Andrea Bargnani
From Hoopedia
Andrea Bargnani, nicknamed "Il Mago" (translated to "The Magician"), (born October 26, 1985 in Rome, Italy) is an Italian professional basketball player with the Toronto Raptors of the National Basketball Association. He was selected first overall in the 2006 NBA Draft. Prior to his NBA career, Bargnani played for Italy's Benetton Treviso in the Italian Lega A and the elite Europe-wide Euroleague.
Talents: Is an excellent ball handler for a guy his size, can play 3-5 but not very good at either. Nice jumpshot for a big guy. Can even step out an knock down a 3. Not known for his defensive presence and brings no shot blocking to the table. Can dunk it reasonably well and can pass great for a big guy
Career:
07-08: No major improvements from his rookie season. His minutes, FG%, 3p%, FT%, Rebounding, steals, blocks, and points all went down, scored a career high 28 vs. L.A. Lakers 02/01/08, shot a career high 12 vs. Indiana 02/29/08, made his most attempts on 25 vs. Indiana 02/29/08, has tied his career high 3 pointers(5) on 3 occasions.
European Career
Bargnani began his career in 2002-03 with Stella Azzurra Roma in Italy's Serie B2 division, averaging 13.2 points and 4.5 rebounds in 23 games. He then signed with Italy's Benetton Treviso for the 2003-04 season and played there until 2006.
In 2003-04, he posted averages of 4.9 points and 2.0 rebounds in 10 games in his first Lega A season with Benetton. He made eight appearances in Euroleague action, recording 2.4 points and 1.5 rebounds an outing. Incidentally, Bargnani also faced his future team, the Toronto Raptors, on October 20, 2003 in a preseason game at the Air Canada Centre. He tallied 13 points, five rebounds, one steal and two blocks in 22 minutes in an 86-83 defeat to the Raptors.
In 2004-05, he averaged 12.2points and 5.4 rebounds in 28 Lega A games for Benetton. In the Euroleague, he averaged 3.7 points and 2.1 rebounds in 18 contests. In 2005-06, he averaged 15.3 points, 7.1 rebounds, 1.7 blocks and 1.8 steals in 47 games for Benetton. He posted a season high of 25 points against Rome. He also shot .528 from the field and .408 from three-point range, and led the Lega A in blocks with 82. In the process, he helped lead Benetton to Italy’s Lega A 2006 championship. In Euroleague competition, he contributed 10.9 points, 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 blocks, while shooting .558 percent from the floor and .434 from three-point land, in 18 games. He posted a season-high 20 points against Panathinaikos and Strasbourg. Bargnani was subsequently named as the Euroleague "Rising Star" as the “Top European Young Player of the Year” for 2005-06.
NBA Career
Bargnani entered the 2006 NBA Draft and was selected first overall by the Toronto Raptors; he was the first European player ever to selected first. In his NBA Summer League debut against the Washington Wizards, Bargnani recorded 20 points, 4 rebounds, 2 blocks and 1 steal in 29 minutes of action. He became the first player to foul out in a summer league game as he collected 10 fouls in a game against the Sacramento Kings played on July 9, 2006 during the Vegas Summer League. On November 1, 2006, in his regular season debut against the New Jersey Nets, in 8 minutes of play he recorded 2 points, 2 rebounds and 2 blocks. In the process, he also became the fourth ever Italian-born player to play in the NBA.
Like many rookies, Bargnani took some time to adapt to the league and as he slowly improved his game, his confidence and playing time increased. Nonetheless, it did not take long for home fans to warm up to Bargnani. On January 7, 2007, 10,000 Andrea Bargnani figurines were given away at Air Canada Centre for the game against the Washington Wizards. As the midseason approached, Bargnani was selected as NBA's Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month (January 2007), joining fellow teammate Jorge Garbajosa (winner of the award in December 2006) as the sixth Raptors player to win the monthly honor. Together with Garbajosa, Bargnani was also selected to play in the T-Mobile Rookie Challenge game. After the All-Star break, Bargnani continued to work on his defense and shooting (averaging 14.3 ppg and 3.9 rpg in 12 games for the month of February 2007), and he was selected as the Eastern Conference Rookie of the Month for the second straight time on March 1, 2007. Bargnani became the third Raptor ever to win the award twice, joining Vince Carter and Damon Stoudamire.
On March 21, 2007, Bargnani underwent emergency appendectomy surgery after being taken to hospital following illness experienced after practice the night before. He recovered after about a month, and ended the season, averaging 11.6 points and 3.9 rebounds per game. His performances were credited as helping the Raptors win their first ever Division title, as well as their first NBA Playoffs berth in five years; Bargnani came in second for Rookie of the Year. In the 2007 NBA Playoffs, Bargnani averaged 11.0 ppg and 3.5 rpg as the Raptors were defeated by the New Jersey Nets 2-4 in the first round. On May 8,2007, Bargnani and Garbajosa were named to the NBA All-Rookie team.
