Nate Robinson Archive

New York Knicks’ guard Nate Robinson took the NBA by storm in the month of February. The centerpiece of his breakout month of course came with his defeat of “Superman” Dwight Howard in this year’s Slam Dunk Competition. Robinson shocked the sports world with his victory, and with the even more shocking sight of Nate dunking over the head of the 6′11″ Howard. This feat earned Nate the nickname “Krypto-Nate”, and appearance on The Late Show with David Letterman (in a funny segment, Dave had Nate recreate the dunk by leaping over the head of stage manager Biff Henderson.) “Krypto-Nate” was ready to jump into the spotlight of fame and fortune, and with green Knicks jerseys with the catchy moniker on the back too. It was too good to be true.

Krypto-Nate leaps tall Dwight Howard in a single bound.

DC Comics decided that this idea was fantastic. So fantastic in fact, that they simply had to have a piece of the action. They of course owned the rights to the Superman franchise, including the term kryptonite. The NBA blinked, and the shirts were pulled from the shelves. It is unknown whether the “Krypto-Nate” marketing campaign will live to see another day, but in the meantime, I propose a new nickname for the “lilliputian” (as personal favorite Walt Frazier loves to call him).  I present to you, “Domi-Nate”.

Over the course of the past 30 days, Robinson is averaging 27 points a game, along with 5 rebounds, 5 assists, and shooting a sweet 50% from the field. Unfortunately, while  Nate’s ascension to the NBA’s statistical elite over this period of time has not translated into victories on the court, the Knicks play in a lot of close games. In many of those games, its “Domi-Nate” keeping the Knickerbockers in them. On Tuesday night against Milwaukee, Robinson scored 10 of his 32 points in the final five minutes, helping the New York Knicks beat the Bucks 120-112 for a road victory. On Wednesday night in Detroit, Robinson followed up his performance with an equally impressive 30 points, along with some big free throws at the end of a close overtime victory.

What makes Robinson such a dynamic player? Well for starters, his energy level is unmatched by most players on the floor at any given time. What Domi-Nate lacks in size, he more than makes up for with his quickness and athleticism. With his rare skill set, Nate actually uses his small stature to his advantage by being able to penetrate both opposing defenses and offenses. On the offensive side of the ball is where Robinson has made his mark on the NBA. We all have seen the way he can sneak through the smallest holes in the the defense, and take the ball directly to the hoop – where Nate simply does not miss when he’s on his game.  On the defensive side of the ball, Nate just does not have the size to be a defensive “stopper”, but his quickness and strength easily make him a defensive “weapon” . Aside from his famous blocks of big men Yao Ming and Chris Bosh, Nate has become adept at stealing the ball. Over the course of the season Nate has averaged almost 2 steals per game, including some very big plays in the 4th quarter. Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni has even said he expects 2 or 3 steals from Nate per game. If Robinson can become as effective on the defense as he is on offense, we will have the pleasure of watching one of the most unique and talented players the NBA has ever seen.

Robinson celebrates at the Slam Dunk Contest

I think in 2009 we have finally seen the type of player that Nate Robinson can be. With his unsurpassed level of energy, and the instant scoring boost he brings off the bench, Robinson has solidified his position as one of the top Sixth Men in the league. San Antonio Spurs coach Gregg Popovich lamented after the Knicks handed his Spurs a loss last month that Domi-Nate brings the same thing to the table for NY that Manu Ginobili brings San Antonio. Coming from Pop, that’s a pretty big compliment.

Everything I have mentioned above brings me towards my main point. The Knicks are in the process of trying to build a winner. Everyone knows about the Free Agent class of 2010, and how Donnie Walsh cleaned house so we would have the cap space to make some impact signings during that offseason. How does Nate Robinson fit in to this plan? Only Donnie Walsh knows for sure. To me, the decision is simple. The Knicks need Nate Robinson. He brings a marketable personality, a crowd pleasing skill set, and an energy level than only be matched by the electricity of Madison Square Garden on game night. In a similar thought to Joe Wright’s excellent take on the true “value” of Sean Avery, I would argue that Domi-Nate needs this city just as badly as it needs him.

If  the Knicks want to have any chance of landing a premier free agent like LeBron James in 2010, they are going to need to have a young talent core to support whatever player/players we sign. With emerging talents like Nate Robinson, David Lee (let’s just pretend I wrote an article with a similar point about Lee), Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari in the fold, a superstar player like LeBron James could be the missing piece to the championship puzzle. As long as Domi-Nate doesn’t ask for the world in contract negotiations, I believe he will be back in NY next season and beyond…or so I hope.

Should the Knicks re-sign Nate Robinson, David Lee, or both? Let us hear your comments below.