[bobbybParticipant]

I stayed up till 4 am to watch the France /Lith .  I dont know why this guy only played 7 minutes? The back up played more minutes. The first half was very close and even the commentator said is was the most competetive half of basketball from the whol tournement. I am surprised they didnt put him back in the second half because they needed more size. They really missed  Javtokas for interior defense.

[Andrew1984Participant]

I said on here last summer that Valanciunas’s best-case scenario is Rik Smits (who had a terrific career!) and his worst-case scenario is Rasho Nesterovic, and basically nobody agreed with me. Everyone seemed to think he’s going to be an instantaneous Pau Gasol.

I am highly skeptical of Valanciunas’s ability to put the ball on the floor at all, bang at all, avoid foul trouble, etc. He just looks like he’d be a total stiff against real NBA competition. I see big, strong NBA big men being able to push him off the block or just crowd him so much that he won’t know what to do.

But hey, if Toronto’s selection pays off and he does have a career similar to Rik Smits, they’ll get a consistent 16 and 8 with solid percentages from the field and the line.

[BrxaParticipant]

I don’t know why you would compare 6-11 Valanciunas to a 7-3 jump shooting big man like Smits, other than them both being white Europeans. 

And in that case that is racist.

[PureshooterParticipant]

If I ever start a band I will definitely name it:

 

"Instantaneous Pau Gasol"

 

The kids will know us as IPG. 

[Andrew1984Participant]

Style of play and statistics, not ethnic background.

Both are finesse players, not especially physical, but are known for having soft hands and some refinement with regard to offensive skills.

I was not talking about height or country of origin.

I don’t appreciate being called a racist.

[er1csh3nParticipant]

 Your comment is still incredibly incorrect. Valanciunas is the opposite of a finesse bigman. He excels at running the floor, finishing the PnR, and finishing offensive rebounds. Calling JV stiff suggests you have rarely seen him play. Jonas is probably one of the more agile centers I have seen. He finishes extremely well through tough contact and he uses his body control really well to score around the basket. If you want a finesse bigman, Valanciunas’s teammate Bargnani would be a perfect example. Bargnani is the epitome of that kind of bigman and if you watch those two play you can clearly see the difference. Also I don’t recall any realistic people expecting Pau Gasol-esque season from JV. On the realgm board, most fans are content he starts for his national team at the age of 19(almost 20)

[sheltwon3Participant]

Since when did European become a race.  Europe covers many races and ethnicities so based on that knowledge your post could not have been racist. 

[lalailaParticipant]

the kid is just young and our coach looks not to trust him too much 

[fgrrghgParticipant]

 i love just how quick people are to hop on/jump off band wagons. When valanciunis was having some big games in the under 19 (i think it was under 19) championships, people were claiming that the cavs made a huuge mistake drafting thompson over him. 

Now he’s being called a total stiff after one game of only 7 mins of court time. 

Can we all just agree that nobody (or very few) has seen nearly enough of this guy to have an educated opinion on what he will become. He’s a big body, does indeed like to bang, and appears to have solid defensive instincts. Personally I don’t agree with the rick smits comparison but I won’t argue it because I havn’t seen nearly enough of jonas at this stage in his career. 

Lets check back in in december

[J_01Participant]

Valanciunas is very young only 20 years old so he doesn’t have the experience that the other members of the team which is why he doesn’t play much. Maybe in the next olympics where he’ll be 24 he’ll have a bigger role on the team, but for now he won’t play that much.

As for comparing him to rik smits and rasho nesterovic, that is completely off. Those two are finesse 7 footers who like to shoot and hit mid range jumpers occasionally going down low and scoring buckets inside. Jonas however is physical, athletic center who likes to bang down low. If you’ve seen him play he really doesn’t spot up on the perimeter and shoot jumpers like who you’ve compared him too but rather he is down on the block posting up. Yes his post moves are raw but the willingness to bang down low and play physical is a rarity among centers especially with European bigs who are more known for their perimeter skills and being "stretch bigs". Jonas’ strengths are his defense and rebounding. Most of his points are gonna come from lobs, catch and finish and putbacks. Needs to improve on his strength and his post game but that should come as he gains more experience.

Jonas’ best case imo is more like tyson chandler or joakim noah with maybe a more refined offensive game if he develops it. Worst case being andris biedrins or omer asik.

[niQParticipant]

I always saw Jonas Valanciunas as a prime Andris Biedrins with superior free throw shooting or a Joakim Noah with less passing numbers. Either way, I hope he turns out to be a solid big man for the Raptors. And yes, I think he will need 2-3 years to develop in the NBA even with his long international resume.

[thparadoxParticipant]

 My comparison was Zydrunas Ilgauskas… and I have yet to hear an argument against it.

[B-ball fanParticipant]

 Ilgauskas was a player who got by on size and skill.  Valanciunas is more reliant on athleticism and is not as skilled.  Valanciunas is already a better rebounder than Ilgauskas ever was, but Ilgauskas was a much better post scorer and shooter.  Valanciunas should excel at scoring down low on the PnR and on cuts to the hoop, but Ilgauskas mainly scored down low on designed post-ups and offensive rebound tip ins.  Honestly, I don’t see many similarities in their games, other than size and country of origin.

[thparadoxParticipant]

Thanks. Nice to hear an actual response instead of just pointless negs…..

I’m thinking more of the young Big Z.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=s66QkfXXjO4

Agreed that Valanciunas is more athletic, and scores more on pick and rolls vs. post ups. I think Valanciunas will become a post scorer as he gains experience and becomes more of a focal point in the offense.

They are both good shooters. They are both solid offensive rebounders who get points off the glass.

Anyway, I meant it in a good way. Big Z was dominant at some points in his career, and certainly more athletic in his youth than we remember

[Toronto16Participant]

 I think Valanciunas is a bit over hyped as well.

[HadzialijagicParticipant]

I still have the same opinion of valanciuanus that ive always had. He will be a 10+ year starter in the league. With maybe one all star game if the center position is still watered down. I think he will be between 11 and 9 and 14 and 10 throughout his entire career. Hes not somebody you build around but is still a good piece that can defend and rebound. And wtf to the guy who said Valanciuaus is a finesse player. The guy has an ok skill set but whats best about him is his nba ready body his aggressiveness quickness and size. So finesse is no.

[King CaluchaParticipant]

 I see him as a less developed Gortat, but I see a similar skillset with higher potential. I think he’ll perform relatively well from the start.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

It is not the job of the Lithuanian National Team to get Jonas Valanciunas minutes. They are trying to win games, and trotting out a 20 year old who isn’t that strong or skilled against France isn’t going to help them.

[Author]

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