Denver Nuggets: What Adding Nate Robinson Means

Regardless of what anyone thinks of the Nate Robinson signing, the past few months have been rough for Denver Nuggets fans. If the past 12 months of the NBA were ever compared with “Game of Thrones,” the Nuggets’ offseason would have to be the Red Wedding. It’s almost astounding how quickly and devastatingly one of the many contenders for the NBA crown was decimated and shamelessly murdered in front of the nation’s wide eyes.

While I don’t think coach George Karl was taking the Nuggets anywhere past the first round, there’s merit to the fact that he is still one of the few elite coaches in the league and an offensive genius that helped make Denver’s offense one of the most potent in the league. Karl’s status as the 2012-13 Coach of the Year was much like Robb Stark declaring himself King of the North: Impressive on paper, but ultimately a pipe dream.

Either way, Karl was eventually gutted much like (spoiler alert) Robb Stark. The other casualties occurred just as fast when Masai Ujiri (Lady Catelyn, the mastermind behind Karl’s/Robb’s success in contending for the crown) left for Toronto and Andre Iguodala (Grey Wind, Robb’s direwolf who intimidated the bejeezus out of his master’s enemies) eventually became part of a sign-and-trade to the Golden State Warriors. Corey Brewer left for the Minnesota Timberwolves, Kosta Koufos was traded to the Memphis Grizzlies for Darrell Arthur and the Nuggets added J.J. Hickson to the ever-growing list of players on Denver’s roster who don’t play an ounce of defense.

Just days later, we can add Nate Robinson to that list.

Don’t get me wrong, I actually really like this signing. The Nuggets brought on a proven bench scorer in a two-year deal that will only cost Denver a little more than $4 million. A few months ago I wrote about how the Chicago Bulls should resign Robinson because of his heart, his indomitable will and his athleticism. This guy gave an injury-ravaged Bulls team everything they could ever ask for in the playoffs. Maybe it was because he really found something special in Chicago between Tom Thibodeau’s leadership and the chemistry with his teammates, but either way, he gave the Bulls everything he had.

But no matter what the reason behind his remarkable playoffs this past season, Robinson certainly showed he deserved a bigger contract from somebody. Time and time again he delivered big buckets for a team in desperate need of offensive contributions. His defense became a liability at times, sure, but that’s only natural for a guy his size. When it mattered most, Robinson delivered. Who could forget his memorable performance in a classic triple-overtime win over the Brooklyn Nets in Game 4?

And although Chicago eventually fell to the Miami Heat in five games in the next round, he delivered more memorable heroics in a surprising Game 1 road victory over LeBron James and company. So there’s no doubt this guy can play. Or, at least, that he can score in a hurry. But what does that mean for the Denver Nuggets?

With the signing of Nate Robinson, there are two main messages that have become all too clear. The first is that Denver does not give a damn about defense. You could say that about them last year since they were the same team that scored 106.1 points per game (1st in the league) but also gave up 101.1 points per game (23rd in the league). Their remarkable 57-25 record was entirely predicated on this mentality: You can score as much as you’d like, but we’re still going to try and outscore you.

But even though their defense was downright porous at times, they at least had Andre Iguodala to lock down the other team’s best player at the end of tight games. They also had a decent wing defender in Danilo Gallinari. This year? Not quite. Koufos wasn’t a defensive nightmare by any means, but he was tall and got a fair number of blocks. Hickson can grab a block or two every now and then, but he’s a major downgrade in the center department. You might be thinking, “But wait, Hickson isn’t going to be starting.” That’s true, but don’t forget that means the starter is JaVale McGoaltend.

The Nuggets picked up Randy Foye in the sign-and-trade with the Warriors and now they’ve added Robinson to the roster. Comparing Foye and Robinson’s defense would be an insult to Foye, but the fact remains: more than ever, the Nuggets will absolutely have to shoot teams out of the gym to win.

The second main message that is incredibly obvious now that the Nuggets have signed Nate Robinson is that the writing may be on the wall for that wily veteran Andre Miller. Foye is a shooting guard, but he’s small and adding Robinson doesn’t exactly leave room for Ty Lawson and three other undersized guards. Miller still has three years remaining on his contract and will be paid $5 million this year. Not exactly the kind of money you want to spend on a backup point guard when you’ve got another one who’ll deliver energy off the bench and only cost $4 million for two years.

With the Nate Robinson signing, it’s likely that the Nuggets will trade Miller at some point in the near future. It’s also likely that Denver might be one of the most enjoyable teams in the league to watch now, because their games will be offensive, back-and-forth, high-flying affairs in the hundreds. Robinson is a great signing for a bargain price and will likely enjoy the chemistry these young Nuggets seem to have and hope to sustain under new coach Brian Shaw.

Unfortunately for Denver, the Nuggets/Starks won’t be contending for the crown in the near future, but they have plenty of young talent moving forward. Robinson won’t ever be compared to Arya Stark or her brother Bran for trying to avenge the Denver/Stark family, but he’s a minor character who will be helpful moving forward at the very least. After such a successful year, so much destruction in so little time (the offseason/Red Wedding) is a devastating blow that put a dent in their hopes to dominate the realm. But don’t count out the young Nuggets/Starks. Because if we’re going to carry this “Game of Thrones” metaphor all the way to the end, we can’t leave out Winterfell’s new rallying cry: The North/Mile High City remembers.