vladimir romanov 34
Martynas Pocius injury: Vladimir Romanov to blame?
Stepping outside the realm of the Euroleague playoffs for just a moment, BallinEurope was saddened to hear quite the insidious story of BiE fave Martynas “Air” Pocius’ season-ending injury. As though not bad enough that Pocius is gone for the traditional LKL championship series between Žalgiris Kaunas and Lietuvos Rytas, BiE buddy Simonas Baranauskas yesterday […]
Sub-gate: Zalgiris owner Vladimir Romanov plans player substitutions for coaches
Just when you think things at Zalgiris Kaunas can’t possibly get crazier, Mad Vlad comes through with a heavy dose of weirdness for observers to goggle over – though surely jaded Lithuanian fans aren’t surprised one bit by the Green barrage of oddity now commonplace in the Vladimir Romanov Era. What American media types might […]
Romanov hit with key Žalgiris question: “Will Plaza be sacked as quickly as Zouros?”
Over at Russia-based Sport Express is a lengthy interview with Žalgiris Kaunas basketball/Heart of Midlothian football club owner Vladimir Romanov. Popularly Sometimes known as “Mad Vlad,” the Ūkio Bankas man weighed in on quite a few topics related to his basketball team, including the Sonny Weems departure, the state of Russian basketball and just what […]
Business as usual in Lithuania: Romanov sound bite, L.Rytas signs Newley
What was that about the fat cat singing…? Followers of Lithuanian basketball this season were no doubt immensely let down by Žalgiris Kaunas owner Vladimir Romanov’s superbrief post-game press conference after his coachless team’s defeat in game seven of the LKL championship series. Lasting approximately 12 seconds, the entire “conference” with media representatives consisted of […]
Romanov "addresses the challenge of curbing the blogger" in LKL Championship game five
Well, it wouldn’t be the 2010 Lithuanian Basketball League championship without the daily Vladimir Romanov story in advance of the next game, the third consecutive in which Žalgiris Kaunas will play without an official head coach. Apparently, the Žalgiris owner made the trip over to Vilnius with the team’s sports director Šarūnas Sakalauskas to watch […]
“I am the miracle”: Video evidence of Romanov’s, um, wackiness
Zalgiris Kaunas owner Vladimir Romanov told Lithuanian media last night that, though he knows who his team’s fifth coach of the season on the eve of game four of the Lithuanian League finals, he won’t reveal the name until game time. Well, today, the prospective list has one fewer name on it: Former assistant coach […]
Romanov’s “dream”: that Marcus Brown coach Žalgiris Kaunas (Huh?) [UPDATED]
What’s the word for “beyond crisis”? Whatever it is, that’s the word for what’s going on at Žalgiris Kaunas. No coach – again, that would be coach no. 4 this season – has been named as of yet, while Žalgiris fights for the LKL title against perpetual rival Lietuvos Rytas. But Žalgiris owner Vladimir Romanov […]
What the…? In Lithuania, Romanov fires third head coach of season midway through championship series
There’s nothing so bizarre – and often barely newsworthy – about the firing of a head coach, even one leading a successful team. Even one who is replacing a legend who was also fired in the same season. But when a coach is fired in the middle of a national championship series, that’s already nearing […]
End of an era as Zalgiris Kaunas formally announces resignation of Mad Vlad
All signs indicate that it’s the end of an era, but it just doesn’t seem real. Yesterday, a patriarchal figure over one of Europe’s most prestigious and historically significant organizations officially stepped down from his high post as observers speculated about what millions of followers could expect next. No, BallinEurope’s not talking about this guy, […]
Joan Plaza: “I can’t imagine” leaving long-term Zalgiris project
In an extensive 15-minute interview, Žalgiris Kaunas head coach Joan Plaza manages to pack in quite enough to make Greens fans highly optimistic about the future. While not commenting on his boss, Žalgiris’ notoriously wacky owner Vladimir Romanov, the Spanish mastermind does fearlessly take on heavy questions of race and culture. Plaza is admirably learning […]
Euroleague Power Rankings: Penultimate Regular-Season Game Edition
BallinEurope hasn’t done this lately, so on the eve of the 2012-13 Euroleague season’s penultimate round of regular-season play, the BiE EL Power Rankings run below. Quick recap of the rules: The rankings are based on the way current teams are *trending* and not necessarily overall quality. Recent play in Euroleague games is the most […]
Sunday hangover: Notes, clips from Euroleague week one
Since BiE will typically have to play catch-up with a week’s worth of Euroleague games on Saturdays, a new concept comes to the website in the Sunday hangover. Those of you who have followed BallinEurope since the days of its origins may recall the old “Monday cigarettes” column – and this one hopes to recall […]