The Jonas Valanciunas Thread

[kmatrixg]

You do know that highlights don't mane shyt right??
as for his games am curious to know how much games you actually watched against subpar competition out there in Europe.
As for me watching him play,i haven't seen any of his games as the euro league don't do it for me.
soccer yes,basketball no.
i can tell you this though the comparisons that are made of him arent to flattering
brezic/hawes aren't flattering.plus dude is weak..
most importantly there are better players to be had at 5

Like i said before colongelo history being in this town, along with raps fans being delusional will keep me entertained for some time.

Im one of the biggest Colangelo critics on this board but hes hit it out of the park 3 years in a row now. Val had a rebound rate of 22% last year. Kevin Love was 23%. People who come from Europe to the NBA see their rebound rate go up by 30%. He has amazing hands, can block shots, plays defense, is a great free throw shooter and he plays his heart out. Hes anything but soft. Hollinger liked him too.



All Im saying is give the man a chance. Stop with the xenophobia. Even though I would have been pissed if the Raps picked up Biyombo I would have given him a chance. Hes on our team now. Give it time.

Thats right. You need to look big picture here. BC isnt some "Euro only loving drafter" - this is the first european in 3 years and also the BPA.

Surprise surprise, Mirotic went to the Rockets. They know what they are doing. BPA. Even if you can't touch him for a couple of years.

Good pick BC. Good pick.

Mirotic actually went to Chicago. Great pickup for them for when Booz hits the edge.

[Undefeated]

I don't know why people are so upset that Valanciunas won't improve his back to the basket game. He's a player lacking in strength currently, though he recently turned 19 years old about a month ago. Tell me, how many 7'0" Centers come into the NBA as a rookie that doesn't look lanky? Virtually ALL rookie big improve on their strength, and Casey has went on saying that he wants Valanciunas to get stronger, so it's likely going to happen with a coach was a factor in drafting him.

Even if Valanciunas doesn't develop a crafty back to the basket game, he'll still be a threat on offense because of his ability to offensively rebound generating extra possessions, and roll to the basket. Rolling to the basket means more free-throws which leads to great efficiency as proven by his 0.740 TS% in the Euroleague. If Amir can be positive offensively, I don't see why Valanciunas can't with a similar skill set to Amir.

[T_Biggums]

On offense, if all he can do is baby hooks and baseline jumpers, Im fine with that. People whine about efficiency all the time, this guy should be very efficient. There's only 1 ball out there and you dont need 5 scorers.

I could care less about offense the reason I'm not on board with this selection is because I have SERIOUS doubts he can have any impact in the NBA on the defensive end!

Rebounding? Blocking shots? Stop trolling us.

NBA not euroleague... Isn't Pape Sow a dynamo over there now?

[ItsDanger]

On offense, if all he can do is baby hooks and baseline jumpers, Im fine with that. People whine about efficiency all the time, this guy should be very efficient. There's only 1 ball out there and you dont need 5 scorers.

I could care less about offense the reason I'm not on board with this selection is because I have SERIOUS doubts he can have any impact in the NBA on the defensive end!

There are only 2 players in this draft that were close to locks to start for a long time in this league. Irving & Williams. And even they had some question marks. This draft is weak. Virtually every player after #2 had multiple flaws. Its a risk/reward relationship. Most of the other guys had questionable upside anyways.

[Undefeated]

NBA not euroleague... Isn't Pape Sow a dynamo over there now?

Rebounding is a skill that easily translates anywhere.

[rove]

So you think he'll actually become an offensive force

Also, being a good FT shooter does mean he'll be a good jumpshooter. But whatever floats your boat.

I'll be the first to admit I haven't seen even one of his games. But I'm sure you watched all his games right? So tell me, how long do you think he'll need to become the premiere center in the NBA?

QFT. Sabonis is a legend. Just cuz a kid's from the same country and (arguably) plays the same position doesn't mean they're the same player.

And I can see couple years down the road if BC's still here, he'll use the same routine with Bustnani.

"JV's a 4, and always has been. He's been playing out of position the last few years. No question he needs to improve scoring and his bulk. But we'll bring in some help for him and make sure he improves to the level that he can."

WTF? Its not cuz he's shy in that video, he cant understand what the hell anyone is saying. I really dont see Sabonis comparison. Sabonis could shoot the 3 and pass like a PG. He was one of the best players in the world prior to his injuries.

Are you kidding me? Your defense is I think because he's from the same country and plays the same position? Have you seen JV on offense? Have you seen his stroke? The kid shoots 90% from the FT line. NINETY PERCENT. You're telling me that's not because of a decent jumpshot? Did you read the link I posted? Have you read any scouting or watched JV play?

Jonas constantly is setting up his teammates with behind the backs passes, and knows how to get the ball out of a double team. Jesus, I really feel like you've never watched the kid play, rove. Watch a game of his. You'll be friggin impressed.

[bargs4mvp]

this guy should be very efficient. There's only 1 ball out there and you dont need 5 scorers.

Oh yeah, thanks for the heads up, we all forgot the euro league is about as legitimate as canadian high school basketball

[So Clutch]

Are we really comparing Gasol to the Mute? c'mon son let him at least get a word out of his mouth before we start with that!

I would love to put you in his shoes in a foreign country and watch you struggle to communicate. I mean you already sound stupid speaking in English, I can't even imagine the laughter you would create.

hahaha...

The mute looked (Please Use More Appropriate Word) if he needed a translator why didn't he just come with one?

Maybe because trying to speak (albeit a struggle) is the best way to learn a new language?

[bargs4mvp]

Oh yeah, thanks for the heads up, we all forgot the euro league is about as legitimate as canadian high school basketball[/quote]

[T_Biggums]

Are we really comparing Gasol to the Mute? c'mon son let him at least get a word out of his mouth before we start with that!

The clowns on ESPN were comparing him to Gasol (or copying somebody's comparison, ie. more likely). Gasol is more versatile offensively. Defensively, similar but JV should be better as he will be bigger than Gasol.

wow... its not size but mentality. He looks soft to me but I guess that's cliche when we're talking about European basketball players.

[Undefeated]

So you think he'll actually become an offensive force

Val isn't going to become an offensive force, but he'll be REALLY efficient with his offense which I can bet on. Guys who can set hard screens for their teammates and roll to the basket are going to be useful one way or another. The fact that Val shot 91.7% from the free-throw line should really help him because when you roll, you're inevitably going to be fouled.

[MikeM]

Love the people bashing JV when there was literally some dude from Africa as the alternative.

Would I have liked to draft Dwight Howard instead? Yes. Was there anyone nearly as good? No.

[deeps6x]

First post here..

Been reading the forums and following the Raps ever since Bosh left TO (weird time to become a fan I know), and I after reading the first few pages I was kind of shocked at how ignorant some of the posters were about drafting Val. Some poster called him Bargnani from Lithuania (besides being Euro, White and 7 feet, there aren't many similarities between their games), other posters were cursing out BC and questioning his re-signing, another poster wanted to bring a shotgun to BC and his family.

Man, some people in the fan-base are just ridiculous. It doesn't seem like many read the scouting reports, but rather, they just regurgitate what other posters say and go with who/what others are going for (Like the whole Brandon Knight obsession, I never understood it considering the fact that we have Bayless already). OR they just jumped to the conclusion that any euro is a bad pick/Bargnani.

Anyway, it seems like as time has gone after the Jonas pick, some people are actually googling his draft profile and realizing that he's considered potentially the best player in this draft, with the main drawback right now being his buyout problem and the fact that he'll most likely miss a year. Jonas can rebound, has a high motor, BOXES OUT, and gives it his all on the offensive end AND the defensive end - although he tends to foul a lot, kind of reminiscent to Amir's defensive game. I mean really, you guys wanted a "true" centre to pair up with Bargnani (or just to be on the team), and now we have one. But you guys still complain..

Considering that most users here want to tank to theoretically get a better pick in the next draft (not that I support this kind of crap), shouldn't this buyout problem not even be a issue for you? I mean, if he's gonna miss a year, that means we lose more. And losing more, apparently, makes you guys happy.

BTW: Boy do I wish that his English was better though.

Good post. Well said. I agree. If we play next year, we tank, get a great pick, and we're set. If we don't play, we probably still get a great pick and are still set for 2013 and beyond.

[gojoorange]

I find it funny that the Raps board blew up with anger when we drafted Val, but at the same time Wolves and Cavs fans were choked they didn't pick Val at 2 and 4.

[kmatrixg]

So you think he'll actually become an offensive force

Also, being a good FT shooter does mean he'll be a good jumpshooter. But whatever floats your boat.

I'll be the first to admit I haven't seen even one of his games. But I'm sure you watched all his games right? So tell me, how long do you think he'll need to become the premiere center in the NBA?

QFT. Sabonis is a legend. Just cuz a kid's from the same country and (arguably) plays the same position doesn't mean they're the same player.

And I can see couple years down the road if BC's still here, he'll use the same routine with Bustnani.

"JV's a 4, and always has been. He's been playing out of position the last few years. No question he needs to improve scoring and his bulk. But we'll bring in some help for him and make sure he improves to the level that he can."

Are you kidding me? Your defense is I think because he's from the same country and plays the same position? Have you seen JV on offense? Have you seen his stroke? The kid shoots 90% from the FT line. NINETY PERCENT. You're telling me that's not because of a decent jumpshot? Did you read the link I posted? Have you read any scouting or watched JV play?

Jonas constantly is setting up his teammates with behind the backs passes, and knows how to get the ball out of a double team. Jesus, I really feel like you've never watched the kid play, rove. Watch a game of his. You'll be friggin impressed.

Alright, so now that we agree that he's a decent jumpshooter out to 15-17 feet, we can hush the offensive worries.

I'll be second to admit that I haven't watched all his games, but I sure as hell haven't seen none, and am not sitting here making assumptions on something I know NOTHING about.

I give him 3-4 years before he's a quality/reliable center in this league, guy. With the right grooming (which he's getting in Europe) and when he comes over to get a defensive minded coach in Dwyane Casey - we should have ourselves a pretty little player here.

[DatHomieYouHaTe]

These are just parting shots. I will officially be done with this team come daybreak.

GOODBYE!!!! CYA!!!!!

[T_Biggums]

Maybe because trying to speak (albeit a struggle) is the best way to learn a new language?

Ohhh okay so getting in front of a camera with millions of people watching was his way of learning the english language I get it!

great first impression.

[rove]

You're assuming he can hold his positions setting a screen in the NBA, cut through the contact in the paint and then be strong enough to go up and get fouled. That's a whole lot of ifs.

The only true upside to this pick is that he probably won't come here next year and we tank next year for the true prize - Harrison Barnes.

So you think he'll actually become an offensive force

Val isn't going to become an offensive force, but he'll be REALLY efficient with his offense which I can bet on. Guys who can set hard screens for their teammates and roll to the basket are going to be useful one way or another. The fact that Val shot 91.7% from the free-throw line should really help him because when you roll, you're inevitably going to be fouled.

[kmatrixg]

this guy should be very efficient. There's only 1 ball out there and you dont need 5 scorers.

Oh yeah, thanks for the heads up, we all forgot the euro league is about as legitimate as canadian high school basketball

One of THE most ignorant posts I've read outside of the 12 gauge post

[clockwork]

On offense, if all he can do is baby hooks and baseline jumpers, Im fine with that. People whine about efficiency all the time, this guy should be very efficient. There's only 1 ball out there and you dont need 5 scorers.

I could care less about offense the reason I'm not on board with this selection is because I have SERIOUS doubts he can have any impact in the NBA on the defensive end!

Rebounding? Blocking shots? Stop trolling us.

He's sad because his wife/girlfriend beats him.