Your team's expectations for this tournament

[Mysh]

Fingers crossed...

[Adon]

Mysh,your last post makes more sense than your first.

I believe that Greek NT 2010 is not an average team (neither a Dream team) but certainly a very good team,among the 5-6 top teams in the world.Certainly ,the most complete team we ever had.They are experienced but not old and imo,this WBC means a lot to them.

Our goal is not the second phase but the semifinals and a medal.Perhaps this wont happen.Who knows?
Luck is always a factor.In 2006 SF against team USA we were lucky having good performance from many of our players.It could be easily the other way around imo.I am not absolutely "deterministic" about the outcome of a game.

I have seen a lot of preparation games and I am convinced that no opponent is clearly superior .Everything is open and a moderate optimism is realistic imho.

Do we need better scorers or 3pt shooters or a super star like Galis to get a medal? I think not.
Strategy,chemistry of the team,and the (usual) good performance of our players in crucial games is more important factor -again imho.

We have a good team,good enough to succeed if we are not unlucky.(by "luck" I mean any uncontrollable factor)

As for Kazlauskas,after China,Greek NT was a shift up for him.I respect him but certainly he is not the star of the team.
If his new philosophy leads our team to the gold, perhaps he will become the star. I hope so.

peace.

[Mysh]

Greece doesn't have a natural scorer problem as it has several class ones. Greece is lacking not one but two natural long range shooters that can come inside for 5 min and break the deadlock on certain games. Up to date we were always relaying if Fotsis was in his day or not. Vasiliadis may give a relief if selected but Greece needs another one.

I second this. We have a couple that can do it, but they are not realiable.

[g.g]

@Adon: Whether or not I am meaningless for you matters not for me.

I did not say the squad is unmotivated. Please do stop misinterprete what I said. Greek squads are almost always motivated and enthusiastic, this is one of our natural advantages.

One of our natural disadvantages is our fans and the Greek media are always way enthusiastic and have too high expectations.

There are other qualities we lack: a) players which have reached the peak of their carreer and they are in decline b) the lack of a natural scorer

Greece has mainly to solve the problem of scoring. We may get away with it against average teams, due to our defense. However, it will be our Achilles' heel against stronger teams...

Regarding your comment about Spain. Yes, it also applies to Spain. Spain is another old team with a lot of successes. Naturally, at some point they will get outclassed by another fresher and younger team.

Greece doesn't have a natural scorer problem as it has several class ones. Greece is lacking not one but two natural long range shooters that can come inside for 5 min and break the deadlock on certain games. Up to date we were always relaying if Fotsis was in his day or not. Vasiliadis may give a relief if selected but Greece needs another one.

[Mysh]

@Adon: Whether or not I am meaningless for you matters not for me.

I did not say the squad is unmotivated. Please do stop misinterprete what I said. Greek squads are almost always motivated and enthusiastic, this is one of our natural advantages.

One of our natural disadvantages is our fans and the Greek media are always way enthusiastic and have too high expectations.

There are other qualities we lack: a) players which have reached the peak of their carreer and they are in decline b) the lack of a natural scorer

Greece has mainly to solve the problem of scoring. We may get away with it against average teams, due to our defense. However, it will be our Achilles' heel against stronger teams...

Regarding your comment about Spain. Yes, it also applies to Spain. Spain is another old team with a lot of successes. Naturally, at some point they will get outclassed by another fresher and younger team.

[Panathinaikos Athens]

Instead of medal i wrote metal

Sorry i just saw it.

The Greek team isn't an old team. The average is 25-26 y.o. if i'm not mistaken.
I agree that we don't have scorers. We have a very good team game though. That's how we seat in top 4 of the world & European basketball so many years.

Let's stay there.

[g.g]

I believe Hellas team is aiming for medal or the semis and whatever comes after that. I cannot (neither anybody) judge as yet if they are good enough to achieve this goal. We all need to see them against USA and especially Serbia

[Adon]

Thanks, but please try not to personalise things too much.

It was a personal answer to your personal opinions.
The fact is this: You cannot predict in a different thread that Greece will win the gold and at the same time saying "...a medal would be only a very distant possibility this year."
You cannot demand respect to your opinion that way.

Only Spanoulis is a good shooter in my opinion. All the other guys are not reliable and they work on a "on/off" day. However, Spanoulis is one and as history has shown when he gets defended well, or he is too tired, our team often logs out (eg last euro semi-final with Spain).

Almost all players have "on/off" days.If there is a depth in bench,this is not a problem usually. This is the case with Greek NT 2010.

Yup, that's exactly what I am saying. So one less wouldn't mean much to them.

ok.You are the first Greek fan that thinks our NT as unmotivated.The same stands for Spaniards in your opinion?

I am not a mind reader. All Greeks are too enthuasiastic, we were enthuasiastic even in WC soccer 1994... So enthusiasm is good, but our team is average. Sorry to say.

I was taliking about the players and their apparent desire to play with our NT.Do you think they are pretending?
I am sorry to hear from you that "...our team is average"

Panathinaikos was not so good this year and its irrelevant. Too old players. Both Fotsis and Diamantidis underperform comparing to 3-4 years ago. Sad but true, especially Fotsis.

Respect the MVP of the best Euro club for the last decade.
(Pompous but true) Fotsis ,since the play offs,seems to be in very good shape.

Greece always had 5 solid players. Hmm maybe not in '87. Problem has always been the bench. Basketball has changed a lot. So it's unrealistic to compare differnt basketball eras to draw a conclusion about our NT. The thing is; is this squad better than the other NT squads? I think it's good but lacks essential scoring qualities.

It depends on what you define as solid.When the 35-year old Giannakis was playing for NT,none of his teammates -correct me if I don't remember well-could earn a place in our current NT.
(edit) The lack of good players was the reason that Giannakis was considered "irreplaceable"

We lack a classic scorer like Drazen or Galis. This would make us top class.

I prefer teamplay than superstars.
(edit) There is no Galis or Drazen or Samponis nowdays.

Please leave my age aside. It matters not.

It was a joke.Probably I am older than you (no stroke yet)

Greek. Not all Lithuanians know basketball, like not all Greeks are polite. You'd better say nothing.

(blushed)

OK, if Kazlauskas is not our star, I wonder who is then...

No comment.

It's called realism. As I said we are quite good, but far from the top.

So,how can you predict that Greece will win gold?
We have to guess when you are serious and when you are not?

[Alyosha12]

Slovenia's goal is 1/4

If we have luck in our draw it could happen, even with our current crappy team...Its amazing what a difference one or two players make...

[Adon]

So overall, I hope we get to the second phase. I think a medal would be only a very distant possibility this year.

You are really a piece of art. If you believe this statement,how can you predict that Greece will win WBC 2010?

(Your vote at: http://forums.interbasket.net/poll.p...lts&pollid=766 )

As I was saying, you are meaningless.

[patriota44]

We are Serbia and we must go to win Mundobasket, our tradition in basketball is always go to the win....

[Adon]

WOW!!!!!!! "You really know basket well..."

I'm kidding.This is the biggest pile of crap I have ever read in this forum.You are the champion my Greek (?) friend.

In my opinion Greek players are quite old ...

Average age: 25 y.Just 2 players slightly over 30(Tsatsaris-Diamadidis)

...and lack natural scorers and especially shooters.

Spanoulis,Vseiliadis,Diamantidis,Perperoglou are not shooters in your opinion? Man,you don't know what you are talking about.Most of our big guys (Bourousis,Fotsis,Tsatsaris,even Kaimakoglou and Pridezis) are very good 3pt shooters and that's a well known advantage.

Also they won a couple of medals,...

Those guys have won a lot more than a "couple of medals"
starting from U16 up today,with NTeams and their clubs.

...so I doubt this WC would mean a lot to them.

Obviously,you can read their minds,because they fooled all the rest of us with their enthusiasm and their desire.

SpanD, Fotsis and Diamantides are approaching the end of their career.

Span: 28 y. Fotsis : 29 y. Diamadidis :30 y and the most valuable player of Panathinaikos.

Papaloukas doesn't care a lot about our NT any more.

lol.Pap is on his decline,same as Sarunas.None in Greece was sad about his absence.Are you ever watching Olympiako's games in A1 and Euroleague? I suppose not.

He did a lot so far, but I remember Yiannakis being 35 and giving all he got for our NT like he was 20.

You are talking about an era,when Greece had difficulties to find 5 decent players.It was sad imo.

Some good defenders though, and overall the team is good, but nothing special.

LOL! All those "special" teams in WBC they'll eat us alive.
I wonder what is your definition of special.

Definitely not the best team Greece ever had.

At that point ,I thought that you are either to young or too old (with a stroke)

Our biggest star is our coach...

Are you Lithuanian by any chance? Hmmmm....probably not.Lithuanians know a lot about bb.

So overall, I hope we get to the second phase.

What can I say man? You are ridiculous

I think a medal would be only a very distant possibility this year.

Especially this year! (sarcastic) Usually, we have good chances,but this year we are not anything special and our big star is the coach.Maybe if Kazlauskas could play......

Overall,I doubt if you believe what you've written .Perhaps you have a reason for that exhibition of ignorance.

[Perseus]

If our players are old theh the Spaniards must start digging their graves and French to comittte suicide...

I will be happy if Greece make it to the semis but i must say that i fell better after listen to the comentators yesterday that Greece is the best team in tournament.

[Mysh]

In my opinion Greek players are quite old and lack natural scorers and especially shooters. Also they won a couple of medals, so I doubt this WC would mean a lot to them.

SpanD, Fotsis and Diamantides are approaching the end of their career. Papaloukas doesn't care a lot about our NT any more. He did a lot so far, but I remember Yiannakis being 35 and giving all he got for our NT like he was 20.

Some good defenders though, and overall the team is good, but nothing special. Definitely not the best team Greece ever had.

Our biggest star is our coach, who justified kept Papaloukas and his star-kind behaviour out of the squad.

So overall, I hope we get to the second phase. I think a medal would be only a very distant possibility this year.

[Panathinaikos Athens]

Our main goal is to stay in top 4.
Of course we can win a metal but it's very very difficult to do that in every W.C.