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I can't help but notice the similarities of what Andrea Bargnani must be going through watching the documentary about Yao Ming being the number 1 pick and meeting people's expectations in such a young age in a new environment, culture, and lifestyle...the language barrier is also a factor...Yao didn't know half of the plays unless it was translated to him...everyone in Houston calling the pick a bust because of how poorly he performed early in his career, everyone criticizing him, and the media saying how Houston made a mistake and should've drafted Caron Butler...I am for one guilty of bashing Andrea many times, i think as raptors fans, and most importantly the media need to be patient and just watch him develop and help him build his confidence instead of putting him down.

Yao was putting up 18/8 in his rookie season...

CreaM wrote:Yao was putting up 13.5/8 in his rookie season...

fixed.[/b]

13.5/ 8 is still better than Bargnani. If we're lucky that will be his numbers next year, but 8 boards might be pushing it.

Based on Yao's rook/soph year, did he look as lost out there? I mean if it wasn't for BC stating he's a 5 year project, I'd think he's completed zoned out.

Watching his Italian games, his post moves were very awkward, as were his drives. Many of them were flukes since he had no real attack at the basket, and they still are today. I hope he practices a drop step or something. He also has to learn when to commit and when not to on a drive.

I've never seen Yao in China, so I can't really compare the two.

It was the ballad of Yao Ming

http://www.thebasketballjones.net/2007/ ... -yao-ming/

garbageman wrote:-= original quote snipped =-




fixed.[/b]

Meant to say sophomore, which when i check was even putting up better rebounding numbers. Yao and Bargs play a COMPLETELY different game, so comparing them does not make any sense.

just to make it clear I'm not comparing them, i know they both have different game..that's why i didn't include any stats on my thread...I'm just discussing how tough it must've been for Andrea to adjust in a North American (game/environment/lifestyle), than Euro (ball/lifestyle)

CreaM wrote:-= original quote snipped =-


Meant to say sophomore, which when i check was even putting up better rebounding numbers. Yao and Bargs play a COMPLETELY different game, so comparing them does not make any sense.

He is comparing their situation coming into the league, he is not comparing their game.

Just because they both came into the league in similar circumstances doesn't mean you can say, oh look how Yao turned out, I'm sure if you're patient with Barney he'll turn out the same way! lol

Benching Bargnani doesn't do him any justice though. It just lowers his self confidence level.

yaos 2nd year was garbage ... 3rd year he was mediocre

4th year solid solid center


so give bargs some faith...!

greed416 wrote:yaos 2nd year was garbage ... 3rd yere was mediocre

so give bargs some faith...!

If 18/9 is garbage, then I want Bargs to improve from pathetic to garbage.

18/8 is garbage? If bargs was dropping 18/8 this season, I'd eat crow.

Yao wasn't a perimeter 3 point chucking SF that had to convert to a C... He played one position his whole life due to his height... And Yao had and still has an advantage over everybody else in the form of 5-6 inches, making it easier to impact the game and grab boards... If he was 7 feet I think he'd be fairly average to below average...Bargs is the size of an average center, maybe a little weaker and lighter.. And he has to become a defensive minded anchor at the C when he's the complete opposite as a player... Plus the team as a whole is already soft plus we have a finesse PF, which highlights his weaknesses even more...

The only thing that was harder for Yao was the intense media pressure from China and the rest of the league... Bargs isn't facing that type of pressure, and maybe never will... Aside from that I would say Bargs has a lot more obstacles and is being asked to do a lot more than he might be capable of at the moment...

the amount of media scrutiny yao had to go through every night his rookie year is unparallelled in sports history.

kingr wrote:18/8 is garbage? If bargs was dropping 18/8 this season, I'd eat crow.

I'd eat crow if he ever manages to drop 18/8 during his career in Toronto.

djsunyc wrote:the amount of media scrutiny yao had to go through every night his rookie year is unparallelled in sports history.

Lebron?

CreaM wrote:-= original quote snipped =-


Lebron?

lebron didn't have 30 chinese reporters following him around everywhere. he didn't have to do all asian tv/radio in every city he had to go to. he didn't have to be a representative of his entire country. it's no contest - yao had way more to deal with than lebron.

Warya wrote:...Yao had and still has an advantage over everybody else in the form of 5-6 inches, making it easier to impact the game and grab boards... If he was 7 feet I think he'd be fairly average to below average...

Yes, and if Shaq was merely 250lbs instead of 300+lbs he'd be faily average to below average as well. I guess that puts Bargs in so much better light.

Warya wrote:Bargs is the size of an average center, maybe a little weaker and lighter..

Bargs is purportedly 7'1" and 250+lbs which is likely (don't have the stats in front of me) above average and certainly bigger than Camby, Ben Wallace, Amare Stoudemire and Al Horford (a rookie), to name a few Centers off the top of my head.

All these excuses for Bargs are getting tiring. Even a little bit of progression would be nice.

gcsw wrote:-= original quote snipped =-



I'd eat crow if he ever manages to drop 18/8 during his career in Toronto.