CHANDLER MAKING ISIAH LOOK GOOD

By MARC BERMAN

LAS VEGAS - Isiah Thomas may have left Donnie Walsh a nice parting
gift - 2007 first-rounder Wilson ChandlerWilson Chandler .

While the focus was on Danilo Gallinari's summer-league debut, the
player that will help most this coming season is second-year man
Wilson Chandler.

The other day at practice, Mike D'Antoni, unsolicited, raved about
Chandler and did so again after Monday's summer-league victory in
which Chandler scored 26 points with 8 rebounds and two blocks.


As we wrote in the blog the other day, D'Antoni envisions a
Chandler-Gallinari forward tandem for years to come. Chandler is the
kind of versatile forward, an explosive athlete, solid defender and
weakside shotblocker that D'Antoni craves.

I enjoyed watching Gallinari's crisp ballhandling in the intrasquad
scrimmage we were allowed to see Sunday night and he showed more
flashes of it in his 14-point debut. But my concern with Gallinari for
next season is if he'll be strong enough defensively to be an asset
because he may get overpowered by many of the NBA big men, not just
summer-leaguers. Because there is so much offensive potential.

"We have time to wait,'' D'Antoni said, indicating to not yet pencil
in the 19-year-old as a Rookie of the Year candidate.

Chandler has the whole package and you can pencil him in for the
Rookie-Sophomore Game in Phoenix during All-Star Weekend. He dominated
the game. And as Jeff Van Gundy said, if you don't dominate summer
league, mostly against guys who aren't good enough for the league,
it's not a good sign.

Chandler isn't the only drafted player by Isiah to like. Lee should be
the best, right now; to mention. Nate can also become meaningful.
Walsh nor D had seen Gallo play, but Isiah did and gave a positive
report making it easier for Walsh to draft Gallo.

Mardy and Balkman may still blossom into something. Isiah drafted and
then misled, mistaught, miscoached, misdeveloped, mistrained,
mispractice and simply was their biggest headache and failure after
drafting them.

Walsh seems to agree with this, or Isiah would not be in his present
job.

Syfo-Dyas:

> Isiah Thomas may have left Donnie Walsh a nice parting gift

What "parting"?

> or Isiah would not be in his present job.

More like it.

I'm calm.

DG