http://instagram.com/p/xkaD7niEGy/ houstonrockets @kpapanikolaou16 getting loose in Cleveland. looks like a mistake here?
Thanks for sharing! Papanik has a great attitude. Great pick up. I doubt he goes back home any time soon
Put Pap in when things become stagnant. He has never failed to deliver in that scenario. Harden, Bev, Terry and whatever else is not working and you put Pap in he gets something going like a comeback. Problem is McHale takes him and that unit out thinking the starters can win the game....
Papa was SO much better before his injury. No confidence, no shot, no ball security now. He should dominate @ d-league for a week then come back.
Why are we paying him so much? He might have done some good things, but he hasn't earned his paycheck...
People keep saying he was so much better before the injury, no he wasn't. He hasn't been anything special at any time this year, that's why Morey got Brewer with the quickness.
Yeah...I love Papa, but I just don't think he's a good player at this point. He's very smart and a very good drive and kick player, but he just doesn't do anything else at a real solid level.
Until he develops some semblance of a shot, he'll be a net negative on the court. Teams are starting to learn how to play him, and that's drastically reduces his passing skills.
Worst game as a Rocket, the ball kept getting out of his grasp. Can he just shoot from the FT area? It seems the role he had on the team before, others are now doing it better than him--the passing, the rebounding, the defense--with the additions of Brewer and Smith. He has to find a need on the team that he can fill.
When you ask him to dribble in the perimeter and make plays like a PG, of course he's going to look bad. Terry didn't handle the ball starting the 4th against the Jazz. McHale let K-pap did it for some reason. Why? You have a PG that's riding the pine. Play Canaan for god's sake.
That's how our offense runs. DMo starts out on the perimeter but he does these dribble handoffs to the wing guys. Papa was just bad out there.
Money-wise, and second year team option-wise, Papa's salary makes him ideal as a trade throw-in. That's why he's overpaid.
Greek journalists returning from america report that he is finished as a rocket. They add that 90% will not be able to find a contract in NBA next year Everybody ,here in GREECE, is extrmely disapointed by his performance We did expect that he would have initially problems with the speed of the game, but NOBODY expected that Kostas would not be able to hit the simplest shots and lay ups. It s like we see kostas when he was 17-18 years old. Furthermore , during the last games, his moves seem very heavy. I dont know if he spents too much time in the gym, but right know he s too slow for SF and too short for PF The last game with juta was a disaster for him We love him a lot, but its clear , at least thats what he showed, that he has no place in NBA.
Gosh that's a bit harsh from the Greek media. I think he has a place in the NBA and a place in our rotation. His shot needs work, and the struggles have been very real since he returned from injury. I've seen enough to know that the guy knows how to play NBA style basketball though.
You are being ridiculous. Kostas is an NBA caliber talent, he just needs to work on his shot more. With a year or two of NBA under his belt he should become a solid role player.
Team option for 2nd year I believe. I do think he is an NBA player. His inability to make shots consistently could potentially derail that though, but I think it is too soon to make that judgment. He is an adequate rebounder, defender, ball handler, and passer at the SF position. His injury was unfortunate. He seemed to be coming around right when that happened. Much like Canaan seemingly was coming into his own as well when he went down. I love his hustle and his competitiveness.
Greek Fans are to Jeremy Lin fans as Wario is to Mario.... Strange. KPap will be fine. He has a long NBA career ahead of him. He does need to refine his 3pt shot but that's something he'll work on during the offseason. I love his intensity, his feel for the game, his passing and his defense. Once he hones his 3pt shot he'll be a top 15 SF in the NBA.
Don't worry, we Rocket fans love Kostas. I am glad he is getting minutes in the rotation again, even if they are short bursts -- and I think his shot is starting to improve. His last game looked bad -- but it was just one bad game. The guy has a definite future in the NBA, even if not with the Rockets. The announcers of the opposing teams always praise him (even if they can't pronounce his name) and he is the type of player that NBA coaches love. Rest assured on Kostas, the only way he leaves the NBA is if he misses Greece and his family so much that he wants to come back to Europe. They will be lining up with contracts for him if the Rockets ever let him go.
