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Source: Gallinari doesn't need surgery

BY ALAN HAHN | alan.hahn@newsday.com

9:40 PM EST, November 13, 2008

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."