# Sabas in Zalgiris!



## Zalgirinis (Feb 18, 2003)

I hope this time for real and not like it was season before, when he took year off and joined Zalgiris, but didnt played a game.

He talked in Kaunas munacipality about Zalgiris, cause he and town are co-owners of club, talked about this season, congratulated palyers and coaches for winning LKL and so on. And in last minute he said: "I want to add few more words <...> So I was thinking, thinking and decided - I have enough of those america's, Zalgiris needs my help for next season. The team is quite good here and just if we strengthen a little bit more - I believe we could play good in Euroleague too. Together we can make everything. Thank you all one more time!"


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## Crazy Fan From Idaho (Dec 31, 2002)

Everyone's heart must have stopped when they heard him say that!

Well, Arvydas, you have been a good warrior and fought the good fight. I just wish you could have won an NBA championship......

All of us Blazer fans will miss you a great deal.


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## Zalgirinis (Feb 18, 2003)

Thanks for your kind words CFFI 

O.K., here's the speech of Sabas translated by one of my friends:

Held 29 May 2003 in the Council of Kaunas City.

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Most honoured members of the Council,

Today I'd like to address you like old friends - simply "Dear Kaunas
pals!" - because I've got a reason for that.

I came back to my city after some longer break, and everything seems
so nice and lovely to me here. Though I know that not everyone is having
it easy here these days ...

Me, as always - I'd like to talk about the thing that I've devoted my
life to, which is nearest to my heart, which I know best. I guess
there's no need to explain what I have in mind.

This year I came back to Kaunas in an especially good mood: the
wheather is gorgeous, the gardens are all in bloom, and fish will
hopefully bite well. But most importantly - things have started to turn
better for "Zalgiris". You see the everyday matters of our basketball
day in day out and know better than me. I just spot bigger chances
from afar. And I'm especially glad that changes did come this year,
and almost all of them are good.

It is a pity I couldn't shake hands to all the champions of the
Lithuanian Basketball League - many of them are away from Kaunas right
now. But the most important thing is that "Zalgiris" not only survived
this season which has been very tough for a number of reasons - the
team also managed to settle in a rather assured way the bills with
Vilnius for former grievances. The "Zalgiris", as they played in
Lithuanian Basketball League and Euroleague after the New Year, could
have done much not only in Lithuania but also in Europe. It's a pity,
of course, that all things hit the right track somewhat too late, but
good foundation has been laid for the future, so there'll be victories
in Europe. And maybe - quite soon.

I think I'll have a chance to meet all the guys from "Zalgiris" later
and thank them. Well today, I'd like to take this chance and
sincerely thank you, my dear Kaunas pals - members of the Council and
all the citizens of our city - for taking the decision to help our
basketballers, for sharing their grievances and joys.

When I remember my times, I can only envy the present "Zalgiris".
Today it is really the team of all our city - KAUNAS. And the
victories of "Zalgiris" - presently and in the future - are victories
of all Kaunas people, and not just one club!

Your decision to help "Zalgiris" and to take a direct part in life of
the club was of extreme importance not only because of objective
financial strains which arose not because of the club. This decision
has become also a very serious guarantee of the club's future. I
learnt from the Euroleague boss Jordi Bertomeu himself that he was
greatly impressed by the pledge of Kaunas City and Kaunas District
to support "Zalgiris" for several years and by the serious
considerations concerning the construction of a new
international-level sporting arena over here. These commitments of
yours greatly contributed to the decision of Euroleague to include
"Zalgiris" into the list of 16 most important European clubs. All
these clubs will have long-term guarantees to participate in
Euroleague. I am sure that your generous decision to help the team,
which represents our city, will be remembered with gratefulness for
long years by all the fans of basketball.

I thank you for all you've done, and from my part would like to prompt
you not only to continue this co-operation, but also to search for
other possible ways to support "Zalgiris" and the youth basketball
school which prepares the next generation of basketballers: maybe to
encourage some sponsors, maybe to expedite the construction of
sporting facilities.

To wind up, I'd like to say a couple of words personally from me. I
don't like being in debt for long time. After what you've done and -
I'm sure - will do for the team, I feel that it's time that I
contributed to the revival of "Zalgiris" in Europe. So ... I thought
for some time and I reckoned - enough of Americas for me, it's time to
help "Zalgiris" next season. A decent team has been built, if it's
strengthened somewhat, we could make quite a nice showing in
Euroleague. Together, we can really do much.

Thank you all again!


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