Notes from a trip to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Mike D'Antoni found himself in a whole new world of bizarre when he took the New York Job, from the environment to the media to the players. And by players, I mean Stephon Marbury. For a team trying to rebuild, the Summer League can be absolutely vital. I caught up with Coach D'Antoni yesterday to briefly ask him about Summer League, the plethora of guys on roster right now (16), and of course, Stephon Marbury's newest tat.

MM: What are the most important benefits the Summer League brings to a team?

MD: Well, it gives you a look at your rookies. It gives them a taste of the NBA. It gives you a chance to spend a week with them, and get to know the personalities of the first and second year guys, and work on their games.

MM: You signed Roberson, obviously, so there's going to be some thinning out of the roster. Do you consider it a blessing to have that much talent, or does this more give you a chance to get rid of some guys you don't want?

MD: Well, we're in the process of fixing the roster. We do have six days, so something's going to happen. We're pretty comfortable where we're at. There's no real set plan of "We'll do this tomorrow and this the next day." We're still evaluating every day.


MM: Who's really impressed you as far as work ethic during the summer league?

MD: Well, I think they're all working hard. Even some of the veterans have come out and worked on their own. They're all working extremely hard. To name one guy would be a disservice to the others and the progress they've all had.

MM: I wanted to know if you had any thoughts on Stephon Marbury's new head tattoo.

MD: That had to hurt. I don't know, I mean, tattoos aren't my thing. But I would think that would cause some pain.