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Raptors: Top 5 power forwards in franchise history

By Avishai Sol

NEW YORK - JANUARY 28: Chris Bosh #4 of the Toronto Raptors drives to the basket between Wilson Chandler #21 and Al Harrington #1 of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2010 in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images)
NEW YORK - JANUARY 28: Chris Bosh #4 of the Toronto Raptors drives to the basket between Wilson Chandler #21 and Al Harrington #1 of the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden on January 28, 2010 in New York, New York. NOTE TO USER: User expressly acknowledges and agrees that, by downloading and or using this photograph, User is consenting to the terms and conditions of the Getty Images License Agreement. (Photo by Nick Laham/Getty Images) /
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LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 09: Andrea Bargnani #7 of the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images)
LOS ANGELES, CA – DECEMBER 09: Andrea Bargnani #7 of the Toronto Raptors (Photo by Harry How/Getty Images) /

Raptors power forward No. 3: Andrea Bargnani

You all know the negatives. Toronto drafted Bargnani 1st overall in 2006, one slot above LaMarcus Aldridge. Despite having deceptively good lateral mobility, he was an egregious defender protecting the rim, in the post, and against the pick-and-roll, he was one of the most lackluster rebounders we’ve ever seen for his size.

So why is he 3rd on this list?  We must remember that just because he was a disappointment doesn’t necessarily mean he’s a failure. Bargnani, for all his faults, wasn’t a bad NBA player/ He was a 7-footer with real offensive gifts both from range and close to the basket.

Andrea Bargnani was a solid scorer for the Raptors

He had nice soft hands, he could step out and shoot threes before it was popular, and was an 82% free throw shooter for his career.  When he was asked to carry the offensive load from 2010-2012 he averaged 21.4 points a game

Through it all he was never good enough to be a star.  The team asked him to be a star when they drafted him first overall and he wasn’t, they asked him to be a star when Chris Bosh left for Miami and he wasn’t. Bargnani is not Chris, nor is he Aldridge. Still, Bargnani was the best player for the bleakest era in Raptors history.

He was a big disappointment, but I’d imagine if you slotted him in as a role player for a good team he would have been remembered differently.  Imagine what Bargnani could have been playing with Steve Nash’s Suns or backing up Dirk on the Mavericks.  He could have averaged an important 14 and 5 for a good team. Instead he averaged an empty 21 and 6 for a bad one.