FROM MSG:

NEW YORK, April 3, 2009 – The New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that forward Danilo Gallinari is scheduled to have surgery on Tuesday, Apr. 7 at the Hospital for Special Surgery in Manhattan. The laminotomy, to be performed by orthopedic spine specialist Dr. Patrick O’Leary, is a surgical procedure that shaves the bony plate surrounding a nerve root. Gallinari is expected to have a full recovery in 6-8 weeks. An Italian neurosurgeon has been invited to observe.

Good, let's get it done and get him on the road to full recovery. He is only 20. Hopefully this can be put behind him.
Next year we can see what he's got. I happen to believe, based on his limited burn this year, that he has potential to be a very nice player. The basketball IQ is there, the shot is definitely there, he seems to understand how to position himself, and he can defend reasonably well, considering all the factors (rookie, underweight for the NBA, hurting all year). I'll even go so far as to say that he seemed to enjoy taking the clutch shot on a couple occasions. He wanted the ball and didn't have fear. When he gets stronger, we'll see how good he can eventually be.

[Edited by - nychamp on 04-03-2009 11:58 AM]

Posted by Pharzeone:

Now we can put an end to one debate about this issue which has plague this forum for months and Kiki's rep as a honest guy can be restored.

According to sources, Gallinari first began to experience back pain while working out in preparation for last June's NBA draft. Two weeks after he was picked at No. 6, Gallinari's condition worsened following a collision with Robert (Tractor) Traylor during a summer league game.

For full article...
http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/2009/04/03/2009-04-03_knicks_rookie_danilo_gallinari_sees_big_.html

Same guy reported that Gallo didn't have back pain before the Traylor incident or before the draft:

http://www.theknicksblog.com/2009/04/03/beat-writer-and-the-blogger/

If the sources were more specific, Isola would have named them.

It's a good thing they have that Italian surgeon to observe.

Does anyone know of any players that have had back surgery and gone on to have solid careers?