Normally, I'd say nothing. But this isn't a situation where nothing can be said, but rather where it has to be said. The very first thing that needs to be said is: I'm sorry. I made a lot of mistakes, and I take full 100% responsibility for them. I'm not asking for a lot, in fact I won't ask for much. All that I ask is to be part of the Draft discussion and to see for yourselves where I've come to peace with terms to myself in the basketball community.
I'm Dedicated_76ers_Fan, AKA Lequan Glover. And if some of you who read this don't know who I am(or rather, my dubious reputation) that's a good thing. Maybe you'll read my apology with an open heart. The TLDR of the story is simple: The 76ers were mediocre, Iverson's traded for scrap heap(except Miller, who if it were Sam Hinkie, he'd have been dealt as soon as he was acquired. Alas then Billy King and then later Stefanski fell in love with the shoot-first, pass second veteran and we got nothing for him)
So yeah, first part of this frustrating saga was trading a 29-30 yr old PG/SG stud for crap. There's not a single piece left from that franchise destroying trade. But I didn't make much noise about the trade at the time(I only joined RealGM late 2007). Where problems began(both for the 76ers and for the Community) was when a non-option defensive option was forced to be our #1 and he wasn't terrible at it(Iguodala).
He just wasn't good at it. To me, a third option being force fed the ball was AWFUL basketball. If only Brett Brown were here, he'd have been the next Kawhi Leonard(although Iggy was an inconsistent shooter). It would've been slightly tolerable. And to the tune of 10+ million(escalating contract). And I wasn't a fan of his pounding the ball.
But in spite of all that, I want to say my hatred towards Iguodala was unfounded. Where it REALLY should've been was Ed Snider, Billy King/ Ed Stefanski for mediocre talent evaluation and then grossly overpaying the talent they brought in.
So this is also an apology to Iguodala. I'm sure you're a great human being. I just wish we paid you $4-5 million less so that we could've added a piece to you/Brand/Holiday. With better management, that era may have been different. But that wasn't the tipping point in RealGM.
That was Evan Turner. In hindsight, I should've known I was entering a landmine. The pick was the ONE salvage from the mess that was Eddie Jordan(who had ROYAL IVEY over Jrue at one point, I'm serious. Derek can confirm) And I'm the one who made such a big hoopla(which is still true today) about NBA wings being at a premium.
It's the reason Lance Stephonson's gonna get paid big bucks. It's the reason Tyreke Evans got paid last yr. Can you name FIVE all-caliber wings? LBJ, Kevin Durant, Paul George. A healthy KB24, James Harden. Several of them are in their prime, 3/5 of them are SF'S.
I may of course be missing a few, but the point stands: Wings are no longer "dime a dozen", they're a dying breed!
So we're penciled in for Evan Turner and at first I looked at highlights and like everyone else I'm going "OMG Yes!!!!!!!!!!" But then, I looked at the same highlights, draft excitement long gone and I saw some things: I saw him struggling to finish, over big 10 guards(who weren't really athletic). I saw him being stronger than them
but not by much. His pre-draft touted handles were basic, not elite.
And to our dismay, he never worked on them.
The moment that it happened: Summer LG, game 1: Nets VS Sixers. The game summed up Evan's career, attitude and outlook in one go: 2-10, 4 pts and honestly I can't remember a game(of any level) where a player did so little with so much. He did his patent "stand in the corner" which only frustrated me more.
Forget franchise wing, he wasn't even an NBA starter(no, literally Larry Bird has to be kicking himself. The only thing he acquired was Turner's Cap Hold). To make this story short: I let Turner have it. No profanity of course, but I posted everything I saw on Turner's game in the Game Thread.
Some(many) posters wanted me to chill, saying it's summer LG. But it's precisely
because it was summer league that I got pissed off. John Salmons could do it, why not Turner? Because Salmons had NBA-level skill, alas Turner didn't. And neither Doug, BB or the magic tooth fairy was going to change that.
So I got banned, my emotionalism combined with my perchance for criticizing the last two Philly wingmen grew tiresome for most.
That's my story and I want to make one last disclaimer before moving onto the main topic: At no time did I(or could I) violate my ban on RealGM. I'm able to read the forum, but I can't/haven't posted since that ill-fated debate. The reason I bring this up is because some posters have gotten ridiculed being labeled or suspected of being "Dedicated". They're not me, no one else could be me.
I don't want my name ruining the experiences of others. If the philly bball community still loathes me, that's fine. Just don't patronize others with my name. My mistakes are my own.
(Here's a picture. It's up to you to believe I'm authentic or not)
Now that that's out of the way, onto the draft and the most polarizing prospect of the draft: G Dante Exum, who we're often linked too unfortunately because of Embiid's back surgery. It was really a big blow against us. How big? Well, I've watched Full Game tape(Yes, those actually exist!) as well as highlights of Dante Exum. I've tried rewatching the footage 8-10 times to try to get it to click.
It didn't click. I just don't like the guy. From earlier reports of only wanting to work out for the Lakers to his obtuse comparisons to Derrick Rose/Russell Westbrook. I'm like "Alright big shot, let's see what you've got".
What I can promise you is that he's not Rose/Westbrook. Despite his 6'6 frame, he carries very little on it and there's a difference between a burst of speed, and being physical. Dante's not going to draw those FTA At the NBA Level, he sucks at drawing and then selling the contact.
Where's he get most of his FTA? He gets them via Lack of Competition. The U-19 Euro Scrubs can't stay ahead of him, and their stance is slow/rigid. BTW, so is Dante's but first here's his vid:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw4yuJogKCwhttps://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMAhDKEo9wMI won't comment on the Spain Game. Why? Two reasons: Rinse, wash, repeat. The competition was just as bad. I'll say this: Dante had 33, right? Should've poured 60 on them. And he would've: If his shot selection weren't so bad it makes Carmelo Anthony blush.
6/9 from 2, 3/9 from 3. First off, why's he taking 9 threes? Because despite his bluring speed, he's possibly the laziest perimeter player in this draft. No really, whether it's off the dribble or whether it's pushing the ball. He'll take the first shot he sees. With his speed, he should be an Andrew Wiggins like threat off the ball(Wiggins's off ball prowess is the least talked about yet the best part of his game).
He should at least curl off the corner, right? No such luck as he settled for perimeter jumpers.
In general, you'll notice Dante Exum doesn't take any angles. He's a straight-line driver all the way through. He just gets away with it due to low-level competition. Haven't seen him really off the bounce.
-Ball Pounding.
I just noticed it recently, since I was mostly focused on his shooting/PG Skills. But Exum pounds the
hell out of the ball. Not a possession goes by where it's not 8 seconds or less. It's a Brett Brown sin and it's a sin for me too. No one likes watching Jamal Crawful chuck, only when he's hot.
His 'crossovers' as such are over-rated, as he overdribbles and creates no spacing. If merely in terms of creating space, dare I say Wiggins is better? Pass the ball, move with the ball. Do something besides trying miserably to show off the crowd.
PG Skills:
-Attacks with his head down.
He's got a Tony Wroten to him where the only thing he sees is the rim and the length of the court. Among other things, it makes him a really poor PG in the half-court(to put it nicely). In the open court, trailers/shooters simply do not exist to Dante Exum. He plays 150 MPH all the time, every time and you're simply not going to tell him otherwise.
-1 on 4? No Problem!
It works on FIBA ball, but by GOD he doesn't know how to slow down. I've seen some of the most improbable, unfathomable fast break "plays", that'd lead to either: A: An offensive Foul, B: A terrible shot or C: A passing turnover in the NBA be converted into at least FTA's if not outright buckets. Why? Say it with me: Lack of Competition!
-Basketball IQ.
Grossly over-rated. Which his tendency for chucking and one-man fast breaks should show, but I'll reference to two post plays: One in the HS game, the other VS Spain.
In the HS Game. There's a play where the big is sealed off the post, Dante as the corner guy is the "valve" for the big man. Guess what Dante does? Cut to the basket, the big's not expecting it. Turnover.
In the Spain game it's even worse. The post man's covered, he's not even expecting it.(Hell, his hand isn't even calling for it) Need I say it's a turnover?
Dante Exum's an NBA Athlete, he makes some amazing passes. But let's not confuse that with PG play. (For comparison's sake, MCW averaged 7.5 in Syracuse)
Shooting:
Are we really complaining about MCW's shot, while not lambasting Dante's UGLY one? And by the time I'm done ridiculing it, age 19 VS 22 will make no difference.
-Shawn Marion "put shot"
Everyone knows Shawn Marion has the unorthodox form of a very weak guide hand, combined with the ugliest release you'll ever see.
(Like a girl's. Virtually throwing the ball at the rim.) Dante Exum is cursed with such god awful ball placement and it affects his shot.
-Shoulders aren't squared up
The guide hand should be slightly higher and a bit farther away from your shooting hand. This is so the ball maintains spin on the shot, and so you can properly aim the shot. But Exum shoots too tensely, his body is rigid therefore his shot mechanics are busted.
-Poor Feet Separation. The only time your feet should be 2 inches within each other is the FT line. Your feet should separate as you start to elevate for more of an elevation. DX already pointed out the poor elevation. As a street baller, this is my reason for it. Poor Feet Separation.
By comparison, MCW's upper body is inconsistent but he puts a much better spin on the ball, and has a higher arc IMO. I read Dbods article(really informative BTW:
http://www.libertyballers.com/features/2014/6/23/5831824/michael-carter-williams-sixers-dante-exum-draft).
Alot of similar things(No, I didn't take his word verbiage. I simply happen to be a YMCA scrub who shoots). And there' s one big difference between us: I believe it's the Lower Body that can always be fixed.
Hand-Eye coordination is genetic. Hand placement/ball rotation come naturally. You don't just wake up with a good guide hand. It takes
years of practiceBut Foot Spacing, Elevation and follow-through? With time and repetition, you might not be Reggie Miller, but I'll be shocked if you couldn't hit a couple.
Most of all, arc is important. MCW' s arc is elite. It's at Wiggins/Parker level(due to 6'6 frame). When MCW comes back for his sophomore year, we'll be pleasantly surprised with MCW's shot IMO.
Other Intangibles:
Points Per Shot(PPS). So what's the difference between Kevin Durant and Nick Young you ask?(And I don't just mean he's a superior scorer). Durant can score anywhere, at any time. Nick Young just throws crap up, which leads to a piss poor PPS
http://prague2013.fiba.com/pages/eng/fe/13/fu19m/player/p/eid/9616/lid//orderby//pid/88598/rid/9623/sid/9616/tid/239/profile.htmlHere's Exum's shots per game: 13.4
And here's his PPS: 1.3 PPS.
Average, not spectacular. And it'd help if he weren't the Dwight Howard of guards(his FT's are as terrible on tape as the numbers suggest).
What's more is his high FT Rate levels out his FT shooting. If Dante Exum doesn't get as many FT's, his barely average efficiency will go down the drain.
Best case: A younger Manu
Middle case: A taller Lou Williams/Jason Terry
Worse case: Evan Turner.
I see what everyone sees in his upside. Dante's like Michael Vick. Plays only Dante can make, but that's not how NBA basketball's played at it's best. He's like an R.A Dickey. His pitch(fast-break ability) is unconventional, it works sometimes, maybe even often.
But other times you'll lose command and momentum shifts. I'll be frank: MCW is heads above where Dante is as an NBA Point. Dante's first dose of reality will be accepting being an attacking two guard.
Will he adapt to the NBA Game or will he make us relive the Evan Turner nightmare?
#3 among PG's behind Elfried Payton(1) and Marcus Smart(2).
#2 SG Prospect behind Gary Harris(weak SG Group overall)
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