Popovich says Euro Players work harder

[Field Marshall Bradley]

Why not? His entire basketball life, save for 3 years, was spent in Spain before he came to the NBA?

What's your criteria to be an international player, just wondering?

I am in complete agreement with you sir. My bad on that. I edited my post in regards to that...

As my edit states, I thought dude knew what he was talking about and maybe I had it wrong, because I thought he played pro-ball in Spain. But as I get older, and continue to abuse my brain via drugs\alcohol, I don't trust it like I used too.....Thought maybe I was wrong....

Thanks for clearing that up for me

 

[yseJ]

So have you been to europe?

yes. Ive lived there for a few years when I was little. I have been there a few times after. my pops is white and from europe

Euro basketball players know they arent shyt until they get to America to play ball.

no ,they arent shyt until the play PRO ball. theres a difference there. just making it out of the academy to pro is a big deal

You seem like someone who gives others the benefit of being better somehow without even truly knowing whats up. Youre just spewing back some shyt you heard about european culture that was probably regurgitated by some old head that wanted to complain about the new younger generation of players.

again, you say this with no proof yourself. the differences Ive cited are factual- european system of developing athletes for all sports is drastically different than in here. you do understand all elite athletes attend special academies that the big clubs spend big money on ? no athletes with potential attend regular colleges. for athlete in europe life is drastically different than life here.

academies take kids at age of 10 and if they are good enough by training like every day, they make first team by 18-19. they are taught sport fundamentals when most athletes in US are watching cartoons going through puberty and enjoying life

I only say this last part because Euro basketball players want to be JUST LIKE American basketball stars that grew up in this "corruptible system" you claim only exists in America. Thats why you can go to youtube and watch some euro trying to make passes like CP3 or you see Ricky Rubio making passes like some of the great american PGs of the past a la Jay-Will. Hell youll even see Euros rapping/acting like American rappers cus they think its cool. But that is getting further away from basketball but is an example of them emulating american lifestyle/culture.

I never said its 'corruptible system'. you made that up yourself.

I never even said whether I like euro system more. I dont. it's just...different.
it prolly fits well with a coach like pop. trust me while I dont like cult of individual here I dont like the extreme 'you are dirt on a gear of a big system' approach there as well.

and yes youre right with internet blowing up, american lifestyle has wya more influence on euro culture
people like to be worshipped

 

[Field Marshall Bradley]

they had to work harder to get to where they are so they are more flexible -thats my point

pops point is that they are more 'fundamentally' hard workers and spend tons of time practicing those things, ie. working hard on them. it makes sense too cuz euros shoot well and shoot Fts well.

cultural differences IS why they are more hard working fundamentally. not racial differences or anything


this is kinda insulting as someone who has an argument with you

first you asked who has pop coached who was black and euro

then you made excuses as to why parker and diaw dont fit your theory. are they black ? yes are they euro yes
then you have no further points to make and are trying to derail this on particulars

I have no idea what Parker does that makes POP think he works harder than Rondo or CP3, and it would be cool if Pop clarified that. My opinion is that Parker is biracial and is more palateble to white america, that is all...

My point on Diaw is that if he was such this super worker like Pop suggests, being a Euro guy and all, why hasn't he be able to keep his weight in check...

Shaq got blasted for it, called lazy, so did Eddie Curry. Diaw does the same thing as those 2 guys, but somehow escapes the "lazy" label...But at the same time, by him being a Euro guy, he has a superior work ethic according to POP....it just doesn't translate into keeping his weight down...


And FYI...I don't think any NBA teams are going over fundamentals...Those should have been taught in HS\College....

So kill that argument

 

[OGmittee]

yes. Ive lived there for a few years when I was little. I have been there a few times after. my pops is white and from europe


no ,they arent shyt until the play PRO ball. theres a difference there. just making it out of the academy to pro is a big deal


again, you say this with no proof yourself. the differences Ive cited are factual- european system of developing athletes for all sports is drastically different than in here. you do understand all elite athletes attend special academies that the big clubs spend big money on ? no athletes with potential attend regular colleges. for athlete in europe life is drastically different than life here.

academies take kids at age of 10 and if they are good enough by training like every day, they make first team by 18-19. they are taught sport fundamentals when most athletes in US are watching cartoons going through puberty and enjoying life


I never said its 'corruptible system'. you made that up yourself.

I never even said whether I like euro system more. I dont. it's just...different.
it prolly fits well with a coach like pop. trust me while I dont like cult of individual here I dont like the extreme 'you are dirt on a gear of a big system' approach there as well.

and yes youre right with internet blowing up, american lifestyle has wya more influence on euro culture
people like to be worshipped

Maybe its me, but putting a 10 year old in an academy and training him to be a pro athlete for a decade gives off the impression of creating a smug little a$$hole even more so than taking them in high school.


But we are going to have to agree to disagree because you keep harping on myths that i just believe arent true. "Euros are taught fundamentals, this doesnt happen for American players because they think theyre too talented." Oh really? So America and American players whoop Europeans asses in international play and in the NBA but they never learned fundamentals...Every NBA player is just raw talent if they were brought up in the US...Idk man, seems like a bunch of bull to me

And speaking as an American that grew up playing basketball in a youth league here, I will have you know that Yes fundamentals are being taught from a very young age in camps and leagues all over the US and Im a guy who never made it anywhere in ball...You think I was doing drills that D-Wade or CP3 never did? Or do you think Euros drills are so much more "fundamental" than the ones being used in the US who i remind you are doing pretty well when it comes to developing ball players.

but even thats getting somewhat off topic. The issue is attitude and i do not believe there is enough of a difference in how players are being developed to say that one is creating better ppl than the other. Its a simple matter of numbers and the attitude you need to make ppl like you so that you can play in another country.

 

[pete clemenza]

He's talkin' about American black players... fukk Pop!

 

[yseJ]

Maybe its me, but putting a 10 year old in an academy and training him to be a pro athlete for a decade gives off the impression of creating a smug little a$$hole even more so than taking them in high school.

thing is its more discipline, for better or worse

But we are going to have to agree to disagree because you keep harping on myths that i just believe arent true. "Euros are taught fundamentals, this doesnt happen for American players because they think theyre too talented." Oh really? So America and American players whoop Europeans asses in international play and in the NBA but they never learned fundamentals...Every NBA player is just raw talent if they were brought up in the US...Idk man, seems like a bunch of bull to me

but Im not saying that ! I say that euros spend way more time on fundamentals and are more coachable by a coach who demands a certain style of team play.

And speaking as an American that grew up playing basketball in a youth league here, I will have you know that Yes fundamentals are being taught from a very young age in camps and leagues all over the US and Im a guy who never made it anywhere in ball...You think I was doing drills that D-Wade or CP3 never did? Or do you think Euros drills are so much more "fundamental" than the ones being used in the US who i remind you are doing pretty well when it comes to developing ball players.

again, I dont think euros are more fundamental. I think they place emphasis way more on teamwork and fundamentals than here in the US. this appeals to coach like pop who goes pick and roll heavy vs iso plays

but even thats getting somewhat off topic. The issue is attitude and i do not believe there is enough of a difference in how players are being developed to say that one is creating better ppl than the other. Its a simple matter of numbers and the attitude you need to make ppl like you so that you can play in another country.

no one said anything about 'better people'. at least I didnt. more coachable basketball players, probably.

I still dont think you get the whole 'difference' thing though

look up felix magath, manager of german soccer team

will finish my post by given another example of the brutality that Rafinha speaks about: Back in 2008, while being at Wolfsburg, Magath told a delighted group of players that the training for this afternoon had been canceled. The VfL had just finished another brutal training session in the training camp in Switzerland, and the players sat at their lunch tables. Magath told he delighted team that the players would be rewarded with coffee and cake at a cafe nearby with the provision that the players retain their training attire just in case.

The players turned up in their training attire at the gondola that was supposed to take them up the mountain to the cafe. The mood was good. Magath managed to make their smiles disappear with one sentence: he told the group of young players they would get up the mountain by running the full 2362 meters. The players of the VfL Wolfsburg had to run for two and a half hours straight up the hill with Magath running right behind the team. Star striker Grafite collapsed before the end, and it is reported that a number of players broke down in tears as they reached the summit where they were finally able to enjoy their coffee and cake.

he also charged players 1k euros for every unnecessary back pass and 100 euros for every minute late to meetings

this coach would prolly be jailed in the us or something can you imagine him doing this to a superstar like lebron or kobe or adrian peterson ?

the cultures are completely different man. again Im not saying one or another is better. for more dictatorial/team-oriented coaches, euros work well. for others, they dont

 

[I.V.]

You're interpretation of Popovich's statement is wrong, and thusly this thread sucks.

And now you've got people that don't know shyt about the european game or system speaking on it as if they follow third tier dutch leagues.

There is no doubt a level a professionalism brought to the table by european players that is more of a baseline than american players.

Because they have already been professionals for years.

Some of you "may not believe that to be true" - but you're patently ignoring facts in order to do so. Bringing up the fact that there is more American superstar talent misses the point completely - and he wasn't talking about that at all.

 

[Mr. Somebody]

Alot of those players arent naturally gifted athletically. Not everything is about practice. Alot of individuals have difficulty understanding the difference between athletes and players.

 

[Field Marshall Bradley]

You're interpretation of Popovich's statement is wrong, and thusly this thread sucks.

And now you've got people that don't know shyt about the european game or system speaking on it as if they follow third tier dutch leagues.

There is no doubt a level a professionalism brought to the table by european players that is more of a baseline than american players.

Because they have already been professionals for years.

Some of you "may not believe that to be true" - but you're patently ignoring facts in order to do so. Bringing up the fact that there is more American superstar talent misses the point completely - and he wasn't talking about that at all.

When you make a sweeping generalization without specifics, you open yourself up for interpretation. Blame Pop.....

What facts am I ignoring?....And what are Euro players doing more than American NBA players? Its a simple question....

Just answer it

The level of professionalism, although warranted, does not equate that they work harder....They all have to go through the same practices, drills, conditioning, and rules as their American counterparts......And as I stated, if POP would have given an example of what TP does more than CP3\Rondo to warrant the label of harder worker, then it would have been cool..

Or, he can tells us why Thiago Splitter is a harder worker than Roy Hibbert


And talent does come into play. When you have talent, you make things look easier......

And if you're barely on a roster, of course you do extra stuff to keep a paycheck...So apples need to be compared to apples

 

[VladTheImpaler]

SLAM ONLINE | » Gregg Popovich Says International Players are Less Selfish and More Coachable



What yall think? I think he should have qualified this statement. Anybody that is less talented has to work harder to keep a spot, that's across the board and is not race specific.

Not sure what his intent was for saying this. There is no international player with Lebron, Westbrook, Durant, Kobe, etc type talent.

He would need to have a Euro player who is equal in talent to some of the best in the league to make that statement.

They probably are more coachable no doubt, but that's probably because they have been professionals since they were 16-18.

 

[Kid Coli]

Pop has:

Parker
Splitter
Manu
Diaw
Mills (Aus)
Baynes (Aus)
DeColo

on the roster. I think he knows a thing or two about International ballers brehs

 

[pete clemenza]

Pop has:

Parker
Splitter
Manu
Diaw
Mills (Aus)
Baynes (Aus)
DeColo

on the roster. I think he knows a thing or two about International ballers brehs

So theses guys practice and work harder than American ball players?

Plus the Spurs use the scouting of Euros to compensate for being a smaller market team

 

[Reggie]

A true international is one who has played in the pro leagues overseas. Guys like Duncan and Deng shouldn't be considered international players in the same vein as a Manu and Parker. Guys who played in pro leagues overseas. Marc Gasol is definitely an international player since he left high school and went back overseas. If Duncan had went to the Spanish league for a year or two instead of the Spurs after the draft then he would be called an international player.

 

[23Barrettcity]

Euros will be pros for 5 years before getting to the league. They know how to be a pro. Where as American kids are 1 and done, Aau hyped ass dudes who think they're untouchable.

And those hyped players are generally more talented than those European pros .
exactly they are pros . Alot of players in college aren't the same thing they are expected to be full time students and players , they don't exactly have time to work a 9 to 5 on top of that . And then to top it off they get a meal from someone they can lose they damn scholarships it's no real benefit to stay in college unless you need to build up draft stock. the Nba coaches need to adapt and find a way to reach the players

 

[Trip]

And those hyped players are generally more talented than those European pros .
exactly they are pros . Alot of players in college aren't the same thing they are expected to be full time students and players , they don't exactly have time to work a 9 to 5 on top of that . And then to top it off they get a meal from someone they can lose they damn scholarships it's no real benefit to stay in college unless you need to build up draft stock. the Nba coaches need to adapt and find a way to reach the players

NBA coaches are already for the most part players coaches....more than any other sports Id say.

Half the battle these days is being coachable. Its a matter of these talented players putting their ego's aside at some point and buying in. The Spurs arent the most talented team in the league. Id say for sure theyre the most well coached...and half of that if not more is being coachable.