Refs were very biased and horrible that day, but it's not like that game mattered anyway - let's see how he does with proper refereeing in important matches this spring. The entire Rytas frontline was fouled out before the game ended for trying to play any kind of defensive pressure...
hes putting good numbers in such a young age , if he will get stronger and work on his mid range game , he will be a dominant center
So, is he going to play the u-18 or u-20 european championship?
I assume he's got no chance of going to Turkey.
he's playing for U-18 this July...no chance for Turkey I guess, not this year at leastOriginally Posted by mbenga
thats strange ...if Turkey is a preparation for 2011(and it should be) ,then he should go there - i guess we might be relying on old warriors in 2011 again .i know there must be some logic behind this ,and i am not saying it is wrong for him to play for under 18..but ... Sabonis went to world championships aged 17,and it did him no harm...Valanciunas is being given starting role in lrytas.there is just a hint of what he will be expected next season ....Playing with juniors ? hell no
auris1, i agree, Jonas should be in men's team and get ready for 2011 years, rather than playing with the kids. everyone says that next year in the team has to play the best players, but who can guarantee that brothers Lavrinovič will be on the team? Who can guarantee that in the team will be Javtokas, Petravičius, Jankunas?
That is why the most promisin big guy should be allowed to feel national team spirit. Even if he will be eleventh or twelfth man in the team, he may be useful.
Remember September 2003!!!
It looks strange that Valančiūnas is not included to U20 roster. On other hand, it makes sense for me. He had a long and tough season (mentally first of all) so a normal summer brake will help him a lot. Another reason, if he would join U20 that would mean T. leas, Kairys, Staniulis get less minutes and they deserve a chance to prove their worth (it wouldn't be the same with superstar prospect besides). And U18 needs him - the tournament will be hold in Lithuania, everyone thinking about the top, Valančiūnas can really lead this team there.
Why to rush things up? Javtokas, brothers, Jankūnas, Motiejūnas and even Petravičius (I really hope so) might be available.
The flick from the future...
... and might be NOT available next year. brothers every year have more and more health problems. Petravičius and Javtokas not going younger and also have problems with health. Motiejūnas is more PF, so Jonas is our best young option for C position.
Remember September 2003!!!
Valanciunas is only 18-year old. He haven't played in high level yet. He should work a lot individually. EC in Lithuania will be in less than 15 months. You expect him to play there? He won't be ready for that, furthermore there are experienced big guys, who will probably end NT career in 2011 EC. He might be asked to come to the camp, but i doubt he would among 12 players. I don't worry about C or PF positions, but i don't see any PG...
Imho, let's face it, unless something miraculous happens, we have no chance of winning the Eurobasket in Lithuania. Not with the unbalanced team and an average coach. We should not forget that there's olympics in London in 2012 and that should be our goal as well.
Imho, i'd put my money on Serbs to grab it.
And i agree with those saying that the federation should artificially younger the national team. I swear if i'll see the likes of Delininkaitis, Lukauskis, Gustas and so on - i'll boycott the world championships (Though i'm anyway gonna be on an another Eurotrip).
i did not know that 18 under is Lithuania - i guess that explains a lot.
I am not sure of how he is coping with stress,but he didnt have much pressure to deliver this season.I do believe there was a period of transition,there he was scoring easy points in some games , yet was unable to establish himself in finals.
So my point it this - what would you rather have - old timers in turkey (not starting 5 ) on the bench ,only to realise in 2011 that there is no one to replace them again.
So what will happen next summer?
Desperate call to Ilgauskas? Jasikevicius or Siska coming out of retirement ?Macas having back surgery? Songaila having one last go in NT? None of that i am afraid.
I am not saying that Valanciunas is the solution ,but at least he should have some fighting chance.
I would rather see the team of young players getting trashed in Turkey (5 games in group,and hopefully a few more if they progress further) than another mediocre team performance with Gustas alike (not that i have anything against him)
Are we talking about WC or Eurobasket 2011?If Valančiūnas won't play for NT this year, it doesn't mean he won't play in Eurobasket 2011 or that (if he will play) he will be worse if he will not get an experience in NT this year. The guy will play in Euroleague next year. If 19yo old fellow will prove he's better than Petravičius and Javtokas, all the doors will be open.
The flick from the future...
I don't see problem with Valanciunas playing next year for a NT, like some other sceptics here do - first of all, dude is the most talented post player our country has eve produced since that fella Sabonis...secondly, he looked pretty fine against Zalgiris frontline in the finals, WHEN he was given a decent playing time.
Third, our aging NT is gonna have even more injuries next year, and some of our big guys are already breaking down constantly (Lavrinovic bros and Petravicius). S we will have a situation, where his presence will be needed and our stubborn national federation will have to hit green lights for a younger team eventually.
Yea, if he has the impact some of us expect next season in LRytas nobody would discuss his presence in the senior NT, no matter if he plays in Turkey or not.
How do you guys think - should Valanciunas take a part in 2011 drafts?
Everyone knows that he's far from being ready for NBA (out of questions), but he has very good chances in this year's drafts as he is one of these rare and special talents from Europe and these drafts won't be filled with talent. Another thing, the player has a right to decide by him self to stay improving in Europe, right? That means some NBA teams might not want to pick him high as he will obviously want to stay in Europe for couple of more years (at least). We know the story with Rubio and Vazquez.
So basically, I think it's too risky for him to take a part this year, even if predictions and the level of drafts is handy for Valanciunas. He really can wait two more years and I think still to have good chances to be among top 10 picks.
Valanciunas is very special talent and he'll have plenty of chances to go to drafts. He must find his way to be among top 10 or even top 5. These players comes with weighty contracts and it's a real pressure for coaches not to waste them on the bench.
For Lithuanians, article where Jonas' management talking about drafts:
http://www.nbanba.lt/index.php?optio...catid=40:rugdy
The flick from the future...
I really hope that he will not take part in this years draft.There's only one site that gives him a high pick,but others compare him to N.Krstic or P.Brezec(?).He still needs to prove himself in Europe before entering the draft,because if he'll choose to stay in Europe for some time,his pick might even fall to the second round and because of that in the NBA he might not even get the chance to showcase his skills on the court.He's still only 18 and definitely should stay in Europe for at least a year,because he doesn't stand a chance against players like Howard,Bogut,Gasol or Stoudamire.
He doesn't stand a chance against any NBA center at the moment
The flick from the future...
Why should he go to that drafts at all
It's his future goal. I would wish him to stay in Europe for a long time though.Why should he go to that drafts at all
The flick from the future...
I hope scauts have seen Valanciunas's game against Zalgiris.
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