It's imperative we get in the top 5 with the Brooklyn pick.

I have to say I'm pretty down on Bender and the way things are going, he reminds me of the way people hyped Dante Exum.  Euros are undervalued as a whole, which is a pretty big market inefficiency, but I feel like it's because people value all the leagues the same.  However, the Spanish, Italian, Greek, French and German leagues are way different than the Israeli and Australian leagues. 

If someone is 17 years old and playing 15 mpg in the Spanish league, it means very good scouts vetted them and a very good coach has been developing them.  Then, they beat out some of the best basketball players in the world for minutes and are competing against professional, grown men every night.  If someone is playing in the Australian league at 17, it means that they are tall.

Bender is in the Israeli league, which is better than the Australian league, but not by much.  Here is a misleading headlined article from December 7th that says, "Dragan Bender Shines in Maccabi Victory"

http://upsidemotor.com/2015/12/07/euroleague-week-8-dragan-bender-shines-maccabi-nba-draft/

But then you read the actual article and the big deal is that he actually played 17 whole minutes. So here are his real stats: http://basketball.realgm.com/player/Dragan-Bender/Summary/41582

He's averaging 1.22 FGM in 11 minutes a game. 

Here are Porzingis' stats from the Spanish League last year: http://basketball.realgm.com/player/Kristaps-Porzingis/Summary/32861?skip_search=porzingis#International

He was averaging 4 FGM in 21.7 mpg, while averaging about 5 rpg on top of that.  This was done in a league that is better than the NCAAM, while the Israeli league that Bender plays in is pretty much abject garbage.  Maccabi is the only decent Israeli team in the Euroleague, but they're still pretty bad.

So I just don't see how Bender's size is going to make up for the fact that he totally stinks right now.  His wingspan is average anyways and he doesn't really seem to have much feel for the game at all.  I don't know why you wouldn't draft Poeltl or Jaylen Brown over him at the very least.

I'm starting to get really worried by Skal. Hopefully he's just a bit rusty after missing his Senior year, but I'm definitely concerned by his lack of production. On the other hand, Brandon Ingram is starting to look really intriguing.

Quote from: max215 on December 18, 2015, 03:16:39 PM

I'm starting to get really worried by Skal. Hopefully he's just a bit rusty after missing his Senior year, but I'm definitely concerned by his lack of production. On the other hand, Brandon Ingram is starting to look really intriguing.

Why did he miss his senior year? Bad injury?

I have to say I'm pretty down on Bender and the way things are going, he reminds me of the way people hyped Dante Exum.  Euros are undervalued as a whole, which is a pretty big market inefficiency, but I feel like it's because people value all the leagues the same.  However, the Spanish, Italian, Greek, French and German leagues are way different than the Israeli and Australian leagues. 

If someone is 17 years old and playing 15 mpg in the Spanish league, it means very good scouts vetted them and a very good coach has been developing them.  Then, they beat out some of the best basketball players in the world for minutes and are competing against professional, grown men every night.  If someone is playing in the Australian league at 17, it means that they are tall.

Bender is in the Israeli league, which is better than the Australian league, but not by much.  Here is a misleading headlined article from December 7th that says, "Dragan Bender Shines in Maccabi Victory"

http://upsidemotor.com/2015/12/07/euroleague-week-8-dragan-bender-shines-maccabi-nba-draft/

But then you read the actual article and the big deal is that he actually played 17 whole minutes. So here are his real stats: http://basketball.realgm.com/player/Dragan-Bender/Summary/41582

He's averaging 1.22 FGM in 11 minutes a game. 

Here are Porzingis' stats from the Spanish League last year: http://basketball.realgm.com/player/Kristaps-Porzingis/Summary/32861?skip_search=porzingis#International

He was averaging 4 FGM in 21.7 mpg, while averaging about 5 rpg on top of that.  This was done in a league that is better than the NCAAM, while the Israeli league that Bender plays in is pretty much abject garbage.  Maccabi is the only decent Israeli team in the Euroleague, but they're still pretty bad.

So I just don't see how Bender's size is going to make up for the fact that he totally stinks right now.  His wingspan is average anyways and he doesn't really seem to have much feel for the game at all.  I don't know why you wouldn't draft Poeltl or Jaylen Brown over him at the very least.

I have to say I'm pretty down on Bender and the way things are going, he reminds me of the way people hyped Dante Exum.  Euros are undervalued as a whole, which is a pretty big market inefficiency, but I feel like it's because people value all the leagues the same.  However, the Spanish, Italian, Greek, French and German leagues are way different than the Israeli and Australian leagues. 

If someone is 17 years old and playing 15 mpg in the Spanish league, it means very good scouts vetted them and a very good coach has been developing them.  Then, they beat out some of the best basketball players in the world for minutes and are competing against professional, grown men every night.  If someone is playing in the Australian league at 17, it means that they are tall.

Bender is in the Israeli league, which is better than the Australian league, but not by much.  Here is a misleading headlined article from December 7th that says, "Dragan Bender Shines in Maccabi Victory"

http://upsidemotor.com/2015/12/07/euroleague-week-8-dragan-bender-shines-maccabi-nba-draft/

But then you read the actual article and the big deal is that he actually played 17 whole minutes. So here are his real stats: http://basketball.realgm.com/player/Dragan-Bender/Summary/41582

He's averaging 1.22 FGM in 11 minutes a game. 

Here are Porzingis' stats from the Spanish League last year: http://basketball.realgm.com/player/Kristaps-Porzingis/Summary/32861?skip_search=porzingis#International

He was averaging 4 FGM in 21.7 mpg, while averaging about 5 rpg on top of that.  This was done in a league that is better than the NCAAM, while the Israeli league that Bender plays in is pretty much abject garbage.  Maccabi is the only decent Israeli team in the Euroleague, but they're still pretty bad.

So I just don't see how Bender's size is going to make up for the fact that he totally stinks right now.  His wingspan is average anyways and he doesn't really seem to have much feel for the game at all.  I don't know why you wouldn't draft Poeltl or Jaylen Brown over him at the very least.