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The case for starting Andrea Bargnani

11/13/08
by: Scott
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There might not be much that Raptors fans can have a consensus on these days, but I can make one statement that I doubt any of you will refute: Jamario Moon and Jason Kapono have both been pretty awful at small forward so far this season. Moon isn't rebounding like he did last season and he's taking too many jumpshots early in the shot clock. Kapono can't dribble or guard anyone and he still doesn't shoot often enough. Hey, J-Nilla™: Shooting is the one thing you're good at. You remind me of Jenna Jameson after she retired from porn — only less "crack-whorey". If you're not shooting (or being "shot on" in Jenna's case), you're completely worthless.

(Side note: I got to sit fourth row at a UFC event in Vegas last year. Jenna was ringside with her boyfriend, MMA fighter Tito Ortiz. Tito has the hugest cranium I've ever seen in my life. I have a big head but Tito's skull is epic. As for Jenna, she looked emaciated and not even remotely sexy. I was devastated. A couple of seats down from them were Kobe and his wife — who is absolutely one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. Simply breathtaking in person. I digress.)

Anyway, I think it's time to mix things up and insert Andrea Bargnani into the Raptors' starting lineup — not at small forward, but at power forward. Chris Bosh should start at the three and he'll cover small forwards on defense, and the two of them will switch roles on offense.

Can Bosh cover most small forwards adequately? I think so. And in the most surprising element of the Raptors' first eight games, Bargnani has proven to be quite an asset on post defense. In only 22.5 minutes per game, he's averaging 1.6 blocks — tied with O'Neal for the team lead. He seems to have miraculously learned a watered-down version of Tim Duncan's defense — where you use your height and positioning to effectively contest shots so you don't get out of position. I should also mention that Bargnani is averaging more points and rebounds per game than Moon and Kapono — who are both getting more minutes.

Here's how I'd break it down. O'Neal continues to get 30 minutes at center (I'd give him more but there's the whole "foul trouble" thing) and the remaining 18 minutes at the pivot go to Bargnani. Andrea and Bosh each get 20 minutes at power forward and I'd toss the other eight minutes to Kris Humphries. At small forward, Bosh plays for 20 minutes while Moon and Kapono split the other 28.

You might have noticed that my plan has Bargnani playing 38 minutes per game. Well, I say he's earned it. I was really down on him going into '08-09 but he's really shown me something this season . I could see him giving us 17 points, seven rebounds and two blocks per game with that much burn. Compare that to the 15.6 points, 6.3 rebounds and one block per game we're getting from "Kapoon"™ in 52.4 combined minutes. I'd call that an upgrade, wouldn't you?

Of course, this is dependent on Bargnani continuing his surprisingly solid and occasionally downright impressive play of late. Well, damn it, he's a first overall pick and he's finally starting to play like somebody who maybe deserved to be picked somewhere in the single digits of a weak draft class. Let's really find out what this floppy-jawed Italian is made of. Throw him a frickin' bone here, Sam!

(Please note that I have no actual expectation that Sam will execute this plan because it makes too much fucking sense.) 

 

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