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Gallo could replace Melo for Nuggets

Gallo gallops. He runs the court like a thoroughbred (the Italian stallion?), his long strides and fortified frame charging toward defenders daring enough to draw a charge.

All Friday night, Danilo Gallinari, the guy they call "Gallo," was eccellente. In the Nuggets' overtime loss at Portland, the 6-foot-10 Italian scored a game-high 30 points, one off his career high.

These first couple of games with the new Nuggets are like the first couple of dates in a relationship. Nuggets fans (and coaches and players) aren't sure what to make of these people, but each night, they're learning something new. And liking it.

"Gallo," Nuggets assistant coach Melvin Hunt whispered, as if this were a secret, "he's going to be good. Good on both ends of the court."

It was March 23 last season when Arron Afflalo first knew. The Nuggets guard didn't know much about Gallinari except for the casual-fan basics — tall, big, shoots. What happened that game at Madison Square Garden was nothing short of a basketball duel. Carmelo Anthony was guarding Gallinari — and Gallo guarded Melo — while the two went at one another with clenched teeth. The Garden gawked. Anthony scored a game-high 36 points, while Gallinari scored 28, including five fearless 3-pointers, in a winning effort.

"Just to see the fire in him, that was something that stuck with me," Afflalo said of his new teammate. "His passion, his fire and his killer instincts — wanting to win. Outside of that, to be 6-10 and be able to handle and shoot the ball — and be somewhat sneaky athletic — he's going to be a good asset for us."

The 22-year-old made a splash in this league by hitting long-range shots, but in his preliminary conversations with George Karl, the Nuggets' coach told Gallinari to get his 3s the old fashioned way. Gallinari, ever the pupil, did just that Friday. See, he's so big and fast that he's bound to draw contact. And when Gallo gets to the free-throw line, he's one of the NBA's best in making the shots (not only is he seventh in the league at 89.3 percent, he has the most attempts per game of any of the top seven, at 6.1).
Sure enough, Gallinari was 15-for-17 from the line at Portland; Portland — as a team — was 17-for-21.

That night, Gallo said he felt comfortable, compared with his first game, the night before, when his only field goal was a dunk. And while some fans might roll their eyes at this — a loss is a loss — if there's ever such a thing as a good loss, losing (with new players) in overtime at Portland in the second game of a back-to-back set is just that.

"It was a great effort, a great fight, so we have to take the positive things out of this game," Gallinari said. "It's tough to lose because when you fight to the end, you want to win."

The New York reporters who covered Gallo every day, well, they say he's a heck of a guy. Kind. Funny. Wants to be great.

The ladies will like him too. Voted one of New York City's most-eligible bachelors, the New York Post listed him among real estate moguls, bankers and Jets quarterback Mark Sanchez. When Gallo arrived at the Pepsi Center last Tuesday — sporting designer glasses and his hair tousled just so — his fashion sense made it clear that, yes, he was raised in Milan.

But none of this is relevant if the guy can't play. And as the Nuggets march toward March, knowing each game could determine a playoff seed, they understand that Gallinari will be vital to their quest for the postseason.

And who knows, if he keeps this play up, perhaps the old Pepsi Center chants of "Mellll-o!" will switch to "Gallll-o!"

Che entusiasmo... Ma dire che Gallo deve sostituire Melo...
Forse troppe pressioni?

Comunque in generale mi sembra ancora che Gallinari faccia fatica a partire forte, sia ad inizio partita (non ieri) che dopo un cambio.. Deve migliorare in questo aspetto.

berrydiberryville ha scritto:

Che entusiasmo... Ma dire che Gallo deve sostituire Melo...
Forse troppe pressioni?

non credo 30 punti con 14 tiri!.... carmelo ne prende 20/25 (in raltà non lo so ma giù di lì!)

lo ha surclassato! e poi piccola differenza : DIFENDE.

berrydiberryville ha scritto:non credo 30 punti con 14 tiri!.... carmelo ne prende 20/25 (in raltà non lo so ma giù di lì!)

lo ha surclassato! e poi piccola differenza : DIFENDE.

FoxStriker ha scritto:
a Toronto gioca benino, con medie alte perchè ha molto spazio e perchè la squadra è costruita intorno a lui, ma in altre squadre farebbe fatica..
poi, spero di essere smentito col tempo ^^

Dark Knight ha scritto:Che Bargnani abbia la squadra fatta su di lui è un dato oggettivo, che poi siano giocatori scarsi è un altro discorso.
Ma sono tutti i giocatori che servono intorno al mago, ma scarsi.
Amir=Howard
Weems=Ariza
DeRozan=Kobe Bryant
Calderon=Nash
A toronto c'han provato, con i più scarsi ma compatibili.

Gallinari oltre a saper giocare c'ha anche un bel cervello, perchè quando c'era da entrare in Nba si è assicurato di entrare con l'amico giusto (poi lui bravo a buttarla nel canestro, ma se ti aiutano un pò e sono amici del papi...) più che con lo stipendio giusto.
Bargnani è fortissimo e anche lui ha provato a entrare con l'amico, ma l'amico era lo sfigato della festa ed era una festa dell'orgoglio afro-americano. E quando la festa black è finita è rimasto convinto che quella fosse la discoteca più cool e ora è il re del ballo degli sfigati a giorni alterni, perchè già le zoccoline fanno l'occhiolino all'amico brufoloso.

Dark Knight ha scritto:Amir=Howard

Jurking ha scritto:

Dark Knight ha scritto:Amir=Howard

Mi sono fermato qua, ridevo troppo per continuare

Comunque vorrei capire chi è sto fenomeno di cui tutti parlate, io proprio non riesco ad appassionarmi al Gallo

Jurking ha scritto:

Dark Knight ha scritto:Amir=Howard

Mi sono fermato qua, ridevo troppo per continuare

Jurking ha scritto:Comunque vorrei capire chi è sto fenomeno di cui tutti parlate, io proprio non riesco ad appassionarmi al Gallo