Where Are They Now, 2010; Part Robinson

April 16th, 2010

– Antywane Robinson

Former Temple forward Antywane Robinson was in the NBA as recently as eighteen-ish months ago when he signed with the Sixers for training camp. He did not make the team – obviously, or else you would have heard about it – and moved to France to play for Cholet. He’s been there ever since, and this year A-Rob is averaging 13.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in the French league.

– Bernard Robinson

A few short years ago, Bernard Robinson was receiving clutch minutes in Bobcats games over Adam Morrison. At the very least, it happened once. Yet in 2010, Morrison is almost out of the league, and Robinson very much is. B-Rob has not played since the 2006-07 season, when he appeared in only 21 games for the Bobcats. Charlotte traded him to New Jersey in exchange for Jeff McInnis, where he played ten more regular season games (and one playoff game) down the stretch of the season. That marks the current end of his career; Robinson tore his ACL that summer, and was salary dumped onto the Hornets along with Mile Ilic in exchange for the unguaranteed contract of David Wesley. The Hornets immediately waived him and he has not signed anywhere since.

– Brandon Robinson

Brandon Robinson spent much of the year in China, trying to keep the wolf from the door. If you want to know what I’m referring to, then click here.

– Cliff Robinson

Uncle Cliffy last played in the NBA in the 2006-07 season with the Nets, on the same team as Bernard. He put up a PER of 5.9 in 57 games, worse than any other season in his career, and realised it was time to stop. What he does professionally now is not clear, but he wants to become a coach, and lingered around the recent Portsmouth Invitational tournament for that very reason.

C-Rob turns 44 years old later this year. Bet you feel old now.

– Dawan Robinson

Rhode Island guard Dawan Robinson has spent two years in Italy with incredibly little to show for it. He signed with Prima Veroli in Lega Due to begin the 2008-09 season, but managed only three games before breaking his hand. He returned four months later and played seven more games, but broke his foot in the days before their season finale. Robinson stuck with Prima Veroli to begin this season, obviously hoping for a better run of things. However, in an eerie coincidence, he once again got injured after only three games, breaking his foot for the second time. Robinson never played again for Veroli; when he was ready to return to action this February, he joined Serie A team Umana Reyer as a replacement for the injured Kiwame Garris. And inevitably, he then broke his foot for the third time only two days after signing. That’s three foot breaks in a year, and 13 total games in two seasons. Poor guy.

– Eddie Robinson

Robinson last played in the NBA in 2003-04, at which point the Bulls bought him out. The only time he has played since then was in 2006-07, when he spent most of the year with the Idaho Stampede of the D-League, averaging 15.6 points and 3.6 rebounds per game. E-Rob was also drafted in the 2008 D-League Draft by the Albuquerque Thunderbirds, but never played for the team, and hasn’t suited up in three years. He’s only played 27 games in six seasons.

Eddie Robinson was reviled in the eyes of Bulls fans and management alike, because he constantly complained of pain in his toe. He refused to drive the lane because of it, missed many games (playing only 144 games in three years with the team, a poor return on their $31 million investment in him), and seemed to find any excuse possible to sit on the sidelines wearing one of his many fantastic paisley sweaters. However, once Robinson acrimoniously departed the Bulls, he tried to sign with the New York Knicks…where he promptly failed the physical because of the condition of his toe. A toe on which he then had season-ending surgery. Whoops.

It would be nice if this was an isolated incident. But in recent times, the Bulls medical staff has claimed that Eddy Curry has a heart condition that, supposedly (allegedly), was actually just the resulting symptoms of the weight loss pills he was taking. And last year, the Bulls medical staff claimed Luol Deng was exaggerating an injury and cleared him to play (while throwing him under the bus in the process), just for it later to emerge that Deng actually had a broken leg that they’d just sent him out to play on.

– Frank Robinson

Cal State Fullerton product Frank Robinson was initially a training camp signing of the Atlanta Hawks, the second consecutive season he has achieved this. He then went to China to try and get a contract there, but his tryouts were unsuccessful, so he returned to the D-League and joined the L.A. D-Fenders. In 38 games for the team, F-Rob averaged 12.4 points, 4.1 rebounds and 3.7 assists, but shooting only 25% from three-point range.

– Glenn Robinson

Robinson signed two contracts in his life; the ten-year, $80 million one he signed after being drafted (one that saw the inception of the rookie scale contract the following season), and a prorated minimum salary contract with the Spurs the season after the first contract ended. With the Spurs, he coat-tailed his way to a championship ring. And then he disappeared. G-Rob has since returned to his home town of Gary, where he funds basketball camps and spends lots of time with his family.

Finally…..

– Russell Robinson

Kansas guard Russell Robinson finally cracked the NBA this year when he signed with the Cleveland Cavaliers for training camp. He did not make the team and returned to the D-League, at first with the Reno Bighorns and then with the Maine Red Claws after being traded for Will Blalock. R-Rob averaged 16.4 points with Reno and 16.3 with Maine, and he shot 38% from three with Reno and 37% from three with Maine. He shot four-and-a-half three-pointers per game on the season; the days of Russell Robinson the passer are fading away. In fact, he may have gone too far the other way now, for he averaged only 3.7 apg with the Bighorns (with a 1:1 assist/turnover ratio). But the defence is still there, and now that he has the complimentary three-point shot to go with that, Robinson is on the cusp of the NBA. It’s now a question of how long he can tolerate D-League pay checks.