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He remains infuriating, sure. But let's look at the best-case scenario, just for a change of pace.

Let's say Bosh leaves. Let's say whatever pennies come back on the dollar, Bargnani becomes the No. 1 option. How would it change him? What could you possibly hope for?

Well, for starters, the team might start running plays for him, as they did in Detroit. No more hanging around watching Bosh hold the ball, which was a second-half theme this season until Bosh was injured (and during which Bargnani's numbers shriveled). A few more post-ups. More facing up from midrange, Dirk Nowitzki-style.

And without Bosh, maybe the ball moves better, as it did it Detroit, where the Raptors compiled a season-high 37 assists on 45 field goals. Maybe, because everybody is touching the ball, the defence picks up and the dysfunction dies down. Maybe Bargnani's defence picks up with it, though coaches will tell you his one-on-one work has improved. Maybe he grabs the odd offensive rebound because he's working closer to the basket, instead of hanging out at the line.

And maybe he stops being lazy, because he gets to shoot. And maybe he becomes a 24-and-8 guy, rather than the current 17-and-6 guy. Maybe he rewards Bryan Colangelo's vast faith in him.

dagger wrote:Well if Bosh isn't around there is no need for AB to spread the court for Amir Johnson so I assume that his game would move in closer to the basket and become more deliberate.

The problem with what transpired during Bosh's seven game absence just after the all-star break is that everyone took it upon himself to take his shots. It's not like we had a structural change, where plays were run for Bargnani.

Like I've been saying for months, Bosh was the only player the team deferred to, and when you remove him from the equation, there is no hierarchy or structure. The offence becomes a democracy - anyone who feels like taking a shot can do so.

Last night's game had a different feel to it: More deliberate postups for Bargnani, more side pick and rolls for him, more center pick and roll for Amir. Great ball movement. Now if you build an offensive philosophy around that with Hedo providing facilitation and three point shooting, Weems and DeRozan provide mid-range shooting off of screens, and Jack and Calderon playing the shooter's role on the pick and roll, you might get an offensive structure that is hierarchical, effective, involves everyone, and we no longer suffer through the dreaded 10-seconds-of-silence-while-Chris-decides-whether-to-drive-or-shoot. It might even be more fun to watch.

Jakay wrote:Funny you'd mention Brooks since his running mate Ariza suffered the opposite fate.

Anyhow, neither of those two are Bargnani. Definitely he needs to be fed the ball to be successful. I like how much offense is run through him now. He really sees the floor well and moves the ball well... and passes it inside better than anyone else on the team too.

I think ideally they could bring him in another few feet towards the basketball and run some high post offense through him, but this offense doesn't ever do that with anyone.

Ari_Emanuel wrote:I'm very skeptical as there are too many "maybe's" in this analysis.

If Bargnani somehow blossoms after Bosh's departure, it says as much about Bargnani's inability to adapt and our coaches' ineptitude as it says about Bosh impact on his teammates. Also, if Bargnani blows up as a number 1 option, it will be a double edged sword for us because on the one hand, Bargs reaches his full potential, but on the other he simultaneously proves that he cannot thrive with a teammate with equal or greater offensive talent. If Bargnani can only perform at a top level when he has the majority of plays run for him and commands the most touches, what makes things any different for us than they are now with Bosh?