In the beginning of the year, everyone and their mom was clamoring that Chandler and Gallo needed to show improvement to entice other FA's to come on board.  Well, I can't argue that, but as Seth posted on a comment that goes something like, 'Fuck 2010', I figure it'd be best to concentrate on what Gallo's progress is this season (Chandler to come later) and what we should be looking forward to for the rest of this year. (Stats and analysis after the jump)

For Gallo, let's just compare his first 28 games last season (with an injured back) and this year's first 26 games:

2008:
14.7 minutes/game  
6.1 Pts/game
.5 Ast/game
2.0 TRB/game
.5 Stl/game
.1 blk/game
.448% FG
.444% 3pt

2009:
29.7 minutes/game  
14.0 Pts/game
1.4 Ast/game
4.7 TRB/game
1 Stl/game
.8 blk/game
.432% FG
.423% 3pt

COCK BLOCKING
Obviously Gallo had his back issues, but that didn't stop him from lighting it up from deep, hitting 44.4% of the 3's he took.  Also in the limited runs he got, he at least showed he could toss in a steal a game.  The real surprise is in the bold: the Cock Blocks. 

He's upped his blocks essentially by 4 times (if blk.game were adjusted to .2 blk/game) the amount he did in '08/09.  I think the increase in blocks has a lot to do with getting his back strengthened.  No ones going to mistake him for D-Ho, but at the least, he's shown he can  play some D, between his IQ and ability to front his man and go for the block when necessary.

OUTLOOK BASED ON EVERYTHING ELSE
What do the rest of the stats show?  For one, despite the increase in minutes, attempts, and responsibilities, he's still shooting at a fairly the same rate from last year and doesn't raise any red flags based on his past vs. present performance.  It's VERY easy to see Gallo averaging 20/game at some point in his career, and by the end of the year, I see him putting in a month of roughly 18-20 pts/game, granted he gets the time.  Two, his efficiency hasn't really dropped; he's still averaging roughly the same amount of TO's/per game after adjusting mins played (1.3 in '08/09 to 1.6 in 2009). 

The things I see him improving in that the stats don't show is his FTA/game and Ast/game.  He's only been averaging 2.5 FTA/game, but he seems to be going to the hoop more consistently the past month (only based on the eye test), and as he continues to strengthen and get used to the rigors of the NBA, I expect him to take it to the hole more often, especially on nights his shot is not there.  As far as Ast/game, he doesn't really get to showcase his skills as a point forward often, but that hasn't been really his responsibility.  I think as the season wears on, I think he'll get more chances to run the pick and roll and have offensive sets run through him, but that again is just a hunch.

Let me know your thoughts on Gallo on what's been up to, faux hawk aside...

dani