Banger of the Night, 10/3/14: Marcin Gortat, Washington Wizards
Adam Risman
Banger \ˈbaŋ-ər\ noun: 1. A British sausage. 2. A basketball player of mythic size and strength who is relentless on the offensive and defensive glass. He or she absolutely pounds opponents down low and screams like a spotted hyena on the hunt for buffalo flesh when squeezing the orange.
That’s the Merriam-Webster definition of a banger. It’s also the crux of Marcin Gortat’s bio on washingtonwizards.com. Just 24 hours after looking like the Polish paddleboard as he struggled to stay afloat against Chris Bosh, Hammer dropped 20 points (10-13 shooting) and 12 boards on the Orlando Magic. Saturday he will bring his big-time brand of bang to the Bucks, where he’ll be a must-start Center-1.
Honorable Mentions
A suddenly relevant Nikola Vucevic: 23 points, 12 bangs vs. Washington; Al-Farouq Baby-Banger Aminu: 16 points, 10 bands vs. Utah; Derrick Party Favors: 17 points, 11 bangs vs. Dallas
Dishonorable Dud
Anderson Varejao: 10 points, 4 bangs vs. the expectations of a fresh $30-million contract