That would be great. Jiri was a lot further along at the same time though, and only 2 inches shorter.
Tsalmpouris
- Thread starter CintiClone
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Side note - it's kind of crazy how many of the bigs ISU has missed on in the last couple of years are still playing in the tourney. Just off the top of my head:
Malik-Abu: Gonna be a stud
Bonzie Colson: Gonna be all-ACC by the time he's done
Jaylen Johnson: Too early to tell
Kyle Washington: Gonna be good
I think our staff is great at identifying post talent -- we'll replace McKay and Niang with somebody good if Tsalmpouris doesn't develop.
Malik-Abu: Gonna be a stud
Bonzie Colson: Gonna be all-ACC by the time he's done
Jaylen Johnson: Too early to tell
Kyle Washington: Gonna be good
I think our staff is great at identifying post talent -- we'll replace McKay and Niang with somebody good if Tsalmpouris doesn't develop.
Which brings up an interesting point, would JVB have been a contributor this year for Hoiberg? I agree Tsalmpouris becoming JVBesque would be huge, I'm just not sure if Fred is willing to go deep enough into the bench to get him on the court.
I think JVB would have played at least 15 minutes a game in each of the past 4 years.
Yeah the Sabonis kid from Gonzaga had a million dollar offer that he turned down to play over here, Giorgos ain't getting anywhere near that much.
And Giorgos isn't Sabonis either... not even close IMO.
Sabonis is a stud already.... as a freshman.
Right. You develop them from a 3 Star recruit who's 2nd best offers after Wisconsin were Depaul, Bradley, Northern Illinois, and Northwestern.
"Georgios gives us another big man that is able to run the floor and shoot the ball," Hoiberg said in the school's release. "He fits with how we want to play while giving us more length. I'm looking forward to helping him continue to develop as a basketball player."
Georgios is only 18 years old. Most men are not even fully grown at that age. Sam Dekker of Wisconsin grew two inches while in college just recently. Comparing him to Sabonis is unfair, that kid has the genetic genes of a 7'3", 300 lb NBA Hall of Famer. If he can commit to gaining weight, breaking the language barrier with his teammates, and working on his defense and not just relying on superior height, I feel like the potential could be be limitless.
If he only slightly improves he will be a solid role player for us when one of our more athletic bigs needs a break, but if he makes huge gains he will be our starting center by senior year with all the aformentioned qualities improved.
I think Georges is really smart, has a huge frame, and Hoiberg took a shot. It all depends on his feet and his upper body strength. Even then, he may never be coordinated enough to put out serious minutes. I think it would be hilarious to put him in and watch people try to block his beautiful 3 pointers.
I think we all know what we have with Georges. Georgios, on the other hand, will be a wait and see.
Okay, you're right, I exaggerated the figures. But I think it's clear that whatever he makes playing basketball in Europe is going to be plenty more than what he would make from a typical job tied to a college degree. Even if he's only making $150,000 a year for 10 years, that's considerably more than he would likely make from whatever other job he could have had.
Not saying a degree can't be valuable to professional athletes, but in general plenty of athletes are better off making their money in their sport while they can.
Likely true, but even so, why wouldn't he hone his game under a great basketball mind for four years, then go back and sign a much bigger contract because he's actually played in games? And then he has a degree as a fallback for when his basketball career is over. If you think he can make enough in 10 years overseas to live off of for the rest of his life by going pro right now, you're wrong. I think I read that Kane is making "low 5 figures per month" right now. I'm assuming that's just during the season. No idea how long their season is, but call it 8 months to be conservative. Say he's making $13,000 per month for 8 months of the year, that's just over $100k. For DeAndre Kane. Tsalbo is no DeAndre. I don't think ten years of basketball in Europe, unless you're an elite player for Europe, is enough to live on for the rest of your life.
We really have limited information about the kid, but to me it is telling that, when he has come in for us, Fred has him out top. A 7'1 guy out top that can dribble and shoot creates a huge mismatch, and he looks like he can handle the ball really well for his size. I'm really hoping he sticks it out, as he could really start to come into his own in the next year or two.
In more ways than one. Didn't a couple of players say in interviews this year that Georgios is the funniest guy on the roster?
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