Clifford R. Robinson
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Position | Power forward |
|---|---|
| Height | 6 ft 10 in (2.08 m) |
| Weight | 240 lb (109 kg) |
| Team | New Jersey Nets |
| Nationality |  United States |
| Born | December 16, 1966 Buffalo, New York |
| College | UConn |
| Draft | 2nd round, 36th overall, 1989 Portland Trail Blazers |
| Pro career | 1989 – present |
| Former teams | Portland Trail Blazers 1989-97 Phoenix Suns 1997-2001 Detroit Pistons 2001-03 Golden State Warriors 2003-05 |
| Awards | 1993 NBA Sixth Man of the Year |
Clifford Ralph Robinson (referred to as Clifford (or Cliff) Robinson) (born December 16, 1966, in Buffalo, New York) is an American professional basketball player in the National Basketball Association.
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[edit] Basketball career
Robinson played collegiately at the University of Connecticut, and was selected with the 36th overall pick (2nd round) in the 1989 NBA Draft by the Portland Trail Blazers. (He should not be confused with the other Clifford Robinson, who entered the league ten years earlier.)
[edit] Portland Trail Blazers
When he first entered the NBA, many NBA executives and analysts considered Robinson a tweener - at Connecticut he primarily played a perimeter-oriented game, despite being 6' 10". Many scouts thought he wouldn't succeed in the pros, believing he lacked the strength and size to play the power forward position, and the quickness and shooting ability to play small forward. As a result, he slipped to the second round of the draft, despite many predictions he would be taken in the first round. Robinson quickly proved his critics wrong, as throughout his NBA career he has been known as an excellent defender who can guard all three frontcourt positions (twice named to the NBA All-Defensive Second Team), and a skilled three-point shooter (who participated in the NBA 3-point shootout in 1996). Some consider Robinson an early prototype of the modern NBA power forward--a quick, mobile big man who is equally adept at shooting from the outside as he is at playing a rugged interior game. Robinson has also been an extremely durable player throughout his career--he had a consecutive-games streak of 461 games, the longest streak in Blazers franchise history.
He also has, over his career, been a somewhat colorful character; going by the moniker "Uncle Cliffy" (and occasionally performing an on-court dance of the same name) and wearing different colored headbands during games (long before the wearing of headbands became a popular trend among NBA players). In his early years in the league, he was notorious for removing his headbands and breaking them apart in fits of frustration during gameplay.
After being selected by the Trail Blazers, Robinson embarked on a relatively solid rookie campaign, which was far more productive then that typically expected of a second-round draft pick. He averaged 9.1 points and 3.8 rebounds per game while playing a full 82-game season. He served as a sixth man for the Blazers, backing up all three frontcourt starters (Jerome Kersey, Buck Williams, and Kevin Duckworth). He continued in this role for several years.
In 1993 he received the NBA Sixth Man of the Year Award, averaging 19.1 points, 6.6 rebounds and 1.99 blocks per game off the bench. The following season he was promoted to the starting lineup and lifted his averages to 20.1 points and a career-high 6.7 rebounds per game. That year, he was an All-Star.
However, during his career in Portland (other than the 90 and 92 campaigns, when the Blazers reached the NBA Finals) was generally marked by playoff failure. For several seasons in a row, Robinson's productivity (in particular, his scoring) plummeted during the playoffs, this caused him to acquire a reputation (among Portland fans) as a "choke artist". When his contract expired in 1997, the Trail Blazers decided not to re-sign him.
[edit] Phoenix Suns
Robinson signed with the Phoenix Suns as a free agent on August 25, 1997, where he remained for three seasons. The highlight of his tenure with the Suns was registering a career-best 50 points against the Denver Nuggets on January 16, 2000.
[edit] Detroit Pistons
Robinson was traded to the Detroit Pistons on June 29, 2001 in exchange for Jud Buechler and John Wallace.
[edit] Golden State Warriors
Robinson was traded to the Golden State Warriors on August 21, 2003, along with Pepe Sanchez, in exchange for Bob Sura.
[edit] New Jersey Nets
On February 14, 2005 Golden State traded Robinson to the New Jersey Nets in exchange for two second round draft picks.
[edit] Career highlights
Robinson holds career numbers of 14.6 points, 4.6 rebounds, 1.05 steals and 1.03 blocks in 1,330 games.
As of 2006, he is currently the only player drafted in the 1980s still active in the league. He also is the only player taller than 6' 10" to make more than 1,000 three-pointers; he has made 1,228 threes as of the conclusion of the 2005-06 season and currently ranks 16th all-time in career three-point field goals made. He has played in 1,330 career games which ranks him 7th in NBA history while his 19,388 points are 34th best all-time. On August 11, 2006 the New Jersey Nets re-signed Robinson to a contract extension to start his 18th year in the league.
[edit] Suspension
Robinson was suspended for five games on May 12, 2006 for violating terms of the league's drug policy for the second time in two seasons. Robinson was also suspended five games in February 2005 while playing for Golden State. Under terms of current collective bargaining agreement, a player would be suspended five games for a third positive test for marijuana.
[edit] External links
| Preceded by: Detlef Schrempf |
NBA Sixth Man of the Year 1993 |
Succeeded by: Dell Curry |
Categories: 1966 births | African American basketball players | American basketball players | Detroit Pistons players | Golden State Warriors players | New Jersey Nets players | People from Buffalo, New York | Phoenix Suns players | Portland Trail Blazers players | UConn Huskies men's basketball players | Living people
