For Bennett, once a No. 1 pick, it’s still NBA or bust
LAS VEGAS — The men and women who help decide the future of NBA hopefuls sit behind tables and desks inside the massive halls at the Mandalay Bay Convention Center.
They see how wide players’ shoulders are, how they almost take up two seats. They see how players bound up from the bench when the coach shouts their name, signaling for them to get into the game. They see how the ball leaves a shooter’s hand from behind the 3-point arc, the way his feet move (or don’t) on defense.
It’s up to them — unless you’re Anthony Bennett. Then, it’s kind of up to you.
The No. 1 pick in the 2013 NBA draft is trying to save his career in the NBA’s G League, playing in the Winter Showcase last week for the Agua Caliente Clippers of Ontario. He has as much talent as anyone in town. He just has to prove to the people watching that he’s not the player who floundered with five different teams since the Cleveland Cavaliers took him first.
Bennett, 25, is averaging 14.1 points while making nearly half of his 3-point shots this season. Clippers coaches and executives have been surprised with his work ethic — a red flag that had gotten attached to him early in his NBA career.
He was more than a disappointment as a pro, never averaging more than 5.2 points per game. Cleveland could’ve taken All-Stars Victor Oladipo (picked second) or Giannis Antetokounmpo ( 15th) or future stalwart centers in Steven Adams or Rudy Gobert.
There has to be a reason why a former No. 1 pick didn’t pan out. But the people who have worked with him in Ontario say they’ve seen no signs of laziness. He’s still fighting to get back.
“It’s life. It’s just the way the ball rolls,” Bennett told the Los Angeles Times. “How do I say this? I’ve just tried to play the hand I’ve been dealt. Every year has been a struggle. Every year has been a challenge. Something new has always come up. But every year, I’ve been able to stick with it. I think that says a lot about me. A lot of people in my shoes would’ve quit.”
His shooting from deep has him on the radar of multiple NBA teams, according to sources not authorized to speak publicly. If a team is looking for a power forward who can spread the floor, maybe they’ll look past some of Bennett’s flaws and give the former No. 1 overall pick another shot — maybe his last — to prove he’s an NBA player.
“I’m playing ball. That’s most important to me. I’m playing basketball,” he said.
ORCHARD PARK, N.Y. – Sunday’s game against the Buffalo Bills could bring the end of an era for the Miami Dolphins because the season finale might be quarterback Ryan Tannehill’s final start for the franchise.
Miami’s offense has fallen short of expectations the past three seasons under coach Adam Gase, who joined the Dolphins with a reputation as an offensive guru and quarterback whisperer. But the offense Gase has delivered with, and without Tannehill, who has missed a bunch of games due to injuries, can best be described as stagnant and stale.
And everyone associated with that side of the ball has run out of excuses, and potential solutions.
In 2016, Gase’s first season, the excuse was that the players needed time to learn and adapt to the uptempo offense Gase was installing. And not all the pieces fit perfectly.
The Dolphins, who won 10 games and qualified for the playoffs for the first time in a decade that season, needed an offseason to find the right players to make that 30th-ranked offense click.
In 2017, the Dolphins didn’t have the team’s starting quarterback. Tannehill’s knee injury forced him to miss the entire season, and the Dolphins spent $10 million to talk Jay Cutler out of retirement because he knew Gase’s offense.
They thought his presence could salvage the season, but the team still struggled to execute on offense. The Dolphins ranked 28th in points per game (17.6) and 25th in yards per game (307.7) produced that season, and Miami finished with a 6-10 record.
This season the front office fortified the offensive