Bargnani Could Be Out For Season
Posted March 21, 2007 12:00 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
It’s not just the Leafs who are limping.
It turns out the Raptors are also reeling.
Forward Andrea Bargnani underwent an emergency appendectomy Wednesday, and could miss the rest of the season.
The operation he’s had isn’t all that unusual or dangerous, but the recovery time can be lengthy and the Raptors don’t have the luxury of time. They only have 15 games left before the playoffs start in late April.
The Italian star seemed to be OK during practice on Tuesday and was present as the team talked about how he would cover Orlando Magic star Dwight Howard in Wednesday’s game.
But something happened between that moment and the one that saw him being rushed to Mt. Sinai Hospital for the sudden surgery on Wednesday morning.
Doctors haven’t been able to give any date for a return and no one’s ruling out he could miss the final 15.
The number 1 draft pick from 2006 was just starting to blossom with the team, averaging 11.5 points and 3.9 rebounds a game off the bench and helping the Raptors to a perch they’ve never seen before during their short existence in the NBA – the top of the Atlantic Division.
Bargnani was named the Eastern Conference rookie of the month in February and has a legitimate shot at earning that same big accolade as rookie of the year when the season ends.
The team just hopes he’ll be there to really earn it before that announcement is made.
