HAWKS FANS You GOT TO READ THIS!!!

[Diesel]

Publicly mulling his new-found options as the luck-struck possessor of the No.1 pick in next month's NBA draft, Bryan Colangelo, the Raptors general manager, wasn't exactly in the mood to drop subtle hints about his leanings yesterday.

He dropped hammer-over-the-head hints, making it all-too-obvious that he's enamoured with a certain Andrea Bargnani — whose surname is pronounced, at least by this butcherer, Barn-yani. He's a 20-year-old seven-footer from Rome who, in a crop of prospects that lacks a franchise-changing consensus stud, is among a handful of players projected to go anywhere in the top five or six slots.

But yesterday Colangelo tried awfully hard to make it known that the Raptors like him more than anybody else on the shortlist. The GM mentioned that Sam Mitchell, the Raptors coach, and Wayne Embry, a senior executive, were jetting to see Bargnani play on the Continent this week. He mentioned that Larry Tanenbaum, the club chairman, had taken in one of Bargnani's games at Colangelo's urging. And he mentioned — surely only in passing — that the man with whom he is in talks to hire as an assistant, Maurizio Gherardini, is the top executive with the club, Benetton Treviso, that owns Bargnani's contract.

To be more transparent, Colangelo, who is of Italian heritage, would have needed to hold up a Raptors jersey bearing Bargnani's No. 11 while personally stuffing the gathering of media types with gnocchi and Moretti and calamari. Even without the seafood, all the references to one paisan — in the absence of repeated references to any other player — smelt awfully fishy.

As pre-draft strategies go, call this The Italian Job. And if you didn't see the movie of the same name — either the 1969 original or its decent sequel — you should know it starred a group of con artists planning the heist of their lives.

That's not to say there's anything untoward going on in Raptorland these days. But if your fisherman has learned one thing about trolling for draft-time information, it's that almost everybody is lying almost all the time. Deceit is only smart business practice for executives looking to protect the scouting information they've spent hundreds of thousands to assemble.

And that's not to say Colangelo might not be floating a trial balloon here — simply getting people used to the idea of taking a baby-faced bone-rack from the boot with the first-overall pick. (There are exactly zero Italians in the NBA these days, and the only Italian Raptor, Vincenzo Esposito, was no Phil or Tony). What is far more likely is that Colangelo is looking to make a deal that will net him more from the first round than a youngster who's at least a few years away from contributing to the cause.

To wit, Colangelo listed off his club's needs yesterday, and the needs — contrary to all the nice words about the Italian — spoke a different language. They need more "interior presence" and "rebounding help," the GM said, and Bargnani is a perimeter guy who averaged three rebounds a game during the regular season in Europe. They need a point guard. (And when haven't they?) And Bargnani, even if he is being billed as the latest in a long line of "next Dirk Nowitzkis," is certainly not that.

You can talk to scouts who'll tell you Bargnani isn't worthy of the No. 1 pick, what with the question marks about his work ethic and toughness. And it's important to note that there are advantages to getting the player you really want — the player you're not silly to gush about — at a lower draft slot. The salaries of first-round draft picks are pre-set. The No. 1 will make about $3.6 million next season. No. 5 will make about $2.3 million. That's a considerable gap in precious spending money. Since the fifth pick is cheaper than the first — and since the fifth pick will probably be, as Colangelo was saying yesterday, as good a prospect as the first — then you'd be silly not to do everything you can to move down to the fifth pick, or somewhere in the neighbourhood.

So why would the Raptors feign hyper-interest? Perhaps they're trying to legitimize Bargnani as a No. 1 pick in other team's eyes. The Atlanta Hawks, holders of the fifth pick with no record of genius in their front office, have expressed love for Bargnani, and perhaps they're insecure enough to need someone to second that emotion. And maybe the Hawks would throw in an existing player to move up. There are a couple of point guards, Connecticut's Marcus Williams and Villanova's Randy Foye, who'd likely still be around at five. Either one is a better bet than Jose Calderon.

Any way you look at it — and the possibilities are endless, really — this Italian Job reeks of a smokescreen. A deal's brewing somewhere, even if it's only in Colangelo's head. Raptor fans can only hope they're on the right side of any possible larceny.

[Diesel]

Makes a lot of sense. Wouldn't be the first time that Coangelo took BK behind the woodshed...

I hope BK listens to HB and MW on this one. Stay at 5... get Shelden Williams... Stop chasing Sfs.

[Lascar78]

Bargnani will never play SF. He is a PF in the NBA

[gsuteke]

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Bargnani will never play SF. He is a PF in the NBA

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you can't play PF from the 3 point line.

[Lascar78]

tell that to dirk

[Diesel]

He's a Sf by skillset.

He's a Pf if Height were ever in the equation.

This guy lives on the three pt line. Lavin Called him Radman like... When asked about the ability to be a PF like Dirk, Lavin said.. NO, I think he's more like Radman than Dirk...

BK has gotten the minds of Most Hawks to believe that there's no such thing as skillset.

[Lascar78]

Radmanovich is a PF

Dirk is a PF

Gasol is a PF

Not all PF's pound it in the post. Dirk had never approached the post until this year. You have to remember that euro 3s are long 2 pointers here. He is a perimeter oriented PF, like Dirk, like Radmanovich, like a lot of other guys.

[Diesel]

If you don't recognize our need for a banger in the post.

[kooshdoctor]

Well we all know BK loves to just get tall players to play anywhere. I'm sure he'll just put Bargnani at shooting guard or something. Or we could always use a small forward or something...

[AHF]

Quote:

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Radmanovich is a PF

Dirk is a PF

Gasol is a PF

Not all PF's pound it in the post. Dirk had never approached the post until this year. You have to remember that euro 3s are long 2 pointers here. He is a perimeter oriented PF, like Dirk, like Radmanovich, like a lot of other guys.

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I think if he is like Radmanovich that would be a disaster of a pick for the Hawks. Radman is a good rotation guy off the bench but his lack of an interior presence prevents him from being close to Gasol or Dirk.

If we went for a perimeter PF, we would have to be convinced he was going to be special - at or near the Dirk level. Alternatively, I would be OK with a perimeter O PF who could rebound and play tough D inside defensively.

[Lascar78]

Show me where I said anything of the sort in this thread.

You're right, I didn't.

You said he was a SF, I showed you he's a PF. Period.

Now you're trying to change the subject.

If you want to say that we need a post scorer and that he's not one, say that. Don't say that he's a SF because he will be a PF. Not every PF is a post scorer.

[Lascar78]

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Alternatively, I would be OK with a perimeter O PF who could rebound and play tough D inside defensively.

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That's my understanding of his game. Perimeter shooting / facing the basket on offense, and interior D. He needs to bulk up, but his defensive instincts are in the post. I've only seen one full game and some highlights though

[AHF]

I'm a little worried by the recent reports regarding his toughness and attitude.

[Lascar78]

Yeah me too. I'm not saying I'd move up to #1 to take the guy, or that I'm 100% sold on us taking him period.

All I'm saying is that he's a PF.

If he were to fall down to us, I think I'd take him before reaching for Shelden or O'Bryant. Not sure if I take him over one of the PG prospects. I probably would, but it all depends on workouts.

[Diesel]

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You said he was a SF, I showed you he's a PF. Period.

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No... You made a baseless claim...

Here let me show you what I mean...

Salim is going to be a pure PG...

Mike Bibby is a Pure PG.

JT is a pure PG.

Gardner was a Pure Pg.

This is how I see your justification of Bargnani as a Pf. It's baseless.. You say he's a Pf becuase Radman is a PF (that's as silly as JT being a pure PG) and that Dirk is a PF.... Come on Lascar.. Just because the guy is 7 foot and from Europe does not make him a PF. Especially when his feet never leave the three point line.

[Lascar78]

I will take any bet you want that Bargnani will play the vast majority of his NBA minutes at the PF. Step up if you're confident

[Diesel]

We will see....

And when he goes to Toronto and he's playing next to Bosh and a C, don't try to tell me that forward positions don't matter like BK would.

[Lascar78]

like I said, take the bet if you're so sure

[Diesel]

It's already out in the court of public opinion... we will each be held accountable...

[drzachary]

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It's already out in the court of public opinion... we will each be held accountable...

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Is the court of public opinion anything like the court of mathematics?