November 14, 2008 10:30 am  |  32 Comments

No Back Surgery, But Gallinari’s Season Might Be Over


by Marcel Mutoni

What do you want to hear first, the good news or the bad news?

Let’s start with the good: Danilo Gallinari, the Knicks’ first round pick, may not require surgery for his troublesome back. The bad news: He may also not see the basketball court again this season.

After meeting with a back specialist, the 20-year old’s rookie season might end after only two games, according to Newsday:

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“The specialist said the right thing is recommending rest, not surgery,” the source told Newsday.

With the Knicks now prepared to take the recovery process cautiously, the source said it could be at least a month of rest - likely more - before Gallinari is cleared to begin running again. After that, he essentially would be starting over with his conditioning before he could even consider stepping onto the court. It could mean that Gallinari won’t be ready to play until very late in the season, if at all.

Depending on who you want to believe in the NY media, the problem might also reside inside Gallinari’s head. The kid, some reportedly fear, might not be able to handle a lot of pain. Whatever the case, things aren’t looking too cheery for Gallinari and his employer.

Addtional MRIs are planned.

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This story is filed under: NBA, The Wire, Top News

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  • niQ Posted: Nov.14 at 10:31 am
    Should’ve picked up Bayless

  • Breeze Posted: Nov.14 at 10:37 am
    but it would have ben a traffic jam ,with nate,duhon,collins,roberson,and you know bayless is a score first kind of gaurd so also crawford…it be like time square at rush hour..

  • Mo Charlo Posted: Nov.14 at 10:43 am
    Has anyone ever heard of this before? Sit somebody until they feel better, then start conditioning all over again? Can anyone in the slamdome give me precedent for this kind of thing?

  • Diesel Posted: Nov.14 at 11:03 am
    Yeah, why couldn’t he pedal a bike or something like that to keep his cardio up?

  • Russ Bengtson Posted: Nov.14 at 11:08 am
    OMG he’s Sam Bowie!

  • Pve84 Posted: Nov.14 at 11:13 am
    I’m still baffled as to why we didn’t pick Brook Lopez. With Eddy Curry being Eddy Curry, Donnie scrambling to trade Zach, and Lee’s contract expiring next year, Lopez certainly would have been better than Gallinari.

  • awesomepossum Posted: Nov.14 at 11:18 am
    paid to rest, awesome.

  • riggs Posted: Nov.14 at 11:24 am
    cot damn i hate the knicks management.

  • GotHandles? Posted: Nov.14 at 11:28 am
    awful pick with gordon, lopez, and bayless on the board. Kid can’t play D either.

  • ciolkstar Posted: Nov.14 at 11:49 am
    Yikes. I thought this was a bad pick anyway. But it really looks bad now. I really don’t even see this guy ever being better than Wilson Chandler…They shoulda grabbed Bayless, he’d wreck in D’Antoni’s system.

  • Diggy Posted: Nov.14 at 11:51 am
    And they cut Pat Ewing jr. for what?

  • Cizzo Posted: Nov.14 at 11:58 am
    GotHandles? YOU READ MY MIND! No disrespect to the European players but at least we get to see our American bread talent in high school and the NCAA, Gallanari who? I rather take the worst player from Mc donald’s game at least I will know how 2 pronouce his name. Worser pick than when pick tan when the Bucks picked big sorry ass Yi, but the way things have been shaping up in NY this does not surprise me at all.

  • Allenp Posted: Nov.14 at 1:57 pm
    Yeah, Isiah wouldn’t have made that pick.
    Lol

  • Orlando Woolridge Posted: Nov.14 at 2:11 pm
    Worser than the Bucks taking Yi indeed…way worser.

  • what Posted: Nov.14 at 2:26 pm
    A soft Euro? What a shock…

  • TripleDouble Posted: Nov.14 at 3:19 pm
    Cizzo . . . put some sun cream on your neck you piece of sh!t.

  • Moose Posted: Nov.14 at 3:21 pm
    NOT looking good for NY.

  • Harris Posted: Nov.14 at 4:02 pm
    How could the Knicks possibly think he was the best guy on the board? There’s no way he can play power forward with Randolph and Lee there. Chandler already does everything Gallinari does, without looking terrible.

  • Magic fan Posted: Nov.14 at 4:09 pm
    HA, everyone in here is RIGHT!! should have not wasted a pick on what’s his name . This is just routine for the Knicks. Incredible.

  • Russ Bengtson Posted: Nov.14 at 4:28 pm
    The guy got hurt in the preseason running into Tractor Traylor. Could have happened to anyone. Seems a bit premature to label him a bust when he’s played all of 11 minutes and just turned 20 in August. But hey, bash away.

  • Teddy-the-Bear Posted: Nov.14 at 4:31 pm
    Rest for what?

  • Joseph Posted: Nov.14 at 5:00 pm
    Another terrible move by a dwindling franchise.

  • davidR Posted: Nov.14 at 6:01 pm
    any news on lil dunn?

  • The Promise Posted: Nov.14 at 6:39 pm
    Joke of a pick. Wasted draft.

  • Luke Posted: Nov.14 at 7:03 pm
    Are the Knicks turning into the Detroit Lions of the NBA or is it just me?

  • Moose Posted: Nov.14 at 9:16 pm
    Harris, Gallinari plays swingman . . .

  • underdog Posted: Nov.15 at 11:57 am
    He’s the next Oden.

  • rollezed Posted: Nov.15 at 4:29 pm
    they should have picked anthony randolph!!!

  • MeloMan13 Posted: Nov.16 at 10:38 am
    actually, isiah is pretty gud at drafting players…its his inability to control his sexual urges for co-workers that does him in.

  • chintao Posted: Nov.17 at 10:33 pm
    I know Berman has a bad rep (especially in this forum), but he did a column in which he intimated that Gallinari’s back injury seemed to be due to the cumulative effects of over-exertion. The run-in with Traylor was simply the straw that broke the Gallo’s back. If true, this does not bode well for the kid’s NBA career.

  • Hgeths Posted: Nov.18 at 4:43 pm
    greets from Greece…Knowing that i will be mocked for years for saying this, and seeing Russ Bengtson comment”The guy got hurt in the preseason running into Tractor Traylor. Could … and just turned 20 in August…” i say: that particular knicks-Cavs pre season game was the very FIRST time i watched him play (and i live in Europe where most star players are known by 16-17 yo through international comp.-this is the same case with Bargnani as well…they were virtually unknowns in Europe before they came over),BUT at those 10 mins he played 4 me he was THE BEST EURO i have seen at u-20 for a long long time…Peja is not even close (I saw his five proff years at PAOK),dirk naah,Bargnani is a JOKE by european standards, Raptors must see smth squadra azzura doesn’t, he is not even their 8th best…
    Gallinari is the real deal…pull this up 5 years from now….

  • chintao Posted: Nov.19 at 2:49 am
    Five years from now, Gallinari probably will be in a hospital bed.

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