Dante Exum Over Smart: Massive Failure

[Saint Cy of JFC]

Smart would have been a better pick. Although we probably would not have been able to get Mitchell if we had drafted Smart.

Exum also landed us Clarkson.

Here is the controversial statement though. I think Exum would have been more helpful against Denver than Clarkson was if healthy. The healthy part is a big if though. We needed more wing defense and passing. But Clarkson was huge for us in the regular season more than Exum has ever been.

That's certainly possible.

 

[Getting Traded]

Smart would have been a better pick. Although we probably would not have been able to get Mitchell if we had drafted Smart.

Exum also landed us Clarkson.

Here is the controversial statement though. I think Exum would have been more helpful against Denver than Clarkson was if healthy. The healthy part is a big if though. We needed more wing defense and passing. But Clarkson was huge for us in the regular season more than Exum has ever been.

That's the thing about Dante. The injuries kept piling up. I remember in Donovan's rookie year during exhibition season, it looked like Dante was finally going to break out, but then what happens, another serious injury. He simply is too fragile for the NBA

 

[Avery]

The 2014 draft wasn’t a particularly great one. Lot of busts in the lotto and first round.

 

[jom2003]

Smart would have been a better pick. Although we probably would not have been able to get Mitchell if we had drafted Smart.

Exum also landed us Clarkson.

Here is the controversial statement though. I think Exum would have been more helpful against Denver than Clarkson was if healthy. The healthy part is a big if though. We needed more wing defense and passing. But Clarkson was huge for us in the regular season more than Exum has ever been.

Clarkson was another reason why 14 draft was a total disaster.

we could've just taken Clarkson with our 35th pick but we decided to sell it to Memphis for cash.

FO said at the time that they didn't want too many young projects on this team(speaking from a team in the middle of rebuild and just had a 25win season) but now just look at a fraternity of Niang, Bradley, JWF, Oni, Tucker, NWG, we know how it worked out for us.

Not to mention the players drafted at that range. Clarkson, Joe Harris, Dwight Powell, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jerami Grant, Glen Robinson III, and the Joker. it feels like you can just arbitrarily handpick a guy right from the spot you will have close to 50% chance of getting a legit rotation player

 

[Handlogten's Heros]

Clarkson was another reason why 14 draft was a total disaster.

we could've just taken Clarkson with our 35th pick but we decided to sell it to Memphis for cash.

FO said at the time that they didn't want too many young projects on this team(speaking from a team in the middle of rebuild and just had a 25win season) but now just look at a fraternity of Niang, Bradley, JWF, Oni, Tucker, NWG, we know how it worked out for us.

Not to mention the players drafted at that range. Clarkson, Joe Harris, Dwight Powell, Spencer Dinwiddie, Jerami Grant, Glen Robinson III, and the Joker. it feels like you can just arbitrarily handpick a guy right from the spot you will have close to 50% chance of getting a legit rotation player

These are things that will drive me crazy if I think too hard about them. For all the “they said they will pay the tax” folks... please make a mental note of this transaction and realize it wasn’t the only time we pulled this nonsense.

 

[jom2003]

These are things that will drive me crazy if I think too hard about them. For all the “they said they will pay the tax” folks... please make a mental note of this transaction and realize it wasn’t the only time we pulled this nonsense.

we didn't manage our assets at all...

It's hard to believe Donovan's rookie contract was the only thing that we are able to take advantage of whereas everyone else on the team right now is either paid at the right amount, slightly overpaid or WAY OVERPAID.

Look at teams like Denver, Boston and Phillies(well, until last summer) that were able to spend the cash cuz they had a number of solid young players locked up on cheap rookie contract for at least 1-2 seasons.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

That's the thing about Dante. The injuries kept piling up. I remember in Donovan's rookie year during exhibition season, it looked like Dante was finally going to break out, but then what happens, another serious injury. He simply is too fragile for the NBA

Injuries or not, the guy has weird biomechanical movements that prevent him from being a complete player. His wrist doesnt bend back on his jumper and he was incapable of shooting pull up jump shots.

 

[Saint Cy of JFC]

we didn't manage our assets at all...

It's hard to believe Donovan's rookie contract was the only thing that we are able to take advantage of whereas everyone else on the team right now is either paid at the right amount, slightly overpaid or WAY OVERPAID.

Look at teams like Denver, Boston and Phillies(well, until last summer) that were able to spend the cash cuz they had a number of solid young players locked up on cheap rookie contract for at least 1-2 seasons.

The entire team is underpaid with the exception of Conley, Davis, and Bradley,

 

[VoiceofSanity]

The 2014 draft wasn’t a particularly great one. Lot of busts in the lotto and first round.

Yeah the 2014 draft had hype, but the only real star to come out of the early picks was Joel Embiid and he missed his first two possible seasons. Jokic of course became a star, but he was off the radar and not taken until 41. Obviously we could say we should have drafted him, but that is less clear cut than Marcus Smart. Smart had hype and was literally taken the pick after Exum. It is like the 2011 draft. I don't blame the Jazz for not taking Jimmy Butler, but there is no reason they shouldn't have taken Kawhi with the 12 pick. He was a superstar in college and had a great NBA body and skillset. Mock drafts throughout the season had him going in the top 10, it wasn't like he was ever thought of as some reach had we taken him at 12.

 

[UB]

weird biomechanical movements

Great band name

 

[DasJazz]

The Jazz have picked in top 5 only 3 times in the past 37 years(that HAS to be an NBA record) and it's yielded us Deron, Enes, and Dante. Not a great return by any standards.

Hitting 1 out of 3 in baseball is HOF worthy.

 

[Thee Jazz Fan]

Well, hindsight is 20/20. I don’t think any team would’ve taken Smart over Exum. Exum was being compared to Kobe by some, and there was a lot of hype surrounding Exum at the time.