The Sabonis thread!

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Re: The Sabonis threrad!

Eggers must dislike Bob Whitsitt. He lists every possible name connected to Sabonis coming to Portland, but no Whitsitt.
 
Re: The Sabonis threrad!

I always think of Vodka when I think of Sabas! :devilwink:

smirnoff.jpg
 
Re: The Sabonis threrad!

I wish Sabonis was over here when we reached the finals in the early 90's.

No doubt in my mind the series would have been completely different with Sabas as our center instead of Duckworth.
 
Re: The Sabonis threrad!

SlyPokerDog said:
The largest ship in the Lithuanian naval fleet is named the SABAS.
Click to expand...

Is it bigger than his bathtub? Actually the same could be asked about the whole country.
 
Re: The Sabonis threrad!

Tonight's Courtside is all about Sabonis.
 
Re: The Sabonis threrad!

Rodman's speech was so awkward.
 
Re: The Sabonis threrad!

Does anyone remember his nickname from opposing fanbases?

Arthritic Slowbonis.

:tsktsk:
 
STOMP said:
[video=youtube;Meh3rl2i4vA]
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Goosebumps. I was lucky enough to live in Spain when he was in the ACB. I saw him play with both Forum Valladolid and Real Madrid. I would rave about him to my friends back home and wish he would have come to Portland earlier.
 
Anyone going to the rally for Sabas in Pioneer Courthouse Square today at 1:00?
 
Check out how tall his daughter is! Dang! She's gotta be about 6'5''. Not bad looking either!

rgfamily.jpg
 
STOMP said:
http://www.grantland.com/story/_/id/6867508/arvydas-sabonis-long-strange-trip
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One anecdote in that article: In 1988 he dominated David Robinson and the USSR team beat the US. In 1992 he and his Lithuania team beat the Unified Team, consisting of members of the fallen Soviet Union. The Grateful Dead funded the Lithuania team. Chris Mullen says Sabonis got stoned after the game.

The Lithuanian members wore tie-dyed warm-ups. Sabonis scored 26 points and pulled down 16 rebounds in the bronze-medal game. The United States would play Croatia in the gold-medal game eight hours later, allowing for a time gap between the bronze game and the award ceremony. Sabonis and his teammates ventured back to the Olympic dormitory, where Sabonis challenged fellow Olympians in arm wrestling for shots. One by one, wrestlers and shot putters among them, Sabonis beat them. By the time of the award ceremony, three Lithuanians did not make it to the podium. Sabonis was one of them. "I knew how they used to roll," said Chris Mullin, part of the United States' Dream Team. "I think they came out with their tie-dye on. They did what the Deadheads do. They got loosened up. Made use of their free time." Sabonis was located a couple of days later in one of the women's Olympic dormitories.

The Lithuanian Olympic basketball team celebrates their bronze medal in 1992. Sabonis is conspicuously absent. Mike Powell/Getty Images
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grant_g_lithuanianbball_576.jpg
 
That writer isn't from the Oregonian, so refreshingly, he interviewed Bob Whitsitt.

Whitsitt asked Portland's team physician, Dr. Robert Cook, to take a look at Sabonis' X-rays before he arrived. Cook asked Whitsitt if he was sure his new player could play. "He said that Arvydas could qualify for a handicapped parking spot based on the X-ray alone," Whitsitt said...

"Many times I would say, 'Arvydas, how does your foot feel?' And he would say, 'It's the same. It hurts. It's always the same,'" Jensen said. "What changed from day to day was how much it hurt. It always bothered him. It was just every day, it may be a little bit different. You would look at his X-rays and you would say, 'How in the world is he running up and down the floor?'"
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This is Sabonis' first time back to Portland, or anywhere in the U.S., in EIGHT YEARS.

The trip to Springfield was Sabonis' first to the United States since he retired from Portland in 2003, when, as a 38-year-old, he played in his NBA-high 78 games. Just like that, he had again disappeared from American eyes only to resurface eight years later for less than a minute. He will travel this week to Portland, where his induction will be celebrated before returning home to Lithuania.
Click to expand...
 
i liked it better when it was a " sabonis therad" because he really is " the rad"
 
Went to the reception they had for him at the Rose Garden last night.

It was nice and I think he appreciated it. However, I think the team missed a major opportunity to connect with him.

Larry Miller started by saying that the thing he had heard most from Blazer fans was when they were going to bring SABAS back. Well, we finally got him back and it was great to see him.

Glickman, Buckwalter, Paxon, and PJ then join SABAS on stage with Brian Wheeler. Instead of reflecting on what he did here and his career overseas, the very first question they ask him was the what if question. He had already been asked it a thousand times and seemed less than thrilled to hear it again. Instead of opening up a bit, he seemed to go back into the shell. If he comes back again, hopefully the "what if" question is never brought up again.

In retrospect, I think he made the right decision. He had a career worthy of making the HOF and made more than enough money to spend. He got to see alot of the world, not only the USA. He has helped his country become a basketball superpower and is still heavily involved in programs there. His family seemed great. If he would have defected, he no doubt would have made more money as well as a few NBA championship rings. It is questionable if he would have been happier with his life.
 
Yes, asking him that question is like criticizing him. People forget that the two countries were enemies. It would be like the best American soccer player joining a team in Iraq while the U.S. was at war with Saddam Hussein.

Paul Allen paid for this event, right? I'm surprised he wasn't there.
 
Paul paid for it, but it was $50 per person to attend. The Make It Better foundation got part of that and some in attendance (me included) got a discount for buying a mini-pack. There were 200 people max in the Rose Room for the event. Guessing they had to fly in Paxson, PJ, Sabas, and any of their family in addition to accomodations. All of the people in attendance got a Sabonis Bobble head, two drinks, and a nice meal.

Would have liked to see PA at the event, but understand why he chose to not show up or be in the shadows. He is a private person and any contact with the media could result in a million dollar slip of the tongue. Stern is not joking with his gag order.
 
200 max time 50 per person is under 10,000 proceeds. Out of that is paid air fare & hotel for the families, meals for 200 people, etc. If anything was left for Make It Better it was probably a donation straight from Allen.
 
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