Tough night for Danilo Gallinari and Donnie Walsh at the WaMu Theater at Madison Square Garden.
No doubt recalling the ill-fated Frederic Weis pick at No. 15 in 1999, Gallinari was booed so loudly after the Knicks chose him at No. 6 in the NBA Draft that his interview with ESPN’s Stephen A. Smith was basically inaudible.
Some Knicks fans held up signs calling for the franchise to select West Virginia junior F Joe Alexander. Still, former Knicks coach Jeff Van Gundy supported the pick, saying the 6-8 Gallinari will fit well into new coach Mike D’Antoni’s system. D’Antoni played with Gallinari’s father, Vittorio, in Italy.
“All of the playeres has got to hear this (booing),” Gallinari said. “Not every time you can hear good things. So it’s nomal here. …It’s my work to prove to everybody that I am a good player.”
