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Knicks' Bargnani could return by week's end

John Geliebter / USA Today Sports

Bad news for any New York Knicks fans encouraged by the team snapping their seven-game losing streak on Sunday: the good times are about to end.

Andrea Bargnani practiced with the team on Monday and it was said to go well, with head coach Derek Fisher even suggesting that the Italian could be ready to play by Saturday. Bargnani has missed all 11 of the team's games so far due to a lingering hamstring strain that also limited him to just a single preseason outing.

While the Knicks sit at 3-8 and could use some help on the offensive end, it's unclear how Bargnani will fit into the triangle-based offense that Fisher is employing. Theoretically, a big man who's a decent passer and can hit an 18-footer should be fine in any offense, but the Knicks' system has been a tough and slow learn for most of their players.

Should the former No. 1 pick carve out a role, it would come at the expense of minutes for Quincy Acy, Cole Aldrich and Travis Wear, who have held up the back end of the frontcourt rotation.

Last season, Bargnani averaged 13.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 29.9 minutes with the Knicks, missing the league-average mark in player efficiency rating by just a hair. Bargnani can score, but the reality is that he's not the floor-spacing big he's advertised as, owning just a 29.5 percent mark from long range since the 2011-12 season.

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