New York Knick fans have been awaiting Danilo Gallinari's MRI results with bated breath, and have finally gotten word on the fate of their Italian gunner. Gallinari, who had Brandon Rush fall directly on his left knee in yesterday's win over the Pacers, will miss two to three weeks with what the Knicks are calling a "mild sprain" of the knee. Considering that it could have been a tear of some sort, this is relatively good news.
Gallo's absence will fall over a tough stretch that includes a four-game west coast road trip and games against the Spurs and Lakers. Instead of replacing him directly, Mike D'Antoni will scrap his small lineup and shift Wilson Chandler down to his natural small forward position while inserting Ronny Turiaf into the starting five. (It's somewhat funny that it takes an injury to a key player to get D'Antoni to play a normal starting lineup). In Gallo's stead, Shawne Williams and Bill Walker will probably see more minutes off the bench, while a return to action for a forgotten soul like Anthony Randolph might also be in the cards.
Turiaf has missed some time before, but this will be the Knicks' first major loss of manpower this season. It'll be interesting to see how and how much D'Antoni adapts his rotation.
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