Sarunas

Jasikevicius

''He’s got an edge to him,’' Bird said. ''He plays with a lot of emotion, and the thing I like is, when you need something to happen, he can make it happen. Our fans will fall in love with him. He’s exactly what this team needs.’' Bird was asked, for those who haven’t seen him play, who will he remind them of? A long pause. ''It’s funny,’' he said. ''He plays like I did.’' The Pacers have a lot of point guards now, in the form of Jamaal Tinsley, Jasikevicius, Anthony Johnson and Eddie Gill, meaning they could be looking to trade one of them.

He’ll be a backup point and shooting guard for the Pacers, but will likely see a lot of minutes for them. He’s very draftable in fantasy leagues.

He’ll be a backup point and shooting guard for the Pacers, but will likely see a lot of minutes for them. He’s very draftable in fantasy leagues.

The Grizzlies’ coaching search is still largely in the early stages, but Jasikevicius has piqued Memphis’ interest. Per Woj, “Jasikevicius, 43, has rapidly built a reputation as a legitimate NBA head-coaching candidate in his three seasons as coach of Zalgiris in Lithuania.”

Jasikevicius has been the top player in his country for years. The FIBA Web site listed him on Lithuania’s preliminary roster. He is set to marry Linor Abargil, a former Miss World from Israel, on July 6 in Barcelona, Spain.

He is a great sleeper candidate. Especially since Jamaal Tinsley left tonight’s game with a sore back and has a very in depth injury history.

If Jamaal Tinsley is hurt, Jasikevicius will have nice value for the Pacers.

This is the perfect situation for him, as he can play behind Jamaal Tinsley and provide the Pacers with an outside shooting presence. He will likely get a nice amount of playing time for Indiana this year. While the article doesn’t mention the Pacers, the headline to the story on ESPN does.

We reported this a few days ago, but it had been unclear whether he actuallly had an agreement or not. Now, league sources are saying he indeed will be one of the final pieces to the Cavs puzzle this season. Jasikevicius was the best man at Zydrunas Ilgauskas’ wedding and should be a sharp-shooter for the Cavs. They may still try to trade Drew Gooden for another power forward, but the potential signing of Jasikevicius is huge for Cleveland. A tentative starting lineup for the Cavs should look like this: Jasikevicius and Larry Hughes in the backcourt, and LeBron James, Drew Gooden/Donyell Marshall and Ilgauskas on the front line.

It’s believed he’s still in negotiations with them and other NBA teams, but he hasn’t committed anywhere yet.