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Originally posted by Saskibaloia
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This whole thing about NBA vs. Euroleague difference and how it relates to these players is a pure figment of the imagination of NBA only fans. Neither one of them could ever play a lick of defense. They were always awful defenders and that included playing in Europe.
The fact is nothing at all related to any difference in the two leagues. It's simply poor scouting by NBA teams. They are all surprised that these guys cannot defend a shadow once they get to the NBA simply because they never ever scouted these players.
NBA fans have a big delusion that somehow this is related to NBA vs. Euroleague when it has nothing to do with it. They were known as the worst defenders in Europe for years so why would they suddenly play defense in the NBA? Especially in the case of Andersen who is a soft PF with poor post defense and rebounding versus other power forwards in Europe, and is now asked to be a center by an NBA team that never bothered to scout him before signing him.
Andersen is in fact more suited to the NBA than Europe because of the open offense. He simply needs to be used as a spread the floor and high post face up PF/C with the understanding he cannot play defense and rebound. Something like how Channing Frye is used by the Suns. He would be perfectly fine playing next to Yao on offense, again with the understanding he cannot play defense and rebound. Using him as a center and asking him to rebound and play post D against other centers is nonsense. It just shows the Houston GM never even watched one game of his before singing him. He's known as a guy that just crunches numbers and does not actually scout.
Regardless, if you use Andersen on offense with Yao he will be fine, and you just have to accept he is soft and can't defend and rebound. Everyone knows it because his track record with Australia's national team and in Europe shows it. Regardless, his offense is not being used properly at all by the Rockets and he can definitely score in any league if used the right way.
The same with Jasikevicius. He could have averaged 15 points and 9 assists easily in the NBA if he was used properly and played enough minutes. He was way better than Calderon could ever dream of being on offense.
But see, Jasikevicius and Andersen never played D at any point in their lives. If NBA teams don't want that player then why did they sign them? It's nothing at all to do with NBA vs. Euroleague. Calderon is another example. He is a god awful defender in the NBA just like he was in Europe or in FIBA tournaments with his national team. But the Raptors don't seem to care that he can't guard anyone so he gets to play and can put up some numbers.
If Calderon went to an NBA team expecting him to play defense he would never see the court. He's slightly better on D than Jasikevicius was but far worse on offense if both would be used in the same way, which Jasikevicius was not in the NBA.
Point being, players are what they are. It has nothing to do with in this case being from the Euroleague. Kirilenko can defend whether he is in the Euroleague or the NBA because he is a defender. Same with guys like Khryapa and so forth. Calderon and Andersen can't play a lick of defense in the NBA because they never played defense anywhere. Brandon Jennings played no D in Europe, just like he plays none in the NBA.
It really is sad how the NBA only fan disease has totally permeated the opinion of world basketball. You see, if you take an NBA player that can't play D and put him in the Euroleague he gets abused there by offensive players. If you take a good defender from Euroleague and put him in NBA he will D up NBA players. Take a guy like Vasilopoulos from Euroleague and he can D up any NBA player, but he won't score. He will be the same player just like he is in Europe.
Whatever a player is, that's just what he is. Putting him in one league or the other does not change that. Just ask Josh Childress. He was a championship caliber role player in the NBA and that's exactly the same thing he is in the Euroleague.
Players are what they are, nothing to do with this imaginary NBA vs. Euroleague nonsense that NBA only fans come up with - these myths they create out of thin air.
Andersen has definite offensive game. If the Rockets GM wanted him, then he needed to understand how to use him properly, what actual position to play him at (PF) and that he will not guard anyone, is a poor rebounder, and that he is very soft. If he did not want such a player he should have never signed him. Any failing Andersen has in the NBA is 100% on the GM of the Houston Rockets. You have a guy played out of position and asked to focus on D and rebounding and physical play - all the things he struggles at his whole career, while not using him really on offense to how he can be used.
If the Rockets wanted a big man from Europe that is a true center, that can defend, that can block shots, that will rebound, that will give hard fouls, that will play physical basketball, that will clog the lane, and that will protect the rim then why in the hell did they sign a guy that never did that in his career?
If that is the case then the Rockets should signed for example Andreas Glyniadakis - someone like that, a Euroleague center that would fit that bill. David Andersen has nothing to do with what the Rockets seem to have signed him for. It's a clear case of how their GM's stat geekiness failed the team for signing a guy and having no idea what type of a player he is and how he would fit the needs of the team.
Believe me, you can sign Glyniadakis and get all the smack down you could ever imagine in the paint, but then again don't expect him to fit Adelman's offense and run up and down the court. He's a slow, plodding big man like Yao. See how this works? Andersen will be fine for the Rockets on offense if they play him next to Yao next year and just concede his poor defense and rebounding and soft style of play. And realize there are not too many 6-11 guys that can run the court and spread the floor - he does have value and yes, that includes NBA value.
If the Rockets want a physical true center then Europe had plenty of guys that would have been much better to sign and probably much cheaper. And the Rockets needed to understand they were signing a guy who was always known for being like a complimentary or finishing piece on good teams, not a lead player by any means. He was always surrounded by several better players on his teams in Europe and known for being a winner amongst such teams. So I am sure he would do much better on offense playing next to Yao with Yao taking defenders away and on a better team than what the Rockets are - a team that is something like a 35-40 win team.
Complimentary offensive players need to play next to lead players to succeed on offense. Andersen had that in Europe on his teams, who does he have in the Rockets? Scola? Not really, because you can't play Scola together with Andersen because they are both bad defenders and can't guard the paint and rim. Ariza? Seriously? Brooks.......he's just a ball-hogging midget SG (although a very talented scorer). Martin? Nope, he's a shooter and a slasher. Battier, Hayes? Don't make me laugh. Andersen does not have a prime Papaloukas or a prime Ginobili playing next to him to create opportunities for him like he did when he was playing in Europe. That's a pretty HUGE difference. Which would probably show if he had Yao next to him.
For all the obvious shortcomings that Andersen has and he is soft, he does have a tremendous skill set on offense for a big man. Whether he shows it or not in the NBA is more of a circumstance thing and not a league issue. Andersen is probably every bit as skilled on offense as Brad Miller is for example. But unlike Miller, he's really a PF and he won't rebound and he's soft. The Rockets should just use him for what he is. Play him at PF and let him run with Adelman's offense and give him some freedom and accept that he will give up some points and rebounds. It's what his teams in Europe did and they got positive production out of him based on finding certain mismatches in offense that he can exploit and cause.
Andersen can draw people out of the lane, he can spread the floor and he can cause havoc for bigs in the pick and roll. Imagine Shaq trying to guard him away from the basket. But at the same time, imagine the Magic playing Rashard Lewis at C on defense - it won't work and it will be a disaster. Now I'm not saying Andersen is the same level outside shooter as Lewis because he is not and his game on offense is more like a hybrid of Dirk and Pau. The point is, Rashard Lewis can cause a mismatch on bigs on offense away from the basket and on the pick and roll, but you would not play him at C on defense. The Rockets GM is mainly to blame if Andersen cannot make it in the NBA.
And don't tell me that there are not other NBA players that don't play a lick of D. Most NBA teams are allergic to defense and full of players that never play D. Granted, Andersen is a terrible defender, but Rockets fans are used to Mutombo and Yao at center so they have no realistic base point to compare defense. I really don't think for example that Andersen is that much worse than say a guy like Biedrins on D.....in some NBA teams they could not care less about his defense, but they would use his offense mismatch potential. Try to realize that Euroleague teams generally put far greater emphasis on D than NBA teams do, and in general there is far more intense defense in the Euroleague than in the NBA. Go watch some Euroleague games and then switch to NBA and it's unreal how much more intense the D is in the Euroleague in most cases (and try to make sure it's actually a EUROLEAGUE game you are watching). And yet, with that being true and with Andersen being a bad defender in Europe - his teams could still find a way to integrate him on offense and to minimize his softness, his poor rebounding and D (as in play him at PF and/or get him to cause physical bigs to go to the bench for them not being able to guard the pick and roll).
Other teams that care about D and rebounding would at least use him at PF on defense to minimize that. Not play him at C on defense. You have to understand this guy was a poor defender, poor rebounder, and soft Euroleague PF and is being asked to play C in the NBA and for a team that needs rebounding, physical play, and paint and rim protection from him. It's completely nonsensical and illogical on the part of the Rockets GM to put him in that position. And Rockets fans won't cut him any slack because rather than find out and analyze, they will just make up imaginary myths like, "it's just because Euroleague is different from the NBA and he can't play this style of game", rather than ask why did the GM sign a guy of this type of player when that was not what the team needed?
Like I said, what the Rockets seem to need, his name is Andreas Glyniadakis. But don't expect him to be shooting threes or playing next to Yao, or running up and down the court in the Adelman offense. You would have all the physical play, rebounding, shot blocking you could want, but a guy that is only used in offense in a half court pick and roll or the low post - which would not fit Adelman's offense in even the slightest way. So I think Rockets fans need to stop criticizing and bashing their players so much when it is not really the player's fault and when it is unfair. Rockets fans are about as bad as Panathinaikos fans - the two by far worst fan bases in the basketball world for bashing unfairly their own players, while on the other hand worshiping beyond any logic or justification certain of their other players.
Cut Andersen some slack, he's adjusting to the NBA which takes time (about a full season I would say for most Euroleague players), learning all new players in the league, and he's playing out of position on defense and on offense he's not playing with lead creators on offense like he is used to. He's a bad rebounder and defender, and he's soft, but at the same time a 6-11 guy with his mobility and his skills is an NBA player. To question that is silly and to blame his problems on "NBA versus Euroleague" is completely wrong.
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