Jonas Valanciunas lay on the court early in the second half
and stared at the ceiling of the Basketball Arena in London, a trail of sweat
marking his slide along the baseline, his hands clutching his throat as if he
were choking.
It was the end of the seven-footer’s night, the victim of a
simultaneous –though inadvertent – elbow to the neck and knee to the groin by
Kobe Bryant, another setback in a much-scrutinized Olympic debut for the Raptor
prospect.
Rather than saying his prize rookie ‘choked’ in London,
Raptors general manager Bryan Colangelo sees Valanciunas’ impact on the Games
as an indication of what to expect early on, another example of the
‘wait-and-see’ approach Toronto is taking with the 20-year-old though he’s now
finally ready to take the court.
“I had a chance to see him play multiple games and he did
pick up some quick fouls which put him in a tough situation as far as being
able to get back on the court,” said Colangelo at training camp in Halifax.
“The coach would insert a veteran player and feel a little bit more
comfortable.”
“The bottom line is, you saw what he was capable of doing in
spurts [he played the tenth most minutes on the team]… it was energy, it was
hustle, it was making plays when he needed to, it was knocking down free throws
– a very good trait for a big man of his capabilities – but you can’t look at
that one little bit and say that’s who he is as a player.”
Olympic averages of 4.2 points and 4 rebounds, three total blocks,
not a single assist, and 13 fouls in 69 minutes of play aren’t numbers that
will jump off the stat sheet, but Colangelo reinforces the patient approach.
“I look at the whole body of work and I know that as a
20-year-old to have the kind of energy, the kind of enthusiasm and personality
as a seven-footer, it’s a tough package to find, but we found it and we think
some good things are going to come of it.”
Fellow countryman and Raptor teammate Linas Kleiza notched a
team-high 25 points in that unexpectedly close 99-94 loss to a stacked American
squad. He’ll play the role of mentor this season as Valanciunas adjusts to life
in the NBA.
“He had a great summer this summer, but this summer was a
little different for him because everybody put very high expectations on him
and everybody expected him to be that guy right away and he just wasn’t 100 per
cent ready to do that,” Kleiza said at Raptors media day at the ACC.
“But the sky is the limit for him. He has everything he
needs and I think he’ll be one of the top centres in the NBA in three or four
years… He’s got the tools, the physical ability, the offensive talent, it’s
just going to take some time.”
The Raptor rookie comes from a basketball-crazed country,
whose 1992 bronze medal is still a source of national pride.
Valanciunas has experienced Lithuania’s love of the game
first-hand though he doesn’t remember the 1992 games – he was just
two-and-a-half months old.
Due to the lockout-shortened season, the fifth overall pick
in 2011 was stashed overseas for a year in his comfort zone, playing for his
hometown Lietuvos Rytas, the team he grew up rooting for as the tallest kid in
his class who chose basketball over dance.
Impatient Toronto fans have already waited a year now for
the seven-footer’s post presence, and after he suffered a calf strain working
out with the team prior to training camp, they’ve had to wait a little longer.
“Obviously we’re still not putting any timetable on anything
here, but I think we’ve witnessed here this week that he’s progressed,” said
Alex McKechnie, the Raptors director of sports science, while in Halifax.
“You see him progressing, today for example he did a lot of
reactive drills and it’s about getting endurance back and getting back in shape
so that we can get him back into the mix.”
“No timetable, we’re not going to rush him back. Whenever
he’s ready, they’ll let us know,” added head coach Dwane Casey.
When Valanciunas finally hits the court, the wait won’t be
over necessarily as hype exceeds ability for the time being.
As McKechnie said, it will likely take three or four years
before the young Lithuanian is comfortable enough to excel in the NBA and
begins to meet his considerable potential.
“I’m working to get back as soon as possible [this week] I
hope so,” an anxious Valanciunas said in Halifax.
“This year is my first year in the NBA and I’m really
excited to be here and see what I can do in this league.”
NBA training camps open today for all teams, and there are a collection of talented players who have yet to sign a contract or crack a roster.
Limbo-ing freely, these players could change title hopes for some teams, and playoff dreams for others.
Let's look at the most intriguing pieces still on the market,
10. Greg Oden
He's said he plans to take the 2012-13 season
off to continue rebahilitation of his knees, and if the former first
overall pick can find any of the luck that recently un-retired Brandon
Roy, a Blazers teammate, found in his comeback there are certainly some
teams that would give him a chance. He'd make a decent backup in Indiana
or Miami depending on what he's looking for in a team.
9. Baron Davis
Boom Dizzle is still recovering from a nasty
knee injury suffered against Miami in the first round of the 2012
playoffs. The Knicks seem to like Sheed and have loaded up on point
guards with Pablo Prigioni, Ray Felton, and Jason Kidd. Davis seems to
be staying with the Knicks in a "multifaceted" role, hoping to make a comeback.
8. Mickael Pietrus
The 6-6 wing spent last season with the
Celtics and didn't leave much of a mark. He'll contribute to a team that
needs an athletic defender to match up with other teams' scorers. He
won't be back in Boston and he says he's narrowed his search down to two
teams and will sign soon.
7. Gilbert Arenas
Hibachi hasn't been the same
player since returning from suspension. He doesn't take the same shots
and same risks in clutch situations, and really isn't given the chance
either. He averaged just 4.2 points in 17 games with the Grizzlies last
season and has since been working out at the Lakers facilities, but
there may be no room for him in LA. China seems like an option for the
30-year-old.
Gilbert Arenas leads a sour crew of guys still searching for an NBA club to suit up for in 2012-13
6. Josh Howard
The 32-year-old still has some upside in
limited minutes off the bench and he could be looking at New York if
Ronnie Brewer has to miss any extended amount of time, but most likely
he'll end up as Corey Magette's replacement on the Charlotte Bobcats
where he worked out most recently. He'll have more of a chance to make
an impact there, in Philly, or if he returns to Utah than he would in
NY, and he could provide the most depth and experience as a 'Cat.
5. Michael Redd
The 33-year-old former team USA
gold medallist made a nice comeback last season in the land of the
setting Suns, averaging 8.2 points per game. He could stay in Phoenix
but the team is transitioning and he may as well. He was reportedly
close to signing in Minnesota, but changed his mind at the last minute
before training camp began. He was also talking to the Wizards and
Grizzlies.
4. Tracy McGrady
Last year in 52 games off the Atlanta bench, T-Mac scored 5.3 points, grabbed 3.0 rebounds and handed out 2.1 assists
per game as a reserve. He looks like a ninth or tenth man at this
point, but if he chose to go to, say, Charlotte he'd be about the eighth
or even seventh man. If he wants to go to the Celtics or the Spurs,
he'll play about eight minutes a game. It'll be interesting to see which
direction the still-32-year-old goes this season.
3. Derek Fisher
Fish isn't exactly an NBA starting point guard at this point of his career, unable to keep up with the speed and quickness of
the new PG generation, but there's still plenty the vet can provide. The
38-year-old stepped onto the Thunder last season in time for a solid
playoff run as a backup guard, clutch three-point shooter, and
coach-like presence. He's been working out in LA during the offseason,
so expect him to be a Laker if he doesn't return to OKC.
2. Kenyon Martin
Not a starter any more without the raw
athleticism that made him so amazing in the early-2000s, K-Mart has made
his own signing difficult by insisting he be paid more than the minimum
salary while trying to select only a handful of teams he'd like to play
for. He's turned down overseas offers, and the Knicks are bringing in
Sheed instead of him. His options are limited but the Nets would make
nostalgic sense as the team he began his career with and took to the
Finals.
1. Leandro Barbosa
Steve Nash tried to lure the Brazilian
blur to LA with him, but after the Lakers signed Jodie Meeks there's not
much room for scoring shooting guards off the bench. A return to
Phoenix would be intriguing to join a back court of Goran Gragic,
Shannon Brown and Kendall Marshall, but he may end up signing for a year
somewhere in Brazil. He's the best available talent.
