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NBA DRAFTJune 26, 2008Danilo GallinariNEW YORK CITY, NEW YORK (No. 6 Overall Selection, New York Knicks) Q. Talk about your feelings about being picked? DANILO GALLINARI: I'm so excited, I have no words. It's a dream for me and I really don't know what to say. I'm so excited and happy to be here. Q. As I'm sure you already know for the most part, the European players are pretty much hit or miss; can you explain what makes you different than any other European player? DANILO GALLINARI: I just don't know. I like to say to journalists and coaches that say this -- I don't know, I let you say that. Q. Were you expecting to go to the Knicks? DANILO GALLINARI: I didn't really know where I was going, so to be here, I am so happy, but I didn't know. Q. I know this is a dream come true for you, but was it hard to hear the boos when your name was announced and the city you were going to play in? DANILO GALLINARI: It's a part of the game, all of the players has got to hear this. Not every time you can hear good things. So it's normal here. Q. Being a foreign-born player, was it important to be in a big city like New York where some players who have wound up in smaller cities say it's a harder adjustment; was that on your mind? DANILO GALLINARI: Yes, I think it's a good situation for that, and I think New York is similar to Milan and I would like to be hear, and it's nice. Q. How familiar are you with Coach D'Antoni? DANILO GALLINARI: If I met him? Oh, I met him only one time. My father knows him. I don't know him like my father. So I met him only one time six years ago. Q. Do you feel it was unfair to get booed since they don't really know you or your game? DANILO GALLINARI: No, I feel normal and comfortable with that. I have got no problem and it's my work to prove to everybody that I am a good player. So that's everything on me. Q. For people who have not seen you play, what NBA player would you say you are most similar to? DANILO GALLINARI: I really don't know. I will try to bring my European game, also, here and Mark D'Antoni played many, many years in Europe. I played in Europe and now to be here, I really don't know how to compare me to another player; I don't know. Q. How much do you know about the Knicks franchise and the hard times they have fallen on the past few seasons? DANILO GALLINARI: I know, I have seen some cassettes in Italy, and I remember the time when 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 the future that welcome back. Q. Did you talk to Andrea and Mark about this process? DANILO GALLINARI: We didn't talk so much about the process because when we came for the European Championship, everybody was talking about the NBA to them and I didn't want to rock the boat and talk about the NBA, so we talked about other things. Q. Did you see the Knicks play at all last year? DANILO GALLINARI: I don't think they played so, so, well. Q. Any impressions? DANILO GALLINARI: No, I don't have any impressions. Q. Also do you feel better about the fact that Coach speaks fluent Italian? Is that one more level of comfort for you? DANILO GALLINARI: For sure, we can talk some Italian and it can come back. In the last few days Italian journalists tell me that his Italian in the last five or six years has not done so well. Q. Is there something that you can say to the fans that would make them feel better or an assurance you could give them about yourself? DANILO GALLINARI: I would say forza Italia, and forza New York. Let's go Italy, let's go New York. End of FastScripts |
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