3 Ways Toronto Raptors Get More From Andrea BargnaniJanuary 02 09  Like rubbing salt in a wound larger than Lake Ontario. That’s how Brandon Roy’s fourth quarter scoring spree and 32 points in last week’s 102-89 Blazers’ win over the Raptors must have felt for Bryan Colangelo. At the 2006 NBA draft, Toronto’s GM passed on Roy and selected Andrea Bargnani first overall. Portland’s soon-to-be-All-Star is the type of co-star the team needs to complement franchise face Chris Bosh. Instead, they have a disappointment in Bargnani. Colangelo’s choice in 2006 could have fatal consequences. In July of 2010, Bosh becomes an unrestricted free agent and, if Toronto’s supporting cast is still sub par, he’ll sign elsewhere. Getting more from Bargnani will not only improve the club’s 12-20 record, but also improve their chances of keeping ‘CB4’ long-term. So how can the Raptors develop their underachieving Italian? - 1) He has to lighten up. Being the first overall pick has become an Oliver Miller sized weight on Bargnani’s slender shoulders. He over-thinks the game and plays passively. A confident, loose player simply reacts. The third year pro must stay aggressive at all times and, most importantly, have fun.
- 2) Fans must lower expectations. Bargnani isn’t the second coming of perennial All-Star and former MVP Dirk Nowtizki. Never will be, either. Their skill-sets are similar, but Nowitzki has more talent and a defined position at the four-spot, while Bargnani is a ‘tweener’.
- 3) Put him in a role where he can succeed. For now, he’s not a second option to Bosh or even a starter, so the Raptors should make Bargnani their sixth-man or second-unit game-changer. Think Detlef Schrempf with Seattle and Indiana. He would get more minutes, shots, and, best of all, build confidence.
There is hope. On Wednesday, Bargnani scored 26 in a loss to Denver. Toronto’s season and future depends on these performances becoming the norm, not the rare exception. How can Toronto get more Bargnani? Get at us with thoughts and come back to HoopsVibe The Blog for more NBA tidbits. Photo courtesy of cuberoshumann.
Posted by
Dyreal
on 01.5.2009 | There is alot of emphasis being made about AB’s scoring ability, yes he isn’t a consistent scorer but he has his days, but what about his ability to defend, compared to the previous years he has improved his "D" and when Dirk is mentioned you will never hear "defence" being brought up, right now Toronto needs "D" and there getting it from AB, and besides he’s also given +10pts a game, just needs to work on his post game and pack on a little more muscle. He is going to continue to improve, the guy is 21 if Toronto trades him, BIG MISTAKE! . | Posted by
kd1
on 01.4.2009 | Hey raptors-fan sorry to say man but i think bargnani is a bust he just wont’ be the player they want them to be!!! he just tooo slow? didn’t see those flashes of briliance your saying and bosh dont have to leave toronto for him to excel he should have exceled when he was drafted as pick.1 w/c turned out to be a big bust!!! look now bargnani is in the trading block bargnani will be role player all his life might return overseas if nba won’t work out maybe it would be better for his carrer if there will still be he’s too soft as a player his size!!! . | Posted by
O. Sandor
on 01.3.2009 | Hi Raptors-Fan ... Thanks for commenting and reading. Again, we disagree, which is fine. First off, I never said AB is a bust. i said Toronto needs to get more from him, which is totally fair! Second, I agree consistency is a problem. I state this in my closing. By having a bit more fun, lowering expectations, for now, and giving him a decent role, he sill find it easier to put together a string of good games. I will agree that perhaps Bosh must leave for Bargnani to excel as they play the same position. Thanks for commenting . | Posted by
Raptors-Fan
on 01.3.2009 | I’m still not sold on the whole "Bargnani bust" quip. Can you really say that of a guy who’s only 21 and has shown flashes of brilliance this season? I disagree with you Mr.Sander in many respects. I agree, he needs more confidence. Look at what he did against Denver. Shot the ball as soon as he caught it, no hesitation, and he’ll rained 3’s on them. BUT your missing his most flawed aspect. CONSISTENCY. He puts together streches of great games (like his last 2) and then falls off the face of the earth. I honestly believe if he played consistently he could be averaging 17 and 8. He just needs to find his rhythm. What he needs to be consistent, is consistent minutes. Is it a coincidence the last 2 games JO has been out that he’s playing well? No. Last season he was injured so he was just tryna get into the rythm of things. This season JO is on the team and he isn’t getting consistent minutes. In that respect I think the raptors coaches (Sam AND Jay) Fail. Joey Graham is a BEAST. If they would have let him develop he could have been a solid 10 and 5 guy. Kinda like a shorter travis outlaw. Same things gonna happen with Bargnani. It pains me to admit that at this pace he’ll never excel in toronto, considering the vast Italian population here. I think it’s gonna have to happen like it did for Bosh. VC left. Bosh became an animal. If bosh leaves in 2010, Bargnani could do the same thing. I also disagree with the fact that we expect too much from him. Why? Simply put he’s the 1st overall pick. Nuff said. . | Posted by
Meloman
on 01.3.2009 | Bargnani just sucks!!!! He is a major bust just one of those wasted picks!!! . | Posted by
on 01.3.2009 | Trade Bosh now until he has value and make Andrea play as a 4.... if you trade Bosh now you can get 2-3 good players to complete the line up... . | Posted by
bigmanshaq
on 01.3.2009 | he does look like he’s got the tools to be a good player, he’s got size, agility, shooting range. All he needs to do is mix it up, I remember early on in the season everyone was getting excited because Bargnani started to go in the post, 2 month later, he regressed into more of a jumpshooter, in a sense that he just shoot/ no layup/ no postmoves. -On a side note, couldn’t Raptor send Barg to play at Rucker, give his european game an injection of the American style of play, I bet that’ll do wonders for his game . | Posted by
on 01.3.2009 | Whenever I see AB, he’s making his money off of the Calderon drag pick and roll. That’s my problem with him, sometimes he just parks it behind the three point line. When your 7’0 you shouldn’t be doing that. . | Posted by
on 01.3.2009 | Dirk Nowitzki - Detlef Shrempf - Darko Milicic - Nikoloz Tskitishvili - Kwame Brown = Andrea Bargnani . | Posted by
damn
on 01.2.2009 | damn just imagine brandon roy with chris bosh on the raptors. i love roy and bosh. damn that would be legit. . | Posted by
O.Sandor
on 01.2.2009 | Hi no-name poster, who commented about AB filling-in for O’Neal. Yeah, Andrea plays some five like tonight filling for an injured JO against Houston. In some situations, this can work because AB has an advantage in quickness and on offense( He had 19 points and seven boards in a win). But against most teams this leaves the Raps light on the boards, which is already a concern. Still two good games in a row for Bargnani ... But much, much more is still needed to turn his season around. Thanks for commenting. . | Posted by
on 01.2.2009 | like most of these euro cats he’s a shooter not a baller. Dirk the only that got skillz . | Posted by
Kym Jones
on 01.2.2009 | He’s like one step above Darko, which isn’t sayin much. Another underachieving overhyped overseas guy. Dirk, Peja, Vlade, Hedo, and some of the others are rare . | Posted by
Andrea is a girls name
on 01.2.2009 | He sucks how was he number one overall? Never will be a superstar in the NBA, just another Kirilenko at best . | Posted by
on 01.2.2009 | Remember that Bargnani mostly gets in remplacement to O’Neal, not Bosh. . | Posted by
O.Sandor
on 01.2.2009 | Hi Dagger and J: Thanks for reading and commenting. Both good points. I agree with both your ideas. Dagger, when AB comes in as a sixth-man or a scoring reserve, they should certainly run plays for him. For example, a pick and pop play with Jose Calderon or an elbow shot like Portland does with Aldridge. And J, he does basically play the same spot as their top player Bosh. So all the more reason to use him as a reserve or sixth man. When Bosh is resting for however little that is, Bargnani can come in and be the guy at the four spot. But basically he will play the majority of his minutes out of position with Toronto, unless Bosh leaves in 2010. Thanks for commenting. . | Posted by
j
on 01.2.2009 | I think Bargnani can be a nice piece for every team, but not the raptors. Why? because Chris Bosh is playing the same position, style with Bargnani , but give the fact that Bosh is better than Bargnani , so there is less chance for Bargnani to show case. I think if Bosh left in 2010, fans can give a closer look at Bargnani , he should be a nice 17-7 guy, but don’t expect more. Raptors can use their salary on two star level player, with Calderon and Bargnani , picks, they might end up a good starting five. . | Posted by
Dagger
on 01.2.2009 | They should actually run a couple of plays for Bargnani. For example, the Blazers run dribble penetration to give Aldridge space to fire a 17-foot elbow jumper, which he takes from the same spot on the floor, game in, game out. The structure, the regularity that provides, makes it a higher percentage shot than if it was just a random occurrence. Such a structured shot also could be the kind of baseline jumper Big Z takes in Cleveland or that Rasho liked here. . |
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Oly Sandor | Daily take on NBA Oly Sandor is an NBA analyst and sports journalist based out of Vancouver, Canada.After years of the free-lance game, Oly Sandor is bringing his unique brand of NBA analysis exclusively to (...) More |
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