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Jasikevicius' time with Pacers was 'miserable'
by Kravitz

A year and a half after Jasikevicius came, he was gone, traded to the Golden State Warriors. Now, the point guard is back in Europe, playing for Greece's Panathinaikos and for Lithuania in international competition.

"I was pretty much miserable (in Indiana)," Jasikevicius said Thursday night after an emotional victory over Russia. "Those were bad times for me. Obviously."

Those were bad times for everybody connected to the Pacers organization. The team was in post-Reggie Miller, post-Brawl meltdown mode, falling apart on the court, off the court and in the stands.

http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/a ... 8/SPORTS04

Nothing too surprising, but I'm a little disappointed that Sarunas threw Rick under the bus blaming him for his lack of success in the league. With that said, I'd be very interested to here what he was to say in full disclosure.

These are the same things he was saying when he was still here. The problem Rick faced was that Saras was a PG who couldn't handle pressure, a shooting guard who couldn't shoot, and a team leader who never earned the respect of his teammates, so he just came off as a dick, and a basketball player who was completely defenseless.

Whether Rick was good or bad for Saras is a moot point, because the ultimate problem with Jasekivicius is that he was simply not good enough to play in the NBA.

Kravitz makes that point as well, and his time in Golden State confirmed that. He couldn't get any run under Nelson either, who ran and runs, a European type of style.

I met Sarunas on a few occasions and he was always pleasant, but you could tell he wasn't happy in Indiana. Only a handful of times did we see that fire he became famous for with Tel Aviv. However, like Count said...it would have been one thing if Runi couldn't play defense or handle pressure while shooting the lights out. But he struggled with his shot as well.

We do know that he can land a babe though...

pp I didnt see this posted so if you want to delete the other one I put up you can. Thanks. Also this doesnt surprise me. I was real surprised when we didn't play him, and I also remeber being mad when they told us they would run a fast tempo then didnt. I dont blame him. This sounds more like a problem with the coach not the organization. He did say how honorable donnie and bird were.

He was a great cheerleader in the playoffs when Golden State beat Dallas.

I always felt really bad for Sarunas. I thought he would have performed leaps and bounds better in an up tempo system but then he got traded to GSW and didnt get any burn. I never understood that. IDK maybe he just gave up on the league after his experience with us. He would have been the perfect backup to Nash in PHX. I think he was the closest skill set wise to Nash without being good enough for a starting role. Although he didnt turn out as well as planned with us I did enjoy Sarunas' time here in Indiana and I for one will be rooting for Lithuania to make it to the gold medal game and to take home silver. GO USA

Maybe the headline should read "Minor league star fizzles in bigs! Blames Coach." I never liked the guy as a player and he seemed like a jerk, just my impression. I think the biggest problem with Runi was he was hyped to be this great player and "best player in Europe." Then he comes here and can't beat out Anthony Johnson for minutes, maybe if they hadn't given him Dale Davis' paycheck and just signed him to a minny contract we wouldn't have expected so much.

But anyhow I'd like to say one thing to Runi, "We weren't very happy with you either."

He was a huge liability defensively, and his outside shot was pretty inconsistent. Pretty much a slower but bigger version of Travis Diener.

Its always funny when players don't realize that the reason why they aren't playing is because they're not good enough. They assume the coach has a grudge against them.

being a season ticket holder who goes to almost all the games, I can tell you that it wasn't all a matter of ability. that team was dysfunctional and you could see it. there were guys who just wouldn't pass the ball to certain people. Saras was one of the outsiders. the article mentions Fred Jones. I'd add Anthony Johnson. perhaps both resented a new guy being signed at their position but its also possible it was a racial thing. eventually Saras got out of rhythm and lost his confidence and his shot. was Rik at fault for not changing the offense? partially but he was also at fault for not being in control of the locker room. [insert Jim O'Brien's recent comments about the players needing to take ownership responsibility for the results of the team]

[quote][but its also possible it was a racial thing./quote]

Wizop, I don't believe so. Saras had shown tremendous leadership and ability in Israel, it just didn't workout as planned.

However, you're spot on in your assumption that Carlisle lost control. The coach is responsible for every little detail of anything surrounding his players, in regards to team chemistry.

count55 wrote:These are the same things he was saying when he was still here. The problem Rick faced was that Saras was a PG who couldn't handle pressure, a shooting guard who couldn't shoot, and a team leader who never earned the respect of his teammates, so he just came off as a dick, and a basketball player who was completely defenseless.

Whether Rick was good or bad for Saras is a moot point, because the ultimate problem with Jasekivicius is that he was simply not good enough to play in the NBA.

Testify! I saw Runi up close and personal in his GS stint. Don Nelson was universally loved by his players, and Runi couldn't do squat there either. It ain't Rick's fault.

Boneman2 wrote:

[but its also possible it was a racial thing./quote]

Wizop, I don't believe so. Saras had shown tremendous leadership and ability in Israel, it just didn't workout as planned.

just to be clear, I'm not saying Saras might have had racial issues. I'm saying race may have been a factor in some of the black players not wanting to give him the ball. whatever the reason was, I'm sure there were players that were freezing him out and that it wasn't just a coaching thing. in that era the team had it's cliques and you could see it on the court.

PacersRule07 wrote:He was a huge liability defensively, and his outside shot was pretty inconsistent. Pretty much a slower but bigger version of Travis Diener.

Bingo.

I was a huge fan of Saras, and believe it or not, it was before he even signed with the Pacers. I saw alot of "Reggie" in him when he played in Europe. I heard of him, but didn't care much, then he showed me alot for Lithuania , and then i heard Larry Bird was in Europe checking out some games and his game was one he saw. From that point on, a full season, i watched him and hoped that maybe he'd be a Pacer. When we announced him as a signing, i quickly pre-ordered a jersey.

However, his time here was a huge disappointment. On defense, i think most people knew what we were getting. What disappointed me most, was the lack of him driving in. He was too afraid to drive in. Confidence is a huge part of the game. Only way to get confidence is to put points on the scoreboard and to get playing time, which you do, by getting points. Saras never drove in, he didn't have the skill, despite having it in Europe. Seemed like he was afraid here. Means he's best tool wasn't used, free throws. A player of his caliber of shooting, should have like 8 points a game from the line, then like 10-12 from field goals and layups. When he's on, it should be more. Not only the 8pt, but also it makes the interior defenders to get into foul trouble.

Saras relied on his jumper. When he didn't go in, he didn't score much, and his defense was poor.

He can't make excuses. It wasn't Rick Carlisle's fault. It was his own. I'm still a fan of his, i wish him the best and watch when Olympiakos play on NBA TV, but, he was a huge failure and it was on;y his fault.

Meh... Old news... But my time while Saras was a Pacer was miserable too... But I have not complained...