Span staying after all?

If Span isn't going to play in the US what can we get for him trade wise? Why would a team take him if he is already going to play in Greece? The only explanation I can see is that if they waive him they get some salary cap relief...but I'm not sure if that's accurate or not. But, yeah if we could get something for V-Span then we should take it.

 

Probably even less than that. Our guys aren't tasty.

 

Count me on the trade Luther, Rafer, Lucas. I hope the Rockets do trade these guys to make room for VSpan. Can't wait for next week to see what moves the Rockets can make via free agents and trades.

 

Ah, but in fact they can and DO write whatever they want. Some because of a hidden agenda, some for ratings or sensationalizing. This could have easily been said by Blinebury on his blog where he has the freedon to opine and state whatever he likes to see if it will stick to the wall. Very few journalists are about selling the facts, most are about selling their newspaper.

 

Yeah, i watched the last night's game between Greece national team vs Eurostars but nothing new happened...Panathinaikos president Mr Giannakopoulos said that they would like to have Spanoulis next year...but nothing serious..Well IMO,Spanoulis is gonna stay to Houston, at least next year.If he wanted to return, he would probably go public and announce his decision to leave Rockets.
The fact that he doesn't said anything is because he waits a trade involving Rafer, Head

 

Gonna have to wait and see, everyone knows I like Span and hope he stays, because I think he has the tools to be really good.

But, if he leaves and the Rockets are better, he will be a minor footnote in Rocket lore.....about even with Rhodrick Rhodes....as far as a guy who never reached his potential.

DD

 

rhodirck rhodes met his potential He just plain sucked...

 

Sometimes the head or work ethic gets in the way of the physical potential.....

But I concede that the mentality must be considered as an overall part of the potential.

DD

 

I think VSpan has nba talent and can amount to something in the league.
However, this situation is beginning to get on my nerves, because heseems to have a huge ego. IMO his good game against team USA has had a negative effect on him thinking that he is equal to LBJ, Anthony and Chris Paul. I would like to hear more about him working on his game and being enthusiastic for the new season. He should come back to his senses and realize that he should practice instead of talking. Right now he looks spoiled and all this publicity has harmed him so much. He seems immature in my eyes.
I hope he realizes that before it's too late.I do believe though the press in Greece is also playing games on his expense because he's a hot topic to read right now.

Same also happens with some others of his teammates in Greece like Papaloukas. The guy had like 10ppg in the Euroleague and talks like he's some kind of an nba superstar although he's not even half the player that Kukoc or Sabonis for example used to be. Paps is already bragging about 10-12 nba teams trying to sign him. He is also setting himself up for a failure unless he tones down his ego. On another note even a Greek league starlet by the name Printezis who was drafted in the end of 2nd round by Spurs and traded to Toronto said something like "I can't say it was my dream to play for Toronto but I know it is a very good organization and also a very nice city . . . and is one team that trusts European players, which is what I like." I mean come on, you got drafted three positions before the end, you should be more thankful and professional not say "it wasn't my dream". I will give him the benefit of the doubt though and hope his quotes were not translated correctly. I like his game, he does have the tools and potential to play in the league someday, but for now he's pretty inexperienced. My last comment is for another countryman of VSpan -who goes by the nickname of Big Sofo and was drafted by the Clippers in 2003 as an 18year-old- the guy shows up to practices and games whenever he pleases.

Being myself a Greek, I am annoyed reading such comments on the web or newspaper and I believe it's time for Spanoulis and some of his teammates to show more professionalism like for example Diamantidis does...

 

Just out of curiosity did you watch the part of the draft where the ESPN overseas scout said that in Europe the competition is mostly at or below the division I college level, but that in Italy, Spain, and Greece it is above that level, even the NBDL level and especially this is so in the Greek league?

I didn't know that was true, but the announcers even said something like, "Bellineli is from Italy and that really means something because that's near the NBA" and the scout said something like, "especially there and in Spain and in Greece."

Looking at that, and that Spanoulis finished 7th in the FIBA international player of the year award for his first season in Euroleague, which is the year before he joined the Rockets don't you think being the 7th best player internationally as a rookie and playing against slightly below NBA level means something?

He had better stats than Rudy Fernandez or Belineli have and better stats than Ginobili had in his last year and was playing in the highest level or apparently even higher than they were. I checked some Euro forums and it seems Italy is 3rd, Spain is 2nd and Greece the toughest league, some people saying NBA scouts put it at 80-90 percent of NBA quality where they put division I NCAA majors at 40 percent of NBA and NBDL at about 70 to 75 percent.

Summer League NBA at about 50-60 percent.

Now, I would think that Spanoulis making all Euroleague team and being 10th in MVP voting and being 7th in international voting as a rookie there would mean something then. If Aaron Brooks can be a first round pick in a very strong draft, and he was coming from competition half as good as Spanoulis faced, and would anyone argue Aaron Brooks was the 7th best college player? So why would Brooks be ahead of Spanoulis in the Rockets' plans then? Is that logical?

Anthony Parker in fact then now as I have researched it was playing in a very inferior league to what Spanoulis played in, not even considered close.

He did fairly well in Toronto, and again he came from inferior level competition as to what Spanoulis did. Garbajosa came from similar level competiton and he was 2nd team all Euro like Spanoulis and he did fairly well in Toronto.

Keep in mind Spanoulis was a Euro rookie and already better than them as he finished 7th in the international player award, which super cedes the MVP award.

I just found this out from research as well, something fans in America apparently don't know, I didn't. Parker didn't even make the list. Because this factors in the level of competition between the various national leagues like say France and Greece. It's like in college a mid-major versus a major.

Again, Spanoulis did this as a rookie. FIBA rated him higher than Boris Diaw or Tony Parker. Think about that.

I think he has accomplished more then already as a professional player than Luther Head, John Lucas III, Kirk Snyder, or Aaron Brooks as a fact. Whether some fans want to acknowledge that or not is really irrelevant. You could even argue being the 7th best international player as a rookie is more noteworthy than anything Rafer Alston has done so far as a professional player, as in being in the 20-25 best point guard range in the NBA.

If Spanoulis was playing against 80-90 percent the level of NBA competition.

Let's assume Alston is the 20th best NBA point guard, and let's assume Greek league is 80 percent as hard as the NBA, then that would put Alston as around the 16th best point guard in that same level of high Euroleague, while Spanoulis was rated as the 3rd best point guard in that level? Tony Parker rated 4th. So is it logical then to just assume Alston would be better over there than Spanoulis or that Spanoulis cannot be as good as Alston because the NBA is so "superior" to Greece?

Or what about that Tony Delk took Spanoulis' spot on his old team and wasn't even half the player Spanoulis was and really was a scrub there? Does that imply that Spanoulis did nothing becase that Greek league is so lame?

It certainly shows to me that using logical extrapolations it can be deducted that Spanoulis is superior to Brooks and Lucas and Head and has already proven it on the court with both his Greek play and his international competiton play. Look what they did in college at a level half as good, they were not even as good as Spanoulis was in Greece, against competitions twice as tough.

Also it seems that from what I have been looking at, Olympic and World Championship medal rounds are considered 80-90 percent to some times almost even to NBA competition and certainly that is true when playing against the US team.

Is it logical to just argue "one fluke game" when in truth all the other point guards on the team have never even had one "fluke" game where they outplayed players like Hinrich, Wade, Paul, all at once? I mean is it just always the Carlos Arroyo or Sarunas comparison in reality? Because Spanoulis did it in the medal round and won. Isn't that like comparing a first round playoff loss for Sarunas or exhibiton win for Arroyo something like that to like an NBA final wi or conference final win for Spanoulis?

Doesn't the circumstance and situation and motivation of the other team as well as the result matter more? Or does this only matter in the NBA?

I know, "he sucked the next game." Why is it not considered that he gave it all to beat the US? Or again does that effect only occur in the NBA? Yeah but that one game in the Finals Karl Malone was what 1-16 or something like that? That super cedes everything you know.

So don't you think it would be wise and prudent for the Rockets to actually use logic when deciding who the point guards should be rather than just say, "he's from Greece he must stink."

I admit I didn't realize how high the level is in Greece, but now after researching it and realizing that it's twice the level that guys like Lucas, Brooks, and Head come from, and that Spanoulis was also better in Greece than James and Alston were in college or James was in Europe against lesser competition, then it really is strong empirical evidence to me IMO that in fact Spanoulis is a superior prospect and talent to any of them.

So I ask you, do you even consider things like this at all? Would you expect a general manager to consider them?

 

You definitely picked a valid screename.

 

Thats QUITE a convincing writeup backing up Spanoulis must say...

Extrapolating the data, not only would Spanoulis be superior to Alson/Head/Lucas and everyone else on the Rockets he'd be superior to Tony Parker and half the league. That's saying a whole whole lot. I myself wouldnt say he "actually" IS anyone's superior at the moment cuz we saw for ourselves his actual play and that he has a lot of improvement to do on-court and attitude wise. But it does legitimize his credentials as a real talent.

 

The Spartan needs to be in the arena with the rest of the Rockets!That's great.

 

or two-ply charmin?

 

He is one of my most favorite movie characters of all time! El Whopo!

 

I believe now that V-Span is leaving, otherwise why wouldn't he just say.... "I am coming back to the Rockets"?

He is clearly saying it will be cleared up in a couple of days, which says to me he is either being traded, or bought out......

I don't think he is coming back, and that is too bad, IMO, if he would have played last year he would have been more eager to come back.....

Too bad, but if he is going to bail...then time to move on....

DD

 

I don't really think its a big deal whether VMac stays or leaves, I don't anticipate him having major minutes in the season he has left with us.




__________________________________________________________________
Man evolved from ancient apes. So did modern apes. The ancient apes aren't still around.

 

Hey guys there has been more V-span talk on the Greek web. Sport24. gr has translated a Fran's Chron blog regarding Spanoulis. (http://blogs.chron.com/franblinebury/2007/07/give_us_your_tired_your_poor_y.html)

In another article at contra.gr (http://www.contra.gr/Basketball/Hellas/A1Basket/Panathinaikos/159162.html) it is stated that Billy is closer to Pao than the Rockets. The article states that the Rockets have understood that Billy doesn't intend to play in the summer league and he doesn't want to stay in the NBA and are looking for a convenient way out.(trading him, since buying out his contract will still burden the Rockets budget).The article also states that the 9th of July is the last day for the Rockets to state what is going to happen with Billy and that late on that day his release from the Rockets and subsequent signing by Pao will be announced. (probably)


That is pretty much it. Though there is nothing coming directly from Billy himself, it all seems to make sense. I will not be making a comment whether it is right or wrong decision by Billy as my "dislike" for Pao clouds my vision, and I would end up cursing the guy.