The Bananahorns may have found their franchise player. After spending just under $3.5 million – the largest acquisition in team history – on 22-year old center Elias Bailon, management is signaling that their rebuild is on the right track and the future is bright.
“We couldn’t be more excited for Elias to join the team,” Coach Shnuffy gushed. “He is already an elite inside scorer and can dominate at any level of competition. But what is scary is he still has so much room to grow. A few years from now we’ll be talking about what an all-around player he has become. A decade from now we could be talking about one the Bananahorn all-time greats.”
Bailon joins a pair of talented 20-year old trainees – Shawn Miles and Avarell Lively – to form the foundation of the franchise for years to come. Two years after they were acquired for what now seem like bargain deals, Miles and Lively have developed into two of the more promising wings in their age group.
“The future is bright, but we still urge patience,” Shnuffy cautioned. “Our team is much more talented than it was a week ago, but our goal is to become perennial contenders. For that to happen, we must first focus on development and financial responsibility. This is not a quick fix.”
Up until this point, the rebuild has been a hard sell on fans. The teams’ sustained success in the NBBA (six consecutive playoff appearances including 2 NBBA championships, and 104 wins in seven seasons) made the complete teardown especially jarring. The ‘Horns subsequently lost 47 of 48 games, was relegated twice, and ended up with zero homegrown draft picks. A revolving door of trainees left many wondering if management had any clear vision for the future. The acquisition of Bailon should quiet the critics for now and gives hope that the team is on a path to returning to its winning ways.