What about the Italian?

by bleedingblackandred on Jun 4, 2008 9:35 AM PDT

I may be wrong as I've only been here for a short time, but I haven't heard anyone mention Danilo Gallinari. He is a tall, natural small forward who excels at ball-handling and the fundamentals. He isn't a shot-blocker or good defender, granted, but he appears to have some serious talent.

To further help matters, Joe Alexander impressed at the combine and is shooting up draft boards as potentially the top SF. To quote DraftExpress: "If he has good workouts, it wouldn’t be hard to see him surpassing Danilo Gallinari as the top small forward in this draft."

I really don't see him going top four, (Rose, Beasley, Mayo, Bayless), and if he in fact is the second best small forward, it is quite possible that he could slip past Memphis, New York, the Clippers, and even further.

Would we want him? I know he is not a defender, but his solid Euro game, along with great ball-handling and passing would be a great asset. A tall point-forward with great BBIQ is not a bad thing to have on your roster.

He also seems to have a great work ethic.

Thoughts? I think that trading up to no.8 would probably be sufficient. I doubt the Blazers will stay completely quiet in this draft... They'll move up or out.

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Because I am Italian

I must have a superior opinion on this matter.

HAHA Just kidding!

I really am Italian but it means nothing…LOL

What I really think is that the Blazers will not want another No D playing -long armed-scoring machine from Europe to try to mold into Nate’s style of game. We have one of those coming…(fingers firmly crossed) in Rudy.
Okay Rudy’s D is not that bad, and Danilo can’t really be considered a scoring machine, but that would be the desired end result, right?

I run the mock draft on ESPN like every other day, and we consistently get Danilo…I don’t know why either. I understand in theory why, but goodness, don’t they know KP is such a G and isn’t going to just ‘settle”

Good thought process and idea.

-Sophia

Sine Labore Nihil- Nothing without work

by BlazerFan1 on Jun 4, 2008 9:45 AM PDT reply actions

Gallinari a scoring machine?

At age 19 Danilo Gallinari was the leading scoring and primary scoring option for his team that is the highest level of play in Italy. From numerous articles I have read, he has a very strong chance at being a scoring machine, key offensive threat.

by Portland Dynasty on Jun 4, 2008 2:35 PM PDT up reply actions

so we agree...

right?

That which prematurely arrives at perfection soon perishes. - Marcus Fabius Quintilian (35-95AD) Roman Rhetorician, Critic

by BlazerFan1 on Jun 4, 2008 3:52 PM PDT up reply actions

Would he make the MAX run on time?

"These are dreams that we have." --Rudolfo Fernandez

by bfan on Jun 4, 2008 10:19 AM PDT reply actions

Hee hee

I giggled.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Jun 4, 2008 12:00 PM PDT up reply actions

Forget the MAX

The effing streetcar is like an overweight, sleep-encumbered caterpillar lumbering its dreamy way through the busy streets of downtown Portland. This thing isn’t even 10 years old and it is outperformed a thousand times over by the Paris Metro…which is OVER A HUNDRED YEARS OLD!

BLZRS FRVR

by nightbluefruit on Jun 4, 2008 12:18 PM PDT up reply actions

Yes!

and it ALWAYS smells.

by BlazerFan1 on Jun 4, 2008 12:20 PM PDT up reply actions

Well....so does the Metro, but still!

BLZRS FRVR

by nightbluefruit on Jun 4, 2008 12:35 PM PDT up reply actions

Uh..

I’ve always had a pleasant trip on the MAX, commuting included.

"Well, Travis just showed us that we can go to Travis Outlaw." - Nate McMillan

by 12sharks on Jun 5, 2008 2:34 AM PDT up reply actions

I'm talking about the streetcar

Not the MAX. But, on the subject of the MAX, I got punched in the face on it last new year’s eve. And it was one of the few times I didn’t deserve it.

BLZRS FRVR

by nightbluefruit on Jun 6, 2008 12:07 PM PDT up reply actions

So are you on board then...

for spending the kazillion dollars to make MAX cover the Portland area like the Metro does Paris? :)

Didn’t think so.

by EngineerScotty on Jun 5, 2008 12:54 PM PDT up reply actions

I am on board with making it so the MAX

Doesn’t stop every two feet, so, you know, it could get to where its going a little faster. Do we really need to stop at Pioneer Place and Pioneer Square AND the Galeria? No.

Also, my particular beef is with the streetcar, which is the biggest waste of money is Portland Transit history. Oh, wait, I forgot about the tram.

BLZRS FRVR

by nightbluefruit on Jun 6, 2008 12:06 PM PDT up reply actions

I posted about Danilo a few weeks ago

Click here.

If you meet the Buddha in the lane, feed him the ball. --Phil Jackson
If you meet Greg Oden in the lane, drop the ball and run. --MiledAnimal

by MiledAnimal on Jun 4, 2008 11:50 AM PDT reply actions

hes projected to go way above us

unless we are trading up, we probably are not getting him

Woof

by Charles Barkley McLovin on Jun 4, 2008 12:35 PM PDT reply actions

Doesn't D'antoni want him?

by Birdrights on Jun 4, 2008 1:40 PM PDT up reply actions

Rumors say no

First rumors (mostly by Chad Ford, because D’Antoni played with the Italian kid’s father back in Europe) said D’Antoni liked him, but they were mostly just ASSUMING he liked him. Next set of rumors said that D’Antoni was shown video of the Italian kid while still coach of the Suns and didn’t like him, and didn’t think he’d be good in the NBA.

No one is sure which is definitely true.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Jun 4, 2008 1:50 PM PDT up reply actions

I just got a image of some random guy just popping up with a laptop and a video of the italian kid in front of D’antoni, and D’antoni just kind of shaking his head and making a sour face.

by Birdrights on Jun 4, 2008 1:57 PM PDT up reply actions

MAMA MIA

THAT’S-A SOFT EURO PLAYER!

I don’t know what the evil NY fans would do to a soft Kukoc-esque-but-very-young small forward like the Italian kid. He might be great, but he’ll certainly have troubles adjusting like any other rookie…

Confidence can get shaken up as a rookie, finding out everyone is a million times more athletic, and then you got the Knick fans booing you when you take off your warmups… I dunno. I hope for the Italian kid’s sake he ends up elsewhere, but I always wish that when young guys are maybe headed to the Knicks.

I heard D’Antoni pushed the laptop onto the floor and crushed it under his heel so no one else could be cursed by sharing a laptop with the Italian kid’s footage. Kerr was the one who showed him the footage, and 5 minutes later D’Antoni left the Suns forever. His departure had nothing to do with defense, and everything to do with wanting to be the only Italian in the NBA (he’s been slowly poisoning Bargnani, which explains his crappitude).

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Jun 4, 2008 2:07 PM PDT up reply actions

With some cosmetic work he could look like Luigi

I always hoped Craig Sager would lend him a bright green suit. You know Craigs got one.

New York fans get a tough rap. Yeah they may destroy the confidence of their teams and jump off the bandwagon the second anything goes wrong and bitch about how unfair everything is but they only do it because they hurt on the inside you know? They just always been afraid to say it.

I think Dantoni left cuz Kerr said something off-color bout his moustache. Why else would he shave it, yo? He got all self-conscious and was all like “I can’t even be in Phoenix without thinking everyone’s looking at my upper lip anymore!”

by Birdrights on Jun 4, 2008 2:20 PM PDT up reply actions

Behind his mustache

Is a fool-proof plan to get the Suns to play top-notch defense. But, he loves his mustache too much to shave it off…

A bright green suit would be nice, but so would a bright green (or red, he could be Mario too) overalls. Those are still in style, right? Someone tell D’Antoni all the kids wear green overalls now and that he has to do it to endear himself to NY fans.

Wait, did D’Antoni shave his stache? I hadn’t seen that if he did… his upper lip is probably all ghastly pale and white when compared to the rest of his face, it’s been so long since it has seen the daylight.

Mortimer

by Mortimer on Jun 4, 2008 2:36 PM PDT up reply actions

Fear the lip!

The way I saw him the stache was off at the draft lotto and I guess he must have let that secret defnse scheme go off on a gentle breeze because there is no way the Knicks are going to be playing solid defense. Zbo’s all like "Coach, you know how many stats they keep on defense, man? Like two. Blocks and steals. There are like twenty stats I could pick up just by sitting down on the other end of the floor while the other players play a box and none." Then Dantoni’s like, "you know it’s worked for you your whole life Zach I so no reason to make you change just keep 20’ from the bucket all the time and keep chucking. We’re all going to be getting along fine." Then Starbury gets a call from his better ho and he’s like, "Great speech coach but I really gotta take this. Uh-huh. Yeah. Stay crazy. You know me. Kisses."