Knicks Summer League Coverage: Day 2 vs. the Suns

The Knicks' encore to their stellar performance in their first summer league game was almost as bad as the first game was good. The team looked like last year's Knicks, as they were out-hustled and out-muscled (thanks, Clyde) by a surprisingly spry Suns squad (how's that for alliteration). David Lee was the lone Knick to consistently play with heart, and for the stat-lovers, it showed in the line (10/13 FG, 21 pts, 13 boards).

Channing went through the motions in the first half, and then sprained his ankle while running up court (he stepped on a Sun's foot) in the second. Nate showed flashes of hustle, but overall not the type of performance we have grown accustomed to from the dunk champ. Similar story with Renaldo Balkman; he was still more lively than average, but he needs to have the type of aggression that will inspire a team. Yesterday, he did not. Mardy Collins looks like he is having no fun when he is playing, and it is causing him to simply run through the motions and therefore not do much of anything. He is not making bad plays, good plays, any plays... he is just there.

Off the bench, Ime Udoka (6'5" Wing) and Walker Russell, Jr. (6' PG) are the only two guys getting much P.T. The duo is playing fairly well when they step out on the court, however it is likely that only Ime will make the team (he spent part of last season on the team after he was called up from the NBDL). Otherwise, 6'10," 250 lb. Paul Miller from Wichita State has shown ability to hit from the outside in his limited minutes.

Pay attention to parentheses, stat lovers... As far as Phoenix is concerned, Amare (24 pts.) looked great. However, not the type of great you expect out of Amare. He did have 3 dunks, but they were all simple; human, if you will. His half court offense has almost completely transformed, or at least for the summer league. Whether he lost the explosion in his legs due to the micro-fracture surgery or if he just doesn't want to push it too hard in the summer league, Amare is utilizing a gorgeous stroke spanning all the way out to a couple of feet inside the NBA 3 line. Rather than jumping over people in the post, he now uses crafty post moves and little scoops to score on the block. Defensively, he also looked very strong (3 blocks). That being said, he finished the game with 1 (one) rebound. I would think it is safe to say that won't be a common occurrence, though.

Final score: 89-70, Phoenix