Yes, that is true with those two, but the PG with the most upside continues to be rooted to the bench because he tried some fancy passes in a 30 point blowout. DD
No... he's on the bench because when JVG gave our other young PG a chance, he did BETTER than what Spanoulis has shown in his opportunities. Once again... the cult obsession with V-span is unhealthy.
Helluva point... I did figure the book was out on San Antonio, but it didn't dawn on me that they were playing GREAT ball till the Rockets exposed some of their weaknesses.
Yes, he was in the doghouse so much after the game that JVG kept him in the rotation 5 more games. Of course, the fact that V-Span had 5 TOs in that game and also crashed and burned in those next 5 games has nothing to do with him getting benched. It's all about JVG's bad attitude and not about V-Span playing poorly. The Cult of V-Span lives on.
Damn... that's some ownage... but its not fair, since you were using facts to dispute his assumptions.
One question Nick, did V-Span play PG or shooting guard? And his minutes continued to dwindle into nothingness. DD
This BBS always has some weird hangup on undeserving players. If this BBS had a vote the Rockets starting line would be... Yao Turkan (seriously if you were here back in those days youd know) Nachbar Spanoulis Sura
I saw him make careless passes, struggled to hit the open shot, and couldn't play effective defense without fouling in his limited minutes... regardless of which position he was playing (and, btw, he still handled the ball in each of his opportunities in the game). Also, I thought he wasn't sniffing the court because of the careless passes in the 30 point blowout... oh, you meant he wasn't sniffing the court as the one and only PG, with a set-defined role that shouldn't be adjusted, ever..? V-Span will get better... but for now, he's a rookie still adjusting to the speed/strength/and athleticism of the NBA game. We're winning (and winning impressively) with what we have, and when you have T-mac (who handles the ball 90% of the time), b****ing about who should be the backup PG is like arguing about who should be the Colts' backup QB.
I can't speak for the whole BBS, but I will say that I think V-Span is a better PG right now than Rafer Alston. All he lacks is NBA experience...he is a better passer, better defender, and could be a better shooter if we had a bigger sampling size to go on. Would I start him....heck no...but I would play him as primary backup at PG....Rafer should never get more than 36 minutes a game, his effectiveness dwindles big time.... Look at his december percentages....369% overall...that is PATHETIC !!!! Not just bad....REAL bad...and any player that can not shoot 38%+ with wide open 3 point shots should seriously limit the number of times he shoots the 3 ball. Rafer is our weakest link, and that is saying a lot with J-Ho on the court getting beat nightly by other teams PF...at least he gets close to even... DD
While I agree with the content of your post, I also think it is extremely short sighted. Yes, we are winning, BUT.....if injuries occur or we need to go deeper into our bench for whatever reason, we have not developed any chemistry or experience in our rookies. What if Rudy left Sam Cassell on the bench all his rookie year? I just see V-Span as a PG that will be in the top 10 in the NBA someday, and that day will come sooner if he adjusts to the game NOW.......instead of later. DD
If V-span was Sam Cassell (who still needed at least half the season to get accustomed to the NBA, and get regular minutes).... he would have been a first round draft pick (hell, lottery pick these days, with the lust over international players). Also, Cassell was bigger, had a phenominal mid-range shot, and the only guy he had to usurp was Scotty freakin Brooks. V=span HAS defeciencies... he turns the ball over, has limited foot speed on defense which leads to fouls (he could also not be putting in a full effort on improving there), and doesn't hit shots any better than Rafer does (and forget about larger sample sizes... shooting wasn't his forte in international play either). He's a good project... but nowhere near the prospect that Tony Parker or Manu were. Your guys' expectactions are CLOUDED, and you should give both him (and the team) more time to let improvement be made in his development. The main responsibilities of the Rockets PG right now (when we have T-mac back) is to not turn the ball over and play quick/smart defense. Rafer happens to do both of those things better than V-span.
Yeah, see this is where we really disagree...V-Span is a project but IMHO, he has every bit the upside as those others you mentioned, and he is much quicker than Rafer at the PG spot. Tony Parker was drafted like 29th...or close to the last pick in the first round, he was NOT a can't miss prospect. And, I would be willing to bet ANYTHING that had V-Span come out THIS year he would have been a first round pick. But, V-Span, just like Manu was drafted and seasoned a couple of years in Europe.....Manu came off the bench and played...and made some massive mistakes...and still does some reckless stuff, but man is he a good player... V-Span will be the same type of player....but at the PG position...he will make EVERYONE better with his passing, and savvy. Just not until JVG deems he is ready. This is moot....we aren't going to agree....Personally I think V-Span has Nash like potential at least as a passer (as confirmed by Yao).......but we aren't going to find out until he plays.......and gets comfortable......which will probably not happen under JVG.... DD
Yes, and of course, if V-Span doesn't reach this "potential" it will be JVG's fault and not V-Span's own obvious deficiencies.
Comparing V-span to Ginobli and Nash is utterly absurd. Where did you get the impression that he has top ten pg talent? The guy avged UNDER 4 assist per game in Euroleague and as many who followed him have stated WAS not really a point guard but rather more of a combo-scoring gaurd. He strengths in Europe clearly were dribble penetration, running the screen and roll and scoring off the dribble... all of which are severely hampered/neutralized by the size and speed of the opposition he faces in the NBA. Though he shown potential in his play off the high screen and passing in traffic, he has failed miserably in shooting the open jumper, shooting the three, controlling the ball and decision making. It's obvious that V-span has played poorly, while conversely JLIII has played well, so I fail to see how it should shock some that JVG is not utilizing him as our backup pg.
For your sake, and the team's sake, I hope V-span can come close to being like Tony Parker, Manu, and Steve Nash. Hell... forget that, I'd be overjoyed if he could be as effective as Devin Harris, Luke Ridnour, or Kirk Hinrich. .. But watching basketball for as long as I have, I'm not going to be as entirely optimistic as you are based on what I've actually seen from him in the NBA, and international ball (compounded by reading all the reports coming out on him from Europe consistently over the last 2 years). This whole think REEKS of Boki Nachbar (or even Badianne) all over again... and I do remember your takes on whether or not he should have been given more playing time back in 2003.
