What a contradictory post. SF didn't quit on Vancouver because he wasn't good enough. He never went there. Elway didn't quit on the Colts because he wasn't good enough. He never went there. You are correct to say V-Span made the right decision for himself. I don't blame him for leaving either. He wasn't necessarily "childish" for leaving either. If you are in deeper water than you can handle, it's smarter to get out instead of drowning.
Another Olympic game, another V-Span dominating performance.....23 points, five assists (could have been way more with NBA scoring), on some amazing passes.....2 alley oops and one nifty behind the backer for a dunk. V-Span was a rookie for the Rockets, I am convinced more than ever that he would be in the rotation if he stayed. Let's see how he does against Kobe and Wade..... Box score against Germany DD
2nd leading scorer in the entire tournament at 19ppg The guy can play, you can hate on him for taking his ball and going home, but clearly the guy can play. Sam, Name calling...tsk tsk....so sad, and so predictable. This is a celebration thread for V-Span, what are you doing here smearing your boogers all over the walls? Just let us have fun with some good quality VSpan play.... DD
Wrong. He can play at an international level but not in the NBA. He could have went to SA but he chose to quit. Plain and simple. If he was so great he would have at least shown us something. All he showed was that when he didn't get his way he cried and went home. He could have stuck it out and developed with a championship team but decided against it. He sucks and is arrogant. "The TMac of Greece" is what he referred to himself as. I'm confused as to why you think anyone here would celebrate a guy who sucked for the Rockets and is a quitter. I could careless about what he does overseas. Unless you are Greek I don't understand your obsession with this dude.
Actually, JVG called him the TMac of Greece, which I thought was fairly classless of the man. IIRC, VSpan went to JVG to talk about his role and said he needed the ball in his hands to be successful, like Tmac....and JVG made up the TMac of Greece comment to the press as a laugh......IMHO....JVG thought he was being funny, but I think it was fairly rude. Yes, he quit and went home, for more money...I guess the US players taught him that whining will get you more money. Also, if you can play well at FIBA, you can play in the NBA, it just takes an adjustment period, which a lot of people seem to forget. I am not obsessed with him, but I like poking fun at people who said he could not play, because clearly, he could. You are right about him sticking around and playing on a championship team though...he surely could have done that. DD
He's only proven he can play at the international level. It is far from a fact that if you can play well at FIBA you can play in the NBA. Sometimes it translates, sometimes it doesn't. I guess for me the bottom line is he had a chance to continue playing (for a championship team that was interested in him) and he still quit. So not matter what happened in Houston he still was afforded a great opportunity. He never showed anything on the court. Trust me, if he was playing well in practice he would have gotten a chance. It's not like JVG had it in for the guy. He was trying to win games. We weren't exactly deep at the pg position either as we all know. Most people criticize the NBA stars who whine too. Look at all the posts on TMac (who is an established NBA star). VSpan never accomplished anything to really have a leg to stand on. If he went for the money then fine. That's his choice. However, there is no way you can say he could play at an NBA level when he never delivered here and chose not to go to SA. The guard from Angola scored 24 points against us today. Should he be in the NBA now?
Of course you can say he could play in the NBA because he DID play in the NBA, some games he sucked, some games he was ok, and some games he played great as a rookie. Have you watched any of the Greek games at the Olympics? He has looked very good. This is a celebrate the V-Span thread, not one about him quitting and going home. I may be the lone V-Span fan left from Houston, but then, I still like Bud Adams too. DD
Nobody ever said Spanoulis doesn't have talent. I am pretty sure he could have been at least a very solid NBA player if he was committed to make it happen. Making it happen, though, would mean that he has to pay his dues, develop skills (extending shooting range to NBA 3 point line, for example, would help, as would limiting turnovers), and be willing to earn-- rather than be given-- minutes. Instead, he doesn't have the patience or the committment to do that, and decided to go back to Greece, where he was allowed play exactly the way he had played before, rather than adapt to the NBA. This committment is what separates Spanoulis from Scola, who successfully made the adjustment(remember early in the season Scola's minutes were rather limited, particularly when he struggled early in games). If Spanoulis is to return to the NBA, he has to want it bad enough to work for success.
Carlos Morais of Angola just put up 24 points vs. the US team. I suppose he has now superseded Spanoulis in the Rockets Rotation. In conclusion you're an idiot. Why don't you take the nuthugging back to the spurs board so you and blacklab/BEXCELANT and his multiple personalities can have a group discussion on this? Here you're going to draw mostly ridicule, with good reason.
i'd like to remind you that germany isn't an elite team and the german backcourt is about on the same level as china's (which is probably the worst at the olympics besides teams that clearly aren't top 20 in the world like angola or iran.).
Yeah, that is why I said let's see how he does against the USA. I just like to poke fun at people that said he sucked...when clearly, he just needed seasoning and a better mindset. People focus on the negative of a player far too often, I see the faults too, the tendency to play out of control, jump in the air with nowhere to go, and a high turnover ratio. However, I also see some very nifty ball handling, good passing, a player who attacks the basket with abandon, is a good mid range shooter, and is fearless on the court.....I think as players mature they tend to minimize their weaknesses and maximize their strengths, so it is amazing to me to see people make snap judgements off a guys rookie year........ Today, I decided to watch the game and concentrate on his weaknesses, I noticed a few bad passes, but his overall court awareness and aggressiveness took over..... I have no illusions or delusions about him coming back to Houston....but I do like to chide the naysayers.......when I know I am right about a player. DD
Say what you will about VSPAN but he was a major contributor in the decision to fire Van Dummy and for that I will be eternally grateful!
Big deal. Somebody has to score. VSpan was awful. Just awful. He makes me mad just looking at him, with that stupid clueless look on his face all the time. It didn't help that he can't play NBA ball any better than Oscar Torres. Oh wait, Oscar was 3x the player.
Awful? Oh come on now, he has been playing GREAT in the Olympics. How can you say he has been awful? And what do you mean, someone has to score....like that is an easy thing.... Rafer couldn't do it. DD
