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Lauri Markkanen Hype & Appreciation Thread

Let's get Lauri's national team mate in 2024 draft for the bench mob! He is pass first guard. If he gets his outside shot going with a bit more volume we could make him a Conley-lite!


Miro Little

The finnish national closed the weekend with a modest 9 points, 4 assists and 4 rebounds per game, but it was all he does that doesn't find it's way into the box score that was the most glaring. In his first season since coming over, there was certainly an adjustment period early but the 6-4 guard has steadily settled for Sunrise. Came away highly impressed by Little's feel as a connector on the offensive end, ability to guard up on the defensive end given his strength and overall acumen for when to pick his spots versus when to get into the flow of offense. Tough schedule on the weekend led to a pair of contested games, and it was the Baylor bound guard calling out plays and asking Barnwell and co. to run specific sets down the stretch. At 6-4 with a pass, dribble, shoot skillset to go with a high basketball IQ and noteworthy intangibles, it's no secret as to why Little was so highly touted at the next level prior to playing a single game in the United States.

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It is off-topic but the thought of it would be so cool lol.
Would for sure make Lauri's off-court life even better!
 
Referring the Finlands "Athlete of the year" vote?

With all due respect to what those three great athletes who beat Lauri accomplished... it just pales in comparison to the historical nature of what Lauri has achieved both with the national team and in the NBA.

Never been done before.. not even close really.

And all of that in a much more competed sport where Finland doesnt really provide a great domestic platform to grow.
Markkanen is the most well known Finnish athlete in the world right now.
Exactly! It is unfair that so called 'professional' sports journalists vote for the title and they are so damn blind for the Fact!

I try figure out from my own rantings how the hell my message can be mis-red to it's polar-opposite. Iivo deserved his title, it's clear, but how the hell the system is structured so bad that, when even those so called professionals cannot see the obvious.

His (our) National Team coaches were aware of this and that was no doubt one of the reasons they pay their tribute. An official delegation for apology.

Skiing, skiing, skiing, and there is about 9000 years of skiing in Finland (and maybe 50-100 years for more, if we're really lucky), but when the Divine Atlantean Basketball God descents on the earth at Finnish backyards, it's like a side note for those same guys who write everyday (Ugh, translated copy-pasta) about his deeds.

Dude! The Finnisher chops up casual dunks over longer dudes than himself.
 
Exactly! It is unfair that so called 'professional' sports journalists vote for the title and they are so damn blind for the Fact!
Incidently, could you give an example of what Lauri won in 2022? Because I don't seem to find anything. Yet quite a few professional journalists did vote him, though the rules spesifically state you have to win something exceptional; makes one wonder how good journalists they are as they seemingly have issues with reading a simple paragraph of the rules. Don't get me wrong, I truly believe Markkanen is currently the greatest Finnish athlete, but to be the sportsman of the year you actually have to win something.

Also, if we go by who is world-wide the most famous active finnish sportsman, there is nobody even close to Pukki the Goat. That of course if you do not count Iceman Räikkönen anymore, who still takes part in some races.
 
Incidently, could you give an example of what Lauri won in 2022? Because I don't seem to find anything. Yet quite a few professional journalists did vote him, though the rules spesifically state you have to win something exceptional; makes one wonder how good journalists they are as they seemingly have issues with reading a simple paragraph of the rules. Don't get me wrong, I truly believe Markkanen is currently the greatest Finnish athlete, but to be the sportsman of the year you actually have to win something.

Also, if we go by who is world-wide the most famous active finnish sportsman, there is nobody even close to Pukki the Goat. That of course if you do not count Iceman Räikkönen anymore, who still takes part in some races.
1. Rules on "winning something" are obsolete. Kalle Rovanperä won. jadajdajda "Motorsport isn't sport', something."
2. Exceptional. They couldn't recognize Lauri as such, or find more expectional than him.
3. Professional sports journalists control the public opinion in Finland via Media, including YLE (Finnish Broadcasting Corporation / State Media (and it's policies).
4. Markkanen won't have to win anything to be the greatest athlete DE FACTO in Finland if he continue his recent way in NBA, totally regardless of DE JURE bs related to these votings.
5. Awards tend to dishonor those who are themselves aware of that they are not the right address.
6. Organizations will shame themselves for their inability to chance the error perceived order of value of things.
7. Both Pukki and Räikkönen would recognize Lauri Markkanen as "GOATer than themselves", even if they would be in their prime or not retired. Again, public media induced perception.
8. To not to believe Lauri Markkanen is the currently the Greatest Finnish Athlete, is caused by perception bias. Thus misdirected voting by the audiences.

Ultimately, it all doesn't even matter.

A great artist, student of the sport doesn't usually get deserved respect when he/she does the active career stuff. That comes later, particularly in Finland. Unless it is about skiing.
 
Lauri's advanced numbers suggest he's a border-line All-NBA player, let alone an All-Star. Hell, seeing as he's been going from strength to strength as the season rolls on, he may well be a top 10 player in the league by April.

We've got quite the gem here. I won't call out any names, but to think that there was a decent-sized contingent here on Jazzfanz who wanted Barrett instead of him. Can you freaking imagine? We'd be in running for Wemby, I suppose, but the same advanced stats suggest that Barrett is among the worst non-rookie players in the league. He's actually got a negative VORP, and on a team that's 4 games above .500.

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From a Finnish fan perspective it would be the justice murder for Lauri not to be in the All-Star. From a blunt and direct (and often drunken) fan perspective, it comes down to the overall credibility of NBA. From NBA's economical and marketing perspectives it should be plain clear thing from the basis of; 'On quality of the player Lauri Markkanen'.

But, because the justice murder is the norm, I stay pessimist, and predict the murder. Because Lauri is just everyday casual, decent, modest, Finnish man.

That, however, doesn't impact that much the play of my idol, but it would impact to his chances to 'direct' NBA audiences for his benefits. We won't see Lauri licking his name-sake Nike shoe (he cannot do such things due respect...), he can parody others but not without parodying himself too, and never against the sport itself. He is the man that keeps 'silent', but if there is ever serious reasons to say, then everyone will listen.

If Lauri yells, then things are on a verge of an overthrow.

People who didn't see him now, won't see him in a future, and those who accuse him for his past shortcomings will likely accuse him for his future shortcomings, never seeing that genuine Unicorn playing for them with innate, natural, unalienated joy for the game.

He was never alone on the court.
 
From a Finnish fan perspective it would be the justice murder for Lauri not to be in the All-Star. From a blunt and direct (and often drunken) fan perspective, it comes down to the overall credibility of NBA. From NBA's economical and marketing perspectives it should be plain clear thing from the basis of; 'On quality of the player Lauri Markkanen'.

But, because the justice murder is the norm, I stay pessimist, and predict the murder. Because Lauri is just everyday casual, decent, modest, Finnish man.

That, however, doesn't impact that much the play of my idol, but it would impact to his chances to 'direct' NBA audiences for his benefits. We won't see Lauri licking his name-sake Nike shoe (he cannot do such things due respect...), he can parody others but not without parodying himself too, and never against the sport itself. He is the man that keeps 'silent', but if there is ever serious reasons to say, then everyone will listen.

If Lauri yells, then things are on a verge of an overthrow.

People who didn't see him now, won't see him in a future, and those who accuse him for his past shortcomings will likely accuse him for his future shortcomings, never seeing that genuine Unicorn playing for them with innate, natural, unalienated joy for the game.

He was never alone on the court.

Don’t worry he is a lock for the all-star game.
 
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