Because Of You
Lately, I’ve been walking around, slouched over, head down, kicking whatever’s at my feet. Ya, it is because I have a bit of a neck problem, but it’s also because I’m ashamed. I just can’t look anyone in the eye.
When Vassilis Spanoulis quit on the Rockets, he quit on Greeks all over the globe. Spanoulis was the only true Greek in the NBA (Mr. Iakovos Tsakalidis, you don’t cut it), and he accomplished a lot. V-Span proved you could be the 2nd worst player in the entire league (Adonal Foyle), and still be given a nickname. He wasn’t just a guy who was handed a contract even though he was the 3rd best player on the Greek national team, he was an inspiration. It gave us Greeks the tingles when we saw him in that Rocket uniform warm-up. He was gonna be basketball’s George Michael (last famous Greek I know, look it up, he was from the motherland). Spanoulis was what every athletically mediocre / lazy kid wanted to do with his life — fool people into paying you because they think you’re good.
But the ride only lasted a year because like every Greek, he had a lot of quit in him. Just like that construction worker in Athens that told me he couldn’t move that tractor outta my way ’cause he was “takin’ a fuckin’ break,” Spanoulis decided to be a bum and take the easy road. Unless you’ve been to Greece you wouldn’t understand. This is a part of the Greek essence. But V-Span could’ve worked hard to earn some minutes in Jeff Van Gundy’s rotation? HA! Who the hell are you kidding? He would rather argue with JVG (another strong Greek trait).
So when the big Spanoul and his agent explained his departure this way: “I cannot survive. I must stay at my home… It’s something serious… I cannot live there. I thought I can… No, I cannot.” Do not believe him. In fact, I don’t know even know what he’s trying to say there. Actually, I do. I’ve heard that caca a million times before. He’s saying, “I didn’t get my way and have the starting point guard position handed to me, so I’m going to cry until you release me.”
A smart man once said, “Stay tough when things get rough”. I’ll tell you one thing, that man sure as hell wasn’t Greek. Whoops, actually, that was me who said that; I always knew I was a Canuck deep down. Either way, I just can’t raise my eyes from the ground right now. No, I cannot.
Report: Spanoulis Refuses to Return to Houston [Yahoo! Sports]
Photo: the hunchback and his bell by rarermages by shutterburger
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The Basketball Jones is a NBA blog and podcast, written and recorded five times a week by J.E. Skeets, Tas Melas and Jason Doyle. Comments, questions and cold hard cash are always welcome and much appreciated. Contact us.
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HARSH!!!!!!!
Just another sad Greek Tragedy ……. (-1 pts Howie)….
Don’t worry Tas, this disappointment is just going to set up the greater joy when Giorgos Printezis comes out of nowhere to kick ass on the Raps.
Capturing the essence of a Greek baller…
Tas Melas, noted Greek analyst and half of The Basketball Jones dynamic duo, perfectly breaks down the Greek baller mentality……
Being that I probably grew up with more Greeks than most, Tas, here’s my sound advice: Just focus your energies, and root against Okur.
Also worth noting that my Greek people sent this to me, and are eagerly awaiting his arrival:
http://www.hoopsvibe.com/nba-blog/is-sofoklis-schortsanitis-coming-to-america-ar31877.html
Poor guy, there aren’t any Mediterranean breezes in Texas. While Greeks have long endured their xenitia (excursions away from the motherland) in America, we usually situate ourselves in coast line cities like New York, LA, or even near the Great Lakes in Chicago. Places where it is easy to get your brine soaked feta cheese and Kalamata olives shipped to you.
Texas, however, is not likely to even have olive oil, due to preferences for ranch, butter, and more ranch. Once back in Greece, where leisure, lounging, and afternoon naps trump work handedly, simply tasting the souvlaki and pit roasted lamb was more than enough for him to give America the boot.
Yet, while waiting for Big Sofo and Printezis, don’t forget to root against Turkoglu as well as Okur.
“But the ride only lasted a year because like every Greek, he had a lot of quit in him.”
yeah- the greeks had a lot of quit in them when they beat the usa earlier this year…
and by earlier this year i mean last year
Dammit, Tas. You’re up at 5am, every weekday in the regular season, sometimes drunk, makin’ a difference. You’re the shining beacon, ‘ere.
Tas: Is this your odd way of telling me your quitting the show? Are you still mad about that time I made fun of you for wearing white gloves in the Greek parade? Jeesh. I WAS KIDDING!
Evan:
If the US team cared half as much about international competition as any other team we would destroy any team we played. The US team doesn’t practice nearly as much and we don’t even put our best 5 our there. Give me a break.
To the person that said there is no greek in Houston, you are dead wrong.
Houston has one of the largest greek communities in the country, dating back to the 20’s. The annual festival draws well over 100,000 every year and the restuarants are so popular that they advertise inside the Toyota Center on the scoreboard.
Please know your culture and history. And you call yourself a greek?
SIBS- Any player, in any sport, hates losing. if you think that the US team didnt care, youre making quite the excuse for them. you think that guys like, lebron, wade, carmelo, and d. howard didnt care enough and thats why they lost? SE PARAKALO!!! i bet it was embarassing for them to come back to the US and hear what the media had to say about them. All im trying to say is that not every Greek has quit in them, like Tas thinks. As a Greek-American im tryin to stand up for my people. Yes it was an upset, yes the US has to get accustomed to the international rules. But saying the every Greek quits, and professional basketball players didnt care enough to win a game of world pride basketball is something im not going to let go without response.
Hey, Evan:
Saying every Greek quits might be bad, but you know what’s worse? Not having a fucking sense of humor.
petejayhawk,
do you go to school at KU?? Because I do. I’m a Jayhawk, and I do have a sense of humor. I also have a sense of pride. Sorry you cant tell I have a sense of humor, and youre a big man calling me out like that.
Danny Manning is loving this!
Tas - Big Jake deserves better from you. He may be of Georgian decent (the -idis is always a giveaway), but he represented for Greece, yo. Like the original Greek in the NBA, Rony Seikaly… yeah, he was actually Lebanese, but all the Greeks in high school still sweated him like he was one of their own. Hey, beggars can’t be choosy…
But since you are my boy, I’ll lend you an Argentine. No, not Manu. Not Pepe, either (even if he’s not in the league). How about your choice of Oberto, Scola or Nocioni?
Nah, better yet… Carlos Delfino. He’s a Raptor now! He’s about to blow up! You can nickname him “Spiro”, okay? Make up some story about how he’s half-Greek, and played for AEK Athens BC….
J.E. - If I remember correctly, you said V-Span would pan out very nicely, if only I knew how to search our damn podcasts. And, don’t talk about the gloves, you don’t understand.
KD - This is the life I live.
Evan - I was kidding. This was a joke. I could go on and on but there’s nothing more to add really.
SML - It’s too bad Spanoul was the one to come over because there are better guards in Greece that could thrive in any league (Papaloukas, Diamantidis). As for an honorary Greek, I’ll take Jorge Garbajosa. Has everyone seen he’s running again? Shit, that video brings a smile to my face. This is the definition of a true Greek, returning early from a potentially career ending injury. Man, I kill me.
Let’s wait for Baby Shaq Sofoklis Schortsanitis to play for the Clippers next season, then the motherland is back in the game. Although on a second thought he doesn’t look very Greek in profile ;-)
http://www.clipperblog.com/item/396
>He was gonna be basketball’s George Michael (last famous Greek I know, look it up, he was from the motherland).