When 5’9″ reserve Nate Robinson was finally given a legitimate chance to be the focal point of an offense with the Chicago Bulls this past season, the guard showed just how devastating he can be when things are clicking. The Brooklyn Nets, ousted in the first round of the playoffs largely due to their inability to better-contain Robinson (and one missed dunk by C.J. Watson), can certainly vouch for that. When things aren’t always clicking, though, he has a way of making a team suffer with his chuck-anyway tendencies. Still, Robinson probably did enough in the postseason to show that he truly belonged and deserved a notable contract from one of the many teams looking for guard help off the bench.
When that opportunity did not immediately knock, Robinson was understandably frustrated despite remaining true to himself, from Bryan Crawford of NBC Chicago:
“It’s frustrating because you put in your hard work. I worked my butt off year in and year out, ever since I was a little boy, to get to this point now, not to be signed. But at the same time, I’m not going to let that discourage me of being who I am, just working hard. I want people to understand and know Nate Robinson is that player who’s going to play his heart out, no matter what, good or bad. “
It’s hard to argue Robinson on that point. On many nights, Robinson displayed just how fearless and how big of a heart he has. It’s those attributes that made him a game changer and fan favorite in Chicago because that’s who Nate Robinson is.
“Everybody has flaws,” he explained. “At the same time, that’s one thing I do: I really cherish this game and I’m really thankful for it. The blessings that God has blessed me with and right now, I’m just waiting. God will put me on that team that will deserve me and that’s how I’m looking at it.”
His frustrations came to an end on Monday when it was reported that the Denver Nuggets have agreed to sign him to a contract. His former Bulls teammate Taj Gibson saw the news and had this to say:
Big Congrats to bro naterobinson one of the best teammates I ever had!! Locker room won’t be the same… http://t.co/4c5AJkUFdW
— Taj Gibson (@TajGibson22) July 23, 2013
Based on the forward’s reaction, it’s clear that Robinson made positive contributions on and off the court as a teammate – he certainly seems to have made things more entertaining in the locker room and airplane rides. The guard will now take his various talents to Denver and join JaVale McGee to possibly form the funniest duo in the NBA.
Tweet of the Day: Young stars flock to Vegas for USA Basketball minicamp
Tweet of the Night: Teri Washington
James Park is the chief blogger of Sheridan Hoops. You can find him on twitter @Sheridanblog.