Sarunas Jasikevicius: “I don’t get” why Team USA players’ traveling uncalled

August 6, 2012

European fans (and many others) have often noted that NBA players appear to be traveling on many a routine or highlight-clip play, and Team USA backers are certainly shocked at the number of such turnovers their side has been guilty of through four games – seriously, have Lebron James and Kobe Bryant ever racked up so many travels in such a short span?

But old-timer Sarunas Jasikevicius is still seeing some bending of the rules. Saras was quoted over at Talk Basket after the Lithuania-USA game as saying, “I don’t get it. There are FIBA rules [that say that] if a player takes the ball and runs two meters, travelling must be called,” he said. “Maybe the rules will be changed in the future, but at the moment that’s travelling.

“I’m not saying that [the referees] were indulgent towards Americans, or that we lost due to the referees’ fault. Absolutely not. Simply there are rules according to which the play must be whistled; it doesn’t matter if it’s [an everyday player] or Kobe Bryant.”

Aug 6, 2012ballineurope

This post was published on August 6, 2012

Comments: 35

Gabe
12 years ago
Man this is opening a can or worms. More complaining about the refs. I seem to remember many travels called against the US, even in the 4th quarter. How many of Lithuania’s illegal screens were called? This is just another player using the refs as an excuse for the US’s dominance.

As I fan of the US I feel the whistles always go against us. What was with all those touch fouls against the US? I thought FIBA play was suppose to be rougher. But of course I will never blame the refs and if/when the US loses I hope the players and coach won’t be gripping about the calls like the Greeks, Nigerians and Lithuanians.
Reply Cancel
- El Diablo
  12 years ago
  Having listened to a lot of US commentators before the start of the Olympics, they bitched about two things:
  
  1. FIBA refs calling US players for travelling
  
  Apparently US players are so much quicker than the rest of the word, that the FIBA refs are actually witnessing an optical illusion, and are so stupid that they don’t know they are wrong
  
  2. The use of screens (they believe is illegal)
  
  When the rest of the world uses screens (mostly on ball) they are doing so illegally by moving, or holding their ground.
  
  What has actually happened
  
  1. Less travel calls for the US ( and more for the European players), although US has gotten much better at not travelling when they start running
  2. Far too many illegal screen calls (but seemingly rarely called on the US) to the point where it seems like making a call is an OVERWHELMING point of interest for the fiba refs
  
  The US has gotten the exact type of reffing they wanted, it pays to complain I guess
  Reply Cancel
Niko
12 years ago
Because FIBA wants Team USA to win every tournament, so the refs help them and push them hard in every game.

Under the old rules (where Team USA got called the same as everyone else),

USA lost to Argentina twice, Serbia, Spain, Italy, Lithuania, Puerto Rico, Greece

They also had bunches of near losses to Greece, Lithuania, Brazil, etc.

So, FIBA came under control of David Stern and the NBA starting in 2007 as a result of this. Stern was put in charge of FIBA World and picked NBA office employees to run teh FIBA World committee.

Ever since then, the refs have changed all the rules and how they ref Team USA. Ever since then the refs make sure Team USA wins every game.

So that is why. They won’t call travels anymore because they want to ensure Team USA always wins every game from now on.

Jasikevicius is still remembering what it was like to play against Team USA before 2007, back when the refs didn’t try to rig every single game that Team USA plays in.
Reply Cancel
- Gabe
  12 years ago
  ” FIBA came under control of David Stern and the NBA starting in 2007 as a result of this. Stern was put in charge of FIBA World and picked NBA office employees to run teh FIBA World committee.”
  
  Links please?
  
  This person is so delusional. He just cannot accept the US’s dominance so he has to make up conspiracy theories. FIBA wants US to win and Greece to lose. You might as well argue that FIBA wants Russia, Spain and France to win but Britain, China and Tunisia to lose.
  
  In fact you’re right Niko. But not just in FIBA basketball. In fact in any and all organized sport, when the team your rooting for loses it is a league wide conspiracy by the refs and the same goes for in any sport when a team or individual you are rooting against wins it is because of the refs or officiating body wanting them to win.
  
  In fact not only in sports, but in anything, politics, award ceremonies, etc…Anytime in your life when there is something you don’t like the results of, just remember the only explanation for it has to be a conspiracy. Good, I hope you can feel better now!
  Reply Cancel
Niko
12 years ago
It is a known fact that David Stern picked the FIBA head committee in 2007 and former NBA office employees now run FIBA. That is the reason why Stern says the NBA and FIBA will partner on a World Cup.

Because Stern has been running FIBA since 2007.

Also about Americans not complaining about refs when USA loses.

Right, that is why FORTY YEARS have gone by and you are STILL complaining about the 1972 Olympic final.

Americans complain about refs 100000000 times more than all other countries combined.
Reply Cancel
DallasTexasSaqartvelo
12 years ago
Saras is just complaining because he has never won a NBA title, gold medal, or world championship (basketball’s most important accomplishments in that order)…… He is jealous of all the other players who have and is complaining to make him sleep better at night. He was good, but not great because of his inability to get it done on the world’s biggest stages.
Reply Cancel
- Gabe
  12 years ago
  Give him some slack about the international competitions. Coming from a nation of 3 million I would say an Olympic bronze and a Eurobasket gold and bronze is pretty impressive.
  Reply Cancel
Jack Baller
12 years ago
World Basketball Cup >>>>>>>>>>>Olympics>>>>>>>>>>>>>>NBA title

In terms of importance. Anyone saying otherwise is a fucking dumb ass.
Reply Cancel
- Gabe
  12 years ago
  In who’s opinion? I would guess the majority NBA players would say the opposite. They’re all dumb asses?
  Reply Cancel
Jack Baller
12 years ago
BTW, Dallas, is a fucking dumb ass.
Reply Cancel
LG
12 years ago
I don’t want to put myself into jasikevicius’s head, but it seems like he’s not claiming the refs are favoring the US in general, just that they are not calling a specific type of traveling call. I suspect that this is a difference between NBA and FIBA, I at least have never heard of this you can’t go more than 2 meters with the ball rule. Players in the NBA go more than 2 meters with the ball all the time. It seems like his complaint is that the refs are calling he game too much by NBA standards and not FIBA standards. Of course this would help the US the most. It also helps fast teams with big guys who drive to the basket. Lithuania as a slow team doesn’t gain any benefit from non calling of this rule, so of course he would want to be a stickler about seeing it called all the time.
Reply Cancel
- Phileus
  12 years ago
  “BTW, Dallas, is a fucking dumb ass.”
  
  Hey congratulations, Dallas – just a week at BiE and you’re already a “fucking dumb ass.” Before you know it you’ll make it into the insane long posts too 😉
  
  Anyway, I wanted to point out a few things:
  
  (1) As BiE pointed out, the traveling violation has been called against the US this year consistently, even since the friendlies, and as a result players simply are adapting to the FIBA style – to no disadvantage of Team USA.
  
  (2) It’s not just Team USA, but most NBA players I have seen playing for other teams, who sometimes get away with it nonetheless.
  
  (3) If you want to maximize profits in the US, the best way is to make Team USA lose. International basketball had become routine in the US from 1992 to 2002, with a simple expectation that US would win gold every time without any effort. Actually, nobody even cared what the World Championship was until the US lost two of them in a row. After Americans lost twice, we saw a little bit more coverage and care (but certainly not prestige) towards the 2010 WC here in the States. THIS IS INCONTROVERTIBLE PROOF THAT THE GREEDY PEOPLE AT FIBA CONSPIRE TO MAKE THE USA LOSE IN ORDER TO MAKE PROFITS ARHGHHGALHJDSF:
  Reply Cancel
Matt
12 years ago
I think the majority of American basketball fans want the world to get better, acknowledge that the world is getting better, and love it when the USA is actually in a fight (the last gold medal game with Spain was awesome and fun). But we’ve got a hundred years of experience on most teams, probably the most cultural enthusiasm for the game (excepting maybe Lithuania), and consequently, our best athletes play the game. That is why international competition is somewhat unfair at the moment.

Solution: Keep the Olympics as is, and until the rest of the world catches up, make the world championships a regional competition (e.g., western Europe, South America, North America, Eastern Europe, Africa, Middle East, Oceania, Asia). How badass would it be to see Nowitzki with the Gasols and the French guards… Pekovic, Valanciunas, Kirilenko and Shved… The Argentinians and Brazilians playing together. Nash playing on North America.

The World Cup would also serve the purpose of having regional rivals (like Brazil and Argentina, Israel and Iran, the former Soviet bloc) unite and work as a team. I don’t think international competition could be more meaningful than causing Iranians to cheer for Omri Casspi. Also, during the Olympics, we could go back to hating eachother.
Reply Cancel
- Gabe
  12 years ago
  Just to let you know Israel plays in the European zone, I assume because the Middle Eastern/Arab states would refuse to play against them.
  Reply Cancel
Mike
12 years ago
Hey Euros STOP feeding the trolls known as Gabe, mike and Phileus. STOP FEEDING THE TROLLS and they will eventually go away. You Euros are just giving those trolls exactly what they want.

They are obviously just trolling against Euroleague, European basketball, European players, etc. on a near daily basis here. They are just doing it to push your buttons and to piss you off. Just ignore them and eventually they will go away and find some other site to troll. Then hopefully this forum will be normal again, as it used to be before Gabe started visiting it.
Reply Cancel
Mike
12 years ago
Gabe says:
August 6, 2012 at 6.47pm

In who’s opinion? I would guess the majority NBA players would say the opposite. They’re all dumb asses?

Uh yeah most of them are retarded.
Reply Cancel
Mike
12 years ago
Matt I hate to break it to you, but USA could never beat a unified European team. The chances of the NBA taking over the world cup and owning it and then letting USA face a unified European team is zero.

There would be snowflakes in hell before that happened. USA does not have enough to compete with a unified European team. Hell, as it is now they can barely even beat the good European teams from single individual countries.

If they had to face Kirilenko, Navarro, Spanoulis, Dirk, Pau, Teodosic, Lorbek, Parker, etc. all on the same team – it would be ugly for USA. USA couldn’t even compete with them. So there is no chance in hell of that happening.
Reply Cancel
- Gabe
  12 years ago
  A united European team would not be able to beat Nigeria.
  Reply Cancel
Jared
12 years ago
Can everyone stop talking to this faggot Gabe?
Reply Cancel
- Gabe
  12 years ago
  Awww…Now you are talking to me too.
  
  btw Jared knows I’m a faggot because we were ex-lovers.
  Reply Cancel
  - Phileus
    12 years ago
    lol 😛
    
    “Hey Euros STOP feeding the trolls known as Gabe, mike and Phileus. STOP FEEDING THE TROLLS and they will eventually go away.”
    
    Apollo, you’re doing it wrong. After you say that, you’re supposed to not reply to our posts 😛
    Reply Cancel
DallasTexasSaqartvelo
12 years ago
Mike: I have the USA in against that “all Euro Team” you just laid out……. Especially with Dwight, Bosh, and DWade….. Actually, with those guys, it’d be a blow-out……

My All-Euro team would be:

pg- Tony Parker (FRA) – 3 NBA titles as a starting pg, just watch game replay vs. Arg.

sg- Alexey Shved (RUS) – Damn impressive this tourney, will be solid for Minny in ’13, and since this is a “present day” hypothetical game, he’s my starter.

sf- Andre Kirilenko (RUS) – Euroleague MVP, solid NBA starter, can play some PF as well.

pf- Dirk (GER) – Best non-American player of all-time, finally got his championship, had a quiet but excellent 2nd half of the season.

c- Marc Gasol (ESP) – 4th best center in the NBA, 3rd best in scoring and international play (Chandler is a better player because of his defense/extremely high value on the ’11 champs).

Bench:

Pau Gasol (ESP)- Backup PF or C (would do so well coming off the bench)

Andrea Bargniani (ITA)- Backup SF or PF

Luol Deng (ENG)- Backup SF/6th man (It’s time we started giving this guy the respect he deserves, also, he would be instant offense off the bench)

Spanoulis (GRE) or Navarro (ESP)- Backup SG or PG (Neither did well at the world’s highest level, but they would be great contributors here)

Turkoglu (TUR)- Utility (Turkey IS NOT Europe btw, but in FIBA it is so he’s in)

Saras (LIT)- Backup PG (experience and leadership role ala Kidd on the Redeem Team)

And for the United States:

PG – Chris Paul – top 5 point guard in the world, top 2 when you factor in his international experience (Rose and Rondo edge him out but aren’t made for FIBA, and Parker is about on his level), can create better than anyone, can hit a three when needed, and goes after the boards.

SG – Wade – Top 5 player in the game.

SF – LeBron- Edges out Durant for him for best player on the planet b/c of 2012 Finals, insane passing ability, and strength.

PF – Kevin Love – Can shoot the 3, led the league in boards, especially proficient on the offensive glass, and can score some down low (especially against Dirk, whom he gave nightmares this year in their 3 meetings)

C – Dwight “I am so goddamn tired of Disney Land” Howard – Superman, and his teammates will keep him in check unlike his friends in Orlando.

Bench:

Durant – SF – 2nd best player on the planet, the only question is “when will he supplant LeBron?”…. and he’s coming off the bench.

Melo- SF/SG – 15 minutes, 37 points. Enough said.

Deron Williams – PG – He quietly stepped up in the Lietuva game.

Russle Westbrook – PG/SG – Need a change of pace? No better option this decade.

Chris Bosh – PF- can play stifling D, offensive game is tailor-made for FIBA, knows his role.

Kobe Bryant – Utility – Team leader, defensive glue-guy, clutch, great back to basket still, will play Saras’ role, but better because he is Kobe Bryant.

Tyson Chandler – C – looks a lot more attractive backing up Howard than as the teams only option at center huh?

Match-ups for the game

PG- Paul is a better pure Point Guard and is absolutely perfect for this USA team, the only problem is, he just hasn’t won like Parker has. Parker is faster, he can score, and he has spent 11 years under Coach Greg Popovich……

EDGE: PARKER, but it’s close. Great battle.

SG- Dwayne Wade over anyone. Shved is an up and comer and is the gamble of this line-up… but it doesn’t matter who you put against him… Spanoulis, Navarro, Fernandez, Manu, Bird (jk, not there yet); Wade is a proven winner and leader. Will dominate this match-up.

EDGE: WADE by a long shot

SF- Yes, Kirilenko was a very good fringe All-Star in Utah, yes, he was Euroleague MVP, and yes, he very well may contribute a lot off the bench for Minny this year…. He’s not even in the same stratosphere as LeBron

EDGE: LeBRON, he is to Kirilenko what USA was to Nigeria. In a different class.

PF- Love is a better rebounded (although Dirk has never gotten his just credit in this regard)…. but Dirk has everything else on him (yes, defense too)… Mr. Nowitzki is in the conversation for best PF of all-time. Period.

EDGE: DIRK, Love is great, and he may well pass the Uber Man one day; but not today.

C – Marc Gasol is the second best center in the Western conference because the only other all-star caliber center there is Bynum, who is better…. Doesn’t matter though, because Dwight is the World’s finest.

EDGE: DWIGHT because he is a better rebounder on each end, a better shot blocker, and a freak of nature athlete.

Bench (back-court) – Europe has a strong bench, but the United States is stacked at each position. Kevin Durant and Melo, who are coming off the bench, would be the best player on Team Europe, and are obviously better than SG/SF Europe has to offer, that goes for Spanoulis/Navarro (obviously), Turkiglu, Deng, or Saras…. Westbrook adds an element that Europe doesn’t have (unless they want to add Ricky Rubio over Spanoulis or Navarro and start a massive flame-war on BiE) as he is faster and more athletic than anyone on Europe, and Deron Williams is a solid traditional backup to boot. Kobe, no matter how much trash is talked about him, is a top 5-7 player of all-time and Saras was an NBA role player, so I’ll take Kobe in the leadership role.

EDGE: USA far far far far and away. They have Mr. 37 in 15 & KD coming off the bench.

Bench (front-court) – This one is much much closer. Pau gets the edge over Bosh and Chandler, but within their roles, they make the decision a little (but not much) closer. Don’t count out Chandler as a shot-blocking force off the bench. Bargniani is fantastic, but he is kind of a Dirk-lite, I would much rather have Chris Bosh and his defense/rebounding. However, in the role Bargniani would fill, he can’t be discounted either. Kirilenko can and will also play PF to give Dirk a breather or if the Euros want to go small….

EDGE: TEAM EUROPE – Chandler is great for the USA to have off the bench, and so is Bosh, but Pau Gasol, Bargniani, and Kirilenko as a viable PF backup give the Euros a sizable edge here.

Intangibles – Team Europe would be an ad hoc mix of guys, and this USA team would have been together in one way or another since 2008. For once, it would be the Americans who are the experienced and cohesive unit.

EDGE: USA, by a long shot, as strange as it sounds.

WHO WOULD WIN????

On paper (and that’s the only point of arguing here really, because it will NEVER happen, as amazing as it would be), the United States is the FAR superior unit. The USA would have a better inside game, better guards, better shooting, better defense, and more experience playing together….. All things equal, USA in a blow-out.

Final Score:

USA – 109
TEAM EUROPE – 70

High scoring affair, Dirk would end up with 30-40 pts. and be the game MVP in a losing effort.

What’s the best thing about it? it’s all fake and up for debate!!!!
Reply Cancel
DallasTexasSaqartvelo
12 years ago
On second though……. I’m cutting Bargniani at the last minute….. this Team Europe doesn’t need another pure scorer coming off the bench…. Deng is a better SF and Kirelenko can fill in Dirk’s PF duties the 1-2 minutes he’s off the floor….. this team is in desperate need of some perimeter D, athleticism, and high energy….. RUDY FERNANDEZ it is!

changing the predicted final score to…………

USA – 101
TEAM EUROPE – 74

He’ll make a couple stops and hit a two or three 3s during garbage time…..

And just because I am having so much fun with this/using it to procrastinate from my studies:

Shooting: Dirk, Shved and Saras can carry a team if they get hot…. KD and Melo can rewrite the record books…

adv: USA by a fair amount

Blocked Shots/interior defense: Howard and Chandler present a fearsome 40 minutes in the paint…. Pau and Marc Gasol are, I’m sorry, pretty damn soft….. Remember how Chandler absolutly victimized Pau in the Mav’s 2nd round sweep of the Lakers? Stuff like that will happen in this match-up.

adv: USA by a mile

Athleticism – No need to even write things about this catigory.

adv: USA by about 1889 Kilometers

Free Throw Shooting – The 2008 Redeem Team was 2nd worst in the tourney. Dwight is a terrible foul shooter, and Love put on a disgusting display against Lietuva. Team Europe will, if nothing else, drain over 80% of their free-throws.

adv: TEAM EUROPE by about 1887 Kilometers

Leadership – Saras, Navarro/Spanoulis, Pau, Kirelenko, and Parker all are great leaders… but Dirk Nowitzki, as someone who was a season ticket holder to the Mavs from 2001-2008 as well as a life-long fan, has NEVER gotten the credit he deserves in this regard. Seriously, this is the consummate “lead by example” guy…. Unfortunately for the Europeans, Dwade (who carried the ’06 Heat from down 0-2 to a championship single-handedly), LeBron (who finally took over in 2012), Chris Paul (amazing leader), and Kobe Bryant (ya, he’s not that punk kid anymore) all have that “refuse to lose” mentality.

adv: DRAW

Coaching – Team Europe will use Blatt as the Head Coach and Scalarro as his assistant… solid coaching staff….. Team USA though, has Coach K.

adv: USA, Coach K wins this one.

Perimeter Defense – USA, with LeBron, Wade, Kobe, Westbrook, and Paul are lights out…. I just don’t think Team Europe can throw any perimeter defender (Fernandez could be an exception) anywhere near that class…. Also, no way Team Europe can use that zone either… not with Durant, Melo, and the rest of the USA crew lurking beyond the arc.

adv: USA

My point with all of this (other than the fact that it was a ton of fun) is that, no matter who Europe would throw out there, they would have to pull a major upset to beat the Americans…… Everything that Spain, Lithuania, and Greece (the only European teams to even give the United States a game in the Coach K era) had going in their favor against the Americans – team cohesiveness and size advantage – would be totally lost and actually would serve as huge advantages for the Americans in this game. The only reason that the United States (nobody can question their superior talent) has been vulnerable in the past is the idea that they are an “all-star” team and that the rest of the field is simply a “team”…. and still, the US all-star team has absolutely, point-blank dominated international competition, like no nation has ever done, since 1992….. If Europe formed an all-star team, they would be destroyed by America’s…. which is starting to look more and more like just a team every day….. scary thought.
Reply Cancel
Erik
12 years ago
Spanoulis (GRE) or Navarro (ESP)- Backup SG or PG (Neither did well at the world’s highest level, but they would be great contributors here)

Spanoulis would start for any world team you fucking idiot. You fucking think Shved is better than Spanoulis?

YOU ARE FUCKING OUT OF YOUR GOD DAMN FUCKING MIND!
Reply Cancel
Erik
12 years ago
Here is what Spanoulis did to Shved head to head at the Euroleague Final:

http://www.euroleague.net/main/results/showgame?clubcode=oly&gamecode=188&pcode=JUO&seasoncode=E2011

and his team also beat Shved’s team, and you think Shved would start over Spanoulis……..

Lay off the crack.
Reply Cancel
Erik
12 years ago
Oh yeah, and Spanoulis was named the MVP, while Shved went home a loser………..
Reply Cancel
- Gabe
  12 years ago
  Oh yeah, and Shved’s team advanced out of pool play in the Olympics while Spanoulis went home a loser. Nigeria!
  Reply Cancel
Erik
12 years ago
And what the fuck is with you NBA only fan idiots?

You fucking think crap like Bargnani, Turkoglu, Jasikevicius (used to be great but now he’s a 3rd string Euroleague player), Deng, Shved are among the best European players?

You guys are fucking nuts.

Ever hear of fucking Navarro, Teodosic, Spanoulis, Diamantidis, Lorbek, Printezis, Bourousis, Schortsanitis, Banic, etc.?

You guys are so fucking stupid there is really no way to even find the words to describe it. Fucking Jasikevicius was PAO’s 3rd string PG.

Shved MIGHT have been a top 50 player in Euroleague.

Turkoglu? There are way better Euroleague players than him. You want a good European point forward……..ever hear of a fucking guy called DIMITRIS DIAMANTIDIS???

My god this site is a freaking JOKE.
Reply Cancel
- Gabe
  12 years ago
  “Ever hear of fucking Navarro, Teodosic, Spanoulis, Diamantidis, Lorbek, Printezis, Bourousis, Schortsanitis, Banic, etc.?”
  
  What a bunch of scrubs. Only Navarro has been able to reach this stage of elite Olympic basketball and he looks old. Averaging only 10 ppg in the 3 games he’s been able to play, not reaching the top 10 of any catagory.
  
  Deng 15.8 ppg (tied for 9th) 6.6 rpg (tied for 8th) 4.6 apg (tied for 9th)
  Shved 5.4 apg (tied for 6th)
  Jasikevicius 5.8 apg (tied for 3rd)
  
  You see the Olympics (and world championships) are the only time the world’s best players who play in inferior league (like Euroleague) can show what they got against the best of the world. Of this list of slow, unathletic Euros you’ve mentioned (Navarro, Teodosic, Spanoulis, Diamantidis, Lorbek, Printezis, Bourousis, Schortsanitis, Banic) only Navarro has been able to reach this level and he looks old and injured while all the rest couldn’t reach the Olympics and many were eliminated by a Nigerian team that when faced against a team of NBA stars (Team USA) lost by 83 points!
  Reply Cancel
Erik
12 years ago
Coaching – Team Europe will use Blatt as the Head Coach and Scalarro as his assistant… solid coaching staff….. Team USA though, has Coach K.

_____________________________________________________________

What in the fucking hell is wrong with you? Are you truly certifiably insane?

So let me get this straight……….if there is a Team Europe assembled, they are going to use average Euroleague coaches like Scariolo and Blatt as their top choice?

WTF are you thinking?

Let’s see um,

Dusan Ivkovic

Zeljko Obradovic

Simone Pianigiani

Panagiots Giannakis

Georgios Bartzokas

Dusko Vujosevic

Ettore Messina

hell, the list goes on and on.

Andrea Trincheri

etc.

And you think Blatt and Scariolo that are nothing more than average coaches at the Euroleague level would be picked to helmeam Europe?

Have you fucking even heard of Zeljko Obradovic or Dusan Ivkovic before?

This whole site is such an absolute colossal embarrassment.
Reply Cancel
Gerard
12 years ago
Gabe says:
August 7, 2012 at 6.03pm

“Ever hear of fucking Navarro, Teodosic, Spanoulis, Diamantidis, Lorbek, Printezis, Bourousis, Schortsanitis, Banic, etc.?”

What a bunch of scrubs. Only Navarro has been able to reach this stage of elite Olympic basketball and he looks old. Averaging only 10 ppg in the 3 games he’s been able to play, not reaching the top 10 of any catagory.

Deng 15.8 ppg (tied for 9th) 6.6 rpg (tied for 8th) 4.6 apg (tied for 9th)
Shved 5.4 apg (tied for 6th)
Jasikevicius 5.8 apg (tied for 3rd)

You see the Olympics (and world championships) are the only time the world’s best players who play in inferior league (like Euroleague) can show what they got against the best of the world. Of this list of slow, unathletic Euros you’ve mentioned (Navarro, Teodosic, Spanoulis, Diamantidis, Lorbek, Printezis, Bourousis, Schortsanitis, Banic) only Navarro has been able to reach this level and he looks old and injured while all the rest couldn’t reach the Olympics and many were eliminated by a Nigerian team that when faced against a team of NBA stars (Team USA) lost by 83 points!

>>>

For the love of God, I hope that you are just trolling. Because if you really believe this shit, then you are so fucking stupid that it’s almost hard to even fathom it.
Reply Cancel
Andrea
12 years ago
Always blaming the refs. This is so predictable. You know what, it’s funny because the other day Italian announcers (I’m from Italy), CSKA Moscow coach Ettore Messina included who’s calling Olympic basketball games for SKY, were talking about how Team USA really adjusted well to international rules and didn’t commit many traveling violations. So they were praising them. And I agree with them.

Yet Jasikievicius is claiming the contrary. “Coincidentally”, he’s saying those things after his team lost. Whatever.

I personally believe that some people are way too obsessed with this whole traveling violations thing. They see violations everywhere even when there’s none. Just shut up.
Reply Cancel
mike
12 years ago
BTW, who is that Mike from the Flat Earth Society. Guys, any time a Mike comments on this site with outlandish pro-Euro nut theories, that ain’t me. Probably is just Apollo.

The scrubs from the Euroleague wouldn’t stand a chance, and they know it too. Now if it’s NBA Euros, that’s another debate , but the USA NBAers would still win.

Check out the latest article by Adrian Wajnorowki on Yahoo sports,” Team Russia and Lithuania oppose Stern’s Olympic future”. Blatt is flatly opposing it, and the players, but FIBA has said they will meet with Stern here in London to discuss it..I can see the point of the players and the other national teams, but the NBA also has a point that they send their best paid players at the risk of injury, while the International Olympic Committee makes all the profits. Somethings not right with that.
Reply Cancel
Paul
12 years ago
Andrea says:
August 8, 2012 at 3.21am
Always blaming the refs. This is so predictable. You know what, it’s funny because the other day Italian announcers (I’m from Italy), CSKA Moscow coach Ettore Messina included who’s calling Olympic basketball games for SKY, were talking about how Team USA really adjusted well to international rules and didn’t commit many traveling violations. So they were praising them. And I agree with them.
Yet Jasikievicius is claiming the contrary. “Coincidentally”, he’s saying those things after his team lost. Whatever.
I personally believe that some people are way too obsessed with this whole traveling violations thing. They see violations everywhere even when there’s none. Just shut up.
REPLY

Is this the same Ettore Messina that got caught bribing refs to rig games in the Russian Super League? Sorry, but I won’t ever trust a word that guy says.
Reply Cancel
Euroleague > NBA
12 years ago
USA only beat Spain by 7 and Lithuania by 5.

A team of 12 Euroleague all stars would beat Team USA by 30-40 points.
Reply Cancel