Gallinari Is Key as Knicks Plan to Woo James
Published: July 11, 2009
LAS VEGAS — In a gym buzzing with bright-eyed prospects, the most significant figure was a well-tanned spectator standing against the wall with his shirt off. Danilo Gallinari is weeks away from playing basketball, but he has never been more critical to the
Knicks’ future.
Jason Kidd and
Grant Hill are not coming, despite the franchise’s best recruiting efforts. The June draft brought two solid prospects — Jordan Hill, who agreed to a two-year, $4.3 million contract Saturday, and Toney Douglas — but no saviors. The roster for next season may be largely unchanged.
So when the time comes next July for
LeBron James to consider a new home and new teammates, the Knicks’ sales pitch might well begin with the 20-year-old Gallinari, the most intriguing player on their roster.
“I think a lot of it depends on Gallo,” Coach
Mike D’Antoni said Saturday morning, when the Knicks held their first summer league practice.
D’Antoni later mentioned Wilson Chandler and the still-unsigned David Lee as additional selling points for wandering free-agent superstars. But Gallinari possesses the greater skills and the most star potential, provided he is healthy.
The signs are good. Gallinari, who had minor back surgery in April, is running again and with minimal pain. He said he expected to be pain-free by training camp in October. He has a hop in his step, and his 3-point stroke is as fluid as ever. He even looks a little thicker in his shoulders and upper arms, a good sign for a growing young power forward. He turns 21 next month and is still filling out his 6-foot-10 frame.
“I feel good,” Gallinari said after doing some core conditioning work with the team trainers. “Not pain-free completely, but I feel good. Nothing compared with what I was feeling when I was injured.”
Gallinari’s
N.B.A. career began here last year and was instantly altered by a single play — a collision in the lane with the beefy Robert Traylor. Gallinari came away with an injured back that wiped out most of his rookie season. He played in 28 games before opting for surgery.
But he showed enough during that time to reassure team officials that they made the right choice in drafting him sixth over all in 2008. Gallinari is the Knicks’ best shooter and a deft playmaker with a high basketball intellect. He may also have to serve as their top recruiter.
Donnie Walsh, the team president, has cleared enough salary-cap room to make a run at James, Dwyane Wade and other top stars next summer. But the Knicks need to present a respectable supporting cast, and Gallinari is one of only six players under contract in 2010-11.
“We have to show, hey, Gallo’s a budding star, or Wilson’s a budding star, or whoever,” D’Antoni said.
Gallinari will join the summer league team for some drills this week, but he is not cleared for contact and will not play in any games. The rookies Hill and Douglas will be the Knicks’ key players when they open the schedule Tuesday.
Team officials are also hoping for some encouraging signs from Eddy Curry, their beleaguered center, who is expected to attend practice Sunday. Curry is participating in a conditioning and weight-loss program after missing most of last season because of injuries and conditioning issues.
In a recent interview with
Newsday, one of Curry’s trainers, Jerry Powell, said that Curry had lost nearly 50 pounds. Team officials have greeted the report with a mix of hope and skepticism.
“All the reports are that Eddy is working hard and he’s looking a lot better,” D’Antoni said. “I still think he’s got a ways to go; he knows that. But I think it’s a great start.”
Curry is listed at 285 pounds, but he has not been anywhere near that weight in years.
If it is true that Curry has shed 50 pounds, he might still be hovering around 315, at least 15 pounds heavier than the Knicks prefer.
“He spent a whole month doing what he’s supposed to be doing, and I think it’s encouraging,” D’Antoni said. “At the same time, I’m not going to say yes, it’s a done deal. But I think it’s very encouraging and we’re really rooting for him.”
REBOUNDS
Patrick Ewing Jr. withdrew from the Knicks’ summer league team because of a medical issue. Ewing, who attended the Knicks’ training camp last fall, injured his knee while playing in the N.B.A. Development League. ... Mike D’Antoni scoffed at a report that suggested the Knicks might swap point guards with Philadelphia, sending Chris Duhon to the
76ers for Andre Miller, who would have to agree to a sign-and-trade deal. “What was that?” D’Antoni said. “I can’t believe that.”