Dennis Wierzbicki – USA Today Sports Images
The New York Knicks are trying to finagle to the best of their abilities right now in NBA Free Agency. As of right now, they have just $1.7 million remaining of a mini mid-level exception to use to sign players. After that, the rest of their deals will have to be at the veteran minimum. Obviously that ties the Knicks’ hands quite a bit on the market.
That hasn’t stopped New York from aggressively throwing their hat in the ring of several quality free-agents. They have been rumored to be in talks with the recently waived Metta World Peace as well as others. Most recent, though, the Knicks have expressed interest in and contacted point guard Nate Robinson.
According to Frank Isola of the New York Daily News, the Knicks have been in contact with Robinson and his agents about acquiring the offensive-minded guard. As Isola also reports, though, Robinson apparently isn’t interested in playing for the veteran minimum, even if it would mean returning to New York.
With the Chicago Bulls last season filling in for the injured Derrick Rose, Robinson had a fantastic year. He played 25.4 minutes per game in all 82 games while averaging 13.1 points, 4.4 assists, 2.2 rebounds and one steal per game while shooting 43.3 percent from the floor and 40.5 percent from three.
Robinson performed even more loudly in the postseason when he played 33.7 minutes per game and put up 16.3 points, 4.4 assists, 2.7 rebounds and one steal while shooting 43.6 percent from the field. Robinson also helped carry the Bulls late in games on multiple occasions, most notably in the triple-overtime game against the Brooklyn Nets.
Robinson has a history with the Knicks as they drafted him and he played there for four and a half seasons. However, New York is actually lucky that Robinson isn’t interested in returning. The Knicks are a team comprised of two layers who demand the ball a ton in J.R. Smith and Carmelo Anthony. Considering how much Robinson needs to ball to succeed, that seems like a terrible match between player and team.
It’s understandable for the Knicks to pursue the biggest names that they can potentially afford this summer. They want to create a buzz about their team whose season ended disappointingly last year. However, Robinson isn’t the answer to cure that disappointment. The Knicks should be thankful that Nate-Rob appears to want to follow the money.
Cody Williams is a Senior Writer with Rant Sports. Follow Cody on Twitter @TheSizzle20, add him on Google+ and like his Facebook page.
