Phil Jackson: Andrea Bargnani 'Was And Still Is A Big Tease'
NEW YORK (CBSNewYork) -- Andrea Bargnani did not live up to expectations during his brief stint with the Knicks, and that's being kind.
The 7-foot-0, 245-pound Italian was traded to New York in July of 2013. He played in 42 games in his first season with the 'Bockers, averaging 13.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 29.9 minutes per game.
This past season, the former first overall pick played in just 29 games, averaging 14.8 points and 4.4 boards in 27.1 minutes.
"AB was and still is a big tease," Knicks President Phil Jackson told ESPN.com's Charley Rosen. "When he was injured he refused to do simple non-contact activities like dummy our offense in practice. He seemed to be a malingerer and this had a bad effect on the team, and also on the way the Knicks fans reacted to him.
"When he was on the court, he had a hard time staying intense, didn't hustle back in offense-to-defense transition, wasn't active enough in defending screen-rolls. Still, his offense is perfectly suited to the triangle because he really doesn't have to work very hard to get shots."
Jackson doesn't have to worry about Bargnani anymore. The 29-year-old signed with the crosstown Nets last month.
The Knicks retooled their roster this summer. Jackson drafted Kristaps Porzingis, traded for Jerian Grant on draft night and signed Arron Afflalo, Robin Lopez, Kyle O'Quinn, Kevin Seraphin, Sasha Vujacic and Derrick Williams.
New York went a franchise-worst 17-65 last season.
