Pretty good and a legit second scoring option. 21.2 ppg 5.8 rpg 1.5 bpg (four games). I'm really hoping he can have another good night against Boston.
I think he's really benefited from working hard this summer and having both Bosh and JO to help him. I can't believe how much better of a defender he is. He's not all that amazing but at times last year he was a real liability.
He was definitely hustling on defense yesterday. I always like it when Euro players break the whole "soft/no defense" stereotype.
The difference JO has made not only with his defence but how it has rubbed off on Bargnani is fantastic. It good for the kid to see a guy making $20 million taking charges and lowering his shoulder every once in a while. I think gives the whole frontcourt a different savvy and Bargs is definitely the biggest benefactor.
Now i missed overtime, but every time he was on the floor, i wanted to ball in his hands. If he can put up 20 again tomorrow, he is officially legit.
I'll tell you what the real difference was in last night's performance: 8 free throw attempts. Bargnani started the last game against the Heat with such a swagger (like he knew he was better than his defender and was going to show it), and it carried over into Friday. We all know he can shoot the 3 ball, but his ability to maneuver around defenders to draw contact and get to the foul line was most impressive. He also drew a couple fouls that don't show on the statsheet, by establishing position early and forcing his defender to hack at him. I've been high on this kid for a while, but this year he's really gotten me excited. I didn't think he could be this solid defensively. And the best thing of all, is that he really has the mental makeup you want to see in a young player. His post-game comments showed how much he wanted to win.
I don't know man, I don't think that ever stops being scary. Especially with the way Bosh has improved this season. If we lose Bosh in 2010, Bryan Colangelo's first 4-5 years as the Raptors' GM should be considered a failure.
Failure is Solomon, Kapono (minus playoffs). Bosh has helped Bargnani get better, as has JO. I already call the JO trade a win. I'm just saying imagine 2010 without a top notch player. Bargs can be that, with Jose. If neither of them developed, then i'd be crying.
Unless we win a championship by then I agree though, IMO losing Bosh never becoming less scary. But Bosh needs a legit second option to play with and I think we all hope he continues to improve and that Bargnani can be that guy. The early results show that when giving the opportunity to be that guy, he can step up and fill that role.
Also let's face it, he;s not going to New York. Dallas is the best option for him. Dirk will be gone so.
I get what you're saying. When you think about it, heading into last season the plan was to have a core of three players: TJ/Jose, Bosh, and Bargnani. That clearly didn't work for obvious reasons. Now, a year removed from then I think we've finally reached that stage where we wanted to be. Calderon, Bosh, and Bargnani really are our young core. I'm with you in calling out BC's handling of some of our roster. He's failed to take the SF spot seriously since Garbajosa went down and he didn't work hard enough to find a backup for Jose this year.
