Gallinari still fond of Denver and its team
LOS ANGELES» Wearing a gray designer suit, Danilo Gallinari stopped in front of the Nuggets’ locker room at the Staples Center and wrapped head of team security Bobby Simmons in a pseudo headlock.
The playful greeting illustrated six years of relationships that can’t be broken by a summer sign-andtrade deal. Wednesday’s matchup of Denver and the Clippers also doubled as Gallinari’s first chance to reunite with his former team, following an offseason departure he described as amicable.
“I tried (to stay),” Gallinari said. “Denver has always been my first option. I think you guys know now how the (contract negotiations and trade) went. But there were no hard feelings. It was not a bad breakup. Everything’s fine.”
After attempts to work out a new contract with Gallinari dissipated, Denver traded its leading scorer from a year ago to the Clippers as part of a three-team deal that sent a 2019 second-round draft pick back to the Nuggets. It ended Gallinari’s productive tenure in Denver; he averaged 16.2 points per game over six seasons while shooting 45.8 percent from the field and 41.9 percent from 3-point distance.
In his first season with the Clippers, Gallinari has played in just 11 games while again battling injuries. He currently is sidelined with a partial tear in his glute and hopes to return in the next couple weeks. But the 6-foot-10 forward has been encouraged by his injury-ravaged team’s six-game winning streak entering Thursday, using patchwork lineups to surge into the Western Conference playoff picture.
“I’ve never seen anything like this with any team that I’ve been on or that I’ve played against, to be honest,” Gallinari said of the injuries. “It’s pretty amazing. But it’s amazing, too, the way that the guys have been playing and the (23-21) record we have right now. It gives me a lot of hope and energy, and I want to come back as soon as possible.”
Gallinari keeps in touch with members of the Nuggets, from president of basketball operations Tim Connelly and general manager Arturas Karnisovas to longtime equipment manager Sparky Gonzales. That’s why Gallinari feels comfortable keeping his home in Denver, where he will continue to live in the offseason. He harbors no hard feelings about his summer breakup.
“I’m attached to the city,” Gallinari said. “I have a special relationship with the city and with the people.”
PHOENIX AT DENVER 7 p.m. Friday, ALT; 950 AM
Spotlight on Devin Booker: The 21-year-old guard is coming off another outstanding performance for the Suns, dropping 43 points — 22 in the fourth quarter — to go with eight assists, six rebounds and two steals in Tuesday’s 118-111 loss at Portland. Complementing jumpers with impressive finishes at the rim, Booker is averaging 25.2 points, 4.5 rebounds and 4.6 assists per game in his third NBA season. But the Nuggets held Booker in check during their last meeting this month. He shot 4-of-13 from the field and finished with 17 points.