Results tagged “danilogallinari”

We know the Knicks will be different, but will they be any better? Then again, how could they be any worse? The coach is new, the players are the same, but there is a different vibe to the team that ended last year at 23-59. Eddy Curry isn’t a part of the rotation and Stephon Marbury will be coming off the bench. Chris Duhon has been brought in to run the point and Jared Jeffries will be at center when he is healthy again. The new coach has brought a new attitude and a fast-paced offense to MSG and it should make for some more entertaining basketball.

The weather outside may be frightful, but that's not going to stop the NBA from tipping off their 2008-2009 season in Union Square. Starting earlier this morning and ending at 7PM, the NBA Tip Off Celebration will feature past NBA stars and current Knicks players. From 12-3PM, former Knicks players John Starks, Charles Smith, Kenny "Sky" Walker, and Clyde Frazier will be on hand with the Knicks City Dancers. Presumably, it will be frowned upon to ask Starks about the 1994 NBA Finals and Smith about the 1993 Eastern Conference Finals. If nostalgia's not your cup of tea, current Knicks players David Lee, Nate Robinson, Malik Rose and Danilo Gallinari will be on hand from 4-6PM. While the first regular season NBA game is tonight, the Knicks and Nets don't start their seasons until tomorrow.

Boy were we wrong about fan reaction at the NBA Draft. Not only did the fans boo the Knicks selection of Danilo Gallinari, but they even started a “Fire Donnie” chant. Why the hate for Gallinari? Well, the fans wanted OJ Mayo and drafting a European player probably brings back memories of Frederic Weis. Perhaps the booing was just Knicks fans getting out their leftover animosity from this past season. Gallinari isn’t a bad pick however. He doesn’t play defense (so he fits right in) but he is extremely good with the ball and can score which makes him a perfect fit for Mike D’Antoni’s system. However, with the addition of Gallinari, the Knicks have a glut at the 3 and the 4 spots, so expect some sort of trade to happen soon, preferably the end of the Zach Randolph era.

      

Tonight will be different at Madison Square Garden because for the first time in years, the Knicks will do something and not be booed. While all signs point to the Knicks sticking with the #6 pick, you can be sure that could change because the top of the draft is very fluid. For weeks it has all been about Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley going 1-2, but with Chicago reportedly picking Rose, the Heat are considering a trade or picking OJ Mayo. If they pick Mayo, you can bet the Knicks will try and get to #3 to get Beasley.

The best chance for the Knicks to make a quick return to respectability bounced away with the drop of a ping pong ball in the NBA Draft Lottery Tuesday night. In reality, they fared exactly as they should have, but for fans desperately hoping to see Derrick Rose or Michael Beasley in a Knicks’ uniform next year, it was a disappointing night. The Knicks wound up with the sixth pick and the Nets, who had a minimal chance of moving up, will pick tenth.