LTU NT and JV at the 2015 European Championship

[Just Passing By]

And the interview with the NT coach Kazlauskas (the guy who was critical of JV during the summer where he gained a lot of weight - turns out he was right, so respect his opinion )

Source: http://www.krepsinis.net/naujiena/j-kazlauskas-ivardijo-kada-atsisakys-pirmuju-triju-zaideju-paslaugu/252973#4791-129784

There are some pictures there, but none are great to see those changes in JVs body.

I am only translating JV related questions for now, don't have the time for more:

Journalist: Will it be hard to integrate JV in to the team? (Note: the team has been practising together without JV for a while now)

Coach: Now we will have to spend some practices during revision. However, he was with us in the previous years, so some stuff will be the same and he hasn't forgotten it.

Journalist: does Jonas look ready? (Note: I think he means physically)

Coach: He seems ready (Note: this is pretty big coming from his mouth considering the previous summers, must mean that JV looks quite good), but we will see during play-practices. Now we had a different type of practice, so can't tell for sure.

Journalist: will you use JV in the upcoming game vs Finland?

Coach: I am not sure about this next game, but the future games, for sure. I am not sure since we didn't have the evening play-practice, I will make up my mind then.

[Just Passing By]

http://www.delfi.lt/sportas/eurobasket/paskutinis-rinktine-papildes-j-valanciunas-atvyko-su-nauju-bagazu.d?id=68671570

This is a more detailed version of the same interview, also some new pictures, but again none are great. Doesn't look ripped though, but also doesn't seem to have a belly

I am not going to translate the same things, but some extra stuff that wasn't in the other source:

1. JV says he spent most of his time in Toronto working on his shooting technique, at a request from the Raptors.

2. Says he is simply trying to eat very healthy, not on any particular diet.

3. Coach says that JV was heavily critiqued for his defense in two on two (pick'n'roll and pick'n'pop) situations, we will only see whether he has improved in that aspect during the friendly games.

[Just Passing By]

I was making an ironic reference to that post.

At first I was like



But then I was like

Is the great tank commander playing for Lithuania this year?

Nope, not playing. He is just a shell of himself after injuries and honestly, as far as basketball skills go, he won't be missed. However, he always provided an edge and a sense of camaraderie, as seen in those gifs, so we will miss that

[Thespianoid]

Journalist: Everyone sees big changes in your body. Can you elaborate on them?

JV: Nothing major. It wasn't some sort of weight loss, simply taking care of my body.

Welp. There it is.

Hopefully there are big changes in how he moves on the court, because it's incredibly crucial to how his career pans out going forward.

[RaptorHusky]

Journalist: Everyone sees big changes in your body. Can you elaborate on them?

JV: Nothing major. It wasn't some sort of weight loss, simply taking care of my body.

Welp. There it is.

Hopefully there are big changes in how he moves on the court, because it's incredibly crucial to how his career pans out going forward.

Left - JV on last year NT camp, right - yesterday. Less fat on belly?

[Thespianoid]

Journalist: Everyone sees big changes in your body. Can you elaborate on them?

JV: Nothing major. It wasn't some sort of weight loss, simply taking care of my body.

Welp. There it is.

Hopefully there are big changes in how he moves on the court, because it's incredibly crucial to how his career pans out going forward.

Left - JV on last year NT camp, right - yesterday

hard to see a difference really, but who knows if he'll move better on the court. Still hope he's lost a bit of excess upper body (chest) weight. Looking at most of the NBA bigs they really don't have that much upper body mass.

[MixxSRC]

kinda looks the same. this is him last year

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QYbZjAt8rwg[/youtube]

[Dirk]

What is Siskauskas up to these days? I loved watching him play.

[DBA]

What is Siskauskas up to these days? I loved watching him play.

Fathers time got to him

[Jstock12]

What is Siskauskas up to these days? I loved watching him play.

He has retired from professional basketball in 2012. He hasn't played for Lithuanian national team since maybe 2008 or 2009. We have a prospect now who's pretty similar in the way Siska used to play though.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cHiqMi-QUnk[/youtube]

[UcanUwill]

I actually think Martynas Varnas is more like Siska. I was hyping this guy for a few weeks now, 6'6, above average athlete, can handle the ball, drives both to the right and to the left, likes pick and roll, and can dish a beautiful pass. A playmaking wing basically.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxZx88ipaF4[/youtube]

[SwiftyV]

Any idea if this is on tv anywhere in US?

on TV, probably not. There SHOULD be a high quality stream, but it might be limited to Lithuania, in which case a proxy would be needed. There will definitely be regular quality streams though

Thanks, JPB. Would you post the links to those streams when you come across them for games? Proxy is no issue for me.

[cruwinas]

I actually think Martynas Varnas is more like Siska. I was hyping this guy for a few weeks now, 6'6, above average athlete, can handle the ball, drives both to the right and to the left, likes pick and roll, and can dish a beautiful pass. A playmaking wing basically.

[youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XxZx88ipaF4[/youtube]

Pretty good. Important thing is - don't lose athleticism, avoid injuries.

Can finish with a contact. Good.

[UcanUwill]

Pretty good. Important thing is - don't lose athleticism, avoid injuries.

Can finish with a contact. Good.

I also like how he sets his feet before shooting, looks very promising to me.

Anyway, Jonas will NOT play in tomorrows game.

[deeps6x]

inb4 the flood of small ball/dwane casey jokes.

Are they really Casey 'jokes'? I'm sure most of the people who post about him are dead serious in what they say.

[Dirk]

Are all Raptor games shown in Lithuania? What's the general sense regarding the Raptors? Is it widely believed/discussed like here that coach Casey has an agenda against JV? Just how big is JV there anyway, one of the most famous people in the country? Was it a national shame to see him whipped by a Polish man? I always hear how basketball is the national sport but I am kind of curious if it's the equivalent of how lunatic other countries are about their football/soccer players.

[Jstock12]

Are all Raptor games shown in Lithuania? What's the general sense regarding the Raptors? Is it widely believed/discussed like here that coach Casey has an agenda against JV? Just how big is JV there anyway, one of the most famous people in the country? Was it a national shame to see him whipped by a Polish man? I always hear how basketball is the national sport but I am kind of curious if it's the equivalent of how lunatic other countries are about their football/soccer players.

Lithuanians mostly follow the national team and Zalgiris, the team playing in the Euroleague. NBA has fans there but it's nowhere near close to what is going on when the Lithuanian national team is playing. Not even comparable... The fans that do follow the NBA, do not really watch it much, not live anyway, and I think are broken up into two camps, ones that are thinking that the coach is to blame and the ones that think JV is being benched for a reason. JV is still pretty big, so is Motiejunas, Meilutyte (swimming prodigy). Sabonis' kid is also gaining some hype.

[Rappid]

To add to Jstock12 post, I'd say JV is certainly a very recognizable face but for the most part fans are ready to throw
anyone under the bus incase they underperformed, including JV. As for the Raptors, the younger crowd seem to follow them,
the older crowd tho only care for the national team. Team will play a game today, as mention JV will not be signed for the game. Can't wait to see him on the floor tho.

[cruwinas]

The fans that do follow the NBA, do not really watch it much, not live anyway, and I think are broken up into two camps, ones that are thinking that the coach is to blame and the ones that think JV is being benched for a reason.

No camping here. Casey is a bad coach, no matter what races, nationalities, veterans or rookies, superstars or prospects play for him. He is not fit to be a coach in NBA, max for him here - to be a decent assistant.

[iktuz]

Welp. There it is.

Hopefully there are big changes in how he moves on the court, because it's incredibly crucial to how his career pans out going forward.

Left - JV on last year NT camp, right - yesterday

hard to see a difference really, but who knows if he'll move better on the court. Still hope he's lost a bit of excess upper body (chest) weight. Looking at most of the NBA bigs they really don't have that much upper body mass.

I think last summer's weight is the most perfect for JV. He was faster and more athletic than he was during the NBA season (since he gained a bit of weight during the season). Now that he said he's having a healthy diet, I expect him to keep the body through the season as well. I love watching JV on national team, since he's not afraid to try out new things there.