On his best day, Eddie Robinson can play like Richard Jefferson. So why doesn't he do it more often?? Who the hell knows?? Probably poor confidence. I guess he just needs to better coached. Maybe Cartwright has finally turned him around after Floyd ruined him.

 

When we first got him, i was thrilled. He had a very nice year at charlotte. I remember watching him in the playoffs and was impressed with his quickness and explosiveness.
i looked for him to be a 15 pt 5.5 rebound kind of guy. I based that on extended minutes that he played at charlotte and the added few minutes a game he should have played here. When we signed him, if everyone remembers a lot of the bulls fans, (including me) had Artest traded. He was good as gone.

Then Eddie came to us and never really played the first year. I was dissapointed.

Last year i was willing to wait and see and hope again that Eddie would come through for us. The job was his as far as i was concerned because i was hoping that he would finally come in healty and play the way i wanted him to play. We drafted a pg and a pf and signed a tweener in Marshall, so nothing was holding him back!

But obviously there is. For not only did he not start the first of the year, but Rose started with Hassell at SG shooting 37%. I was let down again.

I dont know what to expect this year. He makes good money. But he has yet to deliver on a consistant basis to show us he deserves that money. Is this the year? I don't know. If Pippen comes and helps him, then maybe he will turn into a player after all. But if we don't get pippen, then i dont know. I do know its a shame to pay him the money that we do pay him and still have to go out in the FA market looking for a SF. Before Jays injury, we were looking to draft one.

He needs to earn his money. Even if he is traded, that statement would still be true.

 

At this point I am comfortable with him in a bench role. He can be effective as someone who provides energy off the bench. I don't feel comfortable with him in a prominent or important role because he is to darn inconsistent. Some nights he is great, some nights you wonder why he is even on an NBA team.

I think that we need to make more of an effort to get him involved in the offense. I'm not talking about making him a primary option, but when he's in the game take advantage of the skills he does have. Run him a few plays - backdoor cuts for allyoops, hit him cutting in the lane, or get him his baseline J. If we do that it will help his confidence and he will play more assertively and will also play harder on defense.

He will never be the player I was hoping for, but with a little grooming and no injuries we might make him into a really dynamic role player some day. For now, excercise caution with Erob.

 

The difference between ERob in Charlotte and ERob in Chicago is very easy to define. In Charlotte, he was a borderline CBA player scrapping to make it in the league. He played within his talents and he hustled. He actually played his position. In fact, for those of us who can remember back a few years, ERob played a good amount at PF, mostly SF, and never ever thought himself a SG.

All of the sudden, he gets paid during the 2000 offseason. When he is actually healthy enough to make it on the court, he gets the green light. He plays a lot of SG and some SF. But he becomes a shooter/scorer instead of a hustler/scrapper/defender/finisher. He starts to suck because he stops playing to his strengths. The money makes him lazy. Now BC is trying to get him to go back to his old ways, but he's too corrupted by the money and the silver platter he was shown back in the Floyd days.

I hope he can become valuable once again, but unfortunately I doubt it.

 

I think the fact that Eddie Robinson has yet to show at the Berto Center says everything you need to know.

 

Assuming we get no FA at SF better than Newble, I think Cartwright should make it clear that there is an open starting spot and the best player will win it during preseason. Competition can be positive and this shows the organization's commitment to winning. Let Eddie, Trent and even Kirk know that if they play well enough, they can start.

I'd like to see Eddie step up and win the job not only because of his athleticism but also to get a little value out of his cap space. However, it shouldn't be handed to him.

 

Originally posted by <b>Showtyme</b>!
Here we go again.

Eddie Robinson is a talented player. They rave about him in practice, saying he can hit jumpers and make it happen. We've seen him do a good job in transition offense. He was, at times, our most effective defender. Hassell has better defensive consistency and intelligence, but Robinson has athletic ability and just sheer length that keeps guys from coming in on him too much.

As much as he's on the trade block, we're probably stuck with him. What kind of improvement do you think we can see from him? In my opinion, we just never really gave him a chance.

In games where he played 25 minutes or more, he averaged a healthy 8.3 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 1.4 apg, 1.3 steals. This all on 50% shooting. Some impressive performances include:

November 19th, against the Kings. 15 points on 7 of 9 shooting, 5 boards, 2 steals, in 33 minutes.

November 27th, against the Celtics. 13 points on 5 of 10 shooting, 9 boards, 1 assist, 1 steal, and 1 block, in 33 minutes.

January 24th, against the Wizards. 15 points on 7 of 10 shooting, 6 boards, 2 assists, 1 steal.

February 11th, against the Pistons. 1 point, 6 boards, and FIVE STEALS.

The guy can play, when given a chance. He has a notoriously bad work ethic, but... well, what do you think?

He's definitely the worst player we've seen as far as being healthy and well paid. But, if we were to strike out in the FA market, or even if we do land an Ira Newble type of player, we're going to still have to be comfortable with Eddie Robinson getting quite a few minutes there.

The only way we can avoid that is putting Craw or Hinrich at SG and letting Rose and Marshall play major minutes at SF. That doesn't seem wise to me, as I anticipate Fizer to be dealt in the offseason and Marshall will be primary backup to Chandler.

So how comfortable are YOU with Robinson?

Very good assessment and statistical breakdown. E-Rob, when healthy, definitely gives the Bulls an exciting dimension. As you've eluded, he's clearly best in transition where he can showcase his athleticism. In a half court set, he's somewhat limited because he lacks range on his shot and isn't bulky enough to bang anyone down low. He has marginal ball handling skills and isn't a great passer. Most of all, he's been hurt a lot and after a while, you start to wonder if you can count on him being there from on night to the next.

The Pesimist's Perspective: E-Rob, like every other year with the Bulls, is hurt for most of the season. When he's healthy, he's forced to play the triangle offense and does not feel comfortable doing so. Cartwrong uses him in a half court set and plays Jalen at SG, and Eddie spends all of his energy playing D and he becomes unaffective on O. He eventually becomes frustrated and it shows to the rest of the team.

The Optimist's Perspective: Eddie returns to pre-Bull form and becomes and exciting spark plug on a deep Bulls bench. Cartright has an epiphany and decides to play JC, Jalen, ERob, Chandler, and Curry and run the opponents to death. With JC running the break, Chandler and ERob filling in on the wings and Curry trailing, the Bulls will be attacking the basket at all angles. Speed and athleticism will be the Bulls trump cards and few teams will be able maintain this kind of pace. On D, Eddie's length and quickness will reak havoc for opponents in both man-to-man and zone defenses. His steals sneak up to 2 per game and he holds his man to around 40% fg.

The Realist's Perspective: E-Rob remains injury free for the entire season as it is difficult to get hurt riding the pine. His value dimishes and he becomes disinterested in playing for the Bulls. When Cartright does play him, it at the wrong time or when the Bulls are winning or losing by a substantial margin. The Bulls acquire a decent, but not great, SG/SF (e.g. Ira Newble) and ERob and Trenton are left alone at the end of the bench trying to decide which Luvabull is the ugliest.

 

Originally posted by <b>Aesop</b>!
Assuming we get no FA at SF better than Newble, I think Cartwright should make it clear that there is an open starting spot and the best player will win it during preseason.

:rofl:

Yeah, like last years "open" competition between Jay & Jamal!

:rocket:
Bill Cartwright

:uhoh: :krazy::banghead::upset: :sigh:

 

Another ERob thread!! Here is my personal opinion! If we can get someone like Pippen, Maggettee, or Odom, then yes, bring that player in and ruin ERob. If not, we should stick with him. I think that BC didn't give him enough opportunity last season. ERob never got enough touches. He did was the team asked him to do and that was playing "defense". But guess what? BC gave him inconsistent minutes and certainly not a single shot. He (ERob) had to find shots himself.

I have heard rumors that we should go out and get Newbel or whatever his name is. Why? We already have players on the bench better than him in ERob and equally Hassel.

Somehow i don't think we are that desperate as far as trying to find a SF. We already plenty. We can start Rose/Hinrich/JC in the backcourt or ERob/Rose/JC. It doesn't seem to be that bad. If we want to trade, we better get an established player (PIppen/Maggette/Odom/etc.)

 

I tend to agree with those who see little more in Newble than what we have in Hassell. Also, I think Erob was perhaps still a bit relunctant on his feet at the start of last season due to the injury. He seemed to become more daring as the season went on, but never quite got into a sustained grove. He showed a lot in training camp (under Floyd) his first year here before the injury, so I'm hoping he can come back in this year and show that ability once again. I'd prefer to play a 3-headed monster of Marshall, Erob and Hassell on the wing next to Rose in the event that we are unable to obtain Pippen (who would be perfect for us) or else make a deal to upgrade our talent at that position while reducing our body count. Guys like Newble and Jones just don't seem to add much beyond what we already have here. I wouldn't rule out the possibility of Erob stepping up, I'd like to see that happen, but it seems the odds are probably against it happening in a Bulls uniform at this point.

 

Originally posted by <b>Bulls4Life</b>!


Yeah, like last years "open" competition between Jay & Jamal!

I think open competitions are generally good. One example where it didn't work does not disprove this. Besides, who knows if things would have worked out better if JW or JC was named the starter initially?

 

I am hoping for two players to have their minites either reduced or eliminated this year and those are Robinson and Hassell. Having said that I also hope for and have realistic hope that they can both improve to the point they don't hurt us when they are in there.

My hope is based on the fact that both players were better in their first year with the Bulls than the second, and Robinson was a good scorer in Charlotte, and Hassell was in college, but both fell below what they are capable of. When I look to reasons why I have to conclude the team youth and change in point guards had something to do with it. Maybe this had something to do with the drop in shooting percentage for Rose as well. Curry, Chandler and Crawford improved their own games substantially, but still
need to learn how to make others better. The prior year the Bulls used far less talented but experienced point guards (Anthony, Best, and Ollie) whose continued employment in the league depended on making others better. You could even add Marshall to the evidence of this.

He was a relatively low percentage shooter until he went to Utah, then with Stockton and Malone around he became one of the more accurate shooters in the league, then he fell back a little on last years team, with two young point guards instead of one of the best, and no front court distributors like Malone.

Let me use Robinson as a specific example, because he has unique but perhaps non traditional ways to score that are dependent on his teammates knowing how to use him. First the downside, is he a 3pt threat? No, Does he post up? No, Can he create much off the dribble? No. Now the good news, Can he score on the break? Very well in fact. Can he hit and get off a quick midrange jumper comming off screens or flashing accross the lane? Yes, his ackward looking jumper and hops allow him to shoot over most players even with no space. But he needs to catch the ball in midrange and go right up with it. The kind of timing this young team is not good at, but Charlotte was and Chicago may be with time.

The team will get better and Curry and Chandler will I believe start to learn an inside out focus knowing when to score and when to kick it out as they mature. I do believe that this overall team weakness, mostly due to inexperience as opposed to talent makes the relative attractiveness of Pippin as a FA important to this team, because although he is far from the player he used to be, he can still be an above average defender, and as a point forward is one of the best at making his teammates better.

 

Re: Re: Eddie Robinson, again

Originally posted by <b>MichaelOFAZ</b>!


The Optimist's Perspective: Eddie returns to pre-Bull form and becomes and exciting spark plug on a deep Bulls bench. Cartright has an epiphany and decides to play JC, Jalen, ERob, Chandler, and Curry and run the opponents to death. With JC running the break, Chandler and ERob filling in on the wings and Curry trailing, the Bulls will be attacking the basket at all angles. Speed and athleticism will be the Bulls trump cards and few teams will be able maintain this kind of pace. On D, Eddie's length and quickness will reak havoc for opponents in both man-to-man and zone defenses. His steals sneak up to 2 per game and he holds his man to around 40% fg.

My my, that is optimistic. Rose and Curry look like halfcourt players to me. I don't see Rose pressing the ball much and god knows he ain't too quick. Curry is agile but he doesn't get down the court in much of a hurry. If we want to run, I'd try it mostly against other team's backups with a lineup of something like Chandler, Marshall, ERob, Crawford, and Hinrich.

 

Re: Re: Re: Eddie Robinson, again

Originally posted by <b>Mikedc</b>!


My my, that is optimistic. Rose and Curry look like halfcourt players to me. I don't see Rose pressing the ball much and god knows he ain't too quick. Curry is agile but he doesn't get down the court in much of a hurry. If we want to run, I'd try it mostly against other team's backups with a lineup of something like Chandler, Marshall, ERob, Crawford, and Hinrich.

What I saw consistently from Rose last season is that he would PASS the ball upcourt (i.e. baseball pass to half-court) rather than try to dribble upcourt to show off his speed (as our other PGs would). This is the fastest way to push the offense, IMO.

Rose also says he patterns his game after Magic. If so, it would seem he wants to fast break, showtime style. As opposed to showtyme style ;-)

 

sure rose patterns his game aftter magic!
who doesn't?

maby MJ.

 

Re: Re: Re: Re: Eddie Robinson, again

Originally posted by <b>DaBullz</b>!


What I saw consistently from Rose last season is that he would PASS the ball upcourt (i.e. baseball pass to half-court) rather than try to dribble upcourt to show off his speed (as our other PGs would). This is the fastest way to push the offense, IMO.

Rose also says he patterns his game after Magic. If so, it would seem he wants to fast break, showtime style. As opposed to showtyme style ;-)

Showtyme style? Yo, I got handles like Kidd. You should see me run the fast break.

(Actually, my game more resembles Eric Chenowith, and that's only if I play with my usual vertically challenged Asian-American guys. If I play with real people of normal height, I look more like Mateen Cleaves with two broken legs.)

 

TRADE FOR KOBE. Then get him an endorsement for Trojan.

 

The fact that this SF has YET to report for offseason training says a lot about E-Rob and his commitment towards this team.