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Reports out of Italy describe Andrea Bargnani's calf injury as "minor" and although he will be a game-time decision on Wednesday, he's expected to play when Italy faces off against Lithuania in the Eurobasket quarter-finals. That's good news not just for the Italian national team but for the Nets as well. Bargnani is expected to back up both Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young this season and injuries, particularly to his calf muscle, have plagued him.
Bargnani limped off the court in the second quarter Sunday and did not return to play in the blowout of the Israeli national team. He did spend the second half on the bench.
Sportando, the Italian-based hoops site reports...
Andrea Bargnani will likely play Eurobasket quarterfinals on Wednesday against Lithuania. Il Mago suffered a minor calf injury against Israel on Sunday. The new Nets power forward is game time decision against Lithuania but there are high chances he will be able to play.
In a tweet, in Italian, Bargnani said he hopes to be on the court Wednesday and is undergoing physiotherapy...
Qui non si molla mai e si va avanti con la fisioterapia per provare ad esserci mercoledì. Grazie sempre di esserci!
— Andrea Bargnani (@AndreaBargnani) September 14, 2015
The 29-year-old has been troubled by calf issues going back to 2012. The No. 1 overall pick in the 2006 NBA Draft by the Raptors, Bargnani averaged 21.4 points, 5.2 rebounds and 2.0 assists per game during a breakout 2010-11 season. Since then, he has never played in more than 42 games in a season. Much of that lost time has been due to leg issues.
He has been playing well in Eurobasket as Italy has gone 4-2 despite the loss of Luigi Datome, who played last yea for the Celtics. With Bargnani and Danilo Gallinari underneath and Marc Belinelli on the perimeter, Italy has been an offensive powerhouse in the tournament.