CHICAGO — After struggling over the Chicago Bulls’ first three preseason games to find any kind of rhythm, Nate Robinson received words of encouragement from plenty of people. It seems that two particular groups put his mind at ease: His teammates, and his children. The point guard took those words to heart, both on and off the floor, delivering in a big way on Tuesday night in place of injured starter Kirk Hinrich.
“I was kind of hard on myself (about) making shots and guys are just like, ‘Just play, have fun. It will come back.’” Robinson said Tuesday after scoring 24 points and dishing out 13 assists in a 100-94 win over the Milwaukee Bucks. “I worked on my jump shot a lot and I was kind of disappointed in myself. But I talked to my kids the other day and they were like, ‘It’s OK, daddy. We still love you no matter what.’ So that kind of helped me out today just having happy thoughts and just going out there playing and having fun and I did that.”
Robinson’s ability to have fun on the floor has never been in question. After making big plays he usually throws his arms into the air as if he was an airplane. On this particular night, he through an alley-oop off the backboard, something he said he won’t do again for fear of the wrath of Bulls coach Tom Thibodeau. But it’s clear that Robinson is at his best when he’s having fun … and he was having plenty of that with his new teammates.
