Nate Robinson may be severely undersized at 5’9″, but it’s an absolute atrocity that an NBA team has yet to sign the 28-year-old free agent.
While Robinson is a loose cannon and an oft-defensive liability, he is one of the best scorers in the league. Period.
Last season, Robison averaged 11.2 points and 4.5 assists in just over 22 minutes per game for the Golden State Warriors. He shot a respectable 42.4 percent from the field—36.5 percent from deep—and posted a PER of 18.1, the third highest of regular rotation players on the team.
And yet, here we are, more than two weeks after the moratorium period was lifted, and Robinson is still without a home. I mean, are you kidding me?
Teams may be deterred because the athletically inclined Robinson is most likely searching for a multi-year deal, but at the same time, isn’t he worth one at this point? Who cares that he’s overwhelmingly small for the NBA; he’s already proven he can get to the basket and score better than more than half league.
But again, that doesn’t seem to matter. Teams seem to forget that he averaged 16 points per game during the month of April and they seem to forget that after the departure of Monta Ellis and in the absence of Stephen Curry, Robinson was one of the Warriors’ most featured scorers. And, perhaps most importantly, they also seem to forget that he’s only 28 and void of any serious injuries.
Regardless of what anyone says or believes, there’s plenty of basketball left in Robinson’s body. His ability to put points on the board in bunches and in a hurry is a desirable commodity that any franchise would welcome, he just needs one of them to give him an opportunity
And that’s exactly what makes Robinson’s free agency situation so perplexing. Yes, he’s drastically undersized, but what he lacks in height, he makes up for in athleticism and will. The fact that such a reality hasn’t seemed to matter just yet is staggering, yet at the same time, totally expected.
Robinson has been through this type of borderline rejection before. And while not being linked to a specific can be discouraging, the wily combo-guard must take his non-existent market with a grain of salt, because one team is bound to pick him up, whether it be the Warriors again or another organization.
No matter how short and erratic Robinson may be, there’s going to come a point—just like there always does—where a team needs his offense; it’s happen before and it will happen again.
Perhaps this time around, though, will be the last time that Robinson is unnecessarily forced to prove that he belongs.
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
