Renaldo Balkman, That’s Who

But remember this, too, about Balkman. Draft Guide or no, he’s already known a golden Garden moment that few can equal.

That came just a few months ago, when he led his South Carolina squad to an NIT championship on the Garden floor, earning tournament MVP honors for good measure. That was his second straight trip to the NIT Finals on the hoop world’s biggest stage, and any first-time jitters were washed away very quickly.

“As far as the NIT goes, we went there twice, and the first time we were there I had a lot of butterflies and I couldn’t get in a good rhythm to go play well,” says Balkman. “The second time, it was like, `I’ve got to play my game, let everything go, let all the butterflies go.’

“The first time we played, it was like, as a kid, I always wanted to play in Madison Square Garden. (Now) I’m here, I’ve got all these butterflies. The second time we played, everything was gone. There was no fear. I went out there and busted my head wide open to get it done.”

For the 6-foot-8 Balkman, a defensive banger whose style Isiah Thomas has likened to Dennis Rodman and Ron Artest, the 2006 NIT MVP award was a fitting capper to a three-year college career that produced 7.4 points, 5.3 rebounds and a .553 shooting average. The fact that he didn’t earn a lot of notoriety prior to the Draft only heightened the drama for Renaldo and those around him when the Knicks made him their first of two opening-round picks.

“It was just crazy,” he remembers. “I was sitting there watching TV and they said, `Number 20, New York Knicks’. My family members were like, `Yo, you’re coming to New York.’ I was like, `Man, go ahead,’ and before you know it, it was, `Renaldo Balkman.’

“We woke up the whole apartment complex that night, man. Everybody was outside, I was crying. It was the happiest moment for me. It was crazy.”

Having officially signed with the Knicks on July 5, Balkman is taking his first baby steps as a pro in this week’s Toshiba Vegas Summer League, averaging 7.5 points and 4.8 rebounds over 23.0 minutes in starting each of the Knicks’ first four games. In Monday’s triumph over Sacramento, he scored 11 points (eight in the second half) and added eight rebounds and three assists over 25 minutes in the comeback win.

“It’s a different level and a different style of basketball, but at the same time, my style of play is physical,” says Balkman, a Staten Island native who went to prep school in North Carolina. “Everybody knows me as a physical player. That’s my game, I like to bang, go head to head and nose to nose. That’s my game.”

It was a game that no doubt attracted the attention of Thomas and the rest of the Knicks’ brass. Now it’s upon Balkman to justify his coach’s faith, a task he relishes.

“He’s a great guy. It’s a pleasure to have him be my coach and just, again, thanking him that he picked me (at) number 20,” says Renaldo, who turns 22 in a few days. “Growing up and watching some of his games, it’s like, `You know what? I’m playing for Isiah,’ (in) the Mecca of basketball. He knows a lot about the game, and it’s a pleasure. A pleasure. A plea-sure.”

Balkman suffered a sprained ankle early during the Knicks’ week in Las Vegas, but he won’t allow it to slow down his development during this important stretch.

“It rolled, but I’m a fighter, man. I’m a fighter,” he says. “There’s nothing that’s going to stop me from playing basketball, man, unless it’s an injury that I need surgery with. But as far as that goes, whatever it is, I’m going to play through it because I’m a fighter.”

He’ll probably have to fight through some pre-conceived notions from a lot of so-called experts. It’s too late for Renaldo Balkman to have a bio page in the NBA Draft Guide, but his time to shine as a professional – and add to his list of golden Garden moments – may just be starting.

“I’ve just gotta go out there and play my game,” says a reflective Balkman. “As far as that goes, people everywhere are going to say something about somebody. It’s not just about me, you’re talking about everybody else, too. There’s a lot of people saying, `Well, who’s this guy?’ when I got picked.

“But my game on the court will show them who I am. I’m not going out there to prove to people that I can really play basketball; I just want to go out there and play my game, and show them that it was a great pick.”

TUESDAY’S GAME: The Knicks took a double-figure lead in the first quarter and never looked back Tuesday night, routing the Detroit Pistons 91-68 at Cox Pavilion to improve their Summer League record to 3-1 with one game remaining.

With the Knicks building as much as a 28-point lead, coach Mark Aguirre was able to rest his starters early and give quality minutes to some of the off-the-bench group of Summer Leaguers. Colorado State’s Brian Greene scored a team-high 17 points in 22 minutes, while Wichita State’s Paul Miller had 13 points on 6-for-8 shooting. Walker Russell Jr., son of Knicks scout Walker D. Russell, had 12 points in 21 bench minutes.

Nate Robinson, who suffered a broken nose in the third quarter of Monday’s win over Sacramento, received treatment from Knicks director of player care Dr. Lisa Callahan and elected not to wear a protective mask in Tuesday’s game. A maskless Nate still logged 19 minutes with eight points and five assists. David Lee had 10 points and nine rebounds in 26 starting minutes, adding three assists and three steals. Alex Acker, who was picked 60th overall by the Pistons in the 2005 Draft and spent most of last season in the D-League, scored a game-high 22 points for Detroit.

SUMMER LEAGUE FINALE: Following a day off on Wednesday, the Knicks will conclude play in the Toshiba Vegas Summer League on Thursday afternoon, when they face the Washington Wizards at Cox Pavilion. Game time is 4:00 p.m. Eastern, and the game will be shown live on MSG Network.