<div class="quote_poster">Quote:</div><div class="quote_post"> The 6-foot-4 guard earned himself a contract with Houston after showcasing himself as an aggressive guard in Europe who can create havoc on the defensive end and split defenses with his blazing speed to the bucket. He spent the past season with the Greek league power Panathanaikos Greens, where he became one of the team's stars with 15.5 points per game. Still, it remains to be seen how quickly Spanoulis will adapt to the American game. Not all European stars have found success in the NBA. "We have watched his progress very closely," Rockets general manager Carroll Dawson said. "It's a big adjustment to come to the NBA from Europe, but he is a hard worker. He wants to be a great player. Everybody is going to like this young man because he is a very hard-nosed player." Spanoulis isn't too worried about the transition. Sure, NBA offenses tend to isolate star players more and he'll have to take another step back to sink a three-pointer compared to the international three-point line. However, Spanoulis believes he's still just playing basketball. "The philosophy is a new thing for me and the level of player is going to be very high," Spanoulis said. "But it's still basketball. I need to do what the coaches need from me. I've worked a lot on my game and I played with some very good teams and coaches. Competition has made me better." During Greece's silver medal run at the FIBA World Championships, Spanoulis excited any Rockets fan who stayed up into the wee hours of the morning to view his potential. The 6-foot-4 guard crashed his body into the lane without much regard for his own well-being and applied the sort of defensive pressure on players bringing the basketball up the floor that the Rockets are hoping to have in the upcoming season. Then, there was that performance against the Americans. Spanoulis buried Team USA with a game-high 22 points and sank three of five three-pointers, meaning he was big reason Greece pulled off a stunning 101-95 win to advance to the gold medal game. He is still working on becoming a consistent three-point threat, but the significance of that performance isn't lost on Spanoulis. "I'm very proud of it because I did it for my national team and it helped us win a silver medal," Spanoulis said. "Obviously, my (confidence) is very high after that game." Before the season begins, Spanoulis is hoping to get out of his hotel room and find a place in Houston. He has only one other goal beyond that for the upcoming season. "I want to be as good as I can be to help this team win," Spanoulis said. "I don't care about statistics. I don't care about anything else except winning."</div> Source
If his play from the WBC trasnlates into similar style in the NBA, there's no way he'll rot on the bench. Spanouliss is quick, smart and can hit outside shots with ease. I don't see him starting on day one but he could definitely average 20 minutes a game, and maybe become the starter by season's end, whether at SG or PG.
I just like his thinking about the game of basketball and the way he plays. He doesn't care about stats - Makes a great point guard. He can shoot the ball, he is lightning quick. From what it sounds like, he is the JVG type of player (). He has experience in FIBA, against USA's best players whom he dominated. I want him to start towards the end of the season, I like the way he plays.
I'm not so sure about him playing the point - he's more of a shooting guard and is actually very comparable to Bobby Sura (hard-nosed, slashing SG who can play the point). Nonetheless, if he brings gritty play and tough D and can occasionally score I can't see JVG benching him. Besides, TMac plays the point most of the time he's on the floor anyways.
I'd be very disappointed if he didn't make it. He has shown (at the World championships) that he has what it takes to play in the NBA. He is ready.
