http://www.nydailynews.com/sports/basketball/knicks/story/405783p-343605c.html

Nate nearly shut down

BY FRANK ISOLA
DAILY NEWS SPORTS WRITER

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.

What is wrong with LB? Nate has been the only sign of a heartbeat this season.

[Edited by - MaulingandAppalling on 04-04-2006 09:49 AM]

I don't get it either. Spit balls? Come on man. That type of thing happens. Fights with teamates? That stuff happens too. Rose, and James have been seen hugging Nate and talking like friends on and off the court so this all is bullsh it.

Nate let iverson score 47. This is Allan iverson were talking about. Nate dropped 34 on iverson. Give me a break.

This is all poor coaching. How do you manage to find fault in a guy having 34 pts? Showboating? Nate said himself he is trying to get his teamates hyped. Nate gets the crowd into it too. Nate does have lapses when he screws up on defense and takes bad shots but that is when brown should coach, now take away what the kid is good at. Talking bad about players in the media to me just shows that brown can not coach unless its the perfect scenerio.

Everyday there is some more bull**** in the air.

Posted by djsunyc:

i like nate alot but he's acting like a kid. he's 21 years old, he's in the nba and he has a child of his own. he's funny and all but at the end of the day, he's in a very serious position. he needs to act that way. i think lb telling him to chill out with the bravado when you're losing and using iverson as a classic example is good for nate. and seeing steph & lb at odds is not a good situation for a guy like nate to be exposed to (that goes for all of our young kids). nate has alot of talent but he has a way to go mentally. whether he's here or not, his coach has to be patient. sending him to the d-league is not a demotion. in fact, it means they like you and want you to improve certain parts of your game so they can USE you. in all honesty, if q1 was healthy from day 1 and steph & lb were on the same page, and jamal got it right away, nate wouldn't even be off inactive the entire season. he was fortunate to get PT at all. and with it, he's shown he can play in the league...but he still has to figure out HOW to play.

[Edited by - djsunyc on 04-04-2006 10:19 AM]

Nothing wrong with what you are saying.

Still as a coach you have to know when to let go and when pull that string. Brown doesn't know when to do that. The world is filled with all types of personalities. For one I before I got hurt, I played basketball with a guy that never said a word for the entire year and change I've known him. Not a single word on or off the court. He's not retarded or slow. He just chooses not to speak if he has nothing to say. Point being, you have to treat everyone differnt yet get everyone on the same page. Brown and his army of coaches has failed miserably.

Posted by EnySpree:

Posted by djsunyc:

i like nate alot but he's acting like a kid. he's 21 years old, he's in the nba and he has a child of his own. he's funny and all but at the end of the day, he's in a very serious position. he needs to act that way. i think lb telling him to chill out with the bravado when you're losing and using iverson as a classic example is good for nate. and seeing steph & lb at odds is not a good situation for a guy like nate to be exposed to (that goes for all of our young kids). nate has alot of talent but he has a way to go mentally. whether he's here or not, his coach has to be patient. sending him to the d-league is not a demotion. in fact, it means they like you and want you to improve certain parts of your game so they can USE you. in all honesty, if q1 was healthy from day 1 and steph & lb were on the same page, and jamal got it right away, nate wouldn't even be off inactive the entire season. he was fortunate to get PT at all. and with it, he's shown he can play in the league...but he still has to figure out HOW to play.

[Edited by - djsunyc on 04-04-2006 10:19 AM]

Nothing wrong with what you are saying.

Still as a coach you have to know when to let go and when pull that string. Brown doesn't know when to do that. The world is filled with all types of personalities. For one I before I got hurt, I played basketball with a guy that never said a word for the entire year and change I've known him. Not a single word on or off the court. He's not retarded or slow. He just chooses not to speak if he has nothing to say. Point being, you have to treat everyone differnt yet get everyone on the same page. Brown and his army of coaches has failed miserably.

I seriously don't know how you can make a statement like that. All year long Nate has been brining it with the enthusism. It's great. But when you are down big or giving up 47 points, coach has a point that you should probably tone it down.

Larry is getting these players to be professional. The NBA game is not about playing with emotion and having the crowd adore you, its about winning!

This team has inviduals with individual agendas. Larry has had plenty of young players in the past. And certainly during his years at UCLA and Kansas. How Annoying might nate be for this be be happening.

Showboating was not about the crowd, it was about Nate. It was wrong.

I love watching him play, but I want professionals whom are focused and concentrate on the task at hand.

If he wants to be adored and showboat, there are other avenues for that. The circus comes to mind.

Nalod:Larry is getting these players to be professional.

By being unprofessional?

Posted by martin:

Posted by EnySpree:

Posted by djsunyc:

i like nate alot but he's acting like a kid. he's 21 years old, he's in the nba and he has a child of his own. he's funny and all but at the end of the day, he's in a very serious position. he needs to act that way. i think lb telling him to chill out with the bravado when you're losing and using iverson as a classic example is good for nate. and seeing steph & lb at odds is not a good situation for a guy like nate to be exposed to (that goes for all of our young kids). nate has alot of talent but he has a way to go mentally. whether he's here or not, his coach has to be patient. sending him to the d-league is not a demotion. in fact, it means they like you and want you to improve certain parts of your game so they can USE you. in all honesty, if q1 was healthy from day 1 and steph & lb were on the same page, and jamal got it right away, nate wouldn't even be off inactive the entire season. he was fortunate to get PT at all. and with it, he's shown he can play in the league...but he still has to figure out HOW to play.

[Edited by - djsunyc on 04-04-2006 10:19 AM]

Nothing wrong with what you are saying.

Still as a coach you have to know when to let go and when pull that string. Brown doesn't know when to do that. The world is filled with all types of personalities. For one I before I got hurt, I played basketball with a guy that never said a word for the entire year and change I've known him. Not a single word on or off the court. He's not retarded or slow. He just chooses not to speak if he has nothing to say. Point being, you have to treat everyone differnt yet get everyone on the same page. Brown and his army of coaches has failed miserably.

I seriously don't know how you can make a statement like that. All year long Nate has been brining it with the enthusism. It's great. But when you are down big or giving up 47 points, coach has a point that you should probably tone it down.

I'm not living in the past.....I'm looking at what has happened this year.

Brown was the best coach in basketball....this year he isn't. Forget his track record and look at the Knicks record....they are the worst. Larry has not done his job at all....all he has done was belittle his players in the media and remind people who he is and what he's done.

Brown needs to have the perfect situation to play the right way....which is bull****. There is more than one way to skin a cat....there is more than one way to win at basketball. All the stuff he is preaching is fine but it's his job as a coach to get his players to do it. He failed......he might not have the best roster in the NBA.....but he damn sure doesn't have the worst roster.

Brown spends more time hugging and kissing his former players before and after games than working with his own player. He praises every other players and ****s on his own. Never heard of that before.....

Am I lying?

Playing players according to hometowns? WTF? Thats not trying to promote stability or chemistry....that is confusion and resentment. Brown is the one. Wake up Martin.....I don't wanna hear about what he did in Kansas or his San Antonio team filled with "CBA players". Brown told us that already. What happened to him this year.

No one told Starks to stop. Starks was a maniac on the court. You can't stop a player from getting up during a game. You coach him to use that to his advantage but you don't tell him to stop and you don't leak info to Frank Isola to tarnish his image.

Wanna trade guys? How? The greatest coach in the world with the track record to prove it constantly ****s on their lives.....

Am I lying?

Posted by gunsnewing:

I'm sick of watching Nate force shots instead of passing to the wide open man and then not playing any defense on top of it!

Please stop it. Nate is guilty of that but who is the only person with the power to bench him and tell him what he wants him to do?

I'm sick of seeing Mo Taylor stand in place with the ball for 5 seconds faking only to shoot a contested 15 footer.....When is he gonna stop doing that? When the coach tells him to.....

Who's the coach?

I used to be the most ardent supporter of Larry Brown, but I am getting sick of HIS attitude. Nate is a sparkplug. He is energetic and emotional. I love it. Leave the kid alone. If the team still is't doing "team fundamentals" on defense, and they aren't cutting to the hoop or making extra passes on offense, at some point you have to wonder about the coaching as much as the players. I'm not about firing LB, but somebody should extricate his head from his behind...

Brown:"But do you write that Nate got 34 and Allen Iverson got 47?" Brown said. "People don't see that. They see 34 points. I love the fans loving him. There's not a lot of things that've been real positive. They like that enthusiasm and stuff like that. I would rather have us try to win a game and do the right thing."

So next time Nate should try to hold Iverson to what? 33pts (season average)?....and then don't take a shot even if he's hot to Mo Taylor so he can hold it for 5 seconds? If a guy is averaging 33pts per he is gonna get 40-50 points alot during the year. Nothing you can do about it.

If Brown wants to win the game....then get his players to play his way already. Take control. Win. The players are doing their own thing because Brown has not even tried to get them on the same page.......After 70 plus games the Knicks still look like they just met each other at the YMCA for a pick up game.