V-Span should have been the backup PG from DAY 1.....to stick all your eggs in that HORSE CRAP player Rafer Alston and not even take a sniff at other players that might possibly make the team a LOT better in the long run is myopia at it's finest, and it is why I want JVG gone. DD
You do realize that Spanoulis has no trade value, not even negative trade value as a contract to balance the books (a.k.a Stromile Swift), because he has shown absolutely nothing. I'm sure CD tried to get rid of him, and found no takers, so they are forced to stick with him.
If Rafer is horsecrap, than Spanoulis is toxic waste, because Spanoulis is far worse and as of right now far more poisonous with his bad attitude than Rafer. Rafer may be playing poorly, but honestly I don't even know if Spanoulis would do anything in the NBDL. One wouldn't be able to tell by how he's done on the court, because he's played pretty damn poorly.
V-Span has gotten a very small opportunity to show what he could do, and at a position and a utilization in which does not fit his skill set. You can not ask a man to shoot 3 point shots when that is not his game, why not add some new wrinkles into your offense to take advantage of another players skillset? V-Span is a very good PnR guy at the top of the key...put him in with Yao, Hayes or Tmac on the roll and reap the rewards. DD
You make it sound as if it's that simple but what good is he on the roster if we know it's absolute certainty he's not going to play? He's not going to play this year and as Clutch pointed out, our #1 priority this offseason will likely be (and should be) adding a quality backup PG. Ideally, this would be a young PG with a high enough ceiling to eventually phase Rafer out of the starter spot and move him to the bench. I don't think this guy will be V-Span and quite franky i'm sick of hearing about him. Maybe he's just not good enough? Maybe JVG see's something in practice that we, as simple fans, don't see? Everybody loves this kid and acts like just because he was some Euro superstar that did us a "favor" by leaving his Greek team and trying his game out in the pro's that we owe him something. It's getting old. We're gearing up for a playoff run and it's like every week there's some kind of new V-Span sob story thread.
We are not gearing up for a playoff run, we are hopefully learning how to win a playoff series. But realistically, this team has very little chance of contending this year, which is why I have wanted the younger players to play SOME minutes all year long. Play to win for the future, if the future is not now. DD
I must confess that I don't understand your intense man love for Spanoullis. This guy is/was a longshot at best to make it in the league. When you consider the fact that he was picked up at the end of the 2nd round and that he stayed and stayed in Europe for such a long time, it's no wonder (at least to me) that he hasn't done much. To me, he was always a marginal player with severe limitations on his ability to play in this league but because he was such an unknown quantity, a lot of folks began to think he was better than he actually was and I think too many people became smitten with the whole "Kill Bill" thing. Also, I fail to see how you can continue to lay all of the blame on JVG when it has been Dawson and the other so-called "talent evaluators" who's been responsible for player evaluations and acquisitions on this roster. There are definite reasons why the Rockets lack the talent to compete and they all start at the top of the organization and not with the head coach.
He was picked in the 2nd round and allowed to mature in Europe until he was ready. IMHO, he is ready but our coach is not able to make use of talented players that don't fit PERFECTLY into his system. Bonzi, JJ, Boki, Snyder, V-Span, etc..etc..etc.. DD
I don't bleam Vspan here. Nobody wants to waste the best time of their career on the bench. JVG should have played Vspan more. He's the only one on Rox outside Tmac who can penetrate and dish out effectively.
This is moronic. Nobody deserves playing time a priori, playing time must be EARNED. Even high draft picks will only get semi-guaranteed playing time for a short period, and only under certain coaches, and then if they don't play well they will have that PT taken away. Spanoulis has responded to being benched the wrong way; by ranting against the coach and angling to return to Europe. If he had Gilbert's attitude (i.e. "They though I was a zero, it wasn't even about basketball anymore, it was about proving them wrong") or worked his ass off without complaining like Michael Redd, and he had the talent you Spanoulis partisans suggest, we wouldn't be in this situation.
#11 has more talent than all of those guys combined and JVG has tapped that talent. It is quite possible that under a coach like Adelman or Nellie, Yao would become a jump shooter who stood around at the top of the key. If Rudy T stayed along, it is quite possible that SF/CM would continue to hog the ball and Yao would never get enough touches. Besides, all of the great coaches (Riley, Phil Jax, Larry Brown, Popovich, Avery, etc.) are tough on young players. Now take Doc Rivers, a coach who has done well in developing young talent, he was recently forced to stand up at the podium and defend against accusations of TANKING GAMES, possibly THE WORSE OFFENSE IN PROFESSIONAL SPORTS. Developing young players hasn't gotten Rivers's teams very far.
Learning how to win a playoff series, making a run in the playoffs....obviously I meant the same thing. ...and I don't like the pessimistic attitude. Forgive me for not quite being as ready to write off this team like you seem to be ready to do.
Good point! That's what I was suggesting in another thread. Hope JVG can be more open-minded on the offense end.
What you call pessimism, I call realism. I just think this team is at least one player maybe two away from contending. Which is why I wanted to play some of the younger guys this year to find out if they are indeed a piece of the puzzle. It was a wasted year for the following Rocket players. Bonzi Snyder V-Span Novak Could any of them help win a championship? How can anyone say, they weren't really given a fair look to find out. DD
Bonzi had his chance, and you said yourself that he doesn't fit this team with his ball-dominating style, turnover-prone offensive game, and lazy defense. Snyder is being given his third chance right now, and is playing decently. Unfortunately he got lit up the last couple games on defense, but you can't say he's not being given a chance. So that leaves Spanoulis and Novak. Novak plays ABSOLUTELY no defense and is not strong enough to even box out, and seems to have trouble shooting, which was his only asset anyway, so scratch him. Spanoulis has been debated endlessly and I don't think anyone has been convinced of an opposing viewpoint, so everyone will have to agree to disagree.
I agree about Bonzi, I don't think he fits this team. Snyder - not so much, he has gone from being a starter to barely playing on the fringes of the rotation. I would like to see him back in a much more prominant role. Novak is not good on D...neither is Rafer or Luther but they both play.....Matt Bullard couldn't guard anyone either..... Novak can shoot, that is a huge advantage....stretch the defense give Yao room to operate. V-Span- I agree no one is going to convince the other side.........I just think he has "It" and would really help a team that is lacking an "It" player. DD
Hey little man, you still around? Come on in an participate in the thread, or are you just here spreading your DD hatorade around. DD
