Knicks' Bargnani suffers setback, now has calf strain as well

Andrea Bargnani was once defined by a 13-game stretch, and it looked as if that auspicious number would come up again with the Italian set to make his season debut after a 13-game absence.

Unfortunately, Bargnani has suffered a setback in his recovery from a strained hamstring that's kept him out all season. Bargnani was expected to make his season debut Saturday against the Philadelphia 76ers. Instead, he's been ruled out indefinitely after an MRI revealed he also has a strained right calf.

While Bargnani hasn't been particularly effective the past few seasons, the New York Knicks are 3-10 and own just an average offense, so they could use a spark. Bargnani also would have taken minutes away from replacement-level players in Travis Wear and Cole Aldrich.

Last season, Bargnani averaged 13.3 points and 5.3 rebounds in 29.9 minutes. Though his 3-point shot has abandoned him over the past three seasons, he can still provide a scoring punch, assuming his learning curve with Derek Fisher's triangle-based system is not too steep.