Wednesday, May 21, 2008
Chad Ford's Mock Draft
 |  New York |  Danilo Gallinari | Position: SF Height: 6-9 Weight: 212 Age: 19 Country: Italy |
The skinny: Rose was the Knicks' primary target, but with Gallinari, new head coach Mike D'Antoni lands the perfect weapon for his new team: a 6-10 point forward who knows how to think the game. D'Antoni played with Gallinari's father in the Italian League for eight years and knows how good the versatile Italian forward really is.
It might not be a popular pick in New York, but D'Antoni will make it work.
...This is why the Knicks, as wrong as it is, should have purposely lost some games at the end of the season to have a greater chance at landing Derrick Rose. No offense to Danilo Gallinari, but the biggest need is not a small forward. With D'Antoni as the coach I could see Quentin Richardson having a comeback season similar to when he played under D'Antoni.
I am going to gurantee this will change at least 5 more times between now and the draft and that O.J. Mayo will not be going to the Grizzlies at #5 with all of his recent problems coming out
Here is the draft bio from ESPN:
Draft Projection: Lottery
Notes: Plays for Armani Jeans, Milano in the Italian League.
Averaged 14.9 ppg and 4.2 rpg in 31 mpg in Euroleague play this season. Averaging 17.5 ppg and 4.8 rpg in the Italian league. His father was a star player in Italy.
Positives: All-around skills. Point-forward mentality. Beautiful passer. Excellent basketball IQ. Smooth. Excellent slasher to the basket. Good athlete, though not an exceptional one. Good shooter, especially from midrange.
Negatives: He lacks explosiveness. Although he's not slow footed, he's not exactly quick either. May be a little too unselfish. Questions about his long-range shooting.
Summary: Many in Italy feel he's a better long-term prospect than Andrea Bargnani. Right now his game is more suited for Europe, but the Toni Kukoc comparisons are inevitable. He's having a big season this year and more and more scouts are saying that he's a potential lottery pick.
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