The Jonas V thread

[Jack Brickman]

Wow, that was brutal. Maybe it's a "first world viewpoint" thing ... but seems to me if you want Z to play so much for your team then you pony up the insurance premium and don't ask him to put his career on the line or Dan Gilbert to pickup the bill.

Yeah that article was pretty ridiculous, especially if it was the Cavs forbidding Ilgauskas from playing for his country, which is understandable given their considerable financial commitment to him.

Basketball is a business, and I don't fault players at all if they opt to not play for their national teams in the interest of staying healthy for the teams that actually pay them. There's nothing wrong with loving your country and wanting to represent them, but likewise there's nothing wrong with taking the summer off to heal up.

[Tecumseh]

Chad Ford reported that Cleveland really liked Valanciunas, but his agent wanted him playing in Toronto. As a result, he was very shifty with the Cavs about when exactly Valanciunas would come over to play in the NBA. The Cavs were unwilling to wait several years for a player that they weren't sure wanted to play here (understandable given how the LeBron thing played out) and went to their next choice.

I'm not sure if it's true, but Ford said exactly that, so take from it what you will.

This. Its easy to look back and say we should have taken Valanciunas anyways but given the circumstances surrounding the recent departure of Lebron and having to rebuild a team, I think the Cavs were just more cautious than they typically would be.

I bet Gilbert had something to do picking Thompson as well. I can imagine Gilbert asking Grant about what players they would take and Grant telling him that he couldn't get straightforward answers from Jonas and his representatives regarding a buyout or desire to play in Cleveland. That was probably enough for Gilbert to tell Grant not to take Valanciunas. It might have been a poor response, but after Lebron, the last thing the Cavs wanted was another player who didn't want to be in Cleveland.

Another factor that likely played into the decision was the fact Irving and Thompson knew each other pretty well. I think the Cavs wanted to allow two players to grow together and form a bond that would make them both want to stay in Cleveland. The Cavs had recently watched Lebron join his "super friends" and I think the Cavs viewed Thompson as potentially filling this role.

I think fan reaction had another thing to do with the Thompson selection. The Cavs needed to provide hope to a demoralized fan base. Taking a player that they may not see in two or three years(as rumored at the time) would not be a popular decision. Again this isn't the best basketball decision, but at the time it would have made business sense.

Finally, I think the Cavs truly saw a lack of talent after Irving. I think W and G said that had the Cavs not gotten the first pick, they would have moved up to get Irving. The Cavs likely saw the Clippers pick as an increased opportunity to get Irving more than adding another piece. I don't think they really had a strong idea about what to do at 4. They knew Thompson was athletic, had upside, could defend and rebound, and had high character. That was likely enough to make him a Cavalier.

[Triumph36]

Jonas not coming over for a year or two would've been such a huge blow for the Cavs, especially since the guy they chose instead has contributed so much in the meantime.

If an unwillingness to wait a few years is the reason they chose Thompson, they are dumb and absurdly naive. Period. They were steamrolled by an agent. An agent!

Finally, I think the Cavs truly saw a lack of talent after Irving. I think W and G said that had the Cavs not gotten the first pick, they would have moved up to get Irving. The Cavs likely saw the Clippers pick as an increased opportunity to get Irving more than adding another piece. I don't think they really had a strong idea about what to do at 4. They knew Thompson was athletic, had upside, could defend and rebound, and had high character. That was likely enough to make him a Cavalier.

and lol at this

they didn't get davis either, perhaps they should've moved up for him too. cause grant can do whatever the fuck he wants.

[Cavatt]

I bet Gilbert had something to do picking Thompson as well. I can imagine Gilbert asking Grant about what players they would take and Grant telling him that he couldn't get straightforward answers from Jonas and his representatives regarding a buyout or desire to play in Cleveland. That was probably enough for Gilbert to tell Grant not to take Valanciunas. It might have been a poor response, but after Lebron, the last thing the Cavs wanted was another player who didn't want to be in Cleveland.

Wasn't there mention that Tristan was Dan Gilbert's choice? I think Dan really liked him.

I'll say this about Tristan though, Lebron didn't just go around him. He still has the potential to be a serious defender. Even the biggest guys aren't just pushing him around anymore.

[Maximus]

On the other hand, Ž. Ilgauskas, although he had strong arguments (operation on his leg), always chose a different path — he did not risk his well-paid NBA player status and did not exhaust himself with an extra workload on the national team.

Operation on his leg? Try total reconstruction of both feet using 10 screws and plates. It wasn't a risk of losing money for Z...he would have been paid even if he got injured. After Z's last surgeries they came up with a regimen that involved pre-game treatments, MPG targets, post game treatments and off season work that minimizied the stress on the feet and hardware. The Cavs insisted he not play for Lithuania and the doctors didn't want him playing there either. It killed him not to play, but he honored their wishes...the Cavs had always stood by him.

Sabonis knows what Z went through and why he never played. Sabonis would laugh at this article then use it as toiletpaper...

[ChicagoCavFan]

Agree, as I had some chuckles on the venomous take the author had. The article was just used to illustrate to adam81 that basketball "over there" is viewed differently. Was probably written by the coach of the team

[xprt]

full highlights vs spurs

[RTrees]

Sssssshhhhhhhhhhh..........

[RaptorFan]

all is doom and gloom in raptor land. guess we'll be joining you guys in the lottery hunt

oh wait we gave away our pick for lowry, and we get to see fields absolutely suck when he comes back. D:





any good drink recommendations?

[Seiklis]

any good drink recommendations?

Absinthe

[Mdog1]

all is doom and gloom in raptor land. guess we'll be joining you guys in the lottery hunt

oh wait we gave away our pick for lowry, and we get to see fields absolutely suck when he comes back. D:





any good drink recommendations?

Yeah I had high hopes for the Raptors this year...

Looks like I may have been wrong lol.

On a side note, it would be sooo ironic if this was the year that the Raptors actually finished with a bad record instead of a mediocre one like usual, and then it ends up that the pick gets passed along anyways because of the bounce of the balls lol.

[Jon]

all is doom and gloom in raptor land. guess we'll be joining you guys in the lottery hunt

oh wait we gave away our pick for lowry, and we get to see fields absolutely suck when he comes back. D:

Sounds like there's a sliver of hope (and a reason for concern if the Cavs trade for that pick):

Update: Houston Chronicle reporter Jerome Solomon tweeted, “Rockets won’t get top-3 pick next year, top-2 pick next two years or No. 1 pick the next two. Otherwise lottery pick goes to Houston.” So it appears the Raptors keep the pick if they make the playoffs five years in a row. Hey, it could happen!

So if Houston gets a top-3 selection in the '13 draft which propels them to the playoffs in future seasons, it sounds like Houston's "guaranteed lottery pick" actually produces nothing.

[InBoobieWeTrust]

Jonas should be a better rebounder than he is. He plays a majority of his minutes next to Andrea Bargnani who averages less than 5 rebounds per game.

His rebounding acumen is not translating from the Euroleagues. That's gotta be a concern for him. His offense is coming along somewhat nicely-though I still think he plays too slow offensively to be a star. At least he's big.

I really was looking for him to make more of an impact on the glass and defensively though.

[wuck]

So if Houston gets a top-3 selection in the '13 draft which propels them to the playoffs in future seasons, it sounds like Houston's "guaranteed lottery pick" actually produces nothing.

Houston is guaranteed to receive a first-round pick. It will produce something, the question is just when. The pick has an interesting set of protections on it that may result in giving the Rockets a pick between 4-14 this year (or between 3-14, or between 2-14 in upcoming years). If those conditions don't happen, then the pick is automatically transferred to Houston in 2018. So they will get a "good pick" at some point by 2017 and, if not, an unprotected pick in the final year. This is how RealGM writes it up:

Top-3 Protected and 15-30 Protected in the 2013 Draft, top-2 protected and 15-30 protected in 2014, top-2 protected and 15-30 protected in 2015, top-1 Protected and 15-30 protected in 2016, top-1 protected and 15-30 Protected in 2017 and unprotected in the 2018 Draft.

So, it will pay off eventually.

[Shack]

OKC has that pick now, not Houston, btw