No Return Policy: Nate Robinson Has Knee Surgery, Out 4-6 Weeks

Posted by Brian Robb on Mar 4, 2011 1752221 commentshttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F2011%2F03%2F04%2Fno-return-policy-nate-robinson-has-knee-surgery-out-4-6-weeks%2FNo+Return+Policy%3A+Nate+Robinson+Has+Knee+Surgery%2C+Out+4-6+Weeks2011-03-04+17%3A51%3A09Brian+Robbhttp%3A%2F%2Fcelticshub.com%2F%3Fp%3D17522

Our friend Royce Young over at Daily Thunder passes along the following tidbit on old friend Nate Robinson, who becomes the latest Celtic shown to be damaged goods in Boston’s latest wheelings and dealings:

Nate Robinson underwent arthroscopic knee surgery and will be out 4-6 weeks. The team said he experienced discomfort after his first practice Monday and decided to go ahead and do it, especially since it was obvious he wasn’t going to be a major part of the rotation.

Each day that this trade passes, things make more and more sense. Robinson was obviously having a down year in Beantown playing out of position for the most part, but there were whispers about his health all year long behind the scenes by various reporters I talked to, but the problem was obviously something that Robinson could play through, and obviously once Delonte West went down, the team pretty much needed him out there, with the only alternative being Avery Bradley.

So Nate deserves credit for, if nothing else, gutting it out in Boston while his numbers took a hit. He got paid this offseason, so he wasn’t putting himself at too big of a risk by playing through it, though it killed his trade value to the point he was a mere throw in to Perk deal in order to match salaries and help Danny get rid of some dead weight/payroll in the future.

Now, when it comes to dealing about injured players, the Thunder clearly knew (I would assume) that both Nate and Kendrick were damaged goods. Both guys underwent physicals, so there shouldn’t have been any secrets here. It was just a reality for Nate, with him being out of the rotation in Oklahoma City now, there was no point in paying through pain when he could be of use in the playoffs with a healthy knee.

Still, you have to consider the irony of all the deals that Ainge has made last week.

Marquis Daniels (bruised spine)
Semih Erden (groin and shoulder issues)
Kendrick Perkins (sprained MCL)
Nate Robinson (knee surgery)
Luke Harangody (injured left hip in first game with Cavs)

All that for healthy bodies in Jeff Green and Nenad Krstic, a 1st and 2nd round pick and free agent signees Chris Johnson, Troy Murphy, and Sasha Pavlovic.

Not a bad haul Danny, not bad at all.