Trinchieri makes hilarious Lekavicius comment, likes Evans for Kaunas mayor / News - Basketnews.com

Zalgiris Kaunas head coach Andrea Trinchieri was on cloud nine after his team's blowout victory against EA7 Emporio Armani Milan, making humorous and insightful remarks in the post-game presser.

Credit: Erikas Ovčarenko/BNS Credit Erikas Ovčarenko/BNS

Andrea Trinchieri was in a decidedly good mood today after Zalgiris Kaunas made use of a fantastic second half to down EA7 Emporio Armani Milan 87-73 in Lithuania.

Free throws this season

80%12,5Points made:12,5Accuracy:80,5%Place in standings:14Record max:24Record min:1Most made FTs:Keenan EvansTeamEuroLeagueStatisticsSchedule

In a post-game press conference, the Italian specialist evaluated Edmond Sumner's season performance, believed Lukas Lekavicius could make for a serial killer, and fashioned a political career for Keenan Evans.

"What players I have... Not even the best director could write down this kind of story," Trinchieri started out. "We played against the hottest team right now, in the EuroLeague. They just won [against] Monaco, Fenerbahce. First half, we shot 4/16 open threes. I would say 10 of them were wide open, but we didn't make it. I said to my team we make two threes, it would be 'Arrivederci grazie,'" he said.

"Big aciu ['Thanks' in Lithuanian] to the whole Zalgirio Arena. They put us together, pushed us over the limit to play this kind of energetic game," the specialist then said, thanking the strong atmosphere in the Zalgirio Arena that helped to revitalize the team after a rather stagnant first-half performance.

Then, Trinchieri was asked to talk about Edmond Sumner's season and the strong performance of the American guard against Olimpia Milano today. Being the MVP of the game, Sumner had 17 points and 5 assists for a total of 28 PIR.

"I said to him, 'Where've you been for three months?' I am joking," Trinchieri began. "He's an extremely positive person. It is really pleasant to be around him. He's a talented player [but] he's a rookie for the EuroLeague," the coach said before elaborating on Sumner's rookie properties.

"He took a lot of time, [made] mistakes, [had] bad games. [He is] foul-prone, turnover-prone... We had this kind of performance in the game because some water has to go under the bridge and because he just wanted to be coached," Trinchieri explained. "I was hard on him, but I believe that this is the best reward I could get... I believe he is happy, too."

Another player who received praise from Trinchieri was Lukas Lekavicius. The Lithuanian guard contributed to Zalgiris's victory with 10 points and 1 assist on 4/5 field goal shooting, some of them coming at very critical points of the game.

"I believe he is our microwave. If you remember well, I consider him like our Vinnie Johnson from the Detroit Pistons," Trinchieri made a reference to the former NBA player, who was also known as "the Microwave."

"He goes, he scores, he goes back to the bench. His face never changes. I believe he could do two careers in his life: this kind of scorer or a serial killer," he joked in spectacular fashion. "I don't see anything else. He's very strong mentally, and I am very happy for him. And he knows that I like him."

Having fashioned a vastly distinct career for Lukas Lekavicius, Trinchieri was asked his thoughts on "Keenan Evans for Kaunas Mayor" posters that fans had prepared before the game.

"I believe he can do everything [at] this moment," he said with a smile.

Although its chances are quite low, Zalgiris kept itself alive for the play-in by blowing out Olimpia Milano. Trinchieri would like to enjoy the victory and be grateful for still being able to survive despite a highly chaotic season for the Lithuanian team.

"I am just very thankful to my players that we are still in the mix. This is the only thing that counts. Being alive is the only thing that counts," he said. "So, I want to regenerate my team, let them rest, and then we'll think about what to do. We have very few chances, but few is better than nothing," he concluded.

Zalgiris reached its 14th win of the season, improving its record to 14-18 and equalizing itself with Valencia Basket, Partizan Mozzart Bet Belgrade, and Olimpia Milano.

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