Nate Robinson joined the Boston Celtics midway through the 2009-2010 season. He was part of the roster that went to the NBA Finals, ultimately losing to the Los Angeles Lakers in seven games.
Robinson ultimately spent part of two seasons with Boston. And while he has multiple fond memories of his time in green, there’s still one situation that he wishes he could get back. During his tenure with the team, Robinson had a stipulation in his contract that, if he played a certain number of games, he would trigger a $1.6 million bonus.
Rivers ultimately chose to sit Robinson for that game, giving him a DNP (did not play) due to the coach’s decision. When speaking with Heavy on Sports as part of an exclusive interview in conjunction with mBit Casino, Robinson noted that he still believes Rivers intentionally decided to bench him, thus costing him a seven-figure bonus.
“Oh man,” Robinson said while smiling. “The one I wish I could get back was a game where Doc [Rivers] gave me a DNP. I should’ve played. I had it in my contract that if I played one more game, I’d get a $1.6 million bonus. My coach sat me down. I think Doc did it purposely. I wish I could get that game back… That’s a huge bonus, especially for a guy who never had that before. That was tough.”
Robinson left the Celtics midway through the 2010-2011 season, moving to the Oklahoma City Thunder.
Robinson Always Wanted To Be An Offensive Spark
During a recent news conference, Payton Pritchard quipped that whenever his feet touch the court, it provides an offensive spark to the Celtics‘ rotation.
“It does not matter to me,” Pritchard said. “Starting or coming off the bench is something that I have no control over. That’s Joe’s decision. My only mindset is when I touch that floor, I bring my best..When my feet touch the floor, that is the spark.”
During the interview with Robinson, he was asked whether he held a similar mindset during his playing days.
“Yeah, that’s how I felt every time I stepped on the court,” Robinson said. “Every time my name was called, I was ready to play, bringing that energy, trying to destroy whoever the other guard was. That’s the object of the game.”
Robinson suited up for 618 regular-season games in his career. He averaged 11 points, 2.3 rebounds and three assists on 46.3% shooting from the field.
Robinson Says Pritchard Could Thrive As a Starter
Pritchard is facing a training camp battle for a starting spot in Mazzulla’s rotation. Anfernee Simons is the other candidate to partner with Derrick White. During his interview with Heavy on Sports, Robinson explained why Pritchard could thrive as part of the starting lineup, and it’s all down to a shift in mindset.
“With a guy like me, you could put me in the starting lineup and there’d be no drop-off,” Robinson explained. “If anything, there’d be more scoring and getting guys the ball, the only difference being starting instead of coming off the bench. With Pritchard, it’d be the same.”
Robinson continued.
“It’d be a better start for him. Warming up, getting assists, defence, scoring going early instead of coming off the bench as the spark. You just change your mindset when you become a starter: “Let me get you guys involved, let me knock down the open shot.”
Pritchard will undoubtedly be open to whatever role Mazzulla asks of him. However, if he does move into the starting lineup, he could be on track for another career year in scoring, assists and potentially even rebounds.