By RaptorTalk


If there is one thing that surprised even an Il Mago fan like me, it is the significant positive step that Andrea Bargnani has taken in all facets of his game this season.

Sitting at the ACC and watching him hold his own against Dirk Nowitzki and the Mavericks on both sides of the ball was a real treat considering where his skill level was at the start of last season.

The turnaround started last January and continued in the pre-season where he was arguably the best Raptor while Bosh sat out due to injury. And it’s now continued through 41 regular season games.

With last week’s career high of 17 rebounds, an average of nearly two blocks per game and his vastly improved defense (particularly one-on-one) and his newfound ability to guard his man without fouling - Bargnani is doing all the things his critics claimed he could never do. His three point stroke is back and he's scoring the ball as well as he ever has.


      

Has Bargnani had his ups and downs? Absolutely. But Andrea's play has generally been very consistent throughout this season.

Andrea has always been a player whose game is driven by his offence. Yet when he struggled mightily on offense against Indy, he still played hard - particularly on the defensive side. The 'old' Andrea would have found himself nailed to the bench with 5 bad fouls.


Patience Is Paying Off

As I’ve said before, Raptor fans needed to be patient with Il Mago because while he had all the physical tools, it was what was going on between his ears that was holding him back. First (as I posted ad nauseum for two years), while Sam Mitchell was the right coach for Chris Bosh, he was the wrong coach for Andrea Bargnani. Jay Triano has given him the confidence he needs.

Second, Andrea struggled more than most players in adjusting to North American life, the English language and the NBA. Now that he has the peace of mind of a new contract, he is much more comfortable with his position in Toronto and it shows on the court.

After Andrea had a disastrous sophomore year, the Bargnani cynics starting using 'historical precedent' as definitive proof that Andrea could never improve much from where he was at that fixed point in time. Whether it was in blogs, forums or call-in radio the underlying message was the same – after two years of mediocrity it was virtually impossible for anyone to expect Andrea to make a marked improvement in his game. They (wrongly) claimed the die was cast.

Of course, I countered by pointing out here in RaptorTalk that Hall of Famers like Warren Moon, Guy Lafleur and Roger Staubach were all late bloomers. Yet, the critics said ‘those aren’t basketball players”.

Some even tried to prove through statistical analysis that Andrea Bargnani could not take the next step. However, historical precedent is totally irrelevant as it related to Bargnani because the big kid from Italy  is a 'one-of-a-kind' story.


Socrates Meets Bargnani

Bargnani's detractors used historical precedent in a manner which defied basic logic, as anyone who took an Intro to Logic course would know. This is what Socrates wrote and it's the basis for all logical arguments.

All men are mortal. (true)
Socrates is a man.  (true)
Therefore, Socrates is mortal. (TRUE)

That is a sound logical argument. What the Bargnani critics used to support their point-of-view was illogical. Basically they argued:

No NBA player has ever achieved X. (true)
Bargnani is an NBA player.  (true)
Therefore, Bargnani will never achieve X.  (FALSE)

The historical precedent argument was no more valid than this flawed argument which is taught on the first day of every university Logic course:

All apples are fruit. (true)
Bananas are fruit. (true)
Therefore, all bananas are apples. (FALSE)

While watching Bargnani live at the Air Canada Centre, I saw an underlying skill level in Andrea that I felt could be nurtured and eventually unlocked.

Was I absolutely sure Andrea would turn it around? No. I certainly had my doubts. But I always felt there was a decent chance he could improve. Nonetheless, the so-called experts said "no way - period." In their opinion Bargnani sucked then and therefore he would suck forever. Somehow it made sense to the critics.

Well, it looks like Andrea is proving all his critics dead wrong!

Based on the second half of last year and the first 41 games this season, it definitely appears that Andrea Bargnani is well on his way to becoming the player many of us thought he would be.

I’m happy for Raptor fans and I’m happy for Andrea. The cynics are being silenced and the quiet is sweet.