BallinEurope got this note posted in comments on the recently-run piece regarding Žalgiris Kaunas fans raucously singing the national anthem prior to games in response to a Euroleague ruling for 2011-12 which bans formal performance of anthems.
Ran the comment: “BallinEurope, you can update your article with the pic i posted: Žalgiris fans showing this during, after anthem.”
Well, yes. BiE will do that.
In the spirit of ’11, BallinEurope’ll call it “Occupy Euroleague.” CEO Jordi Bertomeu made official a Euroleague decree at the start of the 2011-12 season which banned the performance of national anthems before games. (BiE kinda agrees with this dictum, actually, as most rosters are stocked with Europeans while clubs are owned/controlled by corporations and private interests.) Nevertheless, fans in Lithuania have taken it upon themselves to perform a little defiance in response.
Only in Lithuania would an NBA first-round draft pick take on the spirit of Christmas himself on the basketball court – and get more fan support.
Jonas Valanciunas recently appeared in Vilnius alongside a slightly more infrequent visitor to the Lithuanian city, i.e. Santa Claus. Valanciunas and Claus appeared as part of the festivities closing out the latest term at the Kalėdų Senelio Iššūkį, a.k.a. the Sostines Basketball School.
Naturally the prospective Toronto Raptor was challenged to a game of hoops before the thrilled youngsters, though the Team Lithuania big man was forced to play under similar conditions as ol’ Saint Nick, namely with mittens on. Whatever: Valanciunas still enjoyed home-court advantage, believe BiE.
Who won the game? See below for video…
Though Žalgiris Kaunas club director/former interim coach Vitoldas Massalski has categorically stated that no changes to the Greens’ roster will be forthcoming until the end of the Euroleague regular season, this can hardly stop the speculative future-gazing in Lithuania and beyond.
To wit: Yesterday, the Lietuvos Rytas website ran a report stating that Milovan Rakovic could be heading back from loan to his contracted club Montepaschi Siena in January. Siena would naturally like to bolster up in the middle for a deep run into the Euroleague playoffs in lieu of the injured Ksistof Lavrinovic.
Žalgiris’ prospects for advancement aren’t exactly dim, but they’re currently mired at the bottom of Group B, in a three-way tie with Brose Baskets Bamberg and KK Zagreb at 2-5. Losses vs. Panathinaikos tonight and Bamberg next week would certainly doom the Greens to elimination; even a 2-1 finish by the Lithuanian side might not be enough.
Courtesy BC.Rytas.lt and Balltime.net, below run the video highlights of last night’s Eurocup match between Lietuvos Rytas and Le Mans Sarthe. That is all.
Think Žalgiris Kaunas fans are happy Sonny Weems has no out-clause? The Greens were able to stay alive in Euroleague play last night, rising their record to 2-5 in besting Unicaja Malaga in Lithuania, 67-65, thanks in no small part to some clutch play from their American import.
Weems accounted for the final points of the match, blowing past the defenseless Hrvoje Peric for the baseline jam and his game-high 17th and 18th points with about 55 seconds left on the game clock; Weems missed the and-one free throw, but no matter. Žalgiris notched the key win when Kristaps Valters missed field goals on consecutive possessions.
The former NBAer has starred for Žalgiris in 2011 thus far, having amassed 17.9 points, 5.3 rebounds, and 1.4 steals in seven Euroleague games; 10.8 points and a team-high 6.3 boards per in six VTB United League matches; and a line of 10.2 ppg, 6.0 rbg and 2.0 steals in five LKL games.
Video of Weems’ clutch shot runs below.
Ty the Twitterer posted a couple of tweets this morning, informing Žalgiris Kaunas fans that he’ll be suiting up for the Greens one more time.
Wrote Lawson: “I would like to thank the Zalgiris organization and fans for allowing me the opportunity to play for them. I enjoyed the experience.”
And the formerly locked-out Denver Nugget followed this up with: “Time to get this win against Malaga. Then I will be heading home on Thursday.”
Lawson has played 18 games with the Lithuanian club and has been good for 7.0 points and 3.2 rebounds per game for Zalgiris in Euroleague matches; 7.7 points and 1.7 assists in just about 15 minutes per LKL game; and 9.7 ppg, 2.8 rbg and 2.3 apg in the VTB United League.
What gives? Days after Lithuania-based Basket News reported that the former Olympiacos/current locked-out Toronto Raptor wouldn’t be playing for Lietuvos Rytas any time soon, Linas Kleiza – or at least reportage regarding Linas Kleiza – has made a 180º turn in viewpoint in the past week vis-à-vis returning to Europe.
This morning, Lithuania Basketball has Kleiza quoted as saying that in fact he *will* be returning to play for one of his home country’s two powerhouse clubs – L. Rytas or Žalgiris Kaunas – and that’s it’s merely a matter of time.
From the Quickly Dashed Off Department: BallinEurope’s got some highlight videos for you from a couple of Euroleague games, kinda sorta starring Andrei Kirilenko and Paulius Jankunas.
BiE said he’d post CSKA Moscow vs. Unicaja Malaga highlights in order to inspect Kirilenko’s statistically odd game a bit more thoroughly, but free throws make a terrible clip…
Though Team FYR Macedonia eliminated hosts Lithuania from the 2011 EuroBasket tournament in mid-September, a certain amount of talk-trashing about the match continues in the blogosphere.
Yesterday, FIBA was forced to do a bizarre bit of damage control after Lithuanian media – specifically, who else but powerhouse club sponsor Lietuvos Rytas? – reported that two players competing in EuroBasket had tested positive for performance-enhancing drugs; the piece quoted representatives from the Lithuanian Anti-Doping Agency stated abnormalities had been found and that further testing would have to be done by FIBA on the samples of the two players.
FIBA Europe was quick to deny any such claims, however, soon releasing the following tersely-worded statement on the subject:
