GREENBURGH, N.Y. — The Nate Robinson Era with the New York Knicks is officially over.
Robinson and rookie Marcus Landry were dealt to the Boston Celtics for Eddie House, J.R. Giddens and Bill Walker, ESPN.com reported.
Robinson, the co-longest-tenured Knick along with David Lee, stopped by Knicks practice Thursday to say his goodbyes to the team and issued this message on his Twitter feed.
“Love yall for the support over the years, since my rookie year my fans have made it EZ 4 me to LOVE NYC the best place on earth …”
A three-time Slam Dunk champion who was in and out of head coach Mike D’Antoni’s doghouse this season, Robinson is averaging 13.2 points per game. He sat out Wednesday’s game with the Bulls after the Knicks said he had “flu-like” symptoms.
Robinson is due $4 million this year and gets another $1 million for making the playoffs. Because he is a base-year compensation player, only about $2 million of his salary can be counted in any deal. House makes $2.86 million on the last year of an expiring contract.
“If that’s the case, I wish [Robinson] good luck,” Knicks forward Al Harrington said before Wednesday’s loss to Chicago. “Obviously, [I would] be happy for him. [It would] put him in a position where he’d be on a winning team and possibly could be playing for a championship. Obviously going from this situation to that would be a great opportunity for him, so I just wish him luck.”
House told reporters at practice in Boston Wednesday that he expected to be traded.
“I was talking with my agent and there’s a strong possibility that I’ll be traded [Thursday] to New York,” House said, according to ESPN.com. “With that being said, I’ve always had a bond with these guys. I love playing with [the Celtics], but at the end of the day, it’s a business. The Celtics feel like they’re a better team with the guy they’re trying to get. I gotta move on, that’s what it is. I’m here at practice today, I’m a basketball player, I’m going to do what I love to do. Then [Thursday] I’ll figure out what’s going to happen.
“At the end of the day, you can’t control it. It’s out of my hands — it’s never been in my hands. Wherever I go, if I go to New York, I’ll play two months, try to play real strong basketball, get some wins with those guys, and make a good account for me for free agency.”
House, averaging 7.2 points, gets reunited with D’Antoni, whom he played for in Phoenix.
“That helps a lot,” House said. “I know the coaching staff, I know the system, I know the plays they run. I know my style fits right in. I’m feeling good right now about the way I’m playing. It’s going to be a good thing. You have to take it like that.
“Nothing surprises me in this league. You never know what can happen. I take it all in stride. It had to be for a reason. Whatever that reason is.”
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