It is Time to Move on from Andrea Bargnani

As per Ohm Youngmisuk of ESPNNewYork.com Phil Jackson said “Now that we have a gap in scoring, this is a guy that is a natural scorer” referencing the departure of Amare Stoudemire and Carmelo Anthony sidelined with injury.

“He’s a free agent going into the summer, and whether it’s our team or 29 other teams, there’s a lot of reasons why he should want to go out and play well.”-Derek Fisher

When Chris Bosh left the Toronto Raptors to form the Big Three in Miami, Andrea Bargnani thrived as the number one scoring option on the team. Bargnani went from scoring 17.2 points per game the season prior to a career high 21.4 points per game. The problem for Toronto was the Raptors went from a 40 win team to a 22 win team… The additional losing is actually not a problem for New York, in fact it is welcomed. The Knicks though do not need any more help in the losing department; the lack of talent on the roster will take care of that by default.

As Per Ohm Youngmisuk, Knicks coach Derek Fisher said

"“I think Andrea’s best basketball is ahead of him,” “But the opportunity now presents itself that he can really step into a role that maybe he would not have had if we were healthy (earlier this season), and show some things for himself.”“He’s a free agent going into the summer, and whether it’s our team or 29 other teams, there’s a lot of reasons why he should want to go out and play well.”"

I disagree that the remainder of the season is Bargnani’s chance to showcase what he got left in the tank to the NBA. It is time to move on from Bargnani, there is no reason for young players like Cole Aldrich, Shane Larkin, Travis Wear, and Lance Thomas to get DNPs coach’s decision at this point and time in favor of Bargnani. Bargnani played 25 minutes on Monday night’s loss to the Boston Celtics, with a -18 +/- for the game.

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Regardless of how many minutes Bargnani plays, it will not change New York’s stance on tanking for the first overall pick of the NBA Draft, so why not use this time productively to develop all the young prospects on the team. Regardless if they succeed or fail, seeing what New York has in all its prospects can only be beneficial to the Knicks. Allowing the youngsters to sink or swim, allows management to make proper decisions in the offseason, whether it be extending qualifying offers, or making a clean-cut from said player. There is also a slim chance, in a best case scenario the player becomes a valuable asset to keep, or to trade.

Bargnani will be a free agent this summer, which begs the question, should New York even bring him back to the team, even if it is on a veteran minimum contract…we already know what Bargnani can and most importantly…cannot do.