Sarunas Jasikevicius dodges Barcelona talk, laughs off rumors / News - Basketnews.com

Sarunas Jasikevicius maintained silence about his departure from Barcelona: "I was taught that if you don't have something good to say, it's better not to speak."

Credit: Tolga Adanali via Getty Images Credit Tolga Adanali via Getty Images

In just one week since taking on the role in Istanbul, coach Sarunas Jasikevicius and the Fenerbahce Beko club have been on a positive trajectory, securing three victories in as many games -- two in the EuroLeague and one domestically.

"We are thrown into the fire, and at the same time, we need to take points because the situation in the standings is not very good," Saras told BasketNews' Lukas Malinauskas and other Lithuanian media members about the challenging situation. "Of course, it's a difficult period for me and the players because absolutely everyone is thrown into the fire."

Fenerbahce's recent success includes a comeback win against Zalgiris Kaunas on Wednesday, where the Turkish team trailed by 14 points (26-40) but emerged victorious with a narrow 80-78 win, thanks to an incredible Tyler Dorsey's 2+1 play and a decisive missed shot by Keenan Evans.

"I didn't think about Zalgiris," Jasikevicius responded when asked how last week's events could have shaken the Lithuanian champions. "In this situation, there is not much time to think about the opponent. I really want to bring in my own stuff; lots of problems.

"Of course, you prepare against a switching defense; we don't know how to play against it, and the ball stops very quickly. A lot of things. You have to suffer and work. There is no other way."

Reflecting on the whirlwind pace and players' response to his ideas, Jasikevicius shared the following:

"I try not to introduce too many things, but I already want something," he pointed out. "Nobody knows if you confuse them [players] even more, but they say they understand. Of course, when there are stressful situations in the game, it is more difficult to understand. I emphasize that it is necessary to suffer."

Addressing the decision to join Fenerbahce, Saras revealed that he had initially not planned to coach this season.

"This year, there was no idea to work at all, despite your wrong information about other teams. You [journalists] really get angry when someone tells you this, but you need more responsibility.

"Friends called, they say: 'Why didn't you take 1.5 million from Zalgiris?' I say: 'Interesting' (smiles).

"You [Lithuanian journalists] are sore when Zalgiris got angry with you, but you also have to take some responsibility for false news because, especially in Lithuania, people expect correct information from you.

"There was no idea to work this year, but it would be difficult to refuse 1.5 million from Zalgiris (smiles)."

Regarding potential changes in Fenerbahce, Jasikevicius emphasized that it should primarily be the management's decision, considering the limited time he had to assess the situation.

"I can't make an overall picture of the team in a week," the 47-year-old stressed. "I read the rumors, but in most situations, it's funny, and that's it. As I say, everyone wants to be smarter and faster, to get additional clicks."

Last but not least, Jasikevicius chose not to delve into details about his time with FC Barcelona and the parting ways in the summer.

"I don't even want to talk about Barcelona. Maybe the time will come [and] I will say something. But I was taught that if you don't have something good to say, it's better not to speak."

Fenerbahce-Zalgiris highlights:

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