Giannis Antetokounmpo vs cavs

[Oly BC]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0dzwivCEFE4

Why isn't his nickname Mr Fantastic? Closest thing I've seen to a real life comic book super hero, if you exclude the Rock.

[SupermanOnSteroids]

great measurables but prolly the most hyped player despite the lack of actual nba accomplishments. wish him the best though. hope him and parker turn out to be a stud duo for the bucks. that franchise can use some good players.

[Milbuck]

I love him.

Dude has more than a high ceiling..he has the intensity and drive to work towards it. He and Jabari need to push each other in practice, and they could be the best wing duo in the game in a few years. Can't believe they're both only 19, solid 6-7 years before they enter their primes..

[Euroleague]

Damn NBA is destroying his whole potential for the Greek national team. Every single time he touched the ball, he would have been called for traveling if that was a FIBA game.

[Meticode]

I can't believe he actually grow 1-2 inches in the last year. :oldlol: Dude looks like a super athletic alien out there dunking on fools.

[RoundMoundOfReb]

Greatest Greek player of all time

[Euroleague]

I can't believe he actually grow 1-2 inches in the last year. :oldlol: Dude looks like a super athletic alien out there dunking on fools.

He didn't. He's the same height. That's just NBA marketing nonsense. He's just filling out and getting bigger, so he looks bigger. Same thing with Durant.

[Uncle Drew]

Looked pretty damn good yesterday. Looking foward to Milwaukee's super huge line up with Parker and Giannis.

random PG/Giannis/Parker/Sanders/Henson lol

[ralph_i_el]

Damn NBA is destroying his whole potential for the Greek national team. Every single time he touched the ball, he would have been called for traveling if that was a FIBA game.
:cry: bitch moar:cry: we invented basketball:cry:

[Milbuck]

Damn NBA is destroying his whole potential for the Greek national team. Every single time he touched the ball, he would have been called for traveling if that was a FIBA game.
Why would the officiating of an amateur league matter to the pros in the NBA?

[Euroleague]

:cry: bitch moar:cry: we invented basketball:cry:

Actually, a Canadian did.

It's not bitching, it's stating a fact. Not a single play in that clip would be legal in FIBA rules. Unless you play for Team USA.

Under FIBA rules, only Team USA gets to be reffed under NBA "travel rules", none of the other teams do. All other teams get reffed under FIBA travel rules.

Every single time he dribbled it would be a carry under FIBA rules. That's going to be just freaking great for the Greek national team.

Every damn thing he learned in the NBA has to be undone for him to even see floor time to contribute at all if Greece wanted to use him for anything.

[Euroleague]

Why would the officiating of an amateur league matter to the pros in the NBA?

Usually, "pros" can dribble without carrying the ball. Even when Giannis played in ESKA, the high school regional league in Athens, he could do that. Not anymore though it seems.

[Godzuki]

people way over hype him but yeah he has a ridiculously long body

good nickname tho

[Milbuck]

Usually, "pros" can dribble without carrying the ball. Even when Giannis played in ESKA, the high school regional league in Athens, he could do that. Not anymore though it seems.
Once again, you're judging the game based on the officiating of the NBA D-League's European division.

These are professionals, judge them by professional NBA officiating standards.

[Euroleague]

Once again, you're judging the game based on the officiating of the NBA D-League's European division.

These are professionals, judge them by professional NBA officiating standards.

Giannis used to be able to dribble before he came to the NBA. Now he obviously can't.

That's what he learned playing with "professionals".

Maybe he can eventually replace old washed up man Fotsis as a spot up shooter at the power forward spot for 5-10 minutes a game. That's about all he would be good for right now based on the ball handling in that clip, which would be completely failed for any decent level in Europe.

[Milbuck]

Giannis used to be able to dribble before he came to the NBA. Now he obviously can't.

That's what he learned playing with "professionals".
So you're saying his lack of dribbling ability is what has helped him, as a teenager, surpass everyone in Euroleague? Exactly what kind of bullshit joke basketball do they play over there in Europe?

[ralph_i_el]

Actually, a Canadian did.

It's not bitching, it's stating a fact. Not a single play in that clip would be legal in FIBA rules. Unless you play for Team USA.

Under FIBA rules, only Team USA gets to be reffed under NBA "travel rules", none of the other teams do. All other teams get reffed under FIBA travel rules.

Every single time he dribbled it would be a carry under FIBA rules. That's going to be just freaking great for the Greek national team.

Every damn thing he learned in the NBA has to be undone for him to even see floor time to contribute at all if Greece wanted to use him for anything.

He invented it in America, continued living in America the rest of his life, and served in the US Army.

I actually this entire summer league game and Giannis did get called for travels. Those highlights were clean though. One foot Two foot and launch off the second foot=legit

[VengefulAngel]

He invented it in America, continued living in America the rest of his life, and served in the US Army.

I actually this entire summer league game and Giannis did get called for travels. Those highlights were clean though. One foot Two foot and launch off the second foot=legit

I don't often defend Euroleague but nothing he said was wrong.

[Euroleague]

He invented it in America, continued living in America the rest of his life, and served in the US Army.

I actually this entire summer league game and Giannis did get called for travels. Those highlights were clean though. One foot Two foot and launch off the second foot=legit

I said in FIBA those would be travels. I am saying with the Greek national team, if they selected him this summer, that would be traveling.

Under FIBA rules, every single play is a travel.

NBA American fans don't get this and they argue endlessly about it because Team USA is allowed to use NBA travel rules. That's how it works in FIBA rules.

FIBA rules are that Team USA plays with NBA travel rules and all other national teams play with FIBA travel rules. This has been explained in this forum about 500 times and all of you guys REFUSE to accept it or acknowledge it.

It does change the fact, that it is a fact.

Under FIBA travel rules, which Greece plays under, every single one of those dribble moves in that clip posted is a traveling violation. It isn't in NBA rules, or for Team USA, because they get reffed under NBA travel rules, but for Greece, or any other national team, those are travels.

He traveled every single time in those clips under FIBA traveling rules.

Some FIBA refs let "NBA stars" do a bit of traveling in taking steps, or a step before a dribble, but never ever do they let them do carries. Those would be called every single time.

Every single move he did would be called a travel.

Before he went to the NBA, he was able to dribble coast to coast with his head up, without ever carrying the ball......strange how he could not do that even one time in that entire clip.

None of that would be allowed in FIBA basketball, but beyond that, such dribbling would not even pass a basic test for a perimeter player in any European league. He could not even play as a wing in any European league dribbling like that, and so he would have to play as a four doing dribbling like that.

So I guess if that's how loose his handle has gotten, and how bad his ball handling habits have gotten from the NBA's ridiculous rules, then he will have to play as a four for Greece if they want to use him. Because you can't dribble like that in FIBA rules.

It's ONLY Team USA that is allowed to play with NBA travel rules in FIBA competitions.

[Andrew Wiggins]

So you're saying his lack of dribbling ability is what has helped him, as a teenager, surpass everyone in Euroleague? Exactly what kind of bullshit joke basketball do they play over there in Europe?

he never played in euroleague. he played in the greek second division. don't lower yourself to trolling to argue with a troll

[Rubio2Gasol]

So he's essentially Durant without the shooting?

[ralph_i_el]

FIBA rules are that Team USA plays with NBA travel rules and all other national teams play with FIBA travel rules.


show me.

[Milbuck]

So he's essentially Durant without the shooting?
He's not MKG or anything with his jumper, he can shoot. He's not the sniper Durant is, but he can be great down the road.

[Andrew Wiggins]

show me.

he can't because it's bullshit. it's what he resorts to when he spends the previous 2 years talking about how team usa has no chance and then they inevitably when so he needs an 'explanation' for why :lol

[sammichoffate]

He's not MKG or anything with his jumper, he can shoot. He's not the sniper Durant is, but he can be great down the road.Dude has the upside of Durant tbh, I knew Milwaukee was gonna rise from the ashes after they got him :lol

[Andrew Wiggins]

he has no similarities to durant other than freakish length. the comparisons are ludicrous. durant was a born scorer from the day he stepped onto a college campus. he put up 27 ppg in college at the same age giannis was last year.

giannis scored <10 points at a european youth tourney last summer. he has a lot of potential but not as a volume scorer

[Euroleague]

show me

What do you mean? This is common knowledge.

Starting with 2008 Olympics the rules were changed because FIBA and the NBA said that American players (in other words specifically Team USA NBA players) were only used really to playing under NBA rules.

So it was too hard for them to change suddenly to FIBA rules and reffing and that it wasn't "fair".

So the rules were changed that Team USA gets reffed during games under NBA travel rules. While the other teams still get reffed under FIBA travel rules. That means that even if you are an NBA player, like say Pau or Manu, you still get reffed by FIBA travel rules because you don't play for Team USA.

And also naturalized Americans playing for other national teams besides USA are reffed by the FIBA travel rules.

So simply, Team USA players don't have to "adjust" anymore to FIBA rules. Because this was something the NBA and USA Basketball kept complaining about.

That rule change started before the 2008 Olympics and that was the first tournament where it went into effect. So all the tournaments before the 2008 Olympics where Team USA played, like for example the 2007 FIBA Americas, 2006 FIBA World Championship, etc. they were reffed by FIBA travel rules. Then every tournament since, 2008 Olympics, 2010 World Championship, etc., they have been reffed with the NBA travel rules.

Then of course they made the rules change going also to the NBA lane size and shape, add the semi circle for the no foul area, move back the 3 point line, etc., again doing this so that the NBA players have less to "adjust" to.

Because the NBA and USA Basketball keeps complaining about having to "adjust to the rules". But when they asked to move it back to the NBA 3 point line, widen the court, lengthen the court, and put the no hand checking, and defensive 3 seconds rules in, FIBA refused in things like that, same with the jump ball. Claiming some things like that would be too hard for youth level and would make the games too long or whatever.

But the bottom line is that while the traveling issue changed for Team USA, and that's why ever since 2008 Olympics, Team USA playing style has been so dramatically different and they play suddenly NBA style basketball, it is still the SAME for every other national team.

The other national teams still have to play with FIBA travel rules. Which still means a strict adherence to no allowance for blatantly carrying the ball to gain an offensive advantage.

This is confusing to people that only watch Team USA play, so they might be seeing LeBron do that all the time and think it's OK in FIBA now, but it's only OK now for Team USA. It wouldn't be OK by any means for Giannis to do it. That's the point.

[Euroleague]

So he's essentially Durant without the shooting?

To be fair, I think he's quite a bit more athletic than Durant is.

[sammichoffate]

he has no similarities to durant other than freakish length. the comparisons are ludicrous. durant was a born scorer from the day he stepped onto a college campus. he put up 27 ppg in college at the same age giannis was last year.

giannis scored <10 points at a european youth tourney last summer. he has a lot of potential but not as a volume scorerI think he does. Him and Parker have so much potential as a scoring tandem, it's not even funny. They just have to work on it for a few more seasons.

[Milbuck]

Dude has the upside of Durant tbh, I knew Milwaukee was gonna rise from the ashes after they got him :lol
:cheers: Agreed, he's also a great fit with Jabari.

Favorite part about his game is that he does everything. He has point-forward vision, guard like handles, and on defense he can be a shot blocking PF or defend smaller guards. He's developing as a scorer, but it's exciting to see him showing potential at nearly every facet of the game. The video showed it too..sick pass, transition dunk, nasty block at the rim, couple of 3s in a defender's face, etc.

[sammichoffate]

:cheers: Agreed, he's also a great fit with Jabari.

Favorite part about his game is that he does everything. He has point-forward vision, guard like handles, and on defense he can be a shot blocking PF or defend smaller guards. He's developing as a scorer, but it's exciting to see him showing potential at nearly every facet of the game. The video showed it too..sick pass, transition dunk, nasty block at the rim, couple of 3s in a defender's face, etc.Without exaggerating, you guys are gonna be ****ing scary in a few years :lol

[Euroleague]

he can't because it's bullshit. it's what he resorts to when he spends the previous 2 years talking about how team usa has no chance and then they inevitably when so he needs an 'explanation' for why :lol

Odd. Analysts counted 72 traveling violations for Team USA at 2012 gold medal game under FIBA travel rules that were not called........

[Milbuck]

he has no similarities to durant other than freakish length. the comparisons are ludicrous. durant was a born scorer from the day he stepped onto a college campus. he put up 27 ppg in college at the same age giannis was last year.

giannis scored <10 points at a european youth tourney last summer. he has a lot of potential but not as a volume scorer
I'm positive he won't ever be the scorer Durant is, but there's no reason to suggest the comparison is laughable if we're talking purely about potential. He has the handles, his jumper is developing, he's got the crazy frame and athleticism, and the drive to keep improving. If T-Mac could go from an 8ppg scorer at 18-19 years old to a 32ppg scorer 5 years later, I don't see why Giannis with his tools and work ethic can't ever reach 24-26ppg. The kid is 19, he has 6-7 years of development before he hits his prime.

It really doesn't matter though, Giannis's game is based around him being able to do everything, he's not meant to be a pure scorer. What he may fall short of in scoring, he can compensate for with his passing and defense, two aspects of the game he's shown to have a ton of promise in.

[ralph_i_el]

What do you mean? This is common knowledge.

Starting with 2008 Olympics the rules were changed because FIBA and the NBA said that American players (in other words specifically Team USA NBA players) were only used really to playing under NBA rules.

So it was too hard for them to change suddenly to FIBA rules and reffing and that it wasn't "fair".

So the rules were changed that Team USA gets reffed during games under NBA travel rules. While the other teams still get reffed under FIBA travel rules. That means that even if you are an NBA player, like say Pau or Manu, you still get reffed by FIBA travel rules because you don't play for Team USA.

And also naturalized Americans playing for other national teams besides USA are reffed by the FIBA travel rules.

So simply, Team USA players don't have to "adjust" anymore to FIBA rules. Because this was something the NBA and USA Basketball kept complaining about.

That rule change started before the 2008 Olympics and that was the first tournament where it went into effect. So all the tournaments before the 2008 Olympics where Team USA played, like for example the 2007 FIBA Americas, 2006 FIBA World Championship, etc. they were reffed by FIBA travel rules. Then every tournament since, 2008 Olympics, 2010 World Championship, etc., they have been reffed with the NBA travel rules.

Then of course they made the rules change going also to the NBA lane size and shape, add the semi circle for the no foul area, move back the 3 point line, etc., again doing this so that the NBA players have less to "adjust" to.

Because the NBA and USA Basketball keeps complaining about having to "adjust to the rules". But when they asked to move it back to the NBA 3 point line, widen the court, lengthen the court, and put the no hand checking, and defensive 3 seconds rules in, FIBA refused in things like that, same with the jump ball. Claiming some things like that would be too hard for youth level and would make the games too long or whatever.

But the bottom line is that while the traveling issue changed for Team USA, and that's why ever since 2008 Olympics, Team USA playing style has been so dramatically different and they play suddenly NBA style basketball, it is still the SAME for every other national team.

The other national teams still have to play with FIBA travel rules. Which still means a strict adherence to no allowance for blatantly carrying the ball to gain an offensive advantage.

This is confusing to people that only watch Team USA play, so they might be seeing LeBron do that all the time and think it's OK in FIBA now, but it's only OK now for Team USA. It wouldn't be OK by any means for Giannis to do it. That's the point.


If they changed the rules then you wouldn't have a problem linking me the new rule? I'll wait.

[Oly BC]

Damn NBA is destroying his whole potential for the Greek national team. Every single time he touched the ball, he would have been called for traveling if that was a FIBA game.
He goes from the center of the court to the rim with a couple dribbles and a drive. I tried to pay closer attention to his feet and how many steps he's taking but I kept thinking he looks like a giraffe and couldn't focus.

[Oly BC]

So he's essentially Durant without the shooting?
But Durant is doing almost nothing but shooting. Giannis looks like he eventually wants to do things with his body other than being able to see over defenders.

At this point he's an average shooter and an average handler but if you add his work rate and his physique, he could be really good.
Plus, he just looks so weird you can't ignore him.

[NattyPButter]

he looks like he gain a little weight. Use to seeing him look skinny as fawk. Also his dribbling needs work. I thought he was suppose to be a SG? I swear he was playing PF last night.

[-Lebron23-]

Damn, we're going to see what Jonathan Bender could have been. This kid is going to be something special.

[ralph_i_el]

he looks like he gain a little weight. Use to seeing him look skinny as fawk. Also his dribbling needs work. I thought he was suppose to be a SG? I swear he was playing PF last night.

seems to me like he'll be able to rebound well enough to be a nigh-positionless player. Think AK47 on crack

[Euroleague]

If they changed the rules then you wouldn't have a problem linking me the new rule? I'll wait.

Ignore list.

[ralph_i_el]

Ignore list.

Nice! Don't worry, your alts will be able to see me

[CavaliersFTW]

I can't believe he actually grow 1-2 inches in the last year. :oldlol: Dude looks like a super athletic alien out there dunking on fools.
He only grew a half inch. The author of the article that stated he grew almost 2 inches was an idiot and doesn't know where or how NBA list heights or measurements work.

He measured 6-9 without shoes as a rookie (6-10.25 with shoes), he measured 6-9.5 without shoes this year or 6-10.75 with shoes. The author of the article thought Giannis grew from 6-9 to 6-10.75. He didn't... technically he grew from 6-9 to 6-9.5 without shoes or 6-10.25 to 6-10.75 with shoes... either way, only a half inch.

[ralph_i_el]

He only grew a half inch. The author of the article that stated he grew almost 2 inches was an idiot and doesn't know where or how NBA list heights or measurements work.

He measured 6-9 without shoes as a rookie (6-10.25 with shoes), he measured 6-9.5 without shoes this year or 6-10.75 with shoes. The author of the article thought Giannis grew from 6-9 to 6-10.75. He didn't... technically he grew from 6-9 to 6-9.5 without shoes or 6-10.25 to 6-10.75 with shoes... either way, only a half inch.

Thanks for clearing that up. I knew 2 inches was an exaggeration

[ralph_i_el]

He only grew a half inch. The author of the article that stated he grew almost 2 inches was an idiot and doesn't know where or how NBA list heights or measurements work.

He measured 6-9 without shoes as a rookie (6-10.25 with shoes), he measured 6-9.5 without shoes this year or 6-10.75 with shoes. The author of the article thought Giannis grew from 6-9 to 6-10.75. He didn't... technically he grew from 6-9 to 6-9.5 without shoes or 6-10.25 to 6-10.75 with shoes... either way, only a half inch.

Thanks for clearing that up. I knew 2 inches was an exaggeration

[Gotterdammerung]

Damn, we're going to see what Jonathan Bender could have been. This kid is going to be something special.
Good call.

Bender was one of those "going-to-be" players cursed with unrealized potential. Frigging knee injuries.
:durantunimpressed:

[KingPush]

Poor mans Lebron in Durant's body.

Not bad actually i see where the hype is coming from now

[Pointguard]

At the 1:15 mark he only dribbles one time after the half court line! That's insane.

Loving the way hes doing the Dr. J palm. Once he gets his confidence we will get an idea of his ceiling. Its hard to feel confident if you are still growing. I notice his strength has improved a bit.