Danilo Gallinari has arrived and Donnie Walsh's resume as President of Basketball Operations has begun to take shape. Regardless of your individual take on Gallinari, he is now a significant part of the future of Knicks basketball.

As one of the first sports writers in the press room at Madison Square Garden to meet the 6-8 forward, I noticed that he was clearly ecstatic, but somewhat disappointed in the chaotic booing that ensued. Following his media session with the writers, Gallinari conducted a one-on-one interview with Kenny Smith. Shortly after the interview ended, I asked the TNT analyst for his reaction to the pick. He responded by saying "I'm not sure what to think with this pick."

Gallinari's preference for playing in New York along with his father's relationship with D'Antoni have been well documented. There is no question that Walsh made this choice to appease his new head coach. Walsh - who admitted to not seeing Gallinari play in person - relied heavily on his scouting staff for direction. Reportedly, Isiah Thomas was one of the individuals who influenced Walsh to make the selection. Walsh would go on to say Thomas told him "this kid won't back down". For fans who thought the days of Thomas having a say in current affairs had come to an end, sadly this is not the case.

According to scouts who have watched Gallinari play in the Euroleague, he is touted as a point-forward with a polished jump shot. Scouts say he is a competitive & intense athlete. Scouts cite his lack of lateral quickness, reliance on the three-point shot and struggles on the defensive-end as areas for improvement.

The level of skepticism around Walsh's selection is not without reason. Just two years ago, fellow Italian forward Andrea Bargnani was selected 1st overall by the Toronto Raptors. Known as "Il Mago" (the Magician), Bargnani was hailed as a revolutionary seven foot talent who would take the league by storm with his dazzling array of offensive ability, which included a "lights out" touch from outside. Like Gallinari, Bargnani won the Euroleague Rising Star Award and was seen as the next Dirk Nowitzki. Two years later, he's been publicly criticized by teammate Chris Bosh and mentioned in trade rumors. Moreover, the Raptors decision to acquire Jermaine O'Neal to pair with Bosh speak volumes about their view of the former top pick.

Last year, fellow Italian Marco Belinelli was selected 18th overall by the Golden State Warriors. Belinelli was heralded as a shooter extraordinaire and labeled as a steal for Chris Mullin & Don Nelson. After an impressive Summer League showing, Belinelli would appear in only 33 games while shooting a disappointing 38% from the floor.

The same scouts (including former coach & current ESPN analyst Fran Fraschilla) who touted both Bargnani & Belinelli say Gallinari is the best of the Italian players. Only time will tell if Donnie Walsh was truly the smartest man in the room for making this pick or misled by the hype. One item of note was Gallinari's decision to work out solo for Knicks brass than go up against fellow lottery prospects.
For every Yao Ming & Dirk Nowitzki, there are hundreds of players like Nikoloz Tskitishvili, Darko Milicic, Andrew Bogut, Fran Vasquez, Tiago Splitter, Rudy Fernandez, Mouhamed Sene, Johan Petro, Yaroslav Korolev, Rafael Araujo & Mickael Pietrus who cost NBA teams coveted first round selections by either failing to live up to the hype or choosing to remain overseas. Australia's Andrew Bogut was selected 1st overall ahead of MVP candidate Chris Paul & All-Star Deron Williams in the 2005 Draft. Bogut has proved to be a role player at best much to the dismay of the Milwaukee Bucks.

Credit Walsh for having the confidence to go against the wishes of many and select the top rated European prospect over the likes of DJ Augustin, Jerryd Bayless, Eric Gordon & Joe Alexander. My C- rating for Walsh's first draft is not an indictment of the selection of Gallinari. Considering Walsh selected Rik Smits with the 2nd pick in 1988 draft, he deserves the benefit of the doubt. Walsh deserves this grade because he failed to 1) address a need 2) move a contract & 3) pick up additional draft choices. For a team loaded with forwards, the need for a point guard or shot-blocking center was glaring. When notable players including DeAndre Jordan, Chris Douglas-Roberts & Mario Chalmers fell into the second round, Walsh had a prime opportunity to make a move to add another solid athlete to the roster. While other GMs used a plethora of bargaining chips including cash considerations, Walsh stood pat with his one selection & cast his lot with Gallinari. Knicks fans should also note that Gallinari's Euroleague team (Armani Jeans of Milan) still own his rights for the next 2 years, which could lead to either a costly buyout for the fiscally conservative Walsh or the possibility that Gallinari could very well stay abroad.

Adding Gallinari will ultimately end David Lee's tenure in New York. Trading Lee for Raymond Felton may fill the need for a pass-first PG, but this trade rumor may not have legs. With Larry Brown on the bench for Charlotte, he may advise the team to look for another trading partner should they deal Felton. Hopefully the hype around Gallinari will pan out and lead to more wins for a playoff-starved organization. At a minimum, Gallinari needs to silence his critics and show he was worthy of the 6th pick. If not, Walsh will find himself in this position again next year debating on whether to take California's Brandon Jennings or Spain's Ricky Rubio as his point guard of the future.

AND 1

To hear our exclusive interview with Mike Breen, log on to www.theknicksblog.com for Mike Silva's post draft radio show.

Questions or comments on this article may be emailed to gardengrasp@gmail.com