Lugan Village

Let's see how Clarke does at FIBA for Canada in a tough division and physical basketball....not sure nick nurse is going to play Clarke/a rookie a hell of a lot...but if he earns his minutes good for him....same for the NBA, we have some depth and young talent on the Grizz where Clarke plays...he will need to show quite a it..I'm kinda projecting 12-16 minutes on average in his first year.

I hope your kinda right, I would like to see LTU advance...the challenge is basketball is getting better everywhere...and Canada/LTU game could be a classic...im pirmosios kartos lietuvis ir didžiuotis. Mama, gimusi Klapeidoje, ir tėtis Vilniuje ...

34 wins...we have to be better than last year and the patchwork team we put on the floor...

This new team has enough talent to compete with 75% of the league game in and game out.... and we need to establish that winning culture with this group right out of the gate.....48 wins last year got the number 8 seed...that is going to be tough to achieve....but if the coach is settling for just learn and team/he has a free ride in year 1...that is just WRONG....

OK..I am big JV and Lithuanian basketball fan...I will wear my skull tie dye shirt via grateful dead as good luck charm...but to be perfectly honest the lithuanian basketball depth is taking a hit, it's not like it was 5 years ago, declining pop etc....and JV is head and shoulders above any other lithuanian center...I sense Canadian basketball depth is taking a serious run with its talent and LTU may be slipping...prove me wrong...but it is what it is....

I think JV would the first to say what's more important is team winning...I think making the playoff's is a good an indicator of team success, especially in the official year 1 of a partial rebuild.

I read a similar article on Sportsnet...who are the most valuable top-10 two-star pairings in the NBA at end of current season? Where would you rank these Jaren Jackson and JA Morant - Memphis Grizzlies James Harden and Russell Westbrook – Houston Rockets Giannis Antetokounmpo and Khris Middleton – Milwaukee Bucks Kawhi Leonard and Paul George – Los Angeles Clippers LeBron James and Anthony Davis – Los Angeles Lakers Kyle Lowry and Pascal Siakam – Toronto Raptors Stephen Curry and Company (Klay Thompson / D’Angelo Russell) – Golden State Warriors Mike Conley and Donovan Mitchell – Utah Jazz Damian Lillard and C.J. McCollum – Portland Trail Blazers Ben Simmons and Joel Embiid - 76's Jamal Murray and Nikola Jokic – Denver Nuggets

When I watch FIBA I am always interested in the different style of play between NBA and Europe pro games. When I think of NBA game i think of transition, fast breaks, isolation plays and just incredible talent. European game legacy was 3 point shooting, physical and team play. Not sure if that's what we will continue to see in 2019. So re JV play at worlds might be a lot different than what he will be expected to play for the Grizzlies, while the Grizzlies on team Canada team eg. Brooke and Clarke more likely to play NBA pro game...

The Raptors became a model franchise, they did most everything right....drafted really well, built their 905 team for depth, got a world class GM, they have ownership strength who need content for their channels, fired the coach of the year and replaced him with a rookie who coached had a championship year, and fans who sell out every game, charge premium and had 2.5 million line the streets for the parade....how does Memphis match that to compete, would these owners commit to $400M for two players in FA? Is that a viable business model in Memphis? Same in Golden State...I dpnt know the depth of pockets with our owners, can anyone share their net worth?

Welcome to the new NBA...and the beginning of HUGE issues for the CBA in 2023. There is no doubt Player loyalties are to themselves and not the organization or their fans. My wake up call was how Demar got played by Masai for a one year shot for Kawhi - it turned out with a championship, so how can you argue its success. Doesn't matter that Demar was the Raptor, he loved the city, the organization and the fans. Demar is no Kawhi, but an All Star. Kawhi this summer showed how the NBA is now controlled by the star players, organizing trades, who they want to play with and the money is so HUGE that he didn't appear to blink by leaving money on the table by not re-signing with Toronto for 2 years. The owners can thank Adam Silver in 2019 for not having the "balls" to better manage the "collusion" that is going on with "star" players. Owners will ensure these opportunities and player controls are dramatically reduced in next round of negotiations. Learning's for our front office and every FO? Play their game?...accept/recognize that none of our young picks and future star players are here for their entire career. BUT, it doesn't mean we can't be competitive and compete in the playoffs, just no sure yet how in a small market. Rebuild yes, but with the purpose of building some assets that give you negotiating power with players...we likely need two star players surrounded by quality support players and bench depth...can we attract those two all star studs to our organization...

it all depends on the match up and what they give you..not forcing the ball to the wings if you got a mismatch down low with high percentage ...you know that itiswhatitis!!!

Agree with above assessment, and ask the other bigs in the league what it's like to go head to head against JV...they know it will be a battle, grind and physical...so they won't be able to take the night off with the Grizz...and if they don't have a proper match up to JV, that's when you push the ball down low until they adjust...and then open up the lanes for JJJ and JA...this will be Grizz basketball.

Has Jonas said anything publicly re the deal? Are Grizz holding any sort of announcement with JV, hopefully with our new coach?

I am a big JV fan, and I hope he signs for 5 or more years....but if we could on average get 16 PPG from him and 12 + rebounds a night, clog the middle and set bone crunching screens, and be a positive guy in the locker room and the floor which he has done...then we will have our center for next 5 years...and he might even make the all star team along the way. But JV wants to win first, so on occassion he will keep teams paying attention to him if he breaks out for 30 and 20, but he will always be pass first unless he is standing under the rim with the ball. He knows his role and value...and so do his Grizz teammates.

I like your "mojo" in putting this out and let it be debated. Maybe we need to treat the season in two halves...my sense is the first part of the season the players need to get to know each other, build their roles on this team, and learn the coaches schemes and where they fit in. IN this scenario i see JJJ, JV, Delon numbers maybe higher, and JA lower. But in the 2nd half is where this team needs to gel and will give us an indication of the future...I see JV points falling a little but rebounds increasing, and JJJ pushing 20 points a game...JA if he can stay healthy really becoming the QB of this team....