To be honest, I'd be quite happy if he turned into a Bargnani-type player (though obviously at this point it's just one of a few routes Motiejunas could end up going down). One of the main reasons Bargnani is being panned right now is that his contract is awful, but I'd trust Morey not to make a mistake like the Toronto FO did. Once you take away that context (and his status as a former #1 pick), he's not that bad a player - there were even All Star shouts for him last season before he went down injured.
ST
I often agree with ST's takes but on this one, I just have to disagree. I just think Bargs is too one-dimensional and I would hope that Motiejunas could be a more effective rebounder, passer and defender than Bargs has ever proven to be.
Fair enough - I just reckon that given the role he's going to be asked to fulfill (eg. the stretch four like Patterson and Morris were) the key skill he needs to have is outside shooting. All the other stuff is secondary - the rebounding would be nice but is not totally necessary since Asik gobbles stuff up (nor is it emphasized given what his positioning will be like on offence most of the time), the passing once again would be useful (and he has shown flashes of good passing ability, so it's not out of the question) but if it's an either/or choice (not that it is at his age) then there are other areas that would have more payoff, and the defence...well better defence is always appreciated, no arguments there.
It should be mentioned that one of the things that gained Bargnani some fans when he was playing well last season was that his defence and rebounding picked up a bit - in his current state where he's not doing those things quite as well, he's not quite as attractive a role-model.
ST