The Denver Nuggets signed Nate Robinson from the Chicago Bulls this offseason to help cope with the loss of Andre Iguodala and after signing the star, the team sees why he is considered one of the most colorful characters in the NBA, as he is taking the number 10 to honor Barcelona soccer star Lionel Messi.
According to Pro Basketball Talk, Robinson said that he is changing his jersey number to 10 after Messi, as he said that he is his favorite soccer player and that he wants to be the best "little" guy in the NBA, like how Messi is a "little" guy doing it on the world stage as well. Robinson said that he is a big football fan and that he will be inspired to wear the jersey of what he considers to be the best player in the world.
The Nuggets are excited to add Robinson to the mix with Ty Lawson after losing Iguodala and Robinson comes over after starring with the Bulls last season while dealing with injuries to Derrick Rose and Luol Deng. Robinson was key for the team while playing in 82 games and averaging 13.1 points and 4.4 assists and he was a huge asset in the playoffs as well, leading the Bulls to a win over the Heat in the Eastern conference playoffs second round.
The deal with the Nuggets is worth $4.1 million and he averaged over 16 points in the playoffs while getting extra playing time and he is expected to be a big factor for new head coach Brian Shaw. The Nuggets are heading into next season without their old head coach, general manager and top scorer in George Karl, winner coach of the year, Masai Ujiri, winner of exec of the year, and scorer Andre Iguodala, who signed with the Warriors. The 29-year-old Robinson has been a spark for many teams in his career and he has averaged over 11 points per game with the Bulls, Golden State Warriors, Oklahoma City Thunder, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks and now he joins former Knicks players Wilson Chandler and Danilo Gallinari in Denver.
The Nuggets are ready to come back after a franchise best 57 win season with Evan Fournier, veteran Andre Miller, rookie Erick Green and newly acquired Randy Foye in the backcourt and adding Robinson only makes the team deeper. In other news, Messi sent a jersey to a young boy that was "snubbed" during the US tour for Barcelona, according to the Daily News.
From Indian Express:
"FC Barcelona's swift decision to replace Tito Vilanova with Gerardo Martino is a bold move not without risk but should at least allow the players to refocus on football after the unwelcome distractions of recent months.
The Spanish champions announced on Friday that Vilanova, 44, was unable to continue because of the demands of his cancer treatment and the club said on Tuesday they had hired 50-year-old Argentine Martino, a former Newell's Old Boys coach in his native Rosario, on a two-year contract."
