After Ricky Rubio, Jonas Valanciunas=International Superstar

[Pablonis]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xUPDwI72xPk&context=C3d0dfb0ADOEgsToPDskJGyLUEfC8GK3_dvFHw1uwm[/youtube]

[Yoga]

that player was riddle?? idont remember either lol.. barbrauzkas set the screen, but it was a good call, he was moving...

Steponas Babrauskas.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UPLMdhk5o7Q&feature=g-u&context=G2e957e5FUAAAAAAAAAA[/youtube]

Jonas seems like a super nice kid off the court, but I love that he's intense on the court. Plays with a bit of a chip on his shoulder.

There have been a lot of skinny 7 footers with huge wingspans that haven't made it in the NBA (POB types), but this kid is a can't miss prospect mostly because of his psychological make up. He has the "it" factor that way.

Hard worker, intense, good motor & the bonus is that he is actually skilled. I didn't think Noah would make much of himself in the NBA, but he's become a good player with his heart/ hustle alone.

Not sure how far Jonas will go in his career in terms of individual accomplishments (allstar, etc), but I am absolutely sure that he will help this team win games. That's all that matters to me really.

[Yoga]

This articles pretty much covers a theory I have had on Jonas, that some NBA teams do not do their due diligence on all draft prospects, that the experiences of one team that tries to work outside the box will colour the views of other teams. So first there was Dirk, everyone went looking for Dirk 2. Then came Skita, who was a bust, and Fran Vazquez who stiffed the Magic, and Ricky Rubio who took two years to come over, and lo and behold, there was a lot of reluctance to consider Jonas as a top 2 or 3 player because of the supposed uncertainty of his buyout. I have argued that for whatever reason, whether it was Maurizio doing proper due diligence through his excellent European channels, or BC trusting Leon Rose, we knew exactly what would happen with the buyout and were prepared to live with it.

http://passporthoops.com/2012/03/08/did ... ce=twitter

[Yoga]

It looks like Scott Howard-Cooper read this thread (WT):

LINK

"I have no doubt that is the right pick or was the right pick for us," said Bryan Colangelo, the president and general manager. "But it certainly wasn't one that would gather instant gratification. There were other players on the board ... that our fans and perhaps the media wanted us to take because they might come in and be an immediate-impact pick, if you will. But we made a long-term decision. We drafted a 19-year-old center prospect and despite the pressure of picking a so-called sexy pick or someone that might be a more-popular pick, we made the pick that we felt was the best decision, long term and short term, for the franchise because it fit right into this building process that we're going through right now."

It's the pick the Cavaliers should have made at No. 4, instead of power forward Tristan Thompson. They would have had, as it turned out, Irving streaking to Rookie of the Year in 2011-12 and an additional substantial pay out later in Valanciunas.

Instead, the Raptors gladly stepped into the Valanciunas predicament, willing to trade what at the time most teams expected would be a one-season holding pattern for eight or 10 seasons of standout center play. Colangelo just doesn't like the Rubio analogy.

Read the full article if you can.

[UcanUwill]

Now, when people buzzing about Bismack, who I admire, and his game winning block, I want to take you back at one of the greatest Jonas' FIBA junior games ever. His defensive presence helped team Lithuania to overcome double-digit deficit, win semifinal against Serbia 67-66, and a back to back gold later in the finals.
This was the turning point of the whole game, and truly one of the greatest Jonas' blocks ever (very close to goaltending tho.). Serbia did not scored a single point after this.

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PCbvY2xcRVI[/youtube]

[raptor21_85]

Id be happy if Big V ends up playing like Greg Monroe...

[raptor21_85]

[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NKqvLu5jybk&feature=related[/youtube]
Jonas was a total game changer in this series.. watch some stats in the vid..