Best centers in Europe? Pretty easy.
Bourousis, Vazquez, Pekovic, Lorbek, Batiste, and Schortsanitis.
I would take any of them over Splitter in a second. But do not get me wrong. Splitter is an excellent player. He really is. He would be good for Spurs. I mean he is far better then Bonner and Oberto.
But best center in Europe? This is a big stretch for me. Perhaps he is best center in Spanish League. But even this is debatable. But he is a very good player. Just he is not what Spurs say he is. I saw that Sean E. says he is best big man in Europe. Same nonsense as this Rubio hype is.
I have to say most definitely no he is not the best center in Europe. I think I would take for example Mozgov over him if I had choice. Maybe I would even consider Kaun over him. Really, Spurs could sign Javtokas and he could probably do about just as well and cost much less. I believe Spurs overseas scouts are very poor quality. They have good reputation, but they do not seem to know what they are doing.
I would take Splitter over Vujcic because Vujcic is too soft and his defense sucks. But Vujcic is way better on offense and way much more skilled. D Lavrinovic is much better on offense but again I think too soft. But Splitter is kind of soft also. He is too weak to muscle with a lot of centers.
For example take Maroussi's centers Homan and Mavroedis. I have no doubt Splitter is more talented and gifted than they are. But those two are 10 times more physical than he is. Mavroeidis can totally dominate a game by himself in the low post. Splitter struggles some times to keep position.
Batiste is much better player than Splitter, but really he is a PF that plays as a center. Or a center trapped in PF body. So I would exclude him from this. Glyniadakis is much better defender and low post player than Splitter and Vranes is much better presence on defense but Splitter is a full player so certainly he is much more valuable than they are.
NDong is much more better shot blocker and more athletic but no skills so Splitter over him. Archibald honestly is not that far even from Splitter I think.
Basic what I am saying is he is very good player, excellent even and can help Spurs a lot, but I think he is for sure not the best center in Europe. If I was picking for Spurs then Bourousis, Pekovic, Vazquez, Lorbek, Schortsanitis, and maybe even Kaun and Mozgov (but I am not for sure on those last two) these types of centers I would want more than Splitter.
If we are talking Bourousis, Pekovic, Vazquez, Lorbek, Schortsanitis - to me is not even an issue. They are all much better than Splitter is. So I guess maybe I will say he is 6th best Euroleague center IMHO. But he is much better than Bonner, McDyess, Mahinmi, the crap Spurs have now.
The starting point guard on 8 straight final four teams and 4 straight finals teams yes he must be horrible. He even beat mighty Spain on their home floor at Eurobasket.
Holden is in fact much better at this time than Rubio. You have clearly watched less than 10 Euroleague games maybe total.
They had some guy named Theo Papaloukas playing PG didn't they? And I made it clear where I think that guy ranks on a list of European guards.
And make sure to remember the one highlight of JR Holden, hitting one shot against Spain in the Final. Just like Avery Johnson did to the Knicks in 99.
A few months ago:
Kill_Bill_Pana wrote:You guys here overrate Llull. I assure you that. His entire game is 100% only athletic ability. There is nothing else to his game. He is 100% run and jump player. He is good player but no way is there anything special about him. He is backup point guard in pretty much any top level Euroleague club.Kill_Bill_Pana wrote:Spanoulis is way better than Llull. Everyone knows that in Europe. And you are trying to tell Rockets fans Llull will be a good NBA player? That is laughable.
Papaloukas was not on CSKA's team last year. They were in Euroleague final last year. Holden was the starting point guard. As was he the starting point guard when Russia beat Spain for a gold medal on Spanish ground.
Rubio would struggle to even see the court in CSKA. Holden, Langdon, Planinic are in the back court. Rubio would play at best 10 minutes a game.
What is this supposed to show? Lull is a backup point guard in a big Euroleague club and I think the same in NBA. Yes, He will never be as good as Spanoulis. Mark my words on that. Regardless of all this he is a good player and for sure is better at this time than Rubio.
oooooooooooooo KBP you're back!!! Kalos irthate file!!!
Ah yes I am back.oooooooooooooo KBP you're back!!! Kalos irthate file!!!
What do you think about Washington these days? He has played great this whole year.
Welcome backAh yes I am back.
What do you think about Washington these days? He has played great this whole year.
Well, after the summer, when he joined galatasaray I havent been following him so much. But, he seems to be putting some nice number up over there. But galatasaray, the results of the whole team is pretty ty, they are at the bottom.
I hope he will workout with some nba teams again this summer, and maybe see him in the league again.
He is great for your team in the future. He was play really good this year. In the past he played good for PAOk and Aris only for like 2 weeks then he could not play anymore. He is definite much better player now. Spurs should sign him since Parker injury.Welcome back
Well, after the summer, when he joined galatasaray I havent been following him so much. But, he seems to be putting some nice number up over there. But galatasaray, the results of the whole team is pretty ty, they are at the bottom.
I hope he will workout with some nba teams again this summer, and maybe see him in the league again.
Yeah, too bad that he couldnt play in eurobasket. Stefanov has retired now, he can take his place. I hope he continues to play for the nat. team this summer. We need him.
As for him with the spurs, I dont think its going to happen nor a good option for now. He did it before, replacing Parker. They shouldnt have let him go back then.
dude no way shortsinitis is better than splitter.... you cant be serious.
He never is, especially when it's about the Greek players. Baby Shaq isn't even healthy enough to play a full season in the NBA.
Sofo can be a beast and better than Splitter when he's in shape. Right now he's in shape and playing way better than when he was Sofo the Fatso.
As for Rubio, seems KBP was right. Here's the evaulation of him by Draftexpress.
• Ricky Rubio doesn’t have overwhelming stats, but he’s the youngest prospect on our list playing against by far the strongest compe ion, and thus isn’t as weak in some areas as people may imagine.
Considering his frail frame, lack of awesome leaping ability, and level of compe ion, it would be fairly reasonable to expect Rubio to struggle around the basket. Even though European prospects (and veterans for that matter) tend to have a lower PPP than their NCAA and NBA counterparts, Rubio actually falls right around the average of this group as a finisher at 1.11 PPP. His ability to transition that part of his game to the NBA is going to be very important when you consider that he takes under 2.5 jump shots per game, has made only 5 of his 25 logged pull up jumpers, and is still gaining confidence in his improved catch and shoot ability (1.1 Pos/G, 41%, 9/22).
Always better known for his creativity and playmaking ability, it doesn’t come as a shock that Rubio looks good in transition. He is shooting 69% on his transition opportunities on just 13 attempts this season –which is a bit misleading since he doesn’t take many attempts more because he knows when to give the ball up than because he isn’t pushing the tempo. In contrast, his limited isolation possessions are indicative of some issues, as he’s not going to produce a ton in pure one-on-one situations. Fortunately, Rubio, like most European point guard’s we’ve evaluated, is effective on the pick and roll. With 27% of his touches coming from the two-man game, Rubio could have a mutually beneficial relationship with the post players he is teamed with in the NBA, since they’ll likely make his life just as easy as he’ll make theirs.
Obviously our sample size is a bit limited for two reasons: Rubio simply doesn’t use that many possessions as a scorer (9 Pos/G), and he missed a good portion of the season with a wrist injury. We were on hand for one of his first games back in December, and while he’s shaken off some of the rust as the season has continued, his wrist is still limiting his production, but not to the extent that it was initially. Evidence for that can be found in the observation that Rubio drives left nearly 74% of the time he looked to go to the rim, the most of any player on this list by over 5%. His injury is also partially accountable for the fact that he turned the ball over on 28.5% (1st) of his halfcourt possessions. The team that drafts will need to make sure that they get him back on the right track as a shooter and help open up the floor to get him back in the swing of things to make up for all the time he lost this season.
http://www.draftexpress.com/article/...ard-Crop-3209/
The biggest improvement we've seen from Rubio this year has to do with his incredible passing skills. Slow to recover from the wrist injury that kept him out of the first 11 games of the ACB season, and still sporting a heavy bandage on that same right hand, Rubio has been forced to become more of a playmaker to provide maximum value for his team. He's averaging a ridiculous 11.5 assists per-40 pace adjusted, tops in the league and by a wide margin. Based off what he showed here at the Copa, it was very easy to see why.
This guy isn't an athletic beast. But his passing and ball handling are crisp. I would put him in perhaps at best eventually becoming being Steve Nash.
Here's another article
Scouting the NBA Draft Prospects at the 2008 Copa del Rey
February 18, 2008
Joventut’s shaggy haired 17-year old point guard played an indispensible role in his team’s Copa del Rey triumph. Coming off the bench in two of three games, but always seeing significant minutes, particularly in crunch time, it’s amazing to see how much trust his coaching staff has in this precocious youngster.
Rubio is a point guard and a point guard only, standing 6-4, with a skinny frame that should fill out decently in time, long arms, and very nice athletic ability. He’s quick, and has excellent body control and ability to change speeds, which helps him get basically everywhere he needs to on the court.
Offensively, he’s primarily a slasher when it comes to his scoring ability. His footwork is a thing of beauty, and this, combined with his terrific ball-handling skills, creativity, and feel for the game, allows him to put constant pressure on the defense in a style that is somewhat reminiscent of Steve Nash. He’s sometimes a bit too weak and not quite explosive enough to finish all his drives in traffic, though, which forces him to get a bit cute around the rim. He does know how to draw fouls, actually looking wise beyond his years in his ability to bait a referee into making a call that might otherwise have been borderline. There is actually already some behind the scenes grumbling going on that the men in stripes are protecting the Spanish wonderkid excessively.
Rubio can hit a 3-pointer, a static jumper he shoots with no elevation off the floor and somewhat ugly mechanics, but this is not a reliable enough weapon in his arsenal at this point, even if it’s shown big improvement over the last year or two. Expanding his mid-range game will be another area he can work on to continue to progress offensively. His ability to become a consistent perimeter shooter will probably play a big role in deciding whether or not he reaches his full potential.
As a playmaker is where Rubio is probably at his best, though. He pushes the ball up the court extremely well, and shows incredible timing and instincts being able to create shots for his teammates. He’s poised, mature and extremely confident here, not being afraid to attempt the unexpected, like making a no-look pass against the grain at top speed for example, a full-court skip pass or a behind the back look in one fluid motion without hesitating for even a second. He’s a flashy guy, but there is always a rhyme and a reason behind his madness, he’s not just trying to get on a highlight reel. Sometimes his creativity ends up costing his team in the form of a turnover, which is unavoidable considering his style of play and the high-risk nature of many of his passes. With that said, the experience he’s gaining right now against some of the top defenses in the world outside the NBA at such a young age will prove invaluable down the road as he continues to progress as a point guard, and should help him cut down on these types of mistakes.
Ricky wouldn’t be getting the minutes he’s seeing if he wasn’t able to hold his own on the other end of the court, though. It’s here that he earns his keep, and already is able to hold his own against the best of the best in the ACB as he showed us this weekend, as the feature piece of his team’s outstanding zone defense. His long arms gained his team a huge amount of extra possessions throughout the tournament, as his activity level, toughness, awesome hands and incredible anticipation skills makes him a menace in the passing lanes, as well as hitting the glass. He also showed the lateral quickness to stay in front of most anyone he went up against, which allows him to play outstanding on-ball defense as well.
Late in games, Rubio seems to elevate his game even more, proving himself as the winner he was made out to be when he first truly burst onto the European basketball scene by scoring 51 points in the Final game of the U-16 European Championships. He took plenty of responsibilities in both of the close games Joventut had to get through to advance through the semi-finals and finals, knocking down clutch free throws, grabbing big rebounds, showing poise as a playmaker, and not looking rattled at all even after making a questionable decision, of which there were a few in late game situations. As much as he amazes you sometimes, he still reminds you of the fact that he’s extremely young at times, as his lack of experience showed in a few select moments that ended up luckily not hurting his team too much. To his credit, though, Rubio realizes that this is not his team, and therefore knows when to defer to his team’s true superstar Rudy Fernandez when he feels like he might want the ball.
As you have probably already heard, we’re talking about a truly special talent. After having the pleasure to watch him three times in three straight days here in Vitoria, it’s safe to say that Rubio was pretty much worth the long trip to the Copa del Rey all by himself.
http://www.draftexpress.com/profile/Ricky-Rubio-1155/
And KBP hates draftexpress. They're liars paid by the NBA/ACB hype machine. They don't know anything about European basketball.
I jz wanted 2 post in thread cuz it may b classic
Rubio is overrated! .
I assumed you mother ers would feel glad to see KBP's return which means you won't be the dumbest no more on this website.
Granted he and I don't always see eye to eye,@ mogro owning KBP in this thread.
I love having KBP full fledged back and biting
As for Splitter, sounds like it'll be easier to get him if that's all the big spenders are willing to put out now.
Rubio is not the best PG in Europe but he is no scrub he is young he can improve. Nevertheless I'd rank him in a top 10.
Let us stop insults please
Areticos Cracrapoulos to sign with the Spurs
Panathinaikos reportedly offering 2345000000000000000000000000 $ to Kobe and Lebron
Just as much as Paul, Williams or Nash are top-10 PGs in the NBA.
It's funny that people underrated Rubio because he's young. If it was a 30years old doing what Rubio is doing I suspect he'd be considered the top PG. Barcelona is decimating teams left and right, Rubio is dominating pretty much every high-level PG he's matched up with in the last year, he changes games with his defence alone (even Tony Parker can testify about this). The fact that he's young and doesn't have a strong record behind means nothing to his current level. I can see it now: Barcelona winning everything, Rubio being nominated to the All-Euroleague team and people still using the same arguments "oh, he still has done so little compared to so and so, he's too young, not enough experience, bla bla". This same process also happens in the NBA, btw, people are slow to catch up with new realities.
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