Forget Bender, Draft Ante Zizic

[PickNRoll]

Zizic, Yabusele, and Jackson will all be better pros than Bender.

[The One]

Zizic, Yabusele, and Jackson will all be better pros than Bender.

Wow...that's bold. 

[Surferdad]

Boom! Nailed this pick on April 8th. And he actually was available at #23 as anticipated.

 Shocking though, Ainge will draft Euro's if he likes them.



 Bumped.

You nailed it.

Bender is going to need 2-3 yeara before his body is ready for the nba

Every single person Danny drafted this year is built like a tank. Has anyone else noticed? They are all NBA ready physically, big time.

One of the needs not much discussed here was to improve the overall athleticism of the team.  That might not be very effective without also having an NBA-ready body.

[PickNRoll]

Zizic, Yabusele, and Jackson will all be better pros than Bender.

Wow...that's bold.

Time will tell.  I had Bender at 20 with Jackson and Yabusele right next to him pre-draft.  I don't know enough about Zizic, but he looks good.  So I'll rephrase - 3 of our picks this year will be better, including Brown. 

I think Jackson was an absolute steal.  Very mature player.

[csfansince60s]

I really like Zizic. From DX:

He gets quite a bit of his offense rolling and cutting to the basket, where he has excellent timing, hands and touch and will often finish plays above the rim emphatically, which he seems to enjoy doing. His effort on the court might be the best thing he offers, as he is incredibly physical...

He's also a willing and competitive defender...

needs to continue to improve his offensive polish, particularly in terms of his footwork, awareness and ability to use countermoves when his initial attempts are cut off...

.

Indeed, I think he actually has better physical tools than any of Pekovic, Jokic and Nurkic. He's big, strong, long, and athletic. He could easily be a candidate with the Mavs pick (although I still like Jeanne a bit better).

Is it just me, or does the above sound like a description of a young Anderson Verajao?

[GreenShooter]

I'll take a young Verajao, no problem. I think that is a good comp.
I'd click like on your post if it had one.

[KG Living Legend]

 Bumped. Prophetic words.

[KG Living Legend]

I'll take a young Verajao, no problem. I think that is a good comp.
I'd click like on your post if it had one.

 TP, Green shooter.

[KG Living Legend]

 I stuck my neck out for this guy, when the Bender hype train was full tilt. Don't let me down Ante!
 

[hwangjini_1]

He won't. He is a good player who will have success in the NBA. Now, if he can develop a mid-range shot.....

[chilidawg]

You've bumped your own thread to congratulate yourself 3 times.  I believe 5 is the CBlog record, you go KGL.

[makaveli]

You've bumped your own thread to congratulate yourself 3 times.  I believe 5 is the CBlog record, you go KGL.

who set the record? 

[Celtics4ever]

I am very glad we did not take Bender.  I thought he was going to be a bust/project.   

[ederson]

I still remember posts about the very strong Israeli league and how difficult it was for Bender to get play time.....

There was also a league ranking system with friendly tournaments ranked higher than Euroleague that people considered reliable

[TheSundanceKid]

To be fair to Bender, it isn't like he's had much of a chance so far, he's been injured. Big year for him though if he wants to prove his lottery value.