Emerging Toronto Raptors rookie Andrea Bargnani was forced to sit out Friday's game against the Chicago Bulls because of a bad back.
Bargnani, the top pick in the 2006 NBA draft, missed part of practice in Chicago on Thursday.
Andrea Bargnani game has steadily improved with increased playing time.
(Canadian Press)
Instead, the 21-year-old Italian was seen doing a series of stretches in the corner of the gym.
"He played well [in Wednesday's 95-91 loss in Cleveland], and he had it worked on [Thursday]," Raptors coach Sam Mitchell said. "He has continued to work on it. Hopefully, we'll bring him back Sunday [at home versus Portland]."
Bargnani has been one of Toronto's top contributors of late, his game steadily improving with more playing time.
The increased minutes came at the insistence of general manager Bryan Colangelo, who felt too much time on the bench was stunting Bargnani's development.
"I just felt it was important to point out that we were struggling to win games and we were doing so with a very frustrated young player put in position to appear as a failure because of the under-utilization of his talents," Colangelo told Yahoo Sports.
"I reminded [head coach Sam Mitchell] that he put a number out there that he'd be playing 20 to 25 minutes this season, and somehow that had gotten lost in the shuffle at the start of the season."
Bargnani's has played about 25 minutes per game since that conversation. During that time, his scoring average has jumped nearly four points and his three-point and free-throw shooting has gotten better.
Raptors improving
Toronto's record has also improved. Since an abysmal start to the season, the Raptors have won five of their last eight games and are tied with the New Jersey Nets for first place in the Atlantic Division.
The vast majority of Toronto's losses have come on the road. The Raptors are 2-9 away from the Air Canada Centre.
Compounding the frustration is the fact that Toronto let Wednesday's winnable game slip through their grasp. The Raptors led the contest 84-77 with 5:13 remaining in the game, before the Cavaliers went on a 13-0 run.
Despite the loss, Mitchell seems to be optimistic that the Raptors are on the right track.
"We're growing as a team, we're getting better," he said. "Three weeks ago, we couldn't have come [into Cleveland] and played that well."
"I'm disappointed that we lost, but the effort, the execution, it's hard to fault our guys."
Bulls on a roll
The Bulls come into Friday's game having won seven in a row. On Wednesday, Chicago routed the Philadelphia 76ers 121-94, to improve to 9-9 on the season.
"I think if we keep it up, we could play with anybody," said Bulls forward Luol Deng. "We're getting better every day, especially defensively.
Chicago has dominated the Raptors over the past four years, winning 13 straight. The Raptors last victory over Chicago came on Dec. 6, 2002.
