Memo from Rome: Andrea Bargnani is happy to be out of Canada.
Bargnani, who is joining the Knicks after becoming the scapegoat for Toronto basketball, tweeted today from Italy: “I am thrilled to become a New York Knick and look forward to becoming a part of their storied franchise.”
Even Bryan Colangelo, who drafted Bargnani No. 1 in 2006, admitted late this season Bargnani could use a change of scenery. Colangelo stepped down as Raptors GM last month while the Knicks and Toronto were hammering out the deal. The trade was completed yesterday but can’t become official until July 10th because Quentin Richardson needed to be added to the mix in a sign-and-trade.
The Knicks will lose Steve Novak, Marcus Camby, their 2016 first-round pick and two second-rounders as they attempt to compete for a championship in 2013-14. One of the motivators is the Knicks plan on putting Amar’e Stoudemire on a strict minutes restriction next season to keep him healthy and needed to add another scoring big.
Bargnani added a second tweet, “I just want to thank the Toronto organization and my fans for all of their support over the last 7 years.”