This Nets losing streak and the firing of their coach/gm is almost enough to make me feel better when the C's are playing so poorly.
This thread is great.
Listened to a podcast that Jonathan Givony was on for draft express and he said that Bender is ahead of where Porzingis was at, at the same age. So if we get in the top 3 I will be very happy.
I would say that's pretty accurate. In the 2014, before he pulled out, Porzingis was projected to go in the mid to late teens. I remember some mocks having us taking with the James Young pick.
Porzingis played 35 games for one of the top Spanish sides in 2014 and averaged 15 mpg. Bender has had 2 decent games so far, both against absolute bottom-feeders in Israel. Not sure I'm buying this yet.
Sorry forgot to respond to this yesterday.
You are comparing Porzingis at 19 to Bender at 18 though. So Givony's statement makes sense if you realize Bender is the same age Porzingis was two years ago not one.
I understand the bias against big white european guys. I'm probably talking myself into him so I'm less crushed when we don't get Simmons or Ingram.
That being said the knock on euro players in that past has been they are soft and play too far from the hoop. In the current NBA, having your big more comfortable far away from the hoop has gone from a negative to a necessity.