Andrea Bargnani Is The Best Plan B In The NBA
The thought of Chris Bosh bolting south next summer rekindles all sorts of bad memories for Raptors fans. Nine years ago, they watched T-Mac turn his back on the franchise and sign with the Magic. Although it’s just merely speculation that Bosh will sign elsewhere at this point, one person who is doing a great job preparing for the worst is Bryan Colangelo. The Raps GM has been on point all offseason, securing a solid foundation for the future by locking up Hedo Turkoglu and Andrea Bargnani to long-term deals.
Ever since last year, rumors have been flying around about Bosh going everywhere from Miami to New York to Detroit. Like T-Mac, Bosh might want to explore the opportunity to be in a larger market, where he can get more exposure and endorsement deals. Obviously the franchise is going to do whatever it takes to keep Bosh, who has the chance to be one of the top five players in this league. But if he decides to leave, can Bargnani step in and be the face of the Raptors?
From the day he was drafted first overall in 2006, Bargnani has drawn comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki because they are both seven-footers and can shoot the ball. Up until this point, Andrea hasn’t proven that he is a star, but he has proven he can grow. He posted career highs in points (15.4), rebounds (5.4), blocks (1.2), field goal percentage (45 percent) and three-point percentage (40.9 percent). Those drastic improvements were enough to earn him a five-year, $50 million extension. He clearly has the confidence of Colangelo and coach Jay Triano.
The question now is, does Bargnani have the killer instinct that Dirk and every other star in this league needs to have? Living in Canada the last three years, I’d seen a lot of Raptors games (shout out to Leo Rautins and Raptors TV) and saw Bargnani become more aggressive and hit his share of big shots down the stretch of games. But he hasn’t proven that he can take over a game by himself yet. I can see him growing into that role though, especially since Colangelo has created a European-friendly environment with the style of play and players (i.e. Calderon, Belinelli, Turkoglu).
This should be the year Bargnani, who turns 24 on October 26, takes his game to the next level. He’s always had a secondary role so it would be interesting to imagine what his potential would be if Bosh was not around. If he can be more aggressive in the post, become a better rebounder and assert himself more down the stretch, I think you will be able to mention his name alongside with Nowitzki and Pau Gasol in the next few years.
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September 9th, 2009 at 12:18 pm
jnuh says:
Bargs goes for over 20 ppg this year.
September 9th, 2009 at 12:27 pm
control says:
Next time the rubber breaks, make the woman read this article…PERFECT Plan B!
September 9th, 2009 at 12:28 pm
tdot says:
Chris Bosh is NOT and NEVER WILL BE one of the top 5 players in the NBA.
Only his friends/family or stupid Raptors fans on his jock would ever say something that stupid.
& I’m a Raps fan so I’m saying this with 6 years of watching every game NBA game Bosh has every played…the dude is SOFT, can’t play D, & is not clutch in anyway
he’s skilled, but he’s a finesse player and he might as well leave and go play with D-Wade or Bron because there’s no way he will ever win anything significant by himself because he is NOT franchise player material.
September 9th, 2009 at 12:29 pm
Heckler...formerly 'Yallallreadyknow' says:
NO.
he is a bum.
anyone can score 20pts if given the minutes. but can Bargs anchor a team on defense? Bosh isnt even a great defender (he block some shots every now and again), but Bargs is even worse. And if Bosh were not around, would you trust Andrea Bargnani to anchor your teams defense?
Can you trust him to grab a big OFFENSIVE rebound in traffic to giv eyour team another chance to score?
NOT YET. HELLS NO.
this article is half assed in regards to him scoring and taking the bulk of the offense. but in reality, ANY player can do that with a green light from the coach and minutes. sheeeeit, tj ford damn near did it in toronot; and he sucks!
So….
if you want to convince others this bum is ready for the big time, ask yourself what else can you count on from Bargnani (or any star player) beside scoring?!!?
September 9th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
Johnny K says:
You had me until you gave a shout out to Leo Rautins. Leo Rautins is a f**cking twat – are you kidding me?
September 9th, 2009 at 12:34 pm
p-dizzle says:
I agree Bosh is not, nor will ever be, a top five player in the NBA. He’s the new millenium version of KG. High intensity, good leader, but not a franchise player. True franchise players can be counted on one hand.
September 9th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Kobeef says:
I would have traded Bosh for Hedo and Gortat before the trade deadline, so Colangelo landing Hedo while keeping Bosh is incredible to me.
To be completely honest, I hope Bosh has a huge season this year which allows colangelo to sign and trade Bosh for another star to put beside Bargnani and Hedo. My favorite options are Bosh (S&T) for Dirk and Bosh (S&T) for Yao. I think both options are in play.
Andrea’s lack of fire and somewhat introverted personality concerns me but otherwise he has the skill to be somewhere between Gasol and Dirk. That said, he is still a good 2-3 years away from his physical prime, so I think we haven’t seen the best from Bargnani.
September 9th, 2009 at 12:53 pm
Chicagorilla says:
#2 option? Im glad I’m not a Raps fan.
September 9th, 2009 at 12:57 pm
K Dizzle says:
@ Kobeef
good post. CB4 is burnin bridges and if decides to give up 30 mil, his only option would be a sign and trade. I don’t know about Dirk for Bosh cuz it’s kinda replicatin what Bargnani “should be”, but a healthy Yao would be solid cuz Bargnani is more of an outside threat anyways. Too bad they didn’t swing that deal for Randolph, Bellinelli etc before Randolph blew up this summer.
One more thing: Bosh leavin ain’t a guarantee. I laugh at “Raptors fans” rippin on CB4 and callin dude soft and shit. Fools need to realize why every other team hopes he leaves and why they all want him. Dude COULD be top 5 in the l, more realistically, top 10. They didn’t put him on the Olympic team cuz they felt sorry for him. Houston wants him, Miami wants him, New York wants him, Detroit wants him. Philly would trade Brand straight up; Utah, Boozer; Portland, Aldridge and a pick; Phoenix, Amar’e. There’s not a team that wouldn’t want him, but so called Raptor fans don’t want dude because he’s “soft” and he ain’t a lockdown defender? Puh-leez. Dude will put up 25 and 10 and will be a starting forward in the all-star game for the next ten years. There’s not a power forward in the game with his combination of offensive skills and stupid quick first step. Go look around. Same dudes hopin Bosh leaves need to maybe let the season play out. Whatever you get for dude, it won’t be better…
September 9th, 2009 at 1:00 pm
nerditry says:
@Kobeef: Unless he is crippled, Houston will never trade Yao. He is worth far more money to them than anyone not named Kobe or Lebron could ever generate.
There are only a few teams that could afford Bosh in this off season or have the pieces to trade for him. Portland and Chicago could put together good trade packages, I think Miami could afford his contract and so could the Knicks.
There is a long list of #2 young guys that I’d rather start a team with: Eric Gordon, Aldridge, Jameer, Monta, Rondo, Horford, Kevin Love.
September 9th, 2009 at 1:01 pm
UltimateRapsFan4 says:
I think that bargani will step up with or without bosh. Hes really gonna be a big asset towards the toronto raptors this year which will give them a great boost during the season and especially in the playoffs
September 9th, 2009 at 1:05 pm
Boombaby says:
The best thing for Bosh to end up with a ring would be to team up with a true superstar. He cannot win with this type of line-up. Even if Toronto GM put a bunch of qualified help because he cannot bring a team to that level. Im have nothing againt Bosh, I just want to have a reality check.
September 9th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
Dime Magazine says:
Bosh leaving definitely isn’t guaranteed. Its a strong possibility but there are plenty of reasons for him to stay especially if they make the playoffs. He is gonna be an All Star for years to come. That being said, I think the Raps are preparing in case he does leave. Bargnani does need to get better defensively and rebound more. But he did double his blocks from .5 to 1.2 last year. He is only 24 and will only get better on that end. Last year he showed he had fire and was aggresive taking it to the rack and standing up for himself when anyone would flex on him.
September 9th, 2009 at 1:09 pm
twalter says:
Bargnani and Bosh are great on offense, but how are they going to deal with any down low force on the defensive end?
http://NBATradeRumorsCentral.com - Latest NBA Rumors
September 9th, 2009 at 1:17 pm
Jmat says:
TMAC a bad memory? Refresh that one…what exactly did TMac do? He left, joined another team, proved that he is a bona fide top 5 individual talent and nothing else. What have any of his teams ever accomplished? Truth be told, that was a blessing in disguise to have that runt move on.
September 9th, 2009 at 1:27 pm
Rizwan says:
@ Heckler
Bargnani doesnt have to be Garnett on defence. Look at other players like David West. They are not lock down defenders but play team defence. He has to improve though but he is not a bum. He can be good for 20ppg for years to come but that is dependent on this season.
Bosh is overrated. I can name several PF I would take ahead of him such as Amare, Gasol, Jefferson. Hell, I would take Blake Griffin ahead of him now. He’s good but not great. And I wish he stop believing in his own hype.
@nerditry
Bargnani is more developed than Kevin Love and Al Horford, but I’ll give you the rest.
@K Dizzle
Phoenix would not trade Amare for Bosh straight up when they would be in the same situation as they are currently - big man with no defence.
September 9th, 2009 at 1:33 pm
Kobeef says:
@KDizzle
Dirk and Bargs could be a good low-post pair. I think I read somehwere that the only position Colangelo sees Bargs playing in the NBA is Center. Bargs at the 5 and Dirk at the 4 would be really nice.
@Nerdity
Yah. That’s what I thought but lately the Rockets GM has been saying that both he and his coach are looking forward to being able to have a more up-tempo system with Yao out of the lineup next year. Strange comment to make about your superstar.
Also, that list of #2’s is pretty bad. Horford and Aldridge are OK but Love still hasn’t shown he is an NBA starter. MOnta, Jameer and Rondo are not guys you build a team around.
September 9th, 2009 at 1:39 pm
Seven Duece says:
His career high average in rebounds is 5.4?! No. Just… no.
September 9th, 2009 at 1:42 pm
doc says:
From what I seen he looks okay,we’ll see.
September 9th, 2009 at 1:49 pm
yahoo man says:
When a 7footer is only averaging 5 rebounds a game, there shouldnt be a whole article written about his potential.
September 9th, 2009 at 2:02 pm
len-e says:
let’s be honest - canada is a problem. either get more teams up there or no team at all… would feel weird for me to.
September 9th, 2009 at 2:04 pm
Heckler...formerly 'Yallallreadyknow' says:
@Rizwan
Sheeeeit. At least david west can rebound and has some toughness. Bargs is just pure puss. he dont wanna mix it up with the big boys. not on offense and not on defense.
i am NOT impressed with a player who can score 20+pts a game. ANYONE can do that in the nba if given the minutes and green light to shoot. ANYONE.
if Bargs only averages 16ppg, would any of you still want him? if so…WHY?!!?
tell me what he brings to the table? we’ve seen 7fts hit 3ptrs. what else can this guy do? seriously? i aint hating…but tell me.
and dont sell me on that high potential bullshit. or (like the dimecrew) he improved his blocks from .5 to 1.2 per game. WHOOP-TEE-DAMN-DOO! 1.5bpg
September 9th, 2009 at 2:09 pm
Notorious says:
Actually Bosh is Plan B or option B, since he will always be a secondary, complimentary player. If Bosh is your best player, your team will suck.
Bargnani should be option D, if he is your back up plan you are a worse GM than Chris Wallace.
Plan A should be to trade Bosh to some delusional team that thinks he is a star or trade him to some place that has a star already so Bosh can be the 2nd fiddle he always will be.
Plan B is keep Bosh.
Plan C is rebuild, start over
September 9th, 2009 at 2:15 pm
dave says:
i hope he does
September 9th, 2009 at 2:27 pm
K Dizzle says:
@ Heckler
the point of sayin his blocks doubled is to say dude is improving. At 24, he’s continuin to improve so basin any future projections on the player now makes little sense. In Dirk’s first 3 years, he went from 3.4 rpg to 6.5 rpg to 9.9 rpg at the age of 24.
As for dude’s game, he could be a beast at the rate he;s progressing. He can shoot, he can score off the dribble, he’s a good passer for a 7 footer, which is how you get the nickname “Il Mago”. Yeah, he needs to improve his rebounding and defense, but there’s ten year vets who need to improve on that. He went from the dude that heads were callin a “bust” to bein on the doorstep of legitimacy.
p.s. not “anyone” can average 20 in the l otherwise it wouldn’t be a big deal as a threshold
@ Kobeef - Dirk and Bargs would be sick offensively, but it would be a Suns 3-4 seasons ago situation where they would have to outscore you cuz they aren’t gonna stop anybody. Maybe play a zone and get a shotblocker in the middle back
September 9th, 2009 at 2:34 pm
jomel says:
I hope you’re right. However, Bargnani’s peformance this year in FIBA Europe showed that he cannot carry a team by himself. He can be a productive player if others can get him the ball, when he is in a position to do some damage. In other words, he can be a good piece on a good team — no more than that!
September 9th, 2009 at 2:42 pm
Heckler...formerly 'Yallallreadyknow' says:
K Dizzle
you my man, but you wrong. ANYONE can score 20pts in an nba. the 12th man on the bench is a WHOLE lot better than you think homie.
as for Bargs, i dont see him as anything more than a tall jumpshooter. if thats your plan b….i hope your plan a works!
September 9th, 2009 at 2:43 pm
Korver says:
i’m european and even I I don’t like this guy : 7 footer but never in the paint, get hardly more rebonds than nate robinson … he needs to get his points as a 7 footer that’s all, because he’s far to be Nowitsky-like
September 9th, 2009 at 2:45 pm
Shrink This says:
Gerald, I think you hit the nail on the head when you wondered if Bargnani had the killer instinct needed to be a star.
The answer is no and he won’t be.
September 9th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
K Dizzle says:
My plan A is Bosh stays, Bargnani becomes better than him, then Derozan becomes better than both of them and then it’s a wrap. Kinda a 5 year plan.
It must be depressin to be a Raps fan. Damon bounces after he cops the ROY, Camby bounces before he blows up, TMac bounces, Vince leaves for basically nothin, Alonzo refuses to come then gets a chip in Miami, they talkin about Bosh leavin and dudes think Bargnani might be a bust…..
Damn!
September 9th, 2009 at 3:44 pm
HOTTIE says:
BARGNANI IS SOO SEXY MORE SO THAN CB4
September 9th, 2009 at 3:55 pm
dagwaller says:
K Diz/Kobeef - good posts.
nerditry - foolish post. You’d rather start a team with 2nd year Eric Gordon, Aldridge (whose team is good because of the sum of its parts but won’t contend til Roy becomes more of an alpha dog), or Jameer Nelson (who’s so good that Rafer Alston replaced him with no drop off), Monta Ellis (AI 1.9)? Wow. You’d have a pretty sad team.
I’ll give you a pass on Rondo, Horford, or Love, though. Over the past few years, the “take big over small” rule has been challenged, otherwise I’d still take a 7 footer with skill over a PG that can’t shoot. Horford is unspectacular and has reached his ceiling already, I think - I like him, but Bargs is just as good and has room to grow. Love is only going into his second year - impossible to predict how good he’ll be at this point.
September 9th, 2009 at 4:15 pm
Arno says:
Bargs never hit big shots, for the reason that he never played playoff ball (regular season can be fun to watch, but it’s generally far away from do or die situations). The only decisive games he played where those two games vs France with the Italian side last july and he was a non factor (contrarily to Belinelli). His defense is really awful, he moves his foot work is too slow to stop anyone not named Jason Collins.
He certainely will score, with his height and his very nice touch. But don’t expect anything more than that.
September 9th, 2009 at 4:25 pm
sams fan says:
Here is a better idea. Trade Bargnani and his highly paid contract for a legit 2nd option to bosh and Hedo.
ROOOFFFFL at so called raptor fans calling Bosh soft. If u consider Bosh soft, u have to admit that Bargs is softer if not the softest on our team.
Clearly these people supporting bargs and hating bosh are people who jus became fans after the euro invasion a couple of yrs ago in our roster. Sorry, but its true.
September 9th, 2009 at 5:01 pm
Diego says:
Yeah, concur with several above, Bargs’ stats after 3 years just are not very impressive–even at his supposedly young NBA age of almost 24. Only good stat that really jumps out is 3-pt %, but what team really wants there biggest guy living out in 3-point land?
September 9th, 2009 at 5:05 pm
lobos says:
haters who think he is soft and has no inside game just watch this video … as a starter last season he was 20/6 and he can play mean man to man defense…needs work on help tho…
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u2Ml14AgY4I&feature=related
or this
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNaXpBsKdZ8&feature=related
September 9th, 2009 at 6:44 pm
Da_Griff says:
Number two.. yeah right.
Bosh, Hedo, Bargnani/Calderon . He’s a 3/4 option and that’s how it should stay. He’s no where near a good enough rebounder or shot blocker to warrant more than that.
If Bosh goes, look for t.dot to bring in someone who can score/play D to make up for it and keep Bargs down the pecking order.
September 9th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
Aly says:
Toronto is the fourth largest city in North America and will overtake Chicago to become the third largest city in North America before 2015
That’s all I wanted to say
The only thing preventing Toronto from being more marketable is the fact that it’s not officially part of the USA
September 9th, 2009 at 7:26 pm
A-Lid says:
Bargnani is gonna be a superstar. Now that he has a coach that lets him plays through his mistakes, security that he’ll know that he’s the 5 in the T-Dot, and stability in another Italian in Marco Belinelli. The sky’s the limit
September 9th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
dagwaller says:
To all the fools who don’t think that Bargnani is much of a shotblocker:
His 1.26 bpg were good enough for 19th in the league, ahead of such luminaries as LeBron James, Bosh, Gasol, Aldridge, and Gerald Wallace.
Furthermore, he ranked 12th for centers in the league. Which means that he’s actually above average at blocking shots for a center. The ONLY 2 CENTERS THAT AVERAGE MORE BLOCKS AND ARE YOUNGER THAN HE IS are Brook Lopez and Dwight Howard (league leader). As far as young shot blocking centers, Bargnani is in the top tier.
September 9th, 2009 at 7:51 pm
SK says:
CB4 is a great player dunt get me wrong but i think if we trade him for a big lik either YAO, BRAND, CAMBY&PICK, OR CHANDLER&POSEY.
From the followin options the best fit with bargnani wud probably b chandler and posey
i really think bargnani true position is PF..and he wud excel in that position if given the strtin role but who knows bosh and barganni cud work out this year..only time will tell..cuz i realy dutn wanan trade another peice of raptors short history..or we’ll never retire a jersey at the ACC..only time will tell..LETS GO RAPS
September 9th, 2009 at 8:49 pm
Tinman says:
Nice to read something positive on Bargnani - he sure has been a hot topic in Raptorland.
I agree fully with your assessment of Bargnani and think he is in for a beakout season. THe key to Raptors longterm success is for Bosh to take a backseat to Bargnani on offence and to increase his intensity on the defensive end. Crash the boards Chris!
While Andrea is more than capable of scoring 20+ a night, I don’t expect him to average it nor is it necessary. With Bosh, Hedo, Calderon and Bargnani(we also got this rook who might be good) the scoring will be spread around. Those 4 players should average anywhere between 15-22 points in any order you wish, as long as the team wins.
September 9th, 2009 at 9:06 pm
Mack Brownee says:
idk about barney but b-colangelo is one of the best gms in the association hands down
September 9th, 2009 at 9:07 pm
Mack Brownee says:
as opposed to steve kerr who is a complete idiot and makes the suns look like idiots for getting rid of colangelo
September 9th, 2009 at 11:32 pm
spirow says:
damn! soo many bosh haters out there. . . Come on give the guy a break. . . The man was the best big man on the olympic team, he was playing injured last season and still kept his average up. . . You’ll see the damage he does this year with more pieces added the raps will surely be a dangerous team . . . No more loosing match ups to garnett!
September 10th, 2009 at 8:40 am
Brothersteve says:
Bargs is going to be 2nd in scoring on the Raps this season and 1st in blocks. It’s well past time for people to look at what he can do well.
Amongst the handful of centers in the league who can actually score, Bargs is already looking very good. Under Triano, Bargs is going to score more!
And if anyone on the team thought he should be getting more boards, they’d run plays at both ends where he spent more time under the basket - but on Toronto, those boards belong to CB4.
September 10th, 2009 at 9:34 am
Brown says:
Bosh is a great PF. The biggest problem for him on the Raptors isn’t that he’s not a #1 guy, but that he shouldn’t be your #1 option in crunch time when you need a basket. He’s not a crunch-time scorer and never will be. Hopefully Hedo can take on that role now, which I’m confident he can because that’s the role he had in Orlando.
September 10th, 2009 at 10:31 am
Tinman says:
Wasn’t he second in scoring and first in blocks last season?
September 10th, 2009 at 10:36 am
chris says:
bargnani is a 7 footer who plays outside the key. turkoglu and bosh are near 7 footers who also play outside the key. big as they are, none of them rebound worth sh*t. only players on the raptors this year who will ever work in the key, offense or defense, are reggie evans and rasho nesterovic. this is an experiment, plain and simple, bolder than getting jermaine the drain o’neal last year, but still … i’m excited, and hopeful, but i am definitely not holding my breath..my guess is they win about 44 games and exit playoffs in the first round.
September 10th, 2009 at 3:33 pm
Chicagorilla says:
Best #2 option….in the WNBA
September 10th, 2009 at 4:00 pm
jomel says:
To Aly. Toronto is actually the 5th largest city in North America. Cities that are larger are: Chicago, L.A., New York and the one you (and most people) forget about - Mexico City.
September 10th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
T I says:
Wow some of you dudes have no clue about basketball. Bosh is not a “lock down defender” ?!?!? Wow, don’t post until you watch another 5,6, 7 years of basketball because you are an ignorant sheep fool. There are very few players in the whole league that are a “LOCKDOWN DEFENDER”. This game is all about players in a league who are difficult to stop defensively 1 on 1. It requires team defensive help. Bosh is a 20-10 guy on the better side of 30. Take notes fools.. there’s a reason you ignorant fools talking “lack of being a lockdown defender” will never be a GM. Heck, stick to your fantasy leagues where defense doesn’t matter… you probably suck at fantasy also though.
September 11th, 2009 at 9:26 am
Chicagorilla says:
TI,
Lockdown defender or not, putting up 20-10 a game doesn’t mean sh!t if you getting 25-15 put on your head by the opposing big men. I’m not siding with anyone because i never read the above post, just saw your comment.
September 11th, 2009 at 10:25 am
tea time says:
wow. why are people hatin on bargs. he was the only bright spot last season and now he should get the chance to prove his worth this coming season. bargs is also a pretty darn good shot blocker. all of you who dont think so are those who only watch highlight reels and check the stats. pathetic! his blocks are definitely not highlight reel material but he sure as hell alters shots away. also did ANYONE not notice how he began to attack the basket more last season. this is something we need, and it shows he isnt afraid of mixing it up in the paint. so those of you hating on bargs need to give him time, and maybe try and watch a raptors game once in a while. I for one watched every single game and know there is potential and that he is closer to become a legit center than most of you idiots think.
as for bosh, why do u want to trade him so badly. to be honest i was on the trade bosh bandwagon but now i see how idiotic i was. bosh is a star. you all say he’s soft and all but who would u rather have in the nba that will tickle your fancy and think they would make this team better than with bosh. please, i bet yall r thinking of the few superstars in the nba that would be better, but in reality, we cant f*ckin trade him for them. players like brand, west, yao, aldridge and all those other players think would be better off are SECOND options players. brand cant do shat in philly, west needs paul and now their team is getting worst, yao cant stay healthy and cant get anywhere with t-mac, and aldridge is a 2nd version of bosh but has Roy to help him out aswell as an abundant of young good players. bosh is our best player, he may not be a #1 guy but he’s our closest. we cant trade him for a #1 player so we might as well try to build a foundation of good players around him like portland, or hope we struck lucky in the draft (maybe derozan can be great). so all you fantasy leaguers are pathetic who think bosh sucks and those high in the NBA are fools for getting excited about bosh. well at least they watch every teams games and know who are the true gifted players. yall dont examine each team as well as they do, so stop hatin on all of our players cause you only watch our team, im sure. id trust the GM’s and high regarded NBA’ers than you idiots. pathetic and stop posting cause u just look stupid.
ps. bargs had to start the season behind oneal which inflated his stats. plus players games are all different,because the raps are tyring to play an uptempo style of basketball, they need more athletic finesse players such as bosh and bargs. if u think brand or injured yao will help fix this team (theyre slow as hell) your thinking out of ur ass’. if ur blaming anyone blame the GM who structred the team the way it is. (but i wouldnt do that as BC looks like a magician pulling some sweetass trades this offseason). all in all, just shut up cause all yall dont know what your thinking, and will shut your mouths if bosh is traded, cause im sure in hell, the team wouldnt become much better without him.
September 11th, 2009 at 10:29 am
tea time says:
inflated- *deflated
September 14th, 2009 at 12:16 pm
chris says:
Bargs is not a poor man’s Dirk…he’s a homeless guy’s Dirk…
September 29th, 2009 at 9:51 pm
kyle says:
hmm.. well..im a mavs fan and i dont watch the raptors 2 often. But when dirk came in to the league he also had early problems. but he did have a few things, he was defintly the fastest bigman in the league and also had the best handles. bargniani has neither of those so he doesnt have anything rly going for him except for his shot, which he cant even create for himself.. ive heard lots of things like umm “bargnani has dirk written all over him” and stuff like that but i rly dont know how that can happen.. i mean if u r gonna play basketball like the european bigmen you have 2 b fast, have handles, be able 2 create your own shot, and shoot.. he has 1 of those which is 2 shoot.. i dont c him being the next dirk or even gasol, but prob a 1 time allstar.. hes still great player though.. any1 in the nba is a great player
October 22nd, 2009 at 6:12 pm
MowhawkGuy says:
Haha, ya’ll are HILARIOUS. It’s obvious no one here has watched Bargnani, a jumpshooter nothing more, average at best? How about people who no a thing or two about basketball and BARGNANI talk. First off, he is very quick and athletic for a center. He has a very quick first step as displayed here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxcdZw272Hc
He has a great frame for a center at 7′1, 250 lbs, he is much stronger than many of you are aware, and is not soft at all. That is a common misconception developed due to his ability to score from the perimeter. As for his play even with the O’Neal controversy, when starting at the center slot he put up:
18.9 points, 6 rebounds, 1.5 assists, 1.5 blocks, 47.5%FG, 45%3FG, 82%FT.
http://ca.sports.yahoo.com/nba/players/4129/splits;_ylt=AniimG4Nb_Ji7JeyCechoqATRwU6
He offensively has one of the largest repertoires in the league for a big, he can shoot from three point range, and midrange, he has the ability to utilize his quick first step to get to the basket, and has developed his post moves substantially. His passing is very underrated and although his assist numbers are low, expect and increase as he is a very good bigman ball handler, and is an unselfish player and willing passer.
His defense is also extremely underrated, he is a very solid man to man defender, with great footwork and lateral quickness, his new found strength has helped, and he has improved every day in that aspect, he also is a very solid shotblocker. Watch out, he has the potential to become very solid in this aspect. His rebounding although inconsistent has improved a whole lot, and he know is very good at boxing out and keeping his man off the boards, he just needs to crash them harder. I think he could easily grab 7-9 boards a game.
As for being a first option, I am not sure about that yet, but I have no doubt in my mind he is on pace to become a 19-22 point, 7-9 rebound, 2-3 assist, 1.5-2.5 block guy in a few years.
He proved he could with numerous games such as this one:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eAw5N93OTh0&feature=related