Sunday Thought - Early Take on Linas Kleiza

by Adam Francis on Aug 29, 2010 11:15 AM EDT

Thanks to the International action going on right now, basketball is alive and well in the off-season.

This morning Team Canada took on Lithuania and while the result was a tough loss for the Canadians, it gave many Raptors' fans a chance to take a look at one of the team's off-season acquisitions, Linas Kleiza.

Kleiza was without a doubt Lithuania's best player on the court today, finishing with 18 points and 11 rebounds, scoring from all over the court, and showing the rugged intensity that should make him a solid addition to the Raps next year. He played a 3-4 role for the Lithuanians, posting up on numerous occasions, and showing a nice face-up and back-to-the-basket game. Really, the Canadians had no answer for Kleiza defensively.

However you could see some of the criticisms of Kleiza's game on display today as well.

At times he was too selfish offensively, a bit of a black hole in fact, and settled for long-range shots when other options might have been better. He was a bit streaky too, shooting only 6 of 15 from the floor, and while he can be a solid passer, at times today he tried to do too much, the case on both of his turnovers.

That being said, having seen him now through two games, I'm warming up to the idea of him with the Raptors. He dropped 27 and 8 on New Zealand on Saturday, hitting 11 of his 15 shots, and while he's not playing consistent NBA talent, defensively he's looked pretty solid. He might not have the quickest feet side-to-side, but he's done a nice job establishing position and reading cutters, little things like that that could make a big difference for Toronto this coming season.

Best of all though is what Jack Armstrong described as "the attitude he plays with."

You can see it on the court, Kleiza just seems a bit smug as in "I'm going to dominate you and there's nothing you can do about it."

Frankly, with all the doom and gloom prognostications about the Dinos this year already, a little of that swagger could go a long way.

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Comments

fantastic

does tis warrant an automatic adjusting of the final win total from 25 to at least…. 27 :)) ?

btw, this is the first not doom and gloom article of the summer, are you sure you are ok?

\end rant (had way too little sleep and too much alchool last night to take responsability on anthing I am writing for at least another few hours)

by renato on Aug 29, 2010 11:22 AM EDT reply actions

Ha ha – nice Renato. Think I DID post a few positivish posts this summer…but yeah, most have been downers unfortunately.

Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com

by Adam Francis on Aug 29, 2010 1:35 PM EDT up reply actions

positivish

look at yourself, you cannot even bring yourself to say the word, haha

by renato on Aug 29, 2010 3:56 PM EDT up reply actions

re Kleiza

No surprise, as he is continuing his outststanding play for Lithuania, that he demonstrated as their best player in the pre-tourney, and as the leading scorer for Olympiacos in the Euroleague. He will be a big improvement on the Turk, at SF/PF
@ a very reasonable cost.

As for the Raptors, being picked for 27 wins and last place is the best thing that could happen to the team, and will provide the motivation to improve and integrate the 7/8 new players and 2 new coaches into a winning TEAM, that will play defense FIRST.

by Johnn19 on Aug 29, 2010 12:48 PM EDT reply actions

This might be a post for later on in the season if Kleiza excels – imagine if Kleiza ends up being an upgrade or even a similar compare vs Hedo? Yes, the past is the past, but wow, how bad does that signing look?

Adam Francis - Publisher - RaptorsHQ.com

by Adam Francis on Aug 29, 2010 1:38 PM EDT up reply actions

I wouldn't be surprised If Kleiza was who they really wanted last year

But if the objective was to keep Bosh, going for a more “known” commodity made sense. You get the “best” available free agent on the market, make the playoffs, make some noise, he resigns and you continue from there.

Of course it didn’t work out that way..and..in the long run that’s for the better I think because it might have really moved the organization away from the idea of building around a “franchise” player.

It has been said before but, if we’re in the age of super teams, the “off-markets” have to start being really creative with how they build their teams. Depth is the best counter. If our 4 through 12 is better than our opponents 4 through 12 then there is an opportunity to stay competitive, moreso in the regular season than the playoffs but it’s a start. I think Colangelo has been moving in that direction. Not sure he will be around to finish it but perhaps we’re starting to see the foundation being laid for the Raptors “way of doing things”

Happiness is that which gets lost in the details of its pursuit.

by HQ Interloper on Aug 29, 2010 2:31 PM EDT up reply actions

if you were correct

it would imply Bosh being a cancer and BC not worth it his job

by renato on Aug 29, 2010 3:58 PM EDT up reply actions

I wanted Kleiza last year. Comment is actually in some older post that was recently referenced.

by bigweeze on Aug 30, 2010 9:49 AM EDT up reply actions

Don't worry about the negativity

A carpenter can only use the tools he is given. And hey, every time there is a moment of sadness about the Raps, we can always take heed in the fact that Hedo is gone. Thank god.

I think Kleiza is going to provide value that is at least commensurate with his salary during the duration of the contract, if not greater. And in the best case scenario, he turns out to be a steal. And again, Hedo is gone. Amen.

by RaptorsAddict on Aug 29, 2010 2:33 PM EDT reply actions

Just some random off topic thought

How good of a SF might have Andrea Bargnani been if, coming into the league his training regimen had been adjusted to prepare him for that position instead of PF/C? Just working off Dwyer’s statement in his rankings, but would he be further along, and would the team be further along, if that decision was made from the beginning instead of the slow boil that is his being shaped into a centre?

Happiness is that which gets lost in the details of its pursuit.

by HQ Interloper on Aug 29, 2010 2:43 PM EDT reply actions

in a way

go back and have a look at the hoops and movement he had in the summer league and during his first season…. at the moment he seem not to be able to jump over a sheet of paper….

by renato on Aug 29, 2010 3:28 PM EDT up reply actions

Kleiza

I thought he was a good acquisition. Franchise and everyone else always criticized him but I saw some of his game in the euro-league and he looked a much improved played . Highest scorer in the league and played some decent defense

by raptors_run_the_show on Aug 29, 2010 10:00 PM EDT reply actions