Bulls draft Lauri Markkanen

[GimmeDat]

I was just thinking, I wish there was more international ball, imo. The NBA is the penultimate league that everyone follows, sure, but it's nice to see guys in a different setting, playing for their countries, etc.

The Australian team rarely play in anything major or meaningful outside of the Olympics every 4 years, and it's hard to get guys to commit as it is because of their NBA situations. The Australian team are playing in the Fiba Asia Cup, but the competition is really nothing for us (Japan's probably the toughest opposition in our pool and we beat them 84-68). This is all with us playing with basically a team comprised of 'decent' players from our local league, in other words our C or D team.

European countries have a bit more competition, but it's still not the same. I'd love some sort of World Cup every 2nd year. Feels like National Teams are only relevant for 2 weeks every 4 years (Olympics). It's definitely the only time we get all our top level talent together.

Just itching to see Simmons, Exum, Bolden, Maker, etc. laced in with the current crop (Bogut, Mills, Dellevadova, Ingles, Baynes), but it's fun to see other countries teams come together and even up the parity world wide. Having more consistent high level tournaments would give the US more of a chance to get other guys an opportunity to play for the NT, and that would help give other countries a chance too. Just overall a more even and exciting prospect.

Here's a tangent on some of the countries with a whole bunch of talent right now -

Spoiler:

Croatia is on the verge of a good era as well (Saric, Bender, Bogdanovic, Hezonja, Zubac, Zizic, etc.) They have some more young kids coming through as well, like Samanic.

Slovenia have the Dragic brothers, Doncic, and Anthony Randolph playing for them now as well, that that make them fun.

Serbia have Teodosic, Jokic, Bogdanovic, Bjelica, Big Boban Marjonovic, and young guys like Zadorac coming through, that would be exciting to watch in the international game.

France are always great - Gobert, Parker, Fournier, Batum, Diaw, Joffrey, De Colo, Mahinmi, plus so many more options like Ajinca, Beaubois, Turiaf, even Noah if he's ever healthy again but I doubt it, etc. and fresh talent coming through now in Luwawu, Ntilikina, Lessort, Jeanne if he ever comes back to play, Tillie. Stacked.

Germany are starting to become a bit more relevant again, Dirk's done but with Schroder at the helm, Zipser (goat), and some young guys coming through like Bonga, Mushidi, Hartenstein and more, they could be nice.

Peurto Rico could have all of Barea, Harkless, Napier, Arroyo, Balkman, Gian Clavell who was really good in SL, Devin Booker is eligible to play for them as well. Could have potential, depending on Booker.

Greece have Giannis (and Thannasis), Papagiannis, Koufos, Papanikolaou, and some other good players over from Europe. Giannis with *some* help is enough to be a competitor.

Lithuania have lots of good bigs - Valancuinas, Montejuinas, Sabonis, as well as Kuzminksas. Pretty standard stuff for them, they're always a good NT.

And of course, Canada. These guys are old enough now to start making their mark on the international stage. Wiggins, Joseph, Stauskas, Olynyk, Thompson, Powell, Lyles, Bennett, J.Murray, Tyler Ennis, Heslip - so much NBA talent, and of course, they have their 'other' star, RJ Barrett, incoming as well. Best lineup of Murray/Wiggins/Barrett/Lyles/Thompson is lethal.

So where was I going with this again? Hard to remember. I think the point was 'stop complaining about people playing for their National Teams, it means a lot to countries and the world doesn't completely revolve around the NBA'. I also think lack of development because they played for the country is a cop-out and not much of a factor.

[WindyCityBorn]

I can't wait for this nonsense to be over. Just want him to stay healthy. IMO, Euroball is not a positive for NBA players...ball, rules, 3pt line all different. Any "experience" benefit is outweighed by adjustment back to NBA game and injury risk.

The more a young guy like him plays the better.

[janmagn]

I was just thinking, I wish there was more international ball, imo. The NBA is the penultimate league that everyone follows, sure, but it's nice to see guys in a different setting, playing for their countries, etc.

The Australian team rarely play in anything major or meaningful outside of the Olympics every 4 years, and it's hard to get guys to commit as it is because of their NBA situations. The Australian team are playing in the Fiba Asia Cup, but the competition is really nothing for us (Japan's probably the toughest opposition in our pool and we beat them 84-68). This is all with us playing with basically a team comprised of 'decent' players from our local league, in other words our C or D team.

European countries have a bit more competition, but it's still not the same. I'd love some sort of World Cup every 2nd year. Feels like National Teams are only relevant for 2 weeks every 4 years (Olympics). It's definitely the only time we get all our top level talent together.

Just itching to see Simmons, Exum, Bolden, Maker, etc. laced in with the current crop (Bogut, Mills, Dellevadova, Ingles, Baynes), but it's fun to see other countries teams come together and even up the parity world wide. Having more consistent high level tournaments would give the US more of a chance to get other guys an opportunity to play for the NT, and that would help give other countries a chance too. Just overall a more even and exciting prospect.

Here's a tangent on some of the countries with a whole bunch of talent right now -

Spoiler:

Croatia is on the verge of a good era as well (Saric, Bender, Bogdanovic, Hezonja, Zubac, Zizic, etc.) They have some more young kids coming through as well, like Samanic.

Slovenia have the Dragic brothers, Doncic, and Anthony Randolph playing for them now as well, that that make them fun.

Serbia have Teodosic, Jokic, Bogdanovic, Bjelica, Big Boban Marjonovic, and young guys like Zadorac coming through, that would be exciting to watch in the international game.

France are always great - Gobert, Parker, Fournier, Batum, Diaw, Joffrey, De Colo, Mahinmi, plus so many more options like Ajinca, Beaubois, Turiaf, even Noah if he's ever healthy again but I doubt it, etc. and fresh talent coming through now in Luwawu, Ntilikina, Lessort, Jeanne if he ever comes back to play, Tillie. Stacked.

Germany are starting to become a bit more relevant again, Dirk's done but with Schroder at the helm, Zipser (goat), and some young guys coming through like Bonga, Mushidi, Hartenstein and more, they could be nice.

Peurto Rico could have all of Barea, Harkless, Napier, Arroyo, Balkman, Gian Clavell who was really good in SL, Devin Booker is eligible to play for them as well. Could have potential, depending on Booker.

Greece have Giannis (and Thannasis), Papagiannis, Koufos, Papanikolaou, and some other good players over from Europe. Giannis with *some* help is enough to be a competitor.

Lithuania have lots of good bigs - Valancuinas, Montejuinas, Sabonis, as well as Kuzminksas. Pretty standard stuff for them, they're always a good NT.

And of course, Canada. These guys are old enough now to start making their mark on the international stage. Wiggins, Joseph, Stauskas, Olynyk, Thompson, Powell, Lyles, Bennett, J.Murray, Tyler Ennis, Heslip - so much NBA talent, and of course, they have their 'other' star, RJ Barrett, incoming as well. Best lineup of Murray/Wiggins/Barrett/Lyles/Thompson is lethal.

So where was I going with this again? Hard to remember. I think the point was 'stop complaining about people playing for their National Teams, it means a lot to countries and the world doesn't completely revolve around the NBA'. I also think lack of development because they played for the country is a cop-out and not much of a factor.

Maybe a World League like in volleyball? They play it through the year, and it would be hard to get everyone available when the season is on, but like 2-3 tournaments each summer and the worst teams relegate to level 2

Lähetetty minun LG-H440n laitteesta Tapatalkilla

[Stratmaster]

I dont think its nonsence for him to play for his country in a once-in-a-lifetime Eurobasket in front of his home crowd. He'll have plenty of time to lose games with the Bulls.

While I am normally against the fatalistic view some have; that last line had perfect comedic timing. Well played!

[League Circles]

I was just thinking, I wish there was more international ball, imo. The NBA is the penultimate league that everyone follows, sure, but it's nice to see guys in a different setting, playing for their countries, etc.

The Australian team rarely play in anything major or meaningful outside of the Olympics every 4 years, and it's hard to get guys to commit as it is because of their NBA situations. The Australian team are playing in the Fiba Asia Cup, but the competition is really nothing for us (Japan's probably the toughest opposition in our pool and we beat them 84-68). This is all with us playing with basically a team comprised of 'decent' players from our local league, in other words our C or D team.

European countries have a bit more competition, but it's still not the same. I'd love some sort of World Cup every 2nd year. Feels like National Teams are only relevant for 2 weeks every 4 years (Olympics). It's definitely the only time we get all our top level talent together.

Just itching to see Simmons, Exum, Bolden, Maker, etc. laced in with the current crop (Bogut, Mills, Dellevadova, Ingles, Baynes), but it's fun to see other countries teams come together and even up the parity world wide. Having more consistent high level tournaments would give the US more of a chance to get other guys an opportunity to play for the NT, and that would help give other countries a chance too. Just overall a more even and exciting prospect.

Here's a tangent on some of the countries with a whole bunch of talent right now -

Spoiler:

Croatia is on the verge of a good era as well (Saric, Bender, Bogdanovic, Hezonja, Zubac, Zizic, etc.) They have some more young kids coming through as well, like Samanic.

Slovenia have the Dragic brothers, Doncic, and Anthony Randolph playing for them now as well, that that make them fun.

Serbia have Teodosic, Jokic, Bogdanovic, Bjelica, Big Boban Marjonovic, and young guys like Zadorac coming through, that would be exciting to watch in the international game.

France are always great - Gobert, Parker, Fournier, Batum, Diaw, Joffrey, De Colo, Mahinmi, plus so many more options like Ajinca, Beaubois, Turiaf, even Noah if he's ever healthy again but I doubt it, etc. and fresh talent coming through now in Luwawu, Ntilikina, Lessort, Jeanne if he ever comes back to play, Tillie. Stacked.

Germany are starting to become a bit more relevant again, Dirk's done but with Schroder at the helm, Zipser (goat), and some young guys coming through like Bonga, Mushidi, Hartenstein and more, they could be nice.

Peurto Rico could have all of Barea, Harkless, Napier, Arroyo, Balkman, Gian Clavell who was really good in SL, Devin Booker is eligible to play for them as well. Could have potential, depending on Booker.

Greece have Giannis (and Thannasis), Papagiannis, Koufos, Papanikolaou, and some other good players over from Europe. Giannis with *some* help is enough to be a competitor.

Lithuania have lots of good bigs - Valancuinas, Montejuinas, Sabonis, as well as Kuzminksas. Pretty standard stuff for them, they're always a good NT.

And of course, Canada. These guys are old enough now to start making their mark on the international stage. Wiggins, Joseph, Stauskas, Olynyk, Thompson, Powell, Lyles, Bennett, J.Murray, Tyler Ennis, Heslip - so much NBA talent, and of course, they have their 'other' star, RJ Barrett, incoming as well. Best lineup of Murray/Wiggins/Barrett/Lyles/Thompson is lethal.

So where was I going with this again? Hard to remember. I think the point was 'stop complaining about people playing for their National Teams, it means a lot to countries and the world doesn't completely revolve around the NBA'. I also think lack of development because they played for the country is a cop-out and not much of a factor.

Isn't the FIBA world championship staggered with respect to the Olympics such that you have a true world cup of national teams every 2 years, whether FIBA or Olympics?

[Lauri_Legend]

Read on Twitter

I guess Lauri Markkanen didn't get an invite...

[matso]

Markkanen had 19/7r tonight vs. Italy. Pretty solid, though sometimes he was too careless with the ball. Now I have to remind myself that he's 20 yrs old. Italy basicly double teamed him everytime or in mismatch situations, fouled on the catch. The Finns didnt play pick 'n pop at all with Lauri so he's bread and butter wasn't in display as he went after offensive boards for tip-in's and few times played at point guard.

Lauri's highlight tonight was a buzzerbeater at the end of the first half. Stepback way beyond the 3-point line.

[burlydee]

Markkanen had 19/7r tonight vs. Italy. Pretty solid, though sometimes he was too careless with the ball. Now I have to remind myself that he's 20 yrs old. Italy basicly double teamed him everytime or in mismatch situations, fouled on the catch. The Finns didnt play pick 'n pop at all with Lauri so he's bread and butter wasn't in display as he went after offensive boards for tip-in's and few times played at point guard.

Lauri's highlight tonight was a buzzerbeater at the end of the first half. Stepback way beyond the 3-point line.

Where are you reading/seeing reports about the game?

[matso]

Markkanen had 19/7r tonight vs. Italy. Pretty solid, though sometimes he was too careless with the ball. Now I have to remind myself that he's 20 yrs old. Italy basicly double teamed him everytime or in mismatch situations, fouled on the catch. The Finns didnt play pick 'n pop at all with Lauri so he's bread and butter wasn't in display as he went after offensive boards for tip-in's and few times played at point guard.

Lauri's highlight tonight was a buzzerbeater at the end of the first half. Stepback way beyond the 3-point line.

Where are you reading/seeing reports about the game?

I watched the game. Im from Finland so I was able to see it from some betting site live stream.

[theanimal23]

Will he be better than Troy Murphy?

[sco]

Will he be better than Troy Murphy?

IIRC, a young Troy Murphy was a good player then got hurt.

I just want Lauri to escape this who Euro tourney unscathed and with his game not messed up. Reminds me of our somewhat flawed extrapolation from Niko's Euro's performances - Lesser competition, different 3pt line, different ball, different rules. There's probably more to unlearn than learn.

[matso]

Will he be better than Troy Murphy?

IIRC, a young Troy Murphy was a good player then got hurt.

I just want Lauri to escape this who Euro tourney unscathed and with his game not messed up. Reminds me of our somewhat flawed extrapolation from Niko's Euro's performances - Lesser competition, different 3pt line, different ball, different rules. There's probably more to unlearn than learn.

This is better competition than Summer League. So far 0 NBA games for Lauri so these are good warm-up for that. Rules are getting closer and closer all the time. Different ball?

Lauri with 10 points today against Turkey in a win.

Finland is saving Lauri, played only 19 minutes. Lauri showed very nice handles today, I think he'll develop a game where he's able to attack strong off the dribble. You guys should really have patience with him but I bet he'll make some noice next year.

Few friendlys to go before he meets Diaw, Giannis etc at the Eurobasket group phase.

[MC3]

I am really optimistic about Lauri. Even though I said he shouldnt play this international games given our experience with Niko and should have stay in Chicago, unlike with Niko I feel it would still benefit him given he is 20. As really young, with not much experience at pro lvl and being main player.

[GimmeDat]

Isn't the FIBA world championship staggered with respect to the Olympics such that you have a true world cup of national teams every 2 years, whether FIBA or Olympics?

Seems like that at least was the case.. they changed it to make 2019 the next one though (with 2020 being the Olympics) in order to not clash with the soccer WC.

You're more or less right though, I think maybe the issue is more that it's so rare to get your full 'A' team together - in the 2014 WC, for instance, the Australian team played without Mills, Bogut, and others. Can't speak for other nations.

I just wish more of an importance went in to growing the international game, feels like there's untapped potential. Then again, maybe it just feels like that because I'm not from Europe.

[sco]

Will he be better than Troy Murphy?

IIRC, a young Troy Murphy was a good player then got hurt.

I just want Lauri to escape this who Euro tourney unscathed and with his game not messed up. Reminds me of our somewhat flawed extrapolation from Niko's Euro's performances - Lesser competition, different 3pt line, different ball, different rules. There's probably more to unlearn than learn.

This is better competition than Summer League. So far 0 NBA games for Lauri so these are good warm-up for that. Rules are getting closer and closer all the time. Different ball?

Lauri with 10 points today against Turkey in a win.

Finland is saving Lauri, played only 19 minutes. Lauri showed very nice handles today, I think he'll develop a game where he's able to attack strong off the dribble. You guys should really have patience with him but I bet he'll make some noice next year.

Few friendlys to go before he meets Diaw, Giannis etc at the Eurobasket group phase.

I'm not sure competition is really better than SL, but I know there are a smattering of NBA guys out there so I won't quibble. That said, I think it can lead guys to get a false sense of security about shots/moves they can get off against FIBA talent that won't work in NBA. I think Niko came away thinking that defenders will always bit on 3pt pump fakes, and that the 3pt arc is 5 feet further from the hoop

Ball is different material and some players say it feels lighter.

http://www.chicagotribune.com/sports/international/ct-olympics-basketball-grip-spt-0810-20160809-story.html

[GimmeDat]

Anyone got any footage of his game against Italy? Can't find any.

[Patrick1978]

Will he be better than Troy Murphy?

IIRC, a young Troy Murphy was a good player then got hurt.

I just want Lauri to escape this who Euro tourney unscathed and with his game not messed up. Reminds me of our somewhat flawed extrapolation from Niko's Euro's performances - Lesser competition, different 3pt line, different ball, different rules. There's probably more to unlearn than learn.

This is better competition than Summer League. So far 0 NBA games for Lauri so these are good warm-up for that. Rules are getting closer and closer all the time. Different ball?

Lauri with 10 points today against Turkey in a win.

Finland is saving Lauri, played only 19 minutes. Lauri showed very nice handles today, I think he'll develop a game where he's able to attack strong off the dribble. You guys should really have patience with him but I bet he'll make some noice next year.

Few friendlys to go before he meets Diaw, Giannis etc at the Eurobasket group phase.

Magic fan here.coming in peace.
Markaanen is a very interesting player.
I like his skillset and for me he is more than a shooter as he can also put the ball the ball on the floor.
He was my number 1 candidate for Orlando

[rtblues]

Underwhelming performance against a nothing special Czech team today.
Yeah, he's not the answer, and possibly a bust. VERY disappointed!
Wanted to see what he could do, and he sleepwalked through this one.
Totally non-aggressive on the boards, and in general does a lot of watching instead of getting after it.
Man, worried when he goes against NBA guys.
And, please, if you didn't watch today, STFU. Thanks.,

[matso]

Underwhelming performance against a nothing special Czech team today.
Yeah, he's not the answer, and possibly a bust. VERY disappointed!
Wanted to see what he could do, and he sleepwalked through this one.
Totally non-aggressive on the boards, and in general does a lot of watching instead of getting after it.
Man, worried when he goes against NBA guys.
And, please, if you didn't watch today, STFU. Thanks.,

Yes sir, Lauri was bad tonight. Tried too hard and all went downhill from the beginning. Although this was clearly the worst game Lauri has played this summer so I think bust-label is a bit harsh based on just one game. Have to take in to a count that the whole Finnish team played very poorly today with only one scoring type point guard, as the leader of the team still remains out and other PG got hurt.

Lauri 's Stats: 5/9r/2blk

Next up is vs Russia next friday. After that, it's go time for Lauri at the Eurobasket. 31/8 is the first game vs. France.

[Hangtime84]

Underwhelming performance against a nothing special Czech team today.
Yeah, he's not the answer, and possibly a bust. VERY disappointed!
Wanted to see what he could do, and he sleepwalked through this one.
Totally non-aggressive on the boards, and in general does a lot of watching instead of getting after it.
Man, worried when he goes against NBA guys.
And, please, if you didn't watch today, STFU. Thanks.,

I'd rather listen to the guy who watched more games than some asshat telling me to stfu