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Nov 17, 2010, 4:02 pm
[quote name='Panathinaikos' timestamp='1289976018' post='26322']
Every single summer 2006-2010 Spanoulis was the best player, the leading scorer, the go to player, the first option, the guy that took the last shot, etc. on Greece's national team. Papaloukas and Diamantidis were never once the team's leader in the last 4 years. You are with all due respect, greatly exaggerating the impact that Diamantidis had in Greece's national team.
Papaloukas was spectacular in 2004-2006 era. But since then he did not really so much of anything. Diamantidis was great in 2004-2006 era (although not as good as Papaloukas was) and since that time was not doing much of anything for Greece's national team.
From 2006-2010, Spanoulis has been Greece's best player and leader every single summer. To argue that is showing some clear bias and that there is no objectivity in your arguments. In fact, last summer, Zisis played overall much better than Diamantidis did.
You are equating Papaloukas and Diamantidis to Saras, Pau, Scola, and Manu in terms of their importance to their national team. That is totally wrong. Spanoulis is the leader of the team and has been for years. And once again, Papaloukas is old. He is getting like Saras now. Did Lithuania's national team end just because Saras was not in the team? No.
And Diamantidis is a great player in his own way. IMO a top 5 Euroleague player. But he is also not a real point guard but he has to have the ball in his hands to be effective in offense. His point guard play is way to predictable against good competition as all he does is drive and kick out splits over and over like a broken record. He is not a pure shooter and teams zone up on Greece and sag off him and this problem costs Greece losses for years now.
Diamantidis would be awesome for Greece is he accepted a defensive stopper and all around role, but he won't. That was clear this last summer, even though Kazlauskas tried to move him to that role. Diamantidis played one good game in the whole tournament, which was the last game against Spain. But at then end of the game he made stupid turnovers and fouls and that, along with the stupid turnovers of Zisis cost Greece the game.
Diamantidis has never been the leader of anything but Iraklis. Point blank fact. In 2005 when Greece won the EuroBasket, Papaloukas lead the team, along with Zisis. It was Papaloukas and Zisis that lead that championship team.
Spanoulis, Papaloukas, and Sofo lead the win over USA in 2006, especially in particular it was Spanoulis. In 2007, PAO was lead in Euroleague to the title by Siska. I don't care what any PAO DOF homers claim. Siska was the leader of that team.
In 2009, Spanoulis led PAO to both the Euroleague and Greek League championships. It was not Diamantidis, who barely even played, sat on the bench and was not even helpful when he did play. Yet PAO fans make up a lie that Diamantidis led the team. It was not Saras either, and I know you have claimed over and over that it was Saras.
No it was not. Saras led PAO in the fourth quarter against Olympiacos in the semifinal. No arguing that. But Spanoulis led PAO in everything else. All season in Euroleague, during the first half against Oly, during the game against CSKA, hit the game winning basket really in the final, and led the team in the Greek league, Greek playoffs, and Greek Finals.
Diamantidis is a great DEFENDER and ALL AROUND PLAYER......OVERALL I think he is probably a top 5 Euroleague player and if not that then certainly he is a top 5-10. Burt he is NOT and never has been a leader or a superstar, or as you call it a "world class player". He's never been that ever.
It was always Papaloukas, Siska, Spanoulis, Saras that carried him his whole career. He tried to be the "leader" of Greece in 2010 and it was an epic disaster. You will see what happens to PAO now that Spanoulis is in the other team.
Just like last year in the Greek finals it was Spanoulis that literally had to take over every game of the 3 PAO wins in the fourth quarter, make every key play, score every big basket, etc.
Diamantidis is a great player, but he's in no way in hell close to as good as you are making him out to be.
[/quote]
One of the reasons Spanoulis left PAO is that he didn't play as much as he wanted. Obradovic depended on Diamantidis more, so let the coach be the one who knows better!! Besides, Spanoulis was a member of the national team last summer as well so he is as "responsible" as Diamantidis for the team's losses.
Every single summer 2006-2010 Spanoulis was the best player, the leading scorer, the go to player, the first option, the guy that took the last shot, etc. on Greece's national team. Papaloukas and Diamantidis were never once the team's leader in the last 4 years. You are with all due respect, greatly exaggerating the impact that Diamantidis had in Greece's national team.
Papaloukas was spectacular in 2004-2006 era. But since then he did not really so much of anything. Diamantidis was great in 2004-2006 era (although not as good as Papaloukas was) and since that time was not doing much of anything for Greece's national team.
From 2006-2010, Spanoulis has been Greece's best player and leader every single summer. To argue that is showing some clear bias and that there is no objectivity in your arguments. In fact, last summer, Zisis played overall much better than Diamantidis did.
You are equating Papaloukas and Diamantidis to Saras, Pau, Scola, and Manu in terms of their importance to their national team. That is totally wrong. Spanoulis is the leader of the team and has been for years. And once again, Papaloukas is old. He is getting like Saras now. Did Lithuania's national team end just because Saras was not in the team? No.
And Diamantidis is a great player in his own way. IMO a top 5 Euroleague player. But he is also not a real point guard but he has to have the ball in his hands to be effective in offense. His point guard play is way to predictable against good competition as all he does is drive and kick out splits over and over like a broken record. He is not a pure shooter and teams zone up on Greece and sag off him and this problem costs Greece losses for years now.
Diamantidis would be awesome for Greece is he accepted a defensive stopper and all around role, but he won't. That was clear this last summer, even though Kazlauskas tried to move him to that role. Diamantidis played one good game in the whole tournament, which was the last game against Spain. But at then end of the game he made stupid turnovers and fouls and that, along with the stupid turnovers of Zisis cost Greece the game.
Diamantidis has never been the leader of anything but Iraklis. Point blank fact. In 2005 when Greece won the EuroBasket, Papaloukas lead the team, along with Zisis. It was Papaloukas and Zisis that lead that championship team.
Spanoulis, Papaloukas, and Sofo lead the win over USA in 2006, especially in particular it was Spanoulis. In 2007, PAO was lead in Euroleague to the title by Siska. I don't care what any PAO DOF homers claim. Siska was the leader of that team.
In 2009, Spanoulis led PAO to both the Euroleague and Greek League championships. It was not Diamantidis, who barely even played, sat on the bench and was not even helpful when he did play. Yet PAO fans make up a lie that Diamantidis led the team. It was not Saras either, and I know you have claimed over and over that it was Saras.
No it was not. Saras led PAO in the fourth quarter against Olympiacos in the semifinal. No arguing that. But Spanoulis led PAO in everything else. All season in Euroleague, during the first half against Oly, during the game against CSKA, hit the game winning basket really in the final, and led the team in the Greek league, Greek playoffs, and Greek Finals.
Diamantidis is a great DEFENDER and ALL AROUND PLAYER......OVERALL I think he is probably a top 5 Euroleague player and if not that then certainly he is a top 5-10. Burt he is NOT and never has been a leader or a superstar, or as you call it a "world class player". He's never been that ever.
It was always Papaloukas, Siska, Spanoulis, Saras that carried him his whole career. He tried to be the "leader" of Greece in 2010 and it was an epic disaster. You will see what happens to PAO now that Spanoulis is in the other team.
Just like last year in the Greek finals it was Spanoulis that literally had to take over every game of the 3 PAO wins in the fourth quarter, make every key play, score every big basket, etc.
Diamantidis is a great player, but he's in no way in hell close to as good as you are making him out to be.
[/quote]
One of the reasons Spanoulis left PAO is that he didn't play as much as he wanted. Obradovic depended on Diamantidis more, so let the coach be the one who knows better!! Besides, Spanoulis was a member of the national team last summer as well so he is as "responsible" as Diamantidis for the team's losses.