After nearly a month as a spectator in Washington, following the trade that brought him to the Detroit Pistons it was expected that Danilo Gallinari would have found if nothing else more space. Instead, the Italian has so far played only 2 out of 6 games since he has been in Detroit, which despite the latest wins remains the team with the worst record in the NBA: 6-40.
Gallinari had stood by in the first useful game to make his debut with the Pistons, except to take the court in the next two outings, both against the Milwaukee Bucks. In the first one the Rooster had been one of the least worse, at least in terms of plus/minus, while already in the second one his minutes had dropped to 10′. Both games were lost by the Pistons and the Italian scored 17 points (8 in the first, 9 in the second).
From there the Rooster went back to being a non-paying spectator: he never took the court against Charlotte, Washington and tonight against Oklahoma City. Detroit’s haul: 2 wins, against Hornets and Thunder (who by the way are first in the West standings). Hard to say why Monty Williams seems to have already rejected Gallinari: probably because the Pistons, who now consider this season as archived, prefer to work on younger, more futuristic profiles. Blue will turn 36 next August, earns $6.8 million but will be a free agent next summer. Reason Detroit probably has no more desire to invest in him.
With the trade deadline set for Feb. 9, it cannot be ruled out that Danilo Gallinari may eventually be traded again. If that does not happen, it is easy to think of a buyout in the coming months and perhaps signing for a contender until the end of the season.