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You're making the same mistake again and again. Players and not history show up on the court. You beg for stand out individuals, but trying to shove them into tight, rigid (false) schemes and formulas. You want results, but you don't get it that it's about talent. Age won't win you anything. And doesn't. Grigonis choked in all key games. Jokubaitis delivered in all key games (2022 Spain, 2023 Serbia, 2024 PR). Sabonis also choked to certain extent, but he was injured and out of shape and players missing threes didn't help either.
Your problem that you don't get that it's not about age, but about CAPABILITIES and LEVEL. That's all. Your scheme works only when the team is filled with only solid and mediocre players. True standouts deliver early and that's exactly the breed we need. And that's exactly what Buzelis, Jakucionis are f.e.
If we would look at Olympic qualification 1992 we would see that 21yo Karnisovas was one of the keys. Because he was that talented. No-one gives a f... about players age if he's a real deal. He simply goes and cooks out there. Because he can, and no-one would look at his passport. When we look at 2003 EB qualification, 22yo Macijauskas was already among the big leaders, dropping 28 against Bulgaria, 24 against Switz and Turkey (overtime) 29. And those teams had Siska, Jasikevicius, Stombergas.
The problem with LTU basketball has been that we lacked SUCH LEVEL players as Karnisovas, Macijauskas and such. That is all. Nothing more happened at all. You have a true stud, he would deliver early. We simply didn't have such level players for a while and thus shitty results. Now we have at least 2 players as true studs and they will deliver sooner rather than later. In 2027/2028 both Jakucionis/Buzelis will emerge among the leaders.
In 2024 Jokubaitis as 23yo was the best player in the key game. And even he is not that good of a player as Karnisovas/Macijauskas and such. He can be elite PG of EL one day, but he won't be 20ppg EL player for contenders as those 2 were. We need that breed to bounce back as BB force. And that's why I'm optimistic cause Jakucionis and Buzelis is that kind of breed. Hands down, you either have that kind of TALENT (and it will tear apart all your schemes) or you don't. We didn't for a while. Banal story as fuck.
Your problem that you don't get that it's not about age, but about CAPABILITIES and LEVEL. That's all. Your scheme works only when the team is filled with only solid and mediocre players. True standouts deliver early and that's exactly the breed we need. And that's exactly what Buzelis, Jakucionis are f.e.
If we would look at Olympic qualification 1992 we would see that 21yo Karnisovas was one of the keys. Because he was that talented. No-one gives a f... about players age if he's a real deal. He simply goes and cooks out there. Because he can, and no-one would look at his passport. When we look at 2003 EB qualification, 22yo Macijauskas was already among the big leaders, dropping 28 against Bulgaria, 24 against Switz and Turkey (overtime) 29. And those teams had Siska, Jasikevicius, Stombergas.
The problem with LTU basketball has been that we lacked SUCH LEVEL players as Karnisovas, Macijauskas and such. That is all. Nothing more happened at all. You have a true stud, he would deliver early. We simply didn't have such level players for a while and thus shitty results. Now we have at least 2 players as true studs and they will deliver sooner rather than later. In 2027/2028 both Jakucionis/Buzelis will emerge among the leaders.
In 2024 Jokubaitis as 23yo was the best player in the key game. And even he is not that good of a player as Karnisovas/Macijauskas and such. He can be elite PG of EL one day, but he won't be 20ppg EL player for contenders as those 2 were. We need that breed to bounce back as BB force. And that's why I'm optimistic cause Jakucionis and Buzelis is that kind of breed. Hands down, you either have that kind of TALENT (and it will tear apart all your schemes) or you don't. We didn't for a while. Banal story as fuck.
Come on man. Grigonis has been a trash, was putting up numbers against the trash, but against first athletic team under pressure he collapsed as he always does. That's the story. At least he took responsibility in press conf.
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