Is the new focus of AB as PF for the benefit of the Raps in a trade or next year?

[Raptor4Ever]

Stop wasting your time. Tim doesn't care about any solutions that involve Bargnani. Even if an ideal solution worked, he'd still find a reason to back his opinion.

Fact is, if Bargani is traded, and a defensive Centre is acquired (separately or not), then Davis could very well get 30-32 minutes, leaving Amir with 15 - 20 minutes per game. In this scenario, I can't see AJ being satisfied with his minutes going down - especially if Andrea is moved. As for both being on the Court together (in order to rectify Amir's drop in minutes), I just can't agree with them handling true Bigs together - at this time. If Davis increases in size and strength, it's possible, but now we have a big IF being thrown into the equation.

But let's say both increase their size and strength - how does Amir handle that change, considering his history with injuries. What effect would this have on AJ's quickness, and will he become even more foul prone. Suffice to say, that if Andrea is gone, BC (I hope its' him in charge) will look not just for a Starting Centre, but a back-up guy as well. And that means Johnson will be bound for somewhere else.


Here's some more of Tim's perspectives:



Wow. Nothing else to say on this type of statement.



A Big who's really a Big, would demolish Amir. Or if not that, the constant banging would have him back on the injury list. Considering Johnson's ankle (an unknown at this time) and back problems, the risk is higher with AJ if we follow through with this scenario (Ed & Amir together). If Amir really is healthy, then why not move him now - regardless of whether you move Andrea - as his trade value is at a peak.



Let's see now. No Andrea. No Demar. But we'd have Davis & Johnson. Sure, our defense will be better, but our Offense will be not just horrible, but down right embarrassing.



And Tim knows this, because his Genie told him?

The irony of all this, is that it's not Bargnani who will impede Davis in his PF role - as it seems AB is on a short leash (here or gone) - but Amir who will affect it. And as such, AJ will eventually be moved. When it comes to playing time, I can't accept all this love and camaraderie that goes with being friends/buddies. Take the Derozan/Weems situation. I'm of the belief that Weems stunted Demar's progress in the first year, and that the best thing that could happen to DD, will be when Sonny has moved on.

With respect to Amir & Ed, this talk about not being a Contender (for some time), just seems to reinforce my perspective on player roles. Why keep 2 of the same players, when Raptor's needs are all across the board - Starting PG, Back-up SG, Starting SF, Centre.

Now Tim will say that I can't let go of the Andrea thing. Which is absolutely wrong. What I can't let go of, is our propensity to screw up our draft picks whether it's done by playing too much, playing in the wrong position, or expectations which don't justify the player's abilities, or salary. Whatever it is - and this goes for any of Toronto sport team's draft picks - one thing is always true .... they ain't here anymore.

Quite a few fans believe Andrea was coddled too much (I'd be one of those), so why not try the opposite approach for one year. Bench him if his effort is not there. Or reduce his playing time. This won't reduce his value, as we've already done that with all this Bullshit going on. And besides, with BC's capacity to extract something out of nothing (Miami's pick - JJ, or Barbosa for Hedo), I'm sure he can convince some GM that we screwed up, and that Bargnani has talent.

In some respects, Bargnani may represent why I've been reluctant to truly adopt Davis into the fold. I just have this deja vu that he'll be gone - whether it's because he becomes a top talent (and decides to flee the Titanic), or because he doesn't fill that expectation quota, we so love to have. I was a big fan of Bosh (not in his final year), as was so many others. Now we hate him. Such is the life of a Toronto fan.
.

Just a Great Read.

[Tim W.]

Just a Great Read.

So is Harry Potter, and they're both fiction.

Care to step up to the plate, or are you just going to snipe from behind the curtain, too?

[HuskyRaptor]

Do you guys honestly expect Andrea to be back next year?? And would BC trade Ed Davis? who is almost,if not already better than bargnani

[ceez]

Here's what I get from it all: It's his way of saying "come and get him!". First he goes on about how Ed is a double double machine waiting to happen (I agree) he just needs minutes. Then he says bargs is a shitty rebounder/defender and needs to play beside a solid defensive C as a PF to be truly effective (I agree) but then states we need a C. If Ed is such a gem, why would you limit his minutes? If anything, Ed needs more minutes. Are they going to play him at C though? It doesn't sound like it if BC is talking about going out and getting one.

It was basically Colangelo officially telling the world Bargs is on block. Have at 'em.

[Fully]

Colangelo was posturing at the press conference to try and keep Bargnani's trade value high. I think this is some of the "smooth" operating that BC's supporters so often point to as a reason to keep him around despite him running the team into the ground.

[RapthoseLeafs]

Tim and I

You know, I've never had a problem with your posts before, but if you want to have a discussion with me, then have one. If you're afraid to, then don't do this bullshit thing of talking "about me". It's cowardly, insulting, and, quite frankly, ignorant as hell.

Tim,
My rant - and yes, it was a rant - came about because of an earlier forum post If the raps do decide to keep Bargnani. In that debate, you kept up with the same points that we've heard over and over again - relative to Andrea. You just wouldn't let it go.

That being said, I probably say things over and over again as well, so I guess we're even. Suffice to say, that forum topic got derailed by arguing over why we would keep him, when the forum topics' focus was how you play him if he doesn't move. Should Raptors trade Andrea, and don't get back equal value, I suspect a number of fans will be happy - including you.

Maybe that's being presumptuous on my part, but never-the-less, this is where I find fault to some of the logic here - going so far as to think hate is blinding rationale thinking. I've been told that I'm not a Raptor fan, but a Bargnani fan - which is bullshit - but so be it. Bargnani is a Raptor, and I back every player on this team. I may not agree with specific roles, but I support our players. And that's not saying you don't, although AB might be an exception. What bothers me, is how we boo/despise certain players, yet call ourselves fans.

As for never having problems with my post before, I'll have to disagree there. We've had discussions before, and too often there's been an subtle (or not so subtle) inference that I'm delusional when it comes to Bargnani. Fact is, he's no different than any other draft pick, where I think we've screwed up. Years from now, when he's gone, I'll completely forget about him. Just like I have about Vince, and soon enough about Bosh. Probably Davis too, when we screw that up as well. I'm an optimistic fan, and a pessimistic Toronto supporter - if that makes sense.

As for being cowardly, I've dropped in on many game day threads over at RaptorsHQ, where I felt like a Christian in the Lions den, and still post. Definitely not welcomed - more ridiculed if anything. I liked the challenge, despite knowing it's a small group who are hijacking the threads. Even on here, if someone espouses keeping AB, it seems that a swarm descends on that person. It then becomes like a bunch of bullies - not that I'm saying you're a bully.

Point being - I am a fan. And if I think Andrea can be worked into the system - even as a 6th man - than I should be able to say as much, without hearing the same thing over and over again. Granted, my offending post probably stretched how I stated things, but it's point was how we give up on rationale debate too often.

If I offended you with my frustration, I apologize. The simple truth is, all this hate for Andrea is really going overboard. It discourages me as a fan, to think more people hate Bargnani, than they do Bosh. The former wants to stay, while the latter couldn't give 2 shits.

And with that, I'll end this rant.
.

[WhatWhat]

Dude, not liking a player does not mean that you're not a fan. You shouldn't blindly support a player just because he plays for the team. Knicks fans probably hated Eddy Curry, but their all still good fans. I think everyone wants Bargnani to succeed...badly. But it's glaringly obvious that he won't, at least not here. They probably "hate" a player because he is clearly hurting the team that they are a fan of.

The outroar about him is probably because most people, (including myself) were on the fence about him finally made a decision. He's crapped the bed completely and they feel like the they've wasted their time. Also, it's the internet and stuff, it and hyperbole go hand in hand.

I don't even hate Bosh I either. I thought all of the stuff was petty as hell. We did a really shitty job of building around him in retrospect. If I were him, I would've left too. I appreciate what he did for the team.

[Tim W.]

Tim,
My rant - and yes, it was a rant - came about because of an earlier forum post If the raps do decide to keep Bargnani. In that debate, you kept up with the same points that we've heard over and over again - relative to Andrea. You just wouldn't let it go.

That being said, I probably say things over and over again as well, so I guess we're even. Suffice to say, that forum topic got derailed by arguing over why we would keep him, when the forum topics' focus was how you play him if he doesn't move. Should Raptors trade Andrea, and don't get back equal value, I suspect a number of fans will be happy - including you.

Maybe that's being presumptuous on my part, but never-the-less, this is where I find fault to some of the logic here - going so far as to think hate is blinding rationale thinking. I've been told that I'm not a Raptor fan, but a Bargnani fan - which is bullshit - but so be it. Bargnani is a Raptor, and I back every player on this team. I may not agree with specific roles, but I support our players. And that's not saying you don't, although AB might be an exception. What bothers me, is how we boo/despise certain players, yet call ourselves fans.

As for never having problems with my post before, I'll have to disagree there. We've had discussions before, and too often there's been an subtle (or not so subtle) inference that I'm delusional when it comes to Bargnani. Fact is, he's no different than any other draft pick, where I think we've screwed up. Years from now, when he's gone, I'll completely forget about him. Just like I have about Vince, and soon enough about Bosh. Probably Davis too, when we screw that up as well. I'm an optimistic fan, and a pessimistic Toronto supporter - if that makes sense.

As for being cowardly, I've dropped in on many game day threads over at RaptorsHQ, where I felt like a Christian in the Lions den, and still post. Definitely not welcomed - more ridiculed if anything. I liked the challenge, despite knowing it's a small group who are hijacking the threads. Even on here, if someone espouses keeping AB, it seems that a swarm descends on that person. It then becomes like a bunch of bullies - not that I'm saying you're a bully.

Point being - I am a fan. And if I think Andrea can be worked into the system - even as a 6th man - than I should be able to say as much, without hearing the same thing over and over again. Granted, my offending post probably stretched how I stated things, but it's point was how we give up on rationale debate too often.

If I offended you with my frustration, I apologize. The simple truth is, all this hate for Andrea is really going overboard. It discourages me as a fan, to think more people hate Bargnani, than they do Bosh. The former wants to stay, while the latter couldn't give 2 shits.

And with that, I'll end this rant.
.

The problem I had was that you weren't talking "to" me. You weren't trying to have a conversation with me, as if actually directing your argument to me wasn't good enough. And while I've certainly had problems with your point of view, I've never had a problem with you, personally. At least not that I recall. I just feel you stepped over the line, there, and I didn't appreciate it.

As for the discussion at hand, I apologize if I took that thread a bit off topic, but my point was that keeping Bargnani would be detrimental to the team, so there IS no solution if you keep him, in my opinion. It's all bad. It's like asking the question, "Let's say there's a meteor about to hit the earth. How do you, personally, stop it?" Well, you can't. There is no good answer.

I also think the term "hate" is way overused. Just because I am passionate about the fact that Bargnani shouldn't be a part of the future of the team doesn't mean I hate him. Look at it this way. Say you have a friend or relative who wants to start a career in public relations, but they are shy, socially awkward and completely wrong for that field. I don't HATE careers in public relations or this person, I just am sure that they would hate the field and fail miserably at it. In that example, however, they can try it and see and there's really no harm done. But in the case of Bargnani, it means damaging the long term prospects of the team and setting the franchise back. As a fan of the team, I have a real problem with this.

I think one main reason people seem to like Bosh more than Bargnani is, despite all of Bosh's faults, at least he worked hard and seemed to try most of the time he was on the court. Most people just don't see that with Bargnani.

Lastly, I just don't seem to get emotionally invested in players, anymore. I don't know why, but I just don't. I certainly will get enamoured with a player's game, but it's usually rationally based and I tend not to get too attached to them. That could be why I couldn't care in the least whether Bargnani wants to be in Toronto or not. If I don't see it on the court, then I don't care (as long as it doesn't affect what I see on the court). I have one goal as a fan. To see the Raptors win a Championship. That means I only want players who will help them achieve that goal.

And by the way, I felt the same about Villanueva's game when he was a Raptor. Thankfully, I only had to put up with that for a year.

[Raptor4Ever]

but my point was that keeping Bargnani would be detrimental to the team, so there IS no solution if you keep him, in my opinion. It's all bad.

Seeing Tim fixate on AB like this and make it so personal was sad at first. But now, after all these month, seeing a grown up man, write pages and pages, repeat the same sad story everyday, sitting and praying that one player will be traded and suddenly and magically, all our problems as a TEAM will go away, is actually becoming quite funny.

Keep on doing what you doing Timmi, you are the comical relief that Raptor Republic needs.

[Hugmenot]

I believe the Bargnani-Davis/Johnson pairings will surprise some people.

I would like the Raptors to acquire a defensive big man who can play 20-24 minutes. As a backup and an occasional starter when someone is injured or needs a rest.

I hope the Raptors do not resign Weems, Ajinca, and Evans unless it's an end-of-bench situation.

[Tim W.]

Seeing Tim fixate on AB like this and make it so personal was sad at first. But now, after all these month, seeing a grown up man, write pages and pages, repeat the same sad story everyday, sitting and praying that one player will be traded and suddenly and magically, all our problems as a TEAM will go away, is actually becoming quite funny.

Keep on doing what you doing Timmi, you are the comical relief that Raptor Republic needs.

Way to take it to a personal level, there. I guess when you lose the argument based on facts, insult. That's going to fool everyone!