2020 Lithuanian NT: in a chase of Olympic dream

[Straight forward]

Hypothetical question. Which team is better or is there a need for three nominal centers these days?

No.1

Kalnietis, Lekavicius, Jokubaitis
Grigonis, R.Giedraitis
Ulanovas, Kuzminskas
Maciulis, Sedekerskis
Gudaitis, Birutis, Geben

No.2

Kalnietis, Lekavicius, Velicka
Grigonis, Jokubaitis, R.Giedraitis
Ulanovas, Kuzminskas
Maciulis, Sedekerskis
Gudaitis, Birutis

[Straight forward]

I would probably even go as far as saying we might want to choose one between Kuzminskas and R. Giedraitis. Both solid athletic offensive forwards under uptempo and liberal BB, but both are huge liability defensively. Off course, now it seems Giedraitis has more shooting and can step onto 2 spot a little bit. But generally I don't see much point to have them both and would want to have more room for true guards who make more difference in basketball these days.

[Straight forward]

The team for November windows should be something like this. Looking forward to see if Maskoliunas will continue to be blind and shallow Lithuanian talent market wise (why I feel that he will invite some Kariniauskas instead of Velicka and Valinskas instead of D. Giedraitis or Beliauskas? ):

Kalnietis, Velicka
Beliauskas, D. Giedraitis, Sirvydis
Butkevicius, Kulboka/Kuzminskas
Maciulis, Masiulis, Bendzius
Birutis, Echodas

*** other candidates could Miniotas if he continues to dominate and M. Jogela if he will tune up till these events.

[Shawshank]

always you are going over board with your fantasies. Kuzminskas,Giedraitis is top 9 main rotation players even if JV and Donmas would play.Not find place for those 2 in top12 without 2 ltu best players is just nonsenses

Your team is offensive orientated who gonna play defence? Who gonna slow down best fiba 1-2-3 position players? veteran Kalnietis, 1m80 Lukas or some of your 20 youngsters ?

The only good defenders we have is Ulanovas,Butkevicius,Sedekerskis and to some degree maybe Grigonis,Maciulis in some matchups all other is at best average defenders or in most cases just bad defenders on your list.

LTU nt are not chimky, we need defenders and dirty workers too if want to win playoofs games not just come and play sexy offenssive game and lose in first playoof round.

We dont need 3rd center Geben,we need one more PF that can move his feet and shoot.

[Straight forward]

Shaw, I do not suggest we should cut one of Kuz, Giedraitis, I raise the question can we utilize 2 rather similar offensive forwards who sucks defensively? They are almost locks, I simply say I have doubts there's much point to have them both. As always you are not reading what is written

Which my team? Dude...

Really? We need only dirty workers and not sexy offensive players? I mean we won the only title since 1992 with offensive team exactly

[Straight forward]

BTW, Butkevicius wouln't be a difference maker defensively. Just as he wasn't in 2019. The best example is the game against France. He was lost even at D and off course was a ball stopper and a hole offensively. The thing is that his defensive IQ is not elite, he has athleticism and elite motor, but not IQ. He's simply a borderliner, nothing more and even if he would make the team (which I don't see), he can't play more than 10min.

[Shawshank]

what was the biggest diffrence between Kazlauskas teams 2013-2016 teams and Adomaitis teams?

Kazlauskas teams was making defensive stops in last 5minutes,Adomaitis teams couldnt. Sometimes it that slim what decides who goes to semifinal and who loses in first round heartbreaker.

I dont say we dont need offensive power ofcourse we do.But any playoofs winning teams needs defenders and players that will play some dirty and hard nose defence.

Defensive leaders on Kazlauskas teams was both peaking Seibutis and Maciulis.Those 2 were defending everybody from Teodosic to Durant and did damm god job in most cases.

Butkevicius,Ulanovas could do that job.Butkevicius is perfect role player: he dont ask for the ball,he will run all night and will work his tale off in defence.Perfect role player. He dont need to be big diffrence maker,but he will very valuable in some matchups.

Grigonis sometimes can do that when he feel it,but when his emotions is high and he is upset he cant defend best players on bad emotions. Sedekerskis can play T.Masiulis or M.Zukauskas role too defensively.Every winning team needs such workers.

We cant put just 12 most tallented offensively players.That team will not go far in playoofs unless it has usa / spain tallent.

[madmax]

I can see that SF is still blinded by nostalgia and the 86 generation of old farts by inserting them into 2021 team lol...Kalnietis, Maciulis and obviously Jankunas are all done as NT players and they can't contribute anymore, unless it's an assistant role from the bench imo - their glory years have passed and let them rest in peace and harmony From the young bucks, you just have to pick the right mix of offensive and defensive talent on the squad - players whose skillsets compliment each other on the court. That means probably not picking Geben and Gudaitis on the same team, as they are too similar of a players and can't bring much versatility otherwise. Same goes for other positions as well. Kazlauskas generally had a knack for choosing the right team for his kind of defensive basketball by making sure to pick players with different skillsets - let's hope Maskoliunas will manage not to screw it up as well

[Straight forward]

Shaw, Kazlauskas never had to go against such game finishers and game changers as say Patty Mills and Fournier in early knock out stages. When Kazlauskas had to go against such teams (France in one EB final, Spain in other) Lithuania was badly swept (also in OG). I treat 2019 team superior compared to Kazlauskas teams because we managed to stay in the game till last seconds against true elite teams. Even Serbia wasn't at that level, because TEO had bad game and BOG was not there yet. Sure, at the moment we don't have such good defender as prime Maciulis, but we have much more talent and scoring power and, IMO, we should go increasing scoring power and specially guard power. But don't overlook that Jokubaitis, Velicka and say D. Giedraitis are all solid defenders, and Marciulionis (not an indication that all should be in already) can be elite eventually. Adding offensive talent can go together with defensive presence.

Madmax, I just named my roster, not in priority way. I don't see much difference who will start at 1. At the moment, IMO, all Kalnietis, Jokubaitis, Lekavicius, Velcika are more or less at the same level, there's no one obvious alfa PG at the moment. The same situation at 4. I just think we need best defenders and toughest guys since we lack talent. We should go with most reliable options, and solid D is the most reliable skill. Besides, both Sedekerskis and Maciulis can stretch the floor a little bit as well. So I probably would pick Sedekerskis and Maciulis today, because all Masiulis, Kulboka, Bendzius are too shaky and inconsistent at the moment, even If like Kulboka very much when he's in his optimal shape.

[Shawshank]

Stop talking lies and i watched fiba playoofs games manny times it wont work telling me same abstract nonsense.

France 2011-2015 >France 2019 tallent wise. Serbia 2015 was elite and yes they had Bogo he made crusial mistake 10second left in our game...Bogo already was playing well in 2014 world cup, Teo had a bad game no shit? so maybe defence (seibutis) did good job to slow him down no ?

Adomaitis teams couldnt make stops even against Georgia group stage and lost.Adomaitis lost all close games and won games that team was leading 10+pts.Thats what i mean they couldnt make stops in last 5min in when game was close.Kazlauskas teams was doing nicely in game endings winning most of it and defence was big part of that.

That France,Spain,USa that Kazlauskas teams lost in semifinals/finals was powerhouses that played in playoofs games with force and prepared and our tallent had no chance doesnt matter what defence you play against that tallent and when they were motivated.When France wasnt taking playoofs mode in 2013 we beat them in group stage. Spain destroyed everybody in final games doesnt matter who was opponents ltu,argentina,serbia

Kazlauskas all attention was on defence.Kalnietis said we played primitive pikenroll game (ragai derinys ) over and over most of the Kazlauskas era.But defensively they were prepared very well by old fox coach that knew very well what exactly wins in playoofs.

For those defensive reasons kazlauskas always loved such players like Masiulis, M and E.Zukauskai later own totally unknown 22 Songaila in 2000 and even later own Seibutis types that he even took with himself to Olympiakos.He loved those defensive type players and had no problem using them.We all remember what he said about Gecevicius or Orelikas.

I also believe 2019 team had more offensive weapons than Kazlauskas teams 2014-2016 had. 2013 i dont think so that was most tallented Kazlauskas era team when we still had shooting bigs Kleiza,Darjus. Basically after that our NT dont have streaching bigs and that matters when defences toughens up in playoofs.

I dont wanna hear what future NT players ale can be good defenders.We need players that will slow down Bogdanovichs,Mills,Rubio,Decolos types now in next tournament.

If you think that our limited team can outscore best teams in playoofs and win without playing very good defence you havent understood yet playoofs game and group game diffrences.

That cliche that defence wins in playoofs is not comming from nowhere.

[Straight forward]

"Lies"... You're too sensitive, sentimental and romantic as always. Now creating narrative how Kazlauskas team was an elite defensive team which it wasn't. Seibutis? The guy without elite body was world class defender? He was a solid defender, that's all. He would never be able to stop true FIBA game changers, true stars and he never did. Parker, Patty Mills and such calibre players were going all over him. And you're missing the point that basically no one can slow down such breed, not even elite defenders. The only true elite defender we had, was Maciulis, he was phenomenal in that Eurobasket, Seibutis never was elite defender.

2015 Serbia < 2019 Australia and France, IMO (that' close and debatable though). The difference is that Serbia didn't have such game changers as Patty Mills and Fournier. Serbia was an elite all around team, but didn't have true game changers. Later Bogdanovic grew into such, but not then. Bjelica and Raduljica with their 13ppg as best players...That's not even close to Mills 23pts, or Fournier 20pts. Those simply closed the games against Lithuania. Serbia didn't have such breed then.

So in Kazlauskas era true elite teams were better and now they suck? Come on, man, hold your horses with romantic narratives and glorious 84 generation

[Straight forward]

IDK, all my criticism to Maskoliunas and Co. regarding horrible and artificial roster selections seem to be spot on looking at the start of the season. I can justify FIBA windows, you do want experienced guys to do the job, but to completely ignore young guard studs when you gather random camp based on youngsters...That's inexcusable. Just as I thought, D. Giedraitis can really play. He delivers in every game and shoots with ridiculous numbers. His upside is just incomparable with players like Valinskas and Dimsa (who has some positives as sturdy body and good three shooting, but still shaky decision maker and too predictable and limited player overall), high IQ who can score in various ways, to move the ball at elite level basically, to play solid D. A.Velicka also continues to deliver at the high level. I last 2 games he gets away with 8 assists per game. I don't understand how NT staff (the unit that should know everything and more about Lith talent pool) didn't have any ideas about these two studs in the summer and we failed to utilize this camp. I mean, tell me that our NT staff is working well...They need years and years to figure it our actual talent we have. I've seen at the start of 2019/2020 season that Dovydas Giedraitis can play. A year passed by and NT staff still didn't have any clues about that and I'm not sure they already have. To summarise Maskoliunas' campaign thus far: unmotivated NT, horrible losses (a sweep by Belgium and a loss to Estonia) and crappy roster selection, it's somewhere between really bad job and shameful fiasco. We are rock solid at sucking at coaching. After mediocre Adomaitis, we went straight deeper into the hole coaching wise. Our coaching school is so non existant. The only guy who can really coach as Lith, has nothing to do with Lith BB coaching and learned abroad.

[Shawshank]

How Seibutis was defending in 2013-2016 all top guards sg we faced and see how our 2017-2019 guards was defending sloukas, mills, decolo of the world is was just like watching really bad horror movie.

Seibutis was defending the best perimeter guards all Kazlauskas tenure.To be good defender its enough to have smart head,fast legs and enourmoues energy what Renaldas was bringing in my opinion.In not talking theories about his ale not elite body. I saw facts how he was defending.Its already past things we saw everything how it played out and your arguments is still theories ale his body is not elite like some NBA draft overview of some youngster comon men you can do better

I said myself manny time here not to stop,but slow down elite player that's a defenders job.

Yes Kazlauskas teams was elite defensively (especially if compared to Adomaitis era) enough to see how manny points our NT allowed in playoofs.

So if not defence how the hell we won 2 medals and made 3 semifinals in 4 years? With limited offence ? give a break men.

To win playoofs game you better be able to make stops in last 5 minutes and there is no romantism here in my last posts I'm saying the facts Kazlauskas teams was winning playoofs games 67-64 for example

I remember well you already wanted to get rid of that the only elite defender Maciulis back in 2014 because he shouted at other younger player maybe at one your beloved youngster I guess

I take Serbia 2014-2017 over both France,Australia 2019 teams.Serbians are winners and more win playoofs than choke.Australians choke all the time in main games , I cant put such team over winning team.

Serbia had game changer in 2015 Teodosic in his prime ...lies lies once again

That d.Giedraitis played 6 games all last season with weak Acb team and straightforward already can see he can play in NT yeah yeah we heard that for the last year you don't need to repeat every months that here forum member already knows that

We all saw how weak Kulboka looked in NT camp who had 5 times better season in Acb and not just some random 6 games.

[Straight forward]

Shawshank, sorry, but you can't read what is written. It has been said to you plenty of time, and not only by me, but you continue to live in your own planet. You have to be precise (very precise) on what is written to have a meaningful conversation. If you fail with it, there's no point to continue.

[Straight forward]

Props to Maskoliunas and Co. for making sense with 25-man squad for FIBA EuroBasket 2022 Qualifiers. Only surprised to see Eigirdas Zukauskas and maybe missing Miniotas, Tubelis (he's oversees and NCAA season will probably start at that time anyway):

http://www.fiba.basketball/eurobasket/2022/qualifiers/news/sabonis-valanciunas-ready-to-lead-the-charge-for-lithuania-in-eurobasket-qualifiers