welcome gallo...im part italian too. I like the big cock (no homo) but theres a couple concerns i have.
1) Is he quick enough to guard nba small forwards
2) Is he tall/strong enough to guard nba power forwards
3) Can he step up his rebounding
Hes very team oriented...i have my doubts about his man to man but i believe he can become a good team defender. He will most likely be a better man to man defender at the power forward position once he gets a little bit stronger and taller. I see hes a passionate emotional player devoted to winning and i like that.
Hi, I'm an Olimpia Milano fan (the team Gallinari played) and I have watched almost all of the games he played both in Euroleague and Italian League (friendly and national games included) over these 2 years. Of course I'm a bit biased, I want him to be a great player in the NBA, however I think I can give some information...
1) Yes and no, I'll get back to you on this matter in a few lines.
2) As above.
3) Absolutely yes.
Now, during the course of the draft I heard a couple of things that didn't ring quite right. The first one: he needs to improve the defense. I don't think so. Ok, he needs to improve everything of course, this is the NBA, however I don't really understand why the defense is considered a problem. He defended for a couple of years against incredibly talented and experienced players and he used to steal, block passes, force traveling, etc. He is good, very good, defensively. Nothing can assure you NY fans that he will bring the same level of defense over there, but it's a good start.
Second thing: he is slow in lateral movements. In fact, he is. In fact, he is where he needs to be before his opponent. And he can read the game in an incredible way. In other words, he can compensate.
Third thing: the one huge defect I can see for the NBA game has never been mentioned in the draft analysis... he tends to stop the play. Against mid level opponents that's not a problem: he can hold the ball, fake a couple of moves, put the ball to the ground and go to the basket. However I believe it won't be that easy in the US. And that, in my opinion, is what he needs to work on from day one. Because I can already hear the booing chants after the second ball is stolen from him while trying to make sense of a play. And mind you, this is not a basketball IQ problem, he always knows what to do. This is simply something he could do here but, in my opinion, can't do over there.
Also, I disagree on the assessment of him not being a star player. I don't see why he can't be. However I agree with those who say that if NY needs someone who can give a lot RIGHT NOW, maybe other players are more ready.