UcanUwill wrote:Captain Ballmer wrote:UcanUwill wrote:
We Euros just lack athleticism it seems, to have dominant guards. Some NBA star guards didnt have elite athletic ability, but most do. Guys like Jokic and other bigs make up with size, but what 6'3 guys like Navarro or Spanoulis can make up for, when you put them 1v1 agains Wade or ANT? They will school these guys in moments, but overall, over bigger sample size, they will be ran out of town. The best recent Euro guards, in the NBA at least, unless i forgeting someone, were Dragic and Tony Parker, both had elite speed. Of course Luka as well, but hes anomaly in both skill and size, he is unmatchable in terms of match ups and is closer to these bigs when it comes to physical profile. I am currently dont know euro guard prospects who can match any of that, its really no coincidence most if these Euro stars are bigmen.
My Lithuania just lost U20 quarter final to Greece, devastating result. But yet again, all our guys worth any attention, are bigs. Krivas, Vokietaitis and Murauskas. Our guards just as slow and crappy, but they also like 8 or 10 inches shorter, brutal. Ag least Vokietaitis is 6'11 and Krivas is 7'2, at least they have that, these 6'2, 6'4 guys on the other hand, they have nothing going on whatsoever.
I don't think euro guards have that BBIQ advantage anymore. Because white guards in USA are facing these athletes much sooner than Euro prospects that by the time they are 15, they know they had to possess fundamentals, elite shooting, Game IQ to be excellent for them to be even considered at college. For that I think white guards in USA past Euro guards as well as recently. This year we saw Reed Sheppard &Kolek, last few seasons we had Podziemski, Pritchard, Reeves and more earlier seasons League had Caruso, McConnell, Kennard still on the league. OTOH I only recall Campazzo, Raul Neto with short stints to consider Non USA white guards within the last decade entering the league? (Luka&Giddey is obviously not listed bc they are like 6-8' and 6-9' Point forwards.
Yeah, probably, but I dind't mean to say Euros are smarter just not athletic, I mentioned Navarro and Spanoulis in particular, but they are like all time greats for what it is, so these 2 were in fact higher IQ players than almost anyone, but I say even these would struggle. I am not saying all Euro guards are like that, not even close, its like comparing Magic Johnson to average NBA PG.
I hate narrative that Navarro sucked in the NBA however, I am not saying he did. He never wanted to leave Barcelona, but his literal best friend talked him into joining forces in Memphis, they did, Navarro had decent rookie season, but during that season, his best friend, the only reason why he came there, was traded. So Navarro just packed his bags and went home.
So I am not Saying Navarro would have sucked, but there was still clear ceiling on that guy, he could have been a great sixth man maybe. Too smart and skilled to suck, but too small and athletically limited, to be a star.
Spanoulis is different story entirely, he was very good, but he wouldn't fit as well as Juan. Also, people over the years trolled euro fans reminding how he sucked in the NBA, but Rockets Spanoulis was almost 10 years away ftom his prime, also, his sample size is just too small to make definitive conclusions. But I think he would have undoubtfully struggled to be more than fine, just not the player made for the NBA much.
Navarro got tired
1 of the city, his wife didnt like it.
2 sucking, he didnt conceive any other thing than going for the win, so tanking didnt sit well with him
3 he lost his friend.
sooooooo
its a pity that lakers didnt find some way to add Navarro to the Pau trade ( he was making very little as salary)......
if he had gone To L:A WITH HIS FRIEND to WIN rings
must probably he would have stayed, had a 7 or 8 years nba career, probably win 6th man of the year on that lakers and maybe just maybe they go and threepeat ( either by winning the first celtics finals or by not screwing up against dallas in 11).
he would be seen as a success.
