The Dante Exum Thread

[thelead]

Just an FYI. If Oladipo couldn't start over Meer, there is no way in hell Exum would start over Meer.

If you don't know why Oladipo didn't start, I can't help you...

Just saying Oladipo is light years ahead of Exum in regards to being NBA ready.

Thus, there is not a chance in hell Exum starts over Meer.

Eh, I'm not sure we can expect either Smart or Exum to start immediately. The only player that I could definitely see starting is Parker if he falls to us.

With that said, I HOPE that whoever we take at 4 gets plenty of minutes.

[Smooth_E]

stole this from the Bucks board:

Exum isn't a potential All-Star? Here is Australian NT teammate (and future NBA player) Joe Ingles on Exum:

Do you think one NCAA semester could hurt Exum's stock?

"Going to the NCAA for one semester will not hurt his stock. People don't realize that Dante is just a kid. He still looks likes a kid and acts like one too, but he's a special kid. He's got plenty of options and can pick from basically any college program. He can also choose to sit out for a year and still be a top five draft pick. Whatever he does he will be a NBA superstar because he has the work ethic."

What impressed you most about Exum?

"His work ethic. Dante is very talented. He's quick, fast and plays great defense. Shooting is probably his biggest weakness at the moment, but I've seen him in the gym before and after every practice for 30-45 minutes just working on his shots. He's going to continue to improve because he has the work ethic it takes to become a great player."

Here is shooting coach David Nurse tearing up Exum's jumpshot, but concluding that he'll be a star:

It’s easy to see why NBA execs and GM’s get more excited than a contestant on the Price is Right when you look into the crystal ball of his potential and skill set. Exum is extremely smooth and fluid with unbelievable body control, allowing him to dissect defenses by getting into the lane at ease in the flow of the offense and weaving in and out of defenders like a Porsche in the open court.

His ability to get out in transition and speed with the ball in his hands is top 10 in the NBA right now. There are a lot of players with great speed, but Exum’s ability to cultivate that speed with the ball in his hands is what makes him so dynamic in the open floor. If his world-class speed wasn’t enough, Exum is able to shift gears and change speeds very effectively making him an extremely tough player to defend in transition.

The toughest players to defend aren’t always the quickest and most athletic players, it is the players who are able to constantly change speeds and always put pressure on the defense. This is where Exum’s personal analysis of himself really does draw comparisons to Manu Ginobli; shifty and unassuming.

A great skill set ability that more NBA players need to realize the importance of – deceptiveness. Exum has harnessed this skill set at young age and with his high level ball control and natural feel for the game, he is able to utilize this craft to create for his teammates. Hence, why I have labeled him as neither a point guard or a two-guard, but instead simply as a playmaker.

All of these weapons in Exum’s arsenal are great and extremely tantalizing to an NBA franchise. And I haven’t even mentioned his explosive first step, rebounding range for a guard, and ability to draw fouls at the rim.

But the single most telling factor of why I am convinced that a player this skilled but still less seen to the public than a UFO sighting in a cornfield will be highly successful at the next level is his basketball IQ and maturity. Maturity and 18-year-old kid are not often seen in the same sentence or anywhere close for that matter. But that is not the case for Exum. He is mature beyond his years and has a basketball IQ and natural feel for the game that makes it appear like he was born to play basketball. Well, I guess he was.

Good read, much appreciated.

[RYgoBOOM]

Just an FYI. If Oladipo couldn't start over Meer, there is no way in hell Exum would start over Meer.

If you don't know why Oladipo didn't start, I can't help you...

Just saying Oladipo is light years ahead of Exum in regards to being NBA ready.

Thus, there is not a chance in hell Exum starts over Meer.

but....

Exum has played, is projected to be, and will always play PG. Oladipo was a SG trying to play PG so his situation is a little different.

Dipo starting in a position he hasn't played over Jameer is one thing, But exum is in his natural position starting over a year older Jameer

[Orlwillbeback]

Bmp has done no research on exum at all but he has his mind made up about him....

[BadMofoPimp]

If you don't know why Oladipo didn't start, I can't help you...

Just saying Oladipo is light years ahead of Exum in regards to being NBA ready.

Thus, there is not a chance in hell Exum starts over Meer.

but....

Exum has played, is projected to be, and will always play PG. Oladipo was a SG trying to play PG so his situation is a little different.

Dipo starting in a position he hasn't played over Jameer is one thing, But exum is in his natural position starting over a year older Jameer

Exum may be a PG, but he has only played against kids while Oladipo played elite level competition over a period of time. Exum is not going to sit around a year before playing in the NBA straight out of high school and start over nobody including Etwaan Moore. Book it. He is riding the bench most of the year. He is nowhere near ready to start much less get extensive minutes. He is strictly a project that May pay off years down the road.

Just make a cash money bet with me then wait and see.

[OrlChamps2030]

Exum has a workout with the Bucks tomorrow. Since it is in Mil. and not at a third-party location I'm sure we will hear about it. Who knows what will be smokescreens and whats real though

[Reverse_Angle]

I am not sure if this was posted, but here is a write-up from Grantland about Exum:

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/titus-nba-draft-international-dante-exum-dario-saric-clint-capela-jusuf-nurkic-kristaps-porzingis/

Wait, what? This is it? This is the guy who could be as good as Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, and Joel Embiid? Did NBA scouts even watch this thing? I know they’ve watched Exum play hours upon hours of real basketball over the last few years, but that only tells me that NBA scouts know how to waste time and money.

I am still pro Dante, but this kinda confirms my suspicions about the guy: he may not be as skilled and smart as people think he is. If you compound that with average athleticism, this pick has a bust potential more so than Smart pick would have.

[SOUL]

It's... not a serious article.

[Def Swami]

I am not sure if this was posted, but here is a write-up from Grantland about Exum:

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/titus-nba-draft-international-dante-exum-dario-saric-clint-capela-jusuf-nurkic-kristaps-porzingis/

Wait, what? This is it? This is the guy who could be as good as Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, and Joel Embiid? Did NBA scouts even watch this thing? I know they’ve watched Exum play hours upon hours of real basketball over the last few years, but that only tells me that NBA scouts know how to waste time and money.

I am still pro Dante, but this kinda confirms my suspicions about the guy: he may not be as skilled and smart as people think he is. If you compound that with average athleticism, this pick has a bust potential more so than Smart pick would have.

Sounded like a satire article on YouTube basketball mixtapes.

[Smooth_E]

I am not sure if this was posted, but here is a write-up from Grantland about Exum:

http://grantland.com/the-triangle/titus-nba-draft-international-dante-exum-dario-saric-clint-capela-jusuf-nurkic-kristaps-porzingis/

Wait, what? This is it? This is the guy who could be as good as Andrew Wiggins, Jabari Parker, and Joel Embiid? Did NBA scouts even watch this thing? I know they’ve watched Exum play hours upon hours of real basketball over the last few years, but that only tells me that NBA scouts know how to waste time and money.

I am still pro Dante, but this kinda confirms my suspicions about the guy: he may not be as skilled and smart as people think he is. If you compound that with average athleticism, this pick has a bust potential more so than Smart pick would have.

I'm with everyone else above me - no one should take this article seriously. Seems very sarcastic and for entertainment purposes only. Don't put too much into it.

[Reverse_Angle]

No, I get that. I still think the argument holds some water. If you are not athletic or quick by NBA standards, you should be very crafty and smart both in defense and in offense. I just don't see it, especially when it comes to defense. The most concise way to put it is that he is skilled for a tall guy, but that may not be enough. We just don't know. What's gonna happen when he bangs with above average NBA guards who are comparably tall, yet a lot more athletic? Again, we just don't know.

[Skin]

Do we really need to go back in history to see how scouts were successful in the past at scouting High School talent? Has scouting digressed to the point where the only confidence scouts can have in a player is if they played in college?

[OrlandO]

Did anyone ever find footage of the USA vs AUS FIBA game where Smart supposedly shut Exum down? Did anyone see the game? Because while trying to find some highlights (couldn't find any), I found out Exum was actually injured during this game and I have never seen this mentioned during debates about the poor performance.

Here's the timeline I've pieced together through the play-by-play and the injury report... Exum suffered an ankle injury during the first quarter of that game. It seems he was playing well up to that point - scored 5pts, grabbed 2 rebs, drew 4 fouls (2 from defensive Elfrid Payton) and turned it over only once. It looks like one of his turnovers came on the play where he injured his ankle. He was noticeably in pain and then subbed out for the rest of the 1st quarter. He then tried to play on the hurt ankle for another 3 and a half minutes in the 2nd quarter, which is when he quickly turned it over a couple times before being benched for the rest of the game.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/352131523882909699[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/352133375697489922[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/352140426221862912[/tweet]

[Melvinlocker]

Did anyone ever find footage of the USA vs AUS FIBA game where Smart supposedly shut Exum down? Did anyone see the game? Because while trying to find some highlights (couldn't find any), I found out Exum was actually injured during this game and I have never seen this mentioned during debates about the poor performance.

Here's the timeline I've pieced together through the play-by-play and the injury report... Exum suffered an ankle injury during the first quarter of that game. It seems he was playing well up to that point - scored 5pts, grabbed 2 rebs, drew 4 fouls (2 from defensive Elfrid Payton) and turned it over only once. It looks like one of his turnovers came on the play where he injured his ankle. He was noticeably in pain and then subbed out for the rest of the 1st quarter. He then tried to play on the hurt ankle for another 3 and a half minutes in the 2nd quarter, which is when he quickly turned it over a couple times before being benched for the rest of the game.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/352133375697489922[/tweet]

I hadn't seen that. That puts his numbers for the tourney into a much more positive context IMO.

[Smooth_E]

Via http://www.sportingnews.com/nba/story/2014-06-12/nba-mock-draft-2014-lottery-andrew-wiggins-jabari-parker-joel-embiid-cavs-76ers/

Two weeks before the NBA Draft, the Top 3 are very much in flux. Yes, the Cavs are strongly weighing the possibility of taking Joel Embiid, but there is still the fascination with the athleticism of Andrew Wiggins.

In fact, the Sixers—slated to pick third—have been considering making a deal with the Cavs for the No. 1 pick, because Philadelphia wants Wiggins and the Sixers have cause to believe he is still Cleveland’s guy.

Stuck in the middle are the Bucks, who could upend the whole process by taking guard Dante Exum with the second pick. There has been a theory espoused that Milwaukee would play things safe in the draft, because general manager John Hammond could be on the hot seat and doesn’t want to risk taking a player who might need time to pan out.

Bogus, one source said. “(Exum) is a real option for them, because of the size and the upside,” the source said. “Nobody there is approaching this like, ‘I need to save my job.’ You don’t do that in a draft. In free agency, that is a different story. But no one is going to save their job in the draft. If Exum is as good as they think he will be, they’d pull the trigger.”

Having said that, we’re sticking with Milwaukee picking one of the Big Three — Wiggins, Jabari Parker or, in this case, Embiid.

[Smooth_E]

via @ChrisMannixSI

Dante Exum will work out with Milwaukee over the weekend and for Orlando early next week, per source.

[Def Swami]

Did anyone ever find footage of the USA vs AUS FIBA game where Smart supposedly shut Exum down? Did anyone see the game? Because while trying to find some highlights (couldn't find any), I found out Exum was actually injured during this game and I have never seen this mentioned during debates about the poor performance.

Here's the timeline I've pieced together through the play-by-play and the injury report... Exum suffered an ankle injury during the first quarter of that game. It seems he was playing well up to that point - scored 5pts, grabbed 2 rebs, drew 4 fouls (2 from defensive Elfrid Payton) and turned it over only once. It looks like one of his turnovers came on the play where he injured his ankle. He was noticeably in pain and then subbed out for the rest of the 1st quarter. He then tried to play on the hurt ankle for another 3 and a half minutes in the 2nd quarter, which is when he quickly turned it over a couple times before being benched for the rest of the game.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/352133375697489922[/tweet]

So much for that whole "Marcus Smart took his lunch money" bit.

[OrlandO]

Did anyone ever find footage of the USA vs AUS FIBA game where Smart supposedly shut Exum down? Did anyone see the game? Because while trying to find some highlights (couldn't find any), I found out Exum was actually injured during this game and I have never seen this mentioned during debates about the poor performance.

Here's the timeline I've pieced together through the play-by-play and the injury report... Exum suffered an ankle injury during the first quarter of that game. It seems he was playing well up to that point - scored 5pts, grabbed 2 rebs, drew 4 fouls (2 from defensive Elfrid Payton) and turned it over only once. It looks like one of his turnovers came on the play where he injured his ankle. He was noticeably in pain and then subbed out for the rest of the 1st quarter. He then tried to play on the hurt ankle for another 3 and a half minutes in the 2nd quarter, which is when he quickly turned it over a couple times before being benched for the rest of the game.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/352133375697489922[/tweet]

So much for that whole "Marcus Smart took his lunch money" bit.

Found some more tweets...

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/352131523882909699[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/352140426221862912[/tweet]

[Smooth_E]

Did anyone ever find footage of the USA vs AUS FIBA game where Smart supposedly shut Exum down? Did anyone see the game? Because while trying to find some highlights (couldn't find any), I found out Exum was actually injured during this game and I have never seen this mentioned during debates about the poor performance.

Here's the timeline I've pieced together through the play-by-play and the injury report... Exum suffered an ankle injury during the first quarter of that game. It seems he was playing well up to that point - scored 5pts, grabbed 2 rebs, drew 4 fouls (2 from defensive Elfrid Payton) and turned it over only once. It looks like one of his turnovers came on the play where he injured his ankle. He was noticeably in pain and then subbed out for the rest of the 1st quarter. He then tried to play on the hurt ankle for another 3 and a half minutes in the 2nd quarter, which is when he quickly turned it over a couple times before being benched for the rest of the game.

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/352133375697489922[/tweet]

So much for that whole "Marcus Smart took his lunch money" bit.

Found some more tweets...

[tweet]https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/352131523882909699[/tweet]
[tweet]https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/352140426221862912[/tweet]

Would you mind teaching me how to embed the Tweet?

[OrlandO]

Just take the direct link for a tweet and use the "Tweet" button in the toolbar to wrap the link with the correct code.

Will look something like this before your post:
[ tweet]https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/352131523882909699[/tweet]
[ tweet]https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/352133375697489922[/tweet]
[ tweet]https://twitter.com/DraftExpress/status/352140426221862912[/tweet]

(I put a space after the first bracket of each tweet to prevent them from displaying correctly)