Lunchbox Links

Sorry, but not really interested in reading Tim’s opinion – and I haven’t. The headline says it all. It’s guys like him, who are “moving” me away from these better Raptor reporting sites. And it’s not because I have rose coloured glasses, but because he (and others) take away the enjoyment of the game. Sure, last night’s game sucked. But please, find some other means to vent your existence.
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I think most of us have got it – we have a team that’s not going to contend for the championship. But I’d take this team over last year – a team which should have made the play-offs, with room to spare. Last night’s game definitely had flaws, and AB was part of that. But CONSTANTLY reading “glass half-empty” opinions, just starts to wear on ya.

That’s why I find myself – more and more – starting to look elsewhere for thoughts on the Raptors. I really would like to understand this game more, but reading all the vitriolic comments (that appear too often), just seems to create a smokescreen for all the intelligent / unbiased opinions.
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Granted “Def Stance”, I can see your bias, but at least I know you hate Bargnani. Tim W. is like that marriage that broke up, where the guy never owns up to being part of the reason for the split.
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Sorry Tim … but you need to get l@id, or something.
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it’s impossible to critically analyze this team without pointing to the player who is the focal point both on and off the court. [Defensive Stance]

This is where the whole problem starts. Bargs is the focal point, only because some fans have made him that, and because we have no one better on the Offensive side – as of yet.

Toronto drafted him #1 amongst a consensus weak draft – one precipitated by a draft rule change. Raps timing has been a function of bad luck. In our entry to the League, Raptors were "given" 7th pick (behind Vancouver) – 2 places past the spot where Garnett was chosen. Suffice to say, we have to live with that.

He’s the second-highest paid player on the current squad.

That comment made me laugh. At 8 million per season, it goes to show you that we really do have a minimalistic team. Detroit, Philadelphia, Cleveland & New York – teams we can beat – all have their 2nd highest paid player, whose salary is greater than Andrea. What does that mean? I really don’t know. And I really don’t care.

And last night we got to watch him get abused by a rookie while grabbing a measly two boards.

His rebounding does worry me – I`ll never dispute that. However, this is where I would have enjoyed some analysis, and less extreme dislike (which is not directed at anyone in particular)

• Is Bargs playing too many minutes?
• Is conditioning a factor?
• Is Reggie making him rebound lazy? Is Bargnani developing a bad habit?
• Does it matter if Reggie pulls in all these rebounds? If we beat them on the boards, does it matter if AB is not a big factor in that?
• Is Andrea playing a hybrid 4/5 position? And if so, is that a good thing?
• Is he a Centre or a PF? Or is he a SG in a 7 foot body?

Granted, at times these debates have happened. Unfortunately, they degrade into a name calling / BBall IQ debate. Or a fanboy diatribe, that defines a fan of Bargs as an idiot, and one who doesn’t know how to debate. It’s when debates are reduced to an emotional argument, that they lose me.

There is a part of me, that thinks those `fanboys` out there, say what they say, just to goad guys like Tim and others – sometimes defined as Bargnani haters. I can almost see them smiling, when they utter _Bargnani will be the best Rap player ever!

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The odd part about last nights’ game, was a feeling I got when Bargs took out Cousins after a few minutes. That changed the game, and was a big reason we raced ahead to a surprising start. But it also allowed Cousins to enter the 4th quarter, completely fresh. And we paid for that. Apparently it seems, so will AB.

My whole thing with Bargnani right now is just use him – and his one dimension – correctly.

This is where we`ll have to agree to disagree. I don`t see Bargs as simply one dimensional. And I`m not wishing to continue an argument that tires out so many fans. Especially so early in the season.

And don’t play him during crunch time when you need guys to defend, rebound and do all the little things that win games.

I could argue that it was a poor Offense that blew it for us. We rushed things near the end – completely opposite to the 1st Quarter. When I recently looked up 2009-10 Clutch Scoring (in the last 5 minutes, point spread less than 5), I was surprised by AB’s showing there. In fact, some numbers tracked better than Bosh.

But yes, Andrea needs to bare some of yesterday’s loss, along with others. I read that Jay was disturbed that Andrea, Kleiza & a few other shooters, should have taken a 3 pointer (near the end) when the opportunity presented it. Why, I don`t know.

My biggest retort to those who focus on the 4th Quarter, is a belief that it never should have come to this point. The Bench wasn`t there for us. Part of the problem probably rests with Jay. Another part has to do with a weak Front Court, that really could use Davis. Not as a Saviour, but as an option to what Anderson brings. Nice guy, but he`s not a 4th Big coming off the bench. It gets more accentuated by Amir being Amir.

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In the end, my rant was more about all the bitching that has gone on to this point. Andrea is not a Saviour, just a part of a team. A young & inexperienced team that I’m enjoying – despite the growing pains. Unfortunately, Bargs is a part that gets way too much attention.
As that happens, I end up missing the fun that basketball brings me, and the analysis that gets lost … like a needle in a haystack.
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