Debate on Len/Bennett @ #4

[bLACKpANTHER]

Good short article on Len vs Bennett for Bobcats:

http://hangtime.blogs.nba.com/2013/06/24/bobcats-2013-draft-could-be-about-2011/

 

 

Len makes sense because centers are always hard to find and he is the best one on the board this year. Maybe Biyombo’s best fit is as an energizing defensive force off the bench, able to spark a team the same way other coaches typically rely on a scorer for that role.

 

But, Bennett makes sense because Biyombo is clearly progressing in some areas. Plus, the Bobcats hired Patrick Ewing as an assistant coach and just maybe he knows something about playing center that can help a project develop. No one expected Biyombo to be making a major impact after two seasons anyway, and his rebounding numbers are encouraging.

 

Bennett is also a good fit with Michael Kidd-Gilchrist, the lottery pick a year ago. Kidd-Gilchrist can’t hit a jumper, so the Bobcats need someone with range. That’s Bennett. There are questions about who Bennett guards — not strong enough to handle power forwards, not quick enough to stay with small forwards — but Biyombo and MKG have the potential to become elite defenders and compensate.

 

 

[Carl Spackler]

He progressed in terms of learning how to catch a pass in transition, not quite the progression that would justify not picking a C.

[koolkatluke]

Len - A true Center that can be a pick and Pop big and a post up presences. He also will make it able to move Bismack to his natural at PF. Where Biz could play a role like Charles Oakley.

 

Bennett - A tweener who could be a Paul Milsap with more athletics. With n Biz being our only guy who can play center for long periods we would still need a C if we draft him.

[carolina-chuck]

Both players would fit well with Biyombo. Bennett is the better all around player in that he can score, rebound, and still play defense. IMO, Bennett is the better rebounder too. Len is the better defender and can protect the basket bc of his height. His offense may still need a little more work. If Bennett was 6'10, he'd probably be the no1 pick. If Len is gone, I would not be surprise a bit if Bennett was selected at no4.

[koolkatluke]

Both players would fit well with Biyombo. Bennett is the better all around player in that he can score, rebound, and still play defense. IMO, Bennett is the better rebounder too. Len is the better defender and can protect the basket bc of his height. If Bennett was 6'10, he'd probably be the no1 pick. If Len is gone, I would not be surprise a bit if Bennett was selected at no4.

 

My only problem with the Biz and Bennett Combo. Is it will be the shortest front court in the league and I don't remember a team built with that short of Front court and do anything. Plus I think Biz can be a better PF then Center.

 

[Zaximus]

I think you draft Len and move Biz to PF full time.  Biz is progressing well IMO, if we can get him scoring around 10-13ppg that would be amazing.  I think if you give Biz some help down low he's going to be very annoying for opposing offenses.

 

I could also agree that Biz would be good off the bench too for a spark.

 

I heard on 610 am this morning that Bennett has put on 20 or so pounds and that kind of worries people. 

[carolina-chuck]

My only problem with the Biz and Bennett Combo. Is it will be the shortest front court in the league and I don't remember a team built with that short of Front court and do anything. Plus I think Biz can be a better PF then Center.

 

 

Yea, I agree completely.

But, it would make some sense if we go after Al Jefferson. Biz and Bennett can rotate at the 4. I hate to say it, but Biz may be better suited to come off the bench.

 

[carolina-chuck]

I think you draft Len and move Biz to PF full time.  Biz is progressing well IMO, if we can get him scoring around 10-13ppg that would be amazing.  I think if you give Biz some help down low he's going to be very annoying for opposing offenses.

 

I could also agree that Biz would be good off the bench too for a spark.

 

I heard on 610 am this morning that Bennett has put on 20 or so pounds and that kind of worries people. 

 

Remember, Bennett has a shoulder injury. It's his shoulder, but it still would be hard to do some running. Once he gets back on the court, those weights are going to come off.

[GotSwag?]

If Len is there, im taking him.  Bennett has been a favorite of mine bc he reminds me of Larry Johnson, but Alex Lin is very very talented.  People who think he will be a bust is just flat out wrong.  I can see him having a similar career to a Marc Gasol.  Hes a big that can shoot mid range and when his PG feeds him the ball, he is very good in the pant.   Bad part about Len is his health.  Will he hold up?

 

 

[carolina-chuck]

NBA.com

 

Mock

 

Charlotte: Anthony Bennett

 

Needs: Scoring
Don't overthink this: Last season, only one team scored fewer points a game than Charlotte (93.4), was DFL in the league in field goal percentage (.425) and lost games by an NBA-worst average of 9.2 ppg. The Bobcats need somebody who can put the ball in the basket. Bennett may be a 'tweener, but he has explosive offensive potential no matter where he plays. Bennett and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist would have serious potential as a forward duo, each complementing the other's weaknesses. A lot of mocks have Maryland's Alex Len going here. It's just hard to see Michael Jordan going for another high pick that's not a sure thing. I'm not saying Bennett is a sure thing, just that he's closer to being one at the moment than Len.

 

 

New Orleans: Alex Len

 

Needs: Small forward
The Pelicans could use an offensive-oriented big to pair with Anthony Davis, and Len is the best -- maybe the only -- center prospect in the Draft that could turn into something special. At 255 pounds, Len would let Davis play much-needed minutes at the four, where he won't take as much of a beating. Len played extremely well against top-notch competition for the Terrapins, dominating Nerlens Noel early in the season and more than holding his own against the likes of Duke's Mason Plumlee. But he was inconsistent against lesser competition. The advanced-stats crowd will also point out that he struggled scoring in the post at Maryland, but scouts counter that Maryland's guards often failed to get him the ball in prime scoring position. This pick assumes that the Pelicans haven't given up on Austin Rivers as a point guard prospect; otherwise, Trey Burke would certainly be the pick here. My other caveat: Len's stress fracture in his ankle and subsequent surgery will keep him shelved a few more weeks. While he's supposed to be ready by the start of next season, big men and feet/ankle issues are always scary.

 

 

(Scott Howard-Cooper)
UNLV's Bennett not an LJ clone, but he's awfully close to it

 

He was bored in his dorm room, which it turns out is possible even when the dorm room is in Las Vegas. The comparisons had been coming at him like a fast break.

Anthony Bennett went to the computer. His mind wondered, his fingers typed.

Larry Johnson.

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Bennett had never met LJ, but knew him well. Johnson was in New York, back with the Knicks after a 10-year playing career there and in Charlotte with the Hornets. But Johnson might as well have been in Vegas, the way his legacy had come front and center again.

As Johnson once tore through defenses as an undersized power forward at UNLV, Bennett was tearing through defenses as an undersized power forward at UNLV. So they were joined. People were constantly connecting Bennett to Johnson.

Bennett was curious. He clicked.

The first link?

UNLV vs. Duke in the national-championship game on April 2, 1990, in Denver.

Yeah, that'll do.

"It was crazy," Bennett said.

It was UNLV 103, Duke 73, with Johnson rolling up 22 points and 11 rebounds in 30 minutes.

That was their introduction. And then it was over. Bennett watched a few more highlights via YouTube, but didn't submerge himself in Johnson's college career. Of course, he didn't really need to. Enough people had told him about Johnson in his pre-http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=thbUkBW_ftM.

Bennett now looks forward to the chance to talk to LJ in person one day. "Just to ask him how it was in the league with everybody saying he was an undersized power forward," Bennett said. "Just like me."

There is an obvious duplication in school and a near-duplication in stature. Johnson was listed at 6-foot-7 and 250 pounds as a rookie. Bennett, who did not take a physical at the Chicago pre-Draft combine because of a shoulder injury, says he is 6-foot-7 ¾ and 240-245 pounds when he is able to work out. The two also share a similar stock at Draft time, with Johnson going No. 1 in 1991 and Bennett with a chance to go top three (and likely no lower than sixth on Thursday night).

Yet there are important differences.

Bennett is a good athlete. But Johnson, pre-back injury, was explosive in a way that allowed him to counter his lack of size.

Bennett's advantage is playing in a time when more and more there is no such thing as a typical power forward. He can score from the post in the old-school ways or step out to use his quickness and hit 3-pointers. He is the new model of the stretch-four, the power forward that can make opponents pay from the perimeter.

That's a particularly nice fit next to a center with limited offense. Hello, Bobcats, who pick fourth and have the jump shot-challenged combo of Bismack Biyombo and Michael Kidd-Gilchrist in the frontcourt.

"It's accurate," Bennett said of the comparisons. "There's a lot of things I actually do that he did all right and there's stuff that he did perfect that I cannot. It's mix and match. I've heard people say I'm like a more-athletic Zach Randolph. I've heard that because he's versatile and can go inside and out. I also heard Carmelo [Anthony]. He's so versatile. He can shoot, he has post moves."

The concern is who Bennett defends. If he were 6-foot-9, he probably goes No. 1 on Thursday. Some teams rate him the third-best prospect after Nerlens Noel and Ben McLemore. There is a lot to like.

Bennett said the recovery from a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder is going well and that he should be back on the court in August. He'll miss Summer League, which won't help, but he should be back and in playing shape for his first training camp.

 

 

[CarolinaNCSU]

At this point, I'd be happy with either.  Bennett is the safer pick, but Len's potential/landing a true Center would be great. 

[MadHatter]

I think you draft Len and move Biz to PF full time.  Biz is progressing well IMO, if we can get him scoring around 10-13ppg that would be amazing.  I think if you give Biz some help down low he's going to be very annoying for opposing offenses.

 

I could also agree that Biz would be good off the bench too for a spark.

 

I heard on 610 am this morning that Bennett has put on 20 or so pounds and that kind of worries people. 

 

Kind of sad that we used the #7 pick on a guy that we hope can get to scoring 10 pts a game.

 

I don't hate Biz, but he was nowhere near worth the #7 pick.

[CarolinaNCSU]

Yeah I agree with the quote from the article regarding Biz.  He's going to be best served as a defense/energy guy off the bench.  Anyone expecting him to blossom into anything more than a decent rotational player is asking for too much IMO. 

[carolina-chuck]

One NBA executive is calling Bennett a "superstar". Len is intriguing, but he scares me a bit. He's either the Gasol Brothers or a Jonas V./Bargnani. Imo, McLemore and Bennett are the only two players in this draft with All-Star potentials.