After going undefeated during the 2007 NBA Summer League, the New York Knicks look to repeat this success as their youngest players hit the court for the 2008 NBA Summer League, next week presented by EA SPORTS, at the Thomas & Mack Center and COX Pavilion on the campus of UNLV.

Although Summer League play officially begins this Friday, the Knicks tip off their first game on Monday, July 14 at 4 p.m., facing first-round draft pick J.J. Hickson and the Cleveland Cavaliers. Under the guidance of one of their new assistant coaches, Phil Weber, New York will also go up against George Hill and the San Antonio Spurs, Robin Lopez and the Phoenix Suns, D.J. Augustin and the Charlotte Bobcats and Kevin Love and the Minnesota Timberwolves during the weeklong event.

Headlining the Knicks squad this season are 2008 first-rounder Danilo Gallinari, last year's Summer League MVP Nate Robinson, and Wilson Chandler, Renaldo Balkman and Mardy Collins.

Summer League marks the first chance for Knicks fans to catch a glimpse of Gallinari, the 6-foot-9 Italian forward who dominated European professional basketball. The 19-year-old Italian native averaged a team-high 17.5 points and 5.7 rebounds last season for Armani Jeans Milano of the Italian A-1 League, while tallying 14.9 points and 4.2 rebounds in 2008 Euroleague play. He was named Euroleague Rising Star for the 2007-08 season, and is considered a cornerstone for President, Basketball Operations Donnie Walsh and Head Coach Mike D'Antoni's new look-Knicks.

Robinson returns for his fourth Summer League event after being named MVP last July. The energetic point guard averaged 19.6 points, 6.0 assists and 3.6 rebounds to lead New York to a 5-0 record in 2007. During the 2007-08 regular season, Robinson continued to be a sparkplug off the bench, averaging 12.7 points, 3.1 rebounds and 2.9 assists, including a monster 45-point performance at The Garden against the Portland Trail Blazers on March 8.

Last year's first-round draft choice, Chandler, is eagerly anticipating his second Summer League after injuring his knee in the second to last game of the 2007-08 season against the Boston Celtics. The athletic swing forward made a name for himself during his first turn last summer, averaging 13.4 points, 5.2 boards and 2.0 blocks per game. Chandler also came on strong toward the end of the regular season, starting 16 games down the stretch while averaging 18.0 points, 7.8 rebounds and 1.0 blocks during his last four games prior to his injury. He finished his rookie year averaging 7.3 points and 3.6 boards per game.

Balkman, another animated forward, returns for his third summer league after dominating the competition his last time around. A first-round selection in 2006, Balkman put together an outstanding line last year as a leader for the Knicks, averaging 13.2 points, 7.6 boards, 2.2 assists, 2.2 steals and 1.8 blocks over five games. Unfortunately, much of the momentum built from his stupendous play was halted after he suffered an injury later in the summer, causing him to miss all of training camp. Still, the Garden favorite turned in a solid 2007-08 campaign off the bench, averaging 3.4 points and 3.3 boards while playing his tough, physical brand of defense.

Collins, unable to participate last year as he recovered from off-season surgery, returns for his second Summer League after previously participating in 2006. In his second professional season, Collins averaged 3.2 points, 1.6 rebounds and 1.9 assists off the pine.

Rounding out the remainder of the Knicks' Summer League roster are Antonio Graves, Dan Grunfeld, Marcus Hall, Delonte Holland, Brandon Hunter, Antoine Johnson, Paul Miller, Anthony Roberson, Zhang Songtao and Von Wafer.

Most notable amongst these is Wafer, a second-round draft pick of the Los Angeles Lakers in 2005. He turned heads last summer as a member of the Denver Nuggets' Summer League squad, averaging 24.2 points, 3.0 boards and 1.6 assists including 42-point performance against the Knicks. Wafer has appeared in the NBA for four clubs in three years, including the Lakers, Los Angeles Clippers, Nuggets and Trail Blazers, averaging 1.4 points, 0.6 rebounds and 0.2 assists.

All games will be televised on MSG. Click here for more information.

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