Andrea Bargnani is doomed to fail thanks to the pressure of playing in New York, lofty expectations and a lack of chemistry on the court.
Bargnani played like he was carrying the weight of the Empire State Building on his shoulders during the season opener Wednesday night as fans groaned and booed after every missed shot (six) or turnover (three).
Yes, in the opener.
Steve Mills discussing Andrea Bargnani.
A horrific start to say the least for a player deemed by management as a possible second option to Carmelo Anthony and a key fixture in the team’s identity going forward.
“I think we want to have a team where we figure out a way that we bring out the best in Andrea and find ways for he and Carmelo to complement each other,” president and general manager Steve Mills said.
The problem for Bargnani and Anthony is that they fit as well as Amar’e Stoudemire and Anthony did. Basically, the Knicks are trying to fit a round peg into a square hole.
Take, for example, a pick-and-pop play where Anthony had the ball at the top of the key. Bargnani immediately rushed over to set a screen for Anthony, who waved him off and preferred to isolate. Bargnani then drifted slightly to the wing along the arc, which kept an extra help defender too close should Anthony beat his defender off the dribble.
Frustrated, Anthony pointed for Bargnani to set another screen, which resulted in a double-team and a bad shot with the shot clock expiring.
Bargnani must learn that Anthony is a scorer by nature, not a facilitating playmaker. Anthony prefers to isolate and is at his best when shooters are around him to stretch the defense, allowing space for him to operate.
When Bargnani and Anthony inevitably run pick-and-pop plays, Bargnani must rediscover his shooting rhythm, which has abandoned him the past two seasons.
Andrea Bargnani’s shooting form.
After drawing comparisons to Dirk Nowitzki because of his propensity to roam beyond the arc as a foreign big man, Bargnani has shot a paltry 30 percent combined over the past two seasons from downtown.
In addition, Bargnani also entered the season coming off career lows in true shooting percentage (.483) and effective field goal percentage (.445).
Based on those numbers, it’s highly improbable that Bargnani will ever be the marksman Nowitzki is – let alone Steve Novak, one of the players for whom he was traded.
More importantly, if Bargnani can’t space the floor for Anthony to operate, the pair will not work, and New York’s offense will become stagnant. In such a case, Bargnani would add no value to the team since he is a historically poor rebounder for his size.
Bargnani became a defensive liability of epic proportion as he became the first 7-footer in league history to average more than 28 minutes but fewer than four rebounds.
Last season, Andrea Bargnani became the first 7-footer in NBA history to average more than 28 minutes yet fewer than 4 rebounds per game
— Tommy Beer (@TommyBeer) June 30, 2013
(FROM THE ARCHIVES: SHERIDAN — ACQUIRING BARGNANI WAS A HUGE MISTAKE)
Despite struggling mightily the previous two seasons with injuries and a rocky home debut, Bargnani is confident he will be put in a position to succeed by Woodson and his form will return.
In the opener against Milwaukee, he was 3-for-9 for six points off the bench. In last night’s one-point loss at Chicago, he was 4-for-7 for nine points playing as a starter. After one make, Woodson was exhorting him to shoot when he was open.
“(He’ll) try to run plays, but I’m not concerned about the offense, that’s never been a problem,” Bargnani said. “It’s a transition. If it’s an open shot, I’m going to take it. I’m still out of rhythm right now. It’s going to be a process. I’m not worried about the offense, it’s never been a problem the last seven years as a pro.”
I asked Raymond Felton if he specifically feels responsible to help Bargnani get back on track as the team’s floor general.
“Tell him to keep shooting,” Felton replied. “That’s the only thing you can do. He’s still got to take those shots and it’s my job to make sure he keeps taking them. Everybody goes through a slump and he’s on a new team trying to get familiar with the offense so he’s going to struggle at first. But we still need him to take those shots and I’m going to demand him to take those shots.”
A player with a fragile psyche such as Bargnani needs the encouragement of his teammates. More importantly, he needs the fan base to remain patient.
During his final days in Toronto, Bargnani was booed mercilessly and became the whipping boy for all things wrong with the Raptors.
It seems that distinction has carried over and will remain in New York, where fans appreciate hustle, defense and stars. Anthony is the star, Tyson Chandler brings the defense and role players such as Metta World Peace and Kenyon Martin deliver the hustle.
Bargnani provides a large bull’s-eye on his back for fans to vent frustration when he is struggling. Not fulfilling the vast expectations of a former No. 1 overall pick with a bloated contract will do that to a player. Just ask Michael Olowokandi, Kwame Brown and Greg Oden.
Despite entering the league with the potential to become the next foreign superstar a la Nowitzki, Bargnani looks more like Vladimir Radmanovic while wearing No. 77 with the Knicks, both literally and figuratively. Essentially, Bargnani has become a below average shooting stretch forward.
For the Knicks and Bargnani to make the most of their relationship going forward, Bargnani must regain his shooting touch and find sweet spots on the floor that don’t hinder the isolation play of Anthony and J.R. Smith.
Bargnani can become a spot-up shooter near the top of the key or run pick-and-pop plays with Felton in that area to generate his most efficient scoring potential, as illustrated by Grantland’s Kirk Goldsberry.
Andrea Bargnani shot chart.
Undoubtedly, Bargnani will take time to adjust and regain his form.
Meanwhile, Knicks fans will drain what’s left of his confidence by booing him out of Madison Square Garden during any dreadful shooting game.
Every “boo” from the fans and rough shooting night from Bargnani pushes the Knicks further away from the title that has eluded the franchise since 1973.
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Michael Scotto is a Sheridan Hoops NBA columnist. You can follow him on Twitter.
Ohhh poor New York RT (well at least U still have baseball Sarcasm the Yankees which is a cheating no tax payroll sport for big citys) ..When are the knicks going 2 relize Melo is the problem everybodys game is effective by this Guy Amare, Tyson, Barganani maybe knew how 2 pass sometimes his team chemistry would win games like the rest of the nba except Melos brother Kobe..What knicks did u think Uriji was just handing u the keys 2 best player on your team (which makes u awful team if thats the case)..Bargnani has been a bust, booed out of Tronto, making way 2 much on contract (Uriji just laughed) & is the same player as melo caught &shoot , but at least hes not like Melo is this way get the ball & hold it for 24secs while team suffers RT
PC3 – you sound like an idiot!