PREDICTIONS! Which Group is stronger, group A or B?

[skangles]

Fran is a typical ignorant announcer BUT the Liths national team program are in a transition period.

I disagree with this (except for the part about Fran being an ignorant announcer, that is obviously true). Lithuania has started to transition slightly with the departure of the Lavrinovic brothers from this year's rosters and Siskauskas and the arrival of Valanciunas last year but for the most part Lithuania is very much in the state of "last hurrah" in this Olympics

Between the end of the Olympics and Spain 2014 Lithuania we will see the true transition with departure of the following veterans:

Saras
Javtokas
Kaukenas
Songaila
Lavrinovic Brothers

That leaves Lithuania with a core of experienced players for the cycle between London and Rio. While it is definitely a major transition and a turning of the tides it is hardly the rebuild that Fran Fraschilla was trying portray it as since most of these players have been regulars with the national team for many years.

Kleiza - 27
Jankunas - 28
Maciulis - 27
Kalnietis - 25
Pocius - 26
Seibutis - 26
Valanciunas - 20

Plus newbies like:

Motiejunas - 21
Dulkys -24

Whoever else breaks out in the next four years

We can also assume that Jasaitis - 30 will be around for the next few years but with Maciulis and Pocius coming into their own you have to wonder for how much longer Jasaitis will make the rotation. His best attribute is that he may be Lithuania's most skilled outside shooter but Dulkys may overtake him.

Motiejunas shot himself in the foot with his stupid demands and Kemzura wouldn't swallow his pride and cave into Motiejunas' demands. I would like to see him on this team and I think that he could help a lot more than Kavaliauskas with that said Kavaliauskas is an unskilled player who is a proper Center. Motiejunas is a skilled player who is anything but a Center. Motiejunas wouldn't do anything to fill the role left by Javtokas but unfortunately I don't see Kavaliauskas being able to keep up with the pace of the international game.