Posted by lumbardar:

If he doesn't want to get surgery from the knicks staff I am perfectly fine with that but when you are leaving the country to see a back specalist it doesn't add up to me. There something going on with this situation that we don't know it just doesn't make sense to me when the USA has the best doctors and your leave the country to see a guy in italy it is strange. I think someone in the knicks organization is hiding something about this.

Posted by nixluva:

It's still possible that the Italian docs may still not suggest surgery!!! My only contention from the start is that the knife is a LAST resort and all those here who want to act like they know better need to go read some literature before spouting off and saying I told u so!

You still don't know what the real deal is and neither do I but I know he's seen quite a few different docs and the recommendation has been the same. Another thing people need to stop saying is that this is the Knicks medical staff's fault. They aren't making the diagnosis on their own. They rely on specialists like anyone else. If 4 docs say the same thing...

Posted by Paladin55:

Posted by Pharzeone:

Would you trust the Knicks medical staff at this point? I don't blame him. He probably said these SOBs fed me BS all season long. He won't be the first to say a big F U to the Knicks medical staff. Walsh was crazed with not being proved wrong about Gallo this year. It goes back to summer. When MDA suggested he go to NBDL to do rehab, get adjusted to the NBA and the US, Walsh wanted no part of it.

I'll say no to that and add that I have to wonder about the guys who were supervising his weight training prior to his SL appearance. If you look at the literature, there is a very good chance that his injury was related to poor weight training technique. You have a big lanky kid who has never lifted weights before trying to bulk up to be able to compete in the NBA, and he was probably using poor technique. You have some major leverage issues if you lift and have a body and frame like Gallinari. I would love to see his pre-SL workout plan and see what kind of lifting they had him doing.

He had NO history or hint of a back problem in any of his scouting reports- so the pre-existing injury theory is unsupported speculation at best.

I think I have said this before, but if not, here it goes- he should only have been allowed to play with his back at less than optimal condition if they (the Knicks medical staff, trainers, Walsh, etc.) were 100% sure that the playing time could not re-injure him. They also should have thought about whether or not his back would improve or simply stay the same while he was playing.

They rushed him back too early at the start of the season, and probably did the same for his second comeback. I was happy to see him on the court, but would be happier if I knew for sure that he would be 100% at the start of the next season. You have to wonder if Walsh felt pressure to rush him back. MDA, for his part, game him playing time based on his performance on the court. Gallinari's reduced time the last few games was based on his inability to perform at the level he had shown us only a few weeks ago, and if people took the time to watch him on the court, they would have seen him laboring at times.

Hopefully he fully recovers, but he was smart to get away from the "experts" used by the Knicks.

Posted by Pharzeone:

Posted by BlueSeats:

Isles, and Pharz, it's almost never that a player waits to be 100% healed before getting back on the court. It was probably a turn of phrase to mean they were waiting for doctors to clear him, or that they were going to give rest a reasonable amount of time before rushing him out there. But when rest wasn't producing results they decided to see if things would remain stable or heal from activity, as is the case most of the time.

What I've argued with you guys about was that just because D' said "he's got to be 100%" it didn't justify people demanding he start or get major minutes when it was pretty clear (at least to me) that he was still laboring through the injury.

The back has always been a red flag for me, but unlike you guys I've never been in denial about it, in spite of what management may or may not have said.

If the GM of the freaking team says the back isn't a problem and that he should get major minutes. You mean he is lying or hoodwinking me and fellow fans? For what purpose? I thought we were done with that stuff. The fact of the matter is that management declared it a non-issue during the summer when fans and the press were starting to wonder if the Knicks used a lottery pick on a lemon. So Walsh put up this "misinformation" campaign is that what you are telling me? Like I said your issue is not with me but with the gm and the Knicks medical staff. Who by the way, also said no surgery is necessary but now the kid is flying off to areas unknown to have what done? I can't sit back and evaluate a player while wondering if management and/or the player is telling the truth about an injury that may or may not be a serious issue. If management said that he got the rest he needed and is feeling much better and healthy then I think I have little choice but to say hey the back isn't an explanation to why he is underperforming on certain nights but he is healthy on his good nights.

For the record I always thought the back was a major issue going back to the summer. Not news here. I was advocating surgery when Nix was dismissing such talk. Back when the player informed the press that this back issue is something he is going to have to learn to live with. Back when other posters and pompous bloggers indicated that he was misquoted because english wasn't his first language.

Posted by BRIGGS:

The Knicks need to remove the strength and conditioning coach and hire a new medical team--someone has to be kept accountable--there is culpability here--obviously there is some in management but they have to start with the people responsible for Gallinari's care.

Posted by BlueSeats:

Posted by jimimou:

thats impossible w a back condition. only thing that helps it get better is rest. the more you run on it, move, bend, etc, the more damage you do to the herniated disc(s).

I've never had herniated disks (that I know of) but I have had my share of back strains, spasms, sciatica, etc. It used to be more more problematic for me when I babied it. Now when it happens I stretch it out a lot and try to stay active as much as possible and it goes away quicker. Blood flow is really important to injuries. For instance, with most muscle strains the players are rehabbing the muscles after a day or two of icing and rest. Most players are put back into play long before they feel no pain.

Now if herniated disks are different than other muscle and bone damage in this regard I'd bite my tongue, but the idea of putting a player out there with limited minutes to see how he responds is not uncommon at all.

That said, bad backs are trouble, not trying to diminish anyone's concern, just saying I'm not convinced the situation has been as badly managed as some would have it.



[Edited by - blueseats on 03-18-2009 10:40 AM]

Posted by BasketballJones:

Gallo's back is the new Marbury.

Posted by SupremeCommander:

Posted by BlueSeats:

Posted by Pharzeone:

Posted by BlueSeats:

Isles, and Pharz, it's almost never that a player waits to be 100% healed before getting back on the court. It was probably a turn of phrase to mean they were waiting for doctors to clear him, or that they were going to give rest a reasonable amount of time before rushing him out there. But when rest wasn't producing results they decided to see if things would remain stable or heal from activity, as is the case most of the time.

What I've argued with you guys about was that just because D' said "he's got to be 100%" it didn't justify people demanding he start or get major minutes when it was pretty clear (at least to me) that he was still laboring through the injury.

The back has always been a red flag for me, but unlike you guys I've never been in denial about it, in spite of what management may or may not have said.

If the GM of the freaking team says the back isn't a problem and that he should get major minutes. You mean he is lying or hoodwinking me and fellow fans? For what purpose? I thought we were done with that stuff. The fact of the matter is that management declared it a non-issue during the summer when fans and the press were starting to wonder if the Knicks used a lottery pick on a lemon. So Walsh put up this "misinformation" campaign is that what you are telling me? Like I said your issue is not with me but with the gm and the Knicks medical staff. Who by the way, also said no surgery is necessary but now the kid is flying off to areas unknown to have what done? I can't sit back and evaluate a player while wondering if management and/or the player is telling the truth about an injury that may or may not be a serious issue. If management said that he got the rest he needed and is feeling much better and healthy then I think I have little choice but to say hey the back isn't an explanation to why he is underperforming on certain nights but he is healthy on his good nights.

For the record I always thought the back was a major issue going back to the summer. Not news here. I was advocating surgery when Nix was dismissing such talk. Back when the player informed the press that this back issue is something he is going to have to learn to live with. Back when other posters and pompous bloggers indicated that he was misquoted because english wasn't his first language.

My problem in discussing this with you is you keep referring to statements by Walsh I've never seen. You keep saying Walsh was declaring this a non problem when we've known all along it's a problem. The dude wasn't playing, so of course there was a prolem. SO there's this basic disconnect over how you saw the situation unfolding vs how I did.

I'll bet you were a producer/project managemer or frequently crossed paths with them