As of yesterday, it became official the Golden State Warriors signed free agent point guard Nate Robinson. Upon hearing this news, I was disgusted. Another undersized guard full of tattoos, flashy athletic attributes, and a slight temper. Sound familiar Warriors fans?
All basketball fans know Nate Robinson as the miniature point guard who dazzled while attending the University of Washington and is the only player in the history of the National Basketball Association to win the Slam Dunk Contest three times. Aside from the high flying, gravity defying dunks Robinson has served as a role player for the New York Knicks, Boston Celtics, and, most recently, the Oklahoma City Thunder. What Robinson has done for each squad has not been significant, but he has contributed. Robinson has averaged 11.3 PPG, 2.6 APG, and 2.6 RPG in his six year career. After trying to obtain all-star point guard Chris Paul and shot block specialist DeAndre Jordan during the offseason, this is the best the Warriors could do? Typical.
However, after taking some time to think about the move the Warriors front office made, I no longer felt the need to sprint to my bathroom and induce vomiting. For a quick moment I was unable to find a specific reason for this relief, but then it hit me - perspective. All three of the teams Nate Robinson has been signed by are playoff teams, with the 'Tics obtaining a Championship in the last five years and the Thunder being a serious title contender this season. Tiny Nate has not played a major role in the NBA yet because the teams he has played for have been solid. The Warriors, on the other hand, have not made the playoffs since their magical 2007-2008 "We Believe" season and lost Jason Richardson, Baron Davis, Stephen Jackson, and other key members in the process. This could potentially work.
The perspective comes into play when people realize this Nate Robinson signing is about the best the Warriors can do. Oakland is not a major market like New York or Boston and it has been proven the Warriors will not be able to acquire all-star players without giving up their coveted Monta Ellis (that, in and of itself, is a different post all together) or a litany of young prospects. With Stephen Curry hampered by an ankle injury that does not seem to be going away anytime soon, Robinson has shown he can run the point guard as a starter and may have to do so in the early going. Nate Robinson brings not only veteran experience, but playoff experience to the ball club, as well. Also, Robinson is reconnecting with David Lee for the first time since their stint in The Big Apple together; a fact many forget.
So, is the Nate Robinson signing the firework deal the Warriors were looking for initially? Probably not. But for this team, in this shortened 66 game season, the deal could help temporarily fix some of the problems they face in the guard play and on the floor in general. Golden State's next game is tomorrow night, Friday, January 6, against Kobe Bryant and the hot Lakers, having won four of their last five.
1 comment:
Warriors solution. He'd be playing a 6/7/8th man role normally but with Steph Curry sidelined with the ankle thing (or at least made less effective by it) he might be the man to fill his role in the starting lineup, and otherwise cement himself as the first off the bench.
While he's not really a Curry type player, he can bring energy and excitement to a roster that will need it in the absence of a star in Curry. To top it all off, he was cheap and riskless at a simple 1-year, $1mil contract (according to some dude's twitter).
http://cdn.bleacherreport.net/images_root/article/media_slots/photos/000/292/366/ScreenShot2012-01-03at6.59.09PM_original.png?1325635314
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