Ben Strong : An NBA player?

[mybleedinghands]

I work out with Mike Dunleavy Jr. & Troy Murphy in the summers at the Sports Club L/A in NYC and I'm sure Ben Strong could play with both of them...i'm not saying he could dominate these guys but he could stick with them.

Strong is a PF, Dunleavy is a SG. They have completely different games. Dunleavy is a perimeter player who can't guard the post. Strong is a post player who probably can't guard on the perimeter well on a consistent basis. Also, Dunleavy is averaging 17.3 points, 5.7 rebounds, 3.4 assists. It doesn't really matter if anyone thinks Strong could hold his own against Dunleavy. Why? They'd never guard each other and play entirely different positions and games!

[baselinejam]

I work out with Mike Dunleavy Jr. & Troy Murphy in the summers at the Sports Club L/A in NYC and I'm sure Ben Strong could play with both of them...i'm not saying he could dominate these guys but he could stick with them.

There isn't a way on earth he could go 1 on 1 against either of them or could have when they were college players either.

[Hugenerd]

What he has going for him (in terms of making the NBA) is that he is a big man.  From what I have read, he is 6'11" and pretty decent strength wise.  If he has good basketball skills, he has a chance.  Nobody is saying he is going to dominate the NBA, the argument is whether he will make it at all. In terms of hanging with the most athletic big men in the world (like Amare or Dwight Howard), I dont think he can, but, that said, most NBA players cant either.  Look at some current and former NBA players: Eric Montross and Bryant Reeves both former NBA big men who were very slow but 7'0" and could score around the basket.  They both played a few years in the league.  Look at Aaron Gray right now, he is a really slow guy with almost no outside game, but he is tall.  Even if he is an inch or two shorter, Strong could still have a chance if he can make mid range jumpers and can handle the ball.

I am by no way saying that he will definitely make it, I have never seen him play.  I just think everyone is putting way too much emphasis on athleticism.  Yes, the dominant big men in the game right now are very athletic big men, but that doesnt mean all big men in the league are like that.

[mybleedinghands]

What he has going for him (in terms of making the NBA) is that he is a big man.  From what I have read, he is 6'11" and pretty decent strength wise.  If he has good basketball skills, he has a chance.  Nobody is saying he is going to dominate the NBA, the argument is whether he will make it at all. In terms of hanging with the most athletic big men in the world (like Amare or Dwight Howard), I dont think he can, but, that said, most NBA players cant either.  Look at some current and former NBA players: Eric Montross and Bryant Reeves both former NBA big men who were very slow but 7'0" and could score around the basket.  They both played a few years in the league.  Look at Aaron Gray right now, he is a really slow guy with almost no outside game, but he is tall.  Even if he is an inch or two shorter, Strong could still have a chance if he can make mid range jumpers and can handle the ball.

I am by no way saying that he will definitely make it, I have never seen him play.  I just think everyone is putting way too much emphasis on athleticism.  Yes, the dominant big men in the game right now are very athletic big men, but that doesnt mean all big men in the league are like that.

Strong is an NBA power forward on both ends of the court. The players you mentioned are NBA centers on both ends of the court. Ben simply isn't strong enough to play center like those guys did. If we are going to use former or current NBA players as a comparison, you should use comparisons to the same position. It's pointless to compare strong to players who don't even play the same position. Unless we're talking Nelly ball, I imagine Strong won't be signed to play center in the NBA.

Brandon Adair exposed Strong at times when he put the ball on the floor and drove to the basket. He exposed Strong at times posting up. Adair will never make it to the NBA. If Strong has difficulties guarding him there's no chance he'll be able to guard nba power forwards who are bigger and will be either strong than Adair and/or much more quicker and athletic than Adair.

[NYBB]

Ben Strong is like a worse Detlef Schrempf to me.

[mybleedinghands]

Detled Schrempf was a dead eye three point shooter, Strong is 1-8 from the three point line. What next silly comparison are y'all going to make? 

[Ralph Turner]

Detled Schrempf was a dead eye three point shooter, Strong is 1-8 from the three point line. What next silly comparison are y'all going to make? 

from the 19' 9" three point line at that!   

[Titan Q]

I've never seen Ben Strong play, so I really can't assess his prospects as an NBA player.  I'd just encourage everyone to keep in mind the incredible difference in play from NCAA Division III to the NBA.

Illinois Wesleyan's Zach Freeman (6-7) was the power forward on the D3hoops.com 2006-07 All-American team on which Ben Strong was the center.  Last year as a senior, Freeman averaged 21.6 ppg and 9.1 rpg and shot .614 from the field.  Here is a video featuring Freeman at the 2006 D3 Final Four (his junior year), playing against Virginia Wesleyan and Amherst...

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=F2EANANcrj8

Freeman, who was even better as a senior than he was as a junior in that video, is 6-7 and certainly not 6-10 like Ben Strong, but his incredible athleticism made him a player who could have played Division I somewhere.

Zach is now playing professionally in Germany for Hagen.  Hagen is in the Bundesliga 2 -- a very good professional league.  Bundesliga 2 is a step down from Bundesliga 1, which is really a big-time professional league.  The following site has links to the Phoenix Hagen roster, as well as info on the B1 and B2 leagues...

http://www.eurobasket.com/team.asp?Cntry=GER&Team=2480

http://www.phoenix-hagen.de/index.php?area=1&p=static&page=pro-a

Zach does not start for his team.  The starting 4/5 players are Adam Baumann (6-8/250, Youngstown State) and Kyle Jeffers (6-9/270, Oregon State).  Freeman averages 10.6 ppg and 4.5 rpg in 20 minutes per game, shooting .542 from the field...

http://statistik.basketball-bundesliga.de/zweite/stats/player/index.php?team=473&pos=PF&spieler_id=8369&saison=2007 

Here is a video recap from a game in January, to give a better feel for the level of play...

http://werthmedia.de/spielbericht.php?id=17

(Zach Freeman is #7 for the team in yellow and has dunk about 2:00 into the video.)


Zach Freeman, a D3 1st Team All-American last year, does not start for Phoenix Hagen in the Bundesliga 2...which is a step down from Bundesliga 1...which is a step down from the really elite European leagues...which are a HUGE step down from the NBA. 

I am not trying to compare Ben Strong to Zach Freeman, as I know strong is 6-10 and has a much higher ceiling because of that.  My point is simply to keep in perspective the world of difference between the ODAC and NBA.

[hasanova]

http://www.pennatlantic.com/main.php?module=event-detail&eventId=5178

If you want to see Ben Strong today, the Guilford/Bridgewater game will be videocast from Greensboro by Penn Atlantic at 3 pm EST.  There is a $3.50 charge, but it is available.  Enjoy.

[mybleedinghands]

The cream of the crop of international leagues would, according to most folks who follow both American and internaional hoops, would be in between that of D1 and NBA. The top one is Euroleague I believe. Even the best guys there often don't make it to the NBA.

[baselinejam]

Whatsamatta - nobody answered my query. If Ben Strong is so hot which ACC team would he start on? Again I say none. This is my last post on this silly thread.

[NYBB]

Zach Freeman was a beast in college...i watched that youtube thing: a 6'7'' guy who has good post moves destroys D3

[hasanova]

Whatsamatta - nobody answered my query. If Ben Strong is so hot which ACC team would he start on? Again I say none. This is my last post on this silly thread.

I don't know the answer to that question, but he did score 27 at the SEC's DI South Carolina in a Nov. 5 exhibition game.

[mybleedinghands]

Whatsamatta - nobody answered my query. If Ben Strong is so hot which ACC team would he start on? Again I say none. This is my last post on this silly thread.

I don't know the answer to that question, but he did score 27 at the SEC's DI South Carolina in a Nov. 5 exhibition game.

And it's an exhibition. If exhibitions/scrimmages meant anything, then LC would have had a decent season in the 07 and 06 years...

USC's starting front line is 6'7" 200 lbs. and 6'7" 230 lbs., and their "bigs" off the bench in that game were 6'7" 205 lbs., 6'8" 215 lbs., 6'7" 210 lbs, and 6'9" 216 lbs. So we are talking about thin D3 size centers for the most part, not exactly the types of players Ben Strong would be facing in the NBA. Other than the 6'9" guy, these players would be NBA small forwards or terribly undersized power forwards at best.

[baselinejam]

Whatsamatta - nobody answered my query. If Ben Strong is so hot which ACC team would he start on? Again I say none. This is my last post on this silly thread.

I don't know the answer to that question, but he did score 27 at the SEC's DI South Carolina in a Nov. 5 exhibition game.

I'm a back slider & for that I apologize - SC ain't in the ACC they don't have any NBA talent & it was an exhibition. For example Bienemann had 10 points against The Citadel the 3rd game (not exhibition) of his freshman year. What does that mean? It means they lost by 9 & he got 10.

Now I really promise never to comment on this very silly thread again. Moon Pies to anyone who catches back sliding again