Like other's have said he's 6'7.75... but essentially 6'9 in shoes. Given that on average most player gain 1.5 inches with shoes. But for the sake of comparison.... Kevin Love also measured 6'7.75 without shoes. Although he must have been wearing high heels on at the draft combine because he measured 6'10 w/t shoes.
I dont know where T. Robinson "fits in" right away, but after a few practices I guarantee you McHale and co. will find a way to get him minutes. He's going to become a fan and coaches favorite for this hustle, competitive spirit, and cleanup on the glass. The Faried comparison might not be the best because I dont if any player of this generation has the hustle, and ball tracking that Faried has, but T. Robinson can provide a similar role for the Rockets right away. So I wouldn't say he's a starter this year for the Rockets. I think D-Mo, and Jones will pass him up with their knowledge of the system they run offensively, but I dont think it will take long at all for Robinson to have a major role coming off the bench as an energy big. Him and Greg Smith on the front line should make for one of the better rebounding benches in the NBA eventually.
1) Parsons at the 4 will fade out over the next 20 games. After that, two of the rookie PFs, probably TRob and DMo, will split most of the minutes. 2) We will not overpay Josh Howard; he won't get the max here. Probably not anywhere. 3) I would be surprised if we were to go after a star PF. Between our three rooks, there is a good chance that one of them steps up and becomes at least close to All-star level, and on a rookie contract at that. We might go after Bynum; good chance we take a shot at Howard if he becomes available. If we have a good shot at an all-star PG, SG (Harden can move over to 3), or SF, we will definitely look into it. 4) Looks like we have some assets at PF.
The Faried comparison is good in some ways, but not in others. Both Faried and Robinson are very good rebounders. Both are considered suspect defenders, but they do have one of the best defensive ratings on their teams. However, Faried is a great finisher around the basket, shooting 67% in the restricted area. Robinson, on the other hand, shoots 47% in the restricted area. This number is similar to Toney Douglas and Jimmer Ferdette. Robinson looks like he should be a great finisher, but so far he has not done it. Maybe a change of scenery will help him. We can only hope.
Yes, this is my greatest concern, that TRob might not be able to finish around the rim. This was even brought up as a key knock on TRob by the SacTown guy interviewed on TDS.
The more I see this kid, the more his top level talent shines through. He's also a perfect fit for this team. I like the combo of Robinson playing the 4 and DMo playing the 5 if one can become an average defender and the other can be above average. Both should be able to set picks. DMo can hit from three and post up. Robinson can play the pick and roll. Over the next 20 games, I could see this lineup develop... Lin / Beverly Harden / Anderson Delfino / Garcia Parsons / Robinson Asik / DMo / Smith
If the Rockets can turn Asik into a serviceable scorer, then they will do wonders with Robinson. Robinson is no Faried. Faried is a player unto himself. But Robinson has the potential skills to be a double-double man every night if he gets 30 minutes. His jumper is unreliable, his footwork needs improvement, but he will run the floor, get into the paint, and crash the boards. Although slightly undersized for a PF, his wingspan makes up for it. The bigger question is his future here. The Rockets will bring in a major contributor next season. That is the whole purpose of obtaining cap space. I believe Harden, Lin, Asik and Parsons are absolutely safe, in that order of security. That means the "player to be named later" is likely to be a 4. Backing up Asik and the FA currently is Robinson, Motiejunas, Jones, and Smith. White likely will be the SF bench. Delfino and Garcia likely will be gone, so the Rockets will need depth at PG and SG. Two of those four bigs are likely to be gone by the start of next season.
I think TRob can avg 10 rebounds in the near future. To me he looks like a shorter Dwight. The few times that I have seen of him, he's only dunking but he does finger roll nicely with both hands. He also has nice spin move to both sides, spin and layup not spin an shoot. Both show promise with touch and footwork. I'd rather roll the dice with this guy than have soft Patterson shooting well but not defending and rebounding.
Patterson is a weak rebounder, but he is a good defender. There is a difference. For instance, Scola was a much better rebounder (and scorer) but could not defend a lick.
The Rockets are very unlikely to sign Josh Smith because frankly he is not that good. However, with the pace the Rockets play at, even if Smith is in the fold the Rockets will need a lot of depth so Robinson would still get minutes at the 4-5. I do not expect Robinson to get 20-25 minutes a night off the bat because that is not how the Rockets do things.
I would argue that rebounding is part of defending and I like to see both. You could also break down weak side help and one on one defense. I agree that he was a better defender than Scola. I will say that they are all horrible shot blockers so I don't have much hopes for TRob in that category. Doesn't seem like something you learn either.
While Morey said he's not going to tell the coaches who to play, he did say that he thought T Rob can contribute NOW. I think we're going to see a lot more of DMo, T Rob, and Greg Smith.
6'6" Delfino and 6'7" Garcia give us a tandem of some of the best dead-eye shooters with size in the NBA. These guys can both stroke it from two positions on the floor. The Garcia addition is underrated.
Morey is a PF junkie. Getting Robinson is like getting the latest iPhone or other gadget. Morey already got 3 new gadgets this year (Motiejunas, Royce, Jones) but couldn't help himself from getting this gadget too. Just wait until Morey falls in love with a diamond in the rough PF with that Suns 2nd rounder.
