ducks
10-02-2003, 09:51 PM
Big Dog the latest second scorer in Philly lineup
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ One by one the players were paraded in, each being touted as the perfect scoring complement to Allen Iverson. Year after year, Philadelphia was left with the answer and no solution.
Jerry Stackhouse didn't last; Tim Thomas and Toni Kukoc underachieved; Matt Harpring never fit in; and Keith Van Horn faded in the postseason.
There were others, but none panned out as Iverson's long-term sidekick and Philadelphia's second scorer.
Enter the Big Dog.
Glenn Robinson, who came to Philadelphia in the summer as part of a four-team, six-player trade that sent Van Horn to New York, is the latest Sixer being asked to become a serious scoring threat.
He's ready to make a difference. Robinson, 6-foot-7, 240 pounds, says he'll be a team player who will ease the scoring burden from Iverson.
``I'm just here to make it easier for him,'' Robinson said.
He has the bite to back up his bark, averaging 21.1 points per game in nine seasons with two All-Star appearances.
Robinson has experience sharing the ball, playing for three years with All-Stars Ray Allen and Sam Cassell in Milwaukee. They led the Bucks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001, where they lost to the Sixers by hoisting shot after shot.
Sharing the ball with Iverson and the rest of the Sixers shouldn't be a big bone of contention, Robinson said.
``If we can all chip in and help him out and relieve some of that pressure, toward the end of the game I would like to see him take over the ballgame,'' Robinson said.
That sounds good to Iverson, a three-time scoring champion, who said Robinson was an upgrade from players like Van Horn and Thomas.
``Glenn's just a better player than all those guys,'' Iverson said. ``It's as simple as that. Glenn's just a proven player. He's just a better player than all those guys that have been here.''
After eight years with the Bucks, Robinson played last season with Atlanta. The franchise offered their season-ticket holders a partial money-back guarantee if they didn't make the playoffs. Robinson did his part with a team-best 20.8 scoring average, but the team was a bust and he was shipped out.
His off-court behavior has been a distraction.
Robinson was convicted of assault and domestic battery against his former fiance last May and was sentenced to one year of probation and five days of community service. He will serve a three-game suspension at the start of the season and has apologized.
But Robinson, the No. 1 pick out of Purdue in the 1994 NBA draft, is considered a defensive liability and is usually among the league leaders in turnovers.
Even so, as part of one of the smallest frontcourts in the league (with 6-10 center Derrick Coleman and 6-7 forward Kenny Thomas), Robinson adds another perimeter threat, making 34 percent of his 3-point attempts a year ago.
Coach Randy Ayers isn't worried about Robinson getting his shots.
``I think he's strong-willed enough to get himself involved,'' Ayers said.
Robinson has two years and nearly $23 million left on his original 11-year contract. It took him five years to make the playoffs and it's been three years since he's last played in the postseason.
The Sixers, though, have higher goals than just making the playoffs. They believe they're title contenders and that Robinson can make it happen.
``I feel needed here,'' he said. sports.espn.go.com/sports/gen/wire?messageId=24272899 (http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/gen/wire?messageId=24272899)
Associated Press
PHILADELPHIA (AP) _ One by one the players were paraded in, each being touted as the perfect scoring complement to Allen Iverson. Year after year, Philadelphia was left with the answer and no solution.
Jerry Stackhouse didn't last; Tim Thomas and Toni Kukoc underachieved; Matt Harpring never fit in; and Keith Van Horn faded in the postseason.
There were others, but none panned out as Iverson's long-term sidekick and Philadelphia's second scorer.
Enter the Big Dog.
Glenn Robinson, who came to Philadelphia in the summer as part of a four-team, six-player trade that sent Van Horn to New York, is the latest Sixer being asked to become a serious scoring threat.
He's ready to make a difference. Robinson, 6-foot-7, 240 pounds, says he'll be a team player who will ease the scoring burden from Iverson.
``I'm just here to make it easier for him,'' Robinson said.
He has the bite to back up his bark, averaging 21.1 points per game in nine seasons with two All-Star appearances.
Robinson has experience sharing the ball, playing for three years with All-Stars Ray Allen and Sam Cassell in Milwaukee. They led the Bucks to the Eastern Conference Finals in 2001, where they lost to the Sixers by hoisting shot after shot.
Sharing the ball with Iverson and the rest of the Sixers shouldn't be a big bone of contention, Robinson said.
``If we can all chip in and help him out and relieve some of that pressure, toward the end of the game I would like to see him take over the ballgame,'' Robinson said.
That sounds good to Iverson, a three-time scoring champion, who said Robinson was an upgrade from players like Van Horn and Thomas.
``Glenn's just a better player than all those guys,'' Iverson said. ``It's as simple as that. Glenn's just a proven player. He's just a better player than all those guys that have been here.''
After eight years with the Bucks, Robinson played last season with Atlanta. The franchise offered their season-ticket holders a partial money-back guarantee if they didn't make the playoffs. Robinson did his part with a team-best 20.8 scoring average, but the team was a bust and he was shipped out.
His off-court behavior has been a distraction.
Robinson was convicted of assault and domestic battery against his former fiance last May and was sentenced to one year of probation and five days of community service. He will serve a three-game suspension at the start of the season and has apologized.
But Robinson, the No. 1 pick out of Purdue in the 1994 NBA draft, is considered a defensive liability and is usually among the league leaders in turnovers.
Even so, as part of one of the smallest frontcourts in the league (with 6-10 center Derrick Coleman and 6-7 forward Kenny Thomas), Robinson adds another perimeter threat, making 34 percent of his 3-point attempts a year ago.
Coach Randy Ayers isn't worried about Robinson getting his shots.
``I think he's strong-willed enough to get himself involved,'' Ayers said.
Robinson has two years and nearly $23 million left on his original 11-year contract. It took him five years to make the playoffs and it's been three years since he's last played in the postseason.
The Sixers, though, have higher goals than just making the playoffs. They believe they're title contenders and that Robinson can make it happen.
``I feel needed here,'' he said. sports.espn.go.com/sports/gen/wire?messageId=24272899 (http://sports.espn.go.com/sports/gen/wire?messageId=24272899)