Andrea Bargnani ailing, but Lionel Hollins watches Nets' other big men perform

So much for Andrea Bargnani quickly putting the past few injury-ravaged seasons behind him.

Bargnani missed the Nets' 101-96 loss to Turkish team Fenerbahce in the preseason opener Monday night with a tight left hamstring. He had a precautionary MRI before the game and the Nets said the results were negative, making him day-to-day.

It's not exactly an ideal way for Bargnani to start things off with his new team, especially after he spoke last week about his desire to remain healthy after being sidelined most of the previous two seasons with various injuries while the Knicks.

Bargnani said he began experiencing fatigue in his hamstring after the Nets' final training camp practice at Duke on Saturday, partially blaming it on playing in EuroBasket 2015 over the summer for his native Italy.

He indicated the Nets are being cautious and that it's all about playing it safe at the moment. "I'm good," Bargnani said. "I will be better very soon. You've just got to be conscious and obviously you've got to be ready for the regular season. So as much as it hurts to sit out today, you've got to do the right thing."

Coach Lionel Hollins, who had been pleased that the Nets escaped the injury bug for the most part during training camp at Duke, isn't overly worried about Bargnani's hamstring. "I'm not concerned," he said. "It's not like what happened to Michael Kidd-Gilchrist."

Hollins was referring to the Hornets guard, who might be out for the season after suffering a torn labrum on Saturday.

"That's an injury," Hollins said. "So we did go relatively unscathed. I am happy with that, so we just move forward and when he can play, he'll play. And when he can't play, we will put other people out there and keep going forward."

Bargnani missed 191 games in the last five seasons and was bothered by nagging calf and hamstring injuries during his time with the Knicks. With his history of troublesome ailments, the Nets likely will be as careful as possible with him to make sure any tightness doesn't linger and turn the injury into a long-term issue. He insists it won't be.

"It's nothing very serious and I will be better very, very soon," Bargnani said. "We have full confidence in the medical staff. I'll be back when I'm ready. So no issues. Nothing serious."

With no Bargnani, Hollins couldn't get a complete picture of his potential big-men combinations. He started Thomas Robinson rather than Thaddeus Young at power forward, placing him alongside Brook Lopez at the game's outset to see whether Robinson worked well with the Nets' 7-footer.

"This is where we see it," Hollins said. "You don't see it in practice. You see it when you start playing and you go against other people."

"Can we rebound with Thad and T-Rob in the game together? Can we defend with Brook and Andrea together? I know offensively all those guys can play together, but it's [about] the complete fit, and so this is a start."