Andrea Bargnani Says He’s ‘Starving to Win’ for the Knicks

The New York Knicks have big expectations for their newest acquisition, forward Andrea Bargnani (recently acquired from the Toronto Raptors, via trade.) Bargs says he’s healthy and motivated to prove the doubters wrong. Per Newsday: “Glen Grunwald says the Knicks’ acquisition of Andrea Bargnani wasn’t to counter the splash the Nets made in getting Paul Pierce and Kevin Garnett. Grunwald insists it was done to improve the Knicks’ chances of going deep in the playoffs. Getting out of the first round for the first time in 13 years was important, but the Knicks’ general manager says there’s much more to be done before this team can compete for a title. ‘We wanted to take another step forward this year and we felt Andrea was a step forward for us,’ Grunwald said during a conference call Thursday. ‘Notwithstanding what other teams do, we have to get better … We need to continue to move this organization forward.’ […] Getting Bargnani could turn out to be a good move, especially if he can stay healthy. Bargnani, a career 15.2-point scorer, played in only 35 games last year because of wrist and elbow injuries. He said his elbow is fine and that he plans to put ‘a lot of focus’ into improving his defense and rebounding. ‘I’m 100 percent healthy,’ Bargnani said. ‘I’m going to play with the national team this summer and get back in shape so when I get back here, I’m going to be ready to go … It’s all about winning here. I want to do as much as possible, and what the coach asks me, to just to win games, because I’m really starving to win.'”