Hurricane of change possible in Kaunas: only three players are sure of a place in Žalgiris | Euroleague

Žalgiris’ team has at least ten games in a row until the eleventh Lithuanian Basketball League title: two meetings at Pasvalys and Prienai at the end of the regular season and eight necessary playoff victories, which would lead Martin Schiller’s army to champions’ rings.

By the end of the season, the future of Žalgiris’ fourteen basketball players will become clear.

As posted 15 minutes According to sources, due to the match at the Nemunas island basketball palace and the upcoming season, currently only three players are safe.

Some “Žalgiris” basketball players meet at the end of the season with their suitcases already loaded, others are still sitting at the negotiating table, and the fate of the remaining athletes should finally immediately unite with the core of the team stuck together.

The narrowing wallet will adjust the composition of Žalgiris accordingly. Joffrey Lauvergne is likely to remain in the top five starters next season.

“We are pessimistic, although we really want it not to be the case. If we do not have fans again, the exclusion in the Euroleague will be very big. For the second consecutive season we cannot live with optimism either, because there are debts that will have to be paid. risks, we cannot do it. But I am very afraid that the competitiveness in the tournament will diminish enormously, Paulius Motiejūnas, the club director, told Žalgiris Insider. – We see the need for players both in that position and in that position, but we can have them there or there. We want to continue fighting for a place in the Top8 stage, not come to play with honor. “

According to P. Motiejūnas, the lineup puzzle will come unusually late this time, because only in August will the NBA Summer League take place, which is also relevant for coach M. Schiller, who came from the NBA kitchen.

Interview 15 minutes At the end of March P. Motiejūnas did not hide that the club will end the season with debt, and its size will be determined by state support.

“Together with other clubs, we are negotiating with the Euroleague players association, we hope we can reduce the salaries of the players, maybe we can still earn some money this season by letting some spectators in the stands. said P. Motiejūnas. – So far I do not want to say what the debt could be for the whole season, because we are waiting for the numbers and we are waiting for compensation. And after the season, we’ll name everything exactly. “

15 minutes He looked around the kitchen of “Žalgiris” and what changes are most likely in the team. Paulius Motiejūnas stated that the club has been working on the assembly work for three months and that the situation in the Lithuanian champions camp has changed significantly in just three weeks after leaving the Euroleague.

What is really left?

Veterans Artūras Milaknis (195 cm, 34 years old) and Paulius Jankūnas (205 cm, 37 years old) and French jumper Joffrey Lauvergne (211 cm, 29 years old) and will continue the match in Kaunas.

Long-term team sniper Artūras Milaknis this season, 15 minutes According to sources, some 200,000 people had to get drunk. The sum of the salaries of the other two basketball players is close to a million.

Although the figures for the deal are still unclear, it would be difficult to expect Janūnas’ latest career contract to be very generous, given the current circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic. The two veterans could put together around 400,000 next season. euros.

Mr Lauvergne’s situation is the opposite. 500 thousand. The center, who earned € 2,000 per season, cut it by hand in the middle of the season, which usually means a growing salary.

Milas, who ended the Euroleague season prematurely due to injury, scored 8 points (44.9 percent trit.) In 22 minutes.

Stripping off the injury aura, P.Jankūnas put together a string of solid performances throughout the season, dropping 3.9 points, 4.4 rebounds and 7.1 utility points in the stats.

J.Lauvergne, who remembers Leo Westermann from Žalgiris, was the second player for “Žalgiris” in terms of performance, playing in the Renaissance season in the Euroleague: 10.7 points, 5.6 points in grip and 12 goals from assessment.

Who is really leaving?

As has been repeatedly mentioned in the media, Marius Grigonis and Nigel Hayes are ready to go. The former has reached an agreement with CSKA Moscow and the latter dreams of returning to the NBA.

The Lithuanian played for Žalgiris for three seasons. Two years in Shar’s “system” and the freedom of Martin Schiller paved the way for M. Grigonis among the elite of Euroleague defenders.

At the end of the season, Kaunas looked tired, but the season’s stats were still excellent: 13.4 points (50.6 percent on two, 45.6 percent on trit, 94.4 percent on penalties), 2.1 rebounds, 3.3 effective transmissions and 13.7 profits.

N. Hayes, who shone in third position during the season, represented Žalgiris for two seasons, and this year in the Euroleague he added 9.4 points (44.3% trit.) In 27 minutes, 3.9 rebounds and 1.1 interceptions, 9, 8 utility score.

Along with M. Grigonis and N. Hayes, two more legionaries are sitting on the suitcases.

The first newcomer is a former student of M. Schiller

At the end of the Euroleague season, N. Hayes turned down the Kaunas team’s offer to stay, and as advertised 15 minutes According to sources, this American should be replaced by Tenerife Iberostar forward Tyler Cavanaugh (206 cm, 27 years old).

In the FIBA ​​Champions League, the highest market averaged 25 minutes. 9.1 points (52.4 percent trit.), 4.3 rebounds and 1.5 assists. In the Spanish championship, his average is 8 points and 4.4 rebounds in 22 minutes.

Heavyweight forward Šarūnas Jasikevičius was also interested in the previous preseason, and in the Salt Lake City Stars team coached by Martin Schiller he played in the 2018-2019 season. In the G League, he scored 17.7 points, grabbed 7.8 rebounds and had 2.7 assists.

Thomas Walkup at the crossroads of options

The two most important positions in basketball are the player and the center forward, and the central figures of “Žalgiris” for next season are seen for the first time in the tandem of Thomas Walkup (193 cm, 28 years old) and J. Lauvergne. .

As posted 15 minutes Sources, the second offer from Kaunas residents to the player reaches 650 thousand. dollars (about 540 thousand euros) per season, but it will be a very difficult task for the Lithuanian champion to keep this American, who was successfully revealed in Kaunas and considered one of the best defenders of the Euroleague on his side of the field.

Because there really is a lot of competition.

Šarūnas Jasikevičius and Barcelona launched their nets on Žalgiris last winter, and Thalk. Walkup started looking for a European passport that would open the way to Catalonia, but was unsuccessful.

However, this does not mean that Shar will not be returning to her former student this summer.

Tel Aviv’s Maccabi club also sang 650,000 bulldogs to Žalgiris. dollars worth of seasonal offer, but the length of the contract – even three years. The basketball player can be seduced by the Israeli sun and the country’s system that guarantees safety and a more favorable arrival for family members.

The name of Piraeus Olympiacos was also heard behind the scenes, and before entering the four finals of the Euroleague final, Th.Walkupu also took an interest in the Milan Olympics.

This team can become a dark horse for clubs fighting for the basketball player’s signature.

If Ettore Messina longed to diversify his offensive line into a defensive specialist, then Th.Walkup is an ideal choice, and the call from the “designers” and Zach LeDay may not be irresistible.

Feeling like Kaunas, 28-year-old Thomas Walkup eventually became one of the team’s main pillars both in the locker room and on the court.

Euroleague stats: 8.2 points, 3 rebounds and 1.1 interceptions, 4.5 assists, 1.6 errors and 10.6 utility points.

The Kaunas club would receive a ransom for Th.Walkupas, but it would be a very difficult task to replace the player.

Come 15 minutes sources mention the name of Nigel Williams-Goss (191 cm, 26 years old), who plays Jaleen Smith (193 cm, 26 years old), who plays in Germany in the G League and now represents “Lithuanian” Krasnodar Lokomotiv.

Th.Walkup is not only the best defender in the Euroleague, he has become one of the main columns of the “Žalgiris” wardrobe, having found an excellent connection with the city and the club, and has clearly inscribed his name in the history of “Žalgiris”.

The fourth season in Kaunas would equate an American with the legendary Croatian “Žalgiris”, who wore green and white clothes for four years. Above all, the legendary Tanoka Beard, who spent six seasons.

We will no longer see the work strip