The Knicks finished 2-3 in Summer League play in Vegas. Highlights from the week were the debut of Gallinari, the improvement of Wilson Chandler, and a sighting of Stephon Marbury and the new Starbury tattoo on his head. Below are player evaluations and grades of the key players.
Danilo Gallinari : B
The debut of Il Gallo was cut short because of back pain, and he only played in the Knicks' first game. He struggled at first, failing to score in the first half and looking lost on the court at times. However, he really turned things around in the second half, going on a 14-point scoring outburst in a short period of time. He had a monster put-back dunk that seemed to spark his offense. He then his some mid-range jumpers and earned some free throws by driving to the basket. He grabbed six rebounds and dished out two assists, for an overall good performance. I liked what I saw from Danilo, and I wish I could have seen more.
Wilson Chandler : A
Wilson was by far the best player for the Knicks through their five games. He averaged 16.2 points and 7.8 rebounds. His best game was against Phoenix when he went for 31 points and 12 boards in a win. He played great on both ends of the floor by blocking shots and scoring from all over the floor. Wilson should see a dramatic increase in playing time next season, and might even become a starter at some point, depending on the play of Quentin Richardson.
Mardy Collins : C
Mardy wasn't bad, but I expected a little more from the third year guard. He averaged 10.8 points, 4.2 assists, and 4 rebounds. He showed a knack for driving to the basket and finishing or drawing fouls, but his outside shot remains inconsistent. He may have to fight for a roster spot during training camp.
Renaldo Balkman : C+
Renaldo sprained his ankle during the second game and was unable to play in the remaining games. His play was a little disapointing. He isn't an offensive force, but I would have liked to see him grabbing more rebounds than he did against inferior opponents. He averaged 6 points and 5.5 rebounds. On the bright side he did have 3 blocks in two games.
Anthony Roberson : B-
Roberson is what George Costanza would call a chucker. He does one thing and one thing only: shoot jump shots. Thankfully, he does shoot pretty well. He averaged 14.8 points and shot 34.8% from 3-point range. The Knicks signed him to a contract, and there's a good chance you can see him coming off the bench next season to prived instant scoring.
Danilo Gallinari : B
The debut of Il Gallo was cut short because of back pain, and he only played in the Knicks' first game. He struggled at first, failing to score in the first half and looking lost on the court at times. However, he really turned things around in the second half, going on a 14-point scoring outburst in a short period of time. He had a monster put-back dunk that seemed to spark his offense. He then his some mid-range jumpers and earned some free throws by driving to the basket. He grabbed six rebounds and dished out two assists, for an overall good performance. I liked what I saw from Danilo, and I wish I could have seen more.
Wilson Chandler : A
Wilson was by far the best player for the Knicks through their five games. He averaged 16.2 points and 7.8 rebounds. His best game was against Phoenix when he went for 31 points and 12 boards in a win. He played great on both ends of the floor by blocking shots and scoring from all over the floor. Wilson should see a dramatic increase in playing time next season, and might even become a starter at some point, depending on the play of Quentin Richardson.
Mardy Collins : C
Mardy wasn't bad, but I expected a little more from the third year guard. He averaged 10.8 points, 4.2 assists, and 4 rebounds. He showed a knack for driving to the basket and finishing or drawing fouls, but his outside shot remains inconsistent. He may have to fight for a roster spot during training camp.
Renaldo Balkman : C+
Renaldo sprained his ankle during the second game and was unable to play in the remaining games. His play was a little disapointing. He isn't an offensive force, but I would have liked to see him grabbing more rebounds than he did against inferior opponents. He averaged 6 points and 5.5 rebounds. On the bright side he did have 3 blocks in two games.
Anthony Roberson : B-
Roberson is what George Costanza would call a chucker. He does one thing and one thing only: shoot jump shots. Thankfully, he does shoot pretty well. He averaged 14.8 points and shot 34.8% from 3-point range. The Knicks signed him to a contract, and there's a good chance you can see him coming off the bench next season to prived instant scoring.
Nate Robinson : D
Last year's Vegas Summer League MVP didn't have to, but he played in two games this year, and let's just say it was far from an MVP performance. He shot 2-10 in his first game and 0-6 in his second. I'll just brush it off as rust because he has proven to be a good shooter, but I would have liked to see more assists (averaged 3). He's a natural scorer but at 5'9 the only way he's going to make it as a big time player in the league is if he develops into a point guard that can set up his teammates. Nate received an honor that most players don't want, getting his Summer League jersey retired, considereing most Summer League players are journeymen battling for roster spots.
As for the rest of the players on the Knicks Summer League squad, I didn't see anyone impressive enough to warrent playing time in the NBA.
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