The Denver Nuggets knew they were getting a good basketball player, both on and off the court, when they acquired Danilo Gallinari in the trade that sent Carmelo Anthony to the Big Apple.
And since coming to Denver, Gallo has made it clear that he wants to remain a Denver Nugget.
According to our friends at the Denver Stiffs, Gallo actually refused a trade opportunity at the deadline last season that would have sent him to a contender, telling NBA-Evolution:
“In Denver, I am very well. There was a chance last year to go to some other team before the deadline in February, but I refused.”
It seems like every six months or so Gallo’s name is thrown out in trade rumors, but nothing ever comes to materialize, nor will it.
Listen, if the Nuggets wanted to trade Gallo, they would have done so by now, and got a nice package in return. But the fact that he is still in Denver, with a newly signed contract extension from last offseason, shows that the two sides are in it together.
So, why would Gallo want to stay in the Mile High City, a place where he has had more failure and frustration than success?
The answer is simple: This city has been nothing but good to him, and winning is on the horizon.
Gallo, a native of Italy, was selected with the sixth-overall pick in the 2008 NBA draft, and was portrayed to be a long and lengthy foreigner that could flat out score the basketball.
The Knicks selected Gallo with former team president Donnie Walsh confident that his Italian draftee was the next big thing out of Europe.
“He’s just scratching the surface on what he will be,” Walsh said back in 2008.
Gallo, who was just 23 years old at the time of his trade to Denver, was bewildered as New York was about all he knew of America.
“The trade happened, and I did not expect it.” Gallo told Adrian Wojnarowski back in January. “It made me understand that the NBA business could be crazy sometimes.”
Denver welcomed Gallo with open arms when he arrived in the Mile High City, and he wants to return the favor by bringing success to the city of Denver.
“I love the city. I love being here and working with the people I’ve been working with the past five years,” Gallo told Woj. “I want to be a focal point for this franchise and I want to be the leader — and that’s what I’m trying to do.”
Gallo has even taken it a step further saying it would be a “dream” to do something important in the 5280.
“I really like Denver,” Gallo said in an interview with La Gazzetta Dello Sporto, which was translated by the Denver Stiffs. “I have a good relationship with society and with the people, the environment around the deductible is beautiful. It would be a dream to do something important there.”
Aside from liking the city, Gallo has had his best years in Denver, with last season being his best, averaging 19.5 points per game. Also, he’s the guy that can run the show. He’s the Nuggets’ best scorer and arguably the most-recognizable player on the roster.
He likes it here, he wants to win here and he wants to leave his mark on the Mile High City.
So long as winning is in the headlights, and both sides are on the same page, Danilo Gallinari will be a member of the Denver Nuggets organization.