Doc Posted June 24, 2011 Report Share Posted June 24, 2011 According to Eric Koreen of the National Post, the Toronto Raptors have reached a buyout agreement with Lietuvos for centre Jonas Valanciunas. Valanciunas, who currently plays for Lietuvos of the Lithuanian National Basketball League, will join the Raptors for the 2012-13 season. The buyout is reported to be for approximately $2.4 million.The Raptors selected the 19-year-old Lithuanian-born centre with the fifth pick overall in Thursday's NBA draft. http://www.thescore.com/home/articles/147564-raptors-reach-buyout-agreement-for-valanciunas Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Built Ford Tough Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 Pretty much as expected. Even if he isn't coming over next season I still absolutely love the pick. In fact, part of me is happy that he isn't going to be coming over right away. If there is a lockout, staying with Rytas for another season is going to be much better for his development than sitting around in Toronto with his thumb up his ass, especially if the entire season is locked out. Even if there is only a half season lockout or none at all, I still like the fact that he isn't coming over as he will still be playing in a competitive league and will have an extra year to add muscle in preperation for making the jump to the NBA in the 2012-12 season. If he were to come over immediately, I think he would struggle quite a bit with the stronger and more explosive athletes in the NBA, which could potentially hurt him confidence wise. Also, Rytas new coach is one of Dwane Casey's assistaints from his days in Minnesota and still has a very good relationship with Casey, so you know that the Raptors will have their say in Jonas' development next season as well. It would be nice to have him here next season, but I think in the long haul, it is better for him to spend another year with Rytas. This definitely won't help with all of the backlash over the pick, though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Check my Stats Posted June 25, 2011 Report Share Posted June 25, 2011 I think most of the backlash for the pick is coming from racists and uneducated fans. Any relatively educated Raptors fan knows it was a good pick. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Inspector Posted June 27, 2011 Report Share Posted June 27, 2011 Just glad he's going to play for us at some point. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.