JBOMB Basketball Blog

Nate Rob and the Knicks – It SHOULD be a best fit, but why the Knicks give the starting job to the Duhon guy?

I always interested in someone who enter the game as one of the shortest guy – I idolised Muggsy Bogues; I looked to Spud Webb ; And this time, I faved Nate Robinson.

At 5′9″ with 180 lbsm he looks smallish out there on the court, but you shouldn’t forget the fact that he has a vertical leap of 43.5 inches and won the Slam Dunk Contest – just like the 5′6″ Spud Webb did back in 1986.

Nathaniel Cornelius “Nate” Robinson was born on May 31, 1984, in Seattle, Washington was drafted as a first rounder, at 21st selection of the 2005 NBA Draft by the Phoenix Suns, before being traded to the New York Knicks.

He had a successful college hoops career – he led the Washington Huskies to the Sweet Sixteen in 2005 NCAA basketball tournament during his junior season, with a third-team Associated Press and National Association of Basketball Coaches All-American awarded at the end of the season.

His numbers are amazing and he has increasing his game, as well as his stats, in every facet of the game.

Statistically, he is among the leaders of NBA point guard in rebounds with 4.6 rebounds per game in 13 games in this 2008-2009 NBA season. Along with 4.5 dimes, 1.9 steals and 15.3 points a game, his is as productive as the league’s other top point guards.

But why D’Antoni chose Chris Duhon over Nate Robinson to start the game?

Some said it’s because of Duhon’s dimes and ability to direct the game, which, to me, not that spectacular.

Some said it’s because Nate Rob is a actually a combo guard in a point guard size. His stats do show that he has all the tool to be an excellent two guard. Nate’s problem – he is not 6′3″ or 6′6″ – he is 5′9″.

I could compare his problem to Allen Iverson’s – being a point guard, he is a productive scorer, like AI does. And not many coaches love a scoring point guard, in my opinion.

Nevertheless, I think he should be getting what he deserved, more than he is getting right now. Only starting in 2 out of 13 games this season, with 30.7 minutes a game? I don’t really enjoy seeing Nate as the sixth man – he’s more than that, especially considering the Knicks’ condition right now, as a 7-straight losing season NBA franchise with a big name and tradition – not a good image – I’m sure the Knicks fans agree with me on this.

Have your say about this Nate Rob guy by commenting on this post :)

Nate Robinson’s Slam Dunk contest dunks:

…compare to Spud Webb’s:

Reference: Nate Robinson Wiki, Nate Robinson NBA.com player profile.
Image by NBA.com.