As Danilo Gallinari digested the reality of getting traded to Denver in the Carmelo Anthony deal, the 22-year-old reached out to one of his trusted friends to talk things over - none other than former Mets general manager Omar Minaya .

"For us," Minaya said, "he's like family."

It may seem like an unusual pairing on paper - the Dominican-born, Queens-raised Minaya growing close to the Italian-born and bred Gallinari. But Minaya played professional baseball in Italy in the early 1980s and learned to speak fluent Italian, and he knew just how renowned Gallinari's father was as a professional basketball player in Italy.

....

Minaya has been following the trade talks through the newspapers and was hoping that somehow the Knicks - the team Minaya grew up rooting for - could somehow pull off the trade for Anthony without including Gallinari. But they couldn't.

Now, amid reports that Denver is looking to trade Gallinari before Thursday's trade deadline, Minaya is hoping that the Nets swing a deal to keep him in the area. But Minaya told Gallinari by phone that wherever he goes, he would follow him. He doesn't, however, think this is it for Gallinari in a Knicks uniform.

"I think when it's all said and done," Minaya said, "we're going to see him back in New York someday."

Paladin55 wrote:I would love to have him back, but I would not mind him playing for the Nyets.

Unlike some around here, I was a pretty big NY Nets fan when they were in the ABA, and followed them from their Rick Barry years to that terrible time when they joined the NBA and got rid of Dr. J.

Having Gallo in the area would be fine with me, although I have to say that with no cable and League Pass Broadband, I have more of a chance of seeing him if he is playing for Denver than the Nyets.

firefly wrote:As a serious soccer fan with a proper understanding of what real rivalries are, some of the comments on this thread make me want to vomit.

You make me vomit.

You don't understand that European club fans have a different relationship with their team. In America, it's much more detached, much looser.

It's not that serious.

We don't riot and kill each other if our team loses. It's much more fun here.

orangeblobman wrote:

firefly wrote:As a serious soccer fan with a proper understanding of what real rivalries are, some of the comments on this thread make me want to vomit.

You make me vomit.

You don't understand that European club fans have a different relationship with their team. In America, it's much more detached, much looser.

It's not that serious.

We don't riot and kill each other if our team loses. It's much more fun here.

Speak for yourself. I plan on rioting right after dinner.

firefly wrote:

orangeblobman wrote:

firefly wrote:As a serious soccer fan with a proper understanding of what real rivalries are, some of the comments on this thread make me want to vomit.

You make me vomit.

You don't understand that European club fans have a different relationship with their team. In America, it's much more detached, much looser.

It's not that serious.

We don't riot and kill each other if our team loses. It's much more fun here.

If that's the way you see it you should call a spade a spade and call yourself a basketball watcher. Fan means something else. I would rather stab myself in the eye with a fork than wish well on Man City or Arsenal and there's people on this thread finding it hard to breath with all the Net and Prokhorov ass in their faces.

Whatever. Maybe it's just a cultural thing. Shame though. I thought a basketball forum would be full of fans not fair-weather followers and glory-hunters.

It's a shame you don't share that same passion for what's going on in your country.

Bread and circuses.

Not that serious, brah.

orangeblobman wrote:

firefly wrote:

orangeblobman wrote:

firefly wrote:As a serious soccer fan with a proper understanding of what real rivalries are, some of the comments on this thread make me want to vomit.

You make me vomit.

You don't understand that European club fans have a different relationship with their team. In America, it's much more detached, much looser.

It's not that serious.

We don't riot and kill each other if our team loses. It's much more fun here.

If that's the way you see it you should call a spade a spade and call yourself a basketball watcher. Fan means something else. I would rather stab myself in the eye with a fork than wish well on Man City or Arsenal and there's people on this thread finding it hard to breath with all the Net and Prokhorov ass in their faces.

Whatever. Maybe it's just a cultural thing. Shame though. I thought a basketball forum would be full of fans not fair-weather followers and glory-hunters.

It's a shame you don't share that same passion for what's going on in your country.

Bread and circuses.

Not that serious, brah.

Are you being serious? What the hell do you know about what I do for my country? Or in fact about where my passions lie? While you were enjoying your stay at Mr Presidents Pleasure, I was serving my country on the streets of London, but whatever I dont expect you to understand that. Still, I dont see what that has to do with my annoyance at some peoples instant-gratification stance on team "fan"-dom. You dont go and be a fan of the direct, closest rival to your team. You just dont, unless your not a fan.

And bread and circuses? Excuse me if I have no clue what you're on about.

Please stay far from NY.

orangeblobman wrote:

firefly wrote:

orangeblobman wrote:

firefly wrote:

orangeblobman wrote:

firefly wrote:As a serious soccer fan with a proper understanding of what real rivalries are, some of the comments on this thread make me want to vomit.

You make me vomit.

You don't understand that European club fans have a different relationship with their team. In America, it's much more detached, much looser.

It's not that serious.

We don't riot and kill each other if our team loses. It's much more fun here.

If that's the way you see it you should call a spade a spade and call yourself a basketball watcher. Fan means something else. I would rather stab myself in the eye with a fork than wish well on Man City or Arsenal and there's people on this thread finding it hard to breath with all the Net and Prokhorov ass in their faces.

Whatever. Maybe it's just a cultural thing. Shame though. I thought a basketball forum would be full of fans not fair-weather followers and glory-hunters.

It's a shame you don't share that same passion for what's going on in your country.

Bread and circuses.

Not that serious, brah.

Are you being serious? What the hell do you know about what I do for my country? Or in fact about where my passions lie? While you were enjoying your stay at Mr Presidents Pleasure, I was serving my country on the streets of London, but whatever I dont expect you to understand that. Still, I dont see what that has to do with my annoyance at some peoples instant-gratification stance on team "fan"-dom. You dont go and be a fan of the direct, closest rival to your team. You just dont, unless your not a fan.

And bread and circuses? Excuse me if I have no clue what you're on about.

You're just a mess, aren't you?

Seriously dude, the fu$k is wrong with you? You want to antagonize me, antagonize me. But since you seem not to know sh!t from shinola, maybe go away, arrange a complete sentance and when youre done in a couple hours, give it a go. Ill be waiting. Ass.