Danilo Gallinari Loves NY…
June 17, 2008
Via Slam Online, quoting Danilo Gallinari in The Star-Ledger:
“I like New Jersey and New York. I like those two places,” the Italian forward said matter-of-factly after his one-hour, one-man workout with the Nets yesterday in East Rutherford. “Now I will work out for New Jersey and New York (today), then I don’t know (about) other teams.”
The reason being? He has all the leverage a teenager needs, in the form of a very lucrative multiyear offer from his team in Milan, so he doesn’t have to play in the NBA at all.
And so we have a nice synergy between the blogger at Slam Online, backing the writer at Star-Ledger, in assuming this is some sort of slight at the rest of the US.
Certainly that is possible. Hey, maybe Danilo Gallinari, like Yi Jianlian and his handlers last year, wants to push to be in a city where he will be more comfortable. Certainly the Italian food in NJ, and NYC, is far better than the Italian food in the rest of the US (exception: Providence, supposedly. Oh, and New Haven has really good pizza). But is that really what Danilo Gallinari was saying here?
Read that quote again:
“Now I will work out for New Jersey and New York (today), then I don’t know (about) other teams.”
Now, keeping in mind that English is not Danilo’s first language, doesn’t it seem possible… more likely, even… that what Danilo meant is that he doesn’t know when he will be working out for other teams? As in, “Hey, I don’t know my schedule”. It seems that way to me. Especially since, well, I’ll bet big money that Danilo will work out for other teams in the upcoming weeks.
I think what here we have a local beat writer for the Nets trying to make it seem like the Nets, with pick #21, are somehow in play for a top-7 talent. And the way the media works nowadays, one big blogger (soon to be followed by other bloggers wanting an easy post) follows the lead blindly, without giving much thought to the context of the quote, or motivation of the original writer.
Next thing you know, there will be a discussion on ESPN about Danilo as the next Yi Jianlian (or Steve Francis, or Kobe Bryant), a draft pick with the balls or hubris or ego to demand a trade if they don’t like where they were picked. And yes, there will be a discussion of the Milan contract offer as leverage, and whether the NBA is going to have to deal with this competition from Europe in the future. And the reality is this: Danilo played for Milan for the past three seasons. If he wanted to stay in Europe, he didn’t need to declare for the draft, period.
This is the second straight season the likely top foreign draft pick (a tall SF, ironically) has been rumored to be a prima donna, demanding the location of his choice. Yet as we saw last year, Yi Jianlian “settled” for Milwaukee with minor arm-twisting. Perhaps the beat writers should focus more on actually trying to give us insight into Gallinari’s game… will he be able to adjust to the NBA or not?…
Comments
5 Responses to “Danilo Gallinari Loves NY…”
Got something to say?
-
USA Today Sports- Baseball likely to change, not ban, maple bats
- Sorenstam starts slow, Hull leads at ADT Championship
- Yankees ownership shifts to Steinbrenner's son Hal
- Fire kills 27 horses at Kentucky stable
- Arenas: Last place could be 'for the better' for Wizards
- Phillies' Utley could miss start of season after hip surgery
In the absence of analysis from our esteemed beat writers, along comes the Poet to fill the void: will home boy be able to adjust to NBA ball? After weighing all the options, upon careful consideration, looking at the positives and negatives, consideraing all the success of the Italians who came into the league before him, all the 19 years olds who consistently set the league on fire their first time out, all the tall, unathletic white guys since Larry Bird who walked a walk as good as their talk, all the Euro ballers out there with a hard edge and a “I aint no punk, so if you’re name is David West, you can’t be slappin me in the face during a playoff game,” personna, after taking it all in, can home boy find success in - of all places - New York City? umm, no.
last poet is on fire.
haha, TLP. But wait a minute…do you consider Kobe to be an Italian teenager? Ah, now that’s an intriguing question for another time. I still say Kobe is more Euro immigrant in background and thought than people give him credit for. That’s where some of the social awkwardness at times comes in, in my opinion; America’s not his home country. He spent ages 6-13 in Italy, according to Wikipedia; that’s a lot of formative years right there, in my opinion. And although Vanessa looks Spanish, doesn’t she also look somewhat Italian? hmm…
Just stirring the pot a little for fun.
Yeah, LP, agree with you on all that. I would add, though, this: Danilo might still be serviceable, and sometimes, with the number 5 pick, that’s not a bad way to go. But his upside is limited. I love how the fact that he is a Euro, and “unknown”, which somehow now means his upside is unlimited - like, “yeah, we don’t know anything about him, so he could be the Euro Jordan (or next Dirk) for all we know.”
The NBA don’t know anything about me, either. Can I get some of that unlimited potential?!? Seriously, if I have a kid, I’m gonna hide him away somewhere out of sight, so the NBA (and/or the media) can go ga-ga for this unknown cat with supposed skills.
What we do have here seems to be a typical Western Euro - soft on defense, wet jumper, tall, long, slowish (especially on defense). Overplays the passing lanes (hence, 1.4 spg while letting his man drop as many points as he wants). Wet jumper. Likely to flop. Likely to overreact to body contact, which means he’s success/failure will be determined by factors like: “does the ref like me?” and “can I take a hit and still finish, or I am gonna to turn into a Peja, and just stand behind the arc?”. Oh, and my favorite “Will I keep going to the hole, even though I am taking punishment from these stronger big guys?”
I won’t write the kid off until I see the answers to some of these questions. And a guy with a wet jumper still has some value. I think he’s upside at SF is Rashard Lewis. His likely comparison is Yi or Mike Miller. And his downside is, well, Kyle Korver. Again, a serviceable starter on a decent team with a good point guard that can get him the ball. Not a gamble if you lower your expectations.
Is that the best you can do at #5? Hmm… here’s your last 5 #5 picks: Jeff Green (serviceable at best so far), Sheldon Williams, Raymond Felton, Devin Harris, and Dwyane Wade. You also have Nikoloz Tskitishvili the year before that. One bust, one superstar (in perhaps the deepest draft in NBA history), and four serviceable starters - not All-Stars just yet, but serviceable starters.
And I did just realize that the Knicks are actually picking 6th, not 5th. But I don’t feel like re-doing all that work, when the point is pretty clear: #5 (or #6) picks tend to be more serviceable starters than All-Stars….
SML. nice discernment on the danilo quote… and I think you are right too.
Now is he any good. LP definitely has history on his side. But if he can become a rashard or Hedo turkoglu, then it is a nice fit. The Knicks desparately need shooters to spread the floor. Isiah has already scouted him. d’antoni knows what fits in the system. I will trust their judgment