Rate the Newbies - Nate and Finley

[looseball]

I gave them both a C.

Nate is an improvement over Eddie House who I think is close to the end of the line.  I love Nate's energy, both on offense and defense.  But I don't think he's a point guard, and that's what he's being asked to play on the second unit.  He's a scorer, and that should be his role coming off the bench, but trying to play point guard is holding him back.

I think Finley is close to the end of the line, also, and that's why San Antonio phased him out of their rotation.  He was really pumped up when he got here, and played great for a few games, but he's not going to maintain it.

Plus, he is taking TA's minutes, and we need TA's defensive energy more than we need Finley's experience.  Experience is one thing we already had our fair share of.

[Drucci]

I give a C+ to Nate. I'm still excited to see him play and he had some great games (especially during his first games in green) but I'm very disappointed by the fact that he can't finish to the rim (and rarely attempts to), and that he plays Eddie's role for the most part, as a 3 pointer jumpshooter. Plus, he hasn't knocked a lot of them lately.

I just want to raise a point here. Nate Robinson is 5-9. The only time a guy that small should be able to finish any where near the rim is when he is out in front on the fast break.

Think of him as a Mugsy Bogues / Spud Webb type of player. The majority of his offense is not going to be near the basket, despite the leaping ability. He/they are just too small.

He is still an upgrade over House, because he can get himself open almost all the time with his ball handling. This makes him a greater offensive threat.

Yeah, I know Nate's lack of height limits him but I've seen him play quite a bit with New York and I can tell you he didn't have trouble going to the rim on one on one possessions. His quickness is really an advantage for him and he did drive with a lot of efficiency when he decided to (the game where he scored 44 points against the Hawks was quite a good example, especially in the 4th quarter and in OT, the Hawks couldn't stop him from going to the basket).

I think Doc wants to use him only as a long distance shooter and I don't like this idea because Nate could give us much more than just shots from 3 point land or midrange. Driving to the basket and showing his explosiveness were the two things he was supposed to bring and to add to the team since Eddie couldn't do any of these things, but so far, we've not seen a difference.

[Greenbean]

Nate a C - Some nights an A, some nights an F

Fin a B - Slightly exceeding my expectations

[Adelaide Celt]

Does Nate get a fair amount of court time? To me, he always seems to be used quite sparingly, even when his shot is on.

[Mike-Dub]

Does Nate get a fair amount of court time? To me, he always seems to be used quite sparingly, even when his shot is on.

I agree... I think Nate should get some more run especially at the end of the game where he I believe he could take over, which is something we need.