded me is your comparison of the two players' motors. I tend to agree that the higher motor player is more likely to carve out a niche for himself in the NBA. And I agree that lack of confidence and effort have been two big problems for Bennett. Unfortunately, Payne's knucklehead factor is what will probably stop him from ever becoming more than a marginal NBA player.

Bottom line is that the Wolves fortunes going forward won't turn on the development of Bennett or Payne. And that's a good thing. :). I just wish we had that future 1st round pick we used to acquire Payne.

I love the.argument that neither Bennett nor Payne will be the reason we're successful, and that it will depend on a few of our higher potential players.

That's how loser organizations talk. We'll just give up on player development who aren't part of our core.

LloydBraun wrote:I love the.argument that neither Bennett nor Payne will be the reason we're successful, and that it will depend on a few of our higher potential players.

That's how loser organizations talk. We'll just give up on player development who aren't part of our core.

Bennett wanted out the Wolves contributed to that by adding talent. If you go with your model of developing talent throughout the roster the Spurs have done that without top picks etc. Its possible another player the Wolves pick up or keep instead of Bennett is just as or more useful especially long term. Maybe next offseason not having Bennett on the roster allows thebte to spend a few million to sign a solid FA or a top euroleague guy that no NBA team has the rights too. I don't care about Glen's wallet but over 2 million in cash savings and letting a guy go home to Toronto that projects as a bench guy seems pretty reasonable and a wise enough thing to do to me. The Spurs basically just did the same thing a couple months ago with Corey Joseph right? :)

monsterpile wrote:

LloydBraun wrote:I love the.argument that neither Bennett nor Payne will be the reason we're successful, and that it will depend on a few of our higher potential players.

That's how loser organizations talk. We'll just give up on player development who aren't part of our core.

Bennett wanted out the Wolves contributed to that by adding talent. If you go with your model of developing talent throughout the roster the Spurs have done that without top picks etc. Its possible another player the Wolves pick up or keep instead of Bennett is just as or more useful especially long term. Maybe next offseason not having Bennett on the roster allows thebte to spend a few million to sign a solid FA or a top euroleague guy that no NBA team has the rights too. I don't care about Glen's wallet but over 2 million in cash savings and letting a guy go home to Toronto that projects as a bench guy seems pretty reasonable and a wise enough thing to do to me. The Spurs basically just did the same thing a couple months ago with Corey Joseph right? :)

No, Joseph was a FA and signed a 4 year deal. The spurs didn't buy him out of his deal. Completely different situation, particularly considering that Aldridge was coming in, and the spurs are a title contender.

Bennett was a developing player on a developing team. As usual, our wolves don't seem to have a clear plan moving forward. They are dumping developmental guys for vets, but say they aren't worried about winning games just yet. Why not use the D league for some of these guys, not only for development, but as a carrot on a stick as well. Both Bennett and Payne could have spent time down there for minutes.

We have a chronically injured center who wont be ready for camp which means won't play this year, or will likely under perform due to conditioning issues, but we are penciling in our other two centers to play the 4.