New York Knicks big man Andrea Bargnani will not suit up for the Italian national team in EuroBasket 2013 due to his ongoing battle with pneumonia, according to Jared Zwerling of ESPN New York.
Andrea Bargnani to miss EuroBasket 2013 with pneumonia
A bout of pneumonia will keep the Knicks forward from playing for Italy in September’s EuroBasket.
Christof Koepsel
Bargnani has been dealing with the illness for several weeks, forcing him to miss Italy’s training camp and several exhibition games. The Italian Basketball Federation released a statement Tuesday saying that while Bargnani’s condition has improved, he won’t be able to recover in time for EuroBasket when it tips off in Slovenia on Sept. 4.
The loss of Bargnani is a blow to an Italian team already without Danilo Gallinari. Bargnani was Italy’s top scorer and rebounder at EuroBasket 2011, averaging 22.8 points and 7.4 rebounds in five games.
The illness shouldn’t hamper Bargnani’s availability for Knicks training camp in October. The big man will almost certainly miss the team workouts and scrimmages planned for after Labor Day, however, potentially putting him slightly behind schedule.
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