When the New York Knicks acquired Andrea Bargnani from the Toronto Raptors over the summer, plenty around the league questioned the move.
The former No. 1 overall pick has built a reputation over the years as a “soft” big who can’t rebound, defensively unreliable and isn’t efficient enough on offense – all things that the Knicks actually needed to improve on from last season.
So when all these things appeared to be true through his first four games of the season – he averaged 8.8 points, two rebounds and zero blocks during that stretch – it started to sink in that the team may have gotten worse than last season by acquiring the center. Things only got worse when Tyson Chandler suffered a fracture in his right fibula earlier in the week against the Charlotte Bobcats: it meant the Knicks would have to depend on Bargnani even more for the next four to six weeks.
Then came Friday, when Bargnani got the start at center in place of Chandler against the Bobcats. He started off slowly, shooting just two-of-six to begin the contest, but was more actively involved in the team’s schemes. The pick-and-roll game with Raymond Felton worked well in particular, and after knocking down a few open shots, the center really got into a groove and ended up having the best game of the young season with 25 points, eight rebounds (matching his total from the first four games), three assists and an impressive five blocks.
Team analyst and former player Wally Szczerbiak saw all the action and came away highly impressed with what he saw from Bargnani:
New York edged the Bobcats 101-91 to avoid a 1-4 start. While it’s just one game against a team they are supposed to beat (Charlotte was missing Al Jefferson), it’s encouraging to see a more assertive version of Bargnani on both ends of the floor. The Knicks’ defense will suffer without Chandler’s presence and many are beginning to wonder if they are good enough to survive his absence without completely falling apart. If Friday’s version of Bargnani shows up with more regularity, they just might have a chance to hold the fort until Chandler can make his return.
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James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. You can find him on twitter @SheridanBlog.