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Vassilis Spanoulis: Thibodeau Was The Real Head Coach Of The Rockets, Not Van Gundy

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by Amel, May 12, 2011.

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  1. Amel

    Amel Contributing Member

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    http://www.redplanet.gr/basket/spanoulhs-mpasket-logw-bulls.859355.html

    http://nba.sport24.gr/article/858443/spanoulis-mpasket-logw-bulls



    Spanoulis: "Basketball, Because Of The Chicago Bulls"


    Nikos Papaioannou

    Posted: Thursday, May 11, 2011 02:02
    Updated: Thursday, May 11, 2011 04:57


    "I started to love basketball because of the Chicago Bulls", admits Vassilis Spanoulis, who spoke to the official Greek language version of the NBA website about the Houston Rockets, the best European players that have played in the NBA, and the NBA Coach of the Year, Tom Thibodeau.

    [​IMG]

    Vassilis Spanoulis went to play in the NBA for one season to fulfill what had been a big dream of his. "Kill Bill" spent the 2006-07 season wearing the jersey of the Houston Rockets. The Olympiacos point guard spoke exclusively to the official Greek language website of the NBA - http://nba.sport24.gr/ - about his beloved childhood NBA team, the all-time best European players that have played in the NBA, and also about the head coach of the Chicago Bulls, Tom Thibodeau, for whom he played under, while on the Rockets.


    Spanoulis first discovered the magical world of the NBA at the age of 10, thanks to Michael Jordan and the Chicago Bulls dynasty. As he says, his love for the Bulls is what began his passion for basketball:

    "I grew up during the time of the 90's Chicago Bulls, following them from when I was 10 years old. Following Jordan and his team. We are all lucky to have been able to see the best of all time. My love for basketball became even stronger because of watching that team."

    He admits that signing a contract with the Houston Rockets gave shape to his NBA dream. He had good and bad times in Houston, where despite the promises that were made to him by the front office managers of the Rockets, he had little playing time. Spanoulis also talks about the distinguished assistant coach of Jeff Van Gundy, Tom Thibodeau.

    Thibodeau, the current head coach of the Bulls, was crowned the NBA Coach of the Year a few days ago. In Houston, he was the assistant to head coach Jeff Van Gundy, and Spanoulis said that he was the one that did the bulk of the coaching work on the team:

    "It was Thibodeau who did most of the coaching on our team. He was a great defensive coach at the practices. He had very good ideas, discipline, and was very good during the training. One of the assistant coaches said that, wherever he goes, he will end up being great someday. I will follow his head coaching career that has begun so beautifully for him, and I think he will continue to be a very good coach."

    Spanoulis, in his career with the Rockets, averaged 2.8 points and 0.9 assists per game [including the playoffs]. Since then, he has spent the last four seasons in Greece, playing the last several months with Olympiacos. He still however monitors what is happening on the other side of the Atlantic, and in particular, this year's NBA playoffs, for which he said:

    "There is not any big favorite, like in other years. Several teams could make it to the Finals. We saw two big surprises with both San Antonio and Orlando going out in the first round. And in the second round, we have already seen Memphis win in Oklahoma City and Dallas win in Los Angeles. Anyone can beat anyone. Generally, the games are unpredictable, so interest in them is high.

    He also believes, that at the current time, the five best players in the NBA are: Derrick Rose, Kobe Bryant, Kevin Durant, Dwight Howard, and Kevin Garnett. Very close to the level of those players are two Europeans, Dirk Nowitzki and Pau Gasol. Spanoulis feels that the Spanish and German are perhaps the best European players of all-time, that have played in the NBA:

    "Next to Howard and Garnett, you could put Nowitzki and Gasol. It is a question that many ask, Gasol or Nowitzki? They are both huge players. Two of the best European players of all-time that have gone to play in the NBA, if not the best. Certainly, in the past, there have been others that we cannot forget. Such as, Vlade Divac, Peja Stojakovic, Dino Radja, and the unforgettable Drazen Petrovic. They were also huge players, but certainly, those two (Nowitzki, Gasol), are probably the best."
     
    #1 Amel, May 12, 2011
    1 person likes this.
  2. Joshfast

    Joshfast "We're all gonna die" - Billy Sole
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    His opinion means alot because he was such an accomplished player.

    Oh wait.....
     
    #2 Joshfast, May 12, 2011
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  3. OHMSS

    OHMSS Rookie

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    Here is the video of the interview, proving it is real, since that seemed to be questioned in the other thread.

    <iframe frameborder="0" width="480" height="269" src="http://www.dailymotion.com/embed/video/xikhd3?theme=none&wmode=transparent"></iframe><br /><a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/video/xikhd3_yy-nba-yyyyyy-yyyyyyyy_sport" target="_blank">&Tau;&omicron; NBA &mu;&iota;&lambda;ά&epsilon;&iota; &Epsilon;&lambda;&lambda;&eta;&nu;&iota;&kappa;ά</a> <i>by <a href="http://www.dailymotion.com/NBA_Hellas" target="_blank">NBA_Hellas</a></i>
     
    #3 OHMSS, May 12, 2011
  4. b2bizchina

    b2bizchina Member

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    Lock it!
     
    #4 b2bizchina, May 12, 2011
  5. tellitlikeitis

    tellitlikeitis Canceled
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    Why? The OP actually provided links.
     
    #5 tellitlikeitis, May 12, 2011
  6. DonkeyMagic

    DonkeyMagic Contributing Member
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    because it's r****ded
     
    #6 DonkeyMagic, May 12, 2011
  7. SamFisher

    SamFisher Contributing Member

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    My translator tells me this clip has nothing to do with the NBA and is a story about being inappropriately touched by a drunken, lecherous shepherd on Mount Athos at age 7, and how he still bears the mental burden of this.

    It also contains a recipe for turkish dishes like baklava and moussaka.
     
    #7 SamFisher, May 12, 2011
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  8. heypartner

    heypartner Contributing Member

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    These thread titles are misleading, and just trollish.

    He doesn't say "Thibs was the real coach, not JVG" He's probably right in what he says. Seems to just be praising his asst coach. And JVG probably did the majority of the coaching in practice when an asst under Pat Riley.
     
    #8 heypartner, May 12, 2011
  9. JayZ750

    JayZ750 Contributing Member

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    He also thinks Kevin Garnett is one of the five best players in the league.
     
    #9 JayZ750, May 12, 2011
  10. RocketForever

    RocketForever Contributing Member

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    Dirk and Gasol better than Sabonis?
     
    #10 RocketForever, May 12, 2011
  11. coachbadlee

    coachbadlee Member

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    Why would anyone in their right mind listen to Spanoulis? He was/is garbage.:confused:
     
    #11 coachbadlee, May 12, 2011
  12. rhino17

    rhino17 Member

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    ummm, yeah
     
    #12 rhino17, May 12, 2011
  13. DonkeyMagic

    DonkeyMagic Contributing Member
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    you answered your own question.
     
    #13 DonkeyMagic, May 12, 2011
  14. RocketForever

    RocketForever Contributing Member

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    A young Sabonis would destroy Dirk and Pau, inside and outside of the paint.

    <iframe width="480" height="390" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/sTqLJOVv-iQ" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
     
    #14 RocketForever, May 12, 2011
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  15. rhino17

    rhino17 Member

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    you are talking about a guy who averaged over 14 ppg one time to a guy who is among the greatest players of his generation and an MVP
     
    #15 rhino17, May 12, 2011
  16. tehG l i d e

    tehG l i d e Member

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    hes still bitter
     
    #16 tehG l i d e, May 12, 2011
  17. DonkeyMagic

    DonkeyMagic Contributing Member
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    he averaged 14/8 his rookie year while playing less than 24 points. He also averaged 17/10 in 97 season in 32 minutes.

    We will never know how good he could have been since 1) his NBA career started when he was almost 31 and 2) his mobility was already severely hampered due to numerous leg injuries.
     
    #17 DonkeyMagic, May 12, 2011
  18. RocketForever

    RocketForever Contributing Member

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    Watch a few clips of the young Sabonis. Youtube would be a good start.
     
    #18 RocketForever, May 12, 2011
  19. Chuck Nevitt

    Chuck Nevitt Contributing Member

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    You need to apologize for your insensitive use of the "R" word, just like LeBron did.
     
    #19 Chuck Nevitt, May 12, 2011
  20. Mav-Hater

    Mav-Hater Contributing Member

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    I don't knock JVG for hiring the best assistants he could to work with him. Some coaches coach everything and others delegate to good assistants. There is no right or wrong way to coach as many have succeeded with either style. V-Span saying Thibadeaux was the brains behind the defense is like saying water is wet. Look at the facts: New York, Houston, Boston, Chicago all had top three defenses. 2 of those teams went to the finals, one of them won a title, and one is still playing this year. They all have one name in common....Thibadeaux. I don't hate Van Gundy nor do I love him. I hated his driven obsession with old Knicks and one dimensional players. That drove me nuts. On this team today, I truly believe he would trade CBud for Ryan Bowen if he were available tomorrow. All we know, Bowen may still be working for Van Gundy in some capacity right now. Probably laying bricks around the Van Gundy home just like he did as a Rocket.

    You guys will get no satisfaction from posting a link from a V-Span quote on here. If it involves Van Gundy, you will be roasted for saying it. I can feel SamFisher, DonkeyMagic, and others keyboards pounding away now to tell you what an idiot you are. Especially if the quote is from V-Span!! You might as well try to say something good about Malik Baddiene so you can get Ill-Skilz all riled up......that's all we need!!:grin::grin:
     
    #20 Mav-Hater, May 12, 2011
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