Not the best time to showcase Gallinari, Randolph

MONTREAL - As the Knicks continue to quietly pine for Carmelo Anthony and wait for the Denver Nuggets to decide what to do with their star - and all indications are it will take a while - the trick is to not let two potentially important pieces in a possible future blockbuster trade, Danilo Gallinari and Anthony Randolph, lose their value.

So although the Nuggets may be warming to the idea of at least talking with the Knicks about a deal, this probably is not the best time for the Knicks to do so.

Gallinari is likely to miss the preseason finale against the Raptors at the Bell Centre Friday night because of a sore right wrist that kept him out of Wednesday's loss in Philadelphia. And speaking of that blowout loss, despite a 15-point performance, Randolph might have played himself out of the rotation.

The 6-11 forward, who started Wednesday in place of a resting Amar'e Stoudemire, might be brought along slowly at the start of the season rather than be forced onto the court, as he still is extremely unsure of himself within Mike D'Antoni's system.

With the team desperate for a strong start, D'Antoni has no choice but to go with the best nine-man rotation. Randolph may be No. 10.

"I think he'll be in the mix,'' D'Antoni said after yesterday's practice at McGill University. "You just have to figure out how much, how little. He's 21 years old, he has a bright future and we're going to develop him."

In assessing Randolph, D'Antoni sounded very much like former Golden State coach Don Nelson when he said he thought Randolph "struggled a little bit" in the blowout loss to the 76ers, adding that it's to be expected of a 21-year-old.

"I think that's something that's not going to change, and our mind-set is to develop him into a good basketball player," D'Antoni added. "Whatever we have to do, we'll try to do."

Randolph chafed at Nelson's belief that he needed to be brought along slowly and had to earn his minutes. But he might be facing the same situation with the Knicks.

The problem, of course, is that the Knicks would be doing this while also trying to convince the Nuggets that Randolph, a third-year pro who was a first-round pick in 2008 after one season at LSU, has a higher ceiling than 19-year-old rookie Derrick Favors, whom the Nets are dangling as a main piece.

The Knicks would rather give up Randolph, the key player they acquired in the David Lee sign-and-trade deal with Golden State, than Gallinari. Denver is believed to be more intrigued with Randolph than Gallinari.

The Italian forward insisted he's not bothered by the trade talk and refused to link it to his disappointing play in the preseason (11.7 points per game, 35-percent shooting).

"If it was on my mind, I'd tell you; I'm always honest," he said. "I don't care . . . I'm not really worried about it."

He also apparently is not concerned about the wrist injury.

"It's not going to impact the start of the season," Gallinari said, regarding Wednesday's opener in Toronto. "I talked to the trainer and I'm going to be pain-free for the beginning of the season."

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