Can we block annonomous users or put popular/recent topics on top?

Plenty of Exum threads already...worth searching google to find a recent one.

Jon Givony of DraftExpress actually had Exum as the MVP of the U19 WC's and each time he watch him played tweeted raved reviews, and hence why his website has now bumped him up from #7 to #3 in their 2014 mock draft.

2014 draft wouldn't that mean he skips college?
What do you guys would be in his best interest...to skip college and not gain player development at college level prior to NBA and declare for 2014 Draft or is it worth risking a year in college and seeing where he lands in the 2015 Draft??

Skip school Dante, nobody likes homework!!!

Tough decision in my opinion, but given the interest in him right now I find it hard to argue against why would you not head straight to the NBA?

Daneo for moderator.

The only concern with skipping school, particularly in Dante's scenario, is that the lack of competition he will face over the next 12 months may end up hurting his stock. He doesn't finish high school until December, so then he'll have a good six months of playing virtually no one up until the draft in June. Meanwhile all the college 2014 draft guys like Wiggins etc. all get to showcase their skills week after week for months on end. Plus 2014 is already stacked. So he may be better off with one year of college under his belt and aim to secure a top 5 pick in 2015.

Another option, and I'm not sure how much this has been explored, he could always turn pro and play a year either here at home in the NBL or perhaps go to Europe for a year like Brandon Jennings did. That would keep him well and truly on the radar.

Another option, and I'm not sure how much this has been explored, he could always turn pro and play a year either here at home in the NBL or perhaps go to Europe for a year like Brandon Jennings did. That would keep him well and truly on the radar.

Many of the European pplayers drafted are playing professionally already, so definitely an option worth considering.

It's just strange for mine that Exum has previously advised that he wanted to go to High School in the US, and then 1 season of college...is it just for the experience because as mentioned by the revious anon poster - he gets no qualification of of just 1 season, and the NBA talent scouts already know who he is and what he is capable of.

LC, he has previously stated he wanted to attend college purely to develop his game prior to going to the NBA and for the experience. The education part is not really on his mind I don't think.

I totally agree with the comments above about being a one-and-done college guy. It makes no sense to me, and I'm sure the colleges themselves aren't crazy about the idea either. I heard Steve Kerr say recently that he'd like to change the system to be like baseball. You can go straight to the pro's out of high school, but if you decide to go to college you have to stay for three years.

Back to Exum, as fans, in an ideal world he would suit up for his hometown Melbourne Tigers this coming NBL season, and then declare for the draft in 2014. Not sure we'll ever see that, but it would be nice!

College will be good for him, but if you're projected to be a top 3 pick, I think you should cash it in. College can't do much more for you if you're going to be picked third overall.

Only thing that happens in college is his stock goes down or he picks up an injury.....look at guys like Shabazz & Noel....everyone thought they were locks for top #5 but injurys and issues witht he situation at college hurt there prospects! If both had gone straight from high school both would have been top 5!

Exum needs work on his body but 6 months in the gym working out at home and training with an NBL program every day will be great for him....yes he will miss regular competition but not to many NBA GM will want to pass on his talent after what they have already seen!

really as long as he gets picked who cares what number it is.

Exum wont go to college - he will protect his lottery pick stock by hiding out til the draft.

Yeah, I mean for development, college but for the money, wait for the draft. Its a hard one.

There's pro and con's in whatever direction Dante decides to go with:

His options are either:
A) 2014 draft
B) College for 2014 and enter 2015 draft
c) Graduate in December and join a College for second semester and conference play/NCAA tournament then joining 2014

I can't see Dante going pro anywhere before going into the draft, I remember an interview somewhere in which he was asked was playing pro ball in Aus an option and he said no he wasnt considering it at all.

The thing is, in my opinion Dante has a few significant weaknesses in his game that he really needs to work on before declaring. His shoot has improved but its a work in progress, considering his ability to draw fouls he really needs to become a better free throw shooter, he's also too dominant with his right hand when he's going to the basket, almost never uses his left.

Personally I think Dante's best option would be C) join one of the big dogs in the NCAA in December, get a few weeks practice and then being able to contribute from January onwards.. the kid seems to always have dreamed about playing college ball and wants a ring like his dad has. Considering Kentucky is all over him and would take him in an instant if he decides to enroll Dec(not to mention there arch rival Louiville, plus others like Indiana etc) why not, there the favorites for 2013/14.

People forget, just because he's high lottery pick on a few mock drafts now, him disappearing out of the lime light won't mean he'll keep it.. there's so many good players in next years draft who could play themselves ahead of him with a good season(not just in the NCAA, going to be some elite euro's in the draft as well)

I like what I see of Dante Exum... but it is all hype til we see it in college. Great player, great potential but still some weaknesses he needs to work on before Boomers or NBA for that matter. I trust he will do it though

There was a pretty good article about him on grantland the other day, just talking him up in terms of his development.

Anon, plans on going to college and being eligible to go to college are two very different things

I agree that the lack of regular competition may hurt his stock.

Do you have to graduate high school before been eligible or do you just have to get a good SAT score?

If he just has to get a good SAT score, he should go somewhere ASAP, look at playing a year of college and then declare for the 2014 draft.

If he enrolls too late, he would only be eligible for the 2015 draft.

MACDUB, if he decides to go the college route, he will be ineligible for the 2014 draft. So he basically has to decide which draft class he wants to be a part of, 2014 or 2015.

There is little chance of him sitting out as it's a gamble and he's worked too hard to get to the #3 ranking to let someone else take it away now. And there's even less chance he'll play NBL as the perception in the US is the NBL is a significantly lower standard than NCAA. i.e. he could go for 25 ppg in the NBL and it wouldn't be seen in high regard.

IMO he finishes HS this year and joins Kentucky in January, hopefully makes a major impact and helps them bring home the ship. If he does happen to slip in the draft, he could always play a second year of college hoops and declare for the draft in 2015 to fight it out for the no. 1 pick with Ben Simmons :o

I don't think the NBL is so lowly regarded. Brad Newley was drafted from the NBL, Joe Ingles was checked out in the NBL... Simon Dwight, Chris Anstey.. Nate Jawai was getting looked at. If a player is talented enough... they will be seen in the NBL. Just maybe not as clearly as NCAA due to the fact its on there tv everyday

I think that perception (which admittedly in some peoples mind does exist) is pure ignorance.

NCAA basketball does indeed create more NBA players then the NBL could ever dream of... HOWEVER, there isnt even 1 a team. there might be one team in college hoops lucky enough to have 2 or 3 at very most. What is being forgotten is that most players on that team will never become proffesional basketball players at any level.

Is NCAA generally more athletic? The top teams and divisions, yes... Is it more talented? Well... not outside of its NBA bound standouts... Have to remember Scott Christopherson did pretty well in College, was one of his teams top 3 players, came here and made a fool of himself.

The reason why college is generally better then NBL for developments sake is solely because you will be matched up with the occasional draft pick, there is more media coverage and scrutiny, the overall heightened experience etc. The NBL is like, the top college players minus NBA talent after a few years of seasoning. Thats how I think of it. Generally, better teams.... and more seasoned older players. Arguably not as pretty or entertaining however...

The absolute top NCAA teams however would give the better NBL teams a run for there money, and probably beat teamsd like this years Townsville fairly comfurtably.

MELHOOPS, I repeat, he cannot attend college and then declare for the draft next year. If he attends Kentucky (or anywhere) in January as a mid-season entrant, then the earliest he can go to the NBA will be via the 2015 draft.

Coming back to the skipping college or going straight to the NBA part, I remember reading Duke's philosophy on leaving school early. I think it was around the time of Luol Deng. They wanted their guys to be four-year college players, but if a guy was projected to be a top-5 pick, then they said you have to go to the draft, that's too good a situation to pass up. I tend to agree. College would be a great experience for any young basketballer, but if your goal is to be a pro, you want to play at the highest level possible, in the best situation, with the best contract. Realistically, if he was going to be the 3rd pick tomorrow (hypothetically as per DraftExpress) then going to college for one season (or one and a half seasons as may be the case with Exum) isn't going to give your stock much more of a boost. There is the possibility though that your stock could slide quite dramatically, for a number of reasons. ie. you pick the wrong school, you get homesick etc. etc. and this effects your play.

In summary, if I'm in Dante's shoes, I'm going pro and cashing in that top-5 pick.

Learn from the mistakes of your fellow Aussies. Give Aaron Bruce and AJ Ogilvy a call. See if they don't wish that they could have cashed in their college careers as freshman when they were projected to be first round picks. A three-year guaranteed NBA contract is a pretty nice way to start a pro career!

YouknowMe,
*The top teams - Kentucky, Duke, Tarheels ext will have 3-5 players on their roster who play NBA, These can be Freshman -> Sophomore in different stages of their developments
*NCAA is generally more athletic?ydefinately. Skillful? questionable, Strength? no.
*The reason why NCAA is better then NBL for development is because players are advanced at a younger age and gain national exposure. Players are drafted on potential as well as skill.

Vart I think your wrong.. if Dante enrolls in say Kentucky in December and plays for half the season in conference play he will still be eligible for the 2014 draft.

The one year removal date still wont apply to him since he still will be classified as an international player who turns 19 in the draft year.. remember its only applied to US High School students.

I believe that sircreate may in fact be correct. The name escapes me, but I am pretty sure the same thing applied to a European player (or two) recently.

Ok, thanks for clearing that up. I'd be glad to be wrong, because being able to play half a season of college basketball and then declare for the draft is a solid outcome for Exum.

Oh, and I should add an apology to MELHOOPS - sorry mate!