Tag Archives: Brandon Roy

by | February 25, 2010 · 1:33 am

Raps Blazed at the ACC, but Canada won!

In a game that probably no one saw the Raptors were thoroughly outplayed as the Blazers took advantage of a Bosh-less Raptor squad.  It was the first game that the Raptors clearly missed Bosh’s offensive presence.  The Raptors couldn’t muster much energy or fight.  They looked a lot like the Russian hockey team.  If the Raptors are to be successful without Bosh they have to play smart.  16 turnovers is not smart basketball, and very uncharacteristic for this team.  Maybe they were checking the scoreboard like everyone else  in the building.  Not a good night for the Raps.  Good thing no one was watching.

The Zan for Three

 

Brandon Roy breezes past Jarrett Jack on his way to two of his twently points.

Return of the Turk

Hedo was a different player tonight. Not a great game but there were positives.  He was  active on the glass, distributing the ball with confidence and he wasn’t afraid to take shots.  He went 8-9 from the field.  With the way the rest of the team shot the ball, maybe he should have taken more.   He was a leader out there  and is going to need to be that even more with the team still missing Chris Bosh.  

One can only hope that Turkoglu is beginning to turn a corner.  He was brought here to help the Raptors reach another level.  One he has consistently reached in his career.  He was brought here to put the Raptors over a hump and move them into the upper echelon of the Eastern Conference.  These last few games without Chris Bosh, Turkoglu is beginning to do just that.  Let’s hope the real Hedo has finally arrived in Toronto.

Days Off

A blessing and a curse for a basketball team.  Time is good to heal wounds and rest a little bit.  Prepare yourself for the battles that lie ahead.  Time off can also cause rust to form.  The Raptors looked like they were resting too long.  They started out very slow and were unable to get any kind of momentum going the entire night.  The perimeter defense on Roy, Miller and Fernandez was especially slow.  There was hope the time off would help Bosh be ready for this game, but he wasn’t  and niether were the Raps.  I imagine there will be plenty of hard work before Friday’s matchup against King James.

A Fan’s Dilemma

If you’re a Raptor fan and you have tickets to a game against a solid young team like the Blazers and Canada is fighting for it’s life in an Olympic quarter-final: What do you do?  Do you go to the game and miss out on what could be (and totally was) an amazing hockey experience that comes only once every four years?  Or do you honour your tickets and watch the Bosh-less Raptors hammer it out.  Hindsight is, of course, 20-20 but it is a hard choice.  One would feel like a Mini-Wheats commercial.  On the one hand you want to honour your commitment to the best team in the city and the team you love, but on the other your patriotic duty calls.  A tough dilemma for all of those that showed up at the ACC .  But Kudos to them for being there to cheer on the Raps.

Zan of the Night

Brandon Roy

Not a superb shooting night, but he controlled the game most of the way and led his team to a decisive victory over a good Raptors squad.  Hedo Turkoglu also deserves honourable mention as we saw the most life out of him this season.  A well played game for the Turk.

Not Zan of the Night

Evgeni Nabokov.  I easily could have said anyone of the Raptors outside of Turkoglu, but Nabokov had the worst night out of anyone in the entire country.  Even Adam Giambrone feels bad for the guy.  Rough night at the office for the Russian. One can only hope, for him and his Sharks teammates, it doesn’t carry over into NHL action.

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Kristoffer Pedlar
The Zan Tabak Herald

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by | January 21, 2010 · 11:37 am

The Evolution of Andrea Bargnani

In 2006, the Toronto Raptors selected Andrea Bargnani with the first overall selection.  Selecting a number one overall pick isn’t always as easy as it sounds.  For every Lebron James there’s a Kwame Brown.  The process is, by no means, foolproof.  Bryan Colangelo selected the little known, but highly touted Italian, in a year where there was no consensus number one.  It was bold move at a pivotal time for the Toronto Raptors, having  just come off one of the worst seasons in team history and losing star Vince Carter.

Bargnani was inconsistent for his first three years as he struggled to find his game and his role under Sam Mitchell.

Colangelo passed up the talented Brandon Roy and the athletic duo of Lamarcus Aldridge and Rudy Gay.  Fans, writers and so-called “experts” openly questioned the move, but Colangelo stuck with his gut and bet his reputation on the 7-ft Italian.

Over the first few years of the “Bargnani Era” there were flashes of brilliance, but also periods of shaky defensive play and inconsistent minutes from former coach Sam Mitchell.  The whispers in the ACC grew louder.

“He can’t play defense.”

“He plays the same position as Bosh”.

“He can’t rebound to save his life.”

“He’s just a 3-pt shooter”.

Bargnani responded with inconsistent play.  Coaches didn’t know what to do with him.  He had the skill set of someone who was difficult to guard, but he just couldn’t seem to put it together and the coaches couldn’t seem to help.

Enter Jay Triano.

No longer would Bargnani have to worry about getting yanked from a game at a moments notice.  He was the starter plain and simple.  He was a centre and was going to be given time to adapt to that role.  No more quick substitutions, no more questioning his position, no more self doubt.  This vote of confidence from his coach ignited a flame under Bargnani and he finished the season averaging 20pts a game.  He was starting to look like a legitimate number one.

This season has once again been flashes of brilliance and moments of head scratching – until this last stretch of games. Something changed. Something happened. Bargnani has exploded, looking every bit a number one selection, looking every bit a dominant big man.

Over the last 5 games (not including last night)  he’s averaging 20pts per game, 9.2 rebounds plus 2 blocked shots.  He looks dominant on offense and solid on the defensive end. Not bad for a guy that was openly called a “bust” by many announcers, pundits and media types who believed the Raptors should have gone with Brandon Roy.

What changed? A lot.

Andrea Bargnani has put it all together this year and is finally showing the promise Bryan Colangelo always knew was there.

Andrea is confident.  His teammates trust him in key situations. He isn’t waiting for the ball he’s demanding it.  He hasn’t let tough calls deflate his intensity.  He’s using his size and jump shot to attack the defense.  He’s more passionate. More emotional. He still likes to lurk on the 3-pt line but also takes the ball to the rack  – which has made him nearly impossible to guard.

Bargnani doesn’t just look like a kid with exceptional promise anymore; he looks like a star.  The countless number of hours he spent in the gym, practicing his post game or his pull up jump shot, has paid off.   The amount of times he was called for offensive fouls while learning to drive, has made him adapt. He’s becoming a complete player with a very impressive arsenal of weapons. A skill set approaching unguardable. Especially for a seven footer.

Dirk Nowitzki, a seven footer of his own, mentioned Bargnani’s development.  ”He’s way more athletic than I ever was in my career…He’s got a quick first step. What you have to do as a young player is improve year over year and I think he did that. He’s always a tough matchup. … The sky’s the limit.”

It appears that Bargnani has turned the heads of the league’s elite and  a corner in his development.  He may be on his way to taking the next step towards being a legitimate NBA star.

Kristoffer Pedlar
The Zan Tabak Herald

 

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