When our bleary off-season-eyes came into focus on a summer that never fully arrived, we sharpened our gaze on Danilo Gallinari. We saw that old rooster shirsey in the back of the closet, folded up nice and pleasant, and thought, yes, this does spark joy.
That all came crashing down this week when Danilo implied that he would be seeking a title contender on his next contract. No longer a spring chicken, and with the prospect of big money not seeming all that appetizing, the Knicks will struggle to leverage their gigantic cap space to lure him in.