[MCRIZZParticipant]

 Val, has been awarded the eurocup u19 MVP and Championship….Great tourny for the big man posting Final averages of: 23 pts (59.8% FG, 81.1% FT), 13.9 rebs, 3.2 blks

As a raptor fan I am very excited for him to join Ed, DD, and hopefully another high pick in next years draft 

[boshjonesfordParticipant]

Ya they won the championship aginst Serbia today …. Val had = 36 points (13/18) pretty good

i think he should make the senior team

[boshjonesfordParticipant]

Ya they won the championship aginst Serbia today …. Val had = 36 points (13/18) pretty good

i think he should make the senior team

[lalailaParticipant]

LIETUVA!!!

 

hope he will continue to get better and will reach his ceiling which is pretty huge 

[lalailaParticipant]

LIETUVA!!!

 

hope he will continue to get better and will reach his ceiling which is pretty huge 

[OhCanada-Participant]

Funny thing is everyone knew he would be the MVP when the tournament started and many people thought Lithuania would win, they still got it done with all that pressure. Lithuania is really starting to dominate the entire sport! Tough to be the guy night in night out at any level of competition, but he definitely was.

[OhCanada-Participant]

Funny thing is everyone knew he would be the MVP when the tournament started and many people thought Lithuania would win, they still got it done with all that pressure. Lithuania is really starting to dominate the entire sport! Tough to be the guy night in night out at any level of competition, but he definitely was.

[MCRIZZParticipant]

Last 3 seasons

u18 Euro Championships 2009 -19.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, on 72% FG and 79% FT

u18 Euro Championships 2010 -19.4 points, 13.4 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, on 70% FG and 78% FT

Euro League per 40 -21 points, 13.6 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, on 74% FG and 88% FT

[MCRIZZParticipant]

Last 3 seasons

u18 Euro Championships 2009 -19.3 points, 10.6 rebounds, 2.6 blocks, on 72% FG and 79% FT

u18 Euro Championships 2010 -19.4 points, 13.4 rebounds, 2.7 blocks, on 70% FG and 78% FT

Euro League per 40 -21 points, 13.6 rebounds, 1.8 blocks, on 74% FG and 88% FT

[boshjonesfordParticipant]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0aaWkLyTNE

[boshjonesfordParticipant]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n0aaWkLyTNE

[MCRIZZParticipant]

 If there is a lockout here is something other than ncaa to look forward to…

Kanter has said that if there is a lockout he will play for the national team in the Eurobasket tournament which starts up August 31st. Lithuania and Turkey are in the same group.

[MCRIZZParticipant]

 If there is a lockout here is something other than ncaa to look forward to…

Kanter has said that if there is a lockout he will play for the national team in the Eurobasket tournament which starts up August 31st. Lithuania and Turkey are in the same group.

[Knicksboy3Participant]

 I really hope those 30-10 statlines is not what Toronto fans expect when he comes over.

[Knicksboy3Participant]

 I really hope those 30-10 statlines is not what Toronto fans expect when he comes over.

[MCRIZZParticipant]

 Clearly it isnt what is expected of him when he comes over…. but to see this young man excel the way he has imo, eased the original draft day pain of not grabbing brandon knight…. the kid is a talent and it begs the question: 

If this tournament was on his resume, before the draft would he have been taken higher than pick at  5? …. IMO yes …This tourny he really has shown his worth even early on just after they played the US the first time…

Marc (Toronto)
thoughts on Jonas Valanciunas’ game vs the U19 USA team yesterday?

Chad Ford (1:38 PM)

I think he showed why he was a Top 5 pick. Patrick Young is a NBA athlete and has a NBA body and Valanciunas looked great against him. A couple of GMs told me after the draft he was the No. 1 rated guy on their board. I know Raptors fans were frustrated with the pick, but if they’re patient … he is a talent.

 

[MCRIZZParticipant]

 Clearly it isnt what is expected of him when he comes over…. but to see this young man excel the way he has imo, eased the original draft day pain of not grabbing brandon knight…. the kid is a talent and it begs the question: 

If this tournament was on his resume, before the draft would he have been taken higher than pick at  5? …. IMO yes …This tourny he really has shown his worth even early on just after they played the US the first time…

Marc (Toronto)
thoughts on Jonas Valanciunas’ game vs the U19 USA team yesterday?

Chad Ford (1:38 PM)

I think he showed why he was a Top 5 pick. Patrick Young is a NBA athlete and has a NBA body and Valanciunas looked great against him. A couple of GMs told me after the draft he was the No. 1 rated guy on their board. I know Raptors fans were frustrated with the pick, but if they’re patient … he is a talent.

 

[QuazedUnicornParticipant]

as a raptors fan i am pleased but he has to continue to work because he’lll be playing men in a few years and id like him to get some more strength because he can block but Dwight howard is out there lyeing in wait of future vitctums

[QuazedUnicornParticipant]

as a raptors fan i am pleased but he has to continue to work because he’lll be playing men in a few years and id like him to get some more strength because he can block but Dwight howard is out there lyeing in wait of future vitctums

[Knicksboy3Participant]

 I don’t expect it either, I actually thought the Jonas pick was the best pick in the draft for Toronto. However, dude is getting post left and right, I hope we don’t expect 20-10 off the bat. 

[Knicksboy3Participant]

 I don’t expect it either, I actually thought the Jonas pick was the best pick in the draft for Toronto. However, dude is getting post left and right, I hope we don’t expect 20-10 off the bat. 

[TheLastWordParticipant]

Congratulations to all Raptor fans, within three years you’ll probably have the 2nd best center in the league on your team. What is going to make him special is his hard work and absolute love for basketball. You can’t teach those things, and JV has them in spades.

[TheLastWordParticipant]

Congratulations to all Raptor fans, within three years you’ll probably have the 2nd best center in the league on your team. What is going to make him special is his hard work and absolute love for basketball. You can’t teach those things, and JV has them in spades.

[sammybuckeye13Participant]

 anyone have a link to his stats/winning mvp/box score of the final?

[sammybuckeye13Participant]

 anyone have a link to his stats/winning mvp/box score of the final?

[WizardofOzParticipant]

What were his stats today?

[WizardofOzParticipant]

What were his stats today?

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

I am very happy with how well he played. I definitely wanted Brandon Knight instead of Jonas at the time of the draft, but it looks like the Raps might have made the right choice for the team. He definitely seems to play hard, has very nice athleticism for a big man and in a league where solid bigs are incredibly rare, the Raptors might potentially have one of the better ones. I look forward to seeing how he plays this year in Europe and I of course look forward to his joining the Raps hopefully for the 2012-13 season (with all of this CBA mess out of the way).

I do not mean to take anything away from how he played, he seemed incredibly dominant and more than likely would have been one of the best players in the tournament regardless, but I feel like the level of competition was fairly weak in the tournament. Premo Karnowski was obviously huge, and Patric Young is a big body as well, but this tourney was super lacking as far as post players were concerned. It is true that the past two classes have been extremely thin as far as true Centers and post prospects, but it would have been nice to see the best the US had to offer. Even Canada was incredibly lacking. From my understanding, this has nothing to do with these players not being invited, and everything to do with the players turning the US and Canada down due to urging from there current college coaches and advisors.

Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports did note, and this is a fairly obvious observation, that many players who could have been playing in Latvia for the US U-19 team, were in attendance for the LeBron James Skills Academy. Now, I do not know what the entire deal is behind this, but last summer, both teams were stacked, and this summer, it seems the kids in college were not willing to sacrifice either summer school, training with their new team mates or camps to go play for Team USA. So, while the USA put up a less than stellar effort in this tournament, and supposedly were cocky and had questionable attitudes toward preparation, these kids were at least able to play and give it their all.

As far as the 2012 draft is concerned, I think the only prospects likely to enter that played for the USA are Jeremy Lamb, and possibly Patric Young and Tony Mitchell. Joe Jackson is also a possibility, but I feel like their were a few players who certainly could have bitten the bullet and added some needed depth to Team USA.

Here is a list of players we would have loved to see for Team USA, and I know most of these guys TURNED DOWN invites, as opposed to being "looked over". I will not include Quincy Miller and Kyrie Irving, as both are recovering from injuries.:

PG Kendall Marshall

PG Marquis Teague

PG Josiah Turner

SG Bradley Beal (Last years leading scorer for Team USA’s U-17 team)

SG Austin Rivers (I believe the U-18 leading scorer)

SG PJ Hairston (He is more physically mature than numerous players on the current team)

SF Mike Gilchrist (Awesome for U-17 last year, incredibly versatile)

SF Harrison Barnes (Obviously a pipe dream, but was definitely eligible)

SF/PF Terrence Jones (Know he would have made a difference)

PF Perry Jones (Would have been very interesting to see if he responded to being more than likely the most talented player on the team bar none)

PF Jared Sullinger (Have a feeling his numbers offensively would have given Jonas a run for his money)

PF Anthony Davis (No doubt in my mind he would have been a major difference maker)

PF James McAdoo (Team USA vet, really bummed he did not go back for a shot at a 3rd Gold Medal)

 

Here are guys that I really wished would have helped Canada’s team. Do not know what the case was, but have a feeling it was incredibly similar to whatever was keeping the US guys from not playing:

PG Myck Kabongo (Huge part of our U-18 team last year)

PG Corey Joseph (Believe he was still eligible, would have been a nice combo guard)

SF Andrew Wiggins (Really thought he was going to play after being taken off the U-16 team. He would have been a major help to either team. Dyshawn Pierre is I believe the only player who gets more minutes on the U-19 team than Wiggins does on CIA Bounce, and he was Canada’s leading scorer)

SF Kevin Thomas (Headed to Texas, I am sure he would have provided depth)

SF Nik Staukas (Michigan verbal, supposedly had a very strong Reebok camp DURING THE U-19 Tournament)

PF Kyle Wiltjer (Huge for the U-18’s last year)

PF Anthony Bennett (Like Wiggins, was at the LeBron camp)

PF Tristan Thompson (OK, seeing Thompson vs. Valanciunas? Would that not have been something incredible during a lockout that has everyone down?)

PF Khem Birch (He is arguably the most athletic defensive big Canada has as a prospect currently)

 

Instead, these two countries finish 5th and 11th. These tournaments obviously do not matter to players in North America, but I think they should. It would be great experience to play against the best players world wide in their age group, and also a more than likely big time wake up call. For a short time, it finally seemed like International Basketball was getting everyones best squad out for the games, but this was a major let down. Congrats to Lithuania, who definitely deserved to win, but I just wish the US and Canada could have at least put up a fight with their premier talent.

 

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

I am very happy with how well he played. I definitely wanted Brandon Knight instead of Jonas at the time of the draft, but it looks like the Raps might have made the right choice for the team. He definitely seems to play hard, has very nice athleticism for a big man and in a league where solid bigs are incredibly rare, the Raptors might potentially have one of the better ones. I look forward to seeing how he plays this year in Europe and I of course look forward to his joining the Raps hopefully for the 2012-13 season (with all of this CBA mess out of the way).

I do not mean to take anything away from how he played, he seemed incredibly dominant and more than likely would have been one of the best players in the tournament regardless, but I feel like the level of competition was fairly weak in the tournament. Premo Karnowski was obviously huge, and Patric Young is a big body as well, but this tourney was super lacking as far as post players were concerned. It is true that the past two classes have been extremely thin as far as true Centers and post prospects, but it would have been nice to see the best the US had to offer. Even Canada was incredibly lacking. From my understanding, this has nothing to do with these players not being invited, and everything to do with the players turning the US and Canada down due to urging from there current college coaches and advisors.

Jeff Goodman of CBS Sports did note, and this is a fairly obvious observation, that many players who could have been playing in Latvia for the US U-19 team, were in attendance for the LeBron James Skills Academy. Now, I do not know what the entire deal is behind this, but last summer, both teams were stacked, and this summer, it seems the kids in college were not willing to sacrifice either summer school, training with their new team mates or camps to go play for Team USA. So, while the USA put up a less than stellar effort in this tournament, and supposedly were cocky and had questionable attitudes toward preparation, these kids were at least able to play and give it their all.

As far as the 2012 draft is concerned, I think the only prospects likely to enter that played for the USA are Jeremy Lamb, and possibly Patric Young and Tony Mitchell. Joe Jackson is also a possibility, but I feel like their were a few players who certainly could have bitten the bullet and added some needed depth to Team USA.

Here is a list of players we would have loved to see for Team USA, and I know most of these guys TURNED DOWN invites, as opposed to being "looked over". I will not include Quincy Miller and Kyrie Irving, as both are recovering from injuries.:

PG Kendall Marshall

PG Marquis Teague

PG Josiah Turner

SG Bradley Beal (Last years leading scorer for Team USA’s U-17 team)

SG Austin Rivers (I believe the U-18 leading scorer)

SG PJ Hairston (He is more physically mature than numerous players on the current team)

SF Mike Gilchrist (Awesome for U-17 last year, incredibly versatile)

SF Harrison Barnes (Obviously a pipe dream, but was definitely eligible)

SF/PF Terrence Jones (Know he would have made a difference)

PF Perry Jones (Would have been very interesting to see if he responded to being more than likely the most talented player on the team bar none)

PF Jared Sullinger (Have a feeling his numbers offensively would have given Jonas a run for his money)

PF Anthony Davis (No doubt in my mind he would have been a major difference maker)

PF James McAdoo (Team USA vet, really bummed he did not go back for a shot at a 3rd Gold Medal)

 

Here are guys that I really wished would have helped Canada’s team. Do not know what the case was, but have a feeling it was incredibly similar to whatever was keeping the US guys from not playing:

PG Myck Kabongo (Huge part of our U-18 team last year)

PG Corey Joseph (Believe he was still eligible, would have been a nice combo guard)

SF Andrew Wiggins (Really thought he was going to play after being taken off the U-16 team. He would have been a major help to either team. Dyshawn Pierre is I believe the only player who gets more minutes on the U-19 team than Wiggins does on CIA Bounce, and he was Canada’s leading scorer)

SF Kevin Thomas (Headed to Texas, I am sure he would have provided depth)

SF Nik Staukas (Michigan verbal, supposedly had a very strong Reebok camp DURING THE U-19 Tournament)

PF Kyle Wiltjer (Huge for the U-18’s last year)

PF Anthony Bennett (Like Wiggins, was at the LeBron camp)

PF Tristan Thompson (OK, seeing Thompson vs. Valanciunas? Would that not have been something incredible during a lockout that has everyone down?)

PF Khem Birch (He is arguably the most athletic defensive big Canada has as a prospect currently)

 

Instead, these two countries finish 5th and 11th. These tournaments obviously do not matter to players in North America, but I think they should. It would be great experience to play against the best players world wide in their age group, and also a more than likely big time wake up call. For a short time, it finally seemed like International Basketball was getting everyones best squad out for the games, but this was a major let down. Congrats to Lithuania, who definitely deserved to win, but I just wish the US and Canada could have at least put up a fight with their premier talent.

 

[TheLastWordParticipant]

You don’t pass on a dime a dozen PG like Brandon Knight for a true center like JV. The mock draft gurus  botched Knight’s stock badly.   

[TheLastWordParticipant]

You don’t pass on a dime a dozen PG like Brandon Knight for a true center like JV. The mock draft gurus  botched Knight’s stock badly.   

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

“I really hope those 30-10 statlines is not what Toronto fans expect when he comes over.”

I hope people realize he is the same guy who was a walking foul in the Euroleague, and that playing well in a junior-level tournament doesn’t change the fact that the NBA is the premier league for grown men in the world. Then again, if I mention Paulao Prestes averaged 23-15 in that same tournament in 2007, it might get the weird Timberwolves fans all excited as oppose to bring a little dose of reality for Raptor fans.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

“I really hope those 30-10 statlines is not what Toronto fans expect when he comes over.”

I hope people realize he is the same guy who was a walking foul in the Euroleague, and that playing well in a junior-level tournament doesn’t change the fact that the NBA is the premier league for grown men in the world. Then again, if I mention Paulao Prestes averaged 23-15 in that same tournament in 2007, it might get the weird Timberwolves fans all excited as oppose to bring a little dose of reality for Raptor fans.

[MCRIZZParticipant]

 today he went for 36 points (13/18 FG, 10/14 FT), 8 rebounds (4 offensive, 4 defensive), 3 blocks, 3 steals, 4 turnovers, 3 fouls in 40 minutes.

Semis he went for 21 pts (8/10 FG, 5/7 FT), 13 rebounds, 2 assists.here are the rest of the stats 

vs. Croatia: 19 pts, 13 rbds, 5 blks, 7/17 FG, 5/6 FT
vs. Korea: 25 pts, 17 rbds, 2 blks, 11/11 FG, 3/3 FT (in 19 minutes!)
vs. Canada: 15 pts, 9 rbds, 4 blks, 4/5 FG, 1/1 FT (in 14 minutes!)
vs. Serbia: 18 pts, 13 rbds, 3 blks, 6/14 FG, 6/7 FT
vs. USA: 30 pts, 15 rbds, 4 blks, 11/20 FG, 8/10 FT
vs. Egypt: 17 pts, 13 rbds, 3 blks, 4/7 FG, 9/10 FT
vs. Poland: 26 pts, 24 rbds, 5 blks, 8/19 FG, 10/11 FT

[MCRIZZParticipant]

 today he went for 36 points (13/18 FG, 10/14 FT), 8 rebounds (4 offensive, 4 defensive), 3 blocks, 3 steals, 4 turnovers, 3 fouls in 40 minutes.

Semis he went for 21 pts (8/10 FG, 5/7 FT), 13 rebounds, 2 assists.here are the rest of the stats 

vs. Croatia: 19 pts, 13 rbds, 5 blks, 7/17 FG, 5/6 FT
vs. Korea: 25 pts, 17 rbds, 2 blks, 11/11 FG, 3/3 FT (in 19 minutes!)
vs. Canada: 15 pts, 9 rbds, 4 blks, 4/5 FG, 1/1 FT (in 14 minutes!)
vs. Serbia: 18 pts, 13 rbds, 3 blks, 6/14 FG, 6/7 FT
vs. USA: 30 pts, 15 rbds, 4 blks, 11/20 FG, 8/10 FT
vs. Egypt: 17 pts, 13 rbds, 3 blks, 4/7 FG, 9/10 FT
vs. Poland: 26 pts, 24 rbds, 5 blks, 8/19 FG, 10/11 FT

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

Passing on Derrick Williams and Jonas Valanciunas could come back and haunt the Cavs.
Those two could have formed a great front line with JJ Hickson (who they traded for an inferior player).
Then they could have gotten a good guard (Austin Rivers, Jeremy Lamb) at worst in a draft with one true small forward (Harrison Barnes), no centers, a few good shooting guards and point guards, and lots of tweener forwards.

[Memphis MadnessParticipant]

Passing on Derrick Williams and Jonas Valanciunas could come back and haunt the Cavs.
Those two could have formed a great front line with JJ Hickson (who they traded for an inferior player).
Then they could have gotten a good guard (Austin Rivers, Jeremy Lamb) at worst in a draft with one true small forward (Harrison Barnes), no centers, a few good shooting guards and point guards, and lots of tweener forwards.

[boshjonesfordParticipant]

@mikeyvthedon

 

why PG Myck Kabongo for the US…isnt he Canadian.

[boshjonesfordParticipant]

@mikeyvthedon

 

why PG Myck Kabongo for the US…isnt he Canadian.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

You obviously missed the part where I said:

 "Here are guys that I really wished would have helped Canada’s team. Do not know what the case was, but have a feeling it was incredibly similar to whatever was keeping the US guys from not playing:"

I know sometimes there are legitimate gripes with peoples information, but at least try to read it carefully if you are trying to point them out.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

You obviously missed the part where I said:

 "Here are guys that I really wished would have helped Canada’s team. Do not know what the case was, but have a feeling it was incredibly similar to whatever was keeping the US guys from not playing:"

I know sometimes there are legitimate gripes with peoples information, but at least try to read it carefully if you are trying to point them out.

[aamir543Participant]

Another year, another surprise country…………….But still no India. Smh, Smh.

[aamir543Participant]

Another year, another surprise country…………….But still no India. Smh, Smh.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Guys, I do not mean to rain on your parade, and as a Raptor fan, I think you should still be happy about the selection of Valanciunas (after all, they were thinking of taking Biyombo), but I would say temper your expectations. Paulo Prestes may be a fairly different player from Jonas, he definitely had different expectations as a prospect and is definitely slower afoot, as he has a really big frame (6’10 and 270). But, like Jonas, he destroyed U-19 Comp:

http://latvia2011.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/player/p/pid/54005/sid/3955/tid/250/_//index.html

 

If you go to that link, you will see that Prestes put up really good numbers: 23 and 14.7. Plus, he played against a much better USA team as well going for 26 and 13. Also, here is big man AJ Ogilvy at the same U-19 World Championships:

http://latvia2011.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/player/p/pid/61499/sid/3955/tid/239/_//index.html

 

Granted, Jonas was on the winning team, and regarded as a better prospect than either, but both of these guys were seen as very talented young guys and tended to be viewed as future first round picks. Paulo went 45th in the 2010 draft, Ogilvy went undrafted after a solid if unspectacular 3 years at Vanderbilt (his scoring actually dipping every season from 17 to 15.4 to 13.4 his junior year). Jonas may be more of an athlete, but there seems to be some work to do, as far as his ball control and fouling situation are concerned.

Their is a reason Jonas only played 14.9 mpg for Lietuvos Rytas in the Euroleagues. He averaged 3.1 fouls per game in that little time. Not to mention 1.4 turnovers per game, which is only one point fewer than a couple post players on his team averaging 10 more minutes per game. The upside is present, he shot REALLY well from the field and line (70 and 90%, respectively), but lets look at who he was playing with. His teams leading scorer is NBA outcast Khalid El-Amin (Who was AWESOME in college, and a good pro player, but could not play defense or shoot well enough to stick around in the NBA). Sarunas Jasikevicius (great Lithuanian PG, played for Pacers and Warriors, but was a more optimal European player), Brad Newley (Aussie, former Orlando 2nd round pick) and Martynas Grecevicius (Lithuanian 2 guard) all received more PT than Jonas.

He plays behind two guys named Milko Bjelica (Not to be confused with Timbervolves 2010 2nd round pick Nemanja Bjelica) and Kenan Bajramovic, both of him were not drafted by the NBA. Jonas puts up great Per Minute Stats, he averages 7.7 and 5.8 in 15.4 minutes per game. But, if there is something we have learned from European prospects coming over to the NBA, their statistics rarely translate to the NBA as far as the positives are concerned. In other words, they still do the things wrong they normally do, and we have little idea if the positives will exactly translate. I expect Jonas to have a rough transition, and if he averaged over double digits in scoring and 6-7 boards per game if he gets significant minutes during his first year in the NBA, I would call that a major success. Though, for someone who Jonathan Givony compares to "a cross between Andris Biedrins and Joakim Noah", you might never want to get too excited over Jonas’ offensive production.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

Guys, I do not mean to rain on your parade, and as a Raptor fan, I think you should still be happy about the selection of Valanciunas (after all, they were thinking of taking Biyombo), but I would say temper your expectations. Paulo Prestes may be a fairly different player from Jonas, he definitely had different expectations as a prospect and is definitely slower afoot, as he has a really big frame (6’10 and 270). But, like Jonas, he destroyed U-19 Comp:

http://latvia2011.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/player/p/pid/54005/sid/3955/tid/250/_//index.html

 

If you go to that link, you will see that Prestes put up really good numbers: 23 and 14.7. Plus, he played against a much better USA team as well going for 26 and 13. Also, here is big man AJ Ogilvy at the same U-19 World Championships:

http://latvia2011.fiba.com/pages/eng/fa/player/p/pid/61499/sid/3955/tid/239/_//index.html

 

Granted, Jonas was on the winning team, and regarded as a better prospect than either, but both of these guys were seen as very talented young guys and tended to be viewed as future first round picks. Paulo went 45th in the 2010 draft, Ogilvy went undrafted after a solid if unspectacular 3 years at Vanderbilt (his scoring actually dipping every season from 17 to 15.4 to 13.4 his junior year). Jonas may be more of an athlete, but there seems to be some work to do, as far as his ball control and fouling situation are concerned.

Their is a reason Jonas only played 14.9 mpg for Lietuvos Rytas in the Euroleagues. He averaged 3.1 fouls per game in that little time. Not to mention 1.4 turnovers per game, which is only one point fewer than a couple post players on his team averaging 10 more minutes per game. The upside is present, he shot REALLY well from the field and line (70 and 90%, respectively), but lets look at who he was playing with. His teams leading scorer is NBA outcast Khalid El-Amin (Who was AWESOME in college, and a good pro player, but could not play defense or shoot well enough to stick around in the NBA). Sarunas Jasikevicius (great Lithuanian PG, played for Pacers and Warriors, but was a more optimal European player), Brad Newley (Aussie, former Orlando 2nd round pick) and Martynas Grecevicius (Lithuanian 2 guard) all received more PT than Jonas.

He plays behind two guys named Milko Bjelica (Not to be confused with Timbervolves 2010 2nd round pick Nemanja Bjelica) and Kenan Bajramovic, both of him were not drafted by the NBA. Jonas puts up great Per Minute Stats, he averages 7.7 and 5.8 in 15.4 minutes per game. But, if there is something we have learned from European prospects coming over to the NBA, their statistics rarely translate to the NBA as far as the positives are concerned. In other words, they still do the things wrong they normally do, and we have little idea if the positives will exactly translate. I expect Jonas to have a rough transition, and if he averaged over double digits in scoring and 6-7 boards per game if he gets significant minutes during his first year in the NBA, I would call that a major success. Though, for someone who Jonathan Givony compares to "a cross between Andris Biedrins and Joakim Noah", you might never want to get too excited over Jonas’ offensive production.

[OhCanada-Participant]

Jonas Valanciunas played better then anyone in that tournament. The only prospect that maybe better in that tournament is Dario Saric due to his young age and enormous ceiling, but the best player in that tournament is Jonas Valanciunas. He was MVP, and his team won. Thats pretty frickin good. Now how well should we think he projects to the NBA, well honestly this tournament shouldnt change anybodys projections. He is a mobile defender, relentless rebounder with tons of heart. He is overagressive which leads to fouls and turnovers. He is very slight which gets him pushed around at times, out of position, and limits his post moves. But he has good touch, and solid offensive potential.

I still say something like an Andris Beidrins/Nenad Kristic mix should be the average expectation, which would make NBA GM’s drool.

[OhCanada-Participant]

Jonas Valanciunas played better then anyone in that tournament. The only prospect that maybe better in that tournament is Dario Saric due to his young age and enormous ceiling, but the best player in that tournament is Jonas Valanciunas. He was MVP, and his team won. Thats pretty frickin good. Now how well should we think he projects to the NBA, well honestly this tournament shouldnt change anybodys projections. He is a mobile defender, relentless rebounder with tons of heart. He is overagressive which leads to fouls and turnovers. He is very slight which gets him pushed around at times, out of position, and limits his post moves. But he has good touch, and solid offensive potential.

I still say something like an Andris Beidrins/Nenad Kristic mix should be the average expectation, which would make NBA GM’s drool.

[OhCanada-Participant]

I think he has offensive potential, the touch is there, he is mobile, and he is fairly coordinated. He doesnt pass that great but I doubt he will be an obvious weakness for a teams offensive flow.

[OhCanada-Participant]

I think he has offensive potential, the touch is there, he is mobile, and he is fairly coordinated. He doesnt pass that great but I doubt he will be an obvious weakness for a teams offensive flow.

[i’m jus so offendedParticipant]

 bothteamsplayedhard, how much do u hate international players??? I remember reading this monster post ripping on European guys…like cmon man, i know a good amount of them fail but so do high school standouts and collegiant all-americans. Whose the best player in the world right now? Big Daddy Dirk bro!

[i’m jus so offendedParticipant]

 bothteamsplayedhard, how much do u hate international players??? I remember reading this monster post ripping on European guys…like cmon man, i know a good amount of them fail but so do high school standouts and collegiant all-americans. Whose the best player in the world right now? Big Daddy Dirk bro!

[kobyzParticipant]

i can see Jonas Valanciunas develop to a special player in the future, he remind me so much Robert Parish

[kobyzParticipant]

i can see Jonas Valanciunas develop to a special player in the future, he remind me so much Robert Parish

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

"bothteamsplayedhard, how much do u hate international players??? I remember reading this monster post ripping on European guys…like cmon man, i know a good amount of them fail but so do high school standouts and collegiant all-americans. Whose the best player in the world right now? Big Daddy Dirk bro!"

No, don’t make generalizations. 2011 was a bad draft, and the international players weren’t any more proven just because they were rising up. I was down on Valanciunas and Motiejunas because they played poorly against the better teams in Europe, and Jonas showed himself to be both foul and turnover prone. That has nothing to do with where they are from. Both of those two statistics translate as strongly as any stat in basketball. I am down on Biyombo because of his fouling and turnovers as well as the fact that it is tremendously fishy that someone who did not start or finish games in the 14 games he played in Spain would quit that team to play in a high school All-Star game and then sue them in order to not have to play again. Then, only after losing a game of 1-on-none, did he come to the US to workout for three teams. I have since learned though that it is a non-issue, because the brilliant drafting minds of the Charlotte Bobcats bought him in. They would never miss on a pick… Kwame! Hey, there are worse things in the world than having a guaranteed top 4 pick next year, right? Anyway, I rambled off there, but I was down on those three. My concern with Mirotic is slightly nationalized, but it is because he said that he doesn’t care much about the NBA. He isn’t going to be a superstar, and when guys like JCN, Spanoulis, Ukic, and Rudy Fernandez have cried about their role in the NBA it raises the concern about whether Mirotic will commit to being a team guy regardless of minutes.Bogdanovic and Macvan are locked into long-term deals abroad, so that matters a bit. I don’t think I killed either of them.  I liked Jan Vesely quite a bit, and never wrote anything bad about him. The concern with Kanter is that he has been out of action for two years, but I love the idea of what he is supposedly. It isn’t a xenophobic thing, it is mostly a rawness, fouling and turnover matter.

[BothTeamsPlayedHardParticipant]

"bothteamsplayedhard, how much do u hate international players??? I remember reading this monster post ripping on European guys…like cmon man, i know a good amount of them fail but so do high school standouts and collegiant all-americans. Whose the best player in the world right now? Big Daddy Dirk bro!"

No, don’t make generalizations. 2011 was a bad draft, and the international players weren’t any more proven just because they were rising up. I was down on Valanciunas and Motiejunas because they played poorly against the better teams in Europe, and Jonas showed himself to be both foul and turnover prone. That has nothing to do with where they are from. Both of those two statistics translate as strongly as any stat in basketball. I am down on Biyombo because of his fouling and turnovers as well as the fact that it is tremendously fishy that someone who did not start or finish games in the 14 games he played in Spain would quit that team to play in a high school All-Star game and then sue them in order to not have to play again. Then, only after losing a game of 1-on-none, did he come to the US to workout for three teams. I have since learned though that it is a non-issue, because the brilliant drafting minds of the Charlotte Bobcats bought him in. They would never miss on a pick… Kwame! Hey, there are worse things in the world than having a guaranteed top 4 pick next year, right? Anyway, I rambled off there, but I was down on those three. My concern with Mirotic is slightly nationalized, but it is because he said that he doesn’t care much about the NBA. He isn’t going to be a superstar, and when guys like JCN, Spanoulis, Ukic, and Rudy Fernandez have cried about their role in the NBA it raises the concern about whether Mirotic will commit to being a team guy regardless of minutes.Bogdanovic and Macvan are locked into long-term deals abroad, so that matters a bit. I don’t think I killed either of them.  I liked Jan Vesely quite a bit, and never wrote anything bad about him. The concern with Kanter is that he has been out of action for two years, but I love the idea of what he is supposedly. It isn’t a xenophobic thing, it is mostly a rawness, fouling and turnover matter.

[SteroidParticipant]

I love how BTPH just comes in and crashes the party for raptor fans.

[SteroidParticipant]

I love how BTPH just comes in and crashes the party for raptor fans.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

On some things stats that as he says, translate as strongly as any in basketball. If you get fouls and turnovers in the Euroleagues, odds are you will get them at a similar if not greater rate in the NBA. Will Valanciunas shoot 70% from the field and 90% from the line though? Well, we can be encouraged, but guess HELL NO. It is a great sign that he dominated this tournament, but it is a tournament classically short on bigs. During the draft, Jonas compared himself to Chris Bosh, "because we both do not have strong body." Well, he does not have Chris Bosh’s 15 foot J, and I think we all are interested to see how he handles the better athletes the NBA has in the post.

[mikeyvthedonParticipant]

On some things stats that as he says, translate as strongly as any in basketball. If you get fouls and turnovers in the Euroleagues, odds are you will get them at a similar if not greater rate in the NBA. Will Valanciunas shoot 70% from the field and 90% from the line though? Well, we can be encouraged, but guess HELL NO. It is a great sign that he dominated this tournament, but it is a tournament classically short on bigs. During the draft, Jonas compared himself to Chris Bosh, "because we both do not have strong body." Well, he does not have Chris Bosh’s 15 foot J, and I think we all are interested to see how he handles the better athletes the NBA has in the post.

[Knicksboy3Participant]

 Did my dude say he reminded him of Robert Parrish? Top 50 all time player Robert Parrish? GTFO man. 

[Knicksboy3Participant]

 Did my dude say he reminded him of Robert Parrish? Top 50 all time player Robert Parrish? GTFO man. 

[RafterParticipant]

Well deserved to Jonas and Team Lithuania.

I think Raptor fans are relieved that Jonas is actually what he was billed as, he’s shown what he can do, yes it was against questionable opponents but at least he put up dominant stats as opposed to a solid 10-14ppg 10rpg stat line, that shows drive and not being complacent. Jonas didn’t play on some high horse, he did the dirty work and played hard.

And BTPH, i think you’re quite disrespectful to Raptor fans, they know he won’t be that dominant, they know this tournament wasn’t much of a big deal, they know the U19 event isn’t an insight into how a player will perform in the NBA. They wanted to see what kind of player their team has picked up and have liked what they saw, i would kill to see Kyrie Irving in a youth international event to see where he’s at. Instead i have to wait until the Lockout is resolved before i can see him.

Jonas wasn’t as bad as foul machine as you say either BTPH, 3.2fpg in 20mpg isn’t terrible, he only fouled out twice in 2011. If he’s given more minutes, he’s a smart enough player, to cut down on his fouling. Even if he’s had a history of fouling, he can learn from it, he’s still a young kid. If he is in foul trouble in the NBA, Ed Davis, Amir Johnson or any other bigman the Raptors have in the 12-13 season can slide over and fill in.

[RafterParticipant]

Well deserved to Jonas and Team Lithuania.

I think Raptor fans are relieved that Jonas is actually what he was billed as, he’s shown what he can do, yes it was against questionable opponents but at least he put up dominant stats as opposed to a solid 10-14ppg 10rpg stat line, that shows drive and not being complacent. Jonas didn’t play on some high horse, he did the dirty work and played hard.

And BTPH, i think you’re quite disrespectful to Raptor fans, they know he won’t be that dominant, they know this tournament wasn’t much of a big deal, they know the U19 event isn’t an insight into how a player will perform in the NBA. They wanted to see what kind of player their team has picked up and have liked what they saw, i would kill to see Kyrie Irving in a youth international event to see where he’s at. Instead i have to wait until the Lockout is resolved before i can see him.

Jonas wasn’t as bad as foul machine as you say either BTPH, 3.2fpg in 20mpg isn’t terrible, he only fouled out twice in 2011. If he’s given more minutes, he’s a smart enough player, to cut down on his fouling. Even if he’s had a history of fouling, he can learn from it, he’s still a young kid. If he is in foul trouble in the NBA, Ed Davis, Amir Johnson or any other bigman the Raptors have in the 12-13 season can slide over and fill in.

[Knicksboy3Participant]

 3.2fpg in 20mpg isn’t terrible

 

– My dude, that’s AWFUL man. 

[Knicksboy3Participant]

 3.2fpg in 20mpg isn’t terrible

 

– My dude, that’s AWFUL man. 

[JNixonParticipant]

I definitely agree with BTPH. Jonas is a foul prone big who turns the ball over alot. Biyombo is the same way. People get caught up in how they play in off-season tournaments and draft workouts, and look past what they do in structured games during the season.

"Jonas wasn’t as bad as foul machine as you say either BTPH, 3.2fpg in 20mpg isn’t terrible, he only fouled out twice in 2011"

Think about that. That’s about 7 fouls for 48 mins. He won’t be rode that much in the NBA, but that’s a high rate man. 3 fouls in 20 mins is like playing the whole 1st quarter and 8 mins in the 2nd quarter. If you get 3 fouls in the 2nd quarter in the NBA, you’re sitting next to coach on the bench because you’re in foul trouble. And if he fouls like that in Europe, what will happen against NBA bigs?

[JNixonParticipant]

I definitely agree with BTPH. Jonas is a foul prone big who turns the ball over alot. Biyombo is the same way. People get caught up in how they play in off-season tournaments and draft workouts, and look past what they do in structured games during the season.

"Jonas wasn’t as bad as foul machine as you say either BTPH, 3.2fpg in 20mpg isn’t terrible, he only fouled out twice in 2011"

Think about that. That’s about 7 fouls for 48 mins. He won’t be rode that much in the NBA, but that’s a high rate man. 3 fouls in 20 mins is like playing the whole 1st quarter and 8 mins in the 2nd quarter. If you get 3 fouls in the 2nd quarter in the NBA, you’re sitting next to coach on the bench because you’re in foul trouble. And if he fouls like that in Europe, what will happen against NBA bigs?

[VilkasParticipant]

Do you know why Valanciunas is a foul prone?

In D he wants to block every shot. Also he gets a lot of offensive fouls because play very aggressive.

[VilkasParticipant]

Do you know why Valanciunas is a foul prone?

In D he wants to block every shot. Also he gets a lot of offensive fouls because play very aggressive.

[RafterParticipant]

I think 3.2fpg isn’t terrible for a Euro big (some of you may disagree which is fine), if he averaged 4.0+fpg then i would be concerned, the MVP of the Euroleague averaged 30mpg, which demonstrates that European basketball isn’t very heavy in minutes. But i do agree that his fouling may not translate well, however, 20mpg is still good minutes in the Euroleague, players can still give solid production. Even if Jonas kept his fouls under control he’d probably play 25mpg max, Euroleague teams don’t give many young players heavy minutes. The Euroleague is much different to the NBA in that aspect.

"Do you know why Valanciunas is a foul prone?

In D he wants to block every shot. Also he gets a lot of offensive fouls because play very aggressive."

I agree, he plays hard on both ends, he doesn’t slack off, eventhough 3.2fpg isn’t considered good, it shows how aggressive Jonas is compared to other European bigs.

I think he needs to clean up on his fouls a bit and tone down on his turnovers, another year in Europe will help him get ready for the NBA.

 

 

 

[RafterParticipant]

I think 3.2fpg isn’t terrible for a Euro big (some of you may disagree which is fine), if he averaged 4.0+fpg then i would be concerned, the MVP of the Euroleague averaged 30mpg, which demonstrates that European basketball isn’t very heavy in minutes. But i do agree that his fouling may not translate well, however, 20mpg is still good minutes in the Euroleague, players can still give solid production. Even if Jonas kept his fouls under control he’d probably play 25mpg max, Euroleague teams don’t give many young players heavy minutes. The Euroleague is much different to the NBA in that aspect.

"Do you know why Valanciunas is a foul prone?

In D he wants to block every shot. Also he gets a lot of offensive fouls because play very aggressive."

I agree, he plays hard on both ends, he doesn’t slack off, eventhough 3.2fpg isn’t considered good, it shows how aggressive Jonas is compared to other European bigs.

I think he needs to clean up on his fouls a bit and tone down on his turnovers, another year in Europe will help him get ready for the NBA.

 

 

 

[Author]

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