by Stop Mike Lupica on July 15 at 9:51AM
I watched last night's Knicks-Cavs summer league game to take notes on Danilo Gallinari's "pro" debut. Let's put "pro" in quotation marks, since it is summer league, and one could argue that Danilo's Italian League, and Euro Tournament, experiences are higher level than playing other NBA rookies and journeymen.
And let's start by writing about one journeyman in particular - possibly the oldest guy we'll see in the Summer League (and likely the biggest, too), Robert "Tractor" Traylor. At 31 years old, here is a guy who was, at one time, on the same level in high school as Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Vince Carter. He was taken 6th overall in the 1999 Draft by the Mavs, who immediately traded him for Dirk Nowitzki. As Clyde Frazier put it during the game, "that's what he'll probably end up most known for."
But back to Danilo's debut: he didn't look very good at all in the beginning. He committed a couple of lazy fouls on defense; he got away with one travel, but still missed the shot; later on he got called for a carry. His first jumper, a three, was right on target but went in-and-out. He was scoreless in the first half. He didn't take many shots, preferring to keep the ball moving. Supposedly this makes him "unselfish". Knicks fans will know that unselfish is a good trait we can use a bit more of right now, but that it's not always a great trait, either (see "Allan Houston, pass too much").
In the second half, however, it was a different story. Danilo started nailing his jumper, particularly from inside the arc. He didn't hit any threes, but he hit a couple of nice mid-range jumpers. His shot, even when he misses, looks pretty wet. He might have the sweetest jumper on the Knicks since Houston. Too early to say for sure. Danilo also showed a little more aggression in the second half, drawing fouls. He got to the line four times, and hit all four free throws. He finished with 14 points, on 5-11 shooting (0-4 from 3-point land, and 5-7 inside the arc) and 4-4 free throws. Not a terrible debut. 6 rebs, 2 asts, 4 turnovers, and 1 blocked shot filled out the box score.
That seems pretty much around what I expect to see from Danilo for the rest of the season, actually. Maybe a few more three-pointers, and about 16-18 ppg (if he gets a starting job), with about 5-7 boards a game, maybe a little less than one blocked shot a game, probably a steal and half per game, and 45% shooting from the field. The free throws, and his willingness to drive, will determine whether or not he's going to be a really good offensive player, or just a really good shooter. And expect turnovers, as Danilo adapts to NBA speed, strength, and referees (he got called for a carry! Only Jamal Crawford gets called for that!).
Final note on Danilo: I was surprised that he was actually a bit built. He's not Charles Oakley, and definitely not even what you would call a strong NBA player in size, but for a tall rookie, he's actually got a decent size to him. He's no Anthony Randolph, for sure.
The star of the game, for the Knick's squad, wasn't Danilo. It was Wilson Chandler, who continues to work to earn more playing time. He dominated the game on both ends, scoring 26 points on 11-21 shooting. Though his jumper still seems a bit erratic, his shot selection is stellar. He is the rare NBA player who knows to pull up for the open midrange jumper when it's there. He also had 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, and seemed to get a piece of the ball on defense more often than those numbers indicate.
Mardy Collins, the other key Knick in this game, did a decent job of trying to earn his keep. He had a quiet 17 points, as most of them came from the line (8-9), but did a nice job of rebounding from the point position (6 boards), and had 5 assists versus only one turnover. Still, Collins is on the chopping block, in my mind.
Mardy Collins has to have a big season, or he possibly won't be a Knick next season. The Knicks already have three point guards on the roster, ahead of him - Chris Duhon, Stephon Marbury, and Nate Robinson. There is also Jamal Crawford, who can play point, too. There might be more need for a pure shooting guard on D'Antoni's team than another point guard, and summer leaguer Von Wafer (who has already played on several NBA teams in his career) might be a better fit. Right now Collins has the advantage, but if Von Wafer puts up big numbers in the summer league, he might force Collins out. Something to keep an eye on, for sure.
Finally, there was one other Cav player of note in the game: JJ Hickson. The rookie PF dropped 26 points on 11-15 shooting, with 9 rebounds. He seemed to overpower the Knicks down low, without much trouble. The 19th pick in the NBA draft this year, I have to admit I'm pretty fond of Hickson. He's a less heralded high schooler from this same class - Derrick Rose, OJ Mayo, Kevin Love, etc - but he's constantly played solidly against his competition, whether in high school, college last year, or now the summer league. I think he has a very good chance at ending up one of the top ten players from this year's draft.
The Knicks won 97-94 last night, and continued their undefeated streak in summer league play, dating back to 2006. The play again tomorrow (Wednesday). I'll try to post some footage of that game, too, if anything exciting happens.
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And let's start by writing about one journeyman in particular - possibly the oldest guy we'll see in the Summer League (and likely the biggest, too), Robert "Tractor" Traylor. At 31 years old, here is a guy who was, at one time, on the same level in high school as Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce, and Vince Carter. He was taken 6th overall in the 1999 Draft by the Mavs, who immediately traded him for Dirk Nowitzki. As Clyde Frazier put it during the game, "that's what he'll probably end up most known for."
But back to Danilo's debut: he didn't look very good at all in the beginning. He committed a couple of lazy fouls on defense; he got away with one travel, but still missed the shot; later on he got called for a carry. His first jumper, a three, was right on target but went in-and-out. He was scoreless in the first half. He didn't take many shots, preferring to keep the ball moving. Supposedly this makes him "unselfish". Knicks fans will know that unselfish is a good trait we can use a bit more of right now, but that it's not always a great trait, either (see "Allan Houston, pass too much").
In the second half, however, it was a different story. Danilo started nailing his jumper, particularly from inside the arc. He didn't hit any threes, but he hit a couple of nice mid-range jumpers. His shot, even when he misses, looks pretty wet. He might have the sweetest jumper on the Knicks since Houston. Too early to say for sure. Danilo also showed a little more aggression in the second half, drawing fouls. He got to the line four times, and hit all four free throws. He finished with 14 points, on 5-11 shooting (0-4 from 3-point land, and 5-7 inside the arc) and 4-4 free throws. Not a terrible debut. 6 rebs, 2 asts, 4 turnovers, and 1 blocked shot filled out the box score.
That seems pretty much around what I expect to see from Danilo for the rest of the season, actually. Maybe a few more three-pointers, and about 16-18 ppg (if he gets a starting job), with about 5-7 boards a game, maybe a little less than one blocked shot a game, probably a steal and half per game, and 45% shooting from the field. The free throws, and his willingness to drive, will determine whether or not he's going to be a really good offensive player, or just a really good shooter. And expect turnovers, as Danilo adapts to NBA speed, strength, and referees (he got called for a carry! Only Jamal Crawford gets called for that!).
Final note on Danilo: I was surprised that he was actually a bit built. He's not Charles Oakley, and definitely not even what you would call a strong NBA player in size, but for a tall rookie, he's actually got a decent size to him. He's no Anthony Randolph, for sure.
The star of the game, for the Knick's squad, wasn't Danilo. It was Wilson Chandler, who continues to work to earn more playing time. He dominated the game on both ends, scoring 26 points on 11-21 shooting. Though his jumper still seems a bit erratic, his shot selection is stellar. He is the rare NBA player who knows to pull up for the open midrange jumper when it's there. He also had 8 rebounds, 2 steals, and 2 blocks, and seemed to get a piece of the ball on defense more often than those numbers indicate.
Mardy Collins, the other key Knick in this game, did a decent job of trying to earn his keep. He had a quiet 17 points, as most of them came from the line (8-9), but did a nice job of rebounding from the point position (6 boards), and had 5 assists versus only one turnover. Still, Collins is on the chopping block, in my mind.
Mardy Collins has to have a big season, or he possibly won't be a Knick next season. The Knicks already have three point guards on the roster, ahead of him - Chris Duhon, Stephon Marbury, and Nate Robinson. There is also Jamal Crawford, who can play point, too. There might be more need for a pure shooting guard on D'Antoni's team than another point guard, and summer leaguer Von Wafer (who has already played on several NBA teams in his career) might be a better fit. Right now Collins has the advantage, but if Von Wafer puts up big numbers in the summer league, he might force Collins out. Something to keep an eye on, for sure.
Finally, there was one other Cav player of note in the game: JJ Hickson. The rookie PF dropped 26 points on 11-15 shooting, with 9 rebounds. He seemed to overpower the Knicks down low, without much trouble. The 19th pick in the NBA draft this year, I have to admit I'm pretty fond of Hickson. He's a less heralded high schooler from this same class - Derrick Rose, OJ Mayo, Kevin Love, etc - but he's constantly played solidly against his competition, whether in high school, college last year, or now the summer league. I think he has a very good chance at ending up one of the top ten players from this year's draft.
The Knicks won 97-94 last night, and continued their undefeated streak in summer league play, dating back to 2006. The play again tomorrow (Wednesday). I'll try to post some footage of that game, too, if anything exciting happens.
Leave a comment
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