Andrea Bargnani Injured Again?

There were risks involved for the Brooklyn Nets when they took in Andrea Bargnani, particularly that with his continuous bout with injuries.

The Nets were hoping for the best on Bargnani, someone they picked up from free agency on a minimum deal.

Bargnani, who perhaps had his best years with the Toronto Raptors until the injury bug struck, was seen as someone who could bring added firepower to Brooklyn if he was healthy.

Now, the worst fear that the Nets had hoped for may be starting with Bargnani seemingly having issues with his left hamstring.

The good news is that the 29-year-old power forward/center underwent MRI as a precautionary measure which eventually turned out negative. The Italian felt pain on his hamstring last Saturday, something he attributes to fatigue overload from playing over in Europe during the Summer.

“I’m good. I’ll be back very soon. You’ve just got to be conscious” says Bargnani via The Brooklyn Game.

Bargnani has missed a total of 175 games over the past four years combined while playing with the Raptors and the Knicks and this development, minor as it may seem, is not a good sign regardless if the results.

The Nets have of course rebuilt the team around Brook Lopez and Thaddeus Young and Bargnani is seen as someone who could help free up the middle to allow the two new cornerstones more working space on the offensive end.

For his part, Bargnani did say that he would have played for free last August because he wanted to prove something. Apparently much of that was to prove that he could still play. He eventually settled for a $1.4 million annual deal with the Nets which includes a player option next year.

"I would have done it for free because the money at this time does not matter," said Bargnani via SB Nation.

Bargnani has apparently earned more than enough from the NBA ($72 million), much of which he has already invested wisely back in Italy.

Hence right now, he is more concerned about proving to himself and the critics that he can still play though this current update about him does raise some eyebrows.

“That’s the worst thing I’ve endured in my career, is sitting out so many games. You just sit and you work and try to keep working, being there with your head, and you try to do as much as possible so you don’t go crazy” says via the New York Post.

Right now, it remains to be seen if this injury doesn’t stand in the way of his planned comeback. The Nets haven’t completely given on him up just yet so here is hoping that the first overall pick of 2006 does recall the old form that saw him close (second) to winning the 2006 NBA Rookie of the Year honors.