wow - ok, let's see when you don't have a point, get personal - check ! When have I been hating on JL3? I have said it is good that he is getting minutes at backup PG....I like the way he is playing, but he is terrible on defense the other team constantly posts him up because he is 5'9" tall..... I never said I know everything about basketball, it is my opinion, nothing more. I get that you don't like it, and at the age of 42, I still play basketball 3 times a week.....and....at the PG position.....do I know everything about the game....heck no, but I do know a talented player when I see one. And, I know an overbearing coach when I see one....but whatever, all my experience as a sports reporter working for KSat 12 when Larry Brown was the coach, and my rooting and watching the Rockets since they moved to Houston is probably just worthless. I am sure you are much more knowledgeable, and when you are done personalizing arguments and ripping people rather than actually putting your own opinion about things out there, I will be ready to listen......in a much more respectful manner..... KID ! DD
Actually, you're problem is you don't listen to anybody. Hmm... sounds like your criticism of JVG... how ironic...
Yes, Yao...stop comparing V-Span to Nash.... He's great. He can see the court. He's little and people say that because he's little, he can't see the court, but he can. He always makes the right decision to pass to the right people in the right position and his passes are right on target. Given time, I think he will be like Steve Nash one day Yeah, what does Yao know...and hate on me for agreeing with him..... DANGED KIDS !@!!!!! SHEESH !! DD
I don't like JVG's coaching style, I find serious flaws in the way he goes about things. It is my opinion, nothing more. JVG, IMHO, is a detail oriented coach but is not a championship caliber coach...I prefer a coach who will take a little bit of a risk because in the end he knows that the team will benefit from it. Popovich is a great example he played a V-Span like player his rookie year and let him learn from his mistakes, and now Manu Ginobli is playing great...high risk...high reward.... DD
Because you don't support this site like the rest of us do and realize how much time and money that Clutch and the crew put into keeping this place open so we can have these discussions. Because if you did support this site, you would be a contributing member, and then you could edit all you want. DD
Is it that surprising that Yao would want to pump up a rookie teamate? Yao, though a great player, is not an NBA scout, and neither are you (thank god). Has one NBA scout ever compared Billy to Nash? Honestly, I don't know why you insist on keeping on with this Billy=Nash crap. You are only hurting your own credibility.
Right, so you are calling Yao a liar.....good on ya mate ! And, I guess that since Yao agrees with me that doesn't add anything to thte credibility issue? Yao is certainly closer to the game than you or I....so....I vote with Yao on this one....especially since he agrees with me. LOL - I said that I think V-Span COULD DEVELOP into a Nash like player with his passing....his shot....needs a LOT...A LOT... of work. And, for the umpteenth time, I don't think V-Span should be the starter, I think he should get about 8-10 minutes a game at the backup PG position and see how he develops. When he plays bad, you yank him, when he plays good, you extend his minutes. Why do I feel this way? Because otherwise you are WASTING a chance to develop him and find out if he is the answer at PG or not. Because I can guarantee you one thing. Rafer is NOT the answer at PG.....never has been, never will...... DD
Do you not understand that high risk can also lead to a bad result? That is why they call it risk. We cannot afford to take risks right now, as others have stated (and what did you do? dodge the point, as usual). V-Span is not where Manu was his rookie season. He just isn't. So stop the "JVG sux cuz he has the next Manu/TP/Nash on his bench." It's unfair to OUR head coach, who knows what he's doing whether or not he's a "chapionship caliber coach."
Actually, you constantly imply that V-Span=Nash when you say that benching V-Span is like leaving Nash on the bench. You are unfairly criticizing JVG's decisions because of a bias that you have. That is why you come across as a fairweather fan and a troll.
Ok, junior go donate to the tip jar so you can edit your posts and support this great site....otherwise you are just wasting bandwidth. Yes, High risk can lead to bad results, and when that happens as I have said...YANK HIM !!!!! But we don't have anyone other than Tmac who is creating for himself and others...and in the 4th quarter teams take away your first and 2nd options.....we don't have a third....other than hoisting a 3 point shot......that leaves us incredibly vulnerable to scheming against....when our 3s are falling we win.....when they are not....we have no backup plan. V-Span could facilitate such a backup plan by driving to the hole and creating for himself or others....... Heck, I would just be happy if Rafer could hit 45% of his shots inside the 3pt line........then I would be fine with V-Span on the bench...but I see the PG postion KILLING the Rockets....we are winning in spite of it..... And, against the better teams.....on the road it will hurt us....considerably...IMHO. DD
Yeah, um...show me that quote......maybe you need reading comprehension. Keep ignoring the fact that Yao agrees with me....... You gonna donate to the site or not? DD
Yao doesn't agree with you. You take the V-Span obsession to a new level. And now my opinions are inferior because I have not yet donated to the site? This line of personal attacks is a clear example of how you do everything you can to discredit those who disagree with you without actually providing any facts. Yao's offhand comparison of Billy to Nash is not a fact. It's a piece of fluff. Your argument is a giant ball of fluff. And that's putting it nicely.
If that is your de facto proof, you need to do some better research. Bottom line is this: Spanoulis can play. He needs time to get familiar with how the NBA and how the Rockets work. Yao needed time AND playing time to get familiarized. No foreign player in the past 10 years has ever succeeded right off the bat when they came here. Lucas is playing well is because he's played for JVG last year and knows what is expected out of him. He produces because he knows what's going on. Spanoulis hasn't gotten a good chance to actually get acclimated with his teammates. I honestly see Spanoulis being a poor man's Ginobili without the vertical--a scrappy player that gets the job done. And you calling someone that has so many posts a troll and/or a YOF just after being here for a couple of months is pretty laughable.
Did Lucas command any significant minutes last year? No. Yet, somehow, he didn't forget how to play basketball and he's contributing now. Span has shown that he's not ready. There really isn't a debate here. Let the guy play when he's ready, sure. But don't risk breaking the flow of the rotation just to make sure a prospect gets developed. V-Span turns the ball over. A lot. More TOs mean more losses. There is no room for error with Yao out. What makes you VOFs think that Span will be a star this year? From what I've seen, he's nowhere close. He may develop into a better player with some work, but for now we cannot afford to gamble on an unproven player when the current formula IS WORKING. 21-12. Hard schedule coming up and Yao is out. This is not the time to experiment. And even if you would do things differently, don't criticize JVG for putting together a winning team despite injuries to both of our superstars (not to mention Bonzi and Snyder with a little dash of Hayes).
Lucas did not play for a FOREIGN national team and didn't play in a FOREIGN league did he? You can say "basketball is the same no matter where" until Yao comes back, but the truth of the matter is, it isn't. And the degree of difficulty is exponentially harder when you don't get the playing time that you need in order to get the feel for the NBA game. I haven't played 1 single minute in the NBA, but just by following it and seeing what it takes for a foreign player to adapt to the NBA, you can tell Spanoulis just needs time on the court. As for Lucas, he show flashes last year when he played for the Rockets. You could tell he would be a serviceable player just by the energy and hustle he brought alone. Flow of rotation...you speak of it like there was one that was in place. JVG, before Yao went down, ran his starters + 2 ragged. There was no rotation to speak of. He's only recently insert Lucas into the rotation because he has no other choice but to and fortunately it's been paying off. It's just like last year, his hand was forced into playing Luther so many minutes because we could barely suit up a 12 man roster at times. It's funny because I'm assuming that you're calling me a VOF because I stated that I want to see Spanoulis get some minutes, even garbage minutes so that he can actually set foot on the court. The current formula is this: -30-40 points by McGrady -ad lib the rest If you think that this formula is going to work over the course of the season, you are sorely mistaken. Any game now *knocks on wood*, McGrady will get injured and then what? I'm criticizing him for not utilizing role players more in the beginning of the season. Who are you talking to?
Yeah that one turnover every 10 minutes thing is really a LOT !!! He had one game where he had 5 turnovers, and it was a 30 point blow out win where he starting having a little fun and trying crazy passes, otherwise he has protected the ball better than most. But whatever, don't let facts get in the way of your V-Span hatorade ! DD
Exactly, not building up a bench to where when the injuries inevitably happen the subs are ready to step up. Not to mention overplaying the already fragile superstars on this team is just downright stupid. The ultimate goal is to win a championship and you will need more than 7 players to get it done...In this trolls humble opinion DD
I assume Van Gundy's evaluation of Spanoulis is based largely on what he does in practice. Including how well he protects the ball.
