Danilo Gallinari

[LordOfLeyte]

Is D'Antoni the reason why the NY Knicks drafted Gallinari in the first place? Hoopsworld called in the "Italian connection"

[Toxicity]

Is D'Antoni the reason why the NY Knicks drafted Gallinari in the first place? Hoopsworld called in the "Italian connection"

No. D'Antoni didn't even know him well (as player)...

Walsh and the Knicks scouts are the reason.

[mvblair]

No. D'Antoni didn't even know him well (as player)...

Walsh and the Knicks scouts are the reason.

Yeah, Gallinari would've been drafted high for any coach. I'm sure the D'Antoni-Gallinari Senior connection didn't hurt, but a lot of reporters at the time said Gallinari could've been selected by any of the teams in the 3 to 8 draft range.

I'm looking forward to watching him play. Let's just hope the Knicks get rid of Marbury and/or Randolph before the season starts. Heck, they should also consider trading Jeffries and Richardson. That would make room for Wilson Chandler and Gallinari.

[rikhardur]

ITA/USA - Back problems force Gallinari to play waiting game with Knicks


NEW YORK (NBA) - Danilo Gallinari's ailing back prevented him from playing for Italy in this summer's EuroBasket 2009 qualifying campaign and it has also kept him off the court for the New York Knicks in their pre-season games

New Knicks boss Mike D'Antoni, an assistant coach with Team USA's Olympic gold-medal winning team this summer in China, admits he's in no rush to have Gallinari in action for fear of aggravating the 20-year-old's problem.

"He's definitely behind. He's never played in the NBA," D'Antoni said in the New York Daily News, before offering this lighthearted comment.

"He's still getting used to eating hamburgers instead of pasta."

D'Antoni is excited about having the former Armani Jeans Milano star with the team but he and everyone else will have to bide their time before Gallinari shows what he can do on the court.

"It's going to be awhile," D'Antoni said. "You have to have patience with it. We're not going to push it too much but at the same time, we'd like to see some progress and have him out there.

"He knows how to play. We just have to get him adapted to the NBA and the American way of life. And how tough the NBA is. The rest is going to be up to him."

Gallinari was picked sixth overall in this summer's draft and is anxious to show Knicks fans that he was worthy of such a high selection.

"I think I will have the time to play and show something," Gallinari said.

"It will be a long year, a long season, I will have the time."

Despite his 2.08m height, the versatile Gallinari isn't expected to play at power forward.

"I see him as a small forward," D'Antoni said. "I don't think his body can take the beating right now. I see him out on the perimeter."

http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/28729/arti.html

[LordOfLeyte]

Possible NYKnicks starter

Curry will man the center

Rumored that Randoplh will be benched and Lee could start

Danilo Gallinari will provide firepower (we hope)

Quentin Richardson / Jamal Crawford

Chris Duhon / Marbury (On some nights if he is still around)

[rikhardur]

Meanwhile, back trouble continues to prevent Danilo Gallinari from playing with the New York Knicks.

The sixth overall pick in this summer’s draft from Italy, Gallinari has made only two brief appearances for Mike D’Antoni’s side.

"I will not play for some time," he said in Gazzetta dello Sport.

"My back has gone back to the levels of several months ago. I will need to reduce the rhythm in training sessions because I can´t play with pain.

“D´Antoni tells me to be calm, the trust remains intact and they have no doubt that when I am ready, my chance will come. Their support helps me but it´s a difficult time for me."

Gallinari´s father Vittorio has ruled out an operation.

"This has always been excluded, because the problem has not been considered that serious for him to have surgery and it´s also ruled out because of Danilo´s age. He is just 20."

http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/28862/arti.html

[mvblair]

Knicks' Gallinari may not need back surgery -- BY ALAN HAHN, November 14, 2008, Newsday

Danilo Gallinari might not need season-ending surgery to repair his chronic back injury, but his rookie season likely will be curtailed, if not lost. Gallinari, the sixth overall pick in the draft by the Knicks, met with a back specialist yesterday in New York and, according to a person with knowledge of the situation, was told surgery was not required. But plenty of rest was prescribed.

"The specialist said the right thing is recommending rest, not surgery," the source told Newsday.

Gallinari is scheduled to see other specialists - one in Boston and one in Los Angeles - next week. The Knicks will not announce any information on his situation until after both have given their recommendations.

But the opinions of doctors - on the team's medical staff and independent - remain consistent. An MRI confirmed that Gallinari, 20, is dealing with a disc protrusion (also known as a bulging disc), which is pressing against the nerves...

The source said the specialist believes the team rushed its lottery pick into his workouts too soon, before the swelling went down, which caused the flareup.

Gallinari, who said all along he still felt pain in his lower back, accepted the idea that he would have to deal with it....

No surgery but he might miss the rest of the season? Bad news, man. Even if the poor kid misses a month or two, it's just bad news.

[rikhardur]

Gallinari returned after a long absence due to back problems and scored 6 pts, blocked 1 shot and dished 1 assist as the Knicks lost to the 76ers.

[rikhardur]

USA – Gallinari finally playing for the Knicks


NEW YORK (NBA) - Danilo Gallinari of Italy is showing signs that he was worthy of being the sixth pick in last summer's NBA draft.

Gallinari has appeared in two games for New York after missing three months with an ailing back.

He had nine points, four rebounds, two assists and two steals in more than 16 minutes on the floor to help the Knicks (16-24) defeat the Chicago Bulls 102-98 on Monday.

The 20-year-old Gallinari hadn’t appeared in a game since an October 31 loss to Philadelphia.

"You gain confidence by playing,” Gallinari said. “The more minutes you have, the more feeling you get on the court and with your teammates.

"I need to be aggressive and that helps to win games.”

Whenever Gallinari checks into the game, there is a huge buzz in the Madison Square Garden crowd and the fans are showing a lot of support for the youngster.

However, Gallinari has given a thumbs-down to the music the Knicks play whenever he scores a basket.

The team’s long-time public address announcer, Mike Walczewski, tried to use a thick Italian accent on Monday and said over the tannoy "Daneeelo Gal-lin-ar-ay" before Italian songs "Volare" or "That's Amore" were played.

"I need to talk a little bit with them about that,” Gallinari said, “because it's not so good, the pronunciation. I will talk about that.

“As for the music, no, not so good."

Chicago fell to 18-24 with the loss.

Kobe Bryant has a dislocated finger but played anyway for the Los Angeles Lakers in their 105-88 triumph over the Cleveland Cavaliers.

Bryant went up against his fellow Team USA star LeBron James of the Cavs and scored 20 points while also handing out 12 assists and grabbing six rebounds.

Pau Gasol of Spain led the Lakers (32-8) with 22 points and 12 rebounds, while James struggled from the floor, hitting nine of 25 shots on his way to scoring 23.

James also pulled down nine rebounds for Cleveland (31-8).

Other NBA results: Dallas 95 Philadelphia 93, Denver 113 Houston 115, San Antonio 86 Charlotte 84, Toronto 84 Atlanta 87, Minnesota 94 LA Clippers 86, Indiana 100 New Orleans 103, Washington 98 Golden State 119, Detroit 87 Memphis 79, Phoenix 87 Boston 104, Milwaukee 85 Portland 102, Cleveland 88 LA Lakers 105.

http://www.fiba.com/pages/eng/fc/news/lateNews/p/newsid/29265/arti.html

[rikhardur]

Gallinari Raises Eyebrows With Defense

It's taken Danilo Gallinari longer than expected to start making an impact in New York with an ailing back having kept him sideline, but Italy's latest export to the NBA is finally on the court.

And it's not the 6ft 10in forward's offense that has Knicks coach Mike D'Antoni chirping, but Gallinari's ability to guard both small forwards and shooting guards.

"The biggest surprise I've had from him is his ability to guard twos and threes," D'Antoni said.

"I was thinking he needed to play inside, but he's shown he knows angles and can use his length out on the perimeter.

"There's no reason why he can't become a good defender on the perimeter."

Italy are hoping that Gallinari will play for the country this summer in the Additional Qualifying Round for EuroBasket 2009.

In his last two games with the Knicks - both victories over Chicago and Phoenix - Gallinari has averaged 9.5 points in 17 minutes off the bench.

http://www.fibaeurope.com/coid_YgMc5VvBGXwuqo47RJe6p2.container_frontpage.articleMode_on.html

[mvblair]

I'm glad to see that D'Antoni likes Gallinari's defense. A lot of people think that coaches like D'Antoni, Jackson, Nelly, and others de-emphasize defense, which I never think is true. They might not over-emphasize defense like Jeff Van Gundy, but they do pay considerable attention to it.

Anyhow, Gallinari missed last night's game against Philadelphia. Yahoo! Sports shows Gallinari on the injured list again with a "sore lower back." Are we looking at career-long problems for the kid?

[rikhardur]

I'm glad to see that D'Antoni likes Gallinari's defense. A lot of people think that coaches like D'Antoni, Jackson, Nelly, and others de-emphasize defense, which I never think is true. They might not over-emphasize defense like Jeff Van Gundy, but they do pay considerable attention to it.

Anyhow, Gallinari missed last night's game against Philadelphia. Yahoo! Sports shows Gallinari on the injured list again with a "sore lower back." Are we looking at career-long problems for the kid?

AFAIK it was decided that we won't play two straight games, it must be because of his back problems.

[mvblair]

AFAIK it was decided that we won't play two straight games, it must be because of his back problems.

So it was an intentional decision from the trainers or the coaching staff? I guess that's a good preventative measure until they're sure he gets completely healed. I'd hate to see another chronic injury player.

[mvblair]

He played 13 minutes in a NY victory over Houston. Gallinari had 4 points (0-2 FG, 4-4 FT) and 2 rebounds with 2 fouls.

[rikhardur]

He played 13 minutes in a NY victory over Houston. Gallinari had 4 points (0-2 FG, 4-4 FT) and 2 rebounds with 2 fouls.

I watched the game, the crowd simply loves him. Everytime time he touched the ball the people would cheer and hope he'd shoot or make a nice move. Sweet.