Andrea Bargnani has recently been dealing with a respiratory issue, eventually figured out to be pneumonia. It was unclear how serious the issue was initially, but it will apparently keep him out of us next month's EuroBasket tournament, according to Sportando.
EuroBasket 2013: Andrea Bargnani unlikely to play for Italian national team, per report
Pneumonia will reportedly keep the New York Knicks forward from competing in next month’s EuroBasket tournament.
Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports
Bargnani was traded from the Toronto Raptors to the New York Knicks this offseason and been expected to be one of the better players participating in next month's tournament -- the first step to qualifying for the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro. Bargnani will apparently be joining a few other NBAers not taking part, however, as Sportando reports that Italian media has said it's "impossible" that Bargnani re-joins the Italian national team in time to participate in the tournament.
Bargnani's absence is a big one for Italy considering they'll also be missing Denver Nuggets forward Danilo Gallinari after the latter endured a season-ending ACL injury last season. Without Bargnani and Gallinari, Italy could be in danger of advancing to next year's world championships because only the top six teams from the EuroBasket tournament qualify.
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