Minneapolis – San Antonio Spurs newcomer Glenn Robinson hopes to shake his “haters’ off with an NBA championship ring.
The two-time all-star didn’t have a job when April arrived. Hanging over the 6-foot-7, 240-pound forward was his reported unhappiness at losing his starting position in the Philadelphia 76ers’ training camp. By March, the “Big Dog’ was on waivers.
The Spurs overlooked Robinson’s reputation for giving his coaches headaches. It’s a chance that could land the 11-season NBA veteran his first NBA championship ring.
“That could be a great ending to the story, to come around and end up with a ring,’ Robinson said before scoring 16 points Wednesday to lead the Spurs, who lost 95-73 to the Minnesota Timberwolves in the regular-season finale. “That would shut all the critics and all the haters up. It would shut everybody up who said, ‘Well, seems like he hasn’t played in a year, he’s out of shape, he’s just a mess.’
“People that know me know that I’m not going out the way the beginning of the season started. People that know me know that I have something in my back pocket.’
The No. 1 pick of the 1994 draft entered the season averaging 20.8 points and 6.1 rebounds for his career. He was an all-star in 2000 and 2001 while playing for current Nuggets coach George Karl in Milwaukee.
Robinson, who averaged 16.6 points during the 2003-04 season with Philadelphia, was upset with losing his starting spot at small forward to rookie Andre Iguodala in training camp. Robinson started the season on the injured list with tendinitis in his left ankle and never got back into good graces with the team.
On Feb. 24 Philadelphia traded him to New Orleans, which waived him March 1 for salary cap reasons.
He then worked out in Philadelphia and his hometown of Gary, Ind., and waited. Spurs assistant Don Newman called Robinson, whom he also had coached at Milwaukee, in late March about the possibility of coming to San Antonio. On April 1, he worked out for the Spurs.
“I went down there as quickly as possible,’ said Robinson, who signed with San Antonio on April 4. “I was really excited. I wasn’t in game shape, but I knew I wasn’t 15 or 20 pounds overweight.
“This is the best team in the West. I wanted to be on a team with a legitimate chance of winning. There are four or five teams that have a legitimate shot at winning a (title). (San Antonio) could be one. Plus, I had a chance to play with a dominant big man (Tim Duncan).’
Robinson is averaging 9.3 points and 2.6 rebounds this season in a reserve role for a team that has struggled to score in the past month.
“He’s played fantastic,’ Spurs coach Gregg Popovich said. “He’s certainly knows his role. I didn’t have to spend any time explaining his role to him. He’s worked hard trying to catch on to the team’s defensive concept.’
Said Karl: “It was a good pickup. They seem to be struggling offensively, and they seem to not be able to make shots as consistently as they have in the past. ‘Dog’ can do that. He can make shots.’
Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-820-5449 or mspears@denverpost.com.
