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Fearless forecast with a friend in mind

Thu, 01 May 2008 12:22:32 GMT

I'm a little disappointed not to be seeing a Final Four as a player, because we would have liked to take a shot at making it. We understand that we did a good job for a good part of the season, but the facts are that our campaign ended in the Top 16 and that wasn't where we were aiming for or feel we should have been. We had injuries of course, but it's still disappointing because every player wants to be part of a Final Four, so I'll just content myself with trying to analyze the series a bit and risk some predictions for you.

In the first semifinal, Montepaschi against Maccabi, looking at the way the season has unfolded and the form of each team lately, I have to go with Siena. They've shown a nice style of basketball, honestly, and they seem very deep, with all options covered. As good as Maccabi's history is – and obviously I hesitate to write them off because of their great history of success at this time of the seasons – my gut feeling is that Montepaschi is really on form so I have to take them. I saw them only sparingly this season, but the times I did, they really impressed me a lot. They knew how to handle themselves, and their results speak for themselves. What they have managed to accomplish convinces me that they will have a good shot at winning, but nobody can count out Maccabi, of course.

In the second semifinal, CSKA Moscow against Tau Ceramica, for me it's a sure pick. I definitely think that CSKA will win that one. Especially in the big-man department, I like CSKA. The guards may even themselves out, because they are great on both teams. For me, though, the big guys of CSKA – David Andersen, Matjaz Smodis and Marcus Goree – stand apart. They force all sorts of different matchups on any opponent that make them very difficult to stop. I think that's where the game will be won.

If I am right, and it's Montepaschi and CSKA in the final, I think that it will be a great game to watch. One of the reasons I choose them is that, as a fan, I would love to see that game. I also feel it would be hard to pick one or the other, but I would have to go with CSKA based on their experience and big-time play. Their guys have done it at really clutch moments before, so I would pick CSKA just to edge out Siena for the title.

Of course, I am a little biased, but if I had to pick an MVP candidate, for sure there's one guy for me: David Andersen. I have a feeling he's going to be the man for the team I pick to win it all, CSKA, even though there are quite a few guys on that team with lots of experience. I've been egging him on lately to step up and get that done, and he's definitely on that level of MVP candidate. As my teammate on the Australian national team, of course, I hope it happens for him this weekend in Madrid and I wish him luck getting through.

The Big Boys - minus one

Tue, 29 Jan 2008 09:44:19 GMT

So with just one game left to finish the Regular Season the position we find ourselves in is fairly familiar. Two years ago we needed a road win in the final game to secure the first spot in our group. Unfortunately, we lost that game to Prokom and finished third, instead. I hope that the outcome will be different this year and we can position ourselves as a top seed in the Top 16. On a personal note, I can only cheer the boys on when we face Cibona as I injured myself in last week's win against Unicaja and will be sidelined for a few weeks.

As with previous blogs, I'm going to introduce the last of my teammates - the Big Boys.

Lietuvos Rytas has enjoyed great success in its relatively short existence, and only one player has been there through it all - Andrius Slezas. "Sleza", as we call him, is the best perimeter-shooting big man I've played with. For three seasons, I've matched up with him in practice, and hardly a day goes by when he doesn't punish me with a three-point bomb for giving him too much space. The boy from Jonysks has seen decreased minutes this year but as we see every time he steps on court, Sleza is still very much appreciated by the fans and his teammates.

Staying with the "four" position, I move on to Kenan Bajramovic. The big Bosnian is new to the team this year and has been a key contributor in more than one game. Kenan has a well-rounded offensive game and is just as tough on the perimeter as inside. Kenan is always good for a laugh off the court, too, which I always welcome. Whether it comes in his interaction with Sleza or Hollis, his consistent questioning of waiters, or from one of his views of the world, it's never dull when Kenan's around.

Moving on to the paint fillers - our "five" men. One of the major reasons for our position in the Euroleague right now is Marijonas Petravicius. The big fella's ability to out-run and out-rebound the other centres, coupled with how well he finishes at the basket, have helped us to victory in many games. Probably Marius's biggest strength is his basketball IQ. He understands that setting a good pick and running your lane hard has its rewards. I have played with many guys who miss that point miserably. Away from basketball, the big boy's pretty laid back, and although he gets sick of the Aussie guy blabbering, he's normally up for a bit of poker on the PSP, something he is new to. Unfortunately for me, he's a quick learner!

The next BIG boy is JP Batista, a native of Brazil. JP came here last year after completing four years at Gonzaga University in the States. This has been a tough season for him right from the beginning. In one of his first practices this season, he hurt his ankle pretty good. After a lot of rehab and hard work, he is fully fit and trying to find his spot in the rotation. It is a difficult situation, but JP has handled it very professionally, and that's a credit to him.

Last but not least is Michailis Anisimovas. Misha is a young guy with a lot of natural talent and is very athletic for his size. With a bit of hard work, I think Misha could become an imposing figure in Rytas's frontcourt for years to come. The language barrier causes some problems with communication between Misha and myself. Most of our conversations are conducted with our hands or with a teammate translating. However, it...

Halfway through, and not unhappy

Mon, 10 Dec 2007 20:33:11 GMT

Well, here we are at the halfway mark of the group stage and although there is a lot of work to be done we are obviously not unhappy to be sharing the first spot in Group B. After enjoying early success and then losing two in a row to a hungry Efes and a talented Unicaja, it was good to bounce back with such a convincing team win against Cibona.

In keeping with my previous blogs, I'm going to continue to introduce my teammates. This time it's all about our perimeter players. Starting off with Mindaugas Lukauskis, who is a veteran of Rytas and has been a part of lots of success here. He lifted the ULEB Cup trophy in 2005 and was part of the last Euroleague team of Rytas that did so well. Minda's athleticism makes him an exciting player to watch as he's always good for a few steals and dunks down the lane. Joining him in the starting lineup is one of our star recruits, Chuck Eidson. After being on the receiving end of some of his offensive talents last year with Strasbourg, I much prefer watching Chuck dunk on some big guy or turning a guy inside out and knowing those points are going to my team. I also think he has done a great job of fitting in after early injuries hampered his start to the season. Next Arturas Jomantas, the boy from Mazeikiai. Watching Joma's development over the last three years has been impressive. He's gone from a guy who didn't quite make our squad in 2005 to being Euroleague MVP for Week 2. With hard work, I believe his rise will continue.

Last but not least, we have the hometown hero, Martynas Gecevicius. He joined our squad in the middle of last year as our 13th man. I was quite surprised they gave this spot to a 28-year-old guy instead of a kid. I was soon informed that I had misjudged his age by a decade and although he shaves daily was just a spring chicken of 18 years. Martynas is a phenomenal shooter, which was highlighted by him winning the Three-Point Shootout last year in the Baltic Basketball League, and with the experience he will continue to show his talent. I believe he will grow into a very important player for Rytas for many years to come.

As this is my last blog until the new year, I would like to wish everyone a Merry Xmas and give a special HAPPY 1st BIRTHDAY to my little girl Gemma on December 27.

Take care.

Give thanks to our guards, so far

Sun, 11 Nov 2007 17:08:02 GMT

With the blink of an eye, we're three weeks into the Euroleague regular season. With three wins - including two on the road - obviously we at Lietuvos Rytas are happy with our start, especially seeing that those games have been played without some of our key players. Despite our success so far, we know we have quality opposition ahead of us and therefore aren't looking any further ahead than this week's home game against Aris, the team we are tied with for first place in Group B

After boring you with some background on myself in the last blog, I thought I'd introduce you to our point guards this time. First, I have to mention our captain, Roberts Stelmahers, who has been the heart and soul of this club for several years. Unfortunately, we have been without his services since mid-preseason due to a knee injury. However, even in an off-court role, he still contributes enormously to the team, given his wealth of experience. He still manages to entertain us with his wacky Latvian humour, which is much needed in a long, drawn-out season. So after losing such an important member of our team, we were fortunate to have recruited Hollis Price, who has stepped up and ran this team remarkably well. The New Orleans native is a top bloke (that's Australian for 'good guy') who fits into the team dynamics with ease. We saw proof of his reputation, too, when he received a standing ovation from the crowd at Le Mans, one of his previous teams, last week. He responded by dropping 24 points and coming up with clutch plays down the stretch that got us over the line in that game. Our newest addition to the team is Darrel Mitchell. Given that he joined the team well into our preparations, he has done a fantastic job of finding his niche within the team. He plays the game with considerable strength, considering his size, and isn't afraid to mix it with the big boys.

To finish off my blog, I'd like to give special mention to Mindaugas Lukauskis for his super-human effort against Milan when we won against Armani Jeans in Week 1, the victory that gave us momentum until now. Few would know that he was in hospital until the wee small hours of the morning of game day after having collided with Martynas Gecevicius in training the night before. In what I believe was a pre-conceived plan by Martynas for extra minutes, he head-butted Minda and gave him eight stitches above the eye. In other words, we have a lot of tough guys on the perimeter. You gotta like that.

I look forward to my next blog, hopefully with more wins on the board!