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Rockets Sign Kostas Papanikolaou

Discussion in 'Houston Rockets: Game Action & Roster Moves' started by BimaThug, Aug 8, 2014.

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Do you like the Rockets signing of Kostas Papanikolaou, using their MLE to do it?

  1. YES

    460 vote(s)
    83.0%
  2. NO

    94 vote(s)
    17.0%
  1. Smacktle

    Smacktle Member

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    The bottom line is nobody knows.

    It sure is fun watching some of you girls freak out on both sides of the spectrum though.
     
  2. Aleron

    Aleron Member

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    But would he get blocked at the rim by jermaine o'neal ?
     
  3. bmd

    bmd Member

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  4. BoneYardDog

    BoneYardDog Member

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    I think he will be a nice surprise like PBev was...
     
  5. shastarocket

    shastarocket Member

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    Calling Bev a "nice surprise" is a massive understatement
     
  6. BoneYardDog

    BoneYardDog Member

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    Yeah I guess but I was excited about his signing. I did expect more out of PBev than most I guess...

    I have a good feeling about KPap also...
     
  7. baubo

    baubo Member

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    I think he can be a Delfino type of player. Mostly a 3 with some potential to play the stretch 4. His handles are suspect, but Delfino wasn't really handling the ball on this team either. As long as he can dribble a bit in transition and when defenders are running him off the 3pt line, that's good enough.

    I think some fans are down on his potential, which I agree is fairly low. But his floor is pretty high as a 3&D player in the league. One of those guys who can always get a MLE contract each FA.
     
  8. HMMMHMM

    HMMMHMM Member

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    Lol. I follow both Euroleague and FIBA action.

    Kostas' straight-line speed is definitely better than Dudley and he does have slightly better jumping ability.
    But posting clips of him dunking on a fast break/posterizing un-athletic Euros and blocking some shots is besides the point. That's straight-line speed and anticipation.

    His lateral quickness is Dudley-esque and playing sound defense mostly comes down to lateral quickness, not straight-line speed. Go watch tape of him vs. Jeff Taylor and Sweden from last year's Eurobasket and tell me with a straight face that Kostas isn't a below-average athlete by NBA standards and that I'm wrong for thinking he might have trouble guarding athletic wings.
     
  9. saleem

    saleem Member

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    I saw that video, and you are right. I thought he would be a better defender than that. I do think he will work hard though. Lateral quickness is not likely to improve, but perhaps training can help.
     
  10. chenjy9

    chenjy9 Numbers Don't Lie
    Supporting Member

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    Honestly not too sure what you were expecting out of PBev more than what he has already shown. You knew he wouldn't be an offensive PG and that he was not the sharpest shooter. You knew he would be tenacious on D and has boundless energy. He has shown all of that. Like were you hoping that he would transform magically into an great PG in a higher level competition?
     
  11. RoxBeliever

    RoxBeliever Member

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  12. Hakeemtheking

    Hakeemtheking Member

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  13. platypus

    platypus Member

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    I've kept up with the guy since we drafted him, he is not a below average athlete by any stretch.

    And you just admitted that he is a better athlete than dudley so you're essentially backtracking from your previous statement....

    And on the flipside watch tape of him in the euro-league final four, he shows above average defensive ability and a good feel for the game. Lets also not forget Jared Dudley was considered a top notch defender/role player in his phoenix days.
     
  14. HeWhoIsLunchbox

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    Wasn't drafted by the Rockets; his rights were acquired from Portland in the Thomas Robinson trade.
     
  15. Angkor Wat

    Angkor Wat Member

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    Our future teammates

    <iframe width="560" height="315" src="//www.youtube.com/embed/Z4elUWc58VY" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>
     
  16. platypus

    platypus Member

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    Correct he was actually drafted by the knicks i believe.
     
  17. HMMMHMM

    HMMMHMM Member

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    If you go back to my post, you'll see that I was talking about Kostas' athleticism in regards to his defense and folks calling him a "3&D" player, which I took issue with, not because I expect him to suck on that end, but because I think it's much more likely he'll be a solid/neutral defender that always tries hard, but may have problems guarding some of the more athletic wings.

    That's why I brought up Dudley who also has is smart and tries hard, but athletically challenged -- especially laterally, which obviously is a big factor in playing D.
    If you want to get caught up on the fact that Kostas isn't as bad an athlete as Dudley in other athleticism aspects, that's fine, but that's never the point I was trying to make.
     

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