I could agree that he absoluty reached for Balkman as nobody saw us taking Balkman. And Balkman was projected way later.

Isiah though admitted he wasn't ready for the situation of Williams falling though.

But you also don't know what other GMs are thinking either. Isiah was probably scared that someone else was into Balkman. It would be just as costly a mistake if he thought he was the only one who was into the sleeper Balkman.

As for Chandler I don't know if you could say that he was a bad value pick. I would have preferd if we added 2 strong shooters like Almond & Nichols. Thats only because of need though, not value. A lot of people are saying that he could have been a lottery pick in next yrs draft. I also read that he has the potential to be the 2nd best SF in the draft behind Durant. Plus the back half of the draft there wasn't any players so clearly better than the next especially potential wise. What I read about Chandler he has potential to be a star. What I read about ALmond is that he is the potential to be a great shooting role player.

Z-BO will stretch the D as much a shooter who would have had to fight for time anyway.

nichols looked good in SL. lets see how the season plays out before saying it was a bad pick.

Posted by Anji:

Don't mind Chandler, but @ 23..... that is a horrible pick!!!! What was the point of tampering witht the kid and having skip workouts to take him there???? It was stupid!!!!!

Are you being serious? What makes you think that you have enough insight into this kid to make that kind of determination. Isiah is a bigtime talent evaluator, along with his staff. They KNOW what they're doing. It's more than evident by the results of the picks they've had. Very few teams have done as much with the kind of low picks we've had. Go and find the teams that consistently finds good players this late in the draft. How can you then come and say that it's a stupid move to take him at 23?

Isiah realized that if people started to see him that they might see what he saw in the kid. I think it was a smart move. Like it was a smart move to keep in contact with R. Morris and to show his people the Knicks were interested.

Posted by JohnWallace44:

So you say Chandler's a good player, and the problem is? He can shoot, and play D, which is what this team needs, and the problem is?

The major problem, aside from the position he was drafted, is if you look at the position he plays, does he fit into this team in any way? Not without a few major moves that change the structure of this team again. We have a lot of players/assets, but it's unclear who will have a role with this team and who will have a role with a different team.

Overall Rankings - Best of the Summer
1. Aaron Brooks, G, Houston
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
5 31.8 21.4 3.2 5.2 0.20 0.00 .461 .419 .857

Drafted: 26
The T-Mobile Rookie of the Month finished seventh in scoring and sixth in assists in the NBA Summer League. His quickness is obvious, and he also proved that he can shoot the rock, hitting 13-of-31 from downtown. But one wonders if his playing time took a hit with the Rockets' acquisition of Steve Francis.


2. Rodney Stuckey, G, Detroit
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
5 30.6 19.0 4.0 2.6 1.20 0.00 .464 .333 .903

Drafted: 15
Stuckey was the best player on one of the best teams at the NBA Summer League. He shot the ball well and got into the paint consistently. He should be the first guard off the bench for the Pistons this season.


3. Marco Belinelli, G, Golden State
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
4 37.3 22.8 1.8 2.5 1.50 0.00 .436 .444 .688

Drafted: 18
Belinelli's play dropped off a bit after his first two magnificent games in Vegas, as he shot just 11-for-35 (.314) over the next two contests. He missed the final game in order to fly back to Italy for national team training, but not before he signed a contract with the Warriors.


4. Glen Davis, F, Boston
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
5 27.0 12.0 9.8 1.6 0.80 1.80 .432 .000 .710

Drafted: 35
Davis finished fourth in the NBA Summer League in rebounds, just one board short of averaging a double-double. His 19-point, 14-board performance in the Celtics' final game was one of the best of the summer. But Big Baby still doesn't have a guaranteed spot on the roster, so he's got some work to do.


5. Jared Dudley, F, Charlotte
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
5 29.2 12.6 7.0 2.2 1.60 0.00 .595 .500 .640

Drafted: 22
Dudley was the best rookie at the Pepsi Pro Summer League, scoring inside and out, and leading his team in rebounds. The wing positions are certainly crowded in Charlotte, but Dudley may just earn himself some decent burn this season.


6. Wilson Chandler, F, New York
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
5 28.2 13.4 5.2 1.8 1.00 2.00 .509 .400 .600

Drafted: 23
Chandler did a little bit of everything for the 5-0 Knicks in Las Vegas. And you have to be impressed with his .509 shooting percentage (and 4-of-10 from downtown) in a league where good shooting was not exactly prevalent.


7. Demetris Nichols, F, New York
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
5 24.4 15.6 2.0 2.6 0.20 0.80 .526 .391 .750

Drafted: 53
Nichols, known as a shooter, stroked it at a decent clip from downtown, but he shot it at a very impressive .618 from inside the arc. And the 2.6 assists per game tells us that he can do more than just shoot it.


8. Javaris Crittenton, G, L.A. Lakers
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
5 28.6 17.0 2.4 3.0 0.80 0.40 .485 .250 .633

Drafted: 19
Three great games. Two not-so-great ones. That's inconsistency, and that's what you come to expect from rookies. But Crittenton's game-winner against the Bucks, 26 points on 10-of-17 against the Blazers and 28 on 9-of-18 against the Pistons outweigh his 5-for-18 in the Lakers' other two games.


9. Kevin Durant, F, Seattle
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
5 34.6 25.0 1.8 0.4 1.60 0.40 .333 .250 .869

Drafted: 2
Durant didn't shoot well, didn't board well, and recorded just two assists in 173 minutes of Summer League action, but he did get to the line more than 12 times per game, and he made the most of his opportunities there. He gets bonus points for his 22-point, five-board performance in Team USA's scrimmage on Sunday.


10. Acie Law, G, Atlanta
G MPG PPG RPG APG SPG BPG FG% 3P% FT%
6 27.6 13.6 2.4 6.0 0.40 0.00 .440 .200 .821

Drafted: 11
Law struggled (3-for-13) in his first game, but he recovered after that, shooting .514 the rest of the way. And no matter how he was shooting, he was always creating for others, recording at least five assists in all five games he played in Salt Lake City.


The Next Ten (alphabetical order): Corey Brewer (MIN), Otis George (PHX), Aaron Gray (CHI), Jeff Green (SEA), Spencer Hawes (SAC), Dominic McGuire (WAS), Oleksiy Pecherov (WAS), D.J. Strawberry (PHX), Al Thornton (LAC), Alando Tucker (PHX)

PEPSI PRO SUMMER LEAGUE RANKINGS

Gortat 1. Jared Dudley (CHA)
12.6 PPG, 7.0 RPG, 2.2 APG, 1.60 SPG, .595 FG% in 5 games
2. Marcin Gortat (ORL)
10.0 PPG, 6.8 RPG, 2.6 APG, 3.20 BPG, .463 FG% in 5 games
3. Aaron Gray (CHI)
10.2 PPG, 5.4 RPG, 1.20 SPG, 1.20 BPG, .375 FG% in 5 games
4. Sean Williams (NJN)
9.8 PPG, 3.8 RPG, 1.40 BPG, .516 FG% in 5 games
5. Jermareo Davidson (CHA)
10.6 PPG, 3.6 RPG, 1.00 SPG, 1.00 BPG, .415 FG% in 5 games




ROCKY MOUNTAIN REVUE RANKINGS

Gray 1. Acie Law (ATL)
13.6 PPG, 2.4 RPG, 6.0 APG, .440 FG% in 5 games
2. Aaron Gray (CHI)
13.0 PPG, 6.5 RPG, 1.25 BPG, .618 FG% in 4 games
3. C.J. Watson (SAS)
14.2 PPG, 2.2 RPG, 3.2 APG, 1.20 SPG, .529 FG%, 4-7 3PT in 5 games
4. Jeff Green (SEA)
19.3 PPG, 4.3 RPG, 2.7 APG, 1.00 SPG, .383 FG% in 3 games
5. Al Horford (ATL)
9.3 PPG, 9.0 RPG, 2.8 APG, .342 FG% in 4 games



Noteworthy

Brewer
Corey Brewer (MIN) shot just .281 from the floor, but was just two rebounds short of averaging a double-double and was one of the better defenders in Vegas.
Mike Conley (MEM) struggled with his shot, but he made things happen on the floor, averaging 11.4 points, 3.0 boards, 5.2 assists and 1.00 steals for the Grizzlies.
Daequan Cook (MIA) scored 21 points on 8-of-16 in the Heat's fourth game (of five) in Orlando, but he shot just 7-for-37 (.189) the rest of the week.
JamesOn Curry (CHI) had one of the best games in Orlando, a 19-point, six-board, six-dime performance against New Jersey.
Nick Fazekas (DAL) struggled a bit in Vegas, but he had one of the best games of any rookie in Salt Lake City, scoring 23 points (on 10-of-12) and grabbing seven boards against the Spurs.
Free agent Thomas Gardner (CHI) averaged 17.3 points for the Bulls at the Rocky Mountain Revue.
The best free agent rookie of the summer was Otis George (PHX), who averaged 10.4 points and 9.4 boards for the Suns in Vegas.
Marcin Gortat (ORL) earned himself an invite to training camp with his play in Orlando.
Aaron Gray (CHI) saved the best for last, shooting 9-for-10 for 23 points while grabbing nine boards in the Bulls' RMR finale.
Jeff Green (SEA) was inconsistent, but he did record two double-doubles (on in Vegas and one in Salt Lake City), including the Line of the Summer (above).
The Report is not sure who Ron Hale (PHX) is, but he scored 25 points on 9-of-13 for the Suns in a win over the Hornets.
Mike Harris (HOU) was another impressive free agent, averaging 12.6 points and 7.0 boards while shooting .677 from the field for the Rockets in Vegas.
Spencer Hawes (SAC) put up 16.6 points per game, but his shooting wasn't terrific and he averaged almost four turnovers per contest.
Like Gray, Herbert Hill's (PHI) best game was his last one. He scored 18 points (on 9-of-11) and grabbed nine boards in the Sixers final game at the RMR.
After an impressive first two games in Salt Lake City, Al Horford (ATL) sat out two games with a sprained ankle. He then shot just 3-for-18 when he returned, but he did grab 14 boards in the Hawks' last game.
D-League All-Star Pooh Jeter (SAC, SAS) should be in an NBA camp come October. He played for the Kings in Vegas and the Spurs in Salt Lake City, averaging 11.8 points, 2.9 boards, 2.9 assists and 1.63 steals in eight total games.
Yi Jianlian (MIL) averaged 12.4 points in Vegas and had the game-winning basket against the Cavs, but he shot just .255 from the field and committed 37 total fouls in five games.
Coby Karl (LAL) probably earned himself a camp invite, shooting .528 from the field, including 8-of-17 from downtown for the Lakers in Vegas.
While Nick Young (WAS) struggled a bit (.388 from the field, 3-of-16 from downtown), Dominic McGuire (WAS) looked more NBA ready, averaging 12.0 points and 6.2 boards for the Wizards.
Recovering from his tonsilectomy and telling nasty stories about the aftermath, Greg Oden (POR) might be able to return for the second go-round of USA Basketball training in mid-August.
Inconsistent in Vegas, Jason Smith (PHI) started to play better when the Sixers arrived at the RMR, but he sprained his ankle in last Tuesday's game against the Spurs and missed the finale on Friday.
Al Thornton (LAC) was a volume scorer for the Clippers, averaging 17.6 points per game, but never shooting better than 8-for-18.
Alando Tucker (PHX) went off for 29 points on 10-of-19 against the Sixers, and had his highest assist total (six) in the same game. Gotta love Suns basketball.
With Morris Peterson coming to New Orleans, Julian Wright (NOH) won't necessarily need to produce right away, which is probably a good thing for all parties. He was very inconsistent in Vegas, including an 0-for-9 outing against the Bucks.
Thaddeus Young (PHI) was inconsistent as well (especially at the RMR), but he recorded two double-doubles in Vegas.





Got beef with the rankings or have a comment or question for the Rookie Report? Send the Report an e-mail and RR may respond to it on Thursday.

Posted by JohnWallace44:

Solace, he's a wing that plays D and can shoot.

He doesn't fit? We have Q to fit that role, and he's got injury problems.

This guy fits.

If we had drafted Fernandez there would have beeen tons of complaints, and rightfully so that we've got enough shooters and needed defense.

I just don't see minutes for him. With the way the structure is right now, if Chandler is playing, it means that some higher priced player isn't. Now, that *could* happen, but we have a lot of high priced players who are slated for the majority of the minutes at those positions, so again, I don't see how Chandler fits unless we make a move to rid ourselves of some redundancies. We have a lot of redundancies in the fact that we have so many players that can fill similar roles and no clear stars. Is Chandler a SF? If so, you have Jared Jeffries, Renaldo Balkman and Quentin Richardson. No minutes for Chandler. If Chandler could play SG, it's even worse. You have Quentin Richardson, Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson, Dimitris Nichols (who might not play either). No minutes for Chandler. So, to spell it out for you, because you ignored my point, as usual, where are the minutes? Just as there's only one ball, there's only 48 minutes per game per position. If you want minutes for Chandler, do we trade Crawford? Quentin? Jared? Nate? If so, is there any interest from other teams in these guys? If so, what do you hope to get back in return?

Posted by Solace:

Posted by JohnWallace44:

Solace, he's a wing that plays D and can shoot.

He doesn't fit? We have Q to fit that role, and he's got injury problems.

This guy fits.

If we had drafted Fernandez there would have beeen tons of complaints, and rightfully so that we've got enough shooters and needed defense.

I just don't see minutes for him. With the way the structure is right now, if Chandler is playing, it means that some higher priced player isn't. Now, that *could* happen, but we have a lot of high priced players who are slated for the majority of the minutes at those positions, so again, I don't see how Chandler fits unless we make a move to rid ourselves of some redundancies. We have a lot of redundancies in the fact that we have so many players that can fill similar roles and no clear stars. Is Chandler a SF? If so, you have Jared Jeffries, Renaldo Balkman and Quentin Richardson. No minutes for Chandler. If Chandler could play SG, it's even worse. You have Quentin Richardson, Jamal Crawford, Nate Robinson, Dimitris Nichols (who might not play either). No minutes for Chandler. So, to spell it out for you, because you ignored my point, as usual, where are the minutes? Just as there's only one ball, there's only 48 minutes per game per position. If you want minutes for Chandler, do we trade Crawford? Quentin? Jared? Nate? If so, is there any interest from other teams in these guys? If so, what do you hope to get back in return?

Come on now Solace. You don't not draft a guy cuz you've got an OK player at the position now. If Isiah feels Chandler's upside exceeds what he has now, then you take him, teach him and groom him to replace the guys ahead of him. But having the other guys there is a form of insurance if that draft pick doesn't pan out. There will be opportunities over the next couple of years for Chandler to get some burn and for us to see what he's got. It's always been that way with Isiah.

Not everyone is gonna stay. Change is inevitable at some point. SF is the one position where we can afford to have some redundancy. We don't have that position locked down yet with someone that is rock solid. There's always some kind of trade that can be made if you want to clear space, you can also send the current player to the bench if he's not getting it done and there's also the drastic option to work out a buyout if there's no deal and you really feel a player needs to be replaced. We've got time before anything close to that needs to be considered. Chandler is 20 and still very green.

Posted by nixluva:

Posted by Anji:

Don't mind Chandler, but @ 23..... that is a horrible pick!!!! What was the point of tampering witht the kid and having skip workouts to take him there???? It was stupid!!!!!

Are you being serious? What makes you think that you have enough insight into this kid to make that kind of determination. Isiah is a bigtime talent evaluator, along with his staff. They KNOW what they're doing. It's more than evident by the results of the picks they've had. Very few teams have done as much with the kind of low picks we've had. Go and find the teams that consistently finds good players this late in the draft. How can you then come and say that it's a stupid move to take him at 23?

Isiah realized that if people started to see him that they might see what he saw in the kid. I think it was a smart move. Like it was a smart move to keep in contact with R. Morris and to show his people the Knicks were interested.

What the hell is so so smart about it??? YOu take a kid who is projected to be a second round pick, hide him and pick him.............. in the first at 23???? LOL, there is nothing smart about that, it is the opposite of smart!!! What is the point of hiding chandler to take him 23rd??? Other then Isiah saying look at me??? Considering Isiah also wanted another player in this draft in Nichols, why not trade do to 28 or lower and get an second round pick. Instead we had to burn a second round pick from next to get him.

Now I know you are thinking you don't care about the second round next year, even though there is always a chance that something goes wrong with Chandler or Nichols and we could want to get the "2008 stars in knick nation before they even play players in the mold", second round projected Glen Rice/Shawn Marion versions of Chandler and Nichols.... but that's not even my point. Defending Isiah over paying for everything has to stop at some point, because we can't do this for every player we get. That's why other teams get better out of nowhere, because they have GMS who make enough value moves along the way to getting the players want, they can't help but be good. If Isiah couldn't see that him being "right" about finding a diamond in the ruff needed to take a back seat making a smart deal for the better of the team in this situation, then he will never do it.

The stars aligned with a player nobody saw being our top pick on the war room board being in a draft were players mocked to get picked before 23rd were going in the second round and Isiah's ego still won out.......... he is hopeless.

Posted by nixluva:

Come on now Solace. You don't not draft a guy cuz you've got an OK player at the position now. If Isiah feels Chandler's upside exceeds what he has now, then you take him, teach him and groom him to replace the guys ahead of him. But having the other guys there is a form of insurance if that draft pick doesn't pan out. There will be opportunities over the next couple of years for Chandler to get some burn and for us to see what he's got. It's always been that way with Isiah.

Not everyone is gonna stay. Change is inevitable at some point. SF is the one position where we can afford to have some redundancy. We don't have that position locked down yet with someone that is rock solid. There's always some kind of trade that can be made if you want to clear space, you can also send the current player to the bench if he's not getting it done and there's also the drastic option to work out a buyout if there's no deal and you really feel a player needs to be replaced. We've got time before anything close to that needs to be considered. Chandler is 20 and still very green.

Posted by Pharzeone:

Didn't Thomas indicate that the player he was selecting would not really be in the rotation this upcoming season? Which is fine by me because I think he is a hybrid SF which is what the NBA seems to be going these days. A player with all around skills. I personally have no faith that Q Rich will last 82 games and for that matter many other Knicks. Apparently, he does not favor Jefferies anymore with all the trade rumors surfacing with his name. Do you think if he would have drafted Almond that he was going to take Crawford's minutes, Marbury's or Q-Rich. Any rookie should face the same problem. They will have to earn minutes in practice or when the opportunity arrives.

I'll respond to both of you as one combined response. I never claimed we shouldn't draft Chandler because we have no room for him to play. I merely asked, how will we go about making a role for him on this roster? Not just this year, not just next, not just the year after. We have a lot of guys locked up to multi-year deals, and we have younger players who are currently higher on the depth charts than Chandler. So, where does Chandler fit in? That's all.

I agree about earning minutes, and certainly if Chandler comes out and plays like Balkman/Lee, the minutes will be there. I just think there's a lot of "depth" before Chandler, so it's hard to see him finding a role. If he is to be an important piece, who do you see going to make room for him? If you like Chandler, then who do we rid ourselves of to make room for him, in the coming years? Crawford? Balkman? Quentin? Jared? Nate? Nichols? Etc...? If it's Jared and Quentin, maybe you can give Chandler a few minutes. But if Balkman, Craw and Nate wind up being the key cogs, minutes will still be low for both Chandler and Nichols. It's a concern, that's all.