ofc not. songaila did good. not the time to put JV on court. even JV fans have to agree with that. game is too closetheycallmeZZ wrote:
ofc not. songaila did good. not the time to put JV on court. even JV fans have to agree with that. game is too close
Well, they played bad against good teams too this year.
The issue isn't that....it's still just really weird that he didn't have JV start the half after he had a good 1st half. I mean, they're winning now, but they didn't start the 2nd half out on fire or anything.
i think Kemzura should have tried something like JV + jankunas + Kleiza - cause Kleiza isn't doing to well on that PF spot
Will JV get a minute of garbage time to rest the guys who've played???....doesn't look like it
Man, at least he subbed out Songaila. It would make no sense not to sub out at least a couple of the guys who carried the load today.
26-9 last Q - nice. hopefully all they needed is some concentration. go beat Russia - JV 50 points - fuck kirilenka
I also just thought, for once, from a coaching perspective, it made so much sense to give JV some more time. He was playing well enough, and they really could use a game for him where he gets to build some confidence. They may yet need his size in the next game. Assuming they face Russia, they definitely will need him for as long as he can play. Does Russia hold the tiebreaker against both Spain and Brazil? Is it just the winner from their round play?
Last edited by white men can't jump; Mon Aug 6th, 2012 at 08:05 AM.
well kemzura really wasn't thinking about the next game. he needed to get this win - i can understand him.
With a repeat of this
TORONTOOOOOO RAPTORSSSSSS
NEVER FORGET... NUMERO OCHO 👌 #saluteJose
I still just meant to start the 2nd half, which was his normal role in the tournament until today. Again, I don't think they came out and played that well. Only in the last couple of minutes of the 3rd did they start to turn the game around, and if substitutions had been normal, JV would have probably been out by that time anyway. So in the end, maybe Kemzura isn't thinking about the next game, and maybe he's thinking about winning, but I don't know if he's thinking too clearly.
well if you look at what he is doing - he is trying all the players and searching for anyone who can perform well. when we focus on JV it might seem bad desicions. but you see we are thinking - where is JV all the time, what is he doing and so on - meanwhile coach is thinking mostly about how his team is doing. this idea that JV is one of the best LTU player - is wrong. he is youngster that would have barely played if Javtokas didn't get injuried.
JV doesn't have the status in the team like Kleiza, for example, does. if kleiza did bad in first half - you are still sure that he gonna get another chance in the second half. it's not the same with JV. JV did couple of mistakes - coach thought other players can do better and therefor he benched JV.
at least this is the way i look at it.
http://aol.sportingnews.com/nba/stor...stutis-kemzura
A little bit of an explanation?
LONDON -- Not quite three minutes into Lithuania’s game against Team USA last Saturday, center Jonas Valanciunas set up on the low right block and prepared to go to work on American center Tyson Chandler, the NBA’s Defensive Player of the Year. Valanciunas took two dribbles and turned into the lane, scurrying across to set up a hook shot. But he had been moving so quickly and was so eager to get his shot off that he misjudged where he was in the lane. He was too far past the basket, and threw the ball off the front of the rim.
The play sums up where Valanciunas is as a player — eager and talented, but operating without know-how. I brought the play up to coach Kestutis Kemzura, and he nodded.
“There you go, this is the thing with Jonas,” Kemzura told Sporting News. “Sometimes, he wants to come in and do everything right away. In his head, he is working too fast. He is young, that happens. But he needs to slow down.”
This is probably not what Raptors fans were hoping to see from Valanciunas, who will join the team this year, though coach Dwane Casey and general manager Bryan Colangelo have been trying to tamp down expectations. If you’re looking for a reason that Valanciunas, who the Raptors selected with the No. 5 pick in the 2011 NBA Draft, played only 8:32 against the U.S., and why he is averaging just 3.6 points in 10.6 minutes in the first five games of the Olympics, Kemzura’s remarks provide it.
At times during last year’s Eurobasket, Valanciunas shined, despite the fact that he was only 19 and playing against well-worn veterans for the national team. This time around, though, Kemzura clearly is pulling back on Valanciunas’ role with the team.
He is the starting center, but mostly because Lithuania is short on options. When the games get rolling, as teams sub in their smaller lineups, Kemzura is all too eager to pull the 20-year-old Valanciunas in favor of veteran forward Darius Songaila.
That was the case on Saturday, when Team USA played Chandler just 8:04, and Kemzura pulled Valanciunas when Chandler was not on the floor. Valanciunas scored just four points, and had two rebounds and two turnovers. Monday against Tunisia, Valanciunas played just 12 minutes, missed both shots he took, had six rebounds and three turnovers.
“Tactically, we got better matchups. For Jonas, it was better to be on the court when USA team played the big center, Chandler,” Kemzura said. “But when they played with a small lineup, with the 4s, not 5s, the more mobile ones, Songaila was better tactically. Plus, Jonas, he is good, but there (are) still many things he has to improve to learn.
“For him it was good to feel where he is going with his game, the NBA. We just tried to see what is best for us, what is working best for us. If it is working, we didn’t want to change.”
Valanciunas has not made much of an impact for Lithuania so far at these Games. This is a far cry from what he did in Eurobasket, when he played 15.7 minutes, averaged 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds, and had 18 points on 8-for-9 shooting in a stellar game against Serbia.
Part of his problem is that Lithuania has lost some key frontcourt players, including Robertas Javtokas and Donatas Motiejunas, and that has forced Valanciunas into an uncomfortable starting role. Coming off the bench, and without the prospect of beginning his NBA career in less than two months, Valanciunas seemed to put less pressure on himself to produce last year. Now, he is pressing.
Beyond that, Kemzura said, Valanciunas still needs a lot of work.
“It is like with most big men who have no experience,” Kemzura said. “First he must get bigger and stronger. He must be able to hold his position and he needs strength for this. Second, he needs better post moves. He is still learning basics. He will play with his back to the basket when he is older. But now, he must learn. He needs to learn these things, and he will, but he will need time. He has a lot of work to do.”
TORONTOOOOOO RAPTORSSSSSS
NEVER FORGET... NUMERO OCHO 👌 #saluteJose
wow nice article. dunno why noone post similar articles on lithuanian basketball sites
That last sentence of the article pretty much sums up where JV probably is in his development. When he does start next season with the Raptors he will probably come off the bench, not be a dependent option offensively, not feel the pressure he must feel at the Olympics and just concentrate on his defensive game. He'll be fine.
Grantland Valanciunas Article
Not sure if anyone has noticed/read this article yet, or if it's shedding any new light on our youngest Lithuanian member, but I figured it was worth a post....
grantland.com
Great article - sums him up pretty well, I noted very happily that he has actually lowered his foul rate. Preseason cannot come fast enough for me.
No one checked in yet for this game? I missed the first 8 minutes....anything encouraging/alarming, or just same ol for these olympics
Russia Vs Lithuania
Lithuania takes on a strong Russia team to begin the knockout stage. Best of luck to the Jonas, Kleiza and company. Jonas will be tested by another NBA big man. He looks decent to start the game, hes 1 for 2 with a nice hook shot over mozgov that looked pretty good. He also has three rebounds to go along with his two points. Coach subbed him out after picking up his first foul after after 6 minutes in the first q.
I think I've also finally come to peace with Kemzura's coaching of JV. In the end, even if he benches him a lot, it's still best for his development. I didn't expect him to play that much, maybe 15 minutes a night, 20 if/when he's good, and I'd still wish he'd get that. But you know if he does the way Kemzura's coaching, he'll really have earned it.
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