Bargnani continues to struggle as Raptors drop to Pacers

TORONTO, March 1 (Xinhua) — Toronto Raptors forward Andrea Bargnani continued his recent struggles in the team’s 93-81 lose to the Indiana Pacers in NBA action on Friday night.

The defeat marked the Raptors’ fourth straight loss, dropping their record to 23-36 overall.

Bargnani, the first overall draft pick in the 2006 draft, recorded 8 points and 0 rebound in 33 minutes in his 10th game back since a 26-game absence due to two simultaneous injuries — a ligament tear in his right elbow and a strained right wrist in a loss against Portland on December 10, 2012.

Despite his struggles, Raptors head coach Dwane Casey still believes in Bargnani.

“Andrea is still getting back in the groove. I thought he had some good looks, and he competed,” said Casey during the post-game press conference.

At the time of Bargnani’s injury, the Raptors were in the midst season-high six game losing streak and had hit rock bottom with a 4-18 record. During Bargnani’s absence, the team went 13-13, improving their record to a more respectable 17-31.

Upon returning to the line-up on February 6, the 213-cm-tall forward found himself in a different situation.

The team had recently just acquired star forward Rudy Gay, meaning he was no longer a primary scoring option. In addition, the Italian forward had to come off the bench as a reserve, something he had not done since December 29, 2008.

These changes saw a drop in his minutes and production, averaging 21.3 minutes, 5.8 points and 1.6 rebounds in the 10 games.

Casey still sees Bargnani as a valuable member of the team with his height and length and as a rebounder, something he has yet to excel at in his entire career.

“We need some more rebounding from him if he’s going to be the big guy,” said Casey.

Casey is asking for a lot, as Bargnani averages 4.8 rebounds in his seven year career and has never exceeded more than 6.2 rebounds in a season.

With 23 games remaining on the season, Bargnani will have opportunities to improve his performance. Should his struggles continue, Raptors management will be forced to trade him or use their Amnesty clause to void the remaining two years and 23 million U.S. dollars of his contract.

http://news.xinhuanet.com/english/sports/2013-03/02/c_132202959.htm