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Danilo Gallinari was 'very fast in saying yes' to extension with Nuggets

Chris Humphreys-USA TODAY Sports

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Danilo Gallinari may not have been paying attention to the NBA's spending spree this offseason.

The Italian forward didn't expect the Denver Nuggets to reach out to discuss a contract extension, he told Christopher Dempsey of the Denver Post. Once they did, the sides quickly came to an agreement on a two-year, $34-million extension that also served to bump up his 2015-16 salary.

"I was very fast in saying yes to this extension," Gallinari said. "I'm very happy to stay in Denver. This extension came because of the people in Denver, the fact that I've been in Denver for awhile now and the fact that I love the city."

It could have also come quickly because Gallinari is working his way back to form following a torn ACL that cost him all of 2013-14 and noticeably slowed him early in 2014-15. While a 26-year-old with his appreciable upside could command more than the $15 million annually he'll average over the next three years, securing guaranteed money now is a justifiable goal.

Gallinari also spoke highly about the changes the team has made this summer. The Nuggets have tip-toed around the word "rebuilding," extending Gallinari and Wilson Chandler but continuing to unload pieces of their previously flawed core and bringing in young talent, but Gallinari thinks the franchise is on the right path.

"I'm very confident in the choices they made this summer in changing the coach and everything," Gallinari said, with a specific nod to new bench boss Michael Malone, with whom he's spoken extensively already.

His role should stand to increase under a new coach and with a year to shake the rust off firmly under his belt.

From 2009-13, he averaged 15.4 points, 4.9 rebounds, and 2.1 assists while shooting 41.8 percent and hitting 36.5 percent of his threes, with the skill and offensive upside to be ranked among the best small forward prospects in the game.

But his recovery has been slow and, to hear him tell it, frustrating, but he closed the season on an encouraging 23-game run, averaging 19 points and shooting better than 40 percent from outside. He now feels "very, very good," and could be primed to take the big step forward that Denver is betting on with this extension.

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