Italian Press Determined to Get Walsh on the Defensive About Danilo Gallinari

Looks like I spoke too soon about the drama-free Knicks. Over at Alan Hahn’s Knicks Fix, we get the recap of a pretty intense exhange over Danilo Gallinari:↵↵⇥Donnie Walsh was grilled by members of the Italian media about Danilo Gallinari. One writer mentioned “passionate” Knicks fans who appear to be upset about Walsh’s choice with the sixth overall pick. With impressive rookies such as Eric Gordon (seventh overall), DJ Augustin (ninth) and Brook Lopez (10th), there is already great concern about the injured Gallinari being a bust because of his back issue.↵⇥
↵⇥
↵⇥Walsh didn’t flinch.↵↵Donnie followed with some “we know, you don’t, just wait” spin, and then sent those Italian reporters packing with “I’m convinced we took the right guy.” It’s worth noting that in this case, the (foreign) media’s serving as a proxy for “passionate” Knicks fans. I don’t know, maybe I’m underestimating how much angst there’s been over Gallinari; it certainly hasn’t overshadowed the team’s overall improvements. But while Gordon, Augustin, and Lopez have all been solid picks, none of them quite bear the mark of D’Antoni, and a visionary future, like Gallinari. A traditional scorer, good-not-great PG, or traditional big ... none of these quite sends the same message of change.↵
↵
↵Maybe that’s why there’s been more patience with the rookie, less trepidation, and more, well, hope. [Insert generic political reference from last November here.]↵