Leverage is one of the greatest assets a free-agent player has in getting the contract he wants. Someone forgot to pass that message along to Knicks guard Nate Robinson, who is now resigned to returning to New York.
The 25-year-old Robinson found it prudent to drive without a license earlier this summer, a mistake that resulted in his arrest. And instead of working to rectify that situation, Robinson decided to joke about it on Twitter, drawing the ire of Knicks owner James Dolan.
Fortunately for Robinson, even though he generated little or no interest from other teams, the Knicks are desperate enough to want him back, if only for the 2009-10 season. After missing out on Stephen Curry in the draft, coach Mike D’Antoni needs Robinson — who is adequate as both a point guard and shooting guard — to return as the team’s primary ballhandler off the bench.
Thus, the Knicks are keeping a one-year, $2.9 million offer on the table for Robinson, who averaged 17.2 points, 3.9 rebounds, and 4.1 assists in just under 30 minutes a game last season.
Robinson’s agent, Aaron Goodwin, has no doubt that Robinson will be back in New York for the upcoming campaign.
“Where else is he going to go?” Goodwin told AOL Fanhouse.
If and when Robinson does ink an agreement with the Knicks, it will almost certainly be on the team’s one-year terms, since Robinson has virtually no leverage, and Dolan is intent on saving money for next year’s free- agent bonanza.
