http://www.wnbc.com/news/13774814/detail.html?dl=mainclick

Nate Robinson is a pretty efficient offensive player by every available measure. If you’re going to make the argument that he is in large part the cause for the team’s abysmal record then you have to do more than state the record in games he played. I’d expect to see at least some evidence of a relationship between Robinson’s *actual play* and the losses. +/- stats, for instance, at least try to get at such a relationship. If Robinson is the chief culprit in games lost when he played one would expect the Knicks to have been worse whenever he was on the floor.

Nate’s +/- of +2.9 was actually 3rd best on the team. In fact, only six Knicks had a +/- above zero. I’d admit freely that like everyone on the roster not named Renaldo Balkman his defense needs a lot of work. But, the Knicks inarguably scored more than they gave up with Robinson on the floor.

Robinson is immature and annoying to many, no doubt about it. He jaws at the officials too much. And, he’s a SG trapped in a cornerback’s body with little in the way of discernible PG skills. But this insinuation that somehow he’s a “loser” seems like an artifact of a team that stank, unless you have something more specific.

I’m not saying Nate doesn’t have legitimate shortcomings or that I wouldn’t move him for something that could help us. Unfortunately, I see a cadre of Knicks fans uncritically swallowing the Mike Breen anti-hype on Robinson. A guy shoots 55% TS, really without any prolonged shooting slumps, yet every shot is a bad one. He turns the ball over less than anyone except Q, on a much higher usage rate, yet he’s always “out of control.”

NEW YORK, July 27, 2007 ? New York Knickerbockers President of Basketball Operations and Head Coach Isiah Thomas announced today that forward Wilson Chandler has been signed to a contract. Chandler was selected by New York with the 23rd overall selection in the 2007 NBA Draft.

Chandler, 6-8, 230-pounds, was an early entry candidate in the draft, having declared following his sophomore season at DePaul. The 20-year old, Benton Harbor, MI-native averaged 12.9 points and 7.1 rebounds during his two years for the Blue Demons and left school ranked 10th on the school?s all-time list for career blocked shots.

As a member of the Knicks? entry in the 2007 NBA Summer League in Las Vegas earlier this month, Chandler averaged 13.4 points, on 50.9-percent shooting, and 5.2 rebounds in five games (all starts).

The Knicks only need to have 15 for the opening day roster. Until then, they can have more players.

He certainly has his liabilities as a player, but so do the rest of the Knicks. I don’t think the Knicks would have made the playoffs had Nate not been on the team.

I do think they would have been a less annoying team though.

Lee missed the last few games of February and all of March. Crawford missed the last game of February and the rest of the year.

Without Lee, Crawford and Nate – the knicks started March 3-3. Then Nate came in and they finished 4-13. Okay an eliminated and injured team ignore that part, that’s what I did (though didn’t mention the injuries). The record up to the end of February:

Nate in rotation: 11-21
Nate out of rotation 15-12 (not including March games.

Maybe it is circumstance, but the circumstance is not end of year with Craw and Lee. Any other ideas.