Lithuania in Eurobasket 2022

[Shawshank]

Lets say most of the coaches and most of the centers. There are some I wouldnt give up for JV.

How manny NT coaches wouldn't take Valanciunas to their roster ?

France would choose Poirier or JV?
Serbia would choose Milutinov or JV?
Slovenia would choose Tobey,Dimec or JV?
Turkey Sengun,Sanli or JV?
Greece Papagianis or JV?
Spain Hernangomez,Garuba or JV?
Italy Melli or JV ?
Germany Theis,Voigtmann or JV ?

Sure if NT have Jokic or Gobert JV wouldn't be starter,but I can't find a single NT from EuroBasket 2022 who wouldn't take from past dinosaur type player who is useless in pikenroll defence and can't do nothing usefull in todays game according to dinosaur expert

[madmax]

Incidentally, the usual brainless JV hate aside from the usual suspect, the first fringe NBA level perimeter player on our roster is already making a massive difference for our team...I'm talking about Iggy of course, who could be the main reason of us medalling or not next month

[Toruko]

How manny NT coaches wouldn't take Valanciunas to their roster ?

France would choose Poirier or JV?
Serbia would choose Milutinov or JV?
Slovenia would choose Tobey,Dimec or JV?
Turkey Sengun,Sanli or JV?
Greece Papagianis or JV?
Spain Hernangomez,Garuba or JV?
Italy Melli or JV ?
Germany Theis,Voigtmann or JV ?

Sure if NT have Jokic or Gobert JV wouldn't be starter,but I can't find a single NT from EuroBasket 2022 who wouldn't take from past dinosaur type player who is useless in pikenroll defence and can't do nothing usefull in todays game according to dinosaur expert

There are 23 coaches in the upcoming Eurobasket who'd be delighted to trade any one of their centers for Valančiūnas.

This is what he wrote.

I wouldnt give away Jokic, Gobert or Sengün for JV. These guys I can think of right now.

[Straight forward]

JV probably had the most efficient and best club season of all Lithuanians. I don't even dispute that. My concern is how to make LTU NT winning team though. From what I see our defence is way too lose with JV. That's all. It's incredibly hard to win medals with such lose defence. So your main center can't guard p'n'r? Big deal right? Sure, it's a big deal! It's a massive flaw! Besides, he is slow with step outs, slow with adjusting, slow reading defences, our transition defence sucks with JV (Spain punished us with this several times).

JV is huge problem defensively.

Sometimes JV is huge problem offensively for opponents.

But, IMO, JV's defence hurts us more than JV's offense lifts us. If we change JV with modern center who primarily occupied with defence and only looking for p'n'r. putbakcs, fast brake dunks offensively, we are better suited, IMO.

I will give you simple example. With Clint Capela we would be much better team (he just plays D and runs). I even claim that with prime Javtokas, who was terrific defensive center and athletic board crasher/cleaner, would be more beneficial for the NT than JV.

Now JV plays really bad defence and his offensive presence is not so dominant that it would outweigh defensive flaws. It has nothing with attempt to downgrade JV or to flatter my most liked players. I sincerely believe this would benefit us better. Rememeber When Kalnietis talked about 2010WC. He said something like this "Yeah, Kleiza was our leader, but even more important was Javtokas cause he was cementing all the defence"

My eyes was bleeding watching JV's defence against Spain, nothing less. Sorry if some-one gets offended with this (I have no intention of that), but that's how I felt.

[Straight forward]

How manny NT coaches wouldn't take Valanciunas to their roster ?

France would choose Poirier or JV?
Serbia would choose Milutinov or JV?
Slovenia would choose Tobey,Dimec or JV?
Turkey Sengun,Sanli or JV?
Greece Papagianis or JV?
Spain Hernangomez,Garuba or JV?
Italy Melli or JV ?
Germany Theis,Voigtmann or JV ?

Sure if NT have Jokic or Gobert JV wouldn't be starter,but I can't find a single NT from EuroBasket 2022 who wouldn't take from past dinosaur type player who is useless in pikenroll defence and can't do nothing usefull in todays game according to dinosaur expert

I would surely take Milutinov over JV because of defence, and would consider highly taking Poirier, Tobey for the same reasons. We need defence from 5 in the first place, not posting up which freezes all the offense. More or less we have enough of offensive options with Sabonis, Iggy, Grigonis, Jokubaitis, Lekavicius, Giedraitis. We need glue guy defensively at 5, IMO.

[Shawshank]

Yeah NT coaches should cut Valanciunas and go with Domas,Echodas and couple small pf.

When we gonna face France,Serbia,Greece type teams and wouldn't be able to get rebounds and no rim protection we gonna start crying we don't have real force under basket.

Tobey,Poirier gonna give defence aha sure in what dream world?

Tobey is useless in inside defence.Poirier is not that better in pikenroll defence either.


You simply diminish and don't get JV level.

In inside defence Jonas is very good and he shown that yesterday in last 5 minutes.He elite worlds rebounder, big pain in ass when defence need to box him out.Forget even about post ups just to box him out it's a nightmare for everybody.

In order to get needed role player you don't trade 3carat diamond what JV is and think that team becomes better that simply silly emotional thinking.

Take out JV from this team.nobody would rank them nr 5 .

LTU will have 40min world class center no other team can say that in entire EuroBasket.

Its such a luxury to have and no way I'm trading that for any role defensive player.

That Jonas plays different style compared to what you like doesn't make your arguments corrects it's makes them biased if anything.

[Straight forward]

I didn't say we have to cut JV for anyone in current roster. I said that if some real deal defensive big as Milutinov, Javtokas, Capela would be available I wouldn't hesitate to substitute JV.

Off course, I repeated here million times that JV is elite ISO post defender and elite rebounder. That will help. But his p'n'r, mid range, perimiter defence will all hurt a lot! And how many post players there are to dominate the game? Jokic? That's probably all. Even Gobert is D and p'n'r dude, that's all.

I'm not saying that we should cut JV, I'm saying "damn, it will be super hard to win medals with JV on the court" cause he will be a constant target just as he was in 2019 when Mills and Fournier/De Collo schooled him.

We need real deal defensive big who would play elite D against elite teams. Today we don't have one and I see it as the main problem of this roster.

[Shawshank]

We need more defence in backourt if anything that would make Jonas and Domas life way easier inside.

Center position cant fix all defensive problems in today era because of 3 point line and how often it is used.

Neither Javtokas, neither Capella can hide everything if your guards is bad in defence and let multiple penetrations.Leave center defend 1 Vs 2 nobody will look good in such defence.

All not shooters is bad fit with Domas.You know that neither Javtokas or cappella can shoot right?Capella got traded for nothing because he can't shoot.

Jonas will have to be crusial part if we want to beat France,Serbia and that greece monster attacking basket all the time.

Without Jonas we dont have chance againts those 3 teams.

That France trio Gobert,Poirier and Yabusele is tough, strong ,huge dudes you better have your elephants to put in front of them or they gonna dominate inside.

[Straight forward]

How he gonna stop Jokic and Giannis if he can't stop Willy? OK, maybe he will have better games and I wish he will. Against France he had few good stretches which helped us to come back, but, again, De Collo nailed a game winner against him so all in vain.

Now you're just trying to cover JV by any cost. To have good defensive center who can play perimeter D pretty well (Gobert, Javtokas, Capela and so on) and to have horrible perimeter defending center (JV) is still huge difference. There's a reason why NBA teams looking for Giannis, AD, Bam, Giannis, Gobert, Capela, and so on type of players. Bigs don't score today, it's guards and wings who score. Guess who's the champ of NBA now.

You will say, but there's Jokic. But he's way better defender than JV.

Well, Javtokas would be little factor offensively and may cause some spacing problems, but he knows how how to play off the ball and to serve the others. Domas would be primarily option with his passing, drives and bullying inside. IMO, it would still benefit us a lot with improved D. JV needs the ball, Domas needs the ball. That's another problem. My biggest hope that Tubelis can serve as next great defensive big after Javtokas who also knows how to play off the ball.

[Straight forward]

We have to give credit for Sabonis vs Spain. For the first time maybe I've seen what I always wanted to see from him in the NT. Elite passing, secure decisions, bullying inside, even some amazing defensive stops.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DJ-YZKXKlC8&ab_channel=LTUBasketball

Shawshank, try not faint. 21 and 23 years old kids closing the game game against Spain

https://twitter.com/ltu_basketball/status/1559628560587005953

One from "next Olympic cycle", other "the propaganda of our federation"

[Shawshank]

You dont get without Valanciunas lenght and strenght our NT dont have rim protection and becomes small team.

France,Greece,Serbia frontcourts are huge. That Giannis dude he gonna attack the rim again and again.

Im not saying Jonas can stop 2 of 5 best players in the world,but atleast athletically he has chances with his long hands and muscles to bother them.Thats all you can do against top 5 world players.

If not JV who the hell gonna challenge Giannis attacking rim or France athletes trying to dominate rebound game?

Giannis in air wont even see Masiulis or Zukauskas type player when he will dunk.

Valanciunas 1 vs 1 did good job on Hernangomez.Echodas allowed nba player feel his game in 2 querter.In 1 querter Willy wasnt scoring alot,same like in 4 querter.

Willy couldnt score inside againts Jv 1vs 1 ,i dont count situation when Jonas goes to help our guard and leaves Willy.Im talking about 1 vs 1 like last 5 minutes 3 stops and game over.

Jonas defence was best on Willy than anybody else on our NT.

Everybody saying 4 best teams is Slovenia,France,Serbia,Greece right?

againts 3 of them Valanciunas must be important player or we gonna lose rebounding game by alot and if you will give extra shots for those elite tallent teams good luck beating them.

[Shawshank]

23 old age no suprise lots of examples of suceeding in NT.

My formula goes u-23.You know what word under means?

Jokubaitis is generational tallent and i want to see how he gonna do when real games starts,not friendly ones without pressure.

One player u-23 in entire roster what we are talking here?

11 players others will be by history data formula and you trying to dance like you were right jeazz

where are your Sedekerskis,Velicka,Marciulionis,Sirvydis,Kulboka, Giedraitis raw students ? how much points they scored yesterday?

[Straight forward]

I'm not dancing anything. I'm just teasing you, cause you always say that only matured players can play when the ball is hot. Generally speaking Jokubaitis and Brazdeikis closed the game and it wasn't all that meaningless and comfortable game playing abroad against Spain with their crowd.

Sedekerskis and Kulboka are no students. They are not living to the hype matured players now. That's all.

[Straight forward]

You dont get without Valanciunas lenght and strenght our NT dont have rim protection and becomes small team.

France,Greece,Serbia frontcourts are huge. That Giannis dude he gonna attack the rim again and again.

Im not saying Jonas can stop 2 of 5 best players in the world,but atleast athletically he has chances with his long hands and muscles to bother them.Thats all you can do against top 5 world players.

If not JV who the hell gonna challenge Giannis attacking rim or France athletes trying to dominate rebound game?

Giannis in air wont even see Masiulis or Zukauskas type player when he will dunk.

Valanciunas 1 vs 1 did good job on Hernangomez.Echodas allowed nba player feel his game in 2 querter.In 1 querter Willy wasnt scoring alot,same like in 4 querter.

Willy couldnt score inside againts Jv 1vs 1 ,i dont count situation when Jonas goes to help our guard and leaves Willy.Im talking about 1 vs 1 like last 5 minutes 3 stops and game over.

Jonas defence was best on Willy than anybody else on our NT.

Everybody saying 4 best teams is Slovenia,France,Serbia,Greece right?

againts 3 of them Valanciunas must be important player or we gonna lose rebounding game by alot and if you will give extra shots for those elite tallent teams good luck beating them.

Yeah, Valanciunas will provide toughness and size inside. Also he will provide extremely trashy p'n'r and perimeter defence. Today's game is build the way that perimeter defence is more important, it's not 90s anymore. My point is that we need the dude who could do both.

[Shawshank]

I also would like to have 1992 Marciulionis version that could do everything and would not need to rely on 21 raw kid to do most important desicions under pressure in eurobasket.

But this is not fantasy we have what we have best right now.

Againts France and Greece i would argue inside defence will be more important .They are not elite shooting teams.

But my main point was take away Valanciunas from this team and i wish u goodluck trying to match up againts huge size Serbia,France, Greece NTs.