Photo by Nathan Carpenter
Mike D’Antoni said yesterday that his rookie selection in this year’s NBA draft, Danilo Gallinari, will not get any significant minutes on the floor in the foreseeable future. As a matter of fact, D’Antoni is only planning on using him in blowout situations until he gets “physically ready”.
“I may have tried him out too early,” D’Antoni said. “He’s not physically ready. As soon as he gets ready physically, whether we win or lose, we’ll play him when he’s ready.”
There have been internal talks about sending Gallinari to Knicks’ NBDL affiliate in Reno but Donnie Walsh is against that idea. Gallinari missed all preseason games and virtually the entire summer league due to injuries. That is why Walsh wants the Italian to remain in New York so that the team’s medical staff can monitor him closely.