The Italian Job

For those of you who missed the NBA Draft, the New York Knicks selected Danilo Gallinari from Italy with the 6th overall pick. I've spent the last hour watching Gallinari videos on YouTube, and reading about him on random fan sites, desperately trying to talk myself into the idea that he can work with this team long term. I'd love to be mad at the Knicks for what they did, but by all accounts it seems that they took the best available player on the board, and I can't fault them for that. I really wanted Russell Westbrook or one of the big three, after that I just wanted to avoid goofy big men.
The Italian kid definitely has the skill sets for playing in the Association. After watching his highlight clips on YouTube, he can create his own shot, play with his back to the rim, shoot in traffic, and he's strong enough to absorb a hit and finish his shot. That being said, I saw him do it against a bunch of Euro-Bums. Still, if the knowledge and the skills are there, he just needs to develop a little more strength and speed, and he can compete in this league just as well. The amazing thing is, the kid has been playing professional basketball for 4 years, and he's only 19. He's dominated every divison of Italian and European basketball he's been involved in so far, and there's no reason to believe he can't bump it up to the next level. There are a few concerns to be had about this guy, though.



According to Wikipedia (the greatest news source in the world...because you know you are getting the best information possible), Gallinari's father was a teammate and roommate of D'Antoni. Maybe this guy's father is whispering in D'Antoni's ear a little too much? I'm not sure what the case is, but between the two of them, they better be able to make this kid work in over here. I also would like to know a little more about his defensive abilities. I know D'Antoni doesn't really play defense, but it would be nice to know that when the time comes where we need some defense that this kid can step up. I'm going to lean towards the idea that he probably can't guard a lamp post, like most European players.
My initial conclusion on Danilo Gallinari is this. He has the potential to be a really good small forward, someone who can compliment a dominant scorer at the 2. I can also see him not gaining a bit of confidence in his game, and losing all of his potential when he realizes the quality of guys he is playing with. We could be looking at a European Scottie Pippen or Toni Kukoc's retarded brother, I really don't know. Absolute max potential is probably someone like Shawn Marion, and the potential to be that good is definitely there. Like I said, he has all the tools, he just has to learn to hone them towards this game. I guess all we can do is maintain hope that Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni know what they're doing.
One last thing on this kid. Mentally, he's tough as a rock. He took a verbal beatdown from New York last night, and it didn't even phase him. In fact, all he had to say after he heard it was, "It's understandable. It's all part of the game. It will be up to me to earn the applauses."
I like that he already recognizes that it's an uphill battle, and from all of his videos and interviews he seems to be a pretty intense competitor. I think we should be happy Knicks fans, with some patience, and good coaching this kid could be the ultimate compliment to our 2010 superstar.