Nate Robinson is by no means the perfect recruit for the Philippine basketball team. Smart Gilas Pilipinas coach Rajko Toroman, who recently steered the team to a 3rd place finish in the Dubai International Tournament where they faced some of their likely competition in the Olympic qualifiers beefed up with American imports, rued his team’s lack of an imposing big man. He did, however, proclaim his wards ready for the upcoming Asiad tournament.
Nate Robinson is the furthest thing from an imposing big man. He stands 5’7” without shoes, making him, quite possibly, the smallest player on a team that needs size badly. 6’11” naturalization candidate Jamal Sampson sat most of the tournament out with an injury, prompting calls to replace the ailing big man with either a new American recruit or with PBA star Asi Taulava.
Robinson isn’t perfect as a guard either. He’s a pure scorer who needs the ball in his hands to be effective. He’s great at getting to the basket, but while he is a skilled passer, he prefers to take shots himself. That might pose a problem for Gilas, a team that relies on a system to get points more than individual talent. They’ve been spending all this time trying to develop chemistry, and Robinson, especially as a late addition, will surely affect that. On occasion, Nate will also do something like this.
But quite frankly, Philippine basketball has never had a talent quite like Nate Robinson. Look, Gabe Norwood looks like such a talent in the PBA. But the guy was a bit player in his US NCAA days, on a Cinderella team that grabbed national attention by knocking off favorites in the NCAA tourney. He was never an NBA prospect. Former PBA MVP Kelly Williams didn’t even play college ball in Division I. He was even less of a prospect. The imports who dominate our leagues here are either ex-pros who are too old to play or longshots trying to play their way into the NBA. They may get invited to training camps, or even play in summer leagues but who was the last guy who even actually made the roster, much less get significant playing time? Ansu Sesay? Richie Frahm?
Nate Robinson isn’t some borderline NBA player like those guys. This is a guy who can easily score double figures on quality NBA defenses. He’s averaged 10 or more points every season except for his rookie year where he played just 21 minutes a game. In 2008-09, he had career highs in points (17.2) and assists (4.1) last season and was in contention for the league’s sixth man of the year award. Though his numbers have dropped this season (12.6 and 3.4), it’s more due to a lack of minutes and being on his coach’s doghouse than a dip in performance. In fact, his per-36 numbers this year are practically identical to last season’s. Robinson is excellent at getting in the lane (although his size keeps him from being an elite finisher), and has pretty good range on his shot, too.
You know how Smart Gilas guard Mark Barroca dropped 18 of his 21 points in the 4th quarter against Syria in the third place game of the Dubai tourney? That’s something Robinson can do every single quarter he plays for the Philippines. Not even the best players in Asia (excluding Yao Ming, of course, but he hardly plays on the Asian level anymore) can claim to be on Nate’s level. Hamed Haddadi of Iran and the Memphis Grizzlies and Yi Jianlian of China and the New Jersey Nets aren’t going to be able to stop Nate.
Because, oh yeah, Nate Robinson can do this.
But if they do qualify for the 2012 Olympics? There’s no reason not to pursue Robinson as a real option. Look, the world level is different from the Asian level. Practically every team has an NBA player (or one that plays as well, anyway). Earning a spot there would be awesome, but everything after that is just gravy at that point. We won’t be in contention for a medal. Heck, we might not even win a single game there. And that’s fine. It may take many years and even with experience, there’s no guarantee we’ll ever be competitive on the world stage. Just being back there would be beyond expectations.
Nate, at the very least, will garner attention and excitement. A legitimate NBA player, not to mention a 5’7” wonder that can dunk with ease, leading a small team of unknown first-timers on the big stage? That’s a Mighty Ducks story if I ever heard one. I’d be surprised if we didn’t become the most loved team there. And isn’t Robinson the embodiment of everything we Filipinos love about basketball? We always root for the ragtag underdogs. And we always root for guys who make exciting plays. That’s what was endearing about the old Ginebra teams. Robinson is all of that. All of his career, he’s been slammed for being undersized (something that’s always been said of Filipino ballers too) but here he is. A two-time NBA slam dunk champion, a sixth man of the year candidate, a 20-point per 36-minute scorer.
The more you think about, isn’t Nate Robinson a perfect embodiment of Philippine basketball?
And guess what, it’ll be good for the NBA. David Stern has already acknowledged that the Philippines is an important asset for the league. “The two places that we know we are the number one sport,” he once said. “Are the Philippines and China.” They’ll likely see a rise in Nate Robinson jersey sales. (Although they might want to sell them at discounted prices so Pinoy fans won’t buy the fake ones off the street). With Robinson and Miami Heat head coach Erik Spoelstra, who also has Filipino roots, the NBA will make itself even more attractive to Pinoys. It’ll be good for the country, too. That kind of international exposure will surely put us on the radar of other countries. After Smart Gilas won their quarterfinal game in Dubai against Egypt, forward Mac Baracael was said to have received an offer to play as an import in Egypt. The attention Robinson will bring to the team will surely give other players an opportunity to shine. Scouts from other countries might even want to check out the PBA for imports. That might eventually open up opportunities for the Philippines’ best to play in Europe or, dare I say it, the NBA. Having a Filipino in the NBA would be like having 82 Manny Pacquiao fights in one year, plus extra if they make the playoffs. That’s a win-win for both the NBA and the Philippines
And It will be good for Nate, too. Gilbert Arenas once said he wanted to play one season in the Philippines after his NBA career is over, because Pinoy fans treat basketball idols like gods here. Imagine how they’ll treat someone they can claim as their own. And seriously, this might be his only chance to play in the Olympics. Not with Chris Paul, Deron Williams, Derrick Rose and Rajon Rondo all vying for that Team USA spot. We aren’t bringing Nate over to save Philippine basketball or anything. The SBP and the PBA can do that on its own. Like Toroman says, a quality big is the priority need. But if the country does qualify, I don’t see how we can afford not to go for Nate Robinson.
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