Even Newer Sixers Face Old Sixer

By Sean Kennedy (@PhillyFastBreak)

Over the past week, the Sixers roster has seen more nips and tucks than an aging upper class socialite. The team underwent one more procedure Tuesday afternoon, claiming Thomas Robinson off waivers, releasing Tim Frazier to make room for the latest acquisition. Aside from the wonderful bonus that claiming Robinson prevented Billy King and the Nets from signing him once he cleared waivers, there’s every chance that the former Kansas big man flourishes in what could be his first legitimate opportunity for playing time at the professional level.

Coming off an outstanding junior season at Kansas, where he averaged 17.7 points and 11.9 rebounds while helping the Jayhawks reach the national final, Robinson was selected 5th overall by the Kings in the 2012 NBA draft. Strangely, he only received 16 minutes per game with the Kings, because it’s obviously more important to get guys like Chuck Hayes and Jason Thompson minutes on a 28-54 team. Bizarrely, Sacramento then traded Robinson to Houston midway through his rookie season for a package centered around Patrick Patterson. After being a bit player off the bench for a Rockets playoff team, Robinson was traded to the Blazers in the offseason to help clear salary cap room for Dwight Howard. In two seasons of being stuck behind All-Star power forward LaMarcus Aldridge, Robinson has averaged just under 13 minutes per game.

I point all of this out to illustrate how unusual it is for a guy taken 5th in the draft to never even get a shot at consistent playing time. It’s become increasingly clear that the Kings franchise is a train wreck; then, he found himself on playoff teams that didn’t have the inclination to let an untested young player develop his game through trial and error on the court. There’s certainly an argument to be made that if he was good enough, Robinson would have forced his coaches to find more minutes for him, but it still seems like he’s never gotten a fair shake.

With the Sixers, he should have every chance to show what he can do in game action. Standing at 6’9″, Robinson has never been an elite defender for his position but has always been an extremely effective rebounder on both ends of the floor. Offensively, he doesn’t have much range and has struggled to translate his post game against bigger and stronger defenders at the NBA level. Still, the Sixers get a free crack at a guy that just three years ago was seen as the surest thing in the draft aside from Anthony Davis.

Robinson is making almost $3.7 million in what is the final year of his rookie deal after Portland declined his team option. Given he’ll be an unrestricted free agent next season, the only advantage the Sixers have contractually by claiming him now is that they get his Bird Rights, meaning they could go over the salary cap to retain him. For a Philadelphia team that just reached the salary floor by signing Robinson, there’s about as much chance of them needing to use those Bird Rights as Sam Hinkie releasing a tell-all book about his first few years as GM. However, the Sixers will get a first-hand look and be able to make a more-informed evaluation of Robinson by having him in the fold over the final 20+ games.

This constantly evolving Sixers group will have a first-end look at one of their former compatriots, when they take the court Wednesday night in Milwaukee. Michael Carter-Williams is expected to make his Bucks debut, as he’s listed as probable for the contest coming off his toe injury. The Bucks have struggled since trading away Brandon Knight, having badly lost their last two games against Atlanta and Chicago after having won 9 of 10. We’ll see if they the addition of MCW helps their cause, but very possibly, Carter-Williams could overpress in his eagerness to stick it to his former club; it wouldn’t shock me to see a plethora of turnovers from the former Sixer tonight. Either way, it’s always going to be interesting to see if Philadelphia has a case of seller’s remorse when it comes to their former point guard and our first chance to determine whether that’s the case comes tonight.