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With bounteous rumors regarding David Lee’s free agency this summer, and the potentiality of Walsh trading him, Walsh also has another decision on his hands that is seemingly flying under the radar. This decision is whether to match any offers for Nate Robinson, or to let him walk. Nate Robinson clearly loves being a Knick, and there is no place in the world that fits him better. He’s improving vastly, and he electrifies the crowd on a nightly basis. If the Knicks choose to let David Lee go, they cannot afford to lose Nate as well. Losing Balkman, David Lee, and Nate Robinson, three fan favorites, is not an option; The fans won’t have it. So the first question is “How much is he worth?” and there is never a correct answer to that question. I, personally, never though Rashard Lewis was worth $118 million, but to answer this question, one must assess Nate’s upside and downside, his pros and cons.
Good: Nate is simply able to galvanize the crowd. He’s won a dunk contest, and he’s had plenty of highlight material dunks throughout his career. Nate has also improved every year; He’s gone from 9 to 10 to 13 points per game, and he’s putting up 16 per this year. He’s a top five sixth man in this league. Nate’s also playing some defense, averaging 1.6 steals per game, which, according to Mike D’Antoni, could easily be 3 per game. He rebounds extremely well, better than most two guards in the league in fact, and he gives you 1.5 offensive boards a game, which are especially useful. The 6′8 Vince Carter averages 4.8 rebounds per, and the 5′9 Nate Robinson averages 4.3. He’s had 10 rebounds twice, and 9 rebounds once. Remarkable. He’s only 24, and if he continues improving every year, he could eventually win a Sixth Man of the Year award.
Bad: Despite the steals, Nate has a problem getting over screens when guarding shooters, and he has consistently gotten burned doing this. And despite a noticeable effort, he can’t help when taller shooting guards simply shoot over him. Inconsistency is also a problem with Robinson. We all know about Nate’s emotional personality, but when the shot isn’t falling he sometimes shows anger on the floor, which can get him in trouble. He still plays out of control at times, but that may just be who he is, and it’s obviously something Mike D’Antoni has accepted. When you get a player with as fiery a personality as Nate Robinson, that is often reflected in his game, although his recklessness has significantly diminished.
If Barbosa got 5 years for $33 million, Nate should be able to get 4 years for $22 milion, from whom I don’t know, but I suspect he will finish his career a Knick. His buoyant and passionate personality resembles the fans that come to the Garden and support the Knicks, and we need little Nate around.





Richard Jefferson and Shawn Marion. BaO believed that those comparisons were hard to make because of Chandler’s superior upside. Well, I do not think that those comparisons can be made quite yet. If Wil turns out to be either of those guys, then I will be a very happy man, given that both RJ and Marion are all-star talents.
Raptors, eight games under .500 as of Friday, might have to start making deals as they continue to underachieve and sink in the East. One rival Eastern Conference GM said that Andrea Bargnani, the No. 1 overall pick in 2006, and Anthony Parker are prime candidates to be moved, as they look to add athleticism on the wings. In the meantime, Jermaine O’Neal has been sidelined with yet another knee injury. The Raptors are second in the NBA in losing games in which they’ve held double-digit leads (seven), with only Indiana (nine) doing it more times.”
deal with the Cats.
taking down the World Champion Celtics who have now lost 4 of their last 6.
Celtics team that has “slipped” over the holidays losing 3 of their last 5 games. No question they will be up to play at the Garden and watch for the continued bad blood between the teams. First Paul Pierce and Q Richardson then Al Harrington
Portland Trailblazers are getting serious about trading for David Lee.
