Former Raptor Andrea Bargnani Out of EuroBasket

One of the least loved Raptors in recent memory has been forced to pull out of next month’s tournament in Slovenia. Al Dannity looks at how yet more health issues are hindering the Italian’s progress and at the prospects for current Raptor Jonas Valanciunas, who will suit up for Lithuania at the tournament.

It isn’t exactly startling news for fans in Toronto to hear that Andrea Bargnani is, yet again, far from himself. The Italian big man, who was traded to the Knicks during the summer, has come down with pneumonia. That’s forced him out of the upcoming EuroBasket tournament in Slovenia and doesn’t bode well for his start with the Knicks this coming season. The loss of Bargnani is the latest affliction to hurt Italy’s national team. Danilo Gallinari has been ruled out for months, leaving Marco Bellineli as the only player on the roster with NBA experience.

While some Raptors fans will rejoice in Bargnani’s struggle, the man to watch next month is unquestionably Jonas Valanciunas. The Raptor is one of two NBA players on the roster, along with Donatas Motiejunas, but Valanciunas is unquestionably the star. After taking MVP honours during the NBA Summer League, fans in Toronto will be hungry to see what else the big man has in store before the NBA season gets under way.

Lithuania are drawn in a group with emerging force Macedonia and sleeping giant Serbia, the latter having been in a slumber for quite some time now. Montenegro won’t pack much of a punch with Nikola Pekovic opting out, while Bosnia and Latvia will struggle to compete with the Lithuanians. That gives Valanciunas the perfect stage to demonstrate his growth before hitting the business end of the competition. It was an appearance on the international stage that alerted the world to the Raptor’s quality. Leading Lithuania to the FIBA World Under 19 title, Valanciunas truly looked a man amongst boys. Now he’s got to do the same to ensure his homeland qualifies for next year’s FIBA World Cup in Spain.

Raptors fans may not be overjoyed to hear the name one of the men helping him. Linas Kleiza was a disappointment in Toronto and left on a sour note to return to Europe. Kleiza is still a key contributor on the national squad however and played a big role in getting Lithuania to last summer’s Olympics. The familiarity Valanciunas has with Kleiza certainly won’t hurt matters. Fans across the Atlantic however will care much more about their big man’s performance than Lithuania’s results.