• Home
  • FIBA
  • EuroLeague
  • NBA/NCAA
  • National Leagues
  • Podcast
  • Features
  • More
  • Contact

Grimag

  • FIBA
  • EuroLeague
  • NBA/NCAA
  • National Leagues
  • Podcast
  • Features
  • More

End of an era as Zalgiris Kaunas formally announces resignation of Mad Vlad

March 1, 2013

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, but rather that bombastic owner of Žalgiris Kaunas, Vladimir Romanov. Media (outside of Lithuania, that is) will surely be sad to see Romanov, a man who has given us so many ludricrous bizarre outright insane memorable moments in his nearly four-year tenure as The Boss.

BiE for one, will certainly be ever nostalgic for the unwarranted proclamations of genius; for the firings mid-championship series or anytime, really; for the medical recommendations; for the paranoid calling out of the blogosphere; for ordering player minutes like to-go items at the drive-thru; and surely much much more.

Just to reinforce that “le roi est mort,” the club issued a formal report late yesterday reaffirming Romanov’s resignation from board and chairman positions of Zalgiris.

Ran the message: “Vladimir Romanov has resigned from the NGO Kaunas Žalgiris sponsor board member and chairman positions. The assembled Žalgiris Kaunas club board wishes to state that it is considering options for further club activities. The decisions taken on the club’s management and organization will be released shortly.

“In order to protect the team, its coaches and players from unnecessary speculation on this topic, the board strongly requests patience. The required information will be provided once a final decision is made.”

Romanov’s recent financial woes (and thus those of the club, particularly players going unpaid) are rooted in those of Ūkio Bankas, of which the bombastic one owns about 65%. In mid-February, the national Bank of Lithuania restricted the activities of Ūkio due to financial insolvency and further required collateral of property valued at 1 billion litas (about €290 million/$380 million). At that time, Romanov stated that the decision surprised him and that he would transfer funds nevertheless to pay for player salaries and other club expenses.

Lithuania-based 15min also reported that Romanov’s then-latest masterplan involved selling his stake to “three veterans of the club for a symbolic price,” an act which never came to fruition.

Meanwhile, for the time being Romanov is feigning business-as-usual attitude as majority owner of his other major sports club, Scotland’s Heart of Midlothian – despite reports just days after the Lithuanian government shut off Ūkio’s tap extreme enough to have Hearts ownership handing over the football club to a six-member Norwegian/Swedish group possibly before the season’s end.

Ah, Vlad. European basketball will certainly be less … interesting without you.

Mar 1, 2013ballineurope
Powered by Sidelines
Share on FacebookShare on Twitter
This post was published on March 1, 2013
Dunk of the Week: Willie Warren introduces “Dunk de la Mort II”Sour tweets: Hackett’s comments on Twitter put future with Siena, Team Italy in doubt
You Might Also Like
 
European basketball: "something between college basketball and NBA"
 
Ramunas Siskauskas gets a new T-shirt
Comments: 8
  1. G
    10 years ago

    With Romanov resigned (though keep in mind that he still controls Zalgiris Arena, and might still own Zalgiris shares) we got a another Top-16 away win 🙂 This time a big one – hopefully it won’t be too little too late.

    ReplyCancel
  2. Kill Bill
    10 years ago

    Uh oh, basketball-scouting, the world’s largest and #1 basketball scouting just did Spanoulis’ ranking (they did Bobby Brown’s just a little bit ago)………..Gabe and mike are NOT going to like this.

    Since they both have proclaimed here that Bobby Brown is unequivocally the best player in Europe, and that Spanoulis is a scrub.

    So here it is………keep in mind that the ratings are based on a 5 point or 5 stars scale, with 1 being the low and 5 being the high. If a player is exceptional in a particular aspect, then he can get over 5 in a certain category, getting from 5.5 to 7.

    7 is the absolute highest score possible. The ratings points are then added up, and set to a 100 point scale. Anything over 5 stars counts as bonus points. The “potential” category is supposed to be for NBA terms, as in the player’s “NBA potential” according to the scouting service.

    So here it is………

    Bobby Brown (“the best player in Europe”) got,

    Skills Level: 4/5
    Potential: 4/5
    Rebounds: 3/5
    Defense: 3/5
    Scoring: 7/5 (highest possible)

    Total Score: 84/100

    Vassilis Spanoulis (“the super scrub”) got,

    Skills Level: 4/5
    Potential: 4/5
    Rebounds: 3.5/5
    Defense: 3.5/5
    Scoring: 6.5/5

    Total Score: 86/100

    So according to the world’s biggest basketball scouting service, Vassilis Spanoulis “the super scrub” is 2 points better on a 100 point scale than Bobby Brown, “the best player in Europe”.

    ReplyCancel
    • Derrick
      10 years ago

      @Kill Bill
      Spanoulis is also a better leader and passer.
      Skill that might have not been taking into account by the site.

      ReplyCancel
  3. Kill Bill
    10 years ago

    “The biggest scrub in Europe” Ioannis Bourousis and his team just beat “the best player in Europe” Bobby Brown and his team……..

    http://www.eurobasket.com/boxScores/Italy/2013/0303_4_298.asp

    Gabe and mike currently on suicide watch

    ReplyCancel
  4. Vince
    10 years ago

    I like what Bobby Brown is doing this year, and sometimes on pure numbers it might seem he is the better player. But for me, Spanoulis is who I would want to lead my team. No knock against Brown, but I would take Spoon-man.

    ReplyCancel
  5. mike
    10 years ago

    What? Ridiculous, Troll. Suicide watch, really? You’re just trying to mimic what they do to you on ISH where you are constantly ridiculed on a daily basis. C’mon admit it. No one takes you seriously there and and you are the butt of jokes from ISH posters. I have read some of your work there. Very entertaining LOL.

    Anyway, I don’t think me or Gabe ever said V-Span was a scrub in Europe. He’s obviously one of the best players there. The question has always been whether he could ever be a good player in the NBA. Need I remind you of V-Span’s dismal NBA stats?

    ReplyCancel
  6. Kill Bill
    10 years ago

    Gabe has said hundreds of times here that Spanoulis and Bourousis are scrubs in Europe and among the world’s worst players.

    I do not know what is ISH.

    ReplyCancel
  7. mike
    10 years ago

    Well, we will wait for Gabe to defend himself. I must say that I find it hard to believe Gabe would say that. ISH is Inside Hoops for other non-Troll readers on this site. In ISH, Gabe would DEFEND V-Span from other less knowledgeable American fans who have no idea who V-Span is. In one thread I came across which Euroleague Crazed Troll(ISH name) started, Gabe defended the idea that it would be interesting to see V-span again in the NBA since V-span is highly thought of in Europe.

    The truth is V-Span is thought of as just another European scrub who didn’t make the NBA, in most NBA fan circle views. You and I know this is not so, but that is the perception in the US. Until V-Span takes up the challenge to go back to the States and play with the very best, this perception will remain.

    V-Span’s contract ends this year, right? If he gets a break, a more needy NBA team could take a chance on him as a starter, but if not, he should accept a rotation role, and work from there. If he is really that good, he would be promoted to starter anyway.

    The NBA is a PG driven league these days, and there are a ton of really good PG’s is one thing V-Span is up against. Also the fact that a GM might be afraid to take a chance on him since he abandoned the NBA at one time. He was given a chance with the Spurs, and he ditched it. Oh what could have been.

    ReplyCancel

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

ballineurope
10 years ago 8 Comments EuroLeague, MoreEuroLeague, Hearts of Midlothian, Vladimir Romanov, Zalgiris Kaunas
Recent Posts
For Bonn, to win just once would be enough
21 days ago
Thank you Partizan
29 days ago
The Sloukas game
1 month ago
Categories
Recent Posts
For Bonn, to win just once would be enough
Thank you Partizan
The Sloukas game
Tags
EuroLeagueNBAYouTubeCSKA MoscowReal MadridFC BarcelonaFIBAOlympiacosZalgiris KaunasPanathinaikosACBSpainMaccabi Tel AvivTeam SpainRicky RubioLos Angeles LakersMontepaschi SienaPartizan BelgradeLithuaniaPau GasolGermanyTeam LithuaniaTurkeyItalyIrelandTeam FranceCaja Laboral BaskoniaLietuvos RytasFenerbahce ÜlkerJuan Carlos NavarroGreeceSan Antonio SpursTony ParkerFranceMinnesota TimberwolvesDirk Nowitzkibasketball highlightsTeam RussiaSerbiaTeam USAALBA BerlinEuroBasket 2011EuroCupBrose Baskets BambergDallas Mavericks
Share
0
Facebook
ABOUT
BallinEurope.com was founded in September 2007 by Christophe Ney (who now runs the excellent scouting-themed website European Prospects) and Tobias Seitz, both then bloggers for FIBA.com with over 10 years’ worth of experience in the professional basketball world each. The mission then was to “provide a very unique perspective of Basketball in and about Europe.”
Most Commented
Why Andrei Kirilenko and CSKA Moscow must win the Euroleague
11 years ago
180 Comments
Euroleague Transfers Table 2008/2009
15 years ago
168 Comments
A week in highlights: Spanish block party, mighty Milos, Utah rap and some dude dunking in L.A.
12 years ago
139 Comments
Archives
Get In Touch

Email: emmetryan@gmail.com

Name: Emmet Ryan

2014 © BallinEurope. Join JCI Dublin