Everything Bargnani: Grumble, Grumble, Grumble

[Matt52]

Perfect title

I agree but I would add: #tradeBargnani

[RandomGuy]

Can I grade Bargnani's game once again? I was wrong, please forgive me.

[Nilanka]

Is Casey dumb, or stubborn? You decide.

“We are going to go the way Andrea goes offensively,” Casey said. “[With Bargnani,] we are a different team. We spread the floor. The floor is spaced. DeMar has more space to operate. [Bargnani] is the hub, the core. He is the guy everything kind of revolves around. If he is active engaged and productive, not only at the offensive end, but on the defensive end, we are a different team.”

http://www.hoopsworld.com/is-the-tor...-already-over/

There is no "if" with Bargnani. Everyone can see this except Casey. He is not going to be "actively engaged" on the defensive end. Never, ever, ever, ever.

[ceez]

Casey seems like he was brainwashed by some bargnani cult

[Soft Euro]

I think Casey realizes that without Bargnani playing well this team is a bottomfeeder. So as long as he isn't traded for something good, Casey probably thinks that Bargnani playing good basketball is the only way to move up in the rankings. Sadly that (most likely) isn't going to happen.

[slaw]

Is Casey dumb, or stubborn? You decide.

There is no "if" with Bargnani. Everyone can see this except Casey. He is not going to be "actively engaged" on the defensive end. Never, ever, ever, ever.

Last year I didn't think about Casey much cause the roster was awful and the whole point of the season was to lose and be in the Anthony Davis sweeptstakes.

This year, although I am by no means a basketball expert, I find myself constantly raising an eyebrow when it comes to Casey.

The offense is terrible. There is no player movement, no ball movement. A lot of the great motion stuff Triano ran is gone and hasn't been replaced by anything. The bigs don't get good looks with the ball, when they get it at all, and there are rarely any easy looks in a half court set. It's all one-on-one stuff.

Then you have the defense where tactical adjustments come too late or not at all. Pounding the rock is fine but even better would be pounding the rock while utilizing sound tactics. I don't see that.

Finally, player usage has been baffling. Bargnani is one example but there have been countless times where you just scratch your head at the rotations.

All a coach can do is put his players in the best position to win and I don't think Casey does that. Yeah, he's got a flawed roster with too many one-dimensional players and limited skill but you'd be hard-pressed to make a case he's getting the most out of his players.

[ReubenJRD]

Oh, my, GOD! Coach Casey please shut the fuck up. My goodness, he has been irritating! No more shitty, same excuses and benh the fucking cancer... (Sorry for the term, just tired of such non-care from such a talented player).

[RAPresenting]

Oh, my, GOD! Coach Casey please shut the fuck up. My goodness, he has been irritating! No more shitty, same excuses and benh the fucking cancer... (Sorry for the term, just tired of such non-care from such a talented player).

Still think Casey is a great coach?

I'm with you on his interviews it's the same regurgitated shit over and over. There is no accountability in the room and I don't think he's helping. It's time to take the kiddie gloves off and start calling out players.

Andrea effort and not taking it to the hoop when his shots not dropping
Demar losing track of his man defensively and when driving trying to finish with a dunk or into the man (this will get him more free throws)
Lowry cheating in the passing lanes, sharing the ball and shot selection
Jose not fighting through screens
JV for not holding his screens longer
Amir for not giving the same effort we've grown accustom to
Kleiza for not being amnestied

I like that the high school rotations of everyone has been cut back but something has to change it's getting hard to watch.

[ReubenJRD]

Still think Casey is a great coach?

I'm with you on his interviews it's the same regurgitated shit over and over. There is no accountability in the room and I don't think he's helping. It's time to take the kiddie gloves off and start calling out players.

Andrea effort and not taking it to the hoop when his shots not dropping
Demar losing track of his man defensively and when driving trying to finish with a dunk or into the man (this will get him more free throws)
Lowry cheating in the passing lanes, sharing the ball and shot selection
Jose not fighting through screens
JV for not holding his screens longer
Amir for not giving the same effort we've grown accustom to
Kleiza for not being amnestied

I like that the high school rotations of everyone has been cut back but something has to change it's getting hard to watch.

I believe Coach Casey, is a wonderful coach, and the right one for us. It's just, he seems to be suck under the same blind eye that BC is with the "Come hell or high water" with Bargnani.

Do what's right for the team! Go back to the culture change, and please, start getting on your team.

[joey_hesketh]

I believe Coach Casey, is a wonderful coach, and the right one for us. It's just, he seems to be suck under the same blind eye that BC is with the "Come hell or high water" with Bargnani.

Do what's right for the team! Go back to the culture change, and please, start getting on your team.

I agree with this. Ultimately, Casey is the exact same decision maker he was last year, when he was being lauded, and people were calling for 'Coach of the Year'. However I was under the impression he ran a 'tighter' (read: accountable) ship.

The only real difference is this year he was expectations to live up too .. and now he has Bargnani available to utilize, when last year he could only "hope" to have Bargs playing. I say "hope" because, last year when Bargs was playing, he was good.

While I'm not of the opinion that this team can't win with Bargnani on the team, I would like to see some accountability come down from DC. He's seen what Bargs can give him; and this isn't it.

[ReubenJRD]

I agree with this. Ultimately, Casey is the exact same decision maker he was last year, when he was being lauded, and people were calling for 'Coach of the Year'. However I was under the impression he ran a 'tighter' (read: accountable) ship.

The only real difference is this year he was expectations to live up too .. and now he has Bargnani available to utilize, when last year he could only "hope" to have Bargs playing. I say "hope" because, last year when Bargs was playing, he was good.

While I'm not of the opinion that this team can't win with Bargnani on the team, I would like to see some accountability come down from DC. He's seen what Bargs can give him; and this isn't it.

I agree as well!

Accountability is huge, and right now, Bargnani is not the only one on the long leash, it's a number of players on this team. BUT, I really do believe it's comforting to know, that the coach of this team, has confidence in his players. But, the approach and the way he is showing it, may be giving out a more different message.

[Apollo]

This thing will be hitting 1 million views sometime soon. That may be better ratings than Bargnani's Primo commercials.

[NoPropsneeded]

This thing will be hitting 1 million views sometime soon. That may be better ratings than Bargnani's Primo commercials.

[Matt52]

Sorry if I am a broken record, but on the topic of #tradeBargnani:

Every single time you hear people talk about Pop in San Antonio and what he has done there, something is always mentioned that is not meant to diminish Pops accomplishments but to highlight the importance of a reality in SA:

Tim Duncan is not only the best player on that team but he is also the hardest worker. When your best player is your hardest worker, a lot of things and people just fall in line naturally.

Do I need to continue with this?

#tradeBargnani

[BasketballCrush]

Here is something to think about.


Andrea was never a difference maker on his NT team playing for Italy. Galinari was. Considering that this kid could not even lead his NT team and he is the highest ranked talent from there, that should have given a good indication to the Raptors that he was not going to fill a leadership role here.


...but, but, but facts never really mattered with Bryan and his vision of the "future" of basketball.

[Soft Euro]

Here is something to think about.


Andrea was never a difference maker on his NT team playing for Italy. Galinari was. Considering that this kid could not even lead his NT team and he is the highest ranked talent from there, that should have given a good indication to the Raptors that he was not going to fill a leadership role here.


...but, but, but facts never really mattered with Bryan and his vision of the "future" of basketball.

And where did you get that fact...

[psrs1]

Sorry if I am a broken record, but on the topic of #tradeBargnani:

Every single time you hear people talk about Pop in San Antonio and what he has done there, something is always mentioned that is not meant to diminish Pops accomplishments but to highlight the importance of a reality in SA:

Tim Duncan is not only the best player on that team but he is also the hardest worker. When your best player is your hardest worker, a lot of things and people just fall in line naturally.

Do I need to continue with this?

#tradeBargnani

Agreed.

[Matt52]

“They tend to be honest when they’re talking about other players and the issues that are at hand — pretty brutally honest — and that’s what you want.

“You want guys to be honest and open.”

http://www.thestar.com/sports/basket...ryan-colangelo

I do hope players were finally was pretty brutally honest with Bargnani.

[Matt52]

LOS ANGELES - Andrea Bargnani has heard the trade rumours. He knows he has been targeted in the media and by the public for much of what ails the Raptors.

And all of it is having zero effect on him. In fact, he even understands it.

“No, of course it doesn’t affect me, but I think it does make sense on this team,” he said. “Who else would you blame? I don’t really know what you want me to answer.”

Even the trade rumours, the kind that keep popping up, the kind that can mess with a player’s head aren’t having any impact on him.

“Of course I hear the trade rumours,” he said. “But trades are part of the job. Since the first day I joined this team seven years ago, I knew I could be traded. That’s the reality. From Day 1 you know that can happen at any time.”

In Bargnani’s almost Spock-like logical world, there is no point in letting something that has always been a distinct possibility affect him one way or the other, and there’s certainly no point in getting oneself prepared for such an eventuality.

“It’s something you don’t control, so there’s no purpose in being prepared for it or getting prepared for it,” he said. “The only thing you really care about is trying to play good for yourself and for the team. That’s what you have to prepare for. A trade? Be prepared or not prepared, it doesn’t make you a better player or a worse player. If it’s going to happen, it happens. If it doesn’t, I mean it’s not something you really think about, at least I don’t think about it.

“Maybe you have more chance of being traded when you’re playing good, right? Because your value is up ... I don’t panic, honestly. So all these rumours and the talking? What does thinking about rumours get you at the end of the day?”

Bargnani has become the focus of much of the fans’ ire for a number of reasons. Two of the biggest are that his scoring is down and his inability to show emotion which is often misinterpreted as a guy who just doesn’t give a damn. But Bargnani will never be a guy who wears his emotions on his sleeve. Heck, his emotions may never leave the inside of his skin, but he knows this about himself and he’s fine living with whatever consequences that brings.

“I am very able to (stay even-keeled) which is a very good thing from one side but from the other side it’s not such a great thing, so you have two sides. But I’m definitely able to do that.”

Bargnani had one more revelation that came out when he was asked if he thought his team had hit rock bottom with the 30-point loss in Utah on Friday.

“Losing by 30 is different but it’s still losing,” he said. “I mean, for me personally, the loss in Sacramento didn’t feel any better than the Utah loss. It’s still a loss. You could say Utah was the bottom because we lost by 30 but I think we hit the bottom a couple of weeks ago.”

http://www.torontosun.com/2012/12/08...-trade-rumours

Surprise. Bargnani doesn't care about trade rumours.

The bold is where I call bullshit. There was quite a bit of emotion from his last season in those infamous games.

[KHD]

Was about to post that article too, Matt. Interesting insight into Bargnani's head.

I recall many articles leading up to the 2006 draft, and afterwards, that talked about Bargnani's "mental toughness", which is just a nice way of saying his lack of fucks to give about what people say about him. I don't like the way he's playing right now, but I do respect him for that.

He's also bang on about the bottoming out part. Utah looked really bad, but we've hit the bottom a long time ago and have been incapable of getting up.