Dragan Bender News, Discussion and Highlights

[darealjuice]

I see you've given up on JV and are looking to find a new favorite player.

that would be Luka Doncic

I've been on his hype train for a long time.
Actually this days I enjoy more the euro prospects than the college ones (Mikhailiuk made a bad mistake going to Kansas... still love him)

Svi will be fine he's still only 19 years old, he should have a bigger role this year too

[kennydorglas]

that would be Luka Doncic

I've been on his hype train for a long time.
Actually this days I enjoy more the euro prospects than the college ones (Mikhailiuk made a bad mistake going to Kansas... still love him)

Svi will be fine he's still only 19 years old, he should have a bigger role this year too

I hope so but they said this last year too... If he stayed in Europe, I guess he'd be in the NBA now as a highly touted prospect.
I guess this is good news for Spurs who'll steal him wherever he declares.

[gaspar]

GOAT

[NTB]

Watch on YouTube

[maRioGrande]

This guy will make me get up at 4AM for next 15 years.

[lilfishi22]

I hope Watson realizes this. Bender looks like he's already ready to contribute on the defensive end, whereas Chriss looked rather lost so far. Also it was nice to see him gather some confidence by knocking down a couple of 3's in his debut. I don't think Bender should be brought up slowly just for the sake for it, if he's ready to make contributions than he should play.

Bender is a pretty reckless offensive player right now, though. He makes bad decisions, tries to do much, chucks threes, and fancies himself as his idol, Toni Kukoc, despite not nearly possessing the same level of savvy and ball handling at the moment. Remember, we are talking about an eighteen-year old who could barely get off the bench in Israel last season; I doubt that he is ready to make major contributions to winning basketball in the NBA.

Now, if the Suns want to play him for the sake of developing him, that is another story.

I'm not mad to be honest. From what I've seen, he has a better feel for the game than I had expected. His ball handling isn't where it needs to be but it's solid for a 7 footer and I can see he's trying make things which worked for him in Europe, work in the NBA. His pump fake and drive is one of those things. Some of his passes are a bit reckless but you can see his court vision and in time those passes will be better. I think the pace what is throwing him off right now. He's certainly not lacking in skills but it is definitely a big step up in competition so I'm not expecting a whole lot from him but I do what to see a whole lot of him. He's an intriguing player to watch develop.

[44sturn]

How did he guard KD?

[Gordon]

If he will not play regular rotation minutes, maybe stint in the D-League could be good for his offensive development.

[OnceUponADime]

If he will not play regular rotation minutes, maybe stint in the D-League could be good for his offensive development.

He should IMO play regular rotation minutes behind TJ Warren. Suns have more to gain from playing him than they do PJ Tucker if you ask me.

[MrMiyagi]

How did he guard KD?

He was in for like 3 minutes and basically just looked like he could keep up with him and had the height to potentially be bothersome to his shot. I wouldn't exactly call it guarding KD, but it got me excited.

[MathiasPW]

How did he guard KD?

He was in for like 3 minutes and basically just looked like he could keep up with him and had the height to potentially be bothersome to his shot. I wouldn't exactly call it guarding KD, but it got me excited.

You get excited quite easily, don't you?

[GMATCallahan]

Bender is a pretty reckless offensive player right now, though. He makes bad decisions, tries to too much, chucks threes, and fancies himself as his idol, Toni Kukoc, despite not nearly possessing the same level of savvy and ball handling at the moment. Remember, we are talking about an eighteen-year old who could barely get off the bench in Israel last season; I doubt that he is ready to make major contributions to winning basketball in the NBA.

Now, if the Suns want to play him for the sake of developing him, that is another story.

I'm not mad to be honest. From what I've seen, he has a better feel for the game than I had expected. His ball handling isn't where it needs to be but it's solid for a 7 footer and I can see he's trying make things which worked for him in Europe, work in the NBA. His pump fake and drive is one of those things. Some of his passes are a bit reckless but you can see his court vision and in time those passes will be better. I think the pace what is throwing him off right now. He's certainly not lacking in skills but it is definitely a big step up in competition so I'm not expecting a whole lot from him but I do what to see a whole lot of him. He's an intriguing player to watch develop.

I concur, and drafting Bender made sense. To me, he is sort of analogous to an eighteen or nineteen-year old prospect in baseball who would be playing in A-ball and where one would say, "He is raw, but if we develop him well, I could see him starting on the major league club in three years."

The NBA system, conversely, creates more of a quandary. The question now is whether Bender will be better served by trying to learn from an NBA bench, as is currently the case, or by playing in the D-League.

And Bender's ball-handling and passing are not bad for a seven-footer, but as you indicated, they are not where they need to be given the type of player that he happens to be—which is not a traditional seven-footer, obviously. Bender is not going to overpower anyone in the post, so one cannot judge him as a typical seven-footer.

As I noted, Bender cites Kukoc as his idol. When the Suns played (and beat) the Bulls at home in February 1996 (the year that Chicago won 72 games and, unlike Golden State last spring, also won the championship), Kukoc in the first half was blowing by A.C. Green and Wayman Tisdale off the dribble. Former Sun guard and future Sun head coach Danny Ainge, working the game for TNT (he should have still been playing for the Suns, but that is another story) noted that Phoenix really needed to cover Kukoc with a guard—someone like Michael Finley—even though the Croatian was listed at 6'10". Trying to match up with Kukoc size-wise, conversely, would just allow him to reach the basket at will. (Of course, never mind that neither Tisdale nor Green, both listed at 6'9", was actually that tall, anyway—Tisdale was 6'7" and Green was certainly no taller than 6'8").

One can see a couple of examples from the 0:39-0:46 and 5:02-5:13 marks of this highlight compilation for the game:

Watch on YouTube

What Kukoc was doing in that game, and against those defenders, is what Bender wants to be, but the Phoenix rookie will either need to significantly upgrade his ball-handling or relearn how to play and how to apply his skills. Again, at eighteen, he possesses plenty of room to grow, but the question now is how the Suns will nurture that growth.

[bwgood77]

Bender is a pretty reckless offensive player right now, though. He makes bad decisions, tries to too much, chucks threes, and fancies himself as his idol, Toni Kukoc, despite not nearly possessing the same level of savvy and ball handling at the moment. Remember, we are talking about an eighteen-year old who could barely get off the bench in Israel last season; I doubt that he is ready to make major contributions to winning basketball in the NBA.

Now, if the Suns want to play him for the sake of developing him, that is another story.

I'm not mad to be honest. From what I've seen, he has a better feel for the game than I had expected. His ball handling isn't where it needs to be but it's solid for a 7 footer and I can see he's trying make things which worked for him in Europe, work in the NBA. His pump fake and drive is one of those things. Some of his passes are a bit reckless but you can see his court vision and in time those passes will be better. I think the pace what is throwing him off right now. He's certainly not lacking in skills but it is definitely a big step up in competition so I'm not expecting a whole lot from him but I do what to see a whole lot of him. He's an intriguing player to watch develop.

I concur, and drafting Bender made sense. To me, he is sort of analogous to an eighteen or nineteen-year old prospect in baseball who would be playing in A-ball and where one would say, "He is raw, but if we develop him well, I could see him starting on the major league club in three years."

The NBA system, conversely, creates more of a quandary. The question now is whether Bender will be better served by trying to learn from an NBA bench, as is currently the case, or by playing in the D-League.

And Bender's ball-handling and passing are not bad for a seven-footer, but as you indicated, they are not where they need to be given the type of player that he happens to be—which is not a traditional seven-footer, obviously. Bender is not going to overpower anyone in the post, so one cannot judge him as a typical seven-footer.

As I noted, Bender cites Kukoc as his idol. When the Suns played (and beat) the Bulls at home in February 1996 (the year that Chicago won 72 games and, unlike Golden State last spring, also won the championship), Kukoc in the first half was blowing by A.C. Green and Wayman Tisdale off the dribble. Former Sun guard and future Sun head coach Danny Ainge, working the game for TNT (he should have still been playing for the Suns, but that is another story) noted that Phoenix really needed to cover Kukoc with a guard—someone like Michael Finley—even though the Croatian was listed at 6'10". Trying to match up with Kukoc size-wise, conversely, would just allow him to reach the basket at will. (Of course, never mind that neither Tisdale nor Green, both listed at 6'9", was actually that tall, anyway—Tisdale was 6'7" and Green was certainly no taller than 6'8").

One can see a couple of examples from the 0:39-0:46 and 5:02-5:13 marks of this video:

Watch on YouTube

What Kukoc was doing in that game, and against those defenders, is what Bender wants to be, but the Phoenix rookie will either need to significantly upgrade his ball-handling or relearn how to play and how to apply his skills. Again, at eighteen, he possesses plenty of room to grow, but the question now is how the Suns will nurture that growth.

If you were team owner or GM, what would your goal for this season be? More in game action and development for the young guys, or trying to scrape out as many wins as possible?

While I think it is good to get some wins, particularly with Booker and Warren finally getting their first years as starters, so we are certainly giving younger guys the opportunity, and I think them being on the bench for a while may have helped them work harder to get where they are now.

I guess my primary question though, is do you think Chriss is deserving of that many more minutes than Bender at this time? While he is a nice finisher, he is lost on defense, has terrible court vision, passing, etc, and just seems to be getting far more of the benefit of the doubt than Bender.

I think Bender is the much better ball handler, defender, and think his bball IQ is much higher than Chriss'. Not to take anything away from Chriss because I really like him as a prospect, but I'm just stating what I see.

[lilfishi22]

Spoiler:

I'm not mad to be honest. From what I've seen, he has a better feel for the game than I had expected. His ball handling isn't where it needs to be but it's solid for a 7 footer and I can see he's trying make things which worked for him in Europe, work in the NBA. His pump fake and drive is one of those things. Some of his passes are a bit reckless but you can see his court vision and in time those passes will be better. I think the pace what is throwing him off right now. He's certainly not lacking in skills but it is definitely a big step up in competition so I'm not expecting a whole lot from him but I do what to see a whole lot of him. He's an intriguing player to watch develop.

I concur, and drafting Bender made sense. To me, he is sort of analogous to an eighteen or nineteen-year old prospect in baseball who would be playing in A-ball and where one would say, "He is raw, but if we develop him well, I could see him starting on the major league club in three years."

The NBA system, conversely, creates more of a quandary. The question now is whether Bender will be better served by trying to learn from an NBA bench, as is currently the case, or by playing in the D-League.

And Bender's ball-handling and passing are not bad for a seven-footer, but as you indicated, they are not where they need to be given the type of player that he happens to be—which is not a traditional seven-footer, obviously. Bender is not going to overpower anyone in the post, so one cannot judge him as a typical seven-footer.

As I noted, Bender cites Kukoc as his idol. When the Suns played (and beat) the Bulls at home in February 1996 (the year that Chicago won 72 games and, unlike Golden State last spring, also won the championship), Kukoc in the first half was blowing by A.C. Green and Wayman Tisdale off the dribble. Former Sun guard and future Sun head coach Danny Ainge, working the game for TNT (he should have still been playing for the Suns, but that is another story) noted that Phoenix really needed to cover Kukoc with a guard—someone like Michael Finley—even though the Croatian was listed at 6'10". Trying to match up with Kukoc size-wise, conversely, would just allow him to reach the basket at will. (Of course, never mind that neither Tisdale nor Green, both listed at 6'9", was actually that tall, anyway—Tisdale was 6'7" and Green was certainly no taller than 6'8").

One can see a couple of examples from the 0:39-0:46 and 5:02-5:13 marks of this video:

Watch on YouTube

What Kukoc was doing in that game, and against those defenders, is what Bender wants to be, but the Phoenix rookie will either need to significantly upgrade his ball-handling or relearn how to play and how to apply his skills. Again, at eighteen, he possesses plenty of room to grow, but the question now is how the Suns will nurture that growth.

If you were team owner or GM, what would your goal for this season be? More in game action and development for the young guys, or trying to scrape out as many wins as possible?

While I think it is good to get some wins, particularly with Booker and Warren finally getting their first years as starters, so we are certainly giving younger guys the opportunity, and I think them being on the bench for a while may have helped them work harder to get where they are now.

I guess my primary question though, is do you think Chriss is deserving of that many more minutes than Bender at this time? While he is a nice finisher, he is lost on defense, has terrible court vision, passing, etc, and just seems to be getting far more of the benefit of the doubt than Bender.

I think Bender is the much better ball handler, defender, and think his bball IQ is much higher than Chriss'. Not to take anything away from Chriss because I really like him as a prospect, but I'm just stating what I see.

It needs to be a balance. Definitely can't be one way or the other. I've always held the belief that all teams, should be putting their best player in for the right plays. If Knight is better for a particular play over Booker then he should be in the game at that moment. If Bender's length and shooting is what's required in that particular stretch of the game, then he should be in the game during that period. I never liked the idea of just putting in inexperienced players just to figure things out for themselves. I feel being on a well coached team, you will figure things out even if it means following specific instructions. What I don't like is Booker, for example, holding the ball and playing hero ball. That's definitely not the type of young player development that I think is conducive to developing a solid basketball player.

In the case of Bender v Chriss, it may just be a situation where Chriss' advantages on the court (athleticism?) outweighs Bender's length and shooting. It may be the case that Chriss just understands the offensive/defensive schemes better at this point. As I mentioned in posts before, wins are more than just a tally on a board. It teachs young players not just how to win but also what it takes to win. So even if Bender gets no minutes, it's still an important learning experience for him to watch. Just being around an NBA team, looking at the conditioning, weight lifting training nad practice other athletes put themselves through is experience. Watching how his team mates handle themselves professionally even if they are expected to DNP-DC is also a very valuable lesson. As much as I would love to see Bender play more minutes, sitting a few games won't hurt his development nor will he learn nothing.

I think it's important to set a winning tone. We may be 2-4 after starting 0-4, but those two wins were good for the team, in terms of morale and experience.

[GMATCallahan]

It needs to be a balance. Definitely can't be one way or the other. I've always held the belief that all teams, should be putting their best player in for the right plays. If Knight is better for a particular play over Booker then he should be in the game at that moment. If Bender's length and shooting is what's required in that particular stretch of the game, then he should be in the game during that period. I never liked the idea of just putting in inexperienced players just to figure things out for themselves. I feel being on a well coached team, you will figure things out even if it means following specific instructions. What I don't like is Booker, for example, holding the ball and playing hero ball. That's definitely not the type of young player development that I think is conducive to developing a solid basketball player.

In the case of Bender v Chriss, it may just be a situation where Chriss' advantages on the court (athleticism?) outweighs Bender's length and shooting. It may be the case that Chriss just understands the offensive/defensive schemes better at this point. As I mentioned in posts before, wins are more than just a tally on a board. It teachs young players not just how to win but also what it takes to win.

My sense is that Chriss' ability to finish plays above the rim better fits the Suns' guard-oriented offensive personnel right now. Bender has the tendency to try and do too much with the ball in the open court and freelance outside the offense, whereas Chriss will let the guards do their thing and complement them more smoothly.

Then, too, perhaps Chriss is outplaying Bender in practice. Since there may be only enough minutes for one of them at this point, the guy performing better in practice may be earning the minutes in the games.

So even if Bender gets no minutes, it's still an important learning experience for him to watch. Just being around an NBA team, looking at the conditioning, weight lifting training nad practice other athletes put themselves through is experience. Watching how his team mates handle themselves professionally even if they are expected to DNP-DC is also a very valuable lesson. As much as I would love to see Bender play more minutes, sitting a few games won't hurt his development nor will he learn nothing.

I agree, but the question is whether "a few games" becomes pretty much a full season (if not longer) and what the Suns should do then. Part of the concern is also Bender's youth—he began the season at eighteen and turns nineteen later this month. Like most players his age, he is very raw and needs a lot of work, both conceptually and skills-wise. He is, essentially, a "prospect" requiring years of development. If he is rarely playing in the games, will his work in practice be sufficient to that development?

One might contrast his situation with that of, say, Steve Nash during the latter's rookie season in Phoenix in '96-'97. Nash did not play much as a rookie, but he had played four years of college basketball (albeit not in a major conference), the Suns drafted him at the age of twenty-two, and he turned twenty-three in the middle of his rookie season. Nash already possessed the basic skills set and basketball knowledge that he would need to one day survive and thrive in the NBA; he had already, thanks to his four years in college, completed his "minor league" development. Thus, when Nash was sitting on the bench and watching, or competing in practice, that kind of experience was sufficient to supplement his prior development—especially since he was able to watch Kevin Johnson (and eventually Jason Kidd) in the games that year and to compete against Johnson (and eventually Kidd) in practice that season. Kevin Johnson constituted the best point guard in the NBA that year, and Johnson and Kidd respectively ranked third and fourth in the league in assists per game. Nash could afford to watch during the games and improve himself in practice, for what he really needed was to gain confidence and adjust to the level of competition, not to develop his basic skills and understandings. Bender, conversely, is in a different position on the developmental curve.

I think it's important to set a winning tone. We may be 2-4 after starting 0-4, but those two wins were good for the team, in terms of morale and experience.

... agreed. Plus, winning some games means that players understand that they must compete and earn their minutes in order to warrant playing time.

[maRioGrande]

Hey coach Watson, give my man some minutes

[GMATCallahan]

If you were team owner or GM, what would your goal for this season be? More in game action and development for the young guys, or trying to scrape out as many wins as possible?

While I think it is good to get some wins, particularly with Booker and Warren finally getting their first years as starters, so we are certainly giving younger guys the opportunity, and I think them being on the bench for a while may have helped them work harder to get where they are now.

For now, the Suns are doing the right thing. At the start of the season, you have to play the veterans and try to win games, and you cannot just give minutes to rookies unless they have earned them. Now, if the Suns are not winning games at a healthy rate as the season progresses, and the rookies are learning and improving, Phoenix may need to reconfigure matters.

Either way, the question remains about whether some of the veterans fit into Phoenix's long-term plans. Brandon Knight, Tyson Chandler, and even Eric Bledsoe strike me more as placeholders who may ultimately be more valuable to another franchise than to the Suns.

I guess my primary question though, is do you think Chriss is deserving of that many more minutes than Bender at this time? While he is a nice finisher, he is lost on defense, has terrible court vision, passing, etc, and just seems to be getting far more of the benefit of the doubt than Bender.

I think Bender is the much better ball handler, defender, and think his bball IQ is much higher than Chriss'. Not to take anything away from Chriss because I really like him as a prospect, but I'm just stating what I see.

I will copy what I wrote in my previous post:

My sense is that Chriss' ability to finish plays above the rim better fits the Suns' guard-oriented offensive personnel right now. Bender has the tendency to try and do too much with the ball in the open court and freelance outside the offense, whereas Chriss will let the guards do their thing and complement them more smoothly.

Then, too, perhaps Chriss is outplaying Bender in practice. Since there may be only enough minutes for one of them at this point, the guy performing better in practice may be earning the minutes in the games.

Of course, Chriss only played one minute last night, anyway.

By the way, I believe that Chriss handles the ball pretty well, but he is a little more conservative than Bender in showing it right now—and that is probably what the Suns are looking for.

[jcsunsfan]

It will be interesting to see what the future brings for these two players. I believe both of them may turn out to be good. So maybe a front line of Len, Chriss, Warren, with Bender coming off the bench for all three positions?

[bobbeaver]

Well today he was 10 points 2 rebound and 1 assist, and had by far the best +- rating in the team +20.

[bwgood77]

Well today he was 10 points 2 rebound and 1 assist, and had by far the best +- rating in the team +20.

His defense and disruption is huge...the offensive stuff and passing, ball handling and hitting 3s is great. Have you watched this though?

http://www.espn.com/video/clip?id=16309924

Just 2 minutes and a great watch.