Bennett to be bought out

[Moranis]

I think Dallas, New York, Brooklyn, and LA (L) make the most sense.  They have clear needs for depth and seem like teams that would have no problem taking a flyer on him.

[saltlover]

Danny will find a way to sign him. Then have the NBA change the allowable players on the team to rise to 17

But seriously ,I think he will try to sign him

Still wished we grabbed Thomas Robinson when he was available during and then again after the season.

Thomas Robinson was never available during the season.  Philly got him straight off waivers -- for all we know Ainge did put in a claim, but it wouldn't have matter thanks to Philly.

[Celtics4ever]

I was not impressed with the FIBA ball this summer.

Main Statistics
Points per Game   7.6
Rebounds per Game   5.4
Assists per Game   1.2

Although I thought he shot the ball really well.

http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/player/p/pid/75916/pid2//sid/8062/tid/257/tid2//_/2015_FIBA_Americas_Championship_for_Men_Olympic_Qualifying_Tournament/index.html

I think it would be ok if he is cheap.  But I would not spend of lot on him.  He is really a PF which is not a position of need for us.  It makes sense only if he can play SF of which I am skeptical.

[chambers]

I would take him over PJ in a heartbeat. I think he has way more potential than Thomas Robinson and possibly Austin Rivers. Maybe better than Noah Vonleh or Mason Plumlee.

I couldn't disagree more. Plumlee has already proven he's better. Vonleh is 19 years old and was injured for most of his rookie season...and he projects to be way better than Bennett.
Bennett ? Well he's just.... absolutely..... terrible.

[Eja117]

I would take him over PJ in a heartbeat. I think he has way more potential than Thomas Robinson and possibly Austin Rivers. Maybe better than Noah Vonleh or Mason Plumlee.

I couldn't disagree more. Plumlee has already proven he's better. Vonleh is 19 years old and was injured for most of his rookie season...and he projects to be way better than Bennett.
Bennett ? Well he's just.... absolutely..... terrible.

Wait a second. Plumlee came out after his senior year. He had a fine rookie year, then plateaued. Vonleh....I don't see why he got a free pass for being 19 and injured when that's exactly what Bennet did.

[crimson_stallion]

I think he'll get a modest $2m - $3m a year contact from somebody.

I hope to god that it isn't from the Celtics.

We already have four bigs who are 6'10" or less and every one of them bar Mickey is significantly better than Bennett.  In fact, I'm not even convinced that Bennett is better than Mickey to be honest.

Considering the Celtics front office have already openly admitted they have a crowded front-court (and need to consolidate) I like to hope they won't do something that stupid.

Although the Lakers might sign him.  After all I am pretty sure that Bennett is just Julius Randle in disguise.

[crimson_stallion]

I would take him over PJ in a heartbeat. I think he has way more potential than Thomas Robinson and possibly Austin Rivers. Maybe better than Noah Vonleh or Mason Plumlee.

I couldn't disagree more. Plumlee has already proven he's better. Vonleh is 19 years old and was injured for most of his rookie season...and he projects to be way better than Bennett.
Bennett ? Well he's just.... absolutely..... terrible.

Wait a second. Plumlee came out after his senior year. He had a fine rookie year, then plateaued. Vonleh....I don't see why he got a free pass for being 19 and injured when that's exactly what Bennet did.

Let me help.

1 - Physicals
Vonleh (6'9", 247 lbs, 7'4" wingspan) has good-to-elite physical attributes for an NBA Power Forward.  There have been a number of of guys who have come into the NBA with Vonleh's size (Dwight Howard, Carlos Boozer, David West, Zach Randolph, etc) and have gone on t o became All-Star caliber Power Forwards.

Bennett (6'7", 239 lbs, 7'1" wingspan) has mediocre-to-average physical attributes for an NBA Power Forward.  I can only really think of one guy (Paul Milsap) who has been in the NBA in the last 10 years or so with similar physical attributes who has gone on to become an All-Star caliber PF.  The next best examples I can think of are Josh Smith (who's athleticism makes this comparison invalid) and Bass (who has been, at best, a borderline starter his whole career).

Fact is, Anthony Bennett has the play style of Carlos Boozer with the physical attributes of Paul Pierce, and that is a combination that rarely works out in the NBA.

2 - Opportunity
Our own bigs (Sully and Olynyk) both sucked when they first stepped on an NBA floor, and it wasn't until around midway through their rookie years (about 600 minutes in) that they started to find their comfort zone and started to really show they could make an impact in the NBA. 

Bennett has played over 100 games and 1,500 minutes in the NBA, so he has had had more than enough opportunity to adjust to the NBA game and to prove he can play, but so far he's proven nothing.

Vonleh has played only 25 games and just over 250 minutes in the NBA, which is nowhere near enough time to judge him on.  He still deserves at least another 300 - 400 minutes in the NBA before we start to judge him.

You can make the same argument for James Young I know, but the difference is that Young even sucked against Summer League competition, whereas Vonleh  (17 / 9 / 1 in 29 minutes,  along with 55% FG, 50% 3PT and 78% FT) dominated Summer League.

[nickagneta]

I would take him over PJ in a heartbeat. I think he has way more potential than Thomas Robinson and possibly Austin Rivers. Maybe better than Noah Vonleh or Mason Plumlee.

I couldn't disagree more. Plumlee has already proven he's better. Vonleh is 19 years old and was injured for most of his rookie season...and he projects to be way better than Bennett.
Bennett ? Well he's just.... absolutely..... terrible.

Wait a second. Plumlee came out after his senior year. He had a fine rookie year, then plateaued. Vonleh....I don't see why he got a free pass for being 19 and injured when that's exactly what Bennet did.

Let me help.

Physical attributes
Vonleh pre-draft measured at 6'9" / 247 with a 7'4" wingspan, 7% body fat and a 37" max vertical.  He is an absolute physical specimen, with his height being the only measurement that is below average for an NBA PF (and even then, only just).   

Bennett measured 6'7" / 239 with a 7'1" wingspan which makes him well below average (overall) for an NBA PF.  In fact is measurements are pretty much identical to Paul Pierce, who has played SF his entire career.   Also before somebody mentions that Pierce has been effective lately at PF - that's only because it allows teams to take advantage of the matchup problems he creates with his mobility, ball handling and shooting range relative to other nba bigs.


Mystery
Bennett is now 22 years old and has already played over 100 NBA games NBA - and he has shown nothing to indicate he has the potential to be anything but a role player.  Even his Per-36 numbers (12 / 8.5 / 0.5 / 1 / 0.6) have been woeful thus far.  We've seen enough of Bennett by now to say (with some confidence) what type of player he is.

Vonleh is still only 20 year old and has played only 25 NBA games, so he hasn't had even close to the opportunity yet to show what he's actually capable of.  Our own bigs (KO and Sully) both looked terrible early on, and only started to really make an impact in the second half of their rookie seasons.  Vonleh hasn't even played half a season - it's way too early to judge him.

Vonleh also dominated in summer league this year, averaging 17 points, 9 rebounds and 1 assists in 29 minutes (21 / 11 / 1 Per-36) to go with 56% FG, 50% 3PT and 76% FT.  Summer League dominance doesn't always translate to a good NBA player sure, but those numbers make Jahlil Okafor, Frank Kaminsky, Karl Anthony-Towns all look pretty mediocre by comparison.

The only big I know of who had better numbers was Aaron Gordon.  Even Myles Turner (who impressed most out of the rookie bigs) only put up numbers that were on par with Vonleh.

So that's why Vonleh gets the pass and Bennett doesn't.

Because:
1) Vonleh has good-to-elite physical attributes for an NBA player
2) Bennett has played enough games to indicate his potential (or lack thereof) while Vonaleh's is still unknown

I don't want either one on the Celtics. Vonleh is a physical specimen but is a basketball mental midget. Bennett isn't even as good as 5 PFs we already have on the roster. Pass on both

[JSD]

 You would think a team like the Brooklyn Nets would go hard after him, as they have no prospects  or draft picks in the pipeline.

[JSD]

So wait... I thought the third year for rookies was a team option? Did the Timberwolves pick up that team option believing that they could find a trade? Because otherwise, why didn't the Timberwolves just not pick up the team option?

[crimson_stallion]

I don't want either one on the Celtics. Vonleh is a physical specimen but is a basketball mental midget. Bennett isn't even as good as 5 PFs we already have on the roster. Pass on both

That's fair enough, although there have been guys with mediocre basketball IQ who have gotten by in the past based on high levels of talent.

Dwight Howard, Deandre Jordan, Andrew Bynum (before the injuries), Josh Smith and Demarcus Cousins are just a few examples of guys who have had excellent levels of talent, but questionable basketball IQ and/or attitude.  Every one of those guys has looked like an All-Star at some point in their careers. 

I think Noah has the rare combination of size, mobility, big man skills (rebounding, shot blocking, inside scoring) and perimeter skills (ball handling, jump shot, three point range) that comes along once or twice in a generation.  Combine that with the fact that he's only 20 years old and I think his upside is absolutely through the roof - I'm talking Demarcus Cousins levels of talent here.  I think he is way too talented and skilled to not eventually become a good-to-great NBA player. 

Honestly, I don't think Vonleh's Basketball IQ / Attitude seems to be any worse than Joel Embiid's, and most people would be more then happy to take a flier on him...even with the injuries.

But each to their own - he's still an unproven prospect, so by all means could go either way.

[chambers]

I would take him over PJ in a heartbeat. I think he has way more potential than Thomas Robinson and possibly Austin Rivers. Maybe better than Noah Vonleh or Mason Plumlee.

I couldn't disagree more. Plumlee has already proven he's better. Vonleh is 19 years old and was injured for most of his rookie season...and he projects to be way better than Bennett.
Bennett ? Well he's just.... absolutely..... terrible.

Wait a second. Plumlee came out after his senior year. He had a fine rookie year, then plateaued. Vonleh....I don't see why he got a free pass for being 19 and injured when that's exactly what Bennet did.

Vonleh is already a better basketball player than Bennett. Plumlee has shown that he can be a key contributor and even start on an NBA team. Anthony Bennett hasn't proven anything- he wasn't even a touted prospect-just a strange/terrible pick by a terrible franchise front office.

What exactly does Bennett provide in terms of potential and current play at 22 years old than 19 yr old Vonleh and 25 yr old Plumlee?

He's just an awful, chumpfully bad player.

[Moranis]

So wait... I thought the third year for rookies was a team option? Did the Timberwolves pick up that team option believing that they could find a trade? Because otherwise, why didn't the Timberwolves just not pick up the team option?

I think you pick up the options the year before they are due for rookies, so last fall they picked it up.  I could be wrong on that, but that is how I understood that process.

[BudweiserCeltic]

So wait... I thought the third year for rookies was a team option? Did the Timberwolves pick up that team option believing that they could find a trade? Because otherwise, why didn't the Timberwolves just not pick up the team option?

I think you pick up the options the year before they are due for rookies, so last fall they picked it up.  I could be wrong on that, but that is how I understood that process.

You are correct.

[Lucky17]

Toronto could use another PF to complement Scola and Patterson.

Well, how about that?

http://espn.go.com/nba/story/_/id/13739669/anthony-bennett-clear-waivers-sign-toronto-raptors