Danilo Gallinari is a tough-as-nails Italian stallion who will become more popular than "The Sopranos" if drafted by the Knicks. That's the view of some European-based NBA scouts who see Gallinari's skills, versatility, height, power, breeding and shot making worthy of a high lottery pick. Others, however, wonder if Gallinari's athleticism is good enough for him to be a competent NBA defender at small forward. Gallinari, a 19-year-old, 6-foot-10 superstar of the Italian League, has become the NBA draft's biggest mystery - as anonymous as Rocky before fighting Apollo Creed. However, Gallinari is squarely on the Knicks' radar, especially after the lottery pingpong balls sent them falling to the sixth pick, especially with new coach Mike D'Antoni a connoisseur of Italian basketball. Knicks president Donnie Walsh dispatched Isiah Thomas overseas last week to take a look at Gallinari. Gallinari, playing in the Italian League playoffs for Armani Jeans Milan, likely will be the first European taken in the June 26 draft. Whether he is worthy of the sixth pick is something Walsh will agonize over for weeks. Walsh is considering whether to make a draft-day deal, move down a few pegs, or trade the pick altogether if they can entice a team to take on Zach Randolph's cap-killing contract. "He's better than [Andreas] Bargnani, no question," one longtime Eastern Conference European scout told The Post, referring to the No. 1 pick of the 2006 Draft. "He's Tom Chambers. Nobody's said that before. "The guy doesn't back down from anybody. You're in his face. He'll get right back at them," the scout added. "Knick fans would love him. The only Europeans who succeed in the NBA are the tough ones . The Italian league is better than college. If you put him in college ball, he'd be getting 25-30 (points) a night and everyone would be going ga-ga." At No. 6, the Knicks may be stuck in a position where speedy point guard Jerryd Bayless, combo guard O.J. Mayo and Stanford center Brook Lopez are off the board, leaving them with a pool of more questionable prospects. Bayless, Mayo and Lopez are considered the three players most ready to make an impact next season after the obvious top two picks, Derrick Rose and Michael Beasley. With the draft order settled, the first mock draft for Insidehoops.com yesterday had the Knicks taking Gallinari, who would be the first European on their roster since Maciej Lampe in 2004. Thomas shunned European talent during his reign. Gallinari, averaging 17.4 points and 5.6 rebounds, is finishing up the Italian League playoffs and will miss the pre-draft camp physicals next week. Workouts with NBA teams loom pivotal. "He's 6-10 with a lot of skill, not the usual European player who comes over here," Walsh said. "He could be a very high pick. Once he gets through his playoffs and works out for people, we'll know where his stock is, but he's a really good prospect." Gallinari's father, Vittorio, was a Milan teammate of D'Antoni's for seven seasons. Vittorio is now a high-profile agent. D'Antoni speaks fluent Italian and would have an easier time reaching the teenager. One scout said he could be D'Antoni's New York version of Boris Diaw, using the small forward in the post on occasion to form mismatches, as he did with Diaw in Phoenix. "There's a connection there, but I don't know what Donnie's thinking is," D'Antoni said. Former Knicks international scouting director Tim Shea, who worked with D'Antoni in Phoenix, said, "[Vittorio] was the enforcer, he was the sheriff. He played defense like nobody's business. The son's not there but he's tough." Another longtime NBA scouting director for Europe who lives in Italy said, "He's got a complete package, he can shoot, slash to the basket, he's a finisher, good body control. You can give him the ball with six seconds on the shot clock and he can get his shot off." However, there are skeptics. One NBA executive is concerned about the younger Gallinari's athleticism. "He's not a jumper," the executive said. "He's a guy who could struggle defensively if you speed up the game. It's a red flag." Shea, coaching this season in South Korea, said, "The questions are lateral quickness and center of gravity and how he will cover guys. But the skills are there."
Mike D'Antoni's Knick career got off to a crushing and unlucky start last night at the draft lottery in Secaucus. As his Knicks slid back from the fifth to the sixth pick, the team D'Antoni snubbed nine days ago, the Bulls, won the lottery after having just a 1.7 percent chance. The Bulls didn't win D'Antoni, but Chicago won either Memphis point guard Derrick Rose or Kansas State power forward Michael Beasley. The Bulls, still looking for a coach after being snubbed by D'Antoni, now are in position to draft Rose, a Chicago native and a perfect fit in D'Antoni's scheme. "A pretty nice consolation prize," Bull VP Steve Schanwald said. "I thought it was a waste of time - a 1.7 percent chance. I thought I'd just get a good meal out of it." Had D'Antoni waited until after the lottery before making his selection, he may have chosen the Bulls even if the offer didn't match the Knicks' $24 million package. With Rose and Beasley officially out of the picture, Knick president Donnie Walsh admitted last night he will consider trading the sixth pick and fall back in the draft. "Yeah, could you imagine," D'Antoni said, noting the irony. "[But] I'm not there [in Chicago]. I'm not thinking about it. It's an easy, it's a layup for you guys." It's no layup for Walsh now. In play at No. 6 are guards Jerryd Bayless, O.J. Mayo and Eric Gordon. All three are combo guards but could be points in the NBA. Also in consideration will be Stanford center Brook Lopez and project center Deandre Jordan. Italian small forward sensation Dino Gallinari and Frenchman Nicholas Batum are definite possibilities, especially if Walsh trades down. Gallinari and Batum are the two Europeans Isiah Thomas went overseas to scout last week on Walsh's request. D'Antoni, who played and coached in Italy, roomed with Gallinari's father, Victorio, for two seasons in Milan. The Knicks probably could grab Gallinari, a Toni Kukoc type, or Batum later in the draft. "I'll explore all the options," Walsh said. "You can take it or you can trade it. You got to look what you can get. It's an asset. It's a good asset." D'Antoni sat on the dais and gave a weak smile when the Knicks came up No. 6. "Hey, it's disappointing but it's pingpong balls," D'Antoni said. "What are you going to do? It's little disappointing, but that's OK. Be honest - 3, 4, 5, 6 7, 8, you'll get a good guy at those numbers." In his attempt to get under the salary cap in 2010, Walsh could trade down in an attempt to get some team - the Sixers? - to take Zach Randolph's massive contract. "I gave up on being lucky," Walsh said. "It's all hard work. I just wanted to really know what the pick was. If the pick was one, I'd be happier than if the pick was six." Meanwhile, the Bulls are no locks to take Rose because they have a point guard in Kirk Hinrich. They could possibly swap with No. 2 Miami and go with Beasley. "I'm sure Mike's very happy," Schanwald said. "He's a great coach and will do great things in New York. I'm sure they would've liked to have gotten the pick we ended up with. That would've ... made Mike's job easier." Miami, which entered No. 1 and had Dwyane Wade on the dais, will select second in the draft, with Minnesota at No. 3.
NO Derrick Rose, no Mi chael Beasley and no O.J. Mayo, obviously. Now, probably no Jerryd Bayless, probably the second-best point guard in the draft. Or Danilo Gallinari, who sounds like a Mike D'Antoni kind of European-bred, skilled, bright, 6-foot-10 forward. Last night the Knicks didn't hit their 7.60 percent chance of getting the first pick, or 18.5 percent chance of getting the first or second pick, or 29.2 percent chance of getting into the top three. They even missed their 57.4 percent chance of landing in the top five, which leaves them the choice of the next-best player in the 2008 draft, now not likely to be their next-best option with that pick. They should try to get rid of Zach Randolph's last three Knick seasons by packaging him with their sixth pick for another choice, either this June or next. "We'll look at the value of the pick with other people," promised Donnie Walsh. "I think there is quality at the top of the draft to [No.] 10 It's just a matter of picking the right one for your team." The last two times the Knicks took the next-best player for their team with a second half of the top 10 pick they selected Michael Sweetney, who already is out of the league, and Channing Frye, who last season averaged 6.8 points in 17 minutes a game in Portland. "Reggie Miller went No. 11," Walsh said last night. "I rest my case." Walsh's case in Indiana included George McCloud at No. 7 overall in 1989. After smartly taking Rik Smits second in the 1988 draft, the new Knick boss has had only one other opportunity to pick in the top 10. In 1996, he chose Erick Dampier at 10 over Kobe Bryant. A lot of persons who still have jobs running NBA teams didn't take Bryant. So, with all due respect, on June 26 Walsh will be just another guy trying to make a better-than-average pick with all the obvious above-average talent already taken. Of course, teams can be smart and lucky with later choices, like Bryant at No. 13, Dirk Nowitzki at 11, Steve Nash at 15. But in the drafts from 2000-2005, there has been just one All-Star, Dwyane Wade, taken on a pick five through eight, so the odds of getting one are not great, just like the Knicks' need to draft another role player during this stripping-down stage of their redevelopment isn't so great, either. While demolishing Isiah Thomas's mess, they have to draft a developing star who will attract an already star like LeBron James, Chris Paul or Wade during the summer of 2010. There will be cap room then, and more if they can dump Randolph, not a D'Antoni kind of player. Just like the Knicks had every reason to lose three more games down the stretch and improve their chances for Rose or Beasley to 28.2 percent last night, they have every good reason to be awful next year, too, to increase their chances of drafting a future star next June. It's all about having options in 2010 and maybe even more options in 2011. In a package with a sixth-overall pick, someone might take Randolph and the 23 points and 10 rebounds a game he had just a year ago in Portland. And we can assume Walsh will endeavor to find that out.
Chris Fry created this group on SportProjections.com. 
