yellowboy90 wrote:I think another thing to take into account with Bargs(I mentioned this earlier this Summer) is where will he be shooting his threes in this offense. Will the knicks give him more opportunities to shoot in the corners or will he continue to shoot his threes above the break? Will that matter?

He'll most likely be used in the PnP game around the elbow in the "Horns" set a lot. I think his best 3pt spot is at the top rather than the corner, but no matter where he is, he's a threat to not only shoot it, but also drive off the pump fake. He's extremely good at that.

What's more important is that teams can't relax with Bargnani on the floor. He doesn't just camp out in one spot and he basically mixes up his scoring from every spot on the floor.

TORONTO — Blame Canada.

Knicks coach Mike Woodson is still struck with wonder over his Italian/Canadian import, Andrea Bargnani, calling the Rome native a “triple threat’’ and installing him as the Knicks’ new starting power forward alongside Carmelo Anthony.

Bargnani’s name is mud in these parts and Friday night, when the Knicks face the Raptors, he will make his first return to AirCanada Centre and will be jeered. Raptors fans and Toronto media made the 2006 No. 1 overall pick the scapegoat for five straight non-playoff seasons, leading to his late-June trade to the Knicks.

“They can boo him all they want now,’’ Raptors coach Dwyane Casey cracked. “He gave seven great years to the organization. [But] fans are fans. He should probably put on ear plugs.’’

Bargnani passed his first Knicks’ test Wednesday in Providence, R.I., where he scored 12 points in 18:56 and made all six of his free throws in a 103-102 victory over the Celtics.

It wasn’t perfect. The enigmatic Bargnani was 3-of-8, missing all three of his 3-point attempts, committed an early charge and perhaps drove to the basket too much instead of firing away at open looks.

“I like everything about him,’’ Woodson said. “That was the reason we brought him over. I think he’s just a talented kid who knows how to play. I’ve got to keep his spirits up and pat him when he needs to be patted and ride his [butt] when it needs to be rode.’’

Paired with Anthony, Woodson liked how the big front line looked. “The spacing was really good with him,’’ Woodson said. “When you swing it, he’s a guy who can make shots. He missed some good looks. But he’s a guy that can put it down [on the floor] and cause problems, getting all the way to the rim and pulling up with the mid-range shot. I think it’s going to work.’’

So why didn’t it work out in Canada?

“I’m not even going to go there,’’ Woodson said. “I don’t criticize coaches or organizations. I see a player, I think, fits in [the] scheme of things I do. It’s not about that team anymore. It’s about getting him acclimated to what we’re doing. I think he’ll be just fine.’’

Woodson even praised his defensive rotations. He’ll save the criticism of Bargnani for Torontonians who felt he was injury-prone, distant with non-European teammates and not a winner.

“I didn’t get out of him what we were hoping for,’’ said Casey, who coached Bargnani for two seasons. “We wanted him to be Dirk [Nowitzki]-like. … I thought he needed a fresh start for himself, personally.”

The Knicks practiced Thursday at Ryerson University, where Bargnani worked out during the lockout. He still owns a place in Toronto and has rented it out.

“I move quick,’’ Bargnani said with a smile.

As Bargnani spoke to reporters, Anthony walked behind him, singing, “Welcome back,’’ to the tune of “Welcome Back Kotter.’’ It was an indication of how the two have meshed on and off the court.

Anthony has spoken to Bargnani about using less of his trademark pump-fake and firing up his open looks.

“For me, it was about trying to get Bargnani going early in the game, help him figure out his game,” Anthony said. “When we’re playing on the same side of the floor, you’re going to be wide open. I was talking to him about it [Thursday].

“A lot of times he won’t need [the fake]. He’ll be so wide open. He’s learning. He might want to put the pump-fake in the pocket for a little [while].’’

Bargnani seems to appreciate Anthony’s efforts to communicate.

“We’ve been talking about a lot of different things, not just the pump- fake,’’ Bargnani said. “We’re trying to find the right chemistry. It’s pretty good. [Wednesday] was just the first game. We worked a lot in practice finding each other. It’s a process. It’s not going to take long. But it’s going to take a little time to make the game fluid and smooth.’’

Bargnani was matter-of-fact on the subject of his Toronto return.

“Of course it’s strange coming to Toronto,’’ Bargnani said. “I played here seven years. It’s a long time. I definitely feel like a New York Knick. But I played seven years in Toronto. So it’s a weird feeling coming into [Friday].’’

There’s nothing weird about it for Woodson.

“The beauty of Bargnani is he’s going to find out he’s going to have a lot of wide-open threes the way we play,’’ Woodson said. “He can make threes, put the ball on the floor and he can post up. He’s a triple threat in terms of scoring the ball.’’

I was interested to see how Bargs handled his defensive assignments. He looked OK, but hopefully he gets better. He's just not a very tough guy, which I think a summer of weight work would help a ton. Why he hasn't done that so far in his career is puzzling. I don't know if he's scared that he'd lose some of his agility or quickness, but with the right training he should actually IMPROVE on his quickness and agility. The Knicks should insist that he work with an American trainer that will get him stronger. Anyway that's for the future, right now I just want to see effort and so far so good.

Bonn1997 wrote:Sounds nice. If Bargnani is replacing Novak, I'm not sure why they think this change will improve the floor spreading and create more open shots though.

WTF?

Dude have you just flown in from Mars? What's wrong with you? There have been tons of posts explaining the positive differences that Bargnani brings to the table that Novak doesn't. You have to look at how Bargnani plays and what his strengths are and then apply those skills to this roster. He's able to score from anywhere on the floor. AB is huge and hard to guard or stop from getting his shot off. He has one of the best pump fakes in the NBA and basically does more than Novak ever dreamed with the BB. His mere presence causes a defense to be concerned with his ability to score. When he has the ball a team has to move one of their bigs out to defend him. I've posted numerous videos that show this. We didn't have anyone that would draw a big out of the paint in order to allow attacking the basket. AB's presence should give Melo and others a few more opportunities to post and attack the basket with less defensive congestion.

DurzoBlint wrote:

nixluva wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:Sounds nice. If Bargnani is replacing Novak, I'm not sure why they think this change will improve the floor spreading and create more open shots though.

WTF?

Dude have you just flown in from Mars? What's wrong with you? There have been tons of posts explaining the positive differences that Bargnani brings to the table that Novak doesn't. You have to look at how Bargnani plays and what his strengths are and then apply those skills to this roster. He's able to score from anywhere on the floor. AB is huge and hard to guard or stop from getting his shot off. He has one of the best pump fakes in the NBA and basically does more than Novak ever dreamed with the BB. His mere presence causes a defense to be concerned with his ability to score. When he has the ball a team has to move one of their bigs out to defend him. I've posted numerous videos that show this. We didn't have anyone that would draw a big out of the paint in order to allow attacking the basket. AB's presence should give Melo and others a few more opportunities to post and attack the basket with less defensive congestion.

hahahah great post

Chill out and pay closer attention. The discussion is about teammates setting up open perimeter shots for Bargnani. So, to put it bluntly, nothing your wrote has any relevance to the discussion.

nixluva wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:

DurzoBlint wrote:

nixluva wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:Sounds nice. If Bargnani is replacing Novak, I'm not sure why they think this change will improve the floor spreading and create more open shots though.

WTF?

Dude have you just flown in from Mars? What's wrong with you? There have been tons of posts explaining the positive differences that Bargnani brings to the table that Novak doesn't. You have to look at how Bargnani plays and what his strengths are and then apply those skills to this roster. He's able to score from anywhere on the floor. AB is huge and hard to guard or stop from getting his shot off. He has one of the best pump fakes in the NBA and basically does more than Novak ever dreamed with the BB. His mere presence causes a defense to be concerned with his ability to score. When he has the ball a team has to move one of their bigs out to defend him. I've posted numerous videos that show this. We didn't have anyone that would draw a big out of the paint in order to allow attacking the basket. AB's presence should give Melo and others a few more opportunities to post and attack the basket with less defensive congestion.

hahahah great post

Chill out and pay closer attention. The discussion is about teammates setting up open perimeter shots for Bargnani. So, to put it bluntly, nothing your wrote has any relevance to the discussion.

The easy answer is that Novak really only stood in the corner cuz he couldn't really do much else. That clearly isn't the same with Bargnani who more than most players scores from just about everywhere. ON this team with other good players he'll be open!!! If he's in a 2 man with Melo do you think he might wind up being the one left open? Is that hard to comprehend?

Oh I'm sure he'll be left open. I just don't see Melo hitting him.

nixluva wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:You may be right. Melo (unfortunately) seems to trust only high PPG players. Scoring isn't an area I'm concerned about with Melo or Bargs.

I'm concerned that they both increase their scoring efficiency!!! I think that would be huge for this team. If they're hitting at a high clip along with the rest of the team that is what will lead to wins for this team. They have to be a top 3 offensive team and top 10 defensive team in order to get to the finals. I think they can do that.

Well I think that's two sides of the same coin. If they become more effective passers, they will hit shots at a higher rate.
Passing and rebounding are my biggest concerns with Bargnani.

BigDaddyG wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:Sounds nice. If Bargnani is replacing Novak, I'm not sure why they think this change will improve the floor spreading and create more open shots though.

This article explains it: http://www.postingandtoasting.com/2013/8/28/4664514/knickstape-what-can-andrea-bargnani-bring-to-the-table

Defenders play Novak differently because he doesn't have an escape dribble move and he won't take it all the way to the hoop. A defender can cheat off of Novak more than they could if they were guarding Bargnani.

Here's an example of Novak being run off the three-point line by a defender while the Knicks are in transition:

there's probably a video for everything in the NBA.

BigDaddyG wrote:

knickscity wrote:

BigDaddyG wrote:

Bonn1997 wrote:Sounds nice. If Bargnani is replacing Novak, I'm not sure why they think this change will improve the floor spreading and create more open shots though.

This article explains it: http://www.postingandtoasting.com/2013/8/28/4664514/knickstape-what-can-andrea-bargnani-bring-to-the-table

Defenders play Novak differently because he doesn't have an escape dribble move and he won't take it all the way to the hoop. A defender can cheat off of Novak more than they could if they were guarding Bargnani.

Here's an example of Novak being run off the three-point line by a defender while the Knicks are in transition:

there's probably a video for everything in the NBA.

Yeah, but one clip is of game that's still in doubt and the other one is video of garbage time. I think I saw Camby shuffling about in that video you submitted.

What you said is false...the video proves it.