Free agent guard Nate Robinson worked out with the Minnesota Timberwolves this week, and it remains possible that the Wolves could add him to the roster with training camp just over a week away.
Journeyman guard Nate Robinson posted on Instagram about his recent workout with the Wolves — right alongside Timberwolves new acquisition Jamal Crawford.
https://www.instagram.com/p/BZCPA3ugrou/?taken-by=naterobinson
Robinson and Crawford are both from Seattle, played together in high school (state champs!), with the New York Knicks and for a very short time with the Los Angeles Clippers.
Crawford and Robinson found success together at the NBA level on the Knicks after Crawford joined the Knicks in 2004 and Robinson was drafted by them in 2005. During their Knicks careers, Crawford averaged 17.6 points and 4.4 assists in his five seasons with the club, while Robinson averaged 12.5 points and 2.8 assists while also spending five seasons with New York.
We now just might have the opportunity to see this explosive backcourt coming together again for Minnesota.
Having Nate and Jamal off the bench could provide a potent offensive attack. Both players are known for their flashy style of play and ability to come off the bench to put up points in short order. Let’s hope that the Wolves decide to bring in Robinson not only to reunite this backcourt but to also reunite Nate with Tom Thibodeau, who he played for with the Chicago Bulls.
Robinson was like a hand-in-glove fit for the Bulls when they needed a fill-in for an injured Derrick Rose back in 2012-13. He averaged 13.1 points and 4.4 assists per game during his lone season with Thibs, playing in all 82 games while starting 23. Since then, Robinson played 44 games for Denver the following season before splitting 2014-15 with Denver and the Clippers.
Robinson last played for the New Orleans Pelicans in 2015-16 for only two games, going scoreless in just 23 minutes of play. He was out of the league last year after spending 2016 playing in Israel and part of last season in the NBA D-League. In April, he signed with a team in Venezuela.
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Somewhat surprisingly, the first-ever three-time NBA Slam Dunk Champion is still just 33 years old, although he was simply not effective in his final two NBA seasons. If he can play like he did for Thiobodeau in Chicago (read: shoot 40.5 percent from 3-point range again), he’d be a solid addition to the Timberwolves’ bench.