Clippers Trade Jamal Crawford, 2018 Houston 1st and Diamond Stone for Danilo Gallinari

[Galloisdaman]

In the interest of full disclosure, I want to disclose that I was never a fan of Danilo Gallinari's. It's not like I hate him,
but my first impression of him during the 2008 NBA Draft was a turn-off. He and his agent were trying to angle for him to be selected by New York because he was interested in fashion and modeling, which gave me a vibe of more pretty boy than competitor. The fact that he likes Los Angeles, isn't a surprise given the circumstances. At least with the Knicks taking him 6th overall, it allowed for the Clips to draft Eric Gordon immediately with the next selection.

I never heard anything about him wanting to come to NY because of a interest in modeling. I do not remember him expressing much of a interest in where he would be drafted except the media often pointing out that his dad/family were friends with Knicks coach Dantoni. His dad played with Mike Dantoni it Italy. There was a indirect connection with Kobe whose dad played in Italy as well. Gallo was a pretty quiet respectful guy in NY. The irony of what you have said is Gallo did not look for the spotlight off the court in NYC. Kim Kardashian's people were basically casting a boyfriend/husband and approached him. He wanted no part of it. That is when they moved on to Kris Humphries who she married. His Knicks teammates and most fans really liked him a lot.

Here is Gallo having some fun with a Knicks teammate.

Watch on YouTube

[Ranma]

I never heard anything about him wanting to come to NY because of a interest in modeling. I do not remember him expressing much of a interest in where he would be drafted except the media often pointing out that his dad/family were friends with Knicks coach Dantoni. His dad played with Mike Dantoni it Italy. There was a indirect connection with Kobe whose dad played in Italy as well. Gallo was a pretty quiet respectful guy in NY. The irony of what you have said is Gallo did not look for the spotlight off the court in NYC. Kim Kardashian's people were basically casting a boyfriend/husband and approached him. He wanted no part of it. That is when they moved on to Kris Humphries who she married. His Knicks teammates and most fans really liked him a lot.

If you can't tell by my posts on this board, I'm a bit of a draftnik and follow the NBA Draft pretty closely, or at least I used to with my time being preoccupied with the NFL, MLB, and NHL drafts and Doc's ambivalence toward such proceedings for the Clippers. As a long-time Clipper fan, I had little else to look forward to during the Sterling years.

I already heard about the Kim Kardashian thing, which earns him points in my book, but I followed the 2008 draft pretty closely since I really wanted Eric Gordon that year and the Knicks, the team drafting just ahead of the Clippers that year, were also interested in EJ at the time. Since I had my ear to the grapevine and DraftExpress was gaining prominence, I heard stuff. Maybe it was just rumor and speculation, but it definitely stood out to me that Gallinari wanted to be selected by the Knicks with talks of his interest in fashion and modeling at the time. Former Kings player Sean Avery is known for being a punk with his antics on the ice, but also generated buzz off of it with his push to be a fashion model himself. The timing of those 2 incidences didn't escape my attention given how they related to both my favorite NBA and NHL teams. It can't be a coincidence that Gallinari has found himself in the business either. I'm just saying.

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[Galloisdaman]

Ramma with all due respect I feel like you are adding 1 plus 1 and coming up with 5 with some big reaches. I'm the biggest NY Rangers fan on the planet. I highly doubt Gallo knew who Sean Avery was before he was drafted in 2008. Sean Avery discussed some modeling in his second tour with the Rangers. I do not remember him speaking about it or doing anything significant in his first tour before Gallo was drafted. 98% of any modeling Gallo has ever done was after he left NYC. He has not done a lot of promotion but most of what he has done was not NYC related. It was done in Italy or for an Italian product (Armani). If all players in pro sports who ever promoted a product was linked to the Knicks for modeling they would have won 10 rings in the last 20 years. If you want to dislike Gallo that is your prerogative but I would hope it is for a reason he actually deserves. The guy has been a great teammate and a super nice guy in his career.

[Ranma]

Ramma with all due respect I feel like you are adding 1 plus 1 and coming up with 5 with some big reaches. I'm the biggest NY Rangers fan on the planet. I highly doubt Gallo knew who Sean Avery was before he was drafted in 2008. Sean Avery discussed some modeling in his second tour with the Rangers. I do not remember him speaking about it or doing anything significant in his first tour before Gallo was drafted. 98% of any modeling Gallo has ever done was after he left NYC. He has not done a lot of promotion but most of what he has done was not NYC related. It was done in Italy or for an Italian product (Armani). If all players in pro sports who ever promoted a product was linked to the Knicks for modeling they would have won 10 rings in the last 20 years. If you want to dislike Gallo that is your prerogative but I would hope it is for a reason he actually deserves. The guy has been a great teammate and a super nice guy in his career.

Look, I actually appreciate your perspective and insight as a Gallinari fan. I genuinely hope to know more about him and, like I've said, I don't hate the guy. I'm just telling you what my first impression of him was and related to everyone why I felt that way. As a Gallinari fan, you could be seeing him in the light that you want to see him in, which is fine, but come on. You're going to tell me that a guy who clearly has interest in fashion and modeling wouldn't be more inclined to operate in the city known for providing more avenues in those endeavors than anywhere else in the United States? Let's get real here.

As I've said before, I'm open to judging him moving forward just as I am with Milos Teodosic despite my misgivings about his defense. Not everyone is as loudmouthed and brash as Sean Avery, thank goodness, but that doesn't mean Gallinari doesn't share some of the same interests as Avery, which is evident by his work for Emporio Armani and I never said that Gallinari and Avery knew each other. Gallinari clearly isn't into the same level of self-promotion as Avery given his refusal to be involved with Kim Kardashian, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to model or be involved in fashion when there is evidence to the contrary.

I'm not trying to offend, but I'm not going to turn a blind eye to things I see or a deaf ear to what I've heard. Also, like I said, it may only be rumor and conjecture that my impression was based on, but it's not exactly a reach given the context of the situation.

[Ranma]

I'm the biggest NY Rangers fan on the planet. I highly doubt Gallo knew who Sean Avery was before he was drafted in 2008. Sean Avery discussed some modeling in his second tour with the Rangers. I do not remember him speaking about it or doing anything significant in his first tour before Gallo was drafted.

As the "biggest NY Rangers fan on the planet", how can you not recall his internship with Vogue magazine starting in May of 2008, which happened before the draft that year? If you don't think that's a big deal, read on about his involvement.

[Galloisdaman]

Ramma with all due respect I feel like you are adding 1 plus 1 and coming up with 5 with some big reaches. I'm the biggest NY Rangers fan on the planet. I highly doubt Gallo knew who Sean Avery was before he was drafted in 2008. Sean Avery discussed some modeling in his second tour with the Rangers. I do not remember him speaking about it or doing anything significant in his first tour before Gallo was drafted. 98% of any modeling Gallo has ever done was after he left NYC. He has not done a lot of promotion but most of what he has done was not NYC related. It was done in Italy or for an Italian product (Armani). If all players in pro sports who ever promoted a product was linked to the Knicks for modeling they would have won 10 rings in the last 20 years. If you want to dislike Gallo that is your prerogative but I would hope it is for a reason he actually deserves. The guy has been a great teammate and a super nice guy in his career.

Look, I actually appreciate your perspective and insight as a Gallinari fan. I genuinely hope to know more about him and, like I've said, I don't hate the guy. I'm just telling you what my first impression of him was and related to everyone why I felt that way. As a Gallinari fan, you could be seeing him in the light that you want to see him in, which is fine, but come on. You're going to tell me that a guy who clearly has interest in fashion and modeling wouldn't be more inclined to operate in the city known for providing more avenues in those endeavors than anywhere else in the United States? Let's get real here.

As I've said before, I'm open to judging him moving forward just as I am with Milo Teodosic despite my misgivings about his defense. Not everyone is as loudmouthed and brash as Sean Avery, thank goodness, but that doesn't mean Gallinari doesn't share some of the same interests as Avery, which is evident by his work for Emporio Armani and I never said that Gallinari and Avery knew each other. Gallinari clearly isn't into the same level of self-promotion as Avery given his refusal to be involved with Kim Kardashian, but that doesn't mean he doesn't want to model or be involved in fashion when there is evidence to the contrary.

I'm not trying to offend, but I'm not going to turn a blind eye to things I see or a deaf ear to what I've heard. Also, like I said, it may only be rumor and conjecture that my impression was based on, but it's not exactly a reach given the context of the situation.

Ramma I do not even know where to start but I will try. Sean Avery is the complete opposite of Gallo as a person and a player. Gallo is a nice, respectful, team first guy whose teammates love. Avery is Avery.

I'm a Gallo fan because of who he has been in the NBA starting in NY. If he was not a good teammate or person I would not be a fan at all.

Gallos product promotion/modeling has been very minor and took place after he left NYC. Almost all of it is connected to his home nation of Italy.

I'm not offended and I do not mean to offend you. I just feel like you are linking some minor things and basically saying correlation equals causation. That is not the case at all. Gallo was linked to NY because of D Antoni

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/mike-antoni-italian-tie-draft-article-1.328943

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[Ranma]

Ramma I do not even know where to start but I will try. Sean Avery is the complete opposite of Gallo as a person and a player. Gallo is a nice, respectful, team first guy whose teammates love. Avery is Avery.

I'm a Gallo fan because of who he has been in the NBA starting in NY. If he was not a good teammate or person I would not be a fan at all.

Gallos product promotion/modeling has been very minor and took place after he left NYC. Almost all of it is connected to his home nation of Italy.

I'm not offended and I do not mean to offend you. I just feel like you are linking some minor things and basically saying correlation equals causation. That is not the case at all. Gallo was linked to NY because of D Antoni

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/mike-antoni-italian-tie-draft-article-1.328943

Watch on YouTube

Like I've said, I don't think Avery and Gallinari are the same person. Just because you have shared interests doesn't mean you have the same personalities. I've never argued that, especially when that is clearly not the case. Gallinari does seem like a fun guy, but so is DeAndre Jordan. That doesn't mean that I like entirely everything DJ brings (and doesn't bring) to the basketball court.

Likewise, just because there is a D'Antoni connection doesn't mean there aren't other things drawing him to New York, which he called the best city in the world in the video you referenced, by the way.

Just like you're accusing me of overly pushing correlation as causation, one factor does not discount other factors. If the D'Antoni connection was so strong, then why didn't he make a big deal when D'Antoni was canned by the Knicks or made efforts to join him in Houston as an unrestricted free agent? Sure, things could have changed or maybe it wasn't that big a deal to begin with.

You can't view things in such black-and-white starkness. Gallinari's interests in fashion and modeling doesn't mean he's Avery.
D'Antoni's presence on the Knicks doesn't mean there weren't other draws for him in New York. One factor does not necessarily negate others. It's that simple.

[Galloisdaman]

Ramma I do not even know where to start but I will try. Sean Avery is the complete opposite of Gallo as a person and a player. Gallo is a nice, respectful, team first guy whose teammates love. Avery is Avery.

I'm a Gallo fan because of who he has been in the NBA starting in NY. If he was not a good teammate or person I would not be a fan at all.

Gallos product promotion/modeling has been very minor and took place after he left NYC. Almost all of it is connected to his home nation of Italy.

I'm not offended and I do not mean to offend you. I just feel like you are linking some minor things and basically saying correlation equals causation. That is not the case at all. Gallo was linked to NY because of D Antoni

http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/mike-antoni-italian-tie-draft-article-1.328943

Watch on YouTube

Like I've said, I don't think Avery and Gallinari are the same person. Just because you have shared interests doesn't mean you have the same personalities. I've never argued that, especially when that is clearly not the case. Gallinari does seem like a fun guy, but so is DeAndre Jordan. That doesn't mean that I like entirely everything DJ brings (and doesn't bring) to the basketball court.

Likewise, just because there is a D'Antoni connection doesn't mean there aren't other things drawing him to New York, which he called the best city in the world in the video you referenced, by the way.

Just like you're accusing me of overly pushing correlation as causation, one factor does not discount other factors. If the D'Antoni connection was so strong, then why didn't he make a big deal when D'Antoni was canned by the Knicks or made efforts to join him in Houston as an unrestricted free agent? Sure, things could have changed or maybe it wasn't that big a deal to begin with.

You can't view things in such black-and-white starkness. Gallinari's interests in fashion and modeling doesn't mean he's Avery.
D'Antoni's presence on the Knicks doesn't mean there weren't other draws for him in New York. One factor does not necessarily negate others. It's that simple.

I can not speak for Gallo but he probably did not even know many cities in the USA when he came here. His English was pretty broken when he got here at 19 years old. NYC is probably the most famous city in the world so he was most familiar with it out of USA cities. I never said the connection to D Antoni was so strong but that was the reason he was linked to NY by many in the media and some fans. D Antoni definitely was open to drafting Gallo. That is fact that was spoken about before the draft in the NY media. Some people said D Antoni was Gallo's godfather. Gallo would not cause a problem if you fired his father but your question is kind of off base because Gallo did not even play for the Knicks when Mike D Antoni was fired. All I hope is you give the guy a chance. You might like him.

[Ranma]

All I hope is you give the guy a chance. You might like him.

I can't speak for everyone either, but I am certainly willing to give him a chance and hope he's the player worthy of your devotion to him. The majority of this board seems to have renewed faith and vigor, in significant part, because of Gallinari's arrival to the team.

I hope you stick around and continue to provide us with more tidbits and insight into Danilo's game and life.

[Galloisdaman]

All I hope is you give the guy a chance. You might like him.

I can't speak for everyone either, but I am certainly willing to give him a chance and hope he's the player worthy of your devotion to him. The majority of this board seems to have renewed faith and vigor, in significant part, because of Gallinari's arrival to the team.

I hope you stick around and continue to provide us with more tidbits and insight into Danilo's game and life.

Thank you. I know a lot about Gallo's past but you will probably know more about him as a Clipper since I'm not in LA. I'm excited by the LA team. I have always thought Blake and Griff were underrated as a front court. I could see Gallo playing with both together but also with both individually in a 3 man rotation of sorts. I'm wondering do they bring in a PG now? The West has so much competition but I'm hoping LA surprises some folks that wrote them off after Chris Paul said he was leaving.

[Ranma]

Thank you. I know a lot about Gallo's past but you will probably know more about him as a Clipper since I'm not in LA. I'm excited by the LA team. I have always thought Blake and Griff were underrated as a front court. I could see Gallo playing with both together but also with both individually in a 3 man rotation of sorts. I'm wondering do they bring in a PG now? The West has so much competition but I'm hoping LA surprises some folks that wrote them off after Chris Paul said he was leaving.

I'm going to assume you mean DeAndre Jordan and Blake Griffin when you say, "Blake and Griff", but yeah the three of them together do make up quite a formidable frontcourt. Doc has an aversion to staggering lineups but we remain hopeful to see the 3-man rotation you proposed.

With regards to our point guard situation, the Clippers got Patrick Beverly as part of the Chris Paul trade with D'Antoni's Rockets. He's a dogged defender and capable 3-point shooter. The team also just recently signed European star Milos Teodosic. He's a wizard with the ball in his hands as a passer and also a decent shooter from beyond the arc, however, he's known for being a matador on defense. I invite you to check out our Milos Teodosic thread to see the reception of his signing as well as the highlights that have been collected of his exploits. The funny thing is that Beverly and Teodosic are former teammates.

With Gallinari's creative finesse abilities, Griffin's playmaking, and Teodosic's passing genius, the Clippers have a chance of replicating some of the lethal ball-movement that the Sacramento Kings had back in the day when they had Chris Webber, Vlade Divac, and Jason "White Chocolate" Williams. Gallinari could even pull double-duty as our Peja Stojakovic.

[Galloisdaman]

LOL yes Blake and Griff actually does mean Blake and Jordan. My bad.

That Kings team was fun to watch. I think Gallo's game might surprise some people. Gallo is not as good a 3 point shooter as Peja was but Gallo goes hard to the rim and gets to the line often. He is a very efficient player in that manner. Despite the knee injuries he still surprises people with some of his dunks. He has always been a team first guy so he will be happy with a win even if he only got 5 shots.

I knew about Beverley but I have never seen the Euro you mentioned so I will look in to him. Thanks for the link. This kind of sounds like a PG by committee situation. I think Jcraw was a pretty decent passer in the past but I do not know how he was as a Clipper.

[Ranma]

Thanks for the link. This kind of sounds like a PG by committee situation. I think Jcraw was a pretty decent passer in the past but I do not know how he was as a Clipper.

You're welcome. I think it's safe to say that all of us here on this forum genuinely like Jamal Crawford as a person. As a basketball, however, he's been a constant negative for our team. He definitely has good passing ability, but is more inclined to hoist shots without conscience and regard for his shooting percentage. His defense was practically non-existent as well. Despite all of that Doc continued to play him with little hesitation and even encouraged his inefficient chucking. He's no longer on the team to the relief of many here, which is another positive to our acquisition of Gallinari.

Despite having Beverly, Teodosic, and Austin Rivers on the roster, I don't think it will be PG by committee, though I can see a backcourt of shared ball-handling duties, which is something that I've actually preferred in the past. The 3 players will likely have to battle it out for starting spots, but it does point to our vulnerability at the SG position.

We also have rookie Jawun Evans on the roster but he'll likely spend the vast majority of his time during his first season with our G-League affiliate. Unlike his fellow draftee, Sindarius Thornwell, Evans needs more physical maturity to handle the rigors of contributing regularly to an NBA team. Thornwell, on the other hand, is physically more ready but has a lower ceiling and upside as well as possessing limitations as a wing player for us. Despite the roster crunch, I hope to retain Kendall Marshall, another fine passer and capable 3-point shooter but with the competition for spots, that is unlikely to happen.

[Galloisdaman]

Some red meat to get excited about for next season.

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[Forte IV]

Are we really arguing over Gallo's modeling career

[Galloisdaman]

Are we really arguing over Gallo's modeling career

LOL that was yesterday. I think we have put that behind us. I wouldn't call it much of a career. He basically promoted Armani. Not dramatically different than Chris Paul or Blake promoting other brands. Hopefully today we can speak basketball.

[Akklaim1]

Is Gallo the first Italian to play for the Clippers? I know we had Prizioni but he's an Italian-Argentine. Also, I don't thinkwe've ever had a Spanish player.

[Neddy]

this has been one of the most entertaining threads to read for some time. I can't believe there is that much passion about Gallo's modeling career!

[Ranma]

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[Ranma]

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The Diamond Stone waiver now has Atlanta with $13.9M in dead cap space (players waived not on the roster). Sacramento ($6.1M), Detroit ($5.8M), Brooklyn ($5.5M) and Portland ($5.1M round out the top five. 23 teams are carrying a combined $59M in cap space of players not on the roster in 2017-18.