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Kyle Lowry tweeted this after the Raptors took down the Knicks on Friday night
I love our fans to death , but booing one of our players isn’t cool and it should NOT be done!! Hopefully next game it won’t happen!!
— Kyle Lowry (@Klow7) February 23, 2013
So let’s just quickly break it down.
Pros of booing
When was the last time Andrea Bargnani got called out? For seven years, Bargnani has more often than not given us a lackadaisical attitude on the basketball court. As Raptor fans, we know talent when we see it; and clearly, Andrea Bargnani is a very talented basketball player.
What we can’t stand however, is a lack of effort. For a player who’s getting paid 10 million, you’d think you could give something back to the organization.
That’s usually how it works in whatever occupation you work in.
In this case, the Raptors promoted him to a star player on this team – the leader if you will. The organization gave him a raise.
Concurrently, Raptor fans pay admission to come see their team play.
When they get ‘rewarded’ with a lack of effort, they have every right to boo.
Bargnani needs a wake-up call. Unfortunately for him and his relationship with Raptor fans, nothing seems to wake him up.
Cons of booing
At this point, we know that Andrea Bargnani is here to stay until the end of the season at the very least. And since booing Bargnani at this point is only proving to shatter his confidence and make him play worse, it’s going to be detrimental to the team.
Think of the aftermath of all this booing. His trade value is going to dwindle so low that we may regret all of this negativity that is being spewed in the ACC.
I mean, think about it. Not too long ago we were discussing trades that could potentially land us Pau Gasol and Carlos Boozer. The most recent source then told us it may be for Spencer Hawes. What’s next? If his trade value continues to plummet, we may be discussing trades for Mengke Bateer by the end of the season.
So, yeah. It’s something that barely anyone has mentioned; but booing is going to dramatically diminish Andrea Bargnani’s trade value.
Let’s also not forget that the boos not only affect Bargnani; but potentially the entire locker room. Clearly, the players are also taking this to heart if Lowry put out that tweet.
Reasons boos may not be justitied
There is one thing that I just can’t comprehend about these boos – and that is the timing of it. Why on Earth now.. All of a sudden?
Bargnani’s attitude has for the most part been the same as it is now for the past seven years. Obviously, he got injured, and now that he’s back he’s suddenly being booed mercilessly. Again, the timing just doesn’t make sense.
Then Colangelo openly shopped him around, and now that he didn’t get traded before the deadline, the boos continue.
Only now we’re stuck with him. So out of all the years you had to boo him, your timing couldn’t have been more illogical, basically.
And I feel if you want to boo someone, some of it should be directed more towards Colangelo for his unprofessional manner of dealing with the whole situation. First off, it was BC who gave Bargnani the contract, and it was BC who continued to stick with him when he was a cancer to the team.
And then after seeing his failure, Colangelo start making it clear to the public media that Andrea Bargnani is being shopped.
And now the Raptors – and their fans – are stuck with Andrea Bargnani.
Personal stance
I wouldn’t boo him. But everyone has the right to boo if they like, of course.
My reasoning is that our primary goal should be this: to make a hard push for the playoffs.
Yes Bargnani may deserve the boos, but it’s making him play worse. The last thing the team needs now is a distraction from their great play on the court. The Raptors are making a nice run right now and it would be ignoramus of Raptors Nation to put their hate towards Bargnani over the team itself.
If you don’t care about Bargnani’s confidence; then care for the team.
Support the team in any capacity they require you too. Right now, the locker room is asking for support – give it to them. Every other player is pouring their heart on the court right now, they deserve some support.
12 home games left. Let’s make it count.
If booing can affect your game. you don’t deserve to be on the team PERIOD. Mr. Glass deserves to be boo until he’s out of town, and it doesn’t matter what we get back in return, because there’s no secret to level of talent/skill this guy has.( stop judging him by potential) but we can no longer afford to wait for a player to reach his potential after 7 years in the league. Eventually we all must agree that you are what you are. Garbage primo sauce eating no attitude, no guts, with the heart of a chipmunk. book the next flight outta Dodge…
This is an incredibly selfish and utterly stupid argument. You are telling us you’re prepared to boo Bargnani even though it hurts the team. Whether he deserves to be bood or not is irrelevant. If you’re really a fan of the Raptors you’ll keep your mouth shut when he’s on the court.
The problem with booing is it is the wrong guy being booed. It is the point guard’s responsibility to get their guys involved. Bargs gets no touches , and the style of play sucks, no pick and rolls, no movement, no attempt to get him the ball in the post, or any other attempt at team play. Calderon would be setting him up to get going because that would be best for the team. Look at the way he got Amir and Davis involved. I know they are winning but this style of play will not get them to where we want to go, and are waisting a valuable asset, even if it is to trade .