From Distance: Quickie Exum-mas Edition

four point play….

1. Dante Exum is exactly the type of player Koby Altman should have acquired for Jordan Clarkson. I have to say that I am tickled pink by the trade. The acquisition of two second rounders hedged an already solid bet.

We all know Exum has been a bust in Utah. What some poeple don’t really know is why. The easy answer is health.

Exum has gotten injured almost every time he began to really solidify his place in Utah’s rotation.  It is easy to see how an injury plagued career can stunt any potential growth.

But despite shaky shooting numbers, the kid can still become a player.

I like his solidly wide base and finger flick. He can get a bit too straight on to the target for my liking, but that base is a great place to start.

Yes, we wouldn’t normally  be thinking of “places to start” for five year veteran, but the kid has only played 4027 minutes over the course of his career.

That is only about a 115 games of real game action. What I have seen most out of Exum is a misunderstanding of how to be aggressive.

He frequently decides far too late into his actions on what he is trying to accomplish.  He really is a sort of anti-Clarkson in that he moves himself into good position before losing track of his options.

Clarkson is always looking to score until it is simply impossible to avoid the pass. It actually isn’t a terrible mentality.

Exum doesn’t really want to shoot too much.  At his core, he is a Shaun Livingston mentality. That is why I love this trade.

Much like Livingston, Exum entered the league with incredible promise, lively legs, and a defensive desire. Like Livingston, injuries derailed normal progression.

It took everyone time to recalibrate how to think about Shaun. Instead of focusing on what he could do, teams feared re-injury and/or thought he was forked.

Livingston was one of the primary reasons the Dubs won as much as they did. We all know how fun he was as a “Herculoid”.

I am not saying that Exum has the natural basketball feel that Shaun had. Only that his skill-set is similar and that a change of mentality for himself and for the league could help him realize a different kind of potential.

I hoped the Cavs could turn a non-player in Clarkson into a potential steal. Misson accomplished.  Even if Exum and Delly don’t combine to form a fun Australian bench unit, those two second rounders are a decent return for JC.

Good luck to you in Utah, Jordan. You turned a mini-corner this season for me. You looked to pass more, took better shots and upped your offensive efficiency to career highs. Your defensive effort was as good as anyone’s on the squad even if it was often wildly ineffective.

The Jazz have the luxury of protecting Jordan with The Stifle Tower. I hope he can keep knocking down shots for them while not totally undermining their team defense.

2. Regardless of level of competition, one should enjoy a three game win streak whenever they occur. It is clear Collin Sexton has a serious desire to crush Trae Young.

From their college days, the two guards have been compared to one another in abjectly false terms.

Sexton, the defender, and Young, the offensive master has often been the refrain.

We know now that the thing they most have in common is being horrific defenders. Watching the two square off was almost funny.

The ease of which anyone could get into the paint put a dent into any potential one-on-one excitement.

Darius Garland was inspired by Young to take more of an offensive hold, and ya know, herd opponents into the paint.

At least the last possession featured solid Cavs defense punctuated by a good Garland cobtest. A win is a win.

3. How do we feel about John Collins? He looked smaller to me, which wouldn’t be shocking considering his suspension.

Collins has some serious two-footed ups. I can imagine that human growth hormone would be more beneficial for power jumpers than one-legged leapers.

In any case, I go back and forth about how I feel about performing enhancing drugs in basketball.

On one hand, absolutely no, under all circumstances.  Basketball is one of the few major sports where its players can walk after their playing careers are through.

The last thing the NBA needs is to be easily compared to the NFL.

Then again, certain drugs are far more beneficial for recovery and don’t seem to have the same kind of negative effects as old-school steroids.

I don’t know. My argument for load management could be applied here. Basically, I want to see the best players in the world play playoff basketball for as long as possible.

What if the only reason we have a NBA championship was because an otherworldly LeBron took HGH? There are plenty of signs pointing to him having done so, like their are for most superstar players.

I suppose I still lean towards “go natural and let the chips fall where they may”. Sure, but then a little voice says “do you really care?”

Yes, I care. I want the athletes to do it clean. But as I get older, the idea of a little energy boost becomes intriguing. I can’t imagine how difficult it is for players to say no to a thousand things, let alone something as historically helpful to production as doping.

4. The Heat currently sit in the third spot of the Eastern Conference standings. It isn’t horribly surprising considering their coaching staff and defensive focus.

Still, I think the average fan views Bam Adebayo as a random rim-running center with athletic upside thus giving Jimmy Butler a bit more credit than he deserves.

Sure, Bam can rim-run, but in case you haven’t watched him play, know that he is a supreme passer, potential defensive player of the year candidate, and my pick for most improved player. He is the best player on the Heat.

Bam has been picking up fans around the league, but the future All-Star could rock a playoff series depending on the matchup.

Keep an eye out for Bam next time you are cruising around League Pass. Happy Holidays, ya’ll!