Darjus Lavrinovic, the Lithuania power forward/center of Real Madrid who made an impressive comeback to Euroleague, with Real Madrid, was interviewed by basketball fans from all over Europe via Euroleague's official website and stated that he has yet to forget what happened during the Eurobasket some weeks ago.
When asked about last Eurobasket, Lavrinovic stated:
"I will never forget the last EuroBasket. We will remember that our whole lives. At the same time, I try to think more about the future and about better times."
Read the entire interview below, mainly concentrating on Real Madrid and his brother Ksistof Lavrinovic.
How do you compare yourself to your twin brother Ksystof (who also led the his team to a great start)? Do you think of him as your equal?
– "We just happen to be lucky to be where we are and to have our size and abilities. At the same time, a lot depends on our teams, the coaches and other players, who help us show what we can do."
You were amazing in Moscow last week and your brother Ksystof also played unstoppable in Zagreb. How long have you been talking by telephone with him after the game? We know that your telephone bills are always big!
– "That night we talked for about 20 minutes. We talked about everything in general, though: our families as well as about basketball and our teams."
Real Madrid spent a lot of money this summer to return to the Final Four after 13 years. It reminds me of Olympiacos. Usually, it takes a few years for a team to be together to get to the top. Can Real break this tradition and get there sooner?
– "It's true that the road to the Final Four is long and will be difficult. But I believe in our coach and in our players, and we are going to do everything possible to reach the Final Four."
You've said before that you would be very happy to play on the same team with your brother, Ksistof. Don't you think that it would be hard to share the ball together?
– "The truth is that I don't know, but given our ages now, I don't think that we would have problems. It's not so important how much one or the other of us would play. What would be important is that we achieve victories."
When you were a boy, was it your dream to become a professional basketball player? Or something else?
– "I was always interested in sports. I tried several of them: swimming, volleyball, karate… Basketball is number one in Lithuania and I always wanted to play basketball and be a professional player, so I started to play basketball when I was 13 years old."
When you were a child, in one-on-one games against your brother, Ksistof, who won the most?
– "One day my brother played better than me, and the next I was better then him. The one that was more active on a given day was the one who always won."
Where would you rather spend the last years of your career, playing in a Lithuanian club or in another country?
– "The best would be to finish my career in Lithuania, but at the moment I am not thinking about that. We'll see what happens in the future."
You know Lithuanian basketball very well. Tell us your thoughts about Lithuanian teams Lietuvos Rytas and Zalgiris. What can we except from them and how long they can go in the Euroleague this season, on your opinion? Regards,
– "I think that the two teams have possibilities this season due to the fact that both have good coaches and good players. They will have to qualify for the Top 16 first, and then after it will depend on what shape their players are in, whether there are injuries…because neither of those teams has a very long bench."
It was really nice to watch your start in Real Madrid. Please tell me more about your integration into this great club: accomodation, training, did you find friends already? By the way, have you met any Real Madrid football players?
– "I am very happy with all that I have in Madrid. They have accepted me very well and everyone helps us. The coaches and players have shown confidence in me. I try to relate with many of the players on the team, but my Lithuanian teammate Rimas Kaukenas helps me a lot, especially with the language, since everyone here speaks Spanish. He knows Italian very well and understands Spanish. As for the Real Madrid football players, I have seen some of them, but I haven't spoken with any yet."
Source: http://www.euroleague.net
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