Marius Grigonis has returned to Žalgiris Kaunas after 4 seasons with Panathinaikos, a turbulent interval that in the end ended with him turning into a EuroLeague champion.
Wanting again on his expertise in Athens, Grigonis described it as “organized chaos.” His relationship with former head coach Ergin Ataman was notably distant.
“I would really like you to seek out at the least one participant who has a relationship with him. He utterly separates himself from the gamers. He chooses that place. There is no such thing as a communication.”
That turned particularly evident throughout Grigonis’ remaining season. After getting back from a prolonged absence attributable to again issues, he acquired restricted enjoying time and infrequently had little concept whether or not he would even be wanted for video games.
“With Ataman, it doesn’t work like that,” Grigonis defined.
“I would go away after apply, go dwelling, after which get a name: ‘Come to the airport. It’s a must to journey to the sport,’” he recalled. “Or I’d come to the locker room and, 25 minutes earlier than the sport, they’d deliver me my uniform and inform me I used to be wanted.”
Regardless of the uncertainty, Grigonis tried to stay skilled.
“I checked out it as: I’m right here and I’ll attempt to do my job,” he mentioned. “My contract is to assist the workforce. In fact, I complained rather a lot and gave my opinion, however after they wanted me, I used to be prepared.”
His early expertise at Panathinaikos was equally troublesome, with tensions contained in the workforce and criticism from supporters.
“Within the locker room, everybody was combating and telling one another off,” Grigonis recalled. “The coach would go away somebody out of the workforce. Our personal followers would curse us. They’d spit at us. You’ll stroll down the road and folks would say issues to you.”
Solely a 12 months later, Panathinaikos had remodeled into EuroLeague champions.
“One 12 months they have been cursing you, and the subsequent they have been carrying you on their shoulders as a result of we had gained the EuroLeague,” Grigonis mentioned.
The eagerness surrounding basketball in Athens additionally left an enduring impression.
“We discuss fanaticism in Kaunas and Žalgiris, however there all the things is on one other degree,” he mentioned. “They’re really loopy. They don’t even have to drink beer to be like that. That’s simply how they’re naturally.”
