Things are coming together for the Raptors at just the right time. Despite injuries to key players over the last several weeks, they locked up the Atlantic Division when the Nets lost on Friday and celebrated by completely dismantling the Bulls on Sunday. And now, it looks like they'll be getting Andrea Bargnani back later this week. The rookie participated in his first full practice on Saturday, his first since undergoing an appendectomy less than three weeks ago. From the Toronto Star:
With yesterday's workout a light one, given Toronto was coming off three games in four nights and headed for back-to-back games today and tomorrow, Bargnani will need practice this week to get the rust off his game. Barring a setback, the plan is to have him back in uniform Friday against Detroit.This is huge for the Raptors, who initially feared that Bargnani would miss the rest of the regular season when he underwent his emergency surgery. Now, they get him with five games left, including two against Detroit, to gear up for the playoffs. Especially with Jose Garbajosa sidelined, Bargnani's presence will be a welcome addition for the Raptors, who can use his long-distance shooting to prevent the defense from collapsing into the paint onto Chris Bosh.
