I caught some of last night's Knicks-Kings summer league game last night, thanks to the headsup by Seth at Posting and Toasting (if you want to read a good recap of the game, check out our man Barnesgasm's recap over there). 

First off, remember: Summer league games mean nothing.  It's cliche, but it is true.

Now, forget that, because that's not true.  Just like those people that say the draft combine numbers mean nothing are also mistaken.  What they mean is these things don't mean much, which is true.  But there are indicators in them; if not, why would NBA executives and coaches even bother to look at them, right?

We've said over and over that Kevin Durant's draft combine numbers alarmed us.  Not because it means he won't succeed or dominate in the NBA, but because it indicates that it will take a little time for Durant to adapt to the NBA.  We see it in his summer league performance, too... his body is just a little too weak and small right now.  He's been pushed around, not able to muscle up and grab rebounds; he's not able to absorb contact and still follow through.  What this means is that he'll struggle a bit his rookie season, until his condition and strength training get him into NBA shape.  Anyone who has ever played basketball at a higher level, or seen an NBA player up close in person can tell you - they may not be built like football players, but they are definitely strong.  Stephon Marbury, a smallish NBA player, could probably out lift your average 220 pound gym rat.  

The Knicks won yesterday, improving to 3-0 in the summer league.  They dominated right off the bat, leading 33-15 after the first.  No surprise - the Knicks' starting five in the summer league could also double as the summer league all-star team: they have a third-year pro (Nate Robinson), unheard of in the summer leagues; a second-year man (Renaldo Balkman), which is more common; and three first-round type rookies - Wilson Chandler, plus Randolph Morris (a #10 pick if he was in the draft) and Demetris Nichols (someone who should have been a late first-rounder, but dropped way too much to the Knicks in the second round).  Even Mardy Collins is coming off from the bench!

Compare that to most other franchises' summer league teams, where maybe there is a couple of rookies, and a second-year player or two.  Look at the Kings' squad last night - the starting point was "Shakur", who I think might be Tupac's younger brother.  Why he's chilling in Vegas, given what happened to Tupac, I don't know.

The Kings also have Daniel Artest, Ron's little brother.  No need to be the last guy to jump on that topic, but here's his story if you haven't read it yet.  Bottom line: The Knicks are starting five bonifide roster players, plus Collins on the bench, in a league where most teams have maybe two to three roster players, max.  So, yeah, no wonder they look great.

That having been said... Nate Robinson is passing.  He is still dribbling way too much, but he's passing, and playing a solid point.  More importantly, he's working on his flaws, namely passing.  Renaldo Balkman, a terrible FT shooter last season, looked much improved yesterday.  He's been working with Mark Jackson, I'm guessing (or perhaps Jason Kidd), because he's copying their style - the ball around the waist two times, two dribbles, and shoot (no kiss towards the hoop, though - smart move by Renaldo).  He looks much smoother, hitting his free throws yesterday, going 8-10. 

Spencer Hawes of the Kings looked ugly last night.  We are not fans, and we were really hoping the Bulls would take him, just for giggles.  Seriously, he scored 22 points yesterday on 25 FGA; all of his shots were from away from the basket, and looked like ugly chucks.  He only got to the line twice, and missed both free throws.  He also had 7 fouls.  

Wilson Chandler, the Knicks' #1 pick, surprised us with his defense.  He had 4 block shots and a couple of steals.  He has very active hands, and filled the lanes nicely.  We didn't know he was a defensive-oriented player... this is actually a nice surprise.  He'll do great when he cracks the rotation.  Nichols was on yesterday, hitting 3-4 3PTAs, and going 6-10 overall for 17 points.  He also had 4 assists, and looked like the shooter he's advertised to be.  Still, we doubt he'll crack the rotation this season (unless Nate gets traded), and in fact, he might be shipped to Europe for a year since the Knicks are short on roster spots.

Finally: Randolph Morris.  Solid rebounder, grabbing 11 of them, mostly on defense. He's just a nice sized post player.  He probably won't crack the rotation (not with Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph and David Lee all looking at time at the PF/C slots), but that's okay, he still needs a little more seasoning.

What the Knicks can be encouraged by is this: they are building a culture of winning, at least in their young, bench players.  This is part of the reason the bench (David Lee, Balkman, Collins, Robinson) was such a spark last year; it seems they will continue to be, too.  Also, this bodes well for the future - while none of these players has "superstar" written over them, or even "All-Star", the Knicks have some very solid role players and starters in their future.  Balkman and Lee have already set the bar high for what to expect, but Chandler seems like another high-energy guy coming off the bench.  Nichols seems like your ideal spot up shooter, a great energy guy... he might develop in a few season into a solid 6th man type. For more proof that Isiah is good at picking those type of players, please check the Orlando Magic.  They are utilizing Trevor Ariza (Isiah drafted him his first year here) in their rotation as a high energy guy coming off the bench to provide defense and fill the lanes.  A Balkman without the rebounding, if you will.

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