In a recent interview interview with David Chinellato of the Italian newspaper La Gazzetta dello Sport, Toronto Raptors forward expressed his frustrations with being hurt and the current season he and his team are having. He even went as far as to call the Raptors ‘pretty much the worst team in the NBA.’
You got hurt at a bad time, both for the team and personally. What’s going on?
Nothing has worked from the beginning of the season. We are pretty much the worst team in the NBA. This summer’s moves in the [trade and free-agent] market were made to build a winning team, but we are not winning. We are below all of the expectations. No one is used to playing with anyone. We have won four games: it’s a tragic thing. Whatever way you look at it, it is a desperate situation. Since four years ago, we have kept losing. To improve, the only thing we can do is to win, and for now, we have not.
What determines how you evaluate your performance?
It goes hand in hand with that of the team. There are many ups and downs, even if I was averaging 17 to 18 points per game. But I don’t care about my individual performance in a situation like this. I could get 50 points and the frustration would be identical. If you’re on a team that loses in this way, what you are doing matters only relatively.
Do you feel you are the scapegoat for the situation in Toronto?
This is not the first time I’ve been criticized […] it does not affect me even remotely.
Bargnani was injured after a attempting to dunk in a game versus the Portland Trail Blazers, tearing a ligament in his right elbow and straining his wrist, and will be sidelined indefinitely.
It has been a tough road for the Raptors so far, and it’s doesn’t make it any better when one of your best players basically admits you suck.
About Mike Johnson