http://www.indystar.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20050717/SPORTS04/507170425 Pacers may lack needed funds With James Jones, Davis also on wish list, Indiana may be outbid for Lithuanian guard. By Mark Montieth mark.montieth@indystar.com Indiana Pacers president Larry Bird has proved his devotion to Sarunas Jasikevicius of Lithuania by making sojourns to Europe to scout and meet the guard. Whether Bird has enough influence and -- more importantly -- available funds to woo the point guard, however, could be determined this week. Free agent signings and trades can be executed beginning Friday, if the new collective bargaining agreement is finalized by then. With the premier free agent guards having reached agreements, Jasikevicius has moved closer to the forefront of desirable catches. The Pacers remain in contention but have competition from teams that might have more money to spend. Cleveland, Portland, Houston, Dallas and Seattle are among the teams believed to have interest in the 29-year-old, who has gained rock-star fame in Europe after starring in the Olympics and leading his Tel Aviv, Israel, team to the past two Euroleague titles. Jasikevicius' agent, Doug Neustadt, is seeking a three-year, $10 million contract. The Pacers could afford such a deal with a portion of their midlevel exception, which allows them to award a contract of about $5 million next season. They also want to re-sign free agents Dale Davis and James Jones, however, which presents the challenge of fitting three players into one hole. "They're just waiting to get the best offer," Bird said of Jasikevicius and Neustadt. "There's not much we can do." The Pacers' primary competition for Jasikevicius appears to be Cleveland, which is seeking a starting point guard and has $5 million-6 million left to spend on free agents. The Cavaliers have reached an agreement to re-sign center Zydrunas Ilgauskas, a fellow Lithuanian and a longtime friend of Jasikevicius. The two reportedly attended the recent Wimbledon tennis championship together. "It's nice that he's friends with Ilgauskas, but he's not making a decision based on that," Neustadt said. "Anytime Larry Bird's interested in a player, it has to carry some weight. Sarunas is very pleased that Larry likes him as a player. "(The Pacers) would be an interesting fit. They're on the brink of doing some things." Davis has reported interest from teams such as Seattle, New Jersey, Cleveland and Philadelphia, but it remains unclear what salary he will command. Davis earned more than $10 million last season in the final year of a contract he signed with the Pacers in 2000, but at 36 he faces a major pay cut. Just how big remains to be seen. "Dale has a great fondness for the Pacers, but (a new contract) has to be a fair value," his agent Chubby Wells said. "Like anything else, we're going to look at all of our options and see what teams are offering." The Pacers' negotiating interest in Davis could be limited by the presence of four other players already on their roster who can fill the center spot: Jeff Foster, Jermaine O'Neal, Scot Pollard and David Harrison. Bird emphasized the Pacers don't intend to let restricted free agent James Jones get away unless an improbable offer comes his way. Jones, a second-round pick in 2003, averaged 4.9 points last season. The Pacers can match any offer he receives from another team. "James Jones will be matched," Bird said. Call Star reporter Mark Montieth at (317) 444-6406.
Good find. Clearly someone at PG with good shooting is something the Rockets would be interested in. But we would have to acquire Swift in a S&T to leave our MLE available to use to get Saras or Damon Stoudamire.
Why hasn't this guy played in the NBA yet? Has anyone seen him play? Why is he now drawing all this attention?
He is drawing so much attention b/c he killed us in the game he played against the Team USA last year in the Athens Olympics. I saw that game and he has a killer shot...from anywhere. He can create his own shot. All I can remember is that he was draining shots everywhere on anyone, whether it was Wade, Iverson, or whoever else was guarding him.
is this the same Lithuanian guard who dropped 30 something on the U.S. in Athens and shot 3's like they were free throws?
Pacers will get him. Saras wants to go to a contender, a place where he has the opportunity to start, and his asking price.
I find it somewhat curious the Rockets have been loosely linked to Damon Stoudamire, Jason Williams, and now Jasikevicius. Especially with DoD's reports Head is playing more 2 than 1.
Interesting indeed. Perhaps JVG isnt too worried about "height" in the backcourt if the Rockets have decent height/length in the front court (Tmac, Swift, Yao). Perhaps JVG is more looking towards "speed" at the guard spots than height. Clearly outside shooting is very important to JVG at PG and that is something that all of those guys possess.
There's been a lot about him in the press here in Cleveland recently. The Cavs are in negotiations with him, and their chances look pretty good -- his Lithuanian countryman (and supposedly, his best friend) Ilgauskus is here for the next five years. They say he's reluctant to leave Europe unless he is guaranteed a starting spot for an NBA squad. He makes a lot of money and is one of the elite players there . If the Cavs sign him, look for Jeff McInnes to become immediately available -- there's no way he'll agree to warm the bench for anyone, much less a Euro player.
He makes a lot of sense in Cleveland. With Hughes not being a good outside shooter, Cleveland really needs someone in the lineup to stretch defenses to help out LeBron. That's why Cleveland probably is now cold for Antonio Daniels once they got Hughes. Cleveland really needs a "shooter" at PG now. Snow and McInnis arent going to cut it. Saras or Damon Stoudamire make the most sense in that role.
If in fact Head can defend his man and hit the open J, we will find a position for him to play. It take a time or two, but we will get it.
I live in israel and i've seen Saras play almost every week .I can tell you He is a unbelievable shooter/clutch player , and from the 3 point he is deadly , he is pretty tough and he plays the game with great passion , he is a good passer (still i dont consider him as a "pure" pg although my guess he would avg at least 5 ast per game with enough playing time ), he can penetrate to hole almost without any effort . His problem is mainly defence , he is not a "lockdown" defender most of the quick pg will give him serious trouble , other than that he is simply the best pg we can potentially get .
Cleveland would have seriously upgrade their team this offseason if they add Sarunas now. Z, Gooden, Lebron, Hughes, Sarunas, wow. That team will have speed, quickness, athletecism, size, inside scoring, and now a shooter to go along with scorers. Dang.
Was reading Eurobasket the other day, and a lot of the articles were specifically about this guy. He was MVP of the Finals of whatever league the Macc TA team plays in, and one of the trailing articles was about this supposed 'curse' on all the players from that team who leave, especially if the team wants them to stay. Apparently there is supposedly something bad that ultimately happens to any of their players who leave, and they fall on hard times, or their careers just sputter. Interestingly, one of the guys mentioned as one of their players who has not yet been touched by the curse is a guy on our Summer League team, Bluthenthal.. anyway, it might at least be an in with Sarunas, having him involved with our organization. One thing that no one seems to be mentioning though, is Sarunas' teammate, a guy named Anthony Parker, who was apprently the MVP of the whole league this year, and who looks like might be an even bigger star than SJ himself.. Anyway though, if we can get the guy, we should try.. he supposedly has the deadliest shot of anyone anywhere. Think a younger Jon Barry, who can shoot even better... and the photos on the site show the guy has a lot of intensity, a lot of fire. Dunno if we could say he would be the starter though.. hmmmm
What a great pick up Jasikevicius would be. Who cares if he is 29, that game he had against Team USA was unbelievable. He hit like 4 threes in a row in the closing minutes of the game. He would be a great pick up for the Rockets.
