Actually, I would guess Garnett was on Bargnani because Bosh is quicker and RIvers didn’t want Garnett and his healing knee try and guard Bosh. Not to say that Bargnani isn’t a tough guard, but Garnett is certainly not fully healed yet, or did no one notice the limp he still has?

I can’t help but notice that people touting Bargnani as a future star give him almost no limits on how he’ll improve, but assume Bosh has hit his ceiling.

Bargnani doesn’t have any real reliable post moves and is a below average rebounder. And there’s no indication that will ever change.

Hey, if I was 6 inches taller, more athletic, with better skills, I could be in the NBA!

As to Bargnani being a good SCORER, as opposed to shooter, that’s not really true. He’s a fantastic shooter, but he’s simply not very good in the post. I’d love to know what his field goal percentage is off of post moves, but I’m guessing it wouldn’t be very high. Now, with practice, Bargnani could very well become a good post player, but he’ll never be a great one, because it simply doesn’t come naturally to him. And outside, he gets most of his shots off of assists. He needs someone to set him up most of the time. And when he does get the ball, he doesn’t get to the line at a high rate.

I started an explanation of this, but then realized I’ve done it so many times, I should write it on my blog, and include the link…

http://www.wearingfilm.com/picketfence/2009/10/what-makes-a-great-scorer/

It’s a bit of a read.

Oh, and as for Bargnani’s field goal, 3 point and free throw percentage, first of all, it was 45% FG and 41 3pt%, not the numbers you said. And that’s not bad for a center. Sam Perkins, Terry Mills and Brad Lohaus had similar numbers over the course of their career, and not one of them ever made the All-Star team, by the way. Then there was Bill Laimbeer, who did make the All-Star team, and averaging fairly similar numbers, but was also a great defender and had a career rebounding averaging of 9.7. Oh, and Mehmet Okur has even better numbers from the field and 3 point line than Bargnani, but still manages to grab a few more rebounds a game.

And to whoever suggested Pryzbilla as a guy to team with Bargs, yeah, that seems about right. But if BC turns Bosh into Pryzbilla do the Raptors become the whitest team in the NBA?

If the defender is small and quick, he has shown a desire to take him inside(at least to the top of the key, and shoot over him) and if he’s big, its out to the 3 point line.

This is why Garnett was on him. He had games of incredible efficiency last year, I recall one against Chicago where he had 11 shot attempts and 25 points.

I understand the detractors, too, but I love watching Bargnani on offense. He’s exciting, I have no idea what he is going to do, and 2 or 3 times a game, I jump out of my seat and say, “WHAT?!”

Easily my favorite Center in the league.

His rebounding numbers are off the hook, he plays good D and help D, makes a reasonable salary, and knows his role.

I understand tempering your enthusiasm, but not to the point of sounding silly.

One of the reasons why is that you are immensely downplaying Bargnani’s abilities. For one, he has already become an above average one-on-one defender (much better against big centers than Bosh).

Secondly, he doesn’t just shoot well, he SCORES well (and increasingly so). His offensive arsenal is still expanding, and he is already looking like a very versatile player offensively. This means that he can be a deadly mismatch for other teams to handle, and one of the reasons why Garnett was guarding him instead of Perkins (who would not be able to guard Bargnani on the perimeter and/or recover when he gets beaten out there).

Also, he is a better shot-blocker than Bosh.

If he improves his team-defence slightly, than he will already be at Bosh’s level in that category.

Having said all that, let’s play “What if” for a second. Suppose Bosh leaves and Bargnani becomes our focus on offense. Bargnani then averages 25 PPG and (let’s say) 8 RPG. Who is the better player?

Bargnani’s averages in 2009 were: (FG 0.47) (3P 0.43) (FT 0.82). Those last two stats are insane for a center. If he can be aggressive and more versatile this year, he will be an offensive powerhouse.

Also, if he can improve his rebounding to about 7 RPG, look for him to be a reserve All-Star.

So in short, O’Neal was the problem last season. Trading for him meant having to rely on him and Bosh to be the ones to carry the team. That couldn’t happen, not with their injury history + Calderon going down.

And Bargnani certainly doesn’t have a higher ceiling than Dirk because Dirk was always a good rebounder and half decent post player. Plus, he got to the line at an excellent rate, despite taking so many outside shots. Bargnani is not a good enough defender or passer to make up for his weaknesses.

As for Bargnani, I don’t understand how a guy who has one single skill that is above average (shooting) can apparently have more potential than a 22-10 guy. I also don’t understand how a guy who might be one of the worst rebounders, pound for pound, in the entire league, can be considered a future star.

Bargnani does one thing well. Shoot. That’s it. Besides being a horrible rebounder, he’s below average in the post for a 7-footer, average, at best, defensively, and he rarely creates shots for himself (more than 75% of his shots last year were assisted). Bargnani will never be considered a better player than Bosh if he can’t rebound the ball at even an average rate, and there’s no indication he will ever do that. Bosh has a better chance at becoming an above average defender and 26 ppg scorer than Bargnani has of becoming an average rebounder and good post player.