# Andrea Bargnani and the Caliper Profile [ESPN article, merged]



## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

> For years, NBA teams have used the Caliper Profile to evaluate potential draft picks. The Caliper is a personality profile used by numerous corporations and organizations to measure one's capacity to excel in specific situations. Over the past 24 years, Caliper has assessed more than 20,000 athletes, including NBA players from Detroit, San Antonio, Denver and Phoenix. Colangelo has long been sold on the system. When he heard how Bargnani measured up, he nearly dropped the phone.
> 
> "They said his upside and potential were off the charts," Colangelo says from the tunnel of the Air Canada Centre as Bargnani drains a three against the Cavaliers. "They said, 'Out of all the athletes we've profiled, we've never seen anything like this.' "
> 
> The test showed that Bargnani is virtually oblivious to what others think of him. And his tremendous ability to block out such potentially negative pressures enables him to focus completely on the task at hand. So the expectations and anxieties that come with being the No.1 pick, or the only Italian-born player in the league, or even taking a game-winning shot, don't even register with him.


http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=espnmag/bargnani

I couldn't find a free Caliper Profile on the net. Just thought it was interesting. I think Danny Ainge does a lot of personality testing as well, so the system isn't foolproof.


----------



## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

*Re: Andrea Bargnani and the Caliper Profile*

Also, please read the rest of the article. Its one of the best.


----------



## madman (Oct 20, 2003)

*Re: Andrea Bargnani and the Caliper Profile*

nice find, i dont believe a test can prove how good someone can be


----------



## chocolove (Apr 4, 2006)

*Re: Andrea Bargnani and the Caliper Profile*

That was a really good read, thanks for posting it.


----------



## Flush (Jul 25, 2005)

*Re: Andrea Bargnani and the Caliper Profile*

I'd be curious to know how many teams use this system

The four they list are pretty solid, and most importantly have a strong drafting history. 

But this is just confirming what we're already seeing in Bargnani and his on the court development this far into the season. 

I don't remember a lot of players that have developed this quickly in the NBA. A lot come in better, but he just seems to be growing game to game.


----------



## shapeshifter (Jun 13, 2005)

*Re: Andrea Bargnani and the Caliper Profile*

"Every time I go to the store, they're sold out," he says innocently, never thinking that a person of his stature could have one hand-delivered to his door.

I love that line, it speaks volumes about this kid.

I always thought that when the raptors won the 1st overall pick(or to be more accurate the first 2 picks in the draft... what are the odds of that anyway?), that it wasn't a coincidence at all. There were bigger forces at play here. Call it fate or destiny but something was going on.



Andiamo


----------



## shookem (Nov 1, 2005)

*Re: Andrea Bargnani and the Caliper Profile*



> Mom, Luisella Balducci, was a roommate through January, and she's to be thanked for whatever sparse furnishings Bargnani has. Since she returned to Italy, he's added a 46-inch flat-screen on the wall, and that's about it. There's an iPod sound system for music, a tan couch and love seat for lounging, a closet full of multicolor Air Force 1's, and a PlayStation 3 console. Problem is, with just one controller, he's forced to play his video games solo. "Every time I go to the store, they're sold out," he says innocently, never thinking that a person of his stature could have one hand-delivered to his door.


Neat.



> He'll match your trash-talk, too. Even if you might not be able to understand a word of it. After being hounded by Mike Dunleavy, Bargnani faced him up, sank a jumper in his face and yelled something in Italian. During the next timeout, Raptors vet Darrick Martin ran to him to find out what he'd said. Bargnani just smiled.
> 
> The Raptors get a kick out of Bargnani's verbal mischief. Whenever he screams something after a dunk or in the heat of competition, the bench guys go crazy, then run to Slokar for a translation. He's often hesitant to give up the goods.
> 
> "He'll say, Andiamo!" Slokar says. "That means 'Let's go!' The other stuff? Let's just leave that where it is: on the court."


I wonder what he _really_ says.

Great read Speedy, thx for posting it.


----------



## ColinBeehler (Oct 14, 2003)

*Re: Andrea Bargnani and the Caliper Profile*



speedythief said:


> I couldn't find a free Caliper Profile on the net. Just thought it was interesting. I think Danny Ainge does a lot of personality testing as well, so the system isn't foolproof.


Danny Ainge isn't a bad drafter is he? I think he's actually a pretty good drafter... Just likes to trade talent for nothing, after he drafts it.


----------



## speedythief (Jul 16, 2003)

*Re: Andrea Bargnani and the Caliper Profile*



ColinBeehler said:


> Danny Ainge isn't a bad drafter is he? I think he's actually a pretty good drafter... Just likes to trade talent for nothing, after he drafts it.


He chose Sebastian Telfair over Brandon Roy/Randy Foye, as a recent example.


----------



## ColinBeehler (Oct 14, 2003)

*Re: Andrea Bargnani and the Caliper Profile*

true.. but his draft history overall is decent... i dont feel like searching it out, but overall. He's drafted some decent talent.


----------



## SkywalkerAC (Sep 20, 2002)

*Re: Andrea Bargnani and the Caliper Profile*

He scored the best of 20,000 athletes? That's crazy but believable given what we see on the court most nights. I'd like to see how he scores on some spacial awareness tests.


----------



## spinz (Aug 19, 2005)

*ESPN The Magazine: Meet Andrea Bargnani*



> Years from now -- when it's routine to see him dropping three-pointers over the outstretched arms of clumsy, lumbering big men and SportsCenter regularly features him spinning on the block and posterizing clawing defenders, when his uncanny passes draw comparisons to those of Bill Walton and Chris Webber -- we'll point to a cold November morning in Denver as the NBA birth of Andrea Bargnani.
> 
> 
> 
> ...


http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?page=espnmag/bargnani&lpos=spotlight&lid=tab4pos1










Ron Turenne/Getty Images
Andrea Bargnani isn't your stereotypical soft Euro baller.


----------



## Flush (Jul 25, 2005)

That story give me chills.

That's what Sam is good at. Strong motivator. Perhaps I underestimated the roll of motivation in player development. 

And on cue Bargnani knocks down 13 points in 14 first half minutes against the Rockets


----------



## Sanjan (Mar 12, 2003)

not a big fan of the caliper profile

they said to not draft bosh based on it. it was a while back but yeah


----------



## flushingflash (Jan 4, 2006)

the mental aspect is huge when it comes to sports. theres a reason why so many skilled players never reach there potential.


----------



## numb555 (May 25, 2003)

Sanjan said:


> not a big fan of the caliper profile
> 
> they said to not draft bosh based on it. it was a while back but yeah


Maybe it was accurate, Wade would have been a better choice ;-)


----------



## lucky777s (Nov 13, 2003)

I am not a big fan of personality profiling and trying to categorize people based on a written test.

I watched Bargnani play that pre-season game against Bosh and VC in Toronto three years ago and you could see the kid had star quality. I talked about drafting him ever since.

I'm still surprised at how quickly he is developing and adjusting to the nba. He's definitely a mentally tough kid.


----------

