Knicks Tab Gallinari with 6^th Pick of 2008 NBADraft

The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden may have showeredhim with boos when his name was announced, but Danilo Gallinari did not seem tobe bothered by it. The 19 year-old forward from Italy was chosen sixth overallby the New York Knicks in the 2008 NBA Draft and will come to a team intransition from the atrocious Isiah Thomas era.

“Forza New York and Forza Italia,” Gallinari said during hispress conference right after being selected. Speaking a heavily accentedEnglish, he seemed to have an understanding on why an unknown player would notbe a popular pick. “It’s a part of the game,” Gallinari continued. “Not everytime you can hear good things. It’s my work to prove to everyone that I’m agood player. So that’s everything on me.

During the 2007-08 season, Gallinari played in both theEuroleague and Italy A-1. With Armani Jeans Milano (A-1), he averaged 17.5points and 5.7 rebounds in 29 games. In 1q Euroleague contests, Gallinari had a14.9 scoring average.

Coming to a team who’s head coach speaks fluent Italian willgive the 6’8”, 210-pound rookie a level of comfort. “For sure, we can talk someItalian and it can come back,” said Gallinari. “In the last few days, Italianjournalists tell me that his Italian in the last five, six years has not doneso well.” His new coach is a former teammate of his father Vittorio at Milan.

Comfort has not been something that the Knicks have had theluxury of having of late. Knowing that coming in, Gallinari said, “I rememberthe time when (Patrick) Ewing was playing here and New York was doing so well.In the last two or three years, they didn’t do so well, but I hope in thefuture that we can come back.”

Where exactly does a player like Gallinari fit in on theKnicks’ roster? He was the top International prospect on the board and is saidto have good ball skills for a player his size. His outside shooting is not hisstrong point, which means that he needs to gain some size to make his way closerto the basket.

Expect some player movement on the Knicks roster, withGallinari becoming the eighth forward on the team. There was a lot ofspeculation that David Lee was going to be moved before the draft, possibly forthe fifth pick from the Memphis Grizzlies. That didn’t occur, and the fanfavorite may have become expendable with the Gallinari selection. They aresimilar players, and the value of Lee may be at its highest right now with hiscontract expiring at the end of next season.

Zach Randolph is another player in the front court that newteam president Donnie Walsh would love to trade. Acquired one year ago duringthe 2007 NBA Draft, the former Trail Blazer had a few good moments and some notso good, often clashing with Thomas. The experiment of playing Randolph withcenter Eddy Curry did not fair too well, and will not occur again this seasonregardless if Walsh can dump Randolph’s salary on someone else.

It may be some time before Gallinari’s report card can becompleted. But you can’t blame the Knick faithful for being apprehensive. Thelast foreign player the organization picked in the first round? None other thanFrederic Weis from France in 1999, who became synonymous with bad decisions andthe Knicks.

New York enters the June 26 draft at The WaMu Theatre at MSG with one selection

KNICKS DRAFT PREVIEW: The 2008 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, June 26 at The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden. The New York Knickerbockers enter the draft with one selection, the sixth overall pick, in the first round, as determined by the NBA Draft Lottery on May 20. New York’s 2008 second round pick - the 36th overall selection - belongs to the Portland Trail Blazers as a result of the draft night trade on June 28, 2007, when the Knicks acquired the draft rights to Demetris Nichols in exchange for their own 2008 second round pick.

WALSH TO MAKE FIRST KNICKS PICK: Knicks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh enters his first draft with New York since joining the organization on Apr. 2, 2008. Walsh will oversee the selection of his highest draft pick (sixth overall) since 1988, when he used the second overall pick as general manager of the Indiana Pacers to select center Rik Smits out of Marist. In addition, Walsh will oversee his first lottery pick since 1997, when he selected Austin Croshere out of Providence with the 12th overall selection. A veteran of 22 NBA drafts with Indiana, Walsh has an impressive draft resumé that includes the selections of Chuck Person (second overall in 1986), Reggie Miller (11th overall in 1987), Antonio Davis (45th overall in 1990), Dale Davis (13th overall in 1991), Al Harrington (25th overall in 1998) and Danny Granger (17th overall in 2005).

HISTORY OF THE SIXTH PICK: The sixth overall selection in recent NBA Drafts has produced productive professional players, such as: 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy (2006), Josh Childress (2004), Chris Kaman (2003), Shane Battier (2001), Wally Szczerbiak (2000) and Antoine Walker (1997). Milwaukee used the sixth pick in last year’s draft to select Yi Jianlian from China. The following are the last 10 picks selected sixth overall:

2007    Yi Jianlian    China    Milwaukee    Milwaukee

2006    Brandon Roy    Washington    Portland    Portland

2005    Martell Webster    Seattle Prep HS (WA)    Portland    Portland

2004    Josh Childress    Stanford    Atlanta    Atlanta

2003    Chris Kaman    Central Michigan    L.A. Clippers    L.A. Clippers

2002    Dajuan Wagner    Memphis    Cleveland    Prokom (Poland)

2001    Shane Battier    Duke    Memphis    Houston

2000    DerMarr Johnson    Cincinnati    Atlanta    San Antonio

1999    Wally Szczerbiak    Miami (OH)    Minnesota    Cleveland

1998    Robert Traylor    Michigan    Dallas    Santurce (Puerto Rico)

TOP PROSPECTS WORKOUT FOR NEW YORK: The Knicks have conducted predraft workouts over the past month with several of the top prospects in the 2008 NBA Draft, including: Joe Alexander (West Virginia), D.J. Augustin (Texas), Jerryd Bayless (Arizona), Danilo Gallinari (Italy), Eric Gordon (Indiana), Kevin Love (UCLA), O.J. Mayo (Southern California), Anthony Randolph (LSU) and Russell Westbrook (UCLA).

ON THE CLOCK EARLY: With the sixth overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft, New York has its highest draft pick since the Knicks used the fifth overall pick in 1986 to draft Kentucky’s Kenny Walker. The Knicks have had three other top 10 picks since then, selecting Maybyner “Nenê” Hilario seventh overall in 2002, Michael Sweetney ninth overall in 2003 and Channing Frye eighth overall in 2005. New York’s top 10 selections in the last two drafts were used by Chicago as part of the Eddy Curry trade.

YOUTH SHALL BE SERVED: The Knicks 2007-08 roster averaged 25.6 years of age and was the youngest New York squad since the 1988-89 season. The Knicks currently have seven players who are 25 or younger, including four players drafted by New York, one player whose draft rights were acquired immediately after the draft and one free agent signee of a player right out of college.

FUTURE PICKS: Currently the Knicks own all of their future draft picks, except the following: the 2009 second-round pick was traded to Chicago on Oct. 4, 2005 as part of the Eddy Curry trade and a first-round pick is owed to Utah (via Phoenix) as part of the Stephon Marbury trade on Jan. 5, 2004 (protected in 2009 from picks 1-21 and unprotected in 2010).

KNICKS RECENT DRAFT HISTORY: Below are the last 10 drafts of the New York Knicks:

2007

1    23    Wilson Chandler    DePaul

2006

1    20    Renaldo Balkman    South Carolina1    29    Mardy Collins    Temple20051    8    Channing Frye    Arizona1    30    David Lee    Florida2    54    Dijon Thompson    UCLA20042    43    Trevor Ariza    UCLA20031    9    Michael Sweetney    Georgetown2    30    Maciej Lampe    Poland2    39    Slavko Vranes    Montenegro20021    7    Maybyner Hilario    Brazil2    36    Milos Vujanic    Croatia20012    39    Michael Wright    Arizona2    43    Eric Chenowith    Kansas20001    22    Donnell Harvey    Florida2    39    Lavor Postell    St. John’s (NY)19991    15    Frederic Weis    France2    46    J.R. Koch    Iowa19982    38    DeMarco Johnson    UNC-Charlotte2    44    Sean Marks    CaliforniaHow The 2007-08 Knicks Were BuiltNBA Draft:Renaldo Balkman (first round, 20th pick in 2006)Wilson Chandler (first round, 23rd pick in 2007)Mardy Collins (first round, 29th pick in 2006)David Lee (first round, 30th pick in 2005)Via Trade:Eddy Curry (from Chicago on Oct. 4, 2005)Jamal Crawford (from Chicago on Aug. 5, 2004)Fred Jones (from Portland on Jun. 28, 2007)Stephon Marbury (from Phoenix on Jan. 5, 2004)Zach Randolph (from Portland on Jun. 28, 2007)Quentin Richardson (from Phoenix on Jun. 28, 2005)Nate Robinson (from Phoenix on Jun. 28, 2005)Malik Rose (from San Antonio on Feb. 24, 2005)Free Agency:Jerome James (signed on Aug. 2, 2005)Jared Jeffries (signed on Aug. 8, 2006)Randolph Morris (signed on Mar. 23, 2007)

New York enters the June 26 draft at The WaMu Theatre at MSG with one selection

KNICKS DRAFT PREVIEW: The 2008 NBA Draft will take place on Thursday, June 26 at The WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden. The New York Knickerbockers enter the draft with one selection, the sixth overall pick, in the first round, as determined by the NBA Draft Lottery on May 20. New York’s 2008 second round pick - the 36th overall selection - belongs to the Portland Trail Blazers as a result of the draft night trade on June 28, 2007, when the Knicks acquired the draft rights to Demetris Nichols in exchange for their own 2008 second round pick.

WALSH TO MAKE FIRST KNICKS PICK: Knicks President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh enters his first draft with New York since joining the organization on Apr. 2, 2008. Walsh will oversee the selection of his highest draft pick (sixth overall) since 1988, when he used the second overall pick as general manager of the Indiana Pacers to select center Rik Smits out of Marist. In addition, Walsh will oversee his first lottery pick since 1997, when he selected Austin Croshere out of Providence with the 12th overall selection. A veteran of 22 NBA drafts with Indiana, Walsh has an impressive draft resumé that includes the selections of Chuck Person (second overall in 1986), Reggie Miller (11th overall in 1987), Antonio Davis (45th overall in 1990), Dale Davis (13th overall in 1991), Al Harrington (25th overall in 1998) and Danny Granger (17th overall in 2005).

HISTORY OF THE SIXTH PICK: The sixth overall selection in recent NBA Drafts has produced productive professional players, such as: 2007 NBA Rookie of the Year Brandon Roy (2006), Josh Childress (2004), Chris Kaman (2003), Shane Battier (2001), Wally Szczerbiak (2000) and Antoine Walker (1997). Milwaukee used the sixth pick in last year’s draft to select Yi Jianlian from China. The following are the last 10 picks selected sixth overall:

2007    Yi Jianlian    China    Milwaukee    Milwaukee

2006    Brandon Roy    Washington    Portland    Portland

2005    Martell Webster    Seattle Prep HS (WA)    Portland    Portland

2004    Josh Childress    Stanford    Atlanta    Atlanta

2003    Chris Kaman    Central Michigan    L.A. Clippers    L.A. Clippers

2002    Dajuan Wagner    Memphis    Cleveland    Prokom (Poland)

2001    Shane Battier    Duke    Memphis    Houston

2000    DerMarr Johnson    Cincinnati    Atlanta    San Antonio

1999    Wally Szczerbiak    Miami (OH)    Minnesota    Cleveland

1998    Robert Traylor    Michigan    Dallas    Santurce (Puerto Rico)

TOP PROSPECTS WORKOUT FOR NEW YORK: The Knicks have conducted predraft workouts over the past month with several of the top prospects in the 2008 NBA Draft, including: Joe Alexander (West Virginia), D.J. Augustin (Texas), Jerryd Bayless (Arizona), Danilo Gallinari (Italy), Eric Gordon (Indiana), Kevin Love (UCLA), O.J. Mayo (Southern California), Anthony Randolph (LSU) and Russell Westbrook (UCLA).

ON THE CLOCK EARLY: With the sixth overall selection in the 2008 NBA Draft, New York has its highest draft pick since the Knicks used the fifth overall pick in 1986 to draft Kentucky’s Kenny Walker. The Knicks have had three other top 10 picks since then, selecting Maybyner “Nenê” Hilario seventh overall in 2002, Michael Sweetney ninth overall in 2003 and Channing Frye eighth overall in 2005. New York’s top 10 selections in the last two drafts were used by Chicago as part of the Eddy Curry trade.

YOUTH SHALL BE SERVED: The Knicks 2007-08 roster averaged 25.6 years of age and was the youngest New York squad since the 1988-89 season. The Knicks currently have seven players who are 25 or younger, including four players drafted by New York, one player whose draft rights were acquired immediately after the draft and one free agent signee of a player right out of college.

FUTURE PICKS: Currently the Knicks own all of their future draft picks, except the following: the 2009 second-round pick was traded to Chicago on Oct. 4, 2005 as part of the Eddy Curry trade and a first-round pick is owed to Utah (via Phoenix) as part of the Stephon Marbury trade on Jan. 5, 2004 (protected in 2009 from picks 1-21 and unprotected in 2010).

KNICKS RECENT DRAFT HISTORY: Below are the last 10 drafts of the New York Knicks:

2007

1    23    Wilson Chandler    DePaul

2006

1    20    Renaldo Balkman    South Carolina1    29    Mardy Collins    Temple20051    8    Channing Frye    Arizona1    30    David Lee    Florida2    54    Dijon Thompson    UCLA20042    43    Trevor Ariza    UCLA20031    9    Michael Sweetney    Georgetown2    30    Maciej Lampe    Poland2    39    Slavko Vranes    Montenegro20021    7    Maybyner Hilario    Brazil2    36    Milos Vujanic    Croatia20012    39    Michael Wright    Arizona2    43    Eric Chenowith    Kansas20001    22    Donnell Harvey    Florida2    39    Lavor Postell    St. John’s (NY)19991    15    Frederic Weis    France2    46    J.R. Koch    Iowa19982    38    DeMarco Johnson    UNC-Charlotte2    44    Sean Marks    CaliforniaHow The 2007-08 Knicks Were BuiltNBA Draft:Renaldo Balkman (first round, 20th pick in 2006)Wilson Chandler (first round, 23rd pick in 2007)Mardy Collins (first round, 29th pick in 2006)David Lee (first round, 30th pick in 2005)Via Trade:Eddy Curry (from Chicago on Oct. 4, 2005)Jamal Crawford (from Chicago on Aug. 5, 2004)Fred Jones (from Portland on Jun. 28, 2007)Stephon Marbury (from Phoenix on Jan. 5, 2004)Zach Randolph (from Portland on Jun. 28, 2007)Quentin Richardson (from Phoenix on Jun. 28, 2005)Nate Robinson (from Phoenix on Jun. 28, 2005)Malik Rose (from San Antonio on Feb. 24, 2005)Free Agency:Jerome James (signed on Aug. 2, 2005)Jared Jeffries (signed on Aug. 8, 2006)Randolph Morris (signed on Mar. 23, 2007)

Phil Weber & Dan D’Antoni added to bench New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh announced today that Phil Weber and Dan D’Antoni have been hired as assistant coaches. In addition, Herb Williams has been retained to complete the coaching staff on the bench.

“We have three top quality assistant coaches that will be great assets as we work towards our goal of bringing winning basketball back to New York,” Walsh said. “Phil and Dan enjoyed tremendous success with Coach D’Antoni in Phoenix, while Herb has been a great part of our franchise for many years.”

Weber joins the Knicks after nine seasons as an assistant coach in Phoenix, which included 4½ seasons as D’Antoni’s assistant. The Northport, NY native’s specialty is in skill and player development. He co-founded an academy for player development in Los Angeles with current Nets General Manager Kiki Vandeweghe. After leading Long Island Lutheran HS to a state championship, Weber played for Jim Valvano at North Carolina State. He served as an assistant coach at the University of Florida, Chaminade University and Iona College before joining the Suns in September of 1999.

Dan D’Antoni spent the last three seasons as an assistant under Mike D’Antoni in Phoenix. The Mullens, WV native played college basketball at Marshall University and began coaching as a senior when he guided the school’s freshman team that featured his younger brother. Following school, D’Antoni embarked on a 30-year high school coaching career in South Carolina where he founded the Beach Ball Classic, one of the most prestigious high school tournaments in the country that has showcased such talents as Kobe Bryant, Kevin Garnett, Vince Carter and Jason Kidd.

Williams will enter his eighth season on New York’s bench, following a distinguished 18-year NBA career.