JV at EuroBasket 2013 is Done, Lithuania Gets Silver

[UcanUwill]

I will be shocked if Spain wins this. SHOCKED!

I'm pretty shocked that Sergio Rodriguez is 6-3 and listed as 168 lbs

168 lbs!!

NBA, tho NBA is terrible source, has him at 176. Sounds more likely. Its very plausible to be 6'2 and 168, but it doesn't seem Sergio is this slim.

P.S. Is it just me, or I always end up having first post of new page?

[Laure]

I will be shocked if Spain wins this. SHOCKED!

I'm pretty shocked that Sergio Rodriguez is 6-3 and listed as 168 lbs

168 lbs!!

NBA, tho NBA is terrible source, has him at 176. Sounds more likely. Its very plausible to be 6'2 and 168, but it doesn't seem Sergio is this slim.

P.S. Is it just me, or I always end up having first post of new page?

Though I agree, Rodriguez doesn't look that slim and could come back to the NBA with ease.
Spain's only weakness is lack of bigmen and to some extent inconsistent 3pt shooting (though that could be said about alot of teams). If Gasol manages to man-up 30+ mins or more against tougher opposition, they have none. Their depleted but still kinda scary.

[UcanUwill]

Marc Gasol... Talk about late bloomer. No one saw this coming, guy used to be a bum. What a player.

1:00 Look at that pass...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBUK0O4uXfM[/youtube]

[pbj]

I will be shocked if Spain wins this. SHOCKED!

I'm pretty shocked that Sergio Rodriguez is 6-3 and listed as 168 lbs

168 lbs!!

NBA, tho NBA is terrible source, has him at 176. Sounds more likely. Its very plausible to be 6'2 and 168, but it doesn't seem Sergio is this slim.

P.S. Is it just me, or I always end up having first post of new page?

Better than the last post on the last page.. that post no one ever reads, whenever that happens I want to delete and repost.

[Laure]

Marc Gasol... Talk about late bloomer. No one saw this coming, guy used to be a bum. What a player.

1:00 Look at that pass...

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qBUK0O4uXfM[/youtube]

That's a risk you can afford to take when being 38 points up. Though I agree, not everyone big guy could make that.

The most impressive thing about Gasol is his defense. Having limited athleticism he's a phenom there, I haven't seen anyone like him play such good D. Usually those athletic freak types dominate on D, so that's really mind boggling. Just watching how he completely shut down Krstic, a crafty post player, was a sight to see and admire.

[UcanUwill]

He is one of my favorites defensively, a subtle master. Viktor Khryapa is another guy who plays similar defense, and is very good defender though not very athletic to say the least. Marc is kinda a bigger and better version of Khryapa IMO.

[JV4MVP]

I'm a little of a Gasol hater b.c. people are overrating him a bit. Make no mistake he's the best center in EuroBasket, and a top C in the NBA, but I think he benefits a lot from his teammates. I'm also somewhat emotional that Gasol was chosen as the DPOY over Tony Allen lol.

I suspect one reason Gasol looks so good is because Spain's guards are amazing. Opponents have to watch them drive to the basket and they are also deadly outside shooters. Naturally, this attention opens up a big gap for Gasol in the paint.

[UcanUwill]

Tony Allen only played 26 minutes per game, he hasn't made enough impact to be DPOY candidate. Marc is far more important piece to Memphis' defense. They could easily survive without Allen, and they often do.

[SkywalkerAC]

I'm a little of a Gasol hater b.c. people are overrating him a bit. Make no mistake he's the best center in EuroBasket, and a top C in the NBA, but I think he benefits a lot from his teammates. I'm also somewhat emotional that Gasol was chosen as the DPOY over Tony Allen lol.

I suspect one reason Gasol looks so good is because Spain's guards are amazing. Opponents have to watch them drive to the basket and they are also deadly outside shooters. Naturally, this attention opens up a big gap for Gasol in the paint.

Cmon, take M. Gasol off that current Grizzly roster and do you think they're anywhere close to elite?

[Patman]

Marc was an insane +40 in 22 minutes today.

[JV4MVP]

Cmon, take M. Gasol off that current Grizzly roster and do you think they're anywhere close to elite?

Probably not, but if you replace him with Pau, Brook Lopez, Noah, Hibbert, possibly Pekovic or even a healthy Varejao, I think they would be about the same.

Zach Randolph is probably the main guy that is underrated on the Grizzlies. Otherwise, they just have amazing chemistry as a team with solid role players (Tony Allen, Mike Conley).

[pbj]

Cmon, take M. Gasol off that current Grizzly roster and do you think they're anywhere close to elite?

Probably not, but if you replace him with Pau, Brook Lopez, Noah, Hibbert, possibly Pekovic or even a healthy Varejao, I think they would be about the same.

Zach Randolph is probably the main guy that is underrated on the Grizzlies. Otherwise, they just have amazing chemistry as a team with solid role players (Tony Allen, Mike Conley).

I disagree on Randolph.. he's a pretty decent offensive player but the rest of the team masks his defensive problems pretty well.. that system makes him look much better than he really is. All he's asked to do is score however he can and rebound.

If you swapped him for like Bosh or Lee or even someone like David West or Millsap or J Smith, I think they would be better.

[UcanUwill]

David West is very underrated it seems. I remember reading Knicks board during play-offs, and they genuinely believed David West is average PF at best.
And pbj post, that ''or even someone like David West'' is unnecessary. Am I the only who thinks David West is better and is proven to be better than David Lee?

[pbj]

I didn't mean Lee is necessarily better, but he's much more similar to Randolph - that's why I said 'or even,' since the Grizz really rely on Z to score.

West scores less and rebounds less, but is more more solid defensively and a great leader (from what I read).

In theory on a random team, I'd rather have West than Lee or Randolph.. but on that Grizzlies team, they really a scoring PF.

[UcanUwill]

Ok, I see. I probably still think West is a little underrated here. West can score just as well, he puts similar stats on far slower paced team. He is hard to guard, his grittiness would fit Memphis perfectly. I actually think he could be a better fit and greater need on that team. Lee could be alienated in Memphis I feel.

[JV4MVP]

Randolph, West and Lee are pretty close. I still contend that Randolph is the best scorer, especially in crunch time, followed by West. And Randolph sometimes grabs 20 rbs... and is slightly better than Lee.

I'd also argue that Lee's stats are a little inflated by playing for a fast pace team. Perhaps no one plays as slow as Memphis.

Here are the stats: http://www.basketball-reference.com/pla ... 01&y3=2013

Randolph had the best 2013 season. He also has better career #s. Lastly his PER 36 is the best during the regular season AND post season compared to Lee and West.

[UcanUwill]

I thought I will kill some more time. Decided to look at remained 8 teams and rank remained players, take a deeper look how they were doing in this Eurobasket. It is not a talent ranking, its about performances. PF was such a reach, holy crap. Tell me what you think, I could explain some snubs if you ask.

Centers

1 : M. Gasol
2 : N. Krstic
3 : A. Tomic
4 : A. Ajinca
5 : M. Begic



Power Forwards

1 : Luigi DaTome
2 : Boris Diaw
3 : Victor Claver
4 : Rasko Katic
5 : Linas Kleiza



Small Forwards

1 : Bojan Bogdanovic
2 : Nicolas Batum
3 : Alessandro Gentile
4 : Rudy Fernandez
5 : Nemanja Bjelica



Shooting Guards

1 : Marco Belinelli
2 : Sergii Gladyr
3 : Pietro Aradori
4 : Zoran Dragic
5 : Jose Calderon


Point Guards

1 : Tony Parker
2 : Goran Dragic
3 : Sergio Rodriguez
4 : Eugene Jeter
5 : Ricky Rubio

[Laure]

I thought I will kill some more time. Decided to look at remained 8 teams and rank remained players, take a deeper look how they were doing in this Eurobasket. It is not a talent ranking, its about performances. PF was such a reach, holy crap. Tell me what you think, I could explain some snubs if you ask.

Centers

1 : M. Gasol
2 : N. Krstic
3 : A. Tomic
4 : A. Ajinca
5 : M. Begic



Power Forwards

1 : Luigi DaTome
2 : Boris Diaw
3 : Victor Claver
4 : Rasko Katic
5 : Linas Kleiza



Small Forwards

1 : Bojan Bogdanovic
2 : Nicolas Batum
3 : Alessandro Gentile
4 : Rudy Fernandez
5 : Nemanja Bjelica



Shooting Guards

1 : Marco Belinelli
2 : Sergii Gladyr
3 : Pietro Aradori
4 : Zoran Dragic
5 : Jose Calderon


Point Guards

1 : Tony Parker
2 : Goran Dragic
3 : Sergio Rodriguez
4 : Eugene Jeter
5 : Ricky Rubio

I assume by these rankings that LTU doesn't stand a chance against Italy

I mostly agree rankings. Just Mirza Begic being there after tonight's performance is not a pleasant sight. I'd swap Rubio with Kalnietis aswell.

[UcanUwill]

I assume by these rankings that LTU doesn't stand a chance against Italy

I mostly agree rankings. Just Mirza Begic being there after tonight's performance is not a pleasant sight. I'd swap Rubio with Kalnietis aswell.

I was sure Kalnietis will make my top 5, but I was surprised how inefficient he really is. He is missing way too many shots to be ahead of Rubio. The only advantage he really has, is the fact Kalnietis is far more important to his team, but I am not sure thats an actual achievement. Rubio is not playing great either, and he is not very well used, but he still brings Rubio game, pesky defense and creativity. Hes been doing a better job in my opinion.

[Italians in NBA]

Anyone getting the feeling that Spain threw the 4th quarter? I wrote this on the GB:

Weird 4th quarter for Spain in the last 3 minutes. Not saying they're tanking intentionally but some weird things:

- Calderon fouls 3 pt shooter with less than 2 minutes to go
- Rodriguez misses 2 foul shoots with 30 seconds left
- Left driving lane open for Belinelli (and didn't recover a "easy" rebound)
- Threw dangerous ally opp play with less than 1 minute left (although it worked)
- That defense on that final play was lolz.

Hopefully Spain is indeed trying to lose intentionally. Will make it slightly easier for JV to win something.

Edit: wow at Gasol's defense. They're def losing on purpose.

I am not sure, but I actually thought about it. Seems like they prove to themselves they won that game, and then gave it away. Gasol not playing any defense against Aradori at the end was incredibly suspect, but maybe he was just gassed at that point?

I think Italy is the best possible match up for Lithuania, while Serbia is the better match up for Spain, so ok. Everybody wins, see kids, tanking does pay.

Spain played all the game to win. If you say anything different you did not watch the entire game and, for sure, you could not understand the last timeouts of the spanish coach (obviously he spoke in Spanish that's so easy to understand for every Italian). Great game coming from both teams.
Without Pauli and Juan Carlos they are still a great team that can win the title. Great game with Serbia!