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With reports of Dante Exum seriously considering turning pro for the 2014 NBA Draft, there is a lot of intrigue with talk of him being the next Anfernee Hardaway. If he is developing along the lines of my all-time favorite skilled player, I just hope we find a way to get him. Even if he doesn't pan out as the next Penny, there is a chance he could develop along similar to another one of my favorites, Shaun Livingston, given his quickness and playmaking abilities albeit without the same court vision (at least not yet but that tends to be more innate at this stage of development).

Judging by his videos, "X-M" needs to learn how to finish with his left hand as well has tone down the carrying of the ball while dribbling at times in addition to improving his shot and strength. Personally, I think the kid should go to college to develop his game under a program like Mike Krzyzewski's.

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If only this was related to the Clips

Sure he looks good playing in Australia & a few International Tourneys, but how will he do playing against deep talented teams game after game? Patty Mills who had a great World Championships at 18 (6 years ago) was destined to be a Superstar, he is struggling to get playing time in the NBA. Maybe the kid should go to his Dad's Alma Mater for a year or two and we can really see how good he is.

Verballer wrote:If only this was related to the Clips

Since we don't have a draft thread, I figured it'd be good to spotlight prospects this organization can still build upon and/or target. The Clippers may be anticipated to be too good to get a high draft pick in the next few years barring any unforeseen disaster...[knock on wood]...however great organizations still draft well and find ways to continually add talent even to deep rosters. Boston with Larry Bird still found a way to get Len Bias [tragic] and Reggie Lewis [another tragedy]. The Spurs have added the likes of Tiago Splitter, DeJuan Blair, and Kawhi Leonard in recent years, which is in addition to developing guys like Gary Neal into useful players (before cutting him).

Some of us may not consider such ideas Clippers-related, but since my hope is for continued and sustained excellence for this team, I would think the aforementioned process used by typically well-run organizations would be something to follow. Successful people and organizations don't take it for granted.

RiversideClips wrote:Sure he looks good playing in Australia & a few International Tourneys, but how will he do playing against deep talented teams game after game? Patty Mills who had a great World Championships at 18 (6 years ago) was destined to be a Superstar, he is struggling to get playing time in the NBA. Maybe the kid should go to his Dad's Alma Mater for a year or two and we can really see how good he is.

Totally agree. The kid has tools but is not as developed as Livingston or Hardaway were when they entered the league. Maybe he'll cash in on the hype and enter the draft as soon as possible while his stock and intrigue is high, but if he's as competitive and skilled as some people say he is, he'd be better off polishing his game in college under a high-end program.

I haven't seen a whole lot of Exum, but have heard great things. What I have seen does look promising. His situation is a little different with him finishing up with school in November. I'd like to see him go to college for a year, but it'd be hard to pass up the draft if his stock remains where it is.

We don't have the assets to get get him. Most lotto teams aren't looking to give up a 2014 and we're not looking to part with CP3 or BG. The Celtics acquired the 2nd pick of the 1986 draft by trading Gerald Henderson to the Sonics for a future 1st. Trading for future 1sts (that will eventually become unprotected) is probably our best hope of getting a high pick in the near future or something went horribly wrong lol.

Picking later in the draft isn't a bad thing if the front office does their homework. With so much salary being tied up in 3 players, adding inexpensive talent that can contribute is almost a necessity. I don't want to get my hopes up in drafting a star, but a quality role player is always good to have.

In the event that we did eventually draft a player that became a key cog, we'd probably have the money by the time they would be up for a new contract/extension.

Ranma wrote:

Verballer wrote:If only this was related to the Clips

Since we don't have a draft thread, I figured it'd be good to spotlight prospects this organization can still build upon and/or target. The Clippers may be anticipated to be too good to get a high draft pick in the next few years barring any unforeseen disaster...[knock on wood]...however great organizations still draft well and find ways to continually add talent even to deep rosters. Boston with Larry Bird still found a way to get Len Bias [tragic] and Reggie Lewis [another tragedy]. The Spurs have added the likes of Tiago Splitter, DeJuan Blair, and Kawhi Leonard in recent years, which is in addition to developing guys like Gary Neal into useful players (before cutting him).

Some of us may not consider such ideas Clippers-related, but since my hope is for continued and sustained excellence for this team, I would think the aforementioned process used by typically well-run organizations would be something to follow. Successful people and organizations don't take it for granted.

RiversideClips wrote:Sure he looks good playing in Australia & a few International Tourneys, but how will he do playing against deep talented teams game after game? Patty Mills who had a great World Championships at 18 (6 years ago) was destined to be a Superstar, he is struggling to get playing time in the NBA. Maybe the kid should go to his Dad's Alma Mater for a year or two and we can really see how good he is.

Totally agree. The kid has tools but is not as developed as Livingston or Hardaway were when they entered the league. Maybe he'll cash in on the hype and enter the draft as soon as possible while his stock and intrigue is high, but if he's as competitive and skilled as some people say he is, he'd be better off polishing his game in college under a high-end program.

Why mention Dante Exum then?
Talking about the draft. The Clips have recently been doing a great job. I'm putting my money on Reggie Bullock being the steal of the draft,I dunno why,I just am

He'll be playing for Australia next Saturday night LA time vs New Zealand, so I'm sure you'll find a stream somehow. I'll be at the game so I'll let you know how he goes.

Verballer wrote: I'm putting my money on Reggie Bullock being the steal of the draft,I dunno why,I just am

he came out right around where he was projected so i dont think he's that great of a steal. definitely a solid pick up though

Again Dante Exum is projected to go top 10 most likely.
No team will think about trading their picks in this stacked draft,especially teams bad enough to be top 10 picks.
The Clippers would benefit by finding a shotblocker backup big late in the draft.Those aren't hard to find since most teams look for spot up shooters and/or high energy player that late in the draft.
Paul,Redick,JCross,Collison etc. With all these Guards we won't even look at Exum even if we do acquire a pick.

And also

he came out right around where he was projected so i dont think he's that great of a steal. definitely a solid pick up though

He looks like he has very few holes in his game for what his job is,improved ball handling would take him very far.
I expect him to play 10-15 mins to begin with but if he shines that could become 20-25.
Plenty of players were projected to be taken late first round that ended up being steals

Verballer wrote:Again Dante Exum is projected to go top 10 most likely.
No team will think about trading their picks in this stacked draft,especially teams bad enough to be top 10 picks.
The Clippers would benefit by finding a shotblocker backup big late in the draft.Those aren't hard to find since most teams look for spot up shooters and/or high energy player that late in the draft.
Paul,Redick,JCross,Collison etc. With all these Guards we won't even look at Exum even if we do acquire a pick.

The draft is still a ways a way and you just don't know how things will shake out. Shabazz Muhammad, Nerlens Noel, and O.J. Mayo each generated a lot of buzz as shoe-ins to be 1st overall picks by a lot of pundits for their respective drafts yet none of them accomplished that feat. Exum's draft stock may tumble just as quickly as it rose all of a sudden so having eyes on his development may help each of us inform the other of his strengths and weaknesses, which would complement the expert draft opinions to help determine his actual fit with the team's roster. This is why I would call on those of us who are interested in the draft to keep eyes on certain prospects for later reference.

Collison and Crawford are not anticipated to be with us beyond this season, so citing them as a reason not to draft the kid, should he prove worthy, is not a valid reason. Also, I'm a proponent of drafting best player available over need in most cases. If he can develop around CP3 and Rivers, we can really have ourselves a Batum-like gem even if he doesn't become the next Penny. Of course, this logic applies to any other prospect that would be on our radar.

Exum only played about 8 minutes yesterday for the Australian men's team, but he looked very good out there. Controlled the tempo very well and played within the speed of the game, something that often takes point guards a few years of college to learn.

Ben Simmons (top prospect for 2015, just turned 17 three weeks ago) played about 12 minutes, but was very rushed. He threw some passes that you can't get away with at elite basketball levels and wound up with a few turnovers. Nice skills, but unlike Dante, hasn't quite got the feel within the flow of a game.

Thanks for the scouting report, Mats272-GOAT. Sounds like Exum has some maturity and smoothness to his game. I'm curious how much progress he'll make on this shortcomings (shot, using his left hand, etc.). The kid may be a top-5 pick now, but he'll be a reach if he doesn't address his weaknesses. The NBA is not a developmental league and, despite its title, the NBDL is not a better environment than a solid college program.