It has been seven years, and the Raptors may have to simply accept
that big man Andrea Bargnani, the No. 1 pick from the 2006 draft, will
always have the limitations that have been obvious throughout his
career.
Bargnani’s ability as a perimeter player has been his big positive, but he has never developed the post-up game the team had hoped for, and though he has gotten to be an average defender (that’s an improvement), he is still a poor rebounder. He has especially struggled this year, in which he has averaged 16.2 points on just 35.8 percent shooting. His 4.4 rebounds are his lowest average since his second season in the NBA.
And Bargnani has appeared frustrated at times during the year.
“Andrea is who he is,” coach Dwane Casey said. “If you’re looking for rah-rah guy that’s not him. He doesn’t show expression. Again that’s who he is. That doesn’t make him a bad guy or bad basketball player or whatever. But I do know that there are players who are like that who just don’t show any expression which doesn’t bother me. My thing is, you know, just be consistent. ... I don’t care about his expression. I don’t care if a guy’s a rah-rah guy or jumping up and down as long he’s putting the ball in the hole and playing defense.”
Bargnani himself admits that the Raptors’ record in recent years is wearing on him, and he feels some pressure to turn things around.
“Me personally, I would never say it’s too early to worry,” Bargnani said. “It has been four years now that we have had a losing record, so it’s definitely not early for me, Jose (Calderon), and the other guys that have been around. Nobody is thinking that it’s too early. We definitely have to turn it around and we are going to play better starting now.”
Bargnani’s ability as a perimeter player has been his big positive, but he has never developed the post-up game the team had hoped for, and though he has gotten to be an average defender (that’s an improvement), he is still a poor rebounder. He has especially struggled this year, in which he has averaged 16.2 points on just 35.8 percent shooting. His 4.4 rebounds are his lowest average since his second season in the NBA.
And Bargnani has appeared frustrated at times during the year.
“Andrea is who he is,” coach Dwane Casey said. “If you’re looking for rah-rah guy that’s not him. He doesn’t show expression. Again that’s who he is. That doesn’t make him a bad guy or bad basketball player or whatever. But I do know that there are players who are like that who just don’t show any expression which doesn’t bother me. My thing is, you know, just be consistent. ... I don’t care about his expression. I don’t care if a guy’s a rah-rah guy or jumping up and down as long he’s putting the ball in the hole and playing defense.”
Bargnani himself admits that the Raptors’ record in recent years is wearing on him, and he feels some pressure to turn things around.
“Me personally, I would never say it’s too early to worry,” Bargnani said. “It has been four years now that we have had a losing record, so it’s definitely not early for me, Jose (Calderon), and the other guys that have been around. Nobody is thinking that it’s too early. We definitely have to turn it around and we are going to play better starting now.”
没有评论:
发表评论