Posts Tagged ‘Anthony Bennett’

Bennett Latest Prospect Hit By Injury

May 7, 2013  ·  2:31PM

UNLV freshman forward Anthony Bennett, who is considered a likely top-three selection in June’s NBA Draft, will undergo surgery Wednesday to repair a torn rotator cuff in his left shoulder and will be sidelined for four months, according to sources.

draft-13-blog-logoBennett, who averaged 16.1 points and 8.1 rebounds for the Runnin’ Rebels, was Mountain West Freshman of the Year in helping UNLV reach the NCAA Tournament. His explosiveness and shooting touch for a power forward make him one of the more intriguing big man prospects in the Draft.

Bennett injured the shoulder during the season, but continued to play through the injury, though his production slowed somewhat down the stretch.

Bennett’s injury continues an unusual trend of significant injuries to players likely to be among the top players selected in the Draft. Kentucky freshman Nerlens Noel is rehabbing a torn ACL suffered in February, but personnel scouts and league executives still expect Noel to be the first or second player taken overall.

Lehigh combo guard C.J. McCollum is starting to get back up to speed after breaking his left foot in January, an injury that cost him the remainder of the season. But scouts still believe he’ll be a Lottery pick. Maryland center prospect Alex Len will be out four to six months after undergoing surgery to repair a stress fracture in his left ankle last month. But Len is also expected to be taken in the Lottery.

The NBA Draft is scheduled for June 27 at Barclays Center in Brooklyn. The NBA Drafte Lottery is scheduled to be held on May 21.

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Noel Injury Will Impact The Draft

February 13, 2013  ·  3:45PM

The worst fears Tuesday night became reality Wednesday afternoon, when the University of Kentucky announced that freshman power forward-center Nerlens Noel tore a ligament in his left knee in the loss at Florida and is done for the season.

The NBA impact is that the contender for the No. 1 pick is also probably out of the 2013 draft. Noel could still choose to come out and would go in the lottery, maybe even the top half of the lottery given the underwhelming group of prospects, but the bad news could prompt him to stay in school, prove to executives and scouts in 2013-14 he is healthy, and turn pro in a year.

Either way, the top of the ’13 draft board just became more of a game of darts while wearing blindfolds, which is saying something considering the level of uncertainty that existed before as teams privately acknowledged this was a good year to get as far away from the top pick as possible.

Two wings, Ben McLemore of Kansas and Shabazz Muhammad of UCLA, become the odds-on favorite — for the moment — for No. 1. UNLV power forward Anthony Bennett is also getting mentioned by front offices. If a team has a pressing need at point guard, Marcus Smart of Oklahoma State prominently enters the conversation.

The biggest implications of the Noel fallout? Indiana’s Cody Zeller goes from facing a lot of criticism from talent evaluators – no real improvement in his game, a safe pick for a solid career but no clear path to stardom – to arguably the best big-man prospect available. That could mean a move of several spots forward come June 27, even with the concerns and questions whether he is able to play center in the pros or will be a power forward.

Noel hurt the knee when he landed awkwardly going for a block in the second half of the game at Florida. He was on the ground in obvious pain for several minutes before being carried to the locker room and going to a Gainsville, Fla., for X-rays that showed no bone damage. He returned to Kentucky with the rest of the team and underwent a different procedure Wednesday that detected the torn anterior cruciate ligament.

He will undergo surgery in two to three weeks, the school said. Recovery time is estimated at six to eight months.

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