Remove Nate Robinson’s name from the list of potential 2014 free agents. He isn’t going anywhere.
The 5’9″ journeyman has played for six different teams over the last nine years. Most recently, he signed with the Denver Nuggets after having a fabulous season with the Chicago Bulls.
Landing in Denver was good for Robinson in that the Nuggets gave him stability he hadn’t had in years. They signed him to a two-year deal with a player option for 2014-15, a far cry from the one-year pacts he was operating under in years prior.
But his time with the Nuggets this season was cut short by an ACL injury after 44 appearances. Robinson is still a team staple, but he won’t play again this year. According to The Denver Post‘s Christopher Dempsey, though, he does plan on being ready for the start of next season:
But he’ll be back. He promises.
Robinson plans to be around at the start of next season. The business end of that means he’ll exercise his player option to do so. Robinson signed a two-year deal with the Nuggets last summer, and that second year will pay him $2.1 million in 2014-15.
He had never torn an ACL until he did so in January, which knocked him out for the season. So the rehab is all new to him.
And in typical Nate Robinson style, he’s attacking it with full force.
“Things happen,” Robinson said. “God always has a plan for everybody. So, it’s just another obstacle that I’ve got to hop over and keep pushing. But for me, it’s going push me to continue to work hard. You can’t take your game for granted. It just shows your character. It shows how hard and how bad you really want it. I’m a player that, I love this game. I’m going to come back strong and ready to play.”
Asked if he’d be ready for training camp in the fall, Robinson said, “Yeah, for sure.”
The real news here is Robinson plans to be ready in time for training camp, because after tearing his ACL, it would be unwise to explore free agency.
Going on 30, Robinson has never torn an ACL, but much of his game is still predicated on athleticism and his ability to run the floor. If he were to hit the open market, it would be to a vast array of questions and a likely pay cut. He’s always been discriminated against because of his size (and to a lesser extent his shot selection). Returning to Denver gives him an opportunity to show he’s successfully recovered, priming him for 2015 free agency.
The Nuggets also need his athleticism and scoring. Robinson wasn’t putting up numbers like he did in Chicago, but he was giving them 10.4 points and hitting 37.7 percent of his three-pointers before going down…in less than 20 minutes per game.
Rare is the player who can produce when given sporadic playing time. Fewer minutes means fewer shots and touches; fewer shots and touches makes it difficult to develop any sort of rhythm; and rhythm is beyond important.
Though Robinson can be maddening to watch and coach at times, the pros, for the most part, always seem to outweigh the cons. While undersized, his motor knows no bounds, making him the perfect energy guy to bring off the bench.
For the money he’ll be paid, the Nuggets aren’t going to find a better offensive option either. They’ve quietly assembled one of the league’s worst payrolls and have a slew of injuries to deal with. Both JaVale McGee and Danilo Gallinari are coping with serious afflictions, and two of their most valuable scorers, Ty Lawson and Wilson Chandler, can be classified as injury-prone.
Robinson gives the Nuggets insurance, provided he’s healthy. ACL tears aren’t necessarily routine, but they’re not considered career-threatening like they once were. The undersized combo guard has never been short on work ethic, so the chances of him successfully recovering aren’t horrible.
Meanwhile, the Nuggets soldier on, losing in excess, tracking toward a top-10 or -seven draft pick they will hope can infuse more certainty and star power into their curious roster.
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.
