| Gallinari Impresses While New York Waits For 2010 Authored by Zack Berg - January 22, 2009 - 5:17 pm
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Since July 14th, the day Gallinari severely injured his back and jeopardized his rookie campaign, I have had countless arguments defending the 6'10" Italian import. Whether you were reading the New York Post, listening to local sports talk radio or just hearing the chatter around Madison Square Garden, one thing had become abundantly clear; 11 minutes and 23 seconds of playing time, followed by 36 games dressed in Armani suits, was enough to label the #6 overall pick a bust. While a back injury to a 19-year old rookie was certainly concerning, it was no reason to write him off so quickly.
When the Knicks passed up on proven players such as Jerryd Bayless and Eric Gordon, it he was met with relentless boos by a shocked crowd at the draft.
However, since that night and throughout Gallinari's injury, the same thing remained true; not many people had seen him play and therefore judging him so prematurely was both unfair and inaccurate..
After seeing his only Summer League game in person, I left the gym very impressed, yet eager to see more. Danilo had a terrible first half in which he was held scoreless, but he bounced back with 14 points in the second half. He wowed the crowd with a put back slam and a killer through the legs step back jumper in Cavs rookie JJ Hickson's face.
In the brief time he was on the court during the summer league and the few seasons he played in Europe, Gallinari displayed an extremely high skill set and flaunted his beautiful jump-shot, which were two of the reasons Donnie Walsh envisioned his success in a Mike D'Antoni offense.
Finally, on Jan. 17th, Gallinari was back on the court and in just a few games he has already contributed to a couple of Knicks victories. I am not suggesting that he is certain to become a star, as he still has a great deal to improve, or that it will happen overnight (as a 20-year-old rookie, Dirk Nowitzki averaged 8 points per game on 41% shooting). The point is that as Knicks fans wait for 2010, they should show a little patience with the rookie whose nickname is The Rooster, as he might just continue to wake up his critics. |
