Winds of Change coming to Barcelona

It has multiple decades now since Spanish powerhouse, FC Barcelona Lassa has been eliminated from the Spanish ACB playoffs in the quarter-finals stage. On May 27th Valencia Basket did just that and down the blue and reds 67-64 to advance to the semifinals.

FC Barcelona once dominated the Spanish League but have not won a title since 2012. Beyond the title drought, the once feared and revered Titan of Spanish and European hoops lost a lot of its luster in 2016-17. They struggled to distance themselves from a pack of highly competitive teams in the regular season, finishing in sixth place with a 22-10 record.

Despite having a talent-rich roster with the likes of Ante Tomic, Victor Claver, and Brad Oleson; the team was outside, looking in, of the Turkish Airlines EuroLeague Top 10 this season.

They say, “if it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.” Unfortunately, that cannot be applied to Barca anymore. The organization has decided to make some big changes. Firstly, they have let go 0f head coach Georgios Bartzokas and will be looking for a suitable replacement before the 2017-18 preseason camp gets underway. They are also pursuing Jayson Granger, who is currently with Anadolu Efes Istanbul, to bolster their roster. In 28 Turkish BSL games this 2016-17, Granger has posted averages of 9.3 ppg and 5.2 apg. His playmaking abilities will be a useful addition to Barcelona’s arsenal and could be a catalyst for some improvement in their offense. This is just the tip of the iceberg. Expect the club to make more moves over the off-season. Will the once-great Spanish Phoenix rise from its ashes in 2017-18? We shall see.