Lakers already making calls on Exum

[kobeunderbite]

The Los Angeles Lakers are already beginning to do due diligence on Dante Exum.

''I got a call from the Lakers asking about him and they may end up with a good pick," Luc Longley said.

''I've had a few calls from other NBA teams mostly asking about him, they see the skill package but these days they're all concerned about character.

''That will help push Dante further up the draft, because he's the type of person they'd want to have in an organization."

Exum declared for the NBA Draft this week and will be represented by Rob Pelinka.

Longley has offered Exum advice on adapting to the NBA spotlight and handling the intense scrutiny afforded to high draft picks.

''I was around him all summer with the Boomers and he showed more poise than I expected, his decision-making is very good,'' he said.

[Buckets]

Gotta be a tough situation for Laker fans when Kobe comes back. They are currently 6 worst I believe. However Kobe is back in a month leaving about 20 or so games to be played. I'm assuming he would help improve team play which would hurt draft stock chances

[AlaskaHawks]

Gotta be a tough situation for Laker fans when Kobe comes back. They are currently 6 worst I believe. However Kobe is back in a month leaving about 20 or so games to be played. I'm assuming he would help improve team play which would hurt draft stock chances

Maybe, maybe not. He will likely be really limited in minutes for a while. But I guess we'll see.

[kobeunderbite]

Gotta be a tough situation for Laker fans when Kobe comes back. They are currently 6 worst I believe. However Kobe is back in a month leaving about 20 or so games to be played. I'm assuming he would help improve team play which would hurt draft stock chances

If they trade Pau before then it would basically balance out. Realistically speaking though, over the course of a 20-game stretch, how much help is Kobe in that condition going to be? Maybe they'll win 3 more games because of his presence? Maybe?

If they continue to lose at this pace, they'll be top-5 worst and in line for Jabari/Wiggins/Embiid/Exum/Randle regardless.

[FPL]

Nice! Big fan of his game (though admittedly, we still don't know very much about it). I have him as a top 3 player (behind Wiggins, Embiid) in this draft class (and probably better than Mirotic, who will also be a rookie next season).

Some good articles:

" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.sbnation.com/2013/7/11/45097 ... ew-wiggins" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Dante-Exum-36198/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/basketball/ ... 2ywzr.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/east ... 6779496678" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We need to keep the tank up though. If we get a top 3 pick, we're golden.

[FPL]

Gotta be a tough situation for Laker fans when Kobe comes back. They are currently 6 worst I believe. However Kobe is back in a month leaving about 20 or so games to be played. I'm assuming he would help improve team play which would hurt draft stock chances

If they trade Pau before then it would basically balance out. Realistically speaking though, over the course of a 20-game stretch, how much help is Kobe in that condition going to be? Maybe they'll win 3 more games because of his presence? Maybe?

If they continue to lose at this pace, they'll be top-5 worst and in line for Jabari/Wiggins/Embiid/Exum/Randle regardless.

What do you think about Smart? He looks like he can defend 1-3 (and some 4s). I don't like Randle since he doesn't seem to have a position (and isn't a mismatch). Jabari has dipped a little in ACC play, but I still think he's an All-Star.

[Havlicekstealsit]

Did anyone find out what Exum has been doing since he graduated HS last fall? He chose not to go to college, so is he just training with the Australian national team the next 6-7 months until draft day? That's not a red flag for anyone - a kid playing zero organized ball for months and months?

[kobeunderbite]

Nice! Big fan of his game (though admittedly, we still don't know very much about it). I have him as a top 3 player (behind Wiggins, Embiid) in this draft class (and probably better than Mirotic, who will also be a rookie next season).

Some good articles:

" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.sbnation.com/2013/7/11/45097 ... ew-wiggins" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Dante-Exum-36198/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/basketball/ ... 2ywzr.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/east ... 6779496678" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We need to keep the tank up though. If we get a top 3 pick, we're golden.

I have a very hard time putting him ahead of Jabari at this stage. The whole overseas thing is always a question mark. I like his size and it's nice to see that his shot is coming along big-time.

[FPL]

Nice! Big fan of his game (though admittedly, we still don't know very much about it). I have him as a top 3 player (behind Wiggins, Embiid) in this draft class (and probably better than Mirotic, who will also be a rookie next season).

Some good articles:

" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.sbnation.com/2013/7/11/45097 ... ew-wiggins" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Dante-Exum-36198/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.smh.com.au/sport/basketball/ ... 2ywzr.html" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
http://www.heraldsun.com.au/leader/east ... 6779496678" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

We need to keep the tank up though. If we get a top 3 pick, we're golden.

I have a very hard time putting him ahead of Jabari at this stage. The whole overseas thing is always a question mark. I like his size and it's nice to see that his shot is coming along big-time.

I generally overrate size, athleticism and versatility, so you're probably right.

[kobeunderbite]

Gotta be a tough situation for Laker fans when Kobe comes back. They are currently 6 worst I believe. However Kobe is back in a month leaving about 20 or so games to be played. I'm assuming he would help improve team play which would hurt draft stock chances

If they trade Pau before then it would basically balance out. Realistically speaking though, over the course of a 20-game stretch, how much help is Kobe in that condition going to be? Maybe they'll win 3 more games because of his presence? Maybe?

If they continue to lose at this pace, they'll be top-5 worst and in line for Jabari/Wiggins/Embiid/Exum/Randle regardless.

What do you think about Smart? He looks like he can defend 1-3 (and some 4s). I don't like Randle since he doesn't seem to have a position (and isn't a mismatch). Jabari has dipped a little in ACC play, but I still think he's an All-Star.

He has been pretty shitty lately. Red flag to me that he lays so many eggs as a supposed top-pick. His destruction of Memphis in November was so epic though.

I like him but he's a tier below the big guys, no doubt about it. Exum has 3 inches on him, too.

[l3bron]

He'll be the third best player from the draft after Wiggins and Embiid.