NBA Draft 2016: No way those are real names

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euphronius: Feb 18, 2009

Wade Baldwin will probably be there.

# ? Jun 1, 2016 14:59

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# ? Apr 19, 2024 23:33

Lockback: Sep 3, 2006; All days are nights to see till I see thee; and nights bright days when dreams do show me thee.

Paul Zuvella posted:

I'd say pretty goddamn low. I'd say it's more likely that Bender falls to than Dunn. Murray will probably be off the board as well.

I'd be shocked if MN passed on Bender but I don't think he'll be there. I am assuming he'd be gone. I think MN would go Hield above Dunn right now, with Ellenson as a dark horse. So Dunn might be there for Sacramento?? Probably not though.

# ? Jun 1, 2016 17:38

Kibner: Oct 21, 2008; #1 Pelican Fan

Assuming the available prospects are on the same level/tier, I believe the Pels current priorities are wing, big, then guard. Really, though, they can't afford to be picky. Just about any position will work.

# ? Jun 1, 2016 17:45

Whip Slagcheek: Sep 21, 2008; Finally
The Gasoline And Dynamite
Will Light The Sky
For The Night

WhyteRyce posted:

Our only PG under contract just got arrested for domestic violence. Odds on Minny and NO both passing on Dunn??

Can I interest you in a slightly used Jose Calderon? He'd be a great veteran influence for the locker room! :downs:

# ? Jun 1, 2016 17:49

WhyteRyce: Dec 30, 2001

euphronius posted:

Wade Baldwin will probably be there.

Time to go back to the Kentucky well

# ? Jun 1, 2016 17:52

WhyteRyce: Dec 30, 2001

Lockback posted:

I'd be shocked if MN passed on Bender but I don't think he'll be there. I am assuming he'd be gone. I think MN would go Hield above Dunn right now, with Ellenson as a dark horse. So Dunn might be there for Sacramento?? Probably not though.

I'd rather have one of those guards and PF isn't a need, but Ellenson wouldn't be the worst thing for us and we could use our money to chase a FA PG instead of Ryan Anderson

# ? Jun 1, 2016 17:54

Dejan Bimble: Mar 24, 2008; we're all black friends; Plaster Town Cop

Kibner posted:

Assuming the available prospects are on the same level/tier, I believe the Pels current priorities are wing, big, then guard. Really, though, they can't afford to be picky. Just about any position will work.

The highest upside guy available will probably be Jaylen Brown. If the idea of an athletic aggressive wing with good handles who gets to the line at will and has a bad jumpshot sounds familiar, well, maybe he'll learn to shoot, and he's not a selfish player.

I don't have a strong enough opinion to rank Hield/Dunn/Murray. I haven't watched them enough to get that sort of feel, but that's the tier I think

Dejan Bimble fucked around with this message at 18:03 on Jun 1, 2016

# ? Jun 1, 2016 18:00

WhyteRyce: Dec 30, 2001

Please tell me the Skal hype train didn't stall

# ? Jun 1, 2016 18:03

WhyteRyce: Dec 30, 2001

DX had Marquese Chris at #3. Sactowns finest baby. I'm pretty sure he grew up in the same middle of no where suburb I'm currently in

# ? Jun 1, 2016 18:06

Dejan Bimble: Mar 24, 2008; we're all black friends; Plaster Town Cop

WhyteRyce posted:

Please tell me the Skal hype train didn't stall

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1MKeZ6FhoYHKpjbwwytpvSl1AaA_O_7w2Y9SsSREe8So/edit?pref=2&pli=1#gid=1323352894
He's been slowly ticking down as people watch more of him and realize he's just a very long very athletic body with a jumper, and is always 2 or 3 beats behind. He's a slerious project

WhyteRyce posted:

DX had Marquese Chris at #3. Sactowns finest baby. I'm pretty sure he grew up in the same middle of no where suburb I'm currently in

He could go really high, because he's super athletic and has an alright jumper for a center.

Dejan Bimble fucked around with this message at 18:08 on Jun 1, 2016

# ? Jun 1, 2016 18:06

Kibner: Oct 21, 2008; #1 Pelican Fan

Dejan Bimble posted:

The highest upside guy available will probably be Jaylen Brown. If the idea of an athletic aggressive wing with good handles who gets to the line at will and has a bad jumpshot sounds familiar, well, maybe he'll learn to shoot, and he's not a selfish player.

I don't have a strong enough opinion to rank Hield/Dunn/Murray. I haven't watched them enough to get that sort of feel, but that's the tier I think

I'm ok with selfish. I'm less ok with inability to play off-ball (for both offense and defense).

# ? Jun 1, 2016 18:08

Kibner: Oct 21, 2008; #1 Pelican Fan

I'm just tired of having basketball-dumb players with narrow skill-sets. It's painful to watch.

# ? Jun 1, 2016 18:10

ButtWolf: Dec 30, 2004; by Jeffrey of YOSPOS

I like Baldwin for Kings and Brown for Pels. Both feel good to me. Itd be funny if phx grabbed dunn and baldwin and tried a 4 pg lineup. I think they need bender.

# ? Jun 1, 2016 18:15

NickRoweFillea: Sep 27, 2012; doin thangs

Redgrendel2001 posted:

Hey Rick, Glum, Lakers fans in general.

https://twitter.com/Ososwaggyy/status/736654531824656389?s=09

Holy lord

# ? Jun 1, 2016 18:16

straight up brolic: Jan 31, 2007; After all, I was nice in ball,
Came to practice weed scented
Report card like the speed limit

https://twitter.com/mynameisjohn/status/738057104481648640

please don't go to a cold weather team

# ? Jun 1, 2016 18:19

euphronius: Feb 18, 2009

That dx thing has to be some naked click bait.

# ? Jun 1, 2016 18:40

WhyteRyce: Dec 30, 2001

DX doesn't really need naked click bait this time of the year and it's no more outlandish than the Anthony Bennett climb

# ? Jun 1, 2016 18:49

Metapod: Mar 18, 2012

straight up brolic posted:

https://twitter.com/mynameisjohn/status/738057104481648640

please don't go to a cold weather team

I hate to be the one but he can't play topless in game

# ? Jun 1, 2016 18:50

Rick: Feb 23, 2004; When I was 17, my father was so stupid, I didn't want to be seen with him in public. When I was 24, I was amazed at how much the old man had learned in just 7 years.

WhyteRyce posted:

Please tell me the Skal hype train didn't stall

We're in the dead zone before teams do their public and private workouts so he hasn't had time to go hit 50 threes in Salt Lake CIty to get the thing really going.

# ? Jun 1, 2016 19:10

Rick: Feb 23, 2004; When I was 17, my father was so stupid, I didn't want to be seen with him in public. When I was 24, I was amazed at how much the old man had learned in just 7 years.

On the one hand, Boston is good enough that they can afford to roll the dice on Bender, but on the other they probably will get something out of Marquese Chris sooner. Maybe.

# ? Jun 1, 2016 21:13

Dejan Bimble: Mar 24, 2008; we're all black friends; Plaster Town Cop

Rick posted:

On the one hand, Boston is good enough that they can afford to roll the dice on Bender, but on the other they probably will get something out of Marquese Chris sooner. Maybe.

Did you transpose those names?

Chriss is the super athletic boom bust pf who didn't rebound or play defense. Bender is the guy who's been playing really well on a top team in a real league.

# ? Jun 1, 2016 22:28

Lockback: Sep 3, 2006; All days are nights to see till I see thee; and nights bright days when dreams do show me thee.

Dejan Bimble posted:

Chriss is the super athletic boom bust pf who didn't rebound or play defense. Bender is the guy who's been playing really well on a top team in a real league.

Bender is a bit of a Euro roll-of-the-dice. He hasn't been playing big minutes this year and is benched behind a bunch of stiffs. I sorta get that you don't play 18 year olds when trying to win a Championship, but its not like he's lighting the league up as a top performer.

Don't get me wrong, I'd take him #3 in this draft but there is significant Bust potential.

Doing some research I did find this quote from the Italy-based, no-fun Agent version of Bill Walton.

quote:

"Top players from Croatia and Bosnia and Herzegovina play basketball to express beauty," said Maurizio Balducci, Bender's Italy-based agent, who is also watching the practice. "This is how [the late] Drazen Petrovic played and Toni Kukoc played. Dragan is very much from this culture. And dunking in a layup line when you are 7'1" is not an expression of beauty."

# ? Jun 1, 2016 23:20

Rick: Feb 23, 2004; When I was 17, my father was so stupid, I didn't want to be seen with him in public. When I was 24, I was amazed at how much the old man had learned in just 7 years.

On top of what Lockback says, it seems the one consistent scout on Bender is that he's two years away. I think Chriss is closer if his offense translates to the NBA.

# ? Jun 1, 2016 23:46

euphronius: Feb 18, 2009

Is the dribble with the left hand right before the cross over legal. Or it it just rare.

https://twitter.com/chadfordinsider/status/738057226892509184

# ? Jun 1, 2016 23:57

straight up brolic: Jan 31, 2007; After all, I was nice in ball,
Came to practice weed scented
Report card like the speed limit

Dejan Bimble posted:

Did you transpose those names?

Chriss is the super athletic boom bust pf who didn't rebound or play defense. Bender is the guy who's been playing really well on a top team in a real league.

Bender literally does not play. Israel is trash outside of the top teams. He's played like two guys with NBA athleticism. The jumper is real though.

Rick posted:

On top of what Lockback says, it seems the one consistent scout on Bender is that he's two years away. I think Chriss is closer if his offense translates to the NBA.

Bender is two years away from being Porzingis two years away (when he was drafted). I can't really overstate how raw this dude is. He plays like he's 6'5

straight up brolic fucked around with this message at 00:31 on Jun 2, 2016

# ? Jun 2, 2016 00:28

Dejan Bimble: Mar 24, 2008; we're all black friends; Plaster Town Cop

straight up brolic posted:

Bender literally does not play. Israel is trash outside of the top teams. He's played like two guys with NBA athleticism. The jumper is real though.

Bender is two years away from being Porzingis two years away (when he was drafted). I can't really overstate how raw this dude is. He plays like he's 6'5

I guess I confused all the national team and u-18 stuff with pro play. Now there's egg on my face.
He's really thin and he plays like a small forward, but he manages to look great while doing it. Get the boy some steroids.

If you made Ersan Ilyasova average NBA pf quick, he'd be able to do more than attempt to take charges on defense, and he could get to the basket around close outs instead of just faking it. He'd also be a better rebounder. I see Bender as a rich man's Ilyasova, after his body develops. He's a smart passer and he looks like he cares. Brad Stevens could make him look fantastic.

For potential I think I'd choose Chriss. NBA bigs who don't even attempt to play defense don't play. And he's so raw that he really needs to play. I think his 3p shooting is a bit of a fool's paradise, because defenses didn't seem to close out on him with any urgency. He might be a worse rebounder than Bender. But he's so loving bouncy and quick. The keltics could use a big who can finish pnrs while also shooting an average % from three. It would really boost their offensive ceiling. He has to learn to care about and play defense, I don't know if that's easy or hard. Being an NBA scout/gm seems impossible. How do you make these choices?

Do you have an opinion of Taurean Prince?

Dejan Bimble fucked around with this message at 01:13 on Jun 2, 2016

# ? Jun 2, 2016 01:10

Redgrendel2001: Sep 1, 2006; you literally think a person saying their NBA team of choice being better than the fucking 76ers is a 'schtick'

a literal thing you think.

straight up brolic posted:

Bender literally does not play. Israel is trash outside of the top teams. He's played like two guys with NBA athleticism. The jumper is real though.

Bender is two years away from being Porzingis two years away (when he was drafted). I can't really overstate how raw this dude is. He plays like he's 6'5

He's raw, rawer than Porzingis IMHO, but he's more advanced than say Caboclo or De Paula.

# ? Jun 2, 2016 01:13

Doltos: Dec 28, 2005; 🤌🤌🤌

euphronius posted:

Is the dribble with the left hand right before the cross over legal. Or it it just rare.

https://twitter.com/chadfordinsider/status/738057226892509184

Absolutely legal and just a slowed down handle that pretty much everyone is capable of doing.

# ? Jun 2, 2016 01:21

straight up brolic: Jan 31, 2007; After all, I was nice in ball,
Came to practice weed scented
Report card like the speed limit

Dejan Bimble posted:

Do you have an opinion of Taurean Prince?

He's my favorite wing forward in the draft outside of the top 2 and I think he should be drafted before Brown. He's like the prototypical contemporary player.

# ? Jun 2, 2016 01:50

Dejan Bimble: Mar 24, 2008; we're all black friends; Plaster Town Cop

straight up brolic posted:

He's my favorite wing forward in the draft outside of the top 2 and I think he should be drafted before Brown. He's like the prototypical contemporary player.

I was thinking the same thing, he's the jack of all trades role player wing of the present.

This story from a Ghanian newspaper, about Ben Bentil, is awesome,

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/SportsArchive/From-Sekondi-to-the-NBA-the-story-of-Ben-Bentil-443231

quote:

About three years ago, a Ghanaian made history in football. His name is not Muntari, Essien or Ayew. This is also not the same football millions if not billions of people all over the world crowd around TV sets every four years to cheer their respective nation on.

This is the spherically shaped ball which is largely played with the hands and brutish sportsmanship, yet someway somehow is called football.

This Ghanaian goes by the name Ezekiel �Ziggy� Ansah. On April 25th 2013, Ziggy Ansah became the first Ghanaian born football player to be drafted onto an NFL team. What is more, he was drafted number 5. Drafts are common amongst most American sports leagues.

They are ceremonies where the worst performing teams get to pick the best performing athletes entering the professional leagues from college.

In soccer dominated Ghana, Ziggy�s story did not get the buzz it deserved.

Save for a few mentions on some sports talk shows and obscure corners of newspapers, Ziggy Ansah�s story was not given the hero�s reception it deserved.

However, you cannot blame anyone for this. American football is not a sport even 1/10th of our population understands. There are virtually no American Football pitches and the only position most of those with traces of understanding of the game know is the quarterback position.

On June 23rd 2016, a Ghanaian would again be breaching into a space for the first time. He would be in a draft but this time around, in the game blessed with the memories of Michael Jordan, Kobe Bryant and Hakeem Olajuwon. He will be in the 2016 NBA Draft. This son of the land of Nkrumah goes by the name Ben Bentil.

On 25th May, the day declared as a statutory holiday by the government of Ghana, I met up with the man credited by Bentil for the genesis of his basketball career. Taking a break from a pickup game, Meme, the man in question talked me through the Bentil story.

The pickup game was being played on the University of Ghana basketball courts, the same court where Bentil was drilled for hours by Meme. Running up and down, catching rebounds, dunking to cap off fast breaks, and going through series of the dreadful �suicide� drills, Bentil built the stamina and strength which have augmented his draft stock under the guidance Meme Falconer.

Just two months ago on this same court, the University of Ghana men�s basketball team was led by coach Meme to a national title. In the final, he faced off against coach Lawal Brimah who was also the coach of another Ghanaian making waves in college basketball in the USA, Amida Brimah.

Meme, affectionately known as Mr. Basketball, earned his name during his hey days playing basketball. His iconic �over the car� dunk, explosiveness, 3 point shooting and general greatness on the court in a non-basketball playing nation earned him that name. Meme Falconer was on the nation�s men�s basketball team, leading the team in points made and national team caps.

As coach of Bentil, he succeeded in teaching the current draft prospect, the exact same things which made him the biggest name in Ghana basketball. A product of Sekondi in the Western Region, Bentil grew up playing volleyball and the rite of passage of every Ghanaian male, soccer.

The economy is generally not favorable in almost every part of the country.

It is however exceedingly harsher on people in the hinterlands and every other part not named Accra. Bentil�s family found itself in one of such parts of the country.

Helping the family fend for itself, Bentil was robbed of a merry childhood. From spending time at the seashore in hopes of catching a fish or two to helping the fishermen drag back the nets for a little change, Bentil had to earn most meals of the day.

Being raised by a single parent inadvertently brings the kind of hassle Bentil had to face early on in his life. But with his imposing stature, volleyball provided an escape from that life. It was during one of these volleyball games that the story between Meme Falconer and Ben Bentil was first penned.

After convincing Bentil to try out basketball, Meme brought him to Accra for intense training in preparation for the opportunities ahead. Meme has helped a couple of young people with dreams of playing basketball to land a scholarship overseas.

�I had dreams of living out a basketball life. Playing in college and walking out of the tunnel into an NBA arena. If that could not happen for me, it better happen for someone else if I got anything to do about it�, Meme said of his inspiration in doing this.

On one of the courts adjacent to the one he was taking a break from his pickup game were three teenagers running around cones in preparation for an NBA Africa tournament he was training them for. This is what Meme does regularly. Not for the money or fame, but for the love of the game and the next passionate baller�s future!

Bentil�s work ethics were those of a hungry lion ready to feast on a gifted antelope. He reported to training on time and stayed behind after the sessions were over. His vertical leap got better and so did his jump shooting. It was time to bid Ghana goodbye and knock on the doors of the future.

Forget about what Hollywood told you, life in America is hard, especially for a 15 year old boarding school athlete. Ben attended St Andrew�s school for his high school education.

At the time, making it to the NBA was not top priority. It probably was not even a reality to him. Here was a boy from a deprived background who only recently picked up a basketball and was yet to play in an indoor gymnasium.
The realest hope was to get an education and ease his way into college for an undergraduate degree. But when you come from Ghana and know the expectations the entire village has of you, you cannot help but grab and maximize any opportunity at your disposal.

Bentil worked his way through high school, eventually becoming one of the standouts on that team. Soon enough, the colleges started knocking on the doors of his American host family.

Providence College always seemed like the favorites to get his playing services but an interest from national powerhouse, Georgetown was too good to not consider. In the end, he was swayed by the prospects of having a bigger and better impact at Providence College.

Bentil�s freshman season was not a stellar one. Averaging 6.4 points and 4.9 rebounds a game, he contributed marginally in this regard to the team. With the departure of a couple of players from the team, an opportune opening was presented to him. Like the proverbial early bird, he got the worms.

His playing time increased by more than ten minutes and his points per game leap frogged to 21 points a game. In doing so, his contribution to the team surpassed his highly touted teammate and reigning Big East Defensive player of the year, Kris Dunn. When Ben was off the court, the team struggled to find its rhythm offensively.

Ben had virtually become the go to guy on offense with him bagging the Big East scoring title, the league�s Most Improved Player award and a unanimous selection to the All-Big East First Team.

In the basketball world, when a player chalks such success, the next step naturally is to start considering going pro and declaring for the NBA draft is the way to do that. At the time of writing this, Ben had already declared for the draft and signed on with an agent.

This means he has made up his mind to stay on in the draft, effectively preventing him from returning to play college basketball should the draft not go so well. But the draft looks like it is going to go very well.
After scoring 15 points and 11 rebounds in 20 minutes of the first day, he followed it up with 17 points and 6 rebounds in 19 minutes the following day. These are the type of numbers NBA teams in search of the next �big thing� like to see on their scouting reports. He has also had private workouts with the Timberwolves and Nuggets with positive feedbacks from the coaches of these two teams.

From being placed somewhere in the 70s to crawling his way up into the first round of CBS�s mock draft, Bentil surely has arrived after a hard and long fought journey. On June 23rd 2016, the prayers of all basketball loving Ghanaians would be to have our own Hakeem Olajuwon or Dikembe Mutombo in the person of Benjamin Bentil.

The ripple effects his successful drafting would have on basketball courts around the country cannot be quantified. Jerseys with �Bentil� emblazoned on the back would replace �James� and �Curry� jerseys. Kids would believe in their dreams of playing basketball and Ghana would finally be on the map when it comes to basketball.

# ? Jun 2, 2016 01:53

morestuff: Aug 2, 2008; You can't stop what's coming

Anyone have feelings on Zizic vs. Zubac?

# ? Jun 2, 2016 01:54

chunkles: Aug 14, 2005; i am completely immersed in darkness
as i turn my body away from the sun

quote:

Bentil�s work ethics were those of a hungry lion ready to feast on a gifted antelope.

Not only did this sentence sell me on this guy but hire this dude to do draft reports in the USA please

# ? Jun 2, 2016 01:56

strikereternal: Nov 27, 2006

Dejan Bimble posted:

I was thinking the same thing, he's the jack of all trades role player wing of the present.

This story from a Ghanian newspaper, about Ben Bentil, is awesome,

http://www.ghanaweb.com/GhanaHomePage/SportsArchive/From-Sekondi-to-the-NBA-the-story-of-Ben-Bentil-443231

Meme Falconer, that's an all-time great name

# ? Jun 2, 2016 01:59

WhyteRyce: Dec 30, 2001

straight up brolic posted:

He's my favorite wing forward in the draft outside of the top 2 and I think he should be drafted before Brown. He's like the prototypical contemporary player.

My dream is someone gives us a first for McLemore and we get either Prince or Valentine but no one likes McLemore that much

# ? Jun 2, 2016 03:06