 He had not played in the Euroleague for more than three seasons. In his first game back, he posted the sixth-highest performance index rating of the decade, 49, while leading his team in points, rebounds and blocks. In his second game, he again led his team in points, rebounds, assists and steals, but this time pushed it to a first victory. Along the way, big man Darjus Lavrinoic of Real Madrid also answered your Fan Mail. Although his move to Madrid may have been nearly as far away as possible geographically, Lavrinovic's fellow Lithuanians are following him closely, as evidenced by the dozens of mails he received from home, many wondering if the spectacular form he is showing so far has anything to do with his change of scenery. "I am very happy with all that I have in Madrid," Lavrinovic answered one mail. "They have accepted me very well and everyone helps us. The coaches and players have shown confidence in me."
Hi Darjus. First of all, congratulations on your excellent transition from Dynamo Moscow to Real Madrid and on starting off the Euroleague season with 32 points and 11 rebounds! How do you compare yourself to your twin brother Ksystof (who also led the his team to a great start)? Do you think of him as your equal?
Henrikas - Kaunas, Lithuania
"Hi, Henrikas. We just happen to be lucky to be where we are and to have our size and abilities. At the same time, a lot depends on our teams, the coaches and other players, who help us show what we can do."
Hello Darjuš. You were amazing in Moscow last week and your brother Ksystof also played unstoppable in Zagreb. How long have you been talking by telephone with him after the game? We know that your telephone bills always are big!
Marius, Lithuania
"Thanks for the question, Marius. That night we talked for about 20 minutes. We talked about everything in general, though: our families as well as about basketball and our teams."
Hello, Darjuš. A month has passed since Eurobasket. Do you still think about it or have you forgotten and moved on?
Edvinas Straševičius - Kaunas, Lithuania
"Hi, Edvinas. I will never forget the last EuroBasket. We will remember that our whole lives. At the same time, I try to think more about the future and about better times."
 Hello Darius. I am a Panathinaikos fan. Real Madrid spent a lot of money this summer to return to the Final Four after 13 years. It reminds me actually of our rival, Olympiacos. Usually, it takes a few years for a team to be together to get to the top. Can Real break this tradition and get there sooner?
Vaggelis - Athens
"Thanks for such a good question. It's true that the road to the Final Four is long and will be difficult. But I believe in our coach and in our players, and we are going to do everything possible to reach the Final Four."
Darjus, you said before that you would be very happy to play on the same team with your brother, Ksistof. Don't you think that it would be hard to share the ball together?
Dovis Petkus - Lithuania
"Hi, Dovis. The truth is that I don't know, but given our ages now, I don't think that we would have problems. It's not so important how much one or the other of us would play. What would be important is that we achieve victories."
Darjus, when you were a boy, was it your dream to become a professional basketball player? Or something else?
Mindaugas Kavaliauskas - Lithuania
Thanks for your question, Mindaugas. I was always interested in sports. I tried several of them: swimming, volleyball, karate... Basketball is number one in Lithuania and I always wanted to play basketball and be a professional player, so I started to play basketball when I was 13 years old."
Hi Darjus. First of all, congratulations. When you were a child, in one-on-one games against your brother, Ksistof, who won the most?
Valerio D'Angelo - Italy
"Thanks, Valerio. One day my brother played better than me, and the next I was better then him. The one that was more active on a given day was the one who always won."
Hello from Kancenai, Lithuania. Where would you rather spend the last years of your career, playing in a Lithuanian club or in another country?
Arunas Jarusevicius - Lithuania
"Hello, Arunas. The best would be to finish my career in Lithuania, but at the moment I am not thinking about that. We'll see what happens in the future."
Hello Darjus. You know Lithuanian basketball very well. Tell us your thoughts about Lithuanian teams Lietuvos Rytas and Zalgiris. What can we except from them and how long they can go in the Euroleague this season, on your opinion? Regards,
Paulius Kutkaitis, Lithuania.
"Thanks for the question, Paulius. I think that the two teams have possibilities this season due to the fact that both have good coaches and good players. They will have to qualify for the Top 16 first, and then after it will depend on what shape their players are in, whether there are injuries...because neither of those teams has a very long bench."
Hello, Darjus. It was really nice to watch your start in Real Madrid. Please tell me more about your integration into this great club: accomodation, training, did you find friends already? By the way, have you met any Real Madrid football players?
Kestutis - Lithuania
"Thanks, Kestutis. I am very happy with all that I have in Madrid. They have accepted me very well and everyone helps us. The coaches and players have shown confidence in me. I try to relate with many of the players on the team, but my Lithuanian teammate Rimas Kaukenas helps me a lot, especially with the language, since everyone here speaks Spanish. He knows Italian very well and understands Spanish. As for the Real Madrid football players, I have seen some of them, but I haven't spoken with any yet."
Thanks everyone for your questions!
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