When Andrea Bargnani entered the NBA draft in 2006, critics highlighted substantial flaws in the Italian's game which they stated would hinder his success on the NBA level.
For at least one season, their criticism seemed to be put on the back-burner. However, it certainly shouldn't have been.
Even as a rookie, Bargnani rarely lived up to the numbers or role of a traditional number-one pick. What fans got were glimpses of hope and fragments of greatness. Whether it was a brilliant pass or a game-winning shot he hit, Andrea kept people dreaming of a day when the rare glimpses would eventually materialize into something more.
Last year, those glimpses seemed to die as quickly as they were born. Perhaps it was a result of high expectations being compared to what was actually happening. Perhaps it was the fact that after showing so much promise in the preseason, he almost fell out of the rotation as the months went on.
It may have been his inconsistent performances and lack of dependability, which had Raptors coach Sam Mitchell wondering if he was going to get twenty-eight points, or two.
Maybe it was just the constant comparisons to his draft class, as Brandon Roy, LaMarcus Aldridge, and Rudy Gay all became leaders of their respective teams. It certainly didn't help that for a seven-foot centre, he was allergic to rebounding and shot-blocking.
Whatever happened last season, it was a step back for Bargnani, and a step back for the Raptors, who saw their previous win total of forty-seven fall to forty-one.
Needless to say, everything the critics originally said about him being soft, undetermined, a poor rebounder, a poor defender, and a bust seemed to be relevant again.
Il Mago simply disappeared. If he wasn't getting into foul trouble, or getting called for his third traveling violation of the night, you may simply have forgotten that he was even in the game.
After the first few games of the regular season last year, Bargnani looked great. In the first game of the season, he scored twenty points in just twenty-two minutes, while grabbing five rebounds, getting to the line five times, and blocking two shots. In his second game, he scored twenty-one points, got to the line four times, and grabbed six rebounds in just under thirty minutes.
Over his first five games, he averaged over fourteen points, and six rebounds in just twenty-seven minutes of playing time. If you were to assume that he would have played a normal thirty-five minutes, he may already have been a near twenty-points, eight rebounds guy last year.
Instead, he lost his starting position, as the team lost three straight games and mastermind Sam Mitchell decided it was time to pull some strings.
Mitchell wanted Radoslav Nesterovic. In Bargnani's place, Rasho posted zero points in a scoreless effort. To his credit, he did gobble up a ton of rebounds, and allowed Bosh to get his game back on track after a few off games.
The end result for Mitchell was all that mattered. The Raptors went on to win two straight games, and Kapono and Bargnani were replaced by Moon and Nesterovic. It seemed that once again, much like in his rookie season, Andrea was in Mitchell's doghouse.
3 comments Last one added 9 months ago — Leave a Comment
Waleed Ershad 9 months ago
Great article! Wow, Bargnani is one of my favorite players but I was starting to give up on him...but now you've boosted my confidence in him! Do your thing Andrea!
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Sang Nguyen 9 months ago
Keep the good times rolling, Robert.
To me, this is the make it or break it season for Bargnani. Its apparent the guy's got some skills, and he's certainly got the height and, now, the build to be a legitimate threat. It's just been a psychological battle. Some days he'll just launch ten shots, not caring if he's scoring or not, the next he'll miss one shot and pretty much not do anything anymore for fear of missing more.
I hope his work out with O'Neal instilled some new fortitude in the Italian, and I'm eager to see how he performs in the upcoming pre-season.
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Robert Seagal 9 months ago
Thanks Sang,
I felt when he was drafted that he was going to change the 5 spot, ala Hakeem, where no player would be able to match him while he would be able to match even the best players. After 1 season, aside from the issues with rebounding I had hope, especially after listening to eddy Curry call Andrea a nightmare to guard. I still have faith that what will eventually save him is his 1) foot work, 2) agility:size ratio. I have never seen a more coordinated/quicker 7'1 262 pound guy.. the potential is insane.
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