DALLAS — Though Danilo Gallinari and Nate Robinson were gearing up to participate in Super Saturday, the Knicks were getting bad news on the Tracy McGrady front.
A source in Dallas told The Post the Mavericks and Wizards were much more likely to pull off a deal that would include Caron Butler and Maverick Josh Howard. Butler was supposed to be the most vital piece in a Knicks’ three-way trade between the Wizards and Rockets in which McGrady would get to New York.
Agent Arn Tellem was supposed to be with Rockets general manager Daryl Morey last night in Dallas to discuss other scenarios for McGrady. A source told The Post two days ago a deal with the Knicks, Wizards and Rockets might be tough to do because all teams couldn’t “hit their goals.”
Gallinari acknowledged he will not be at 100 percent tonight when he competes in the 3-point shooting contest during All-Star weekend in AmericanAirlines Arena and still doesn’t know what is wrong with his right forearm.
Gallinari, who participated in last night’s Rookie-Sophomore game, said the mysterious right forearm injury he sustained in the Knicks’ pre-break finale Tuesday night in the Sacramento loss was still bothering him.
“It’s not perfect yet,” Gallinari told The Post at the morning shootaround yesterday. “I still feel some discomfort and weakness. It’s getting a little bit better. Hopefully it will be perfect [today]. Every hour it seems to improve.”
After the game Gallinari said he lost feeling in his forearm after tumbling to the court late in the third quarter. He missed the entire fourth quarter.
Gallinari said he had a similar incident in early December in Orlando, losing sensation. The worst part is Gallinari doesn’t have a diagnosis yet or if it’s related to any prior disc problems last season.
“It’s just probably a muscle overworked,” Gallinari said. “It’s tough to find the right reason. It’s tough to find it. It’s not a big problem. In 3-4 days, it will be back normal. It’s happened already so we know how to treat it.”
Gallinari, who leads the league in 3-point field goals, said he was very optimistic about his health for the shootout.
“To be honest with you, it’s going to be better,” Gallinari said. “Every hour it gets better so I’m sure it will be better [today]. I was doing practice [yesterday] morning and can do everything. The other day I couldn’t do it.”
Tonight, Nate Robinson will defend his crown in the Slam-Dunk contest, with the Lakers’ Shannon Brown his most dangerous foe and Gerald Wallace also in the mix.
Robinson huddled with Nike officials yesterday as they hatched plans to come up with a creative twist after last year’s climactic “Krypto-Nate” spiel. Robinson has dealt with a strained hamstring so he might need some gimmick.
“I’m not one hundred percent healthy, but I’m improving each day and should be ready [tonight],” Robinson said. “I have a plan and will stick with it no matter what the other guys do. I have a few ideas up my sleeve that you might see, but I can’t say what they are because it will ruin the surprise.”