Closer look at: Anthony Bennett

[TyGuy]

I think this guy is going to be an outstanding pro. He is short, maybe 6'6" in barefeet, but he is long and looks to be somewhere close to a 8'9"-9 foot standing reach. He has big soft paws, is extremely athletic, has good ball handling ability, has range, and can score in a multitude of ways. I'm not sure where he is at defensively, but he looks like a very good offensive rebounder and is a quick, powerful jumper; there is nothing soft about this guy.

I think what this team lacks in a major way is an inside scoring presence. This guy is a threat on the pick and roll, the pick and pop, and appears to be a guy you can just give the ball on the block to create offense.

 

[Wine and Gold]

Once the top 5 prospects are off the board (Shabazz, Noel, Len, Zeller, Mclemore), I have a lot of interest in Bennett. His problem is he's a short PF at 6'7, but he also has a power forwards build and a solid standing reach/wingspan. He's an offensive 4 who can stretch the floor and also score around the rim, and that's something that we don't have in Cleveland.

If the kid drops due to measurements, he could be a steal.

Kid shows me something close to what I saw from Larry Johnson back a handful of years ...

 

[TyGuy]

Kid shows me something close to what I saw from Larry Johnson back a handful of years ...

They do appear to be eerily similar, they even go to the same school. Hopefully he turns out more like Barkley though.

 

[Adam]

I don't see the post game that LJ possessed in the highlights, seems to me more Faried with a jumper, still a good player to project forward

 

[Swisher33]

UNLV List him at 6'8

Randolph
Lee
Boozer
Faried
Evans
Thompson
Aldridge
Griffin
Ibaka
Garnet

Theres the top 10 Rebounding PF in the League, only 3 of those guys are over 6'9, so 1 inch despite the ubber athletic abillity and great shoooting abillity is enough to pass on him at 4? LOL thank god some of you wont ever run the Cavs draft, i would probably stop watching and pray they moved the team

 

[narbar32]

I still love this kid. He's been second in this class next to McLemore for me since December, but he may just be my personal favorite altogether, even though I think McLemore is a safer bet.

Out of boredom, I went back and forth a few times watching these two highlight reels. Now, highlight reels don't tell even a fraction of the story when it comes to judging players, I know. But the similarities here really are pretty crazy to me.

[video=youtube;HiQQTurCUks]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HiQQTurCUks[/video]

[video=youtube;1XJ27B5LsB0]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1XJ27B5LsB0[/video]

Keep in mind that LJ's highlights came from two years at UNLV, which were his 3rd and 4th years playing college basketball. Bennett's highlights are from the first half of his first year playing college basketball. And while his numbers aren't what LJ did at UNLV, they're not terribly far off, either, again in just his first year. It's hard to compare their freshmen years, though, as Larry played his first two years in junior college.

I'm probably going too far here, I admit. Plus, I don't even think the perfect LJ comparison fit is necessary to make Bennett an elite prospect. I just think it's pretty cool, mostly because I loved LJ.

 

[oasis05]

Anthony Bennett has some time to add a post game. I don't remember Larry Johnson but I have doubts whether he had a post game in college.

 

[Prime 1978]

Larry Johnson definitely had a post game in college. He had a baseline turnaround and very powerful spin move. He didn't develop his jumper fully until he injured his back and played below the rim.

 

[Surge]

LOL thank god some of you wont ever run the Cavs draft, i would probably stop watching and pray they moved the team

 

[Ohio]

Really bad fit plus he's a tweener. Pass.

 

[oasis05]

Larry Johnson definitely had a post game in college. He had a baseline turnaround and very powerful spin move. He didn't develop his jumper fully until he injured his leg and play below the rim.

anthony bennett is nothing like larry johnson in this case.

 

["Boobie" Gibson]

Really bad fit plus he's a tweener. Pass.

I don't see how either of those are true. Slide Tristan over to Center and play Bennett at PF. Bennett has long arms which I obviously don't need to point out is the more important factor. Not a bad fit. The Cavs need a front court scorer more than anything at this point.

6'7 240 is not a tweener.

 

[EdMonix11]

I don't see how either of those are true. Slide Tristan over to Center and play Bennett at PF. Bennett has long arms which I obviously don't need to point out is the more important factor. Not a bad fit. The Cavs need a front court scorer more than anything at this point.

6'7 240 is not a tweener.

Because Tristan isn't a center and Bennett doesn't play defense. Neither player would be as effective.....

 

[CleveRocks]

Really bad fit plus he's a tweener. Pass.

I dont think so. I do see a lot of Larry Johnsons game in Bennet. i remember Johnson as being bigger across the shoulders, but they have similar movement and agressiveness. I think the only useful part of that highlight reel is the slow mo of the three from the left corner. His arm position and shooting motion is excellent. This was a part of Johnson's game that really blossomed after the back injury.

Johnson played with Alonzo Mourning, who many thought at the time was to short to play center. I dont recall them getting killed in the paint. Mourning was long and crazy athletic, and he had a very competitve nature. There is some room to compare TT with Zo, the main difference being that TT is a nicer guy apparently. So I dont think its a problem to play him and Bennet, although I would be tempted to play bennet at the 3 if he has the quickness to guard small forwards. He would kill a guy like Harrison Barnes physically. If we had a serious big center, like Gortat, or like Hibbert, or a healthy AV for that matter, we could mix and match to get good matchups inside, while Kyrie and Dion are tearing it up from the outside.

So, If bennet fell to us at 7, which I kind of doubt, I would be OK with him as our guy. I dont think its a fit problem at all. That said, I would like to see more of Bennet against the other small forward possibilities, such as Otto Porter.

 

["Boobie" Gibson]

Because Tristan isn't a center and Bennett doesn't play defense. Neither player would be as effective.....

How exactly isn't Tristan a Center... but someone like Dejuan Blair, Joel Anthony, or Chuck Hayes is? Tristan is too short or what? Don't get caught up on height... it's all about the matchups

Besides, the Cavs are going to have to spend some $20M+ this off-season. I'm sure they will have no problems finding a "true" Center to add if need be.