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  • From the Casey article RR member Fanchie posted via Sportsnet.ca:

    This summer, Casey wants Colangelo to add physical, aggressive, defence-minded guys and veteran leadership to complement his skilled players. One of those pieces is already in place. Jonas Valanciunas, the fifth overall pick in the 2011 draft, has been stowed away in his native Lithuania. Optimistic Raptors fans picture him like Ivan Drago, strapped into all sorts of wires and beeping machines while uttering phrases like "I will crush him" and "If he dies, he dies." Which might not be too far off.

    At just 19, the six-foot-11 centre has decimated competition overseas, helping the Lithuanian national team to three international gold medals in three different age groups in the past four years. He was named MVP each time, which helps explain why earlier this year Colangelo's peers collectively voted Valanciunas the best player outside the NBA. More importantly, he's the type of player Casey craves. "His game is playing aggressively under the basket: running the floor, setting picks, blocking shots," explains Maurizio Gherardini, the Raptors' vice-president of international scouting. "He fits perfectly with the principles Casey is trying to instill." And, by total coincidence, Valanciunas's coach this past season in Lithuania, Aleksandar Džikic, was an assistant under Casey in Minnesota a few years back during Casey's first stint as a head man, and teaches the same defensive principles. "There will always be a transition [coming from Europe]," says Gherardini, "but there are a lot of factors in making that transition as smooth as possible."

    http://www.sportsnet.ca/basketball/2...ad_snmagazine/

    Comment


    • Tough lose in LKL league

      L. Rytas loses

      Boxscore in LKL quarterfinals 71-65 to Siauliai. JV did not have his greatest game.

      JV Statline:

      25:02 minutes
      8 points
      1/3 fg
      6/10 ft
      7 rebounds
      2 assists
      3 turnovers
      3 fouls
      1 steal
      1 block
      16 efficiency




      Any of our Lithuanian friends able to add insights that video and box scores are not providing?

      Comment


      • lol

        The kudos keep pouring in for Raptors’ 2011 draft pick Jonas Valanciunas. The Lietuvos Rytas standout was recently named the winner of the Eurocup Rising Star award. And that’s exciting, until you realize that the last three winners of the Eurocup Rising Star award were Donatas Motiejunas, Víctor Claver and Milan Macvan. Exactly.
        http://www.torontosun.com/2012/04/25...-gimme-a-break

        Comment


        • That writer doesn't know any of those players?

          Comment


          • L. Rytas moves to LKL semi finals?

            *any clarification from Lithuanian friends is much appreciated*

            I think the quarterfinals was with Siauliai was a 2 game series based on point spread. Using Google Translate, this is what I get from L. Rytas homepage:

            Vilnius Lithuania morning went to the Lithuanian Basketball League (BBL) Finals. Alexander Džikičiaus students supported by their own supporters won 82:67 Siauliai and won the semifinal series. The first match was lost from Vilnius 9-point margin - 74:65.
            JV and Co. finished the 2 games +6.

            Boxscore

            Here is JV's statline which is a nice rebound from first game:

            28:53 minutes
            23 points
            7/14 fg
            9/10 ft
            7 rebounds (3 offensive)
            2 assists
            1 steal
            1 block
            1 turnover
            3 fouls
            28 efficiency

            Comment


            • Yeah the series score was based on points differential (usually the semi-finals are played untill two victories, but because of t he brutal Rytas schedule point differential was counted)

              Comment


              • Haha JV probably doesn't know how much of a hype-machine he is... just look at ourselves, when was the last time we actually gave a shit about some guy in the Euroleague playing against teams we didn't even know existed on the planet. I love it!
                There's a lot of excitement and optimism abound for next season. Can't wait for him to get here, hopefully he translates well to the NBA.
                Last edited by playmak3r5; Thu Apr 26, 2012, 11:57 PM.

                Comment


                • JV's treated like God in Lithuania. With all the Toronto hype surrounding him, it'll still be far less than what he's currently used to.

                  Comment


                  • Nilanka wrote: View Post
                    JV's treated like God in Lithuania. With all the Toronto hype surrounding him, it'll still be far less than what he's currently used to.
                    That is quite an exaggeration. But yeah, I think he's used to deal with stuff like that already.

                    Comment


                    • Matt52 wrote: View Post
                      *any clarification from Lithuanian friends is much appreciated*

                      I think the quarterfinals was with Siauliai was a 2 game series based on point spread. Using Google Translate, this is what I get from L. Rytas homepage:



                      JV and Co. finished the 2 games +6.

                      Boxscore

                      Here is JV's statline which is a nice rebound from first game:

                      28:53 minutes
                      23 points
                      7/14 fg
                      9/10 ft
                      7 rebounds (3 offensive)
                      2 assists
                      1 steal
                      1 block
                      1 turnover
                      3 fouls
                      28 efficiency
                      Video added:

                      Comment


                      • BBL - semi-final, April 28

                        L. Rytas wins 89-61 VEF Riga.

                        Boxscore

                        JV with a pedestrian game:

                        18:28 minutes
                        7 points
                        3/7 fg
                        1/2 ft
                        5 rebounds
                        0 assists
                        1 steal
                        2 blocks
                        2 turnovers
                        10 efficiency

                        Comment


                        • BBL - Final, April 29

                          L. Rytas loses 74-70 in the final of BBL to Zalgris (Sonny Weemus' old team).

                          Boxscore

                          JV statline:

                          18:32 minutes
                          4 points
                          1/2 fg
                          2/2 ft
                          5 rebs
                          1 assist
                          1 steal
                          0 block
                          1 turnover
                          1 foul
                          9 efficiency


                          Any Lithuanian insight as to why JV seems to have had very little impact and opportunity the last 2 games?

                          Comment


                          • Matt52 wrote: View Post
                            Any Lithuanian insight as to why JV seems to have had very little impact and opportunity the last 2 games?
                            I'd like to know that too; it's not just the last two games, but there have been more insignificant games lately; that's just going by boxscore as I haven't seen any of his games for some time. It's looking, like at the start of the season, that Valanciunas is getting worn down.

                            Comment


                            • Soft Euro wrote: View Post
                              I'd like to know that too; it's not just the last two games, but there have been more insignificant games lately; that's just going by boxscore as I haven't seen any of his games for some time. It's looking, like at the start of the season, that Valanciunas is getting worn down.
                              It is a possibility.

                              He did have a hectic summer leading in to the start of this season, he is just 19 years old, and L. Rytas just finished their 78th game of the year with at least 3 more games to go (VTB playoffs and LKL playoffs on going). Also, European teams continue to practice on off days, isn't this true?

                              On the bright side, I don't see him having the rookie wall issues many NCAA players go through. Most NCAA players play at most 35 games whereas JV will have played around 80. The NCAA is boys and JV is going against men.

                              Comment


                              • Matt52 wrote: View Post
                                It is a possibility.

                                He did have a hectic summer leading in to the start of this season, he is just 19 years old, and L. Rytas just finished their 78th game of the year with at least 3 more games to go (VTB playoffs and LKL playoffs on going). Also, European teams continue to practice on off days, isn't this true?
                                Nomrally yes, but in a busy schedule normally there will be light practices on the day after; of course I have no clue how this is with Rytas.

                                On the bright side, I don't see him having the rookie wall issues many NCAA players go through. Most NCAA players play at most 35 games whereas JV will have played around 80. The NCAA is boys and JV is going against men.
                                I'm not sure, he has been playing an awful lot of games, barely getting any serious periods without games for quite some time now. At the start of the I was worrying about signs of staleness and they gave him some time off, but if he starts practising and playing with the national team right after the season and heads straight over to the Raptors after the Olympics I think he will be with a team (national or club) almost non-stop for about two years (didn't really research all the dates and stuff, but I think this is correct) and I don't think that's very healthy. (Especially young) players need time to 'replenish'.

                                Comment

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