History Thread

[Dan H]

We've got a bit of dead time, so let's use this thread for the way-back machine, eh?

Why did the Suns cut Mario Bennett after his rookie year? Did they not think his knee would heal properly? Seems kind of abrupt to do that to a first-round pick, but I can't remember for the life of me.

 

[BC867]

We've got a bit of dead time, so let's use this thread for the way-back machine, eh?

Why did the Suns cut Mario Bennett after his rookie year? Did they not think his knee would heal properly? Seems kind of abrupt to do that to a first-round pick, but I can't remember for the life of me.

Here's what Wikipedia had to say.

"Selected by the Phoenix Suns in the first round of the 1995 NBA Draft with the 27th overall pick, Bennett was the first Sun Devil to be drafted in 12 years since Byron Scott. Bennett was the top rebounder in preseason for Phoenix with 8.8 rpg but he underwent arthroscopic knee surgery on Nov. 1. He spent four months on the injured list before finally playing in 19 late-season game for the Suns. He was waived by the Suns on 10/29/96. He averaged 8.0 ppg and 6.3 rpg in 1996-97 in 7 games for Grand Rapids and Yakima of the CBA.

He was signed by the Los Angeles Lakers as a free agent on September 21, 1997 and played in 45 games in 1997-98, averaging 3.9 points and 2.8 rebounds per game in limited action. Prior to the 1998-99 season, Mario Bennett signed with the Chicago Bulls as a free agent on 1/31/99 and was waived by the Bulls on 2/16/99. He went on to play one game for the Los Angeles Clippers in the 1999-2000 season.

Bennett has NBA career per-game averages 4.0 points on 54.4% FG and 51.1% FT, and 2.7 rebounds on 8.9 minutes per game. He registered career highs of 21 points and 14 rebounds on separate occasions."

Apparently, not only did the Suns give up on him, but the Lakers as well. Plus a half a month with the Bulls and one game for the Clippers.

 

[Hoop Head]

I always assumed Bennett had something to do with Steve Smith from ASU who was found guilty of fixing games. I know they played together at ASU and Smith never made anything of himself in the NBA because of the point shaving scandal.

 

[Dan H]

I always assumed Bennett had something to do with Steve Smith from ASU who was found guilty of fixing games. I know they played together at ASU and Smith never made anything of himself in the NBA because of the point shaving scandal.

Right. I mean I read through the Wiki before posting but was curious if anyone had any local intel.

 

[Hoop Head]

Right. I mean I read through the Wiki before posting but was curious if anyone had any local intel.

Glad I'm not the only one who thought something like that. I loved that ASU team back then and was stoked the Suns drafted Bennett. I was only 11 back then and was completely ignorant to the whole concept of "point shaving". Still thought it sucked because both Bennett and Smith were really talented and should have had solid NBA careers. Hopefully someone knows a little more about what happened back then.

 

[Dan H]

On the most frustrating things about following the team in the Colangelo years was how we started whiffing so badly on draft picks. I mean, obviously we nailed guys like Majerle, and Tim Perry was a contributor who was a key part of the Barkley trade, but we really set ourselves up to be a FA-only team.

One wonders how good the Barkley teams would have been with Nick Van Exel as a backup point guard off the bench (over Malcolm Mackey) or Greg Ostertag blocking shots (over Mario Bennett.)

 

[Mainstreet]

I always assumed Bennett had something to do with Steve Smith from ASU who was found guilty of fixing games. I know they played together at ASU and Smith never made anything of himself in the NBA because of the point shaving scandal.

Mario Bennett was an awesome talent at ASU before he had a knee injury which I believed involved a torn ACL. He missed the entire 1992-93 season. I don't know about the rest but he was never the same player after that. It's ashamed because his talent was off the charts. This is why he fell to the Suns at #27. My thoughts when the Suns drafted him was hoping he could recover some of the athleticism he lost.

 

[Finito]

Bennett was always kind of a tweener that's why he dropped in the draft. The NBA was very different back then.

The Barkley teams underachieved because we got Barkley at the end of his career and you could tell after that first year he just wasn't as focused.

 

[Cheesebeef]

On the most frustrating things about following the team in the Colangelo years was how we started whiffing so badly on draft picks. I mean, obviously we nailed guys like Majerle, and Tim Perry was a contributor who was a key part of the Barkley trade, but we really set ourselves up to be a FA-only team.

One wonders how good the Barkley teams would have been with Nick Van Exel as a backup point guard off the bench (over Malcolm Mackey) or Greg Ostertag blocking shots (over Mario Bennett.)

Dan, this seems like revisionist history to me. The Barkley teams had A LOT of drafted talent added to it... Oliver Miller, Cedric Ceballos, Richard Dumas, Wesley Person and Michael Finley. Throw in Elliot Perry to that group and the fact that they were always drafting at like 24th or lower that FO was pretty damn incredible in the draft.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Bennett was always kind of a tweener that's why he dropped in the draft. The NBA was very different back then.

The Barkley teams underachieved because we got Barkley at the end of his career and you could tell after that first year he just wasn't as focused.

Injuries derailed that team more than anything. Barkley's back in 1994 and then Mannings ACL and Barkley's knee in Game 6 against Houston killed those teams.

Well, that an Barkley missing two freaking FTs in Game 5 up 3 with ten seconds left to win the series before Kenny Smith hit the trey to tie it and then win in OT.

But more than anything it was Manning's ACL. I'll never forgive Joe Klein.

 

[Mainstreet]

Bennett was always kind of a tweener that's why he dropped in the draft. The NBA was very different back then.

The Barkley teams underachieved because we got Barkley at the end of his career and you could tell after that first year he just wasn't as focused.

I think the knee injury caused Bennett to drop in the draft. He even had arthroscopic surgery on the knee when he was a Suns player. Of course we can disagree but the Bennett I saw play in college pre-surgery was going to be a star player. After the surgery in college, he was only a shadow of his previous self.

 

[Finito]

I never viewed him as a star in the NBA a really good college player. He wasn't crazy athletic, he wasn't really strong enough to bang in the paint in the NBA, but still a good college player no shame in that

 

[Dan H]

Dan, this seems like revisionist history to me. The Barkley teams had A LOT of drafted talent added to it... Oliver Miller, Cedric Ceballos, Richard Dumas, Wesley Person and Michael Finley. Throw in Elliot Perry to that group and the fact that they were always drafting at like 24th or lower that FO was pretty damn incredible in the draft.

Maybe, to some extent. Dumas and Ceballos were drafted pre-Barkley. Oliver Miller was drafted the year we acquired Barkley. Person and Finley you are absolutely correct.

1990 - Ceballos (2nd Rd, #48)
1991 - Dumas (2nd Rd, #46)
1992 - Oliver Miller (1st Rd, #22)
1993 - Mackey (1st Rd, #27)
1994 - Wesley Person (1st Rd, #23)
1995 - Finley (1st Rd, #21 - Acquired from LA for Ceballos, IIRC)
1995 - Bennett (1st Rd, #27)
1996 - Steve Nash (1st Rd, #15)
1997 - No First Rounder (Hot Rod)
1998 - No First Rounder (to Den for McDyess - ouch)
1999 - Marion (1st Rd, #9)
2000 - Tsakalidis (1st Rd, #25)
2001 - No First Rounder
2002 - Amare (1st Rd, #9)

Bryan Colangelo / D'Antoni:
2003 - Zarko Cabarkapa (1st Rd, #17) - David West picked 18th
2004 - Luol Deng (1st Rd, #7) - traded for 2nd rounder and cash. Iguadola, Al Jefferson, Jameer Nelson
2005 - Nate Robinston (1st Rd, #21) - packaged for Kurt Thomas
2006 - Rajon Rondo (1st Rd, #21) - traded for 2007 first-rounder
2006 - Sergio Rodriguez (1st, #27) - sold for cash (Paul Millsap picked 47th
2007 - Rudy Fernandez (1st Rd, #24) - sold for cash
2007 - Alando Tucker (1st Rd, #29) - Marc Gasol picked 48th
2008 - Robin Lopez (1st Rd, #15) - Hibbert, Ibaka, DeAndre Jordan
2009 - Earl Clark (1st Rd, #14) - Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson, Danny Green

Blanks:
2010 - No First Rounder - Kurt Thomas trade
2011 - Markieff Morris (1st Rd, #13) Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler
2012 - Kendall Marshall (1st Rd, #13) Draymond Green picked 35th

McDonough:
2013 - Alex Len (1st Rd, #5) Greek Freak picked 15th, otherwise can't argue
2013 - Nemanja Nedovic (1st Rd, #30) - traded for Archie Goodwin
2014 - TJ Warren (1st Rd, #14), nailed
2014 - Tyler Ennis (1st Rd, #18), whiff
2014 - Bogdan Bogdanovic (1st Rd, #27), packaged
2015 - Devin Booker (1st Rd, #13), nailed
2016 - Dragan Bender (1st Rd, 4th) TBD
2016 - Marquesse Chris (1st Rd, 8th), nailed

Looking back, maybe I was too harsh, but between Lance Blanks and D'Antoni's rookie hate, we crippled ourselves in terms of the draft from '03-'13.

On the very bright side, McDonough has more hits than misses.

 

[Dan H]

I think the knee injury caused Bennett to drop in the draft. He even had arthroscopic surgery on the knee when he was a Suns player. Of course we can disagree but the Bennett I saw play in college pre-surgery was going to be a star player. After the surgery in college, he was only a shadow of his previous self.

You have to wonder what might have been. In this day and age the technology and rehab seem to have gotten to the point where there's little or no drop-off.

 

[Cheesebeef]

Maybe, to some extent. Dumas and Ceballos were drafted pre-Barkley. Oliver Miller was drafted the year we acquired Barkley. Person and Finley you are absolutely correct.

1990 - Ceballos (2nd Rd, #48)
1991 - Dumas (2nd Rd, #46)
1992 - Oliver Miller (1st Rd, #22)
1993 - Mackey (1st Rd, #27)
1994 - Wesley Person (1st Rd, #23)
1995 - Finley (1st Rd, #21 - Acquired from LA for Ceballos, IIRC)
1995 - Bennett (1st Rd, #27)
1996 - Steve Nash (1st Rd, #15)
1997 - No First Rounder (Hot Rod)
1998 - No First Rounder (to Den for McDyess - ouch)
1999 - Marion (1st Rd, #9)
2000 - Tsakalidis (1st Rd, #25)
2001 - No First Rounder
2002 - Amare (1st Rd, #9)

Bryan Colangelo / D'Antoni:
2003 - Zarko Cabarkapa (1st Rd, #17) - David West picked 18th
2004 - Luol Deng (1st Rd, #7) - traded for 2nd rounder and cash. Iguadola, Al Jefferson, Jameer Nelson
2005 - Nate Robinston (1st Rd, #21) - packaged for Kurt Thomas
2006 - Rajon Rondo (1st Rd, #21) - traded for 2007 first-rounder
2006 - Sergio Rodriguez (1st, #27) - sold for cash (Paul Millsap picked 47th
2007 - Rudy Fernandez (1st Rd, #24) - sold for cash
2007 - Alando Tucker (1st Rd, #29) - Marc Gasol picked 48th
2008 - Robin Lopez (1st Rd, #15) - Hibbert, Ibaka, DeAndre Jordan
2009 - Earl Clark (1st Rd, #14) - Jrue Holiday, Jeff Teague, Taj Gibson, Danny Green

Blanks:
2010 - No First Rounder - Kurt Thomas trade
2011 - Markieff Morris (1st Rd, #13) Kawhi Leonard, Jimmy Butler
2012 - Kendall Marshall (1st Rd, #13) Draymond Green picked 35th

McDonough:
2013 - Alex Len (1st Rd, #5) Greek Freak picked 15th, otherwise can't argue
2013 - Nemanja Nedovic (1st Rd, #30) - traded for Archie Goodwin
2014 - TJ Warren (1st Rd, #14), nailed
2014 - Tyler Ennis (1st Rd, #18), whiff
2014 - Bogdan Bogdanovic (1st Rd, #27), packaged
2015 - Devin Booker (1st Rd, #13), nailed
2016 - Dragan Bender (1st Rd, 4th) TBD
2016 - Marquesse Chris (1st Rd, 8th), nailed

Looking back, maybe I was too harsh, but between Lance Blanks and D'Antoni's rookie hate, we crippled ourselves in terms of the draft from '03-'13.

On the very bright side, McDonough has more hits than misses.

Yeah dude... you look at that list from 1990-2003 and it's actually a pretty incredible draft record save Tsakalidis, Mackey and Bennet.

 

[Dan H]

D'Antoni and Blanks boned us. But hopefully we're on the way to digging out.

 

[Mainstreet]

You have to wonder what might have been. In this day and age the technology and rehab seem to have gotten to the point where there's little or no drop-off.

My thoughts exactly. Medical science is much advanced from those days were an ACL injury could end a career.