Having sizeably increased the budget of Zalgiris Kaunas and brought some
marquee players to Lithuania during the summer, the club owner Vladimir Romanov
was quick to react to an unexpectedly slow start of the season.
After the club from Kaunas got on the wrong side of an 86-78 upset against
Kazakhstani side Astana on Sunday, the impulsive businessman publically
addressed Ilias Zouros, the head coach of Zalgiris, making it clear that there
is no time to fool around.
“Maybe it’s good that Zalgiris sooner than later. However, coach Zouros
hasn’t managed to find the formula to success and should make some serious conclusions
as fast as possible. There’s not much time left,” said Romanov.
The loss to Astana was only the tip of the iceberg, as Zalgiris had came
up against serious challenges and were given a run for their money for more
than three quarters in games against Naglis and Kalev, which preceded the
defeat in Kazakhstan.
Romanov is known for being a loose cannon when it comes to changing
coaches, as the Russian-born businessman has gone through five different
specialists through the last two seasons at Zalgiris.
