Apr 8, 2010, 3:50 pm
LKL clubs want to cancel foreign players limit for next season. This year the limit was reduced to 4 and it was supposed to be reduced next season even further to just 3. Though first of all Žalgiris and Rytas have different plans. Both Lithuanian powerhouses are interested having the limit as high as possible, preferably no limit at all. It seems that other clubs either don't care much or hold the same position as the big two.
Rytas and Žalgiris compete in Europe so for them it is important to have a good squad. It wouldn't make much sense to sign foreigners and let them play in Euroleague only as the season is very long and their help would be needed in domestic leagues. But most importantly it would be too expensive for these teams to have players just for Euroleague.
It must be noted that Rytas has 4 foreigners at the moment and all of them have contracts for next season. Meanwhile Žalgiris have 5 foreigners and they have to leave one of them out in each LKL game. It is clear that both teams were already prepared to make the changes in the foreign players limit before the season even started.
Our teams can't keep our best players as they can't compete with rich teams in terms of contract offer. So with the foreign players limit in force all teams in LKL are forced to fill roster with local players which in most cases lead to signing low level players just to fill the roster spots.
The main advantage of not having foreign players limit is, according to the clubs, the level increase in LKL. This might be the case when we speak about Rytas and Žalgiris and maybe Šiauliai but that can't be confidently said about the other teams as they can't afford signing good foreign players and that leads to signing either young US college players or some unknown players from other European leagues. Such players only come to earn money or make good stats and get a better contract elsewhere. As a result of that they leave the team early in the season. So they just come and go all the time without contributing much to the overall level of the league.
On the other hand, the same happens with mid-level LKL players. They start the season in LKL and leave the next day they have a better offer in any other league even if it's significantly weaker. Then they get fired, then return to another LKL team and leave it in a week or two. So the rosters are constantly changing. The main difference between these type of players and foreigners is that locals don't need time to adjust. That's it. There are some exceptions among veterans who stay in LKL despite having possibility to get a better contract abroad. But those players would still play in LKL even if there was no foreign players limit at all. They stay in LKL because they want to stay at home.
Rytas GM Jonas Vainauskas also mentioned the fact that the prices of local players have popped up due to the limit of foreign players. The clubs must sign local players therefore the agents can demand more money for their clients. If the limit is no longer in effect the market would be more open and the clubs would be able to choose more freely.
We should accept the fact that we are not producing huge amounts of talented players every year. So forcing the clubs to keep local players in their roster just for the sake of it neither increases the level of LKL, nor makes those players better because of higher playing time. The best phrase to describe this situation would be a translation of Lithuanian saying - they are boiling in their own juice. And because of that the players don't have to compete for the spot on the court. That (as well as coaching, but that's another topic) causes them to be weak psychologically. Having a foreigner on the team who is determined to earn more could be a good thing because local players will have to work harder and be better than him.
Even though the limit is set to 4 foreigners this season, only a few teams have foreign players at all. The majority of the clubs have all-Lithuanian rosters.
It is often mentioned that low foreign players limit helps develop more talented players. Well, I don't blindly accept this, at first glance, logical statement. Talented players always find their way to the top. And it doesn't matter how many foreigners there are on the team. But if a players has the attitude that "oh, that team has a better player in that position. I'd better go to another league" then maybe that's what he should do to be honest. Just look at the strongest leagues in Europe. Spain, Greece, Russia, Turkey have high foreign players limits and they have very strong national teams.
The idea of having no foreign players limit sounds a bit scary but I don't think there will be serious negative consequences. Well, at least not in the nearest future. The teams won't become richer and won't fill their rosters with foreigners. There was no such thing when the limit was 6 or 5. The only teams that would affected by this are Rytas and Žalgiris. It's natural that people want to see more local players in these teams therefore the reaction towards these changes is mainly negative. But nobody thinks that instead of the likes of Dainys or Čukinas there could be some foreigners who could make the team better.
Personally, I'd be for a bit higher limit than we currently have. Six foreigners a team should be the highest margin allowed. So even theoretically speaking, at least half of the team would be formed of local players.
Rytas and Žalgiris compete in Europe so for them it is important to have a good squad. It wouldn't make much sense to sign foreigners and let them play in Euroleague only as the season is very long and their help would be needed in domestic leagues. But most importantly it would be too expensive for these teams to have players just for Euroleague.
It must be noted that Rytas has 4 foreigners at the moment and all of them have contracts for next season. Meanwhile Žalgiris have 5 foreigners and they have to leave one of them out in each LKL game. It is clear that both teams were already prepared to make the changes in the foreign players limit before the season even started.
Our teams can't keep our best players as they can't compete with rich teams in terms of contract offer. So with the foreign players limit in force all teams in LKL are forced to fill roster with local players which in most cases lead to signing low level players just to fill the roster spots.
The main advantage of not having foreign players limit is, according to the clubs, the level increase in LKL. This might be the case when we speak about Rytas and Žalgiris and maybe Šiauliai but that can't be confidently said about the other teams as they can't afford signing good foreign players and that leads to signing either young US college players or some unknown players from other European leagues. Such players only come to earn money or make good stats and get a better contract elsewhere. As a result of that they leave the team early in the season. So they just come and go all the time without contributing much to the overall level of the league.
On the other hand, the same happens with mid-level LKL players. They start the season in LKL and leave the next day they have a better offer in any other league even if it's significantly weaker. Then they get fired, then return to another LKL team and leave it in a week or two. So the rosters are constantly changing. The main difference between these type of players and foreigners is that locals don't need time to adjust. That's it. There are some exceptions among veterans who stay in LKL despite having possibility to get a better contract abroad. But those players would still play in LKL even if there was no foreign players limit at all. They stay in LKL because they want to stay at home.
Rytas GM Jonas Vainauskas also mentioned the fact that the prices of local players have popped up due to the limit of foreign players. The clubs must sign local players therefore the agents can demand more money for their clients. If the limit is no longer in effect the market would be more open and the clubs would be able to choose more freely.
We should accept the fact that we are not producing huge amounts of talented players every year. So forcing the clubs to keep local players in their roster just for the sake of it neither increases the level of LKL, nor makes those players better because of higher playing time. The best phrase to describe this situation would be a translation of Lithuanian saying - they are boiling in their own juice. And because of that the players don't have to compete for the spot on the court. That (as well as coaching, but that's another topic) causes them to be weak psychologically. Having a foreigner on the team who is determined to earn more could be a good thing because local players will have to work harder and be better than him.
Even though the limit is set to 4 foreigners this season, only a few teams have foreign players at all. The majority of the clubs have all-Lithuanian rosters.
It is often mentioned that low foreign players limit helps develop more talented players. Well, I don't blindly accept this, at first glance, logical statement. Talented players always find their way to the top. And it doesn't matter how many foreigners there are on the team. But if a players has the attitude that "oh, that team has a better player in that position. I'd better go to another league" then maybe that's what he should do to be honest. Just look at the strongest leagues in Europe. Spain, Greece, Russia, Turkey have high foreign players limits and they have very strong national teams.
The idea of having no foreign players limit sounds a bit scary but I don't think there will be serious negative consequences. Well, at least not in the nearest future. The teams won't become richer and won't fill their rosters with foreigners. There was no such thing when the limit was 6 or 5. The only teams that would affected by this are Rytas and Žalgiris. It's natural that people want to see more local players in these teams therefore the reaction towards these changes is mainly negative. But nobody thinks that instead of the likes of Dainys or Čukinas there could be some foreigners who could make the team better.
Personally, I'd be for a bit higher limit than we currently have. Six foreigners a team should be the highest margin allowed. So even theoretically speaking, at least half of the team would be formed of local players.