The argument for OKC Thunder to keep Danilo Gallinari

OKC Thunder Team Previews: Danilo Gallinari drives around Kevin Love (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
OKC Thunder Team Previews: Danilo Gallinari drives around Kevin Love (Photo by Jason Miller/Getty Images)
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OKC Thunder
OKC Thunder (Photo by Rocky Widner/NBAE via Getty Images)

Possible reasons Gallinari stays, part 1

Gallinari is playing for the hottest team in the West for the month of December. Read those words again and let that sink in. The team that was going to struggle for relevance had a better record that the Los Angeles Lakers, LA Clippers, Mavericks, and Nuggets. Gallinari has been a big part of that.

However, Gallinari was also injured for a number of games over December, which could have hurt the Thunder. They kept winning without their starting power forward. This is huge as Gallinari can see that he is only one part of the bigger puzzle.

This also shows that he is playing for a team with the right culture moving forward. Championships teams are built around culture and he has the chance to be part of something special. This culture being built also has a lot to do with Chris Paul.

The Wake Forest alumni is doing things behind the scenes like getting all the players suits and then organizing them to be worn to one game. This may not sound like much but it brings the team together in a different way.

You can see by the walk-off interviews that the team is having fun, they are working for each other, playing for each other. I had never seen Gallinari smile naturally but he was laughing with Paul during the walk-off interview after the Mavericks win.