EURO CHAMPIONSHIP, NBA STARS AND PROSPECTS TO SEE

[KWSN-Men]

Especially that Spanoulis is the best Greek player.

This year Spanoulis was All-Euroleague, Euroleague Final Four MVP, and the Greek League MVP. I would say he was clearly the best Greek player this year by a wide margin.

[morol]

I really believe the home team of Poland can cause an upset. Their frontcourt is nothing to by shy of:

Marcin Gortat (C - 213cm - 25yo)
Maciej Lampe (PF/C - 211 - 24) - he's had two great seasons in Russia and has just signed with Maccabi Tel Aviv. If you remember that skinny 18-yo who became the youngest player ever to wear the Suns' jersey, he's not that guy anymore. He's a force now, and he's still just 24. He'll be back to the NBA in two or three years.
Szymon Szewczyk (PF/C - 209 - 26) - another Polish draftee (Bucks) who decided to rebuild his form in Russia and that worked for him too.
Adam Wojcik (PF - 209 - 38) - Polish bball legend, at age of 38 he's showing no signs of physical deterioration and has got tons of experience from playing all over the Europe. Not a under-the-basket banger, but has a great touch from any range.
Michal Ignerski (F - 208 - 28) - a versatile do-it-all forward with great athleticism and shooting range.

I expect Poland to go big with Ignerski, Lampe and Gortat a lot of times as their backcourt is non-existent and although it's getting worked on (probably a citizenship to one of the us-players from the Polish League) that'll sure be their vulnerable spot. I can safely assume you've never heard of any of the Polish guards and you never will. Under the rim however, they're for real. Getting out of the group stage (they're playing Lithuania, Turkey and Bulgaria) should not be a problem since 3 out of 4 teams get promoted, and from that point anything can happen.

[jt142]

Disagree. A team who can face a team with Kobe Lebron CP3 Bosh, Howard, Carmelo etc have chances to be contenders in the NBA.

If you use that logic, Puerto Rico would be the clear favorite to win the NBA championship since they beat the USA by 20 pts back in '04.

I guess Lithuania, Serbia, and Greece would also be contenders.

Oh yeah, since China came within a few points of beating Spain, I guess they should also be in the discussion.

Beating the USA team in a FIBA tourney doesn't mean jack. For the hundredth time, there's a big difference between FIBA and the NBA.

Spain Team have better bench, that the current NBA champion.

The Lakers don't need a bench because they have the best player in the world, Kobe. You could put Kobe on an NBDL team and he'd make them into an instant contender. Superstar players (Kobe, Lebron, Wade, MJ, etc.) can single handedly win games for their teams. Without Kobe, the Lakers wouldn't even be a playoff team.

Raul Lopez+Navarro+Garbajosa+Reyes 3 ex NBA starter players, and 1 elite forward

Raul Lopez averaged 6 ppg and 3 apg over 2 NBA seasons. He's not starter material. Juan Carlos Navarro averaged 10 ppg, but only shot 41%!!! He's a tweener (he's not a pure PG and too short to play SG). Tweeners don't last in the NBA unless they can score or shoot (i.e. Eddie House). Navarro couldn't do either. Lopez and Navarro are only good in the Euroleague because FIBA rules suit their style of play. LOL @ Reyes! He's not even worth mentioning. Garbajosa is the only player you mentioned that has/had any value. He did a decent job in Toronto, but he can't play defense to save his life.

Better than Vujacic, Walton, MBenga and company.

Walton and Vujacic have a role and they do it well. That's what bench players are suppose to do in the NBA. Most bench players are specialists. Vujacic can shoot and he's a decent defender. Walton is a point forward who does a bit of everything. Although they're not the most athletic players, they have high bball IQs, which championship contending teams highly value. There are certainly more talented players on worse teams, but they don't fit into LA's system.

Plus they have 1 superstar and 3 all stars prospects (Rudy and M.Gasol have better potential than Calderon who almost was AllStar in the East) And Ricky Rubio.

Gasol is not a superstar! Superstars players, as I mentioned earlier, carry teams. MJ, Kobe, Lebron, Wade, KG, Duncan, and Paul all fit into this category. Gasol might be a superstar player in FIBA tourneys, but not in the NBA. Marc will be a good NBA center in the future as long as he keeps his weight down, but I doubt he'll ever make an All-Star team. So far, his numbers aren't any better than Spencer Hawes'. Does Spencer Hawes have All-Star potential? I don't think so. Fernandez only averaged 10 ppg and is currently a back-up in Portland. Last but not least, Rubio hasn't even played an NBA game yet. He might not be any better than Jason Williams.

So, actually, Spain has one All-Star (Gasol), three average NBA players (Calderon, Marc, and Fernandez), and a couple of NBA scrubs (Navarro, Lopez, and Garbajosa). You actually think that team can make it to .300? Is this a joke?

[zygootis]

1. Greece
2. Slovenia
3. Spain
4. Turkey
5. Russia
6. Serbia
7. GB
8. France
9. Lithuania
10. Croatia

This is a much accurate project than the above mentioned ones.

LITHUANIA 9TH? ARE YOU KIDDING ME?

[Fozzy]

As we speak, it is official that Papaloukas and Diamantides will not play for the greek NT. Our starting PG will be Zisis and his backup Nick Calathes! Thats what i call fresh off the boat! I can also see Cost Koufos making the 12!

My prediction: Greece doesn't make the final 4!