Rookie Danilo Gallinari did not travel with the Knicks on their two-game road trip, staying behind to have a battery of tests on his back to rule out possible surgery, according to a team source.
The source said an MRI will be among the tests performed on the 20-year-old, who has suffered from a bulging disc since mid-July. The pain level in the Italian Stallion’s lower back and leg increased the past few days, causing growing concern among the team’s medical staff that new treatment may be needed for the 6-foot-10 forward from Milan, who was selected sixth overall in this year’s draft.
The source said a new diagnosis is not expected, but the increased level of pain is a bad sign and could imperil Gallinari’s season. Coach Mike D’Antoni took Gallinari out of the rotation after the second game because of ineffective play, but hoped to eventually spot him in.
Gallinari injured his back during the Las Vegas summer league and did not play again until more than three months later. He said upon his return he still was playing with a modest level of pain, but was encouraged it wasn’t getting worse.
However, the pain forced Gallinari to miss yesterday’s practice. And the source said the rookie never boarded the plane for San Antonio. D’Antoni said Gallinari had suffered “a setback.”
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David Lee did not practice yesterday and told The Post he has been suffering from a bone spur in his ankle for three weeks. Lee said he will play through the pain and the spur is too small to require surgery.