nydailynews:Nate Robinson had become such a nuisance for Larry Brown that the coach considered sending him to the Developmental League last month to work on his game and improve his attitude.
According to a source close to Robinson, Brown wanted to demote Robinson to the NBA's minor league rather than keep him on the inactive list. Brown broached the idea with Isiah Thomas, but Thomas felt that Robinson would benefit from practicing with veteran teammates.
Robinson spent eight games on the inactive list from Feb. 24 through March 11. The decision to deactivate Robinson came one game after the rookie guard won the slam dunk title during All-Star Weekend in Houston, which raises the possibility that Brown was sending Robinson a message.
Robinson has appeared in the last 11 games and has started the last two. He scored a career-high 34 points in Friday's loss to Philadelphia and was criticized by Brown for showboating throughout the game.
On Sunday, Robinson said he felt "awkward" trying to conform to Brown's wishes of being less demonstrative. Robinson shot 4-for-12 and scored 10 points with three turnovers during the Knicks' 114-95 loss in Philadelphia. "I was not doing some of the things like I do, like getting my teammates hyped," Robinson said on Sunday. "I felt if I did that, Coach would be mad at me."
Brown is an old-school coach who believes rookies should be seen and not heard.
Robinson's aggressive style has been embraced by fans, who admire a 5-8 player who can challenge the league's tallest players for rebounds. But the talkative Robinson has gotten himself into a few minor skirmishes with several teammates, including Jerome James and Malik Rose. During the preseason, Robinson and James nearly came to blows and Robinson was ready to use a broom handle as a weapon. He and Rose got into a heated argument in the shower after a game.
In December, Brown reprimanded Robinson for acting disorderly on the bus ride to the team plane in Atlanta. According to a source, Robinson was shooting spit balls. The following day, Robinson was on the inactive list and the Knicks announced that he was home with a stomach virus.
In recent weeks, Brown complimented Robinson for working harder in practice and felt Robinson was showing progress. But after Friday's game, Brown criticized Robinson for showboating when the player he was guarding, Allen Iverson, scored 47 points.
Assuming Brown returns to coach next season, Robinson is a prime candidate to be traded. The Knicks have an abundance of guards and Brown isn't convinced that Robinson, Stephon Marbury or Steve Francis is suited to be the full-time point guard.
Geez I can understand Nate needs to work on his game and all but he has been the best Knick player out there all season. He won the dunk contest and has provided so much spark in the garden, let's not forget that game winner that he had. LB is starting to get to a point where he may just need to go. I'm sick of all this crap he's doing.
