ARE YOU UPSET with BIG Val-anc-iunas's performance at London Olympics 2012?

[Rytasfan97]

my theory is that he's starting as sort of a showcase of lithuania's future and possibly it's biggest nba star, then they give the rest of the minutes to more experienced guys who have put in time on the national team

[golden]

I would completely disagree with this. Olympic play is different than regular Eurocup or league play, with different style, different refs and different venues. Big V has played in the European championships, the junior championships etc. He has already been on plenty of big stages. I don't believe there is any choking going on at all. I believe he is a low seniority guy playing on a team that has played together for years at international competitions. .

+1. Guys like Kleiza and Scola are FIBA beasts, but just OK in the NBA. Even the great Tim Duncan ("FIBA sucks") was a bust in international competition. Absolutely no correlation to FIBA play and NBA success. Not concerned one bit about JV's performance.

[MyTEAM4Life]

Stephen Brothersten seems to think differently... http://www.hoopsworld.com/jonas-vala...-limited-time/

[theycallmeZZ]

Pretty good article.

[Mess]

Yeah not bad. A lot more informative than looking at the box score and/or blaming the coach.

[stretch]

Scola is more than just OK in the NBA. His energy is inspiring. He was amnestied because of contract and Houston's youth movement. He has landed on his feet in Phoenix.

Dan Bickley of The Arizona Republic:

Scola's attitude has been known to inspire teammates. He plays relentlessly, grabbing and fighting for every loose ball. He has great hands. He sticks up for teammates. He does the stuff that isn't always glamorous. That's not an easy mentality to sustain. ... A longtime nemesis of the Suns, Ginobili is well aware of Scola's new franchise. He was asked to give a candid assessment to fans in Phoenix. "I've been playing with him for 15 years, I know him very well," Ginobili said. "He's definitely a hard worker, a hard-nosed player. He's going to run on every single possession. Up 20, down 20 or tied, he's going to play. He's going to try to play every game possible. He's not going to rest five games because he's tired." Translation: He won't be complaining about fatigue, using the Olympics as an excuse to report late or ease into his new surroundings. "He's going to try to play 82 (games), and he's a hell of a scorer," Ginobili said. "He has so many trick shots and mid-range shots. He became just lethal from the free-throw-line area. He can give you a lot."

[charlz]

Don't be upset. Raptors have made sure the National Team limit his playing time as to not cause any setbacks for the upcoming much hyped season opener.

I trust you all agree with this.

It is very hard to get a read on him. No one is writing him off.

His bread and butter appears to be screen and roll (no surprise there). He rolls well into a sweet spot and does a good job of using his size to seal off opponent. The problem thus far has been Lithuania has not had anyone capable of making a decent pass to him once he gets position.

He took some stupid fouls and we all have to hope he will understand the NBA game quicker so that gets stopped sooner.
Moves and jumps really well - will be a vacuum around the rim I think.

[YYZ]

JV is a project, but he has absolutely no hops.

[AlienOverlord]

Are you disappointed in Chandler's play? He's averaging 5 pts per game.

Val doesn't have much chance to do well, not only is he getting benched early and not even getting a chance to give his teammates a breather but nobody is looking for him out there. In the Nigeria game he was wide open off the pick and roll at least three times but they didn't get him the ball.

[Hugmenot]

Am I upset with Jonas Valanciunas's performance at the London Olympics? No, but I am not impressed either and I am starting to think he is far less ready and maybe more of a project than I assumed.

I can't see him averaging 24 mpg this year if he plays at the same level he is playing at the Olympics.

[Puffer]

...I can't see him averaging 24 mpg this year if he plays at the same level he is playing at the Olympics.

There is no way he will average 24 mpg this year. He might end the year playing 24 mpg, but will not average that. That would be like starting the year getting 12 mpg and ending the year playing 36. I would expect him to start the year coming off the bench, playing against the second unit of other teams. And, depending on matchups, it might make more sense to use Amir more in some games.

I am quite comfortable predicting that JV will play exactly as many minutes a game as Casey thinks he should. And no prediction of how many points, rebounds, blocks, assists or steals in how many minutes per game from me. :-)

[Miekenstien]

Am I upset with Jonas Valanciunas's performance at the London Olympics? No, but I am not impressed either and I am starting to think he is far less ready and maybe more of a project than I assumed.

I can't see him averaging 24 mpg this year if he plays at the same level he is playing at the Olympics.

i think his playing time depends entirely on fouls. whenever he is strategically able to play, he will be on the court. i think he is already our most talented 5 man and the team will have a better chance with him on the floor as compared to gray/johnson.

[Primer]

If Jonas had played in summer league instead of the Olympics he probably would have have averaged 30 minutes a game and a double double, with a least one or two huge games, and we'd all be gushing over how awesome he was going to be this season.

Instead he got extremely limited minutes in the Olympics and we're all disappointed in him? We fans are a fickle mistress.

[ceez]

I expected more but I'm not freaking out about his NBA future or anything. He's still crazy young.

[10 000 Hours]

Jonas vs. Russia

Since I'm living in China, I'm able to watch this game live at a reasonable hour and let me say this:

Jonas made it to the 3:40 mark of the first quarter before being sent to the bench after a stupid foul.

Some things I noticed in his first burn:

1. He looked timid on D like he was afraid of making a mistake.

2. On the offensive play just before he got pulled out in the 1st, he looked like he was completely out of gas.

3. He was not committing to his screens. He was often rolling long before the pick was made.

4. The wings seemed not to trust him (or were greedy) as a few times on the roll, he was wide open in the middle of the lane but got looked over.

5. Had one nice post move and one weak attempt at a dunk that failed.

Hopefully he gets more burn before half time.