Artūras Gudaitis: three years in Milan, non-healing wounds and praise for the new coach

The dreams of Artūras Gudaitis of the NBA begin again. A three-season midfielder who has been a strong pillar under the basket in Milan, he will leave the fashion capital this summer and move to another Euroleague team, Zenit Saint Petersburg.

During this period, A. Gudaitis won two trophies with the Olympia in Milan, in 2017. The Italian Super Cup and the 2018 Title of champion of the Italian basketball league.

Admittedly, those three were as changeable for Artūras and the team as the Lithuanian summer. The club restructured each season, the coach changed, but a recipe for success in the Euroleague was not found.

The Milan club remains in the playoffs in the new Euroleague format.

Basketball teacher Ettore Messina entered the club office last summer. This was expected to eventually become the last part of the victorious MIlan team puzzle. But entering the elite squad last season was not destined again. Olimpia was delayed in the same meat grinder as Kaunas Žalgiris, but only the twelfth finished in the 2019-2020 Euroleague season.

This summer, the club is bringing together a super team again. The headlines of the media portal are rocked by names like Luigi Datome, Kyle Hines and Zach LeDay from Žalgiris. Admittedly, there will be no Lithuanian accents in Milan next season.

The club clearly made it clear that A. Gudaitis is no longer one of the most important parts of the lineup and on the front line he should be satisfied with only the crumbs of playing time.

“I knew Messina was very trusting and loved (Kyle) Hines. I managed to sign it and see nothing wrong with it. The coach won the Euroleague with him, a player with a lot of experience. Due to other signatures and the arrival of Leday, Kaleb Tarczewski’s three-year contract … I just realized that if I want to play a lot, I have to change the club “, – after a good afternoon’s sleep 24 seconds A. Gudaitis said.

A. Gudaitis has a clear vision at this stage in his career. The midfielder is now 27 years old and we should see the best Lithuanian version in the coming seasons.

Until the unfortunate injury, Artūras played 21 games and the record for statistics shone with impressive numbers: 12.5 points, 7.1 rebounds and 1 block per game. The stop’s efficiency was as high as 18.7 points per game.

In the 2018-2019 season, Artūras played a fantastic match against Gran Canaria de Las Palmaso. For the Spaniards, the Lithuanian scored 16 points, recovered up to 17 balls (10 of them in attack) and scored 32 utility points.

“The first and second seasons were really good, but in the third season everything got confused.” Clearly, injuries are part of the sport and a bit unfortunate. One door opens and the other opens. I am not sorry and I will continue to prove that I am a good player.

I look at this situation through another prism. I understand that this is a professional sport and we get paid for it. They look at their affairs and I have no anger. I think if I were the leader of such a team, I would have behaved similarly. For me, everything was maximum, but in professional sports there is no time to feel sorry for yourself. They acted like this, I don’t feel angry, “said the center forward who came to the national team camp.

In exploring the causes of Milan’s failures in the first two seasons, the roots were obvious. Non-controlling man of team leaders coach Simone Pianigiani and an excessive number of voting points.

Suffice it to recall the transformation of Mike James into a team player at the hands of Dimitri Itoudis in Moscow.

The team found a strong coach, got rid of the players who were chasing personal statistics, but the results did not come. Why? A. Gudaitis saw the question of age.

“It is really interesting how we would have finished the season. I think we had enough experience, but not young enough. We had a lot of players who saw everything but lacked strength. Playing two games a week is only three, that’s all. Like As a result, we are stuck, especially in Italy.

The first year with a new coach, new systems are not always easy. I hope you do better this year. Again, the new team is difficult to speculate, because in three years I played with an impressive lineup, but not everything was achieved, “said the Lithuanian, who described the difficult process of reorganization in Milan.

A. Gudaitis had to put pressure on an extraordinary basketball player in training last season. Returning to the lack of youth, one of the weak points of the team was the Argentine legend Luis Scola.

A player in the top five of the 40-year-old Euroleague team. This was one of the problems caused by the average age, but Arthur was surprised: the Argentine work ethic left an extraordinary impression.

“Super professional. The first player I saw work that way when I was forty. During his days off he still goes to the classroom and works … A great example not only in the fields. His diet is strictly aligned, that is why he remains at that level. “A. Gudaitis praised the player who struck Argentine silver at the 2019 World Cup.

R. Gudaitis saw another incurable problem in the passports of the Olympia players. For many years, the club has failed to attract capable local players to its ranks.

The example of Kaunas “Žalgiris”, when the Lithuanian nucleus is being formed, did not inspire the Milan club, which chooses foreigners with the first options every summer.

This problem was especially with S. Pianigiani, but when E. Messina arrived, the ice cream moved. According to Arthur, Luigi Datome’s arrival in Milan is a very serious addition.

“I have always had a lot of questions about why Datome and Nicolo Melli play at Fenerbahce.” I think the clubs’ financial strength is similar and I would start building the club out of strong Italians, why didn’t Milan do that?

Pianigiani, for example, did not believe in the Italians and did not let them enter the square, and Messina gave opportunities to both (aut. Pastor Riccardo) Moraschini and (aut. Past. Andrea) Cinciarini. He realized that without the Italians it is difficult, especially in the local league. There are limits on the number of local players that must be registered, so it is good that Messina believes in the Italians, Datome has signed, he is a really good player, “said the Lithuanian.

Now the center forward will start a new stage at the northernmost point of the Euroleague: Saint Petersburg. The Zenit team with a solid lineup with a strong strategist Xavi Pascualis at the helm is waiting for you there.

Arthur, who was not without interest from other Euroleague clubs, admitted that there were not so many real options. There were rumors that Real Real Madrid were interested in Lithuania, but, according to the player, he was not as close to the deal as it might have appeared.

“There is an opportunity that I really want, so I had to take that offer and try it again. There was a lot of talk and speculation, but the real option with a good coach with a clear role was one.

I think it was definitely not on the “Real” list first, but this is normal in our business, “A. Gudaitis described the attention of the royal club.

It is not for nothing that a basketball player mentions a “good coach”. X. Pascual’s dossier, which heated part of the club last season, is impressive. Spanish multiple, twice champion of the Greek league, leading Barcelona and two Panathinaikos clubs for eight years.

The Spaniard’s hand in assembling the team was already seen by the club before signing one of the best strikers in Lithuania.

Zenit rejected the services of Gustav Ayon, a Mexican who did not live up to his hopes, and invited KC Rivers, Kevin Pangas and Alex Poythress, who had appeared at the Galatasaray club, who had revealed themselves in Žalgiris.

A. Gudaitis, who spared no praise for his work in the market, stated that it will be very important in Spanish schemes.

“Each coach’s season is a different story. A lot depends on the composition of their game and system. They told me it would be one of the main axes of the game. I really liked that and in my head it is the TOP3 or TOP4 coach in Europe. We will see how it exploits me. I really like what the club buys, “the 208 cm midfielder kindly replied to X. Pascual.

The club does not seem to have specific goals yet, but one thing is clear: Zenit is pressing for time to establish himself in the Euroleague: “It is very difficult to talk about those goals, but we will definitely take a step forward. There are 18 teams in the Euroleague, all playing. The goal is to take a step towards elite teams, but more specifically, there is still nothing. “

Arthur was also not deterred by other factors. Often players come to Russia to earn money, but others are deterred by the harsh Russian climate. This often becomes a problem in attracting elite players to CSKA in Moscow and Chimki in the Moscow region.

At this point in his career, Arthur sees no problems. The support of the family and the knowledge of the Russian language acquired in their native Klaipėda in Saint Petersburg will definitely be useful: “I never thought like this before, I only know the language, perhaps it is more difficult for the family to adapt.” She is always with me without reservation, it is gratifying to have family support. People don’t need anything else. I have support and now it will be a place where I will play. “

In the early stages of A. Gudaitis’ career, the illusions about going to the NBA didn’t seem so real. 47th convocation in 2015 The rights to a Lithuanian listed in the NBA Rookie Exchange now belong to the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Two impressive seasons in Milan shook the newspaper and somewhere in the Cleveland offices. It was to be hoped that after playing an even more impressive third season, we would now welcome Arthur to the NBA.

Broken crossings have forced airline tickets to US websites Now everything will have to be tested again: “The season prior to the injury was, I would say, close to the end, but everything must be tested again. He will be 38 years old and will prove to himself in the morning that he can still get out of bed.

The Cleveland Cavaliers themselves have come to Milan two or three times, we keep in touch. Now the situation is such that only in October will players be able to write. I mean, you should take the bull by the horns and wait for the results later. “

The center forward also follows the latest events in Lithuania. It should not be forgotten that Artūras began his professional career at Kaunas “Žalgiris”. In a club that is starting a new phase without its main engine.

According to Šarūnas Jasikevičius, the painful farewell to Kaunas “Žalgiris”, according to Klaipėda residents, is a big step for him personally.

“As far as Šarūnas is concerned, this is a very good prospect. He couldn’t take advantage of this opportunity. He would have had that opportunity in the future without question, but when he offers Barcelona with that lineup, he cannot give up. I think it is welcome and i’m glad you take the lithuanians with me.

“Žalgiris” will not fail either, because it has a strong backbone: the fans, an arena, the club name has been created, the players want to come and play here. We have many examples when players come to Kaunas and ascend to a higher level. The label of a good club is that you will find a coach and everything will be fine, ”the former Žalgiris resident told Kaunas fans.