I think of the roster as interdependent dominoes. One valuable domino in the correct position can make a difference to the entire stack.

Danilo Gallinari is absolutely, positively the most essential domino in the puzzle, His positive impact on the frontcourt has a ripple effect that also touches swing players like Hughes, Harrington, Chandler and Jeffries. For example, Gallo B Free allows the 6'8 Chandler to slide to guard and present a unique matchup challenge for guards who he can both see and shoot over. (more on this later)

Now, The Answer Man is never one to arbitrarily put pressure on any single player but with Gallinari at forward, he changes the equation more than any other Knicks player because of his unique skill set. Forget the obvious that his shot selection range spreads the floor. At 6'10 he can also be trusted to advance the ball. That ball handling ability, and knowing where to deliver the pill, relieves Duhon in the same manner Anthony Mason played point forward. That small feature changes the offense dramatically.

From a public relations standpoint - with David Lee (and potentially Nate) out of the mix, Gallo becomes the latest matinee idol for the young girls to scream over, the nameplate for NBA Store jersey replica jerseys and for beat writers to attach the label as the face of the franchise.

Meanwhile back on the court, guys can play where they are most comfortable. Wilson Chandler can either slide to guard and pick up where he left off or cameo at the four until Jordan Hill is ready for extended minutes. Larry Hughes can play guard exclusively instead of being slotted to play forward. A productive Gallinari also allows D'Antoni to deploy Al Harrington off the bench in a John Starks instant offense role. Darko and Jared Jeffries, no longer pressed to play the four with Chandler and Hill doing their thing, can timeshare at center.

Without Gallinari it all falls apart, the season is a bust and the big story is 2010 Las Vegas Summer League

Thing is if Gallo is the man....what do we want with Lebron??? Power fwd???

Keep in mind that the defense d not give dg the kinda of attn he will get once he starts to become a major factor, were also not sure how many minutes he will be able to handle even when healthy..not being pessimistic, just a reality chk

Fearless Predictions

Warren Carter will make the opening day roster

Sun earns a spot in the rotation and becomes a fan favorite

The Mayor will average 19 and 10

Between Gallo, Al Jr, Lee, Darko and Hill, we need to find players that can defend the 3,4,5 positions.

Curry just needs to get on the court, and Jeffries is so bad on offense that I don't value his above average defense.

Problem with Curry getting on the court is that both he and Gallo have trouble getting back on defense if you watch the games closely. Teams try and press when they are in the games to get a 5-4 advantage. If they are both in the game, teams will be running their arses off to get a 5-3 advantage.

Posted by misterearl:
For example, Gallo B Free allows the 6'8 Chandler to slide to guard and present a unique matchup challenge for guards who he can both see and shoot over.

I agree that the success of this season depends largely on Gallo’s ability to slot in to this team and be a coach on the floor that manages to will this team, somehow, into playing D’Antoni ball.

I disagree that the Gallo domino pushing Chandler into SG is putting him somehow in his rightful place. With the team so desperate for a shooting guard last season that we were trading for Mobely and Hughes, Chandler played next to zero time at SG, splitting 60-40 between SF and PF.

D’Antoni goes small with his line-ups, not big. He likes his guards quick, and Chandler has only above-average quickness at SF, forget SG. Chandler’s height may present challenges, but he isn’t a slick stop-and-pop kind of shooter. That’s just not his game.

Before the draft Walsh said the team lacked a “prototypical shooting guard”. Something tells me they don’t see Wilson playing that role in the future. So Gallo coming back to full strength raises more questions for the Mayor than it answers.



[Edited by - rembee76 on 09-23-2009 09:50 AM]

"And why must Larry Hughes wear zero?"

to match his conscience when it comes to shooting.

The Knicks season hinges on everybody. Everybody has to amp it up on both ends. Gallo is part of the equation just as everyone else is.

Posted by JohnWallace44:

Posted by misterearl:

JohnWallace - you think Gallo might have had a difficult time getting back on defense because his back would not allow him to get back?

Perhaps if you could back that up we can get back to talking about how many minutes Eddy Curry can contribute when he gets back, except of course, on back-to-backs.

If I can back what up? If you notice what they did with him; they had him take his shots from the top third of the arc after a couple of games of him not getting back.

do you really think that MDA instructed Gallo to only shoot from the outside because he wasn't fast enough getting back on D?

No other possibility? Like perhaps he was really good at the 3-point shot? Spacing?