It’s not easy to get up after a tough loss. and the one of Barca in front of real Madrid in the semifinals of the Euroleague it is. And it is especially painful. Is it a failure? No. You could lose to a great team. But yes a huge fiasco. A very hard stick. The Catalan club has built a block at the stroke of a checkbook not only to return to the ‘final four‘ but to win it and raise the club’s track record to the level it deserves. The arrival of players like Mirotic, Higgins, Calathes or Davies They were going in that direction. But it doesn’t seem like enough. The team stayed at the gates a year ago, reaching the final. And in this he has fallen in the semifinals and this Saturday he will play the match that no one would want to play: third and fourth place against Olympiacos (4:00 p.m., DAZN). This defeat leaves the project touched and should open a deep reflection in the section. “The balance will be made at the end of the season & rdquor ;, they point out from the club without going into current assessments. A silence difficult to understand.
A bet that leaves doubts
The project that Barca has been building over the last three years exudes ambition. The cornerstone was the signing of Nikola Mirotic, from the NBA. But surrounding him with good players who will help him in the challenge of returning the Catalans to the front line. Higginstwo-time EuroLeague champion with CSKA; Calathes, best assistant in the competition and with a great track record…. To that have been added players who Jasikevicius knew well, having them in Zalgiris Kaunas (Davis, Hayesthe emergent Jokubaitisbest young player in the competition this year) and a good home base (Abrines, Oriola, Smits, Kuric). With that they have won a League and two Cups in two years but it has not been enough to be crowned in Europe, the great objective, do not be fooled.
The Barca has budgeted 36 million for this year in basketball. It is 8.5%, less than last season. The dilemma now is whether to continue investing, given the delicate economic situation that the club is experiencing, or continue to reduce it and renew the group in search of more suitable profiles.
Jasikevicius’s position
The defeat in the semifinals is a very hard setback for Barça. but also for Jasikevicius, which arrived at the Palau with the label of being the foundational piece of a winning project that would leave behind the long journey through the desert after the departure of Javier Pascual. This defeat leaves him touched. There is no doubt that he is in a group of the best European coaches. But fall before a Madrid to which he has submitted in the last two years, despite having a luxury squad, is a blow to his credibility.
The Lithuanian coach is idolized by the Barça fans and has the backing of the president laporta. Will you maintain that untouchable profile? The authoritarian coaching style, with constant scolding of his players, and also public criticism of the players, did not quite work and in Belgrade, his team was seen to be disconnected. There has hardly been any self-criticism on the part of Jasikevicius, although he is ultimately responsible for his team arriving at a low peak of form at this ‘final four’. His leadership on the bench hasn’t been followed up on the pitch and when he accuses his players of a lack of killer instinct, he should assume it’s up to him to bolster the group’s self-esteem and confidence.
The bet on Mirotic
No one can point to Nikola Mirotic nor make a reproach. If the final in Belgrade escaped the Barca It was not the fault of the Hispanic Montenegrin, who left a superb performance against the real Madrid (26 points, 12 rebounds, 39 PIR). There were times when he was the only one to pull the team and he is at a splendid level throughout the season as he has shown with his MVP title. But the contractual relationship between Barça and Mirotic is in a complicated situation, both because of the club’s economy and because of the player’s high salary, which he already prorated a year ago at the club’s request.
The directive tested the idea of lowering it again this year, although the talks did not bear fruit. And this summer, the question will be repeated, for sure. It is clear that the power forward has adapted perfectly to life in Barcelona, has been involved in the club, is performing at a high level and is one of its best assets. He is a star on every level. The question that the club must ask itself is if he, despite his high record, wants to keep him as a reference for the squad.
A staff pending decisions
It’s not just mirotic one of the questions that the general manager of the section will have to solve this summer Juan Carlos Navarro. There are many players who will have to decide, some who have barely had a leading role and others who have just finished their contract. The case of the American center Brandon Davis is the most obvious. Signed from Zalgiris, where he was under the orders of Jasikevicius, his price has risen, and this summer his contract ends. They also end it Nigel Hayes Y Roland Smith. And there were a few players who were physically unable to contribute. Calathes, since his fibula fracture, he has not performed at the expected level. Higgins, renewed last summer, was returning from a plantar fascia operation and barely played 11 minutes without adding in attack. he didn’t either Kuric who played two minutes, nor There is (8 minutes) or Smiths (4 minutes, 1 point), which was important in the quarters. And the contribution of sanli (11 minutes, 2 points), star signing this summer from European champions Anadolu Ephes. Too many absences, that the contribution of Mirotic and Laprovittola they failed to cover.
a cursed competition
Related news
Sixteen appearances in the ‘final four’ and only two titles. The balance of Barca in European competition it is poor, very poor. If Paul Laso win this final with Madrid against Efes, will add three titles in seven appearances, more than the Barça club. Only when he presented much superior teams did Barça prevail. In Sant Jordi, in 2003, under the protection of his audience, with Bodiroga, Fucka, Jasikevicius and Navarro in the template; and in 2010 in Paris, with Ricky Rubio, Navarro, Mickeal, Lorbek and a spectacular group under the command of Xavi Pascual.
The losing streak of the azulgranas in the European competition borders on the esoteric. This loss will add more black legend to the section. With a luxury team, with a first-rate star, mirotic, With a sensational block, the first of the regular season in a solvent way, he has returned to stay in the semifinals, the gates of nothing.