Andrea Bargnani never became Toronto’s answer to Dirk Nowitzki or Pau Gasol. Not even close. Instead, by the end of his disappointing seven-year run in Canada, Bargnani was starting to draw favorable comparisons to Kwame Brown, this generation’s poster child for busts drafted with the top overall pick.
When the Knicks last saw Bargnani in February, the Toronto Raptors home crowd booed the Italian when he entered the game and when he exited. It was brutal and not entirely unfair. But clearly, the relationship between team, city and player was irreparably damaged.
“I am thrilled to become a New York Knick,” Bargnani tweeted last week, “and look forward to becoming a part of their storied franchise!!”
To friends and family members who have spoken to Bargnani since last Monday when the Knicks agreed to acquire the 7-foot forward, they all see a change in the player that has been described as aloof, moody and, worst of all, apathetic. He is more upbeat and is encouraged to get a second chance and change of scenery. It’s as if Bargnani is naive to the fact that New Yorkers can be every bit as vicious when one of their own is underperforming.
“And they should be,” says former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy. “But New York is also a great place for second chances. And that’s what Bargnani is getting. New York is the place where he can rebuild his career. Or it can be the place where his spirit gets crushed. And there may be no turning back.”
“He needed a change,” says one of Bargnani’s former coaches in Toronto, who would not speak on the record because the trade doesn’t become official until July 10th when the NBA moratorium ends. “He is better than he showed. I think he will do well. He has skills.”
Bargnani will turn 28 in October and is essentially entering the prime years of his career. However, that career is also at a crossroads. Over the past two seasons, Bargnani has appeared in 66 out of a possible 148 games. He appeared in just 35 games last year, was dropped from the starting lineup and had his season end in March due to recurring elbow problems. He averaged 12.7 points and shot 40% last year for Toronto, his lowest numbers in five seasons. He also shot a career-low 31% on 3-pointers.
“He was as frustrated as anyone,” says another Raptors coach. “It’s never a good time to have injuries but his injuries also seem to come at the worst time. This trade will be good for him. It’s been seven years. He needed a change.”
Bargnani, the No. 1 overall selection in 2006, has the size and skills set that make NBA scouts fall over themselves. In a league where 3-point shooting is at a premium, Bargnani is a big with three-point range. He fits perfectly with the Knicks, who are looking for players to complement Carmelo Anthony. Bargnani’s presence means more space on the floor for Anthony to operate.
But Bargnani’s presence also means one less defender and rebounder. The knock on Bargnani is that he lacks the passion to be a complete player. He’s always been finesse over substance. Think about it: over his career, Bargnani has averaged a pitiful 4.8 rebounds per game.
“He has never defended or rebounded with a passion or a purpose,” Van Gundy says. “But, he will give the Knicks 3-point shooting. He can handle the ball. He’s still a very good offensive player. Plus, he gives them insurance in case Amar’e (Stoudemire) goes down. Considering what they gave up, I think it’s a good move.”
The Knicks traded three players — Marcus Camby, Steve Novak, Quentin Richardson — two second-round picks and their 2016 first-round pick to the Raptors for Bargnani. The trade comes down to Bargnani for a 2016 first round draft choice, which could be a pick in the 20’s.
Bargnani is a proven commodity but he’s also an enigma. When former Raptors president Bryan Colangelo selected Bargnani with the first pick in 2006, Toronto believed it was drafting a more physical Nowitzki, a franchise changing player from Rome who was going to take the NBA by storm. Bargnani even had the catchy nickname “Il Mago” which translated to English means “The Magician.”
The Raptors, led by Chris Bosh, made the playoffs Bargnani’s first two seasons but never advanced out of the first round. After Bosh signed a free agent contract with Miami in 2010, Bargnani’s career seemed to be on the upswing. The Raptors made him the focal point of the offense and Bargnani responded by averaging a career-high 21.4 points with 5.2 rebounds. On December 8 of that same season, Bargnani came to Madison Square Garden and scored a career-high 41 points in a loss to the Knicks.
“You look at that season and he was starting to come around,” says one Raptors coach. “But then there were a few injuries. The fans were getting on him and Andrea is a very quiet guy. I think he was holding a lot of that frustration in.”
For the past two years, Il Mago’s only trick was making himself irrelevant. His production slipped considerably during the lockout season that included Bargnani suffering a calf injury. Last year it was a damaged elbow. Now healthy, the biggest question is the question coaches and executives have asked of Bargnani for seven years: does he want it bad enough?
After the Knicks and Raptors agreed to the deal, long-time Toronto columnist Michael Grange wrote that the Bargnani tenure was a failure “primarily because Bargnani was a franchise talent who lacked the drive to be a franchise player.” The same things were once said about Eddy Curry.
“This idea that New York will only embrace superstars is false,” Van Gundy says. “They like tough, physical players who play hard.”
The Knicks believe they have a good support system in place to help Bargnani succeed. Two of his former coaches in Toronto, Jim Todd and Dave Hopla, are on Mike Woodson’s staff. Anthony is the designated face of the franchise which should take some pressure off Bargnani.
In 1999, another Toronto big man was run out of town and came in to New York to reboot his career. Marcus Camby, a former No. 2 overall pick by the Raptors, arrived with similar baggage in 1999. He also had the added burden of replacing a rugged and beloved power forward, Charles Oakley.
Latrell Sprewell also showed up that same season as the most vilified athlete in professional sports. But Sprewell rebuilt his reputation and his career by helping the Knicks reach the NBA Finals. Sprewell and Camby became fan favorites overnight.
Bargnani gets a similar chance now. Il Mago needs to make the most of his second act.
