Euroleague: where did everyone’s desire to play evaporate and what are the respectable “Žalgiris” for?

On the contrary, both the basketball players themselves and most of the clubs thanked the Euroleague for the fairer decision, the main reason was the uncontrolled coronavirus pandemic and the risks it represents for the health of the players.

In this way, the leaders of the Euroleague swept this season with a hand like a 2 million euro bonus suitcase never seen before for the last four. Excluding the amounts that would have gone to the winners of the past six game rounds (2 million) and the playoff winners (more than 1 million more).

If some Euroleague teams were still hesitant, whether or not it’s worth it, to continue this season, then basketball players said their “no” in chorus: This year, none of the 36 league captains, players and leaders who spoke remotely .

Again, there were many reasons, but the decisive one (or at least one of them) probably remained unsaid: it can be assumed that players did not see the need to take health and career risks at just 1/20 of their annual salary.

That’s what the 5 percent miniature drew two scenarios, between which, apparently, there should be a gap: play, i. and. get 85 percent. agreed winnings, or stop gambling, i. and. collect 80 percent. wages owed.

To make it easier to understand the real numbers, let’s imagine that the average Euroleague player, for example, plays for $ 500,000. euros per season. For such a basketball player, the 5 percent who would have contributed if the fights had resumed would only add 25,000 to the 400,000 guaranteed. euros Not too much, right?

And here, if a greater lack of gambling threatened, say, not 5, but what 30 percent. loss of salary (150,000 euros), what would be your choice by raising your hands during the vote? Now we can only guess.

But in all the grim context these days, one thing is surprising: Despite the fact that the United States is the most severely affected by the coronavirus in the world, where the pandemic is far from being controlled, there is little doubt that the NBA League will end this season.

And if Lebron James or Giannis Antetokounmpo, who have already built up solid capital, are likely primarily interested in competing for the championship ring, the simplest men in the league, including Lithuanians, are likely to be relevant and financially: unlike the Euroleague, the NBA in their contracts Force Majeure circumstance, up to a third of the planned salary could be cut: up to 1,176 million for Domantas Sabonis and up to 5.3 million for Jonas Valančiūnuinet. AMERICAN DOLLAR.

Is that the deciding factor why the NBA stars even in the face of a pandemic? I don’t stop and burns the desire to go all the way, and the Euroleague players are so unanimously indifferent? How much will the prestige of the league suffer as a result of the striped year? Coke shines next season and next year “Žalgiris” and your budget? What extreme decisions can you have to make in Kaunas? And how to assess green-white performance in 2020?

A conversation about it: On Delfi’s special television show “Basketball Zone” with commentator Vaida Čeponis and coach Tomas Purlis.

“It is a sad day, because there was still hope that we could extend and finish what we started,” said Paulius Motiejūnas, director of Žalgiris, after the news about the Euroleague ended. Vaidai, and that was sad news for you, or did you no longer treasure more hope?

– I still had some hope, but I wouldn’t say I was very sad. However, the health of the players, perhaps even life, is much more important than basketball. Furthermore, it would have increased the probability that players could be injured, even though they did some sports individually and prepared. However, joint team training is another matter.

Also, not all legionaries would have returned to teams, especially from the United States, where coronavirus is extremely prevalent. Then the quality would be affected, the level of competition would decrease, there would be many coincidences. I wonder if I would like to see such a show.

– There is such a famous Lithuanian movie “Nobody Wanted to Die,” according to which we could probably paraphrase the end of this Euroleague season to “Nobody Wanted To Play.” Why wasn’t even the players themselves, including the people from Žalgiris, not that they didn’t want to anymore, but even resisted the return of basketball?

– It was illogically decided that if basketball players don’t play, they still get 80 percent. their salary, and if they play, 85 percent. Obviously, that difference is very small, which is why we’ve seen that even the brightest stars in the Euroleague, including Mike James and Shane Larkin, have declared that they no longer want it this season.

– Tom, do you think that if each player had had a much higher risk, he could have changed his position?

– It is very difficult to say if your position was determined solely by that financial aspect. I think there was as much money as there were fears about fitness. It pays them more to spend as much preparation as possible over the next 2-3 months.

– Vaidai, some Delfi commentators ask, what makes these basketball players so special? After all, ATMs at Maxima stores are now at risk when they go to work every day, but they still go and do their duty.

– Good question, but I always say that there will be no justice in this life. And my grandmother wondered why some athletes who throw or kick a projectile make millions, and a man who plows, tires of a machine, or dresses plush in a mall, earns almost a minimum, and then still doesn’t get a pension normal. Perhaps we should accept this as a reality and, as I joke, accept the fact that the truth is not here.

– The Euroleague players satisfied with the end of the tournament were quick to believe that next season will be incredible, because everyone will be very rested and motivated. But where is the guarantee that they will actually play stronger than ever, or that they will return, after all, after the cold weather, a second wave of coronavirus is feared?

– Yes, there are so many fears. Therefore, it is very realistic that in some countries the new season will start without viewers or its number will be limited. Another thing that some fans at first and themselves are a little afraid of flowing to the arenas. So the forecasts are not very optimistic.

– Let’s talk about next season and “Žalgiris”. This year, a record: almost 12 million. a budget of 3.6 million euros. had to generate income from ticket sales. The last part of the next season could be significantly reduced due to security requirements. Vaidai, how could you predict whether the “Žalgiris” budget will be tightly adjusted?

– If it falls by a third, it certainly won’t be bad. Žalgiris is also highly dependent on the municipality of Kaunas. Maybe you can increase your support a little? Recall that last year the people of Žalgiris did not find a general sponsor, and now the economic situation in the country is even more complicated.

If spectators aren’t allowed into the arena for a while, it would be another blow to the team. I suppose it will be a very difficult situation. Unless a miracle happens and Žalgiris manages to support Edgar Ulanov or Zach LeDay, who earn over half a million. I also have doubts and questions about the stay of Thomas Walkup, Lukas Lekavičius, Artūras Milaknis in Kaunas.

However, it is optimistic that Šarūnas Jasikevičius really knows how to work with young people and green basketball players who do not yet have experience in the Euroleague. It is only clear that this will take time, we will have to arm ourselves with patience. It will be difficult to expect very good results next season, as I believe that the gap between the richest clubs in the Euroleague and The most terrifying.

– Tom, maybe the financial situation that we are drawing here will make the face of “Žalgiris” even more Lithuanian? Already this year, the green-white Lithuanians (45% of all points on the team) were among the leaders of the Euroleague in terms of the contribution of local players: they were only surpassed by the French ASVEL in Wilerban (52% of all points).

– Maybe. I also hope that in such a situation it will be easier to keep some Lithuanians on the team than the Americans. And suffer for a year and with Š. Many will want to increase its value. Moreover, since I believe that the salaries in most of the European teams will certainly fall. “Žalgiris” is no exception, but I don’t think the situation of Kaunas residents is much worse than that of others. Perhaps the new season is not waiting for us super, but if we keep Š. Jasikevičius and a good system, we will definitely be competitive.

– Since the last call was made in the Euroleague, what annual note would you write to Žalgiris for this year?

– In the middle of the season we saw an impressive jump from “Žalgiris”, so it is very unfortunate that this season has ended, because the people of Žalgiris were able to repeat the fairy tale again. So by the end of the decade, there may have been a bit of luck and more wins, but I’m writing the ninth with a plus.

– Vaidai, what would be your final grade?

– Maybe not nine with a plus, but nine with a minus. There was that series of nine losses and a series of failures in the last minutes or seconds of the game, which means that something was missing. But I don’t have to criticize Žalgiris, who is really respectable, because the team’s budget is one of the smallest in the Euroleague. It was a good selection of players and I really enjoyed the season. And one of the biggest lights and lights for me was Lukas Lekavičius.

The whole show “Basketball Zone” – in the video.