Best Potential 2015 Free-Agent Landing Spots for Nate Robinson
On the surface, veteran spark plug Nate Robinson moved from one lottery-bound team to another. But the diminutive scoring guard could still leave an imprint on the NBA playoff race.
After an injury-plagued season-plus stay with the Denver Nuggets, Robinson was sent to the Boston Celtics for reserve guard Jameer Nelson on Tuesday, as Yahoo Sports' Adrian Wojnarowski first reported. But Robinson's Beantown reunion was over before it started. He has already been bought out by the Celtics, according to USA Today's Sam Amick.
Robinson suffered a torn ACL last January and has struggled to find his rhythm since. He is shooting a career-worst 34.8 percent from the field while averaging 5.8 points and 2.3 assists in 14.1 minutes per game.
But the three-time Slam Dunk Contest champion has a history of delivering on the biggest stage. He played a critical role for the Celtics on their way to the 2010 NBA Finals, then provided the Derrick Rose-less Chicago Bulls with 16.3 points and 4.4 assists during the 2013 postseason.
Given Robinson's track record under the brightest lights and the minimal cost it will likely take to bring him on board, he's an intriguing low-risk, high-reward target for the following five teams.
Cleveland Cavaliers
1 of 5
The Cleveland Cavaliers have been trying to address their biggest needs during the NBA trade season.
First, they bolstered their depth on the wings by acquiring Iman Shumpert and J.R. Smith from the New York Knicks. Then, they turned their attention to the middle and brought in 7'1" rim protector Timofey Mozgov from the Nuggets.
Cleveland needed to strengthen its defense on the perimeter and the interior, and those transactions should help scratch both of those itches. But the Cavs know they have one more hole that needs filling.
"I think it's clear that point guard depth is something we need to address," Cavs general manager David Griffin said recently, per ESPN.com's Dave McMenamin.
Cleveland has already taken multiple stabs at solving that problem. Undrafted rookie Will Cherry and A.J. Price both got a chance to win the job, but each wound up being waived. Sophomore Matthew Dellavedova now holds the spot, but he is a shooting guard by trade—and he's shooting just 32.2 percent from the field.
The Cavs have often resorted to squeezing everything they can out of All-Star point guard Kyrie Irving. He is logging a career-high 38.1 minutes per game while posting 20.7 points and 5.2 assists a night. But Cleveland cannot afford to deplete the fuel tanks of one of its top offensive performers, let alone a player who has had trouble avoiding the injury bug.
If Robinson can find his footing, he could give the Cavs the reliable reserve guard they currently lack. He could potentially provide a big lift to Cleveland's drive-and-kick game by either setting up a shooter or burying some long-range looks of his own.
Houston Rockets
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If the Houston Rockets wind up with Robinson, it could be due to an inability to reel in a bigger fish. Dream-big general manager Daryl Morey is reportedly ready to swing for the fences once again, this time hoping to surround perennial All-Stars James Harden and Dwight Howard with a top-flight floor general.
"Daryl Morey, no doubt, is burning up the phones, and the expectation is that he's going to go hot and heavy after a point guard," B/R's Ric Bucher reported.
Houston is said to have an eye on the Brooklyn Nets' Deron Williams and Goran Dragic of the Phoenix Suns, according to Bucher. The Rockets "love" starter Patrick Beverley, "but ideally, he is the third guard in that rotation."
Beverley has given the Rockets a tenacious defender at the lead guard spot, but little else outside of a three-point shot that has found its mark 38.8 percent of the time. He's just a 39.8 percent shooter from the field and averages only 3.4 assists in 31.1 minutes.
As a group, Rockets point guards rank 22nd in scoring (17.7 points) and dead last in assists (4.8), per HoopsStats.com. As a team, Houston sits 20th overall with a 57.2 assist percentage. That number isn't too surprising given how much time the scoring savant Harden spends on the ball, but it still feels low considering how many weapons this offense has.
A player like Williams or Dragic could significantly improve those rankings, but both might come at a high cost. By taking a low-risk flier on Robinson, the Rockets could add some offensive punch without sacrificing assets or limiting Beverley's impact on the defensive end.
Robinson has always looked to attack the basket or take aim from distance (62.7 percent of his career field-goal attempts have either been threes or shots within three feet), so he should fit well with this analytically driven offense.
Los Angeles Clippers
3 of 5
The Los Angeles Clippers desperately need to find a second-team savior.
Even with masterful sixth man Jamal Crawford doing his typical damage (15.5 points, 2.8 assists), LA has suffered a massive drop-off when coach Doc Rivers has gone to his reserves. The Clippers bench ranks 20th in scoring (31.7 points), 17th in distributing (6.8 assists) and tied for 24th in field-goal shooting (41.3 percent), per HoopsStats.com.
Those are unit-wide issues, but the Clippers have had a particularly tough time at the point guard spot.
Offseason addition Jordan Farmar has been a major disappointment. He is connecting on a career-worst 38.6 percent of his field-goal attempts and owns uncomfortably similar assist and turnover percentages (18.4 and 16.4).
That's why the Clippers go from looking like championship contenders to doing their best bottom-feeder impressions when point god Chris Paul catches a breather. LA has outscored its opponents by 11.7 points per 100 possessions with Paul on the floor and been outscored by 6.1 points per 100 possessions without him.
ESPN.com's Brian Windhorst mentioned the Clippers as a possible landing spot for Robinson, while Wojnarowski and Marc J. Spears reported that LA "previously had talks" with Denver regarding the veteran reserve.
Robinson previously played under Rivers in Boston, where he also teamed with Clippers reserve forward Glen Davis. Seattle natives Robinson and Crawford have also teamed up at both the NBA and high school ranks, so there is plenty of familiarity with what he can bring to the table.
Robinson could have a major impact on and off the court in LA, so he should be a no-brainer target of the Clippers.
Miami Heat
4 of 5
LeBron James' summer departure from the Miami Heat created two massive voids in South Beach. Not only did it strip this team of the best player on the planet, it also exposed Miami's glaring weakness at the point guard spot. When James was handling the rock, the Heat could afford to deploy Mario Chalmers as a rare three-and-D point guard and have Norris Cole provide an occasional burst of energy.
But James is gone now, and so too is the safety blanket for Miami's point guards.
Chalmers sports grisly conversion rates from the field (40.4) and distance (28.1), both of which check in ahead of Cole's woeful marks (39.1 and 25.0 respectively). Rookie Shabazz Napier has had more shooting success (42.1 and 37.5), but he's barely averaging more assists (1.8) than turnovers (1.5).
It comes as no surprise, then, that Miami has perhaps the least productive point guard crop in the league. The Heat rank 30th in points (13.5), 29th in assists (5.6), 25th in field-goal percentage (39.8) and 24th in three-point percentage (31.5) at the position, per HoopsStats.com.
Miami's latest attempt to combat this issue is to give shooting guard Dwyane Wade more time at the 1.
"At this point, when you're as many games under .500 as we are, it's about doing whatever to help you win," Wade said of playing point guard, per Joseph Goodman of the Miami Herald.
It's a desperation move and a risky one at that. Not only does it take one of the greatest shooting guards to ever play the game away from what he does best, it also adds to the burden being shouldered by a 32-year-old with a frightening injury history. (Wade, by the way, was forced out of action Tuesday night by a strained hamstring, per ESPN.com's Michael Wallace.)
Even at Robinson's present level, he's at least as good as Miami's current group of point guards. And if he starts finding his footing, he could play a significant role for this playoff hopeful.
New Orleans Pelicans
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The New Orleans Pelicans face an uphill climb to the playoffs in the overcrowded Western Conference, but they have to battle the odds to get something done. Too much has been sacrificed to assemble this core—two first-round picks for Jrue Holiday, another for Omer Asik, Greivis Vasquez and Robin Lopez for Tyreke Evans—for the Pellies to even consider waving the white flag.
New Orleans has several problems to address, but one of its most pressing needs is addressing a lack of depth. That's been an issue all season, and it was exacerbated by the recent trades of guards Austin Rivers and Russ Smith.
The Pelicans took a small step toward a solution by inking free-agent guard Nate Wolters to a 10-day contract, per Nakia Hogan of The Times-Picayune. But the former second-round pick averaged only 2.3 points and 0.9 assists in 11 games for the Milwaukee Bucks this season, so it's hard to paint him as anything more than a low-risk, low-reward addition.
New Orleans needs to put a reliable option behind Holiday. The former All-Star's court presence has meant the difference of 10.0 points per 100 possessions, or nearly the same net differential as seen in soaring superstar Anthony Davis (12.3 points per 100 possessions).
If the Pelicans were playing for the future, it would make sense to hand out long leashes to the likes of Wolters and Jimmer Fredette. But this group was put together to produce something sooner rather than later.
So a proven commodity like Robinson stands out as an option worth exploring. He can be a little quick with his trigger, but this bench needs someone capable of putting up points in bunches outside of stretch forward Ryan Anderson.
The Pelicans will need to steal some wins down the stretch to keep their postseason hopes alive, and Robinson can change the outcome of a game when he's hot.
Unless otherwise noted, statistics used courtesy of Basketball-Reference.com and NBA.com.
