Danilo Gallinari is not here at the NBA Pre-Draft camp, but people are talking about him. Ask some executives what they think and they'll tell you they're impressed. Is he better than Andrea Bargnani, as some have tried to promote? No. But is he a lottery pick in this draft? Yes.
And Fran Fraschilla, the former St. John's coach who these days does a lot of work for ESPN, gave the kid a ringing endorsement when we caught up with him Wednesday on the plaza outside the Milk House Gym (I told you everybody is here).
Fraschilla says he has watched Gallinari since the 6-9 swingman was 16 years old. Here are highlights of our conversation:
- "The best way to put it is, he would have been a first-team All-American in college. If you compare the NBA to the Euroleague, the Euroleague would be Triple-A to the NBA and college, even at the ACC level, would be Double-A. He is already shown at a very high level, the equivelant of Triple-A, that he's one of the best players in his age group in the world. You might not say he's there with Beasley or Rose, but he's not far behind."
- "He's got a toughness about him that I think, sometimes, maybe people in the States don't normally relate to an international player. It's a certain toughness that I think is unique for a player of that age."
- "He's a small forward that can get to the rim, he can shoot it, make good plays and makes players around him better. He's obviously not a great athlete and that's probably the one thing that holds him back, but neither was Turkoglu, Nowitzki or Stojakovich. In terms of guarding people, he's going to have to do it in a team concept. But you can say that about a lot of guys coming into the league."
Many people here believe Gallinari will be there when the Knicks select at No. 6. But I've also heard the Knicks are putting an emphasis on working out the top point guards in the draft -- individual workouts begin next week.
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We wrote about the point guard situation today
and, Fixers, let me push this name a little more: Monta Ellis. Just keep an eye on this brewing situation in Golden State. Could get very interesting. Stay tuned . . .
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The offseason is the best time for honesty. We all could see that the Knicks had zero chemistry on the court and it was quite obvious they weren't the tight group they claimed to be off of it. And in a story in the Seattle Post-Intelligencer by Gary Washburn, both Jamal Crawford and Nate Robinson open up about the internal issues.
"I think with any team it doesn't matter how much talent you have -- if you don't play together, it doesn't really mean anything," Crawford said.
"I think it's a combination of everything -- hanging out more, giving yourself up for the team. If your role on the team is to score you have to come and do that every night. If your role is to set picks and get rebounds you have to do that every night."
Based on his conversations with the two popular Seattle boys, Washburn writes that many Knick players complained about playing time and how they were used, and it reflected in their effort.
Sound familiar, Fixers?
"Whatever it is, if we need to go to the movies with each other, on the road, team dinners, team functions, guys supporting guys, barbeques, every little thing," Robinson said. "Whenever somebody has something, everyone on the team should show up, that shows the love and bond as teammates. Guys just have to do it for each other and we'll be all right."
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The Miami Herald is saying that some Miami Heat officials are already concerned about Mike D'Antoni's enviable position with USA Basketball, which gives him private access to key potential free agents in that Class of 2010 which, as you know, includes LeBron James and Miami's Dwyane Wade.
Let the recruiting begin.
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Funniest scene while mingling among the NBA crowd here: Michael Jordan stops dead in his tracks when he sees Dominique Wilkins. They exchange a warm hello and then Jordan teasingly rubs Wilkins' very swollen midsection.
Jordan last season was carrying around a noticable gut last year, but this year the shirt is tucked in the pants and his waistline is a lot trimmer. I guess if you hired Sam Vincent to coach your team, you might lose your appetite, too.
Comments (18)
One (more) major problem with Isiah's performance as both GM and coach: a complete lack of improvement over time.
From the beginning, he drew criticism for trading away assets (picks, prospects) and shorter term deals for bad contract, poorly fitting players who crapped the bed in for the Knicks. His last crummy decision (Randolph) was exactly the same kind of blunder he he's made continually all along. As a coach, even in Indiana, his weaknesses included lack of preparation, poor game management and disadvantageous roster decisions. Exactly what he was slammed for here last season. And he always tries to spin his failures rather than demonstrating that he learned anything from them by improving. As an owner, his horizontal professional development curve is much scarier than any specific blunders he made.
I have no problem with him hanging around because Dolan is on the hook for 8 figures and making suggestions like "take another look at that Lee kid from Florida," so long as someone else has the final say on all decisions (like "nah, lets not make Curry our franchise centerpiece).
Pete, you make good points about Isiah's coaching style.
"Based on his conversations with the two popular Seattle boys, Washburn writes that many Knick players complained about playing time and how they were used, and it reflected in their effort."
That's the problem right there in the end. Isiah needed to just find a rotation he liked and stuck with it. Period. Instead he kept tinker ing and tinkering.
Gallinari is a high-anxiety pick because there is a good chance he might develop like Boki Nachbar in NJ - decent rotation player, but not the kind of quality starter the Knicks need from this pick. But he also might be really good. It seems hard to project how his game will translate in the NBA. He is also really young - like drafting a true freshman - and he might not be ready to contribute right away, no matter what his ceiling is. The Knicks had better drastically improve their player development process.
Some posters have mentioned Anthony Randolph - what I've read about his strengths makes him look tailor made for the Knicks. I don't know much about him though - has anyone watched a lot of his games? How does he look?
One thing I've read about D'Antoni is that he plays his best players. Not having invested in any player as a GM frees him to look long and hard at each player's strengths and liabilities.
We have a young team. I do wonder if he can actually teach them what they need to know. Isiah couldn't. Is that because of Isiah, or are these guys just not smart enough to learn "the right way" to play?
I think there this kid is getting so much spin that the Knicks are using this to entice OJ Mayo or Bayless to move back in the draft so they can take them... He is good but he ain't the next Jordan Italia.
The more spin on D-Gal, the better...
Pumps up the value of the 6 spot in this draft, helping the Knicks maximize the power of their pick as barganing chip to move Zach and his contract.
Why all the harping on Ellis ? The Knicks can't afford to give a MLE contract, and that wouldn't be enough to land Ellis anyway.
anything player drafted in the top 10 should be ready to help an nba team
no euro is worth top 10
somehow these euro get endorse by the media hype etc
like i said if the knicks plan on doin dumb ish just let zeke run the show again..itz plain an simple
this is the first time in 2 years we get or lottery pick an we already plan on wasting it.
itz common sense u hype up a player then som1 dumbazz team pickz him high then other teams got better players to work with/itz called save the better players so u hype up a scrub an a dumb team picks him//thatz y alot of execz saying he is worth it..
itz krazy dude aint worked out for no nba team but he is worth a lotttery pick if the lottery was in the second round yea he would be worth it..
monta is the dude trade the pick an cash/player an get him...
4get lebron/get under the cap athat money for lebron then u can't sign no1 else cuz u gave 1 player all ya cap.lmao...
if this franchise continues to do dumb ish move it an start a new franchise.dead serious it aint a joke
stay tuned for more KnowLedge
please no t.j ford please no
no injure prone players especially 1 that can die on the court
i would draft a big man that can defend thats the real need
4get about what dantoni needs is he a 1 dementional coach.
we will findout....
How could you say "no euro is worth top 10?"
It seems to me like every team other than the Knicks are benefitting from bringing in international talent. (even Europeans)
Gasol and Parker are still in the playoffs, and I'd say that they're worth a top 10 pick. Dirk might even be a top 10 player in the entire league.
Drafting a big name combo guard would be the Isiah way to do this draft. I like that the Knicks (even though I think they should trade the pick) are thinking differently than they have in the past with Danilo.
I agree with anonymous. This offseason MUST end with the knicks having someone who can PROTECT THE RIM. I would love Hibbert, but of course he is not worth a #6 pick.
The knicks biggest weakness is their interior defense/rebounding...that needs to change.
DAMN THAT ZACH RANDOLPH TRADE KILLED OUR SALARY CAP
Good talk
Ok, yall got my pre-draft analysis on How to fix the Knicks some time ago, here’s my Part II analysis which begins with the first major personnel move in the Walsh/Dantoni marriage, the #6 Pick in the 2008 NBA draft.
Now that Derrick Rose won’t be available which I had happening in my first analysis, who do we take with the #6 pick? Of course Dantoni’s Italian ties have this Italian kid, Danilo Gallinari pegged as the perfect match for Dantoni’s system and the Knicks, I don’t buy it. Comparisons to Detlef Schrempf and Toni Kukoc don’t have me jumping out of my seat. Plus the last Italian kid selected at #1 (you would have to think he was a better prospect the year he came out than this Gallinari kid based on their draft positions to some degree) Andrea over in Toronto has so far been a marginal NBA player at best. Gallinari is known as an offensive beast at the SF position with not so much defense, sounds too much like players we already have, maybe not at the SF position necessarily but we are littered with talent that can score but are unable to defend, or vice versa.
Not to mention Gallinari plays the same position as Chandler who is also a good offensive threat, can shoot long range and best of all is already a decent defender, all things he has shown flashes of being able to do in the league, all things Gallinari would have to show he can also do in a much more competitive environment than Italy. There is no doubt in my mind Chandler should get a chance to start next season (unless we bring in a proven vet at the same position).
I know that sounds like a description of Qrich but based on his tenure in NY, I no longer view him as a starter. However, since Qrich flourished in Dantoni’s system in Phoenix and since he also has questionable health issues making him an untradeable asset, he should stick around to either battle Chandler for the starting SF spot or simply back someone up, whether it be at SF or SG (hopefully he can finally come back healthy and in shape!).
Not to mention we still have Birdman Balkman and Jefferies so Gallinari being picked means an end to Balk which is fine with some of you, not fine with one person I know for sure. But it also means regardless that Gallinari will either be buried on the depth chart or Jefferies will be the highest paid SF not to get burn in the league. Bottom line, this would be a poor selection motivated by personal ties which I find ludicrous.
With that said, I’m going with drafting Eric Gordon at the #6 slot. Why Eric Gordon? Cause he fills several needs and can help immediately whereas a guy like Gallinari would need a few years to adjust his international game to the NBA. Eric Gordon although he does not fill an immediate need position-wise since he plays the same position as Crawford, is still a great fit in this system. At the same time he could very well fill an immediate need, just check out this recent quote by Walsh courtesy of our own, Newsday’s Alan Hahn:
"Normally the best player on the team is counted on to score, even if he's the point guard," Walsh said. "So in many cases the scoring guard in college is a point guard and he can be converted into a point guard in the NBA. Chauncey Billups is a good example."
I think it’s fair to assume Dantoni can convert a young dynamic combo guard like Gordon into an NBA point guard. The kid has prototype size at 6’4, is lights out on the perimeter, and is a solid defender, everything we need out of our perimeter players. Before he injured his wrist causing a shooting slump he was seen as a top 3 draft pick. For those of you convinced drafting Gordon would create a logjam at the SG position, here are subsequent moves Walsh should make immediately after drafting Gordon:
1. Get G.S. on the phone and inquire about a sign and trade which would send Crawford, Balk, and Malik Rose’s expiring contract to GS for Monta Ellis and Al Harrington (thank Alan for putting me on about Ellis' contract issues!). Of course there are several caveats to making a deal like this work. First of course is the fact Ellis is a restricted free agent so G.S. would have to be willing to part with him which isn’t an easy decision considering Ellis is an up and coming talent with tremendous upside and is incredibly explosive (did someone say Barbosa?). However he is clearly underpaid and will be looking to score big, GS’s failure to make the post season this year or advance past the 2nd round last year won’t have them jumping at the opportunity to add more salary than they already have unless they are getting back cheaper or expiring contracts in return to sweeten the deal.
That’s what will make this deal attractive to them, yes they lose Harrington and Ellis but they gain a young inexpensive high energy SF back in Balk who should thrive in Nelson’s system and possesses solid character on and off the court, as well as the expiring contract of Rose. Not to mention they get back a guard who is as explosive if not arguably more than Ellis in Crawford who is still relatively young. Crawford would also be motivated by returning to his western roots and he clearly is even more skilled than he's shown playing in Zeke's horrific den of sin.
Ellis would fit perfectly into Dantoni’s system, so would Harrington. The only way this deal happens however is via sign and trade which are always difficult to pull off in the NBA but hey, let’s dream until it doesn’t happen. The Knicks are armed with their midlevel exception so perhaps they can finally use it wisely on a player who deserves it in Ellis, that would be a significant upgrade from the salary he is currently earning.
2. Buy out Jerome James, nothing has changed here.
3. Initiate talks with Denver again about trading for Zbo, there have already been execs who have gone on the record indicating a deal was damm near done at the trade deadline this past Feb. until Zeke got greedy as usual insisting on Denver including their own young European star in Kleiza. I would see if Denver is willing to trade Camby and Najera for Zbo, Nate and next year’s lottery protected first round pick (you know many teams will assume although we should improve under Dantoni that we’ll still be at best middle of the pack so a high draft pick although not a lottery pick would be appealing to a club like Denver looking to build on their current foundation). Again trade restrictions apply here (see Najera). If that’s not enough find a third team if necessary but those are the 2 players, Camby and Zbo that should be featured in the deal.
4. We are most likely stuck with Curry until he proves he has some of the potential he’s shown on a consistent basis to make him a candidate by the trade deadline. Best case scenario he’s here no longer than February 2008. Worst case we are stuck with him for the life of his contact. Ugh.
It’s obvious moving Crawford and Zbo’s contracts are huge steps in the right direction for the 2010 target when Labron and company will be available for the taking. Yes Ellis gets a nice contract but not one necessarily as large as Crawrford’s, he’ll be motivated to play under the bright lights and big city atmosphere in Dantoni’s system not to get too greedy so Walsh should be savoy in whatever he offers (let’s not forget those endorsement deals that come with playing in NYC!).
Harrington gives us a strong defender and offensive threat at the SF position just the way Dantoni likes it (see Marion, Diaw, but not Grant Hill lol). Yes Jefferies is still here and yes he still could wind up the highest paid SF in the league to get no burn. I realize my scenario now has us loaded at the SF position especially if you put Qrich in the mix, but it creates competition and gives us options. Maybe we can find a taker for Jefferies hefty contract, or maybe its worth it to just buy out Qrich. Or if the trade I suggested with Denver goes down, you can slide Qrich to the 2 coming off the bench with Gordon running the point.
So there you have it, without further ado, your 2008 NY Knickerbockers!
Starters
PG Steph
SG Ellis
SF Harrington
PF Lee
C Camby
Bench
Curry
Chandler
Qrich
Jefferies
Gordon
Najera
Inactives
Collins
Player #13 TBD Summer League?
Player #14 TBD NBDL?
Player #15 TBD Foreign Prospect undrafted?
Naturally as Steph is fazed out the equation you can start grooming either Gordon or Ellis to take over the point where the other takes or holds on to the starting SG position. I know my scenario has us trading the 2 players we expect to flourish most in Dantoni’s system in Crawford and Nate, but I’ve managed to replace their energy and shooting ability with Gordon and Ellis. Not a bad swap if you ask me. Both Ellis and Crawford are turnover prone, but Ellis is younger and has time to correct bad habits, unfortunately its getting to the point where Crawford’s been in the league long enough where you have to start thinking his turnover ways will stick around for the duration of his career. Plus he dribbles too much. LOL.
no Galinari!
we need a point guard
get artest!
God needs to return to Mecca. He has forsaken the Knicks for far too long. This Isaiah mess is going to take forever to clean up. Donnie Walsh has his work cut out for him.
David Stern is God!
And he loves to shyt on the Knicks.
I think Donnie Walsh should trade the pick if O.J. Mayo is not there. The 6th pick is so worthless in this draft. You can get the caliber player at 10-15. Danilo Gallinari might be Toni Kukoc and Eric Gordon might be John Starks. Good players but not the Star this team needs. Use this pick to get rid of some contracts or acquire more picks.
This is so frustrating. Instead of having the 3rd pick, they end up 6. I hope this teaches some of you "fans" who celebrated and rooted for these losers during that meaningless win streak in April.
FYI, there are full LSU games on Yahoo that you can watch Anthony Randolph.
Great stuff NYC. Very interesting and well thought out. There is a lot of good stuff on this thread, but that comment stands out.
Sergio, the lesson should actually be for the "tankers" who believe that losing guaranteed a higher spot. Statistically, the #2-6 spots in the lottery are equal crap shoots in terms of the picks liklihood of success in the NBA. Tanking is a immoral crapshoot. And having a higher pick as evidenced by the uncertainty of what will happen with 3-7 slots is a crapshoot.
For further proof, I suggest that you compare last years picks to the end-of-the year rookie rankings which includes pick number 42 but only picks 2 and 3 in the top six.