Gallinari Looks to Get Back on Track vs. the Nets
Oct 18 2010 11:31PM
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Danilo Gallinari hopes to get back on track vs. the Nets.
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Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni would like Danilo Gallinari to be a go-to offensive player, but the last thing he wants him to do is move away from relying on the long ball.
“If you’re a bear, you don’t want to be a dog,” D’Antoni said. “You are who you are, and he’s one of the best hopefully in the league at catching and shooting so we don’t want to lose that.”
But D’Antoni would like to see Gallinari be more aggressive every time he’s on the court. There were games last season when Gallinari would shoot the ball only five or six times and then others when he would take over like he did against Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets last March.
“That’s what he has to do,” D’Antoni said. “You have to play with the same intensity and focus every night. That’s kind of where he will make the biggest jump. Can he bring that from the first minute to the last minute? That’s something that we’ve talked about and hopefully he’ll do.”
While the main part of Gallinari’s offense will be along the perimeter as Amar’e Stoudemire works the inside, the third-year forward has been able to get to the basket when needed and getting to the line, where he shoots 82.9 percent for his career. The only area he really needs to work on is his post-up play, which D’Antoni hopes will develop over time.
Gallinari opened the preseason with a 24-point outing against Armani Jeans Milano in his native Italy, but has been disappointed with his performances since. Still, there is plenty of time for him to get on track before the regular season, starting Tuesday night when the Knicks host the New Jersey Nets.
“It’s still the preseason,” Gallinari said. “We will have a lot of games. Like we said from the beginning, we will have a lot of ups and downs during the season. Some of us will not play great every game. We just have to keep our heads up and keep our head on our goal.”
According to D’Antoni. Gallinari is one of the Knicks’ core players this season along with Stoudemire, Raymond Felton and Wilson Chandler. The rest of the rotation, however, is still not set in stone with just over a week before the regular season begins against the Raptors in Toronto.
“We do have some stable pieces and we’ll try to find some other complementary pieces to what we have,” D’Antoni said. “It will pick up and work itself out. But your main players are going to have to have to take a bulk of the load.”
“If you’re a bear, you don’t want to be a dog,” D’Antoni said. “You are who you are, and he’s one of the best hopefully in the league at catching and shooting so we don’t want to lose that.”
But D’Antoni would like to see Gallinari be more aggressive every time he’s on the court. There were games last season when Gallinari would shoot the ball only five or six times and then others when he would take over like he did against Carmelo Anthony and the Nuggets last March.
“That’s what he has to do,” D’Antoni said. “You have to play with the same intensity and focus every night. That’s kind of where he will make the biggest jump. Can he bring that from the first minute to the last minute? That’s something that we’ve talked about and hopefully he’ll do.”
While the main part of Gallinari’s offense will be along the perimeter as Amar’e Stoudemire works the inside, the third-year forward has been able to get to the basket when needed and getting to the line, where he shoots 82.9 percent for his career. The only area he really needs to work on is his post-up play, which D’Antoni hopes will develop over time.
Gallinari opened the preseason with a 24-point outing against Armani Jeans Milano in his native Italy, but has been disappointed with his performances since. Still, there is plenty of time for him to get on track before the regular season, starting Tuesday night when the Knicks host the New Jersey Nets.
“It’s still the preseason,” Gallinari said. “We will have a lot of games. Like we said from the beginning, we will have a lot of ups and downs during the season. Some of us will not play great every game. We just have to keep our heads up and keep our head on our goal.”
According to D’Antoni. Gallinari is one of the Knicks’ core players this season along with Stoudemire, Raymond Felton and Wilson Chandler. The rest of the rotation, however, is still not set in stone with just over a week before the regular season begins against the Raptors in Toronto.
“We do have some stable pieces and we’ll try to find some other complementary pieces to what we have,” D’Antoni said. “It will pick up and work itself out. But your main players are going to have to have to take a bulk of the load.”
