The departure of Nate Robinson is going to hurt the Chicago Bulls. Derrick Rose is back, yes, but the Bulls’ lack of scoring off the bench will give the team trouble later on. With Marco Belinelli going to the San Antonio Spurs, the Bulls needed Robinson even more.
With Robinson, you always get hustle and passion. We saw in the playoffs that the entire Bulls team fed of Robinson’s energy. Without Rose, Robinson manned the point guard position admirably, scoring 30-plus points multiple times. That’s a luxury not every team has, yet the Bulls chose to let him walk.
At point guard the Bulls have Marcus Teague and also Kirk Hinrich at times. Both are good players, but neither can provide the scoring and intensity Robinson brings. In 2013, Robinson played for the minimum and yet he still wasn’t retained.
Robinson averaged 13.1 points per game and shot 43 percent from the field. He is instant offense, and in the NBA today those guys are very useful. With Rose back, Robinson could have played lower minutes with the second squad. His value to a championship team like the Bulls can’t be underestimated.
Without Robinson, the Bulls would have lost many more games compared to if he was there. His value is more than just his scoring ability. We all saw in the NBA Finals when Robinson played a key role in beating the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4.
The Bulls will realize that Robinson was a luxury not just a bench player. He will be missed for his passion, grit, and his ability to score at will.
Nugesse Ghebrendrias is a Sports writer for www.RantSports.com. Follow him on Twitter @NugasayWhat24, “Like” him on Facebook or add him to your network on Google