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| If only Anthony Bennett let off this kind of steam (Trust me, that's funny). |
Michael Olowokandi, Kwame Brown and Greg Oden. Three names that will forever
live in infamy as well as compilations of the worst overall No. 1 draft picks
in NBA history.
The
career of Anthony Bennett is still in its infancy, but the rookie
forward's lack of readiness for the rigors of the pro game has put him on the
short list for Bleacher Report's next "NBA's Most
Shocking Draft Busts" column.
If Bennett's numbers spoke for
themselves, they'd be slurring like a drunk coming off a four-day bender. In 22 games, the NBA's top selection for 2013 has scored 50 points on 29 percent shooting. Bennett averages ten minutes a game, though
even in these brief stints he appears lost in Mike Brown's offense, getting few
looks near the basket and flicking up panic jumpers like a guy playing pick-up
at the local rec center.
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| Why is this man smiling? |
ESPN.com
analyst Chad Ford believes Bennett has the potential to the worst No. 1
pick in two decades, with the caveat that the struggling big man came into camp
out of shape after shoulder surgery. Whatever the excuse, it's disconcerting that Bennett
has yet to play a meaningful second of basketball while a slow,
undrafted Australian guy has hustled his way into the Cavs' rotation.
Though
it's too early to be completely flipping out over Bennett, the same can't be
said for the man who brought him here. GM Chris Grant has spent the better part
of three seasons rebuilding the post-LeBron Cavs, dealing for draft picks and
cap space through a variety of moves. 2013 was supposed to be the year it came
together, but the Cavs' 10-18 record - lowlighted by offensive struggles,
sloppy play and an at times glaring lack of effort - has put Grant's reconstruction
efforts under the microscope.
Six first-round picks taken within the past three drafts are
on the roster - Kyrie
Irving, Tristan Thompson, Dion Waiters, Tyler Zeller, Sergey Karasev, and Bennett.
That's a superstar point guard, a low-end double-double guy, a benched
two-guard playing better as of late, two bit players, and a very critical unknown quantity. Not exactly the mix this organization needs if it wants to
entice LeBron or anyone else here next summer.
It's
true that Grant has operated under three years of weak drafts. Early returns
for the 2013 class have been particularly dire, with Victor Oladipo (No. 2) and
Michael Carter-Williams (No. 11) the only first-year guys making any real
impact with their respective clubs. Still, for a team building its foundation
through the draft, having just one upper echelon player in tow after three
years of top-4 lottery selections is simply not good enough. That doesn't event
take into account this past offseason's free agent signings of Andrew Bynum,
Jarrett Jack and Earl Clark, none of whom have meshed well with
the younger guys.
Should
the Cavs continue to flounder, Grant's head could be the first to roll. If the
axe comes down, it will be his entire draft history, not just the Bennett pick,
that gets written up in the post-mortem.