The Jonas Valanciunas Thread

bboyskinnylegs · Post #1001 » by **bboyskinnylegs** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:33 am

mowcrowbar wrote:Bboy, is the game footage of Val going to be available today?

not today man, I'm going to sleep... it's been a tiring birthday for me

But I'll start to trim and upload the stuff soon, hopefully tomorrow if I have time.

James_Raptors · Post #1002 » by **James_Raptors** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:33 am

I have zero problems with him staying over in Europe for a year. We send in some personel to work with him (BC mentioned as much) and help him get on the right path, bulk up, etc. Meanwhile, back over in north america, we deal with a potential NBA lockout and tanknation 2012. The following season we add a bulkier JV, our 2012 draft pick and (hopefully) start seeing what our potential young studs can do together as a unit, heading forward.

Magic Bean · Post #1003 » by **Magic Bean** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:33 am

Scraptor wrote:
doudoub wrote:not sold on this

i really thought bc was finally going to change this dynamic in toronto

don't bring me this ''you're racist'' etc bs...we need to change our identity and image and we're not doing it right.

What exactly do you mean by identity and image? We got a tough, rebounding, defensive big man. Did you want Donatas Motiejunas instead?

Do you really need to ask when he raised his racist defense shield before finishing his thought?

doudoub should be on the Miami board complaining about refs and trashing Thibs.

predicated1 wrote:Too many whities. White people are soft. They're also less athletic.

This is the first I've heard of it.

bboyskinnylegs · Post #1004 » by **bboyskinnylegs** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:34 am

Visceral wrote:
Rapsobsessed7 wrote:DX said his buyout is 2.5 million

- Toronto can contribute 500,000 maximum to a buyout
- $3,248,112 is I think his salary if signed

So he could pay 2 million and still make 1.2 million. If he really does want to come over.

Wow, that is a massive buyout...

Is it not?

he still takes home a lot more than his current salary if I'm not mistaken

J Dilla · Post #1005 » by **J Dilla** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:34 am

UssjTrunks wrote:I was at work so couldn't post here. I don't know what to think. I was really hoping we'd take Biyombo. I'm glad Knight and Walker were taken so late. They weren't even on our radar, or the radars of several teams it seems, and with good reason.

Yeah I wasn't really feeling Brandon Knight, was more sold on Kemba and Kawhi. But you can't forget Calipari and his ability to recruit stars

Clutch Carter · Post #1006 » by **Clutch Carter** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:34 am

The way some people are crying you'd think we drafted Donatas at 5.

Post #1007 » by **DG88** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:35 am

Bankai wrote:Frank Zicarelli with a shot at Bargs:
In time, Jonas Valanciunas may evolve into the dominant post player many have envisioned for this gangly Lithuanian.

When he does, it’s conceivable Bryan Colangelo may no longer be around to remake, retool or reposition the Raptors.

Size, a soft touch around the basket, an ability to run the floor and the all-important, much-coveted athleticism, these are the quality Valanciunas will bring.

It’s too bad this kid can’t provide immediate relief on a Raptors team requiring help at virtually every position, save for seven-foot jump shooters who have an aversion to playing defence and rebounding the basketball.

http://www.torontosun.com/2011/06/23/ra ... pick-right

Grange also provides us with a shot at Bargs

Raptors fans are a special bunch. There are a lot of them and they can't help but feel marginalized in a city where hockey casts a monsterous shadow over everything else. Even after 16 years, basketball feels new and bit different. There's still a need to explain it. It's more indie flick than summertime blockbuster.

So there's a sense of ownership that seeps through everything. With the just one playoff series win to show for all the pain, they are a hardy bunch. But five years into the Andrea Bargnani era, they've collectively adopted immigration policies that Don Cherry would agree with. They are giving the impression that they may finally have reached their breaking point, at least when it comes to the Raptors' passionate embrace of international basketball -- this from a fan base that is more diverse than any other in the city.

But watching Bargnani, the seven-footer taken No.1 overall by Raptors president Bryan Colangelo in 2006 - the last draft as weak as this one - play defense and rebound like a pouty teenage girl, well, people get emotional

http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/2011 ... aps_draft/

DreamTeam09 · Post #1008 » by **DreamTeam09** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:35 am

I have no problems with the pickl. I have a high excitement level for him as well.

BillyGM · Post #1009 » by **BillyGM** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:37 am

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SYy6xvSrIHM[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DbF1X10UXHw&feature=related[/youtube]
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4jnJUhd4I8[/youtube]

Rapsobsessed7 · Post #1010 » by **Rapsobsessed7** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:37 am

Visceral wrote:
Rapsobsessed7 wrote:DX said his buyout is 2.5 million

- Toronto can contribute 500,000 maximum to a buyout
- $3,248,112 is I think his salary if signed

So he could pay 2 million and still make 1.2 million. If he really does want to come over.

Wow, that is a massive buyout...

Is it not?

I think it's in the middle. Biyombo for example has a 1.5 million buyout and Rubio was reported to have a 6.6 million dollar buyout that could grow higher depending on dates and such not being met. So it really is hard to tell if that's massive. I'd say it's a decent size buyout that would scare some teams away but he can pay for it with his salary if he wanted

UTJazzFan_Echo1 · Post #1011 » by **UTJazzFan_Echo1** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:38 am

I can't believe you guys passed on all the PG's in this draft, I feel like you guys really need an upgrade at pg sometime in the near future. From now on if there is a foreign guy in the mix around the Raptors pick I'm just going to assume you guys take him. I was really pulling for you guys to land Knight or Kemba....

Visceral · Post #1012 » by **Visceral** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:40 am

UTJazzFan_Echo1 wrote:I can't believe you guys passed on all the PG's in this draft, I feel like you guys really need an upgrade at pg sometime in the near future. From now on if there is a foreign guy in the mix around the Raptors pick I'm just going to assume you guys take him. I was really pulling for you guys to land Knight or Kemba....

Give me a good reason why we take role player level PGs like Knight, Kemba, when we can nab a all-star potential PG in Teague or Myck Kabongo next year.

Enlighten me, please.

Prestige · Post #1013 » by **Prestige** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:40 am

UTJazzFan_Echo1 wrote:I can't believe you guys passed on all the PG's in this draft, I feel like you guys really need an upgrade at pg sometime in the near future. From now on if there is a foreign guy in the mix around the Raptors pick I'm just going to assume you guys take him. I was really pulling for you guys to land Knight or Kemba....

Good idea..

Gang of Four · Post #1014 » by **Gang of Four** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:42 am

UTJazzFan_Echo1 wrote:I can't believe you guys passed on all the PG's in this draft, I feel like you guys really need an upgrade at pg sometime in the near future. From now on if there is a foreign guy in the mix around the Raptors pick I'm just going to assume you guys take him.

Yeah, the Raptors sure have drafted a lot of foreigners in the past few drafts.

mowcrowbar · Post #1015 » by **mowcrowbar** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:43 am

bboyskinnylegs wrote:
mowcrowbar wrote:Bboy, is the game footage of Val going to be available today?

not today man, I'm going to sleep... it's been a tiring birthday for me But I'll start to trim and upload the stuff soon, hopefully tomorrow if I have time.

K, Cheers

UTJazzFan_Echo1 · Post #1016 » by **UTJazzFan_Echo1** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:44 am

I really don't see Knight or Kemba as just role player PG's in comparison to the guys you have right now...Bayless is a SG and Calderon is just flat out horrible on defense, he kills you guys on D.

I'm not trying to be rude, I'm a big Raptors fan and watch a lot of your games. I was just shocked to see you guys pass on Knight when he fell right into your laps. I thought you guys would eat him up.

I don't get the strategy of waiting to get a PG next year...there is no guarantee you will get anyone better next year at PG and I guess if you guys want to be contempt on being bad for another year to get another lottery pick then so be it but that's not a winning strategy....mainly because you know, you're still losing.

Just saying is all...

Visceral · Post #1017 » by **Visceral** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:45 am

Bayless is not an SG. He averaged something like 7.5 APG when playing starter minutes and starting last year.

James_Raptors · Post #1018 » by **James_Raptors** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:47 am

I apologize in advance if this comes off as insulting, but after reading some of the replies in this thread I think some of the people who are angry with this pick haven't seen Jonas play and/or don't care about his play, just where he was born. Just because he is not "black" and he played ball on a different land mass than us, doesn't mean he's the 2nd coming of Andrea Bargnani, or that his game is remotely simular to Bargs.

Like with any pick, we need to wait (be patient) and see how it works out.
Jonas Valanciunas was rated as a very good player by most of the teams in the NBA. The Raptors were lucky to have him fall in their lap. That doesn't mean he's going to be a bonified star one day nor does it shelter him from failing. But as a fan base we cannot judge him simply by the color of his skin or the language he speaks. There are basketball skills there and nice size (frame and length) especially when he bulks up. He's still a kid and it's much too early to judge him (positively and negatively).

So let's take a deep breath and be patient about this.
Let's not act like a clueless fanbase that runs around making unsubstantiated comments about basketball.
We seem like ignorant racist fools when we publicly make comments like that.
We're better than that (I hope? I think?)

Raps in 4 · Post #1019 » by **Raps in 4** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:47 am

UTJazzFan_Echo1 wrote:I can't believe you guys passed on all the PG's in this draft, I feel like you guys really need an upgrade at pg sometime in the near future. From now on if there is a foreign guy in the mix around the Raptors pick I'm just going to assume you guys take him. I was really pulling for you guys to land Knight or Kemba....

Says the team that just drafted another Caucasian Euro. You now have 4, just like us. From now on if there is a foreign guy in the mix around the Jazz pick I'm just going to assume you guys take him

Nocturne · Post #1020 » by **Nocturne** » Fri Jun 24, 2011 5:47 am

Not sure how I feel about this pick. If the plan is to have this line up:

Jerryd Bayless
Demar Derozan
Lottery Short Forward from next draft because we are going to be terrible the coming year
Ed Davis
Valanciunas

I'm starting to like it as long as everyone actually reaches their potential. I have the sinking feeling that the plan is to have Bargnani play the 4 though instead of trading him... I really hope I'm wrong about that.

Are you happy with the Raptors selection 5th overall?