Public criticism of M. Balčiūnas this year began after the Lithuanian national team’s loss at the end of the first stage of the World Championship qualifiers. At that time, the country’s twelve lost to Italy, and the chance to qualify for the world championships became very slim.
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M. Balčiūnas keeps trying to smooth over the situation, which only angers people more, who demand the president’s accountability.
Waves of criticism poured in. 15min interviewed longtime national team player Jonas Mačiulis, who said he had “never seen” such things before. On his social media account, Kaunas “Žalgiris” manager Paulius Motiejūnas stated that M. Balčiūnas “lacks a sense of reality.”
Now longtime Lithuanian men’s national team scout Benas Matkevičius shared a long post on his social media “Facebook” account, where he expresses his opinion about the divided atmosphere in Lithuanian basketball.
Having won the NBA with the “Boston Celtics,” B. Matkevičius was outraged by the current situation. The “B8 Summit” organizer raised a rhetorical question in his post: “How much longer?”
Since when…
Since when do we support people/a person/a federation that is actually turned away and not communicating with 95% of the basketball ELITE? Is this supposed to be a system and growth with potential? Can you build your future on such foundations? Without basketball people and their legacy?
Since when do we think about how we didn’t qualify for the championships and that next year we’ll do something? Do we really need to live to the point where we are at the bottom so we can rebuild everything from scratch, cleanly? Maybe a new path, new winds, new emotions with a new generation, freshness, and enthusiasm that we haven’t seen in a long time (in power) would be good.
I grew up watching our legends through “Šilelis,” in the village, playing all summer through all the championships. They inspired me to be better and strive for greatness. Maybe my body couldn’t handle it and broke down, but my soul still burns and will burn for a long time.
And now we talk about how the future generation, growing young people, will watch the national team play for a spot in the pre-qualifiers. Damn… since when?
Since when did we stop thinking about our future and where everything is going? This is a question about vision. We look more at how to save today’s dramas and challenges instead of caring about the future and building a proper system for all basketball, not just for ourselves… to protect our future from all angles.
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What impression did we make on our young players who came for the first time and maybe we won’t see them for a long time because of this? What culture did we show? That this is “normal” like this…? They already have something to compare their experiences with, and we certainly don’t show them our best face.
Since when did we start asking players to come and have to negotiate conditions? JV, who hasn’t missed a single summer without a specific reason, has missed a minimal number of games during his national team career, refuses to play simply because… he refuses. But basically, I would deeply support the idea that in this case, not playing for such a federation is to support JUSTICE. I’m not so much for justice as I am AGAINST INJUSTICE. I don’t know JV’s reasons; this is just a fact that he won’t be there.
I believe this is an ethical challenge for all coaches and players: to save the national team and save the federation at the same time or to sink both and start anew… A very difficult question. Is it possible to separate that the coach cares about the sports part, and the opposition works to convince that the “system” doesn’t really have potential? I find it very hard to imagine how a coach can work in this chaos. The “guys” have already done their job, they repaid generously for Puerto Rico…
There is a well-known psychological question about a moving train. The train runs on the main track, which will definitely kill 5 people. You can switch tracks and direct it to another path where one person will die. Both scenarios are bad. Do you actively intervene and change the course of events, or do nothing and leave everything to fate? Sometimes letting the system collapse naturally may be the only way to later build something stronger and healthier, sometimes not. A question for everyone.
Since when do we allow the institution to waste government and sponsors’ money anywhere? Everyone should care where your/our money goes and who uses what. Since when?
Since when do we change commentators and show initiative to control the narrative? It smells a bit like the past… I won’t say the word, but you know what I mean… (I don’t know the new commentator who was forced into the position, but basically, I feel sorry for him because how do you feel if you are given a place from above and you can’t even say your thoughts? You know what it smells like…
Since when do we talk to walls…? Well, by the way. Maybe it’s typical somewhere… but whatever.
Since when do we fight with mediocrities without a big basketball history? Yes, everyone can play these days, of course, but where will it lead? What will be the next step? The example of Croatia is very fresh – they started from the bottom. Or maybe that’s good. Again, to build everything on stronger foundations, with culture, character, ambitions, and the desire to be better, to grow every day and always with the new generation, to show them the way, to put them on track so that we can be ELITE again someday. To really see who supports, who wants, who burns, and who are true friends.
Since when?
Or is it better to ask – “how much longer”?
