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

[AlienOverlord]

Any word on Jonas' ankle? Hope there wasn't a fracture.

When he was in the game he really clogged the paint defensively and when he sat out Russia went inside easily and grabbed boards when they missed. I'd say it's been this way all tournament, they get beaten up inside and really need someone to hold down the paint, which Jonas has done quite well but somehow he gets very little PT. I do like Songaila on the offense though.

[Lark Benson]

I was at work with the game on in the background, so I didn't get to see all of JV's playing time. But to me it simply reinforced what we already know about him and provides a lot of future hope for how well he'll fit with the current roster on offense. It's been said often before, but his biggest contribution on that end is how hard he rolls to the basket, sucking the defense in as he goes. When Lithuania went on that run in the second half, JV freed up their three point shooters over and over again by rolling hard as a 2/3 swung up top on the weak side to be wide open for the pass. If you think of Lowry and Val running the pick and roll with Bargs dragging his big out to the three point line on the weak side, you can't help but smile - I think that's going to be a huge part of their offense by the end of the season.

[10 000 Hours]

I watched the whole game and while I'm not about to put in all the play by play details, I noticed that Russia's lead was always biggest when Jonas was not on the floor. Jonas deserves a lot of credit for this game. I just wonder what the result would have been if he had been given a chance to play in the 2nd quarter.

Their coach seems to have a huge seniority issue and it cost his team in the end.

Lithuania's PG is out of control. He's fast, but what's the point if you're not really using it to your advantage.

That's all I have to say. I don't want to beat up on their team anymore. They lost, and now we can all focus on JV's arrival in Toronto, where he WILL be given a significant chance.

[StaytheCourse]

A better effort today in a loss to Russia. 7 pts and 9 rebs in just 16 minutes of court time!

[ReubenJRD]

Not a great end result for Lithuania; however, this was a great game for JV to end on. He was a major difference maker in this game and finally earned the respect of the coach... getting major minutes in a knock-out Olympic game. The great thing about JV in this game and what excites me about his game is that he can change the game without even getting touches. As well, he seems to get up for big games and plays his best ball. Can't wait to see him in a Raps uni... and I actually hope he starts out on the second unit and has Calderon as his PG. He can help out Calderon's weaknesses on defense and Calderon can make him better on the offensive end.

This brought a smile to my face. I didn't watch the game, but the consensus is, he can change a game without being offensively aggressive. Remind you of someone else in the past draft that is supposed to be a star? *cough* UNIBROW *cough*. A player at such a young age, and potential, could come in, and easily impact a game with his defense and rebounding.

October is only a month and a half away people!!

[ceez]

man the lithuania coach is kinda not the greatest huh

[CalgaryRapsFan]

Not a great end result for Lithuania; however, this was a great game for JV to end on. He was a major difference maker in this game and finally earned the respect of the coach... getting major minutes in a knock-out Olympic game. The great thing about JV in this game and what excites me about his game is that he can change the game without even getting touches. As well, he seems to get up for big games and plays his best ball. Can't wait to see him in a Raps uni... and I actually hope he starts out on the second unit and has Calderon as his PG. He can help out Calderon's weaknesses on defense and Calderon can make him better on the offensive end.

It will be interesting to see who starts at C for the Raps this season and how minutes are distributed.

My assumption, barring any further roster moves, was that Valanciunas/Bargnani would start with Amir/Davis being the primary bigs off the bench. Gray would play with the starting unit whenever Valanciunas got in early foul trouble and/or was overmatched, and could also get some time on the 2nd unit when the opposition had a big backup C (meaning either Amir/Davis would lose time).

If Gray were to start at C (since I can't see a repeat of last year when Amir started at C and was constantly overmatched by bigger players), it could have a big impact on the amount of minutes available for Amir/Davis on the 2nd unit.

I still believe that either before the season or before the trade deadline, either Amir or Davis will wind up being traded, especially if Valanciunas proves capable of playing even 20 mins per night. Whoever is left from Amir/Davis can combine with Gray to fill the remaining C minutes, while Kleiza plays PF on the 2nd unit. The Raps have enough wings to let Kleiza play PF (DeRozan/Fields starting, Ross/Anderson on 2nd unit), especially if another wing is acquired in whatever deal sends Amir/Davis (and possibly Calderon too) out.

[The Coach]

Not a great end result for Lithuania; however, this was a great game for JV to end on. He was a major difference maker in this game and finally earned the respect of the coach... getting major minutes in a knock-out Olympic game. The great thing about JV in this game and what excites me about his game is that he can change the game without even getting touches. As well, he seems to get up for big games and plays his best ball. Can't wait to see him in a Raps uni... and I actually hope he starts out on the second unit and has Calderon as his PG. He can help out Calderon's weaknesses on defense and Calderon can make him better on the offensive end.

[tucas]

Apparently the Lithuanian coach is being torn apart now for not having given him a chance at the beginning of the tournament. I'd look scared out there to if I knew one mistake would get me subbed out for the rest of the half.

[tucas]

He did really well today. The coach wasn't playing him much but by the end of the game he was the one closing because of his defense and kleiza was on the bench. He may not have been a stat sheet stuffer but he was the one leading the charge on defense and did manage to finish with 6pts 9 rebounds and a block. I don't expect much more than that in his rookie season maybe another point or 2 but that's all.

[Mediumcore]

Halftime update:

Of the 13 1st half fouls, JV had one of them. And he managed 3 boards in 6 minutes of play. Linas has 6, but he played more than 16 minutes. Jonas made one of two shots.

So, my question is: why did he not play more? It's not like they're winning. In fact, Russia's lead grew larger when he went to the bench.

Thanks for the updates. Not able to catch the game from work today.

Not too concerned by JV's performance at the Olympic's. Clearly giving him playing time is not on the coaches agenda and his foul trouble issues is something he will be dealing with all season long in the NBA. Just something he'll have to play through.

[10 000 Hours]

Halftime update:

Of the 13 1st half fouls, JV had one of them. And he managed 3 boards in 6 minutes of play. Linas has 6, but he played more than 16 minutes. Jonas made one of two shots.

So, my question is: why did he not play more? It's not like they're winning. In fact, Russia's lead grew larger when he went to the bench.

[10 000 Hours]

Lithuania is getting abused in the paint.

[10 000 Hours]

He definitely looked gased.. lets hope this doesn't become a long term thing

I'm wondering if ti's because he's gotten hardly any playing time and his conditioning is down.

...5 min left in the 2nd and they Russia is up 8. Why not give the kid another chance? They weren't down this much when he was in the game.

[wallz]

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.

He definitely looked gased.. lets hope this doesn't become a long term thing