In the eyes of Robertas Javtokas – a confusing puzzle of Kaunas “Žalgiris” and a sense of Shar | Euroleague

This spring, when seasonal fights were taking place earlier, R.Javtokas spent most of his time with his family on the farm.

The pandemic not only changed the usual workplace in the office of the “Žalgiris” stadium, but also completely disturbed the nature of the work.

Sports director “Žalgiris” admitted that it was first necessary to wait for the Euroleague to finally decide the end of the season.

But now comes another undefined moment.

“Žalgiris” sets a vision for the composition of the new season, in which it is realistic that several important parts are missing compared to the 2019-2020 season.

Žalgiris’ three-player contracts will end this summer: Edgaras Ulanovas, Artūras Milaknis and KC Riversas will become players in the market, but other basketball players may also be affected by the bigger issues.

Has the pandemic finally diminished? Will there not be a second wave? Will viewers be able to return to the arena next season? Will the budget be reduced by 30%? Or maybe even in the middle? For Žalgiris, these are questions that are literally worth millions, for which there will be no answers soon, and it will be necessary to start shaping the team now.

A conversation with Kaunas Club sporting director R.Javtokas about the ideas of the last season and the most important challenges of the summer.

– Robert, how did you react to the decision of the Euroleague to cancel the season?

– From how much I have interacted with the Euroleague and other clubs, I really didn’t think it could be any other way. That is what I expected.

– How do you see, as a former basketball player, the current sports director, the differences between players and clubs on the subject of the extension of the Euroleague season? The captains of all the clubs were in favor of ending the season, at which point the opinions of the clubs were broadly divided.

– As a former basketball player, it was really strange for me that the players decided unanimously that they didn’t want to continue the season. On the other hand, I understand them: it is difficult to lose a sports form during those months and recover it. It is unknown how the team rosters would have changed during that time.

Not that I was disappointed that the players didn’t want to participate, but I was surprised that their wish was unanimous.

– Perhaps the players were also arrested for the fact that, in accordance with the general agreement of the basketball union with Euroleague clubs, 80 percent was agreed. annual salary, and the extension of the season would increase the salary to only 85%?

– I think it had a significant impact. Players fly around the world, train and play for two months at 5 percent. It may not seem measured.

On the other hand, not everything is based on money. Probably the total point is not 5 percent. First of all, everything is based on health.

Although I myself think it is not good for a player to spend so much time without basketball. I know that at least Lithuanians from “Žalgiris” train in Kaunas, but it is not the same as training and playing basketball with a team. Other basketball players don’t know if they train at all. I doubt it’s good for a professional player to wait 5 months.

– Although the season is not officially over, Žalgiris ranked ninth among 18 clubs six rounds before the end of the regular championship. How do you rate this?

I think normal. Sure, we always wanted something better, we could really be higher, but we lost points where we didn’t have to scatter them.

But it was gratifying that we finally got back on the road, revived the fighting spirit and faith. The players already understood what the coaches required of them, the sports form was good.

I wanted a higher place, but you can’t really underestimate the season.

– Which of the twelve wins achieved in the Euroleague has stagnated the most this season?

– Every victory in the Euroleague is experienced and very rewarding. Clearly defeated Grandas even more fun. But I couldn’t select a match.

– Perhaps the most disappointing failure of the 16 losses?

– The worst was the series of 9 games lost. When that series started, it seemed like the players were running out of faith in what they could accomplish. That series was very disappointing. Then everything changed.

– How much can you do now, when an extraordinary summer awaits you, during which planning is especially difficult?

– Now yes, we are sitting with Paulius (the president of the Paulius Motiejūnas club) and it seems that you can start to move this and that, but in reality we can put at least the whole system, change the youth education plan a little.

After the close of the Euroleague, we will be able to start talking to the players. Work in the summer will be different: There will be no more NBA summer leagues, no more games to watch. Again, everything will happen by looking at others, and even more by looking at yourself, calculating what budget you can raise.

I think the pandemic will affect all Euroleague clubs as most companies have stopped or stalled. He will also reply to Žalgiris, but we knew the same: as before, now and now, we will not be divided by the budget.

I think there will still be talks with the Euroleague players association saying that as the budgets of all the teams are reduced, the contracts of the basketball players should be reduced.

– Is it realistic that Žalgiris retains Thomas Walkup, with whom there is a valid contract, but the price of an American on the market has increased significantly?

– It is understandable that as the budget is reduced, it will be necessary to renegotiate, review the contracts. It may not be for everyone, but it’s also clear that keeping as many players as you want probably won’t work. The budget will largely determine whether we play with or without spectators.

For Walkup, I think it’s possible to keep up because he doesn’t seem like a player who only cares about chasing money. He likes it in Kaunas, we also like him a lot.

Walkup is very ambitious and plays well with Shar. I don’t know if he would follow elsewhere too. Not all players who played well at Žalgiris also compete successfully abroad. I think it is possible to keep Th.Walkup.

– Do you continue to see him as a player? – Three other players were tested in this position before the start of last season.

– As the Lavrinovich brothers say: “It will be said here as a coach.”

Clearly, this season has shown that he can successfully play in this position, he can take the lead.

– Lukas Lekavičius did not accelerate mid-season. How do you assess your progress and your ability to sustain it?

– It will also depend on other conditions: agent offers, other clubs. Until I hear something from there, it seems like everything will be fine.

The start of last season was more difficult for him, but with his approach to work, it was only a matter of time before he played well. When a person works hard and sincerely, he gains the confidence of a coach and sooner or later begins to play well. We hope that was the case.

– Isn’t Rokas Jokubaitis a talent too good for the role of the third player?

– At first, Rock got a preview for a few minutes, but in the end he played and was useful. I think it was useful to train against Walkup or Luke in training, get a lot of play time in LKL and gain some experience in the Euroleague. You need to toughen up for the future. We are happy with that, although we always want more.

– Does “Žalgiris” connect your future with Marius Grigonis as one of the team leaders? What are the chances that you will notice that other Euroleague clubs will request it?

– A big question mark falls on Grigonis, because he showed that he can be the team leader not only on the field, but also in the dressing room. We need each other unequivocally: he grew up in the “Žalgiris” system, he has a big heart and he showed it.

Clearly, it will have other suggestions that may reduce our chances of maintaining it.

– Will Artūras Milaknis still be needed for Žalgiris at 34?

– As he always needed it. Such snipers are not easy to find. He has a lot of experience in the Euroleague, Shar knows him well and is like the second captain in the team’s locker room.

It will be necessary, but everything will also be evaluated in financial terms. “Žalgiris” will cut the budget, so offers from other clubs may impress you more.

Milaknis’s precision did not disappear with the year. It would be nice to have him on the team.

– KC Rivers has publicly expressed his desire to stay at “Žalgiris”. How do you like your return?

– Immediately when he arrived, he felt he was a very experienced player. He also saw it in training, he says, he can advise others. KC Rivers is a high-caliber player.

It took him several matches and he found his game. I think it seems beneficial for both Shar and the whole club. Everything else is a matter of negotiation.

– What does the style say about Edgar Ulanov? Now, this is the third consecutive player whose contract with Žalgiris has expired.

– I would say that is the most difficult problem.

On the one hand, it seems that he could link his future with “Žalgiris” and become Paulius Jankūnas, a Žalgiris man to the end. Ulanov really demonstrated his values: he is a fighter in the square and a good man outside.

On the other hand, if you want to try the legionnaire’s bread, try it at a bigger club, then it’s time to go. Much will depend on Edgar’s own decision and the terms of the proposals that are presented to him.

– For Nigel Hayes, the beginning of the season was difficult. Have you shown that the purchase was justified?

– That is, the points earned are missing, but he did his job very well. Hayes is a smart, high IQ player who gave the team more than he could see.

Maybe not always as much as he could, but the further away, the more he showed good results. The coaches were satisfied with that. His future will also depend on the details of the deal, but it satisfies the club.

– Should a club symbol like Paulius Jankūnas play in “Žalgiris” as much as he wanted, regardless of the size and age of the contract?

– His state is inviolable (laughs, – ed.).

But I think it still gives Žalgiris a lot of benefits. Jankūnas helps bring all players to the point where the coach sees the game. It’s like a coach in the players’ locker room.

I don’t know if everyone sees their contribution. Everyone talks about a contract, but if the club has signed, it is not unnecessary. Sure, maybe someone will say that Paul is taking the place of a young player, but on the other hand, he’s not old enough to play well yet. I think he will definitely play next season, it is important that injuries no longer attack.

– Did Jock Landale live up to Žalgiris’ expectations?

– I think he has shown that he is a very high caliber player. This was especially evident in the second half of the season, in the last match in Saint Petersburg (in the match with Zenit, J. Landale scored 27 points).

Maybe he needed more time to realize he’s not in the NBA here, when he comes after the NBA Summer League, which won’t suffocate everyone here. However, once he got used to it, he started playing differently, he proved to be a very high level player. And it could be even better.

– Zach LeDay was not only one of the most expensive players, but also the most productive and useful “Žalgiris” in the Euroleague. What are the chances of keeping it?

– It’s like a pitball with a fighting character. Always go to the field to fight.

He is sincere in the locker room and does his best to fight the others. On the other hand, having him on the team is a luxury, his contract is really quite a lot. As we cut the budget, we will wonder if players will realize that we can’t cover everyone, we need to cut their wages.

– Has Martin Geben proven himself worthy of a place in “Žalgiris”?

– As in the first year we could not demand more. He achieved what the coach wanted. Not every game had a chance to happen, but it lived up to our expectations. Martin has really improved. If he continues to improve this way, the time will come and he will take the position of the main midfielder.

– Maybe you will have to give up some of the available midfielders?

– All can be.

– What preliminary budget are you planning?

– I can not answer. As for talking to Paul, when he talks about a player, he specifically says “wait again.” We didn’t really know for long how long the pandemic would last or what would happen next. We have been waiting for the announcement of the Euroleague season. We don’t even have frames. In fact, we didn’t have big negotiations and we don’t have a strict plan, although we still consult with the coach.

– Are searches for new players completely quelled by the unknown?

– Not completely deleted, because there are coaches, explorers working on the subject. Only, in the current situation, it is difficult to understand what the basketball market will look like, what the prices of the players will be and how much they will fall.

The intelligence continues, we simply do not negotiate because we still do not know what position we will be in the contracts of our players.

– Which of the borrowed players from “Žalgiris”, such as Laurynas Birutis, Gytis Masiulis, Arnas Velička, and Erikas Venskus, who was in the club, is the closest to “Žalgiris”?

– I cannot say that at least one of them will automatically be included in the main team. They are all on our rosters, the coach will decide on the whole team when it is clear which players will leave the club. Then we will see if we have room for others.

Staying on the team just to keep us is not good for either the player or the club itself. So far, all of these players look as much like “Žalgiris” as they do.

– What happened that two players from the youth team Žalgiris – Kerras Kriisa and Modestas Chancellor – chose to play and study at US universities. USA Rather than having the opportunity to grow further in the club system, as Šarūnas Jasikevičius once did?

– I would like to keep your players, but it became fashionable to go to universities. In part, this can be understood because basketball is aligned with science, in that sense, it is good for them.

Clearly, we don’t want to be an organization that only prepares players for the NCAA. We try to stay, but we cannot force anything to stay. For some players, it’s actually more worth getting out of there than wandering from one team to another, jumping from NKL to LKL, and sometimes going back to NKL. Reaching the desired level of basketball often hurts the sciences, and when you go there you get a four-year guarantee of free study and a good level of basketball. I even advise some to go there myself. For others, I think differently, but again: there are parents, agents, basketball players have their own wishes. And we have to adapt to that.

– Has Žalgiris already included Steva Vasturi in the lineup?

– The coach would give a better answer to this question. He sees what should be included and what should not. That is Shar’s concern.

– Can players switch from Vilnius “Rytas” to “Žalgiris”?

– Maybe I can (laughs). I have passed and Antanas (Kavaliauskas) has passed, many examples. I want to avoid speculation so that people don’t guess what might happen.

Are there any players in Vilnius who can go to “Žalgiris”? I think it is. Are you going to pass? I have no idea.

– How actively was Žalgiris interested in Arnold Kulboka, a student of his system, who played for the Bilbao club last season?

– You know, we have a lot of players in our database and we don’t look at Lithuanians superficially. Kulboka is a top-tier player named on the NBA rookie exchange, so it’s only natural for us to see him as we see other young Lithuanians playing abroad.

Of course we are interested. Anything else we could offer you? What role, how much playing time? Signing a player and then lending is also not the best option. So, in this case, we were interested, but so far it remains.

– Would it be possible to attract Ignas Brazdeikis to “Žalgiris” if he doesn’t find a place in the “New York Knicks”?

– The opportunity is good or non-existent. I did not speak to him or his agent in person. I can only repeat that all top-level Lithuanians are interesting to us and we always reconsider what it would be like if it were. But having the current alignment, first adjust according to what would fit, what wouldn’t. Now we don’t know: will Ulanov leave or stay? If he leaves, maybe then we’ll look for a taller player, or maybe one similar to him.

– Have you set dates when you already want to receive responses from current players?

– Of course we would have liked before, but now we only know how long your contracts are valid: the dates they expire.

– Do you have an answer to the most important question of the puzzle? Will coach Šarūnas Jasikevičius remain on the team?

– This topic is the most important each year (laughs).

And every year at a time like this I don’t know what to answer. I think he will stay every year and I never seem to leave. But I also understand that one day it can happen differently from what I want.

Now I communicate with Šarūnas and together we plan and build the team like every year. Although we don’t know for sure if he will stay or leave, we put it in a way that makes the team similar to him: he has a champion mindset.