Nicolo Melli: is he Andrea Bargnani 2.0? Let’s run down a list of Bargnani’s most notable attributes to see if Mell in a Cell can stack up:
Italian? Check.
Shoots threes? Check.
Shoots midrange jimbos? Check.
Too soft/slow to play meaningful defense at the NBA level? Check.
Draft bust? Check. (Melli was such a bust that he wasn’t even drafted)
Ambassador of Canada’s leading brand of pasta and premade pasta sauce? Not check. (Melli is an ambassador either for Crystal hot sauce or Zatarain’s rice entrees – if he’s not, he should be)
Calls himself a “DJ/Influencer/Lifestyle Advisor/Model/Helicopter Pilot” in his Instagram bio? I don’t use Instagram, so we’re going with CHECK on this one.
Facially attractive in a weird way? Check.
As you can see from the list above, Nicolo Melli is an adequate stand-in for the retired Bargnani. Now all we need is for the Knicks to give up assets to acquire him and the comparison will be complete.