Andrea Bargnani, the Toronto Raptors former No. 1 overall pick from the 2006 draft has had his detractors since the day he was drafted. Singled out for being a soft European player who can’t rebound or guard his position, Bargnani has had as much a fight for respect from the Raptors coaching staff as with the media and fans.
But Bryan Colangelo has continued to back his big-man pick and when he finally installed his own selection as the Raptors’ head coach early last season, Bargnani’s fortunes began to change.
Under new head coach Jay Triano, the Italian began to accumulate the kind of statistics Colangelo had envisioned on draft day. Andrea had his first seven-rebound-per-game month in February 2009 and his first 20-point-per-game month in March, ending the season with averages of 15.4 points and 5.3 rebounds.
More impressive were the 19 points and six rebounds per game Bargnani averaged after Jan. 1.
But Bargnani still had his detractors. Little faith was placed in his ability to maintain this higher level of production, let alone continue to improve.
Fortunately Triano has shown every confidence in Bargnani†...
Read Full Article at Bleacher Report - NBA
Article written by Stephen Brotherston
Toronto Raptors’ Andrea Bargnani: More Shots, Please!
November 9th, 2009 by Stephen Brotherston Leave a reply »
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