While with the Suns, Mike D’Antoni established the reputation that his teams would be at the top of the NBA in terms of conditioning.

One of the tools he used was the Colorado Altitude Training, or “CAT”, an enclosed chamber where players work out with less oxygen. This tool is very useful for players who aren’t playing that many minutes, as they can come off the bench in better shape, but it works for all players who want to build stamina quickly, as 20 minutes in the “CAT” is the equivalent of an 1 hour outside of it.

Bottom line is, if Eddy Curry or Quentin Richardson or Randolph are truly committed to getting in game shape, sounds like the CAT may be Donnie Walsh’s next acquisition.

I had a chance to talk with Alan Hahn earlier today. We discussed his impression of the atmosphere around the Knicks organization, Wilson Chandler‘s emergence, and Danilo Gallinari. Alan also gave his thoughts on what he believes the rest of the summer will bring for veterans Stephon Marbury and Zach Randolph.

Listen live at 9pm or download the replay by going to THE KNICKSBLOG RADIO ARCHIVE.

Yes, he only played one game in the summer league, but we’re curious as to:

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The Minnesota Timberwolves beat the Knicks 111-91 in the finale of the Vegas Summer League. With the loss the Knicks finished with a 2-3 record.  Anthony Roberson was the lone bright spot leading the team with 23 pts on 9 of 18 shooting. Wilson Chandler had a quiet night scoring only 4 points in 15 minutes of play.

As Tommy Dee pointed out, the steam from the week was taken away with the injury to Gallinari. Unless your looking foward to the Olympics, this will be the last competitive basketball until training camp. Overall you have to be pleased with the performance of Wilson Chandler. See you in October guys.

The Charlotte Bobcats easily handled the Knicks on Saturday 103-71. The Knicks are now 2-2 in the Vegas summer league. Some game notes:

- Wilson Chandler continued his on again/off again performance with a 5 for 13, 10pt, 9 rebound performance.

- Mardy Collins and Nate Robinson combined to shoot 2 for 16, but still scored 20 pts thanks to 18 free throws.

- Anthony Roberson had his first lousy outing of the summer scoring only 4 points on 2 for 9 shooting.

The Knicks third game of Summer League turned into the Wilson Chandler show, as the Knicks sophomore sensation turned in a masterful performance to lift New York to an 85-80 victory. The Knicks now possess a 2-1 record after their first three games of the week-long tournament.

“Winning is always good, especially a game like that when everybody gets the ball,” Chandler said after the game.

Entering the game averaging 18.0 points, 7.5 rebounds and 2.0 assists in his first two games, Chandler, the Knicks’ first round draft choice in 2007, was dominant. The versatile forward recorded a double-double with a game-high 31 points and 12 rebounds. Shooting 11-for-19 from the field, he also chipped in on the defensive side with a block and a steal.

“I just try to play hard no matter if it’s offense or defense,” said Chandler. “Last game I settled for a lot of jump shots, so this game I tried to get to the basket more and see if I could create.”

Chandler was a force from start to finish, scoring 10 points in the first quarter alone before scoring 10 of the team’s last 15 points to seal the victory.

Third-year point guard Mardy Collins turned in a stellar all-around performance as well, recording 13 points, six boards, seven assists and one steal. He combined on a pair of highlight reel dunks with Chandler that rattled the Thomas & Mack Center and COX Pavilion on the campus of UNLV.

Anthony Roberson, who has made a clear impact on Knicks’ brass, turned in another fine performance. Averaging 15.7 points and 2.0 rebounds per game, the former University of Florida star scored 13 points and two rebounds in Wednesday’s matinee. He also showed grit coming back late from an injury to help the Knicks preserve the victory.

The Knicks return to action tomorrow afternoon with a 4:00pm match-up against D.J. Augustin and the Charlotte Bobcats. The game will be broadcast on MSG.

I have to say I lost a little steam when Danilo was pulled out of action, but I absolutely love Wilson Chandler. The ability to bounce back from a subpar performance is just one of the many steps a young player has to take in order to get to the next level.

The Spurs beat the Knicks 82-67 in Vegas Summer League action. Some quick highlights:

- Newly signed Anthony Roberson led the Knicks with 12 points

- Wilson Chandler came back down to earth (10pts, 7rbs, 1assist)

- Renaldo Balkman sprained his ankle and is questionable for Friday’s game against Phoenix

- Nate Robinson played an ineffective 26 minutes (2 for 10 from the field, 10 points)

- The who is this guy player of the game: Paul Miller with 10 pts and 9 rebounds.

- The Knicks were blown away in the second half by 19 points

- You could check out the boxscore at nba.com

Alan Hahn reports that the Knicks will shut down Danilo Gallinari for the rest of the summer league. This is a precautionary move based on a sore back and an MRI found no significant damage.

Too bad! I wanted to see more of Gallinari. We will all have to wait for updates from the European championships. It would have been nice to see him in the Olympics. Can’t blame the Knicks for being cautious on this one.

Anthony Roberson, who had a 22 points in his summer league debut, was signed to a 2-year contract last night by the Knicks. The Knicks now have 16 guaranteed contracts, one over the league maximum. Marc Berman speculates that this could mean the end of Stephon Marbury, or possibly Jerome James.

Roberson looked good against Cleveland, but I have to admit I know very little about him. I mentioned how the Knicks couldn’t sign him because of the lack of an opening, but clearly I was wrong. Some have compared him to Jannero Pargo or Eddie House. I get the sense this is a player that could thrive in the D’Antoni System. I will watch him more closely against San Antonio and give everyone a report to see where he fits.

Word out of Las Vegas is that Danilo Gallinari will sit for today’s game against the Spurs due to soreness.

Tommy Dee and I will be recapping the Knicks Game 1 victory over the Cavs in the Vegas Summer League. We will give our take on Danilo Gallinari‘s debut, is Wilson Chandler the real deal, Mardy Collins at the point, and who is Anthony Roberson?

To listen live at 3:30pm or to download the replay go to THE KNICKSBLOG RADIO PAGE

Check out the guys at realknicks.com, who did a great video breakdown of yesterday’s game.

After struggling through the 1st half of his debut, rookie Danilo Gallinari had an impressive offensive 2nd, showing a variety of skills totalling for 14 points on 5-11 shooting.

Here is the breakdown of his impressive 3rd quarter, as well as his highlight through-the-legs pullback in the 4th:

Breakdown of Gali's Impressive Second Half

1) Put back follow-up dunk-  ed. note: the dunk was on weak side not right block.

2) Draws foul posting on the left block; Makes both FTs

3) Beautiful step in pull back from just inside the arc.

4) Spots in the corner at the end of the quarter, hits a catch-and-shoot jumper after nice draw and kick pass from Roberson.

5) Highlight of the night, catches the ball in the high post, waits for guards to cut before breaking his man down off the dribble; hits fadeaway jumper.

DEFENSE AND INTANGIBLES

Obviously, the kid needs to work on his strength, as he often got pushed around particluarly inside. I’m not sure if he has the ability to guard 4s, but he may not need to. His rebounding was relatively non-existent.

He was excellent in moving the ball, as well as handling it, and clearly has a very high basketball IQ.

But most importantly for Knicks fans, the kid has a PURE shooting stroke and, combined with his pick-and-pop ability and high release point, should have little difficulty getting his shot off right away. He’ll need sets to get him open.

Just finished watching the Knicks first summer league game (in between Josh Hamilton Home Runs) and have this to add.

- Gallinari showed me something by not backing down after a rough first half. Regardless of what the detractors have to say, the Rooster showed that he will not run away from a challenge. We all know he is a work in progress.

- Do the Knicks have a star in the making? Alan Hahn makes an excellent point about how Wilson Chandler might be Isiah’s last and best draft pick. I am not ready to call Chandler “the matrix” but he showed how explosive and versatile a player he can be.

- Quietly Mardy Collins ran the team effectively. Two years ago he impressed me with a few big games at the end of the year. He clearly regressed last season with the various injuries and lack of playing time. I am going to be watching him more this summer.

- Who is Anthony Roberson? Basketball Reference and Wikipedia might help.

- Question of the day: What is Robert Traylor still doing on a basketball court?

- If you like to review the boxscore from the Knicks 97-94 win over the Cavs click here.