Robinson's biggest impact

[ebrick0340]

I posted something similar over on the ESPN board but wanted to get your opinions.  A friend and I were discussing the Robinson trade the other day. We both like the deal and agreed that his true value should show up against the likes of Atlanta (and, to a lesser extent, Cleveland and Orlando), our main competitors in the East.  Remember the game against the Hawks when Crawford absolutely destroyed the Celtics?  Well, a primary reason for this was that our back-up, Eddie was on him defensively (some of the time) but couldn't make Crawford work when he was on defense.  Everyone knows Crawford's an indifferent defender but since House plays solely off the ball, he merely needed to stay close to Eddie.  Nate can create his own shot, and as a result will make the likes of Crawford, J-Will and Gibson actually work on defense.  So Robinson will certainly be a better defender than Eddie, but he'll also be able to wear down opposing back-ups by making them play defense.  I think this should be a big plus for the C's.  We'll see tonight!

Thoughts?

[Bankshot]

I think you're right.  I can't wait to see how Nate fits in with the team.  Should be very exciting.

[Chris]

I think it is going to be tough to know how Robinson will ultimately fit in for at least a few weeks, and likely longer.  I expect that he will have a big impact in the first few games, because Doc will just give him the ball, and let him do his thing.  However, once he has been here a week or two, they will start asking him to play within the offense more, and learn the plays, and he will likely have a lot of trouble for a while as he learns the system, and tries to fit in. 

This is going to be a tough time for fans I think, because it is going to be great for a few games, and then he is going to start to look terrible (we saw a similar thing with Marbury last year)...we just have to hope that he gets everything figured out by the playoffs.

[Fred Roberts]

I think he's going to change the entire complexion of the bench. More speed, more confidence, more skill and aggressiveness. I think that, based on his comments, Doc is going to let him loose for whatever minutes a game he gets to pump up our bench scoring as much as possible. That should open up opportunities for that unit, since it seems a little stagnant now.

Nate can really hustle too. Can't wait to see him go.

[Birdbrain]

I don't see very many issues at all. It's a perfect fit in fact with the C's need and his talents.  Not sure why he would struggle unless he comes out completely cold which would be the exact opposite of his play thus far in the pros.

He's going to be expected to score a lot which he does well.

[Evantime34]

I think it is going to be tough to know how Robinson will ultimately fit in for at least a few weeks, and likely longer.  I expect that he will have a big impact in the first few games, because Doc will just give him the ball, and let him do his thing.  However, once he has been here a week or two, they will start asking him to play within the offense more, and learn the plays, and he will likely have a lot of trouble for a while as he learns the system, and tries to fit in. 

This is going to be a tough time for fans I think, because it is going to be great for a few games, and then he is going to start to look terrible (we saw a similar thing with Marbury last year)...we just have to hope that he gets everything figured out by the playoffs.

I agree that when he is playing with the first team he needs to play within the offense. However in the second unit I want him running the pick and roll to be the offense (I think Doc will agree).

I am pretty confident he will score. What I want to see is him play defense. I think early on in his Celtics career he will try to prove that he can play defense, which I will be glad to see.

[wdleehi]

Crawford is 6'5.  Even if Nate just stays in front of him, he is not going to bother his shot.



So, no, Nate defending a player like Crawford is not a positive impact.  


Having to have larger guys chase him on offense is the positive impact.  

[footey]

Nate = energy, which is what this team needs a huge boost of. Our energy level will not drop when Rondo sits, with Nate stepping in.  I like this trade alot.  I would not have pulled the trigger last year because Eddie was having such a good year, but this year? No brainer.

[ScoobyDoo]

I like Eddie alot but one of Ainge's biggest mistakes as GM was never managing to get a good solid back up for Rondo for three seasons.

With Nate here, we are now goign to be putting incredible pressure on the opposing defense from the point guard spot for a full 48, every single night.

It might be fare to say that Robinson will, in his own way, put MORE pressure on the opposing D because he plays like with maybe even more energy than Rondo.

Specifically?

1. A guy who can create his own shot
2. A guy who can get into the lane, break guys down and get others some easier shots
3. A guy who will bring alot of aggression and energy to the second unit.
4. If it works out well, our second unit could become downright nasty and ended up blowing out other teams second units. We could become very dominant again.

Rasheed
Baby
Daniels
TAllen or Ray ( as Doc plays Ray with the second unit alot )
Robinson


 

[ebrick0340]

Crawford is 6'5.  Even if Nate just stays in front of him, he is not going to bother his shot.



So, no, Nate defending a player like Crawford is not a positive impact.  


Having to have larger guys chase him on offense is the positive impact.  

The main point of my post was supposed to be that Robinson will be able to effectively cancel out players like Crawford because he'll be able to expose their defensive ineptness. (I thought this was clear, but sorry if it wasn't.) As much as I like Eddie, he couldn't do that because he's a one-dimensional jumpshooter that can't create.  Agree or disagree?

But since you brought it up, yes, I think Robinson will be better at defending these guys too.  I mean, the guy hurdled Dwight Howard.  I think he can bother a 6'5 guy's shot once in a while.  Don't his superior athleticism, vertical and quickness trump the 3-4 inch height difference between the two?  Remember, I only compared Nate's defense to Eddie's...

[ForexPirate]

if he can get crawford out of the game by scoring on him at will, and making himm work while he's in there - that will be a huge benefit.