Minnesota Sports Forum

The buyout talk/threads reminded me of Anthony Bennett. Here's a quick and dirty comparison to what AB did last year vs. what Professor Big Shots/Euro MVP has done this year:

Per Game
AB: 15.7 minutes, 5.2 points, 3.8 rebounds, 0.3 blocks
NB: 17.9 minutes, 4.5 points, 3.2 rebounds, 0.3 blocks

Per 36:
AB: 12.0 points, 8.7 rebounds, 0.6 blocks
NB: 9.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 0.7 blocks

Player Efficiency Ratings (PER)
AB: 11.4
NB: 9.3

What the hell?

Bjelica costs about half of what Bennett would have if we kept him and to be honest he is probably twice the player Bennett is also. You are right though overall he has been somewhat of a disappointment but I think he can play. Dwayne Casey recently said he likes Bennett and they see him as a long term guy there. I honestly hope it works out for Bennett but it was unlikely to happen here.

Stats can be spun all sorts of ways. Good thing you didn't compare their rookie seasons...

If you look at advanced stats, there is no comparison.

Win Shares Bjelica 1.47 vs. AB -.263
DRPM: Bjelica .66 vs. AB -3.21
ORPM: Bjelica -.99 vs. AB. -3.78
RPM: Bjelica -.33 vs. AB -6.99 (Bjelica is above average vs. AB absolute worst)

TeamRicky wrote:You just cherrypicked the stats to make your comparison. If you look at advanced stats, there is no comparison.

Win Shares Bjelica 1.47 vs. AB -.263
DRPM: Bjelica .66 vs. AB -3.21
ORPM: Bjelica -.99 vs. AB. -3.78
RPM: Bjelica -.33 vs. AB -6.99 (Bjelica is above average vs. AB absolute worst)

I absolutely did - you bastards! :-) I also use VORP as one of my preferred advanced stats and Bjelica shows up there too. Still, Professor Big Shots has flown relatively under the radar this season with regard to criticism from this board. With all the talk about buyouts and bad contracts, I just don't want him to turn to be another one. I hope he gets back on the court before the season ends and raises his stats so someone like me can no longer post such absurd comparisons.

I recall many of us not having high expectations for Bjelica during his rookie season. He needed this season to learn the NBA, figure out his off-season priorities, and hopefully make an impact next season.

Of course, the same can be said about KAT. But he has exceeded most everyone's expectations for a rookie season!

60WinTim wrote:I recall many of us not having high expectations for Bjelica during his rookie season. He needed this season to learn the NBA, figure out his off-season priorities, and hopefully make an impact next season.

Of course, the same can be said about KAT. But he has exceeded most everyone's expectations for a rookie season!

Yep. I know Pek made a nice jump his second year. It would be nice if Bjelica could do the same. Honestly, I was not a Bjelica guy when all the hype started, but I will say he looked fine to start the season. I'm not sure what's going on with him since then. I have no problem giving him a mulligan for his rookie year. But at his age, he's not going to get as long of a leash from me as 19/20 year old guys.

I'm someone that had high expectations of Bjelica and have been disappointed. You can definitely see he has skills and a solid b-ball IQ, but he has had a difficult time adjusting to the speed of the game and the refereeing.

But despite his struggles, he's on a different level compared to AB.

Q basically echoed my response thoughts to a tee.

There are lies, damned lies, and then there's statistics.

AB was healthy, from what has been reported Belly has not.