http://www.newsday.com/sports/ny-spknix1114,0,6806219.story
BY ALAN HAHN
GREENBURGH, N.Y - Danilo Gallinari may not need season-ending surgery to
repair his chronic back injury, but his rookie season will still likely be
curtailed, if not lost. Gallinari, the sixth overall pick in the draft by the
Knicks, met with a back specialist Thursday in New York and, according to a
person with knowledge of the situation, was told surgery was not required.
But plenty of rest was prescribed.
"The specialist said the right thing is recommending rest, not surgery," the
source told Newsday.
Gallinari is scheduled to see other specialists -- one in Boston and one in
Los Angeles -- next week. The Knicks will not announce any information on his
situation until after both have given their recommendations.
But the opinions of doctors -- on the team's medical staff and independent --
remain consistent. An MRI confirmed that Gallinari, 20, is dealing with a
disc protrusion (also known as a bulging disc), which is pressing against the
nerves. He initially was hurt in his first game at the NBA Summer League in
July. The disc receded, and a week before training camp Gallinari received a
cortisone shot to treat inflammation. The source said the specialist believes
the team rushed their lottery pick into his workouts too soon, before the
swelling went down, which caused the flareup.
Gallinari, who said all along he still felt pain in his lower back, accepted
the idea that he would have to deal with it. But after a few impressive
practices before the season opener, he looked rigid in his limited minutes in
the first two games. Coach Mike D'Antoni stopped playing him but Gallinari
continued to practice until about a week ago, when the pain intensified to
the point where he struggled just getting dressed.
With the Knicks now prepared to take the recovery process cautiously, the
source said it could be at least a month of rest -- likely more -- before
Gallinari is cleared to begin running again. After that, he would essentially
be starting over with his conditioning before he could even consider stepping
onto the court.
It could mean that Gallinari won't be ready to play until very late in the
season, if at all. The Knicks (5-3), who play the Oklahoma City Thunder
tonight at the Garden, would likely use Gallinari at the end of the season
only if they are already out of the playoff race.
So, at this point, D'Antoni's plans to use the multi-talented 6-10 forward as
a big part of the rotation this season can be officially scrapped.
"The only thing I'm worried about is getting him well, and if it takes all
year, it takes all year," D'Antoni said earlier this week. "But we're not
going to push him."
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