Maciulis offers blunt criticism to struggling Zalgiris: 'All we have are good guys who just stand there and look with kitten eyes' / News - Basketnews.com

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After not getting Zalgiris Kaunas invitation to come back in the summer, Jonas Maciulis is clear with his disappointment and open criticism towards the club's general manager Paulius Motiejunas during a difficult period in the Euroleague for the Lithuanian club.

Free throws this season

79%10,2Points made:10,2Accuracy:78,6%Place in standings:15Record max:20Record min:4Most made FTs:Lukas LekavičiusTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

Maciulis made a guest appearance on the Delfi TV show "Krepsinio zona" where he remembered the summer negotiations and criticized Motiejunas' midweek interview where the GM answered Zalgiris fans' questions.

"Motiejunas is continuing to hide, and he's only appearing in those conferences where all questions are predetermined," Maciulis noted. "One guy wrote to me that he's like Zalgiris' Vladimir Putin in that he only answers preplanned questions, I even started laughing. He should explain the matter in a live press conference.

The situation pains me not because of the players that play in my position, but because I was not given a chance to end my career in Zalgiris. I talked with Motiejunas, and I believe that I could have gotten the chance, but somehow it didn't happen. It makes me depressed to see who plays in the team now."

Talking about the current situation of the Lithuanian powerhouse, the current Nevezis-Optibet Kedainiai consultant looked back into the offseason errors while gathering the team.

"Zalgiris collected a lot of good guys who are well-composed. Unfortunately, this strategy pays off only when everything clicks.

When you encounter a rougher patch during the season, you need those tough guys who can show emotion and motivate the team to ease the psychological burden and get back onto the winning road," Maciulis was blunt.

"Now all we have are good guys who just stand there and look with kitten eyes, and nobody wants to take responsibility and lead the team," he added.

Former Zalgiris player also noted that Kaunas club lacks character on the court and made himself clear that you can't win with good guys.

"Good guys don't play basketball, you need a little bit of character, and we don't see that here. Huge errors were made during the offseason. I have no idea what criteria were met while picking some players.

I'd love for Motiejunas to explain to me directly what he saw in some of the players during the summer, I'd love to ask some additional questions afterward. Sadly, I see that it's not going to happen, because a live press conference is not something the GM wants to do," Maciulis concluded.

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