Not sure if this was posted already:The Knicks newest acquisition, 7-footer Andrea Bargnani, takes a timeout for some Q&A with Post columnist Steve Serby.Q: What was it like playing against Kevin Garnett?
A: He’s a very good defender, very good player, great competitor, so it’s always fun, very fun to play against him. ... You want to play against the best, because it brings out your best.
Q: Is he the biggest trash talker you’ve played against?
A: I know he talks. I can hear him talk, but I don’t really listen to what he says.
Q: You might be at an advantage, not understanding half of what KG says, right?
A: The first two, three years, it was hard to understand English coming from Italy, but now I understand English (smile).
Q: How will playing with Carmelo Anthony help your game?
A: Well Melo, he’s a superstar, he can do everything. So just the attention that he draws from the other team, he helps not just me but the other four players on the court, because the other team’s got to be focused on him. They’ve got to guard him and double-team him, so that opens up space on the court. I hope I can help him have more space now, be on the perimeter sometimes, not just inside, it can open up the court for him to play more.
Q: Give a scouting report on yourself.
A: I can really do everything — I can dribble, I can shoot from outside, of course, I can play in the low block. ... Offensively, I do a little bit of everything. Depends who’s guarding me ... where’s the mismatch? I can’t even tell you what I like to do the most. ... I like to do everything ... good in any position.
Q: What are the most unfair criticisms you hear?
A: I’m very realistic, so I know the areas where I got to get better. I know I got to be a better rebounder, and I know I **** will **** be a better rebounder next season. Criticism, that’s part of the business, part of the sport. Sometimes they’re good. I use that motivation.
Q: Can you play good defense?
A: For sure, yeah.
Q: But that’s been a criticism, that you can’t.
A: Well, what they say is I can play a very good defense on my man, but I got to be better team defender, that’s what they always tell me. One-on-one I’m a good defender, but I got to be a better team defender.
Q: A quote about you last year: “He was never in shape. He didn’t care.”
A: Who’s that coming from?
Q: No name was put on it.
A: I can tell you that [b]coming into the training camp I was in great shape. And then after the [elbow and wrist] injury, it took me two months to get back on the court.
And because of the injury, I couldn’t lift weights at all for two months. That was so bad. When I came back, I was weaker. It was impossible to be in shape,[/b]
It amazes me how the "haters" who apparently "know everything" failed to mention the above
I can't wait for this season...
