Danilo Gallinari struggled in the first half in the Knicks’ 97-94 victory over the Cavaliers yesterday. He missed his first five shots while going scoreless through the first two quarters. The 19-year old was pushed around the basket resulting in three quick fouls and three turnovers in the first quarter. His 6’10” 210 pound frame needs to add muscle if he wants to play power forward in the NBA. The “Italian Stallion” was overmatched at times trying to guard the 6’9” 285-pound Robert “Tractor” Traylor in the paint. Gallinari is still growing and Coach Mike D’Antoni believes the rookie will get used to the punishment.

Danilo played much better in the second half, making five of his last six shots, several from outside, showing his versatility, range and ball-handling skills.  He also turned an offensive rebound into a put-back dunk. He occasionally brought the ball up court and showed his point-forward potential. It seemed like he had a better grasp on the plays and the way the referees called the game. He played with toughness and showed the resilient mentality that the Knicks were raving about. He committed only one turnover and two fouls during the half. “Gallo” finished with 14 points, six rebounds, two assists and a block in his summer league debut. All of his points were scored over the final 13 minutes. Due to a sore back, number eight was taken out with five minutes left in the game. Some of the pain can be attributed to guarding “Tractor” Traylor who is trying to make a comeback after playing in the league for seven seasons.

However, the real star of the game was second-year player out of DePaul, Wilson Chandler. He scored 26 points, grabbed eight rebounds, had two steals and blocked two shots. The 21 year-old was 11-21 from the field and showed vast improvement on his jumper and defense. He was able to keep the blocked shots inbounds and his steals resulted in fast breaks. With a minute left and the game tied he hit a go ahead three after taking the ball up court. D’Antoni referred to Chandler as a “gamer” and he established himself as a go-to scorer during the game. The Gallinari-Chandler combo is a much more promising front court of the future than the Zach Randolph-Eddy Curry duo.

Coach D’Antoni has been raving about Chandler’s progress coming into the summer league. He is a superb athlete at 6’8”, a solid perimeter defender and a forceful weak side shot blocker that fits well into the new system. If Chandler continues his strong play, he could be well on his way to a spot in the rookie-sophomore game during All Star Weekend In the final five games to end the 2007-2008 season number 21 averaged 15.6 points, 6.4 rebounds and close to a block per game. The Knicks next game is tomorrow against the Spurs.