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Andrea Bargnani Tenatively Expected To Return To Knicks This Weekend

By Kenneth Teape

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The New York Knicks will be getting some help possibly this weekend, as forward/center Andrea Bargnani is tentatively expected to make his return Saturday night against the Philadelphia 76ers. Bargnani hasn’t played for the Knicks since their first preseason game, all the way back on October 8th.

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Head coach Derek Fisher gave his two cents about Bargnani after Monday’s practice:

"“Whenever he’s back, his versatility is huge for us on both ends of the floor. I think he can guard multiple positions, and offensively he can play multiple positions. He’s another guy on the floor that defenses have to think about how they want to cover him. He makes the game easier for Carmelo [Anthony], J.R. [Smith], Iman [Shumpert]. So we’re excited to get him back soon hopefully, and start to kind of rebuild our team again once we get some guys back out there.”"

Fisher touches on some interesting points with his quote. He is right when he states the versatility that Bargnani can provide, but no one has gotten him to showcase it more than in spurts in his career. Can Fisher be the coach that finally does?

He has some factors going for him, as the schemes Fisher is deploying are much friendlier to Bargnani’s skill set than the one’s used by Mike Woodson last season. The triangle offense should get the ball into Bargnani’s hands where he is at his best in the high post. From there he’s a threat to knock down jumpers, or attack the rim easily.

Defensively, Bargnani will never be confused with being a defensive stopper, but in this scheme he shouldn’t struggle as mightily. The problem for Bargnani is when he is forced to switch and help in multiple rotations. In a defense like the one Woodson deployed, where switching was a main principle, Bargnani struggled. In a scheme where there is less of an emphasis on switching, and more of a precedent for man-to-man coverage Bargnani could be hidden more.

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Bargnani could also see more success as Fisher has shown a penchant for not being afraid to change rotations. He isn’t afraid of playing any combination of players, which Bargnani could benefit from. For example, Bargnani could be a weapon at the center position. He could guard the opponent’s big man, which would mean even less switching theoretically. And offensively he would be tough to guard on the perimeter playing the center position. The only problem would be the rebounding may suffer, as it is not a strong suit for Bargnani. That is something Fisher can compensate for with certain lineup combinations though.

Bargnani hasn’t endeared himself to some Knicks faithful, but like everyone else that was a holdover from last season, he deserves a chance to showcase himself in the new system. The change has done wonders for Iman Shumpert thus far, another player people were getting tired of. Who is to say the same thing won’t happen to Bargnani?

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