Q-Rich and Robinson: Tough Enough

“The rule changes, particularly outlawing hand checking, are moving the NBA in that direction,” Knicks President, Basketball Operations Isiah Thomas said. “Now the guards can play again. You can’t physically knock people out of the air. When I was playing it wasn’t like that. A few of us little guards still succeeded -- but now everyone has a chance. Without question, I take this into consideration in the process of building this team.”

Hence the selection of 5-9 Nate Robinson on the 21st pick of the draft. And the acquisition of primetime trey gunner Quentin Richardson -- he led the NBA with 631 three point attempts last season and tied for the league lead in makes with 226 -- from the Phoenix Suns. “I didn’t even realize what a good shooter Quentin was when he first came into the NBA,” smiled Thomas. “I had doubts about his three point ability. What he accomplished, it just shows what a hard worker he is.”

The first thing you notice about Robinson is, of course, his size. “The second thing you notice is the toughness he possesses and the confidence he has,” said Thomas. “And his talent…I have no doubt if Nate was 6-1 or 6-2 he would have been the first or second pick Tuesday night.”

Yes, tremendous toughness and hard-edged competitiveness are musts for little guys in a big man’s world. “Last year was the first time ever that I was associated with a team that was called soft,” said Thomas. “Every team I’ve played on, every team I’ve coached, were tough defensive teams. These two guys are all about leadership and toughness. What these two players possess, our team needs.”

Robinson is 5-9 with the confidence of an 8-footer. Apparently, it runs in the family: “We had no doubt he’d go in the first round,” his mom Renee Bush said. “We had over 200 people over at the house and when his name was announced at 21, the place just exploded. But it didn’t really matter anyway: wherever he was going to be selected, he was going to succeed.”

“I’m a huge fan of his,” Richardson said of Robby. “A little man with Nate’s great speed and athleticism can come in and really disrupt things. He plays hard, he plays with his heart. The fans will love him. As an opponent, I always hated to face players like that. He’s going to be pit bull, guard you over 94 feet, be a disrupter, a pest. Little guys like Nate, they change the tempo, give the team an entirely different look. That can be an enormous plus.”

Q sees his trade to the Knicks as another enormous plus. “Finally, I can do my thing once again,” he said. “At first, I was surprised by the trade -- but now I can’t wait to go back to the style I love to play. I love to go down to the low post, use my power, use my versatility. In Phoenix, I was basically relegated to standing on the three-point line. That’s really not my style of basketball. I am much more than that. I have a lot more to offer than just stand there and shoot. Even though we were a winning team, it was extremely frustrating.”

“I love to punish people down low, mess with them, cause all kinds of havoc,” added Richardson. “Be nasty on the inside on smaller guys who can’t really handle me. THEN play inside out and use my versatility.”

Still, Richardson is first and foremost a sizzling shooter -- as is Jamal Crawford. As is Nate Robinson. How do you develop the ideal team-first chemistry with a terrific trio of tail-gunners such as that? “You put in a system with tweaks that makes players move the ball,” Coach Herb Williams said. “You stay on them and you put in the offense where the ball moves. These guys all want to win. It can be done.”

“That’s just something that when you get out with the guys on the court, you develop,” said Richardson. “I see this as a very workable thing. Stephon (Marbury) is a great point guard, he had over 8 assists a game last season. He’ll take care of things. Me, I don’t care where they put me out there: I can play ‘two’, I can play the ‘three’. I’m a basketball player, first and foremost. Wherever you put me, I will make it work. It’s very exciting to me to be a part of turning something around, to create something very special. I’m sure the chemistry thing will work out just fine.”

“Isiah is a genius, a mastermind,” said Robinson. “I know what he thinks, how he wants to use small players in his system. And he knows exactly what I can do.”

“In today’s game, you need to be a threat,” said Thomas. “If you can’t shoot and score the basketball, that allows the defense to focus in another area. All these guys can score, which will help them offensively and also defensively. As far as shot selection, looking for the best shot, looking for the other guy, they’ll work all that out among themselves. I’ve got no concerns in that area.”