"It was a sight the Raptors need to see and want to see and which should provide them with a modicum of solace as they strike out on another three-game road trip.

His wonky calf covered with a black compression sleeve, Andrea Bargnani went through his paces in a quiet end of the Air Canada Centre on Monday afternoon, ready to rejoin his teammates after a three-game absence.

He can't come back soon enough for a team ravaged with injuries and carrying the weight of 11 losses in its last 14 games to push it further down among the dregs of the NBA's Eastern Conference."