Sigh...
The haters are out in full force once again taking the easy route...being negative all while ignoring real circumstances that have effected this 21 year old's development.
Fact: Gallo is only 21.
Fact: He only played 14 minutes per game his rookie year in 28 total games. (averaging only 4.5 shots per game at 45% FG)
Fact: He had a serious injury to his back that lead to back surgery
Fact: He missed the entire off season rehabbing his back and not working on his game
Fact: The only people bringing race into this debate are the no-nothing haters...par for the course with these cornballs.
Being European has nothing to do with skin tone and has everything to do with the competition, system and training. (are you arguing that Euro ball is the same as American ball???)
Fact: Just because Gallo was drafted at number 6 does not automatically mean he is an instant all star. being an all star at this point in ones career at this age with a serious injury is the EXCEPTION...not the rule!
Now lets go to the heart of this idiotic, moronic diversion about comparing two completely different caliber players that have different games and play under different circumstances.
Durant is in his
3rd full year while this is Gallos 1st. Lets look at Durant's career so far and tell me how it's fair to compare Gallo:
<table class="tablehead" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="oddrow"><td><nobr>07-08</nobr></td><td>SEA</td><td align="right">
80</td><td align="right">
80</td><td align="right">
34.6</td><td align="right"><nobr>
7.3-17.1</nobr></td><td align="right">.430</td><td align="right"><nobr>0.7-2.6</nobr></td><td align="right">.288</td><td align="right"><nobr>4.9-5.6</nobr></td><td align="right">.873</td><td align="right">1.00</td><td align="right">0.90</td><td align="right">2.9</td><td align="right">1.5</td><td align="right">0.9</td><td align="right">3.5</td><td align="right">4.4</td><td align="right">2.4</td><td align="right">20.3</td></tr> <tr class="evenrow"><td><nobr>08-09</nobr></td><td>OKC</td><td align="right">
74</td><td align="right">
73</td><td align="right">
39.0</td><td align="right"><nobr>
8.9-18.8</nobr></td><td align="right">.476</td><td align="right"><nobr>1.3-3.1</nobr></td><td align="right">.422</td><td align="right"><nobr>6.1-7.1</nobr></td><td align="right">.863</td><td align="right">1.30</td><td align="right">0.70</td><td align="right">3.0</td><td align="right">1.8</td><td align="right">1.0</td><td align="right">5.5</td><td align="right">6.5</td><td align="right">2.8</td><td align="right">25.3</td></tr> <tr class="oddrow"><td><nobr>09-10</nobr></td><td>OKC</td><td align="right">
71</td><td align="right">
71</td><td align="right">
39.3</td><td align="right"><nobr>
9.6-20.2</nobr></td><td align="right">.477</td><td align="right"><nobr>1.4-4.1</nobr></td><td align="right">.352</td><td align="right"><nobr>8.9-10.0</nobr></td><td align="right">.895</td><td align="right">1.30</td><td align="right">0.90</td><td align="right">3.4</td><td align="right">2.1</td><td align="right">1.2</td><td align="right">6.3</td><td align="right">7.5</td><td align="right">2.8</td><td align="right">29.6</td></tr></tbody></table>
1. Durant played 80 games his rookkie season averaging 34.6 minutes compared to Gallos 28 games and 14 minutes.
2. Durant's second year he played 74 games and averaged 39 minutes per game and is on pace for the same this year.
3. Durant shot 4 times as many shots per game as gallo in his rookie year and twice as many this year. (I know that doesn't matter either :thumbsup
You compare that type of playing time and experience combined with the irrefutable fact that Durant is a future hall of famer and way out of Gallo's caliber and it's easy to see how idiotic it is to even compare those two different players. Durant is a number one option on a strong team while Gallo fights for minutes and shots on a losing team filled with perennial ball hog chuckers like Harrington. Lets also remember that Duhon was running the offense and feeding Gallo the majority of his short career...
It's easy to hate on Gallo, hate on Dantoni and hate on Walsh because none of you understand the plan or have a shred of patience. These last two years have been throw away years while we dumped contracts in preperation for the plan Donnie set forth when he took the job. Yes we would have liked the Knicks to overachieve but any chance of that went out the window each time we traded away major parts of our rotation in an attempt to shed salary. This reset the chemistry and brought in new types of players and personalities all who had to relearn playing with one another. Add injury and veterans padding stats playing with a sense of entitlement and it's easy to see why Gallo's development has been stifled.
Gallo has difered to the veterans as he should, being a 21 year old neophyte playing alongside career NBA players all hoping to earn another contact. The NBA has a pecking order and unless you are a superstar caliber rookie you will always differ to the veterans. This is compounded by the specific players the Knicks have and the fact that 2/3rds of the team are in a contract year.
No one can credibly say that Gallo has been given two full years to mature nor that he has reached his full potential. Calling him a bust in his first full year all while he is getting better is moronic. Gallo may never be a superstar and he may never reach his potential but to pass judgment now is silly and shows that some no nothing about the NBA and the game of basketball. Ponit in case...David Lee only developed a consistent jumper in his 5th year. Had the haters judged Lee like you are Gallo you would have concluded that Lee was a clumsy unathletic PF without an offensive game. Lets look at lee's stats and compare his first two years to where he is now:
<table class="tablehead" cellpadding="3" cellspacing="1"><tbody><tr class="oddrow"><td><nobr>05-06</nobr></td><td>NYK</td><td align="right">67</td><td align="right">14</td><td align="right">16.9</td><td align="right"><nobr>2.0-3.4</nobr></td><td align="right">.596</td><td align="right"><nobr>0.0-0.0</nobr></td><td align="right">.000</td><td align="right"><nobr>1.1-1.8</nobr></td><td align="right">.577</td><td align="right">0.40</td><td align="right">0.30</td><td align="right">0.8</td><td align="right">1.9</td><td align="right">1.6</td><td align="right">2.9</td><td align="right">4.5</td><td align="right">0.6</td><td align="right">5.1</td></tr> <tr class="evenrow"><td><nobr>06-07</nobr></td><td>NYK</td><td align="right">58</td><td align="right">12</td><td align="right">29.8</td><td align="right"><nobr>4.1-6.9</nobr></td><td align="right">.600</td><td align="right"><nobr>0.0-0.0</nobr></td><td align="right">.000</td><td align="right"><nobr>2.4-3.0</nobr></td><td align="right">.815</td><td align="right">0.80</td><td align="right">0.40</td><td align="right">1.6</td><td align="right">2.7</td><td align="right">3.4</td><td align="right">7.0</td><td align="right">10.4</td><td align="right">1.8</td><td align="right">10.7</td></tr> <tr class="oddrow"><td><nobr>07-08</nobr></td><td>NYK</td><td align="right">81</td><td align="right">29</td><td align="right">29.1</td><td align="right"><nobr>4.2-7.6</nobr></td><td align="right">.552</td><td align="right"><nobr>0.0-0.0</nobr></td><td align="right">.000</td><td align="right"><nobr>2.4-2.9</nobr></td><td align="right">.819</td><td align="right">0.70</td><td align="right">0.40</td><td align="right">1.2</td><td align="right">2.6</td><td align="right">3.0</td><td align="right">6.0</td><td align="right">9.0</td><td align="right">1.2</td><td align="right">10.8</td></tr> <tr class="evenrow"><td><nobr>08-09</nobr></td><td>NYK</td><td align="right">81</td><td align="right">74</td><td align="right">34.9</td><td align="right"><nobr>6.4-11.7</nobr></td><td align="right">.549</td><td align="right"><nobr>0.0-0.0</nobr></td><td align="right">.000</td><td align="right"><nobr>3.1-4.1</nobr></td><td align="right">.755</td><td align="right">1.00</td><td align="right">0.30</td><td align="right">1.9</td><td align="right">3.2</td><td align="right">3.2</td><td align="right">8.6</td><td align="right">11.8</td><td align="right">2.1</td><td align="right">16.0</td></tr> <tr class="oddrow"><td><nobr>09-10</nobr></td><td>NYK</td><td align="right">71</td><td align="right">71</td><td align="right">37.3</td><td align="right"><nobr>8.4-15.3</nobr></td><td align="right">.547</td><td align="right"><nobr>0.0-0.1</nobr></td><td align="right">.000</td><td align="right"><nobr>3.3-4.2</nobr></td><td align="right">.803</td><td align="right">1.10</td><td align="right">0.50</td><td align="right">2.3</td><td align="right">3.1</td><td align="right">2.9</td><td align="right">9.1</td><td align="right">11.9</td><td align="right">3.6</td><td align="right">20.1</td></tr></tbody></table>
It's easy to see the development and how foolish it is to pass judgment this early. Gallo is better than Lee was at this point in their careers even when you take the injury out of the equation. Had we listend to the haters, Lee would probably be beasting on another team and we would all be regretting loosing out on his talent.
In conclusion, the impatient emotional haters will hate while the smart fans who understand the nuances of the game and extenuating factors will continue to be the voice of sanity on these boards in the home stretch of a looooooooooooong rebuilding process. We are in the final days of the Knicks losing ways and time will bare out the truths for Gallo, Walsh and Dant. In the end some or all of them may be a disappointment but passing judgment now is more premature than a virgin having sex on prom night.