HoopsHype.com Rumors

Ladies and gentlemen, Jonas Valanciunas. This is the Raptors rookie, the No. 5 overall pick from 2011 who is about to debut in the NBA this season. He’s looked a bit raw at times, he needs to get stronger, but he does have a move or two. And he can finish. NBCSports.com

Toronto Raptors, Jonas Valanciunas 

"Jonas, he's got a great sense of humor," DeMar DeRozan shared. "I didn't know he was going to be that funny. He's pretty funny, man. I was walking by him the other day and he was listening to Gucci Mane. Yeah, it surprised me. He was listening to Gucci Mane. He probably's got more rap on his iPod than me." Yahoo! Sports

Toronto Raptors, DeMar DeRozan, Jonas Valanciunas 

Eric Koreen: Aaron Gray describing Jonas Valanciunas better than I could: "He’s a guy that you want to say hello to every time you see him.” Twitter @ekoreen

Toronto Raptors, Aaron Gray, Jonas Valanciunas 

“I feel comfortable to play basketball, maybe they are a little bit stronger than me, but it’s just a question of time.” Teammate Andrea Bargnani agreed. “He can run the floor pretty well, he’s a pretty smart guy, so he’s going to adjust his game and he’s going to learn his defensive principles soon. There’s plenty more game in him,” Bargnani said. “He needs time.” Casey said he doesn’t know yet whether Valanciunas will get more court time on Friday against Detroit. “We can’t just throw him out there and let him go," the coach said, adding it will be up to the medical staff. Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors, Andrea Bargnani, Jonas Valanciunas 

Sam Amico: Asked scout at Raptors-Pistons game to describe Jonas Valanciunas' debut in a word. He bounced between "soft" and "scared." Twitter @SamAmicoFSO

Toronto Raptors, Jonas Valanciunas 

“He really needs to get out there,” Raptors coach Dwane Casey said. Valanciunas has not even had an official practice yet because of a strained calf he suffered the week before training camp began. “We don’t want to rush him. But at the same time, to get him used to the speed of the NBA, the physicality of the NBA, the strength of the guys in the NBA, banging and hitting, he needs that.” National Post

Toronto Raptors, Dwane Casey, Jonas Valanciunas 

Michael Grange: Colangelo on Jonas V -- achilles is improving still a little bit away, but will be a difference maker on the defensive end #Raptors #nba Twitter @michaelgrange

Toronto Raptors, Injuries, Jonas Valanciunas 

Organizations love it when their prized players show up early to workout and get ready for the season before they have to. However, the last thing any coach wants to hear in September is that a prized player was injured at one of those workouts. On Saturday, the Toronto Raptors rookie center, Jonas Valanciunas, scared head coach Dwane Casey and just about everyone else connected to the organization. “It scared me because I was at the NBA head coaches meeting in Chicago and I get this email that he (Valanciunas) heard something pop,” said Casey. “He was here Saturday morning shooting with (assistant coach) Scott Roth and he went up to go into his shot and he felt something pop and your first thought is it’s his Achilles tendon.” HoopsWorld

Toronto Raptors, Injuries, Jonas Valanciunas 

Ryan Wolstat: #Raptors say Valanciunas suffered mild calf strain Twitter

Toronto Raptors, Injuries, Jonas Valanciunas 

Doug Smith: Calf injury for Raps Valanciunas, "not thought to be serious" team says, no timetable for return Twitter

Toronto Raptors, Injuries, Jonas Valanciunas 

With training camp still a week away, prized Raptors prospect Jonas Valanciunas has injured his left foot. While the team said a full update likely wouldn't be coming until Monday, Valanciunas does not appear to be seriously injured, though he was photographed in a walking boot outside the ACC this weekend. Valanciunas, like most basketball players, has had minor ankle issues in the past and walking boots are known to speed up recovery from minor sprains and strains. Toronto Sun

Toronto Raptors, Injuries, Jonas Valanciunas 

After a strong campaign in the EuroCup and the VTB United League with Lietuvos Rytas, the 20-year-old center played at this summer’s FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament and then the London Games. It’s time. Joining up with the Raptors, the team that selected him early in the 2011 Draft, is the next step. He is about to experience change both in terms of competition on the court, and life on a different continent. “I am ready for this,” he says. “My life will change… think that really, I am ready.” FIBA.com

Toronto Raptors, Jonas Valanciunas 

The play sums up where Valanciunas is as a player — eager and talented, but operating without know-how. I brought the play up to coach Kestutis Kemzura, and he nodded. “There you go, this is the thing with Jonas,” Kemzura told Sporting News. “Sometimes, he wants to come in and do everything right away. In his head, he is working too fast. He is young, that happens. But he needs to slow down.” Sporting News

Olympics, Lithuania, Jonas Valanciunas 

Valanciunas has not made much of an impact for Lithuania so far at these Games. This is a far cry from what he did in Eurobasket, when he played 15.7 minutes, averaged 8.4 points and 4.1 rebounds, and had 18 points on 8-for-9 shooting in a stellar game against Serbia. Sporting News

Olympics, Lithuania, Jonas Valanciunas 

Coming off the bench, and without the prospect of beginning his NBA career in less than two months, Valanciunas seemed to put less pressure on himself to produce last year. Now, he is pressing. Beyond that, Kemzura said, Valanciunas still needs a lot of work. “It is like with most big men who have no experience,” Kemzura said. “First he must get bigger and stronger. He must be able to hold his position and he needs strength for this. Second, he needs better post moves. He is still learning basics. He will play with his back to the basket when he is older. But now, he must learn. He needs to learn these things, and he will, but he will need time. He has a lot of work to do.” Sporting News

Olympics, Lithuania, Jonas Valanciunas 

Ryan Wolstat: #Raptors officially sign Jonas Valanciunas Twitter

Toronto Raptors, Jonas Valanciunas, Transactions 

Doug Smith: #Raptors minor deal of James Johnson complete; sources say Valanciunas signed in "next couple of days." Story at http://thestar.com soon Twitter

Toronto Raptors, James Johnson, Jonas Valanciunas, Transactions 

Scott Howard-Cooper: Signs still point to Valanciunas coming over for 2012-13. No summer league, though. Lithuania, as expected, qualified for the Olympics. Twitter

Toronto Raptors, Lithuania, Jonas Valanciunas 

If Valanciunas would have been picked in the 2012 Draft last week, after playing the season with Lietuvos Rytas in Lithuania? "I'd say he goes 2," one general manager said recently. "If he's in the Draft based on his body of work over the last 12 months, then I think he goes 2." "I think No. 2," another executive said. "He was 5 last year, and you could say this is a stronger Draft class (in 2012). But considering his size and how hard he plays, and that he's been playing professional basketball another year, it certainly wouldn't be any lower than he was last year." NBA.com

Toronto Raptors, Draft, Jonas Valanciunas 

Mark Jones: Raptors quietly hoping Valenciunas not in Olympics.Raps source "he needs to get into NBA mode in summer league.its a big adjustment for him" Twitter

Toronto Raptors, Summer League, Jonas Valanciunas