http://blogs.trb.com/sports/basketball/knicks/blog/2009/02/a_developing_issue_involving_g.htmlThe addition of two players -- newcomers Larry Hughes and Chris Wilcox -- who are undoubtedly expected to have significant roles in Mike D'Antoni's rotation means somebody is going to lose minutes in the equation.
Sing it...
Here they come to snuff the Roosterrrrrr...
Danilo Gallinari did get 23:11 in Friday's rout of the Craptors, with the majority of it coming in, as Marv says, "extensive gar-bahhge time." Mike D'Antoni was careful not to make any definite predictions about the impact the incoming veterans will have on Gallo's time, but he did make it clear that with the playoff push very much at the forefront, player development goes on the backburner.
?I think our focus now is to finish the year as well as we can and get as many wins as we can,? D?Antoni said before the game. ?If Gallo?s part of that, that?s great. I hope he is. But we?re going to play the best rotation, best players and go from there. That?s what summer league and preseason and everything else is for, developing people. Right now we?re trying to win games.?
He was asked again about Gallinari's role afer the game and reiterated the point that the Knicks aren't comfortable with having Gallinari learn on the job while the team is trying to make the playoffs. "He's part of our future and we do want to take care of that," D'Antoni said. "At the same time, we have to win games and go forward. We'll see, I just don't know."
Gallo dismissed any concerns about losing minutes or finding himself out of the rotation down the stretch.
"I'm not really thinking about myself," he said. "I'm not really thinking about my stats or my minutes. I'm thinking about this team and we're playing real good together. We hope to make the playoffs. I'm just thinking about that . . . Our goal is the playoffs. Any way we take to go there we will go, if I play less or more, I don't care about that."
It's an attitude that has to permeate the locker room at this point, whether we're talking about a rookie or a veteran who just isn't bringing it as consistently as needed.
"People are going to have to sacrifice a little bit," D'Antoni said. "It's not about an individual, it's about the Knicks in a stretch where we have to win games."
This could mean less shots for Al Harrington, a lesser role for Jared Jeffries and perhaps nights on the bench for Quentin Richardson, who has replaced Malik Rose as the sage, go-to veteran in the room. The big brother for the young players. How Richardson, the most tenured Knick (aside from the exiled Stephon Marbury), handles it will set an example for the rest of the team.
"It's very important because anybody can be called upon at any time," Richardson said, "so you've got to be ready."
On paper it should be a simple decision. Richardson does give you veteran savvy and toughness, but he's nowhere near as mobile as he needs to be and his three-point shot (36.6 percent) comes and goes. Gallinari didn't have a great shooting night against Toronto (3-for-10), but he's still the Knicks best three-point shooter (41 percent, 16-for-39) and his rating (plus-52) is still the best on the team.
But like any coach D'Antoni trusts his veterans, but, perhaps more importantly, he probably is more concerned about the potential detrimental effects of cutting the minutes of a veteran like Q-Rich as opposed to sitting Gallo. And to that I quote Q-Tip: Scared money don't make none.
Just bloggin.
Reduced Minutes for Gallo, Q-Rich
- Thread starter JayJ44
- Start date
Knicker23
Benchwarmer
tbh Hughes and Wilcox will be more beneficial to this team on a nightly basis the Gallo is..I love watching Gallo play, he's exciting to see, those open 3's he has usually always fall, but right now he doesn't help us out a whole tremendously amount when he's on the court...he's got the potential as everyone knows, but I like Dantoni's thought process behind growing him...it seems like at the moment when he's in the game it's more the knicks helping him grow, then him helping the knicks...he'll never be the go to guy this yr...i'm okay with his minutes going down a little...
Qrich, i don't really care at all bout, he's on sometimes, if he's hot we'll play him if not bench
Qrich, i don't really care at all bout, he's on sometimes, if he's hot we'll play him if not bench
StreetDreams21
I got Soul
Gallo gets the fans onto it when he gets his 3s to fall, but its totally fine with me to reduce his minutes. Its not like he isn't gonna play of anything.
Q-Rich Gets hot once every 9 or 10 games. Oh well.
Q-Rich Gets hot once every 9 or 10 games. Oh well.
alexknicks4
Rookie
gallianari is a prospect and needs development, if were supposedly building for 2010 he should be a priority, but its a problem because we cant afford losin games for him to develop as we have a chance of the playoffs, unfortunately he'll have to lose some time
DaTPRiNCE
The Knicks are Back
i still think Gallo should play, he's young and needs to develop put him in at the end of games. Q-Rich will see his minutes go down cause were stacked at SF and Hughes will demand most of the SG minutes as he will be our likely starter. They should both still play but they will see limited minutes,
KING~POETIQ
The One and Only
Damn, I'm loving their attitude. They're all talking very unselfishly. Which is the reason that they are playing more cohesive. Hopefully guys like harrington and q-rich don't start bitchin about their minutes and touches. Its about the team, mofos.
OGKnickfan
Enlightened
Larry Hughes hasn't played very well, in a few years: he's actually a slimmer version of Q: very poor shooter, okay defender, devoid of any clutch, whatsoever, even more so than Q. If you don't agree, try to recall his cavs performances. No way he should start over Wilson Chandler or Al Harrington, at the SF or SG spots. If they want to bench Jeffries, move Lee to center and Harrington to power forward, so that Chandler and Hughes can play together as wings (SF&SG), then I'm fine with it.
As for Gallinari not being allowed on-the-job training, all I have to say is... Brook Lopez, Anthony Randolph, Bayless, Eric Gordon, etc., etc.
As for Gallinari not being allowed on-the-job training, all I have to say is... Brook Lopez, Anthony Randolph, Bayless, Eric Gordon, etc., etc.
KnickfaninMA
Benchwarmer
Don't forget about Gallo
Hopefully the Knicks keep playing Gallo, at least 10 minutes a night. He can still help the team win, and continue to develop his game. DNP's will not develop Gallo as a player.
Hopefully the Knicks keep playing Gallo, at least 10 minutes a night. He can still help the team win, and continue to develop his game. DNP's will not develop Gallo as a player.
Proud Warrior
Benchwarmer
Gallinari is still not ready to play at high level and he has demonstrated this. D'Antoni is giving him a marginal role in the game and he can't give much more to the quality of the game.
Now the most important thing is to not stress his body and patiently wait his return to the optimal status
Now the most important thing is to not stress his body and patiently wait his return to the optimal status
OGKnickfan
Enlightened
Correction: he's 20, born on August 8th, 1988. He's actually older than, or the same age as, many of the rookies that are currently contributing to their teams; Eric Gordon, who is one of quite a few examples, turns 21 on December 25, while Gallinari turns 21 on August 8th, and he's playing much better than Gallinari. Look it up for yourself. As such, age is not an excuse. Maybe there are others, like being overrated and physically unprepared for the NBA, or having weak defense and no lateral movement, but age is not one.
It's funny how he laughed, haughtily, when asked of the possibility of being drafted anywhere from 10-20, when many of the guys that were are performing better than he is. SMH @ self hype.
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