LANDELA
U-Nikola Mirotic uthathe indebe yomdlali ongcono kakhulu kowamanqamu, kodwa ngaphandle kwe-trance yomlingo kaRokas Jokubaitis ngekota yesine ubengeke akwazi ukukwenza. Lo mdlali waseLithuania, oneminyaka engu-21 kuphela ubudala, uphule umdlalo ngamaphuzu ayisishiyagalolunye elandelana okuphoqe iMadrid ukuthi idlale nemizuzu yokugcina yomdlalo. Imizuzu emibili yokuhlanya lapho aqale wangeza kathathu okwanikeza iqembu lakhe inzuzo yokuqala ebusuku, bese kuba obhasikidi ababili ngeshothi eyengeziwe. Izenzo ezigcwele amandla nokuzethemba. Izimfanelo ezimbili ezenza lo mdlali aboshwe yi-NBA ngaye.
Abakwa-Knick benze ngamalungelo abo ekusalungiswa kwehlobo eledlule, nakuba bancamele ukumvulela umnyango wokubuyela e-Europe ukuze aqedele ukuwenza.
Isisekelo asizange sithole indawo engcono kunangaphansi kwengalo yobungane kaJasikevicius, umqeqeshi owayemnike enye indlela e-Zalgiris njengomdlali osemusha futhi osengumdlali oyinhloko kule Barcelona. “Ngizombiza ngengane, ngoba usemncane kakhulu. Kube kuhle kakhulu. Ngeke ngisho ukuthi ngamangala, ngoba ngimbona ezilolonga zonke izinsuku futhi uyilokhu esikubone sonke kusihlwa. Namuhla usinikeze, ngesikhathi esibalulekile, amaphuzu akhe namandla akhe. Ngicabanga ukuthi uRokas ungomunye wabancane abahamba phambili e-Europe futhi sinelungelo lokujabulela umdlalo wakhe nothando lwakhe, okuyinto emangalisayo. Mina, oseneminyaka engu-30 ubudala, uma ngibona uthando analo, lungenza ngifune ukwenza okufanayo. Uyiqhawe futhi namuhla sisebenzisa lokho ukuze siwine umdlalo ”, kuchaza uMirotic, i-MVP yowamanqamu, obefuna ukwabelana ngesikweletu nale nsizwa yaseLithuania.
Ngehlobo eledlule, u-Jasikevicius wenze ibhodi le-Barça laqinisekisa ukuthi yenzela iJokubaitis indawo naphezu kokuthi kukhona onogada ababili abahlukene eqenjini, uCalathes noLaprovittola. Ngokucabanga ukuthi abakwaKnick bebengenaye, bambizile futhi ukuzivikela namandla akhe kube wukhiye emidlalweni eminingi kule sizini.
UJokubaitis, onqobe kowamanqamu ngamaphuzu angu-12 nabasizi abathathu, ungomunye wabajabule kakhulu ngemuva komdlalo. Wabungaza isicoco sakhe sokuqala ngesitayela, esiza u-Kuric ukuthi anqamule inethi kabhasikidi futhi eshawa umeluleki wakhe egunjini lokushintshela. Injabulo egcwele kuye, eqiniseka ukuthi usendaweni engcono kakhulu yokukhula ngaphambi kokugxumela ku-NBA lokho kuyindaba yesikhathi kuphela, nakuba engenawo umklomelo. Izindaba ezimnandi zeBarca.
