Giorgos Bartzokas recalls Barcelona stint that led him from 'paradise' to 'depression' / News - Basketnews.com

Giorgos Bartzokas talked about his experience coaching Barcelona in 2016-17, weighed in on Sasha Vezenkov's rise, and explained how Olympiacos have built a new team without Spanoulis and Printezis.

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Current Olympiacos Piraeus coach and former FC Barcelona play-caller Giorgos Bartzokas compared the end of his time in Spain to depression, although he acknowledged that when he first came to the Palau Blaugrana, it was like being "in paradise".

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"I made mistakes. I had the opportunity to live in a fantastic city like Barcelona, ​​coach a fantastic team, and bring the family with me so that we were all together," the 57-year-old coach told the DAZN program 'The Coaching Experience'.

"It was like being in paradise. But the end was like a depression for me”, Bartzokas pointed out.

Bartzokas arrived in Barcelona in the summer of 2016, following an impressive EuroLeague run with Lokomotiv Kuban, as the Russian team reached its first and only Final Four. But things didn't turn out as the Greek coach and the Catalan side expected, as the team -plagued by last-minute departures, injuries and players past their prime- failed to win any titles in the 2016-17 campaign.

Inevitably, Bartzokas was dismissed in the summer of 2017.

Now, at Olympiacos, he is in charge of a renewed team that is a candidate for the EuroLeague title. The Reds are leading the standings with a 23-9 balance, an all-time best for the Piraeus-based club.

"I have tried to create a different team. I cannot and I do not want to have another [Vassilis] Spanoulis, or another [Giorgos] Printezis, because there is only one Spanoulis and one Printezis”, Bartzokas assured about his squad's renewal which took place after the departure of the two legends.

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One of the current pillars is Sasha Vezenkov, whom Bartzokas found in Barcelona in 2016. Back then, the Bulgarian forward was struggling for minutes and a consistent role on the team. However, over the past few seasons, he has been one of the best scorers in Europe, and since last year, the continent's top off-ball player.

"He is having an excellent season,' Bartzokas thinks of his player, who might very well end up with the EuroLeague MVP award.

"Last year, he had an excellent season as well, but this year has been even better. Not only because of his statistics, but because of the impact he is having on the game," he added.

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