Poor Eddie.

[Diesel]

http://www.dailyherald.com/sports/main_sto...p?intID=3764335

By Mike McGraw Daily Herald Sports Writer

Posted on January 22, 2003

When the Bulls sold Eddie Robinson on accepting their five-year, $32-million offer to move to Chicago in the summer of 2001, they probably didn't mention anything about playing defense.

Robinson's strengths during the two seasons he spent in Charlotte were accurate shooting (54 percent from the field) and a vertical leap that could rival any player in the NBA.

But after missing most of last season with injuries, Robinson lost the starting job at small forward this year to defensive specialist Trenton Hassell.

So Robinson set out to earn more playing time by making defense a personal priority. It's beginning to pay off.

For one of the first times all season, the 26-year-old Robinson stayed on the court during the fourth quarter of Monday's 115-102 win in Atlanta. On Jan. 8 in Washington, he helped force Wizards top scorer Jerry Stackhouse into a 2-for-14 shooting night. He had 3 steals in just 10 minutes when the Bulls beat Utah on Jan. 6.

"I guess that's the only way I'm going to get minutes is going out and stopping people," Robinson said. "You've got to take it as a challenge.

"He (coach Bill Cartwright) stresses it every day in practice about our defense. That's what's going to carry us over the hump because we know we can score. We've just got to get stops on people."

When Robinson did get on the floor last season, it was clear that defense had never been his main focus. Personal history was probably a contributing factor. Growing up in Flint, Mich., Robinson ran plenty of pickup games but never played high school basketball.

With a little practice, though, there is no reason why Robinson can't become an above-average defender. At 6-feet-9 with great athleticism, he should be able to shut people down once he puts his mind to it.

"Eddie at times does do a really good job," Cartwright said. "As a player, he's still growing. I don't think we've seen him reach his potential by any means. If he's going well, we'll leave him out there."

What has been frustrating for Robinson are those games when he is playing well but still gets forgotten in the second half, or pulled from the court in the fourth quarter.

In a loss at New Orleans last Friday, Robinson was arguably the Bulls' best player in the first half. He received just seven minutes after halftime.

During the double-overtime loss to Miami the following night, Robinson was on the floor when the Bulls were making a fourth-quarter comeback but went to the bench with six minutes remaining and never returned.

"I get kind of ticked at times because at certain times during the game, I feel like I should be in there," Robinson said. "Especially coming down the stretch (against Miami). He took me out again in the fourth quarter. I can't do anything about it. It's the coach, what he decides to do. I've just got to keep my head the best way I can. There's only so much you can take, though."

On offense, Robinson is capable of pulling off some flashy dunks - like the one-man alley-oop he tossed down late in the Atlanta game. But in the half-court, he is virtually forgotten. Robinson is averaging less than 5 shot attempts per contest.