Thomas Robinson making his mark in Portland

By Staff     Apr 4, 2014

Portland Trail Blazers' Thomas Robinson (41) scores against Minnesota Timberwolves' Gorgui Dieng (5) during the second half of an NBA basketball game in Portland, Ore., Sunday, Feb. 23, 2014. The Trail Blazers won 108-97. (AP Photo/Greg Wahl-Stephens)

Drafted by Sacramento, then traded to Houston during his rookie year, second-year power forward Thomas Robinson finally feels at home in the NBA with his third team, the Portland Trail Blazers.

As Robinson [told John Wilmes of bleacherreport.com][1], he has embraced his role as a key reserve, even when his minutes aren’t substantial — he’s averaging 4.9 points and 4.3 rebounds in 12.4 minutes for Portland (49-27), currently the fifth-best team in a stacked Western Conference.

The former Kansas star enjoys providing a spark off the Blazers’ bench.

> “Last year, I was trying to make my
> role, going out of my way to prove
> something. You want to show everyone
> you can do something, that you can do
> can do everything at first.”

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2N7vKUmI61E

Chicago Bulls guard Kirk Hinrich (12) drives against Atlanta Hawks forward DeMarre Carroll (5) during the second half of an NBA basketball game Wednesday, April 2, 2014, in Atlanta. The Bulls won 105-92. (AP Photo/Jason Getz)

> “I’m a high-energy player, a defender,
> and an offensive rebounder. Not a
> scorer. I love who I am to this team,
> I wouldn’t change anything.”

Nick Collison, the next WWE superstar
—————————

During Oklahoma City’s Thursday victory over San Antonio, which ended the Spurs’ 19-game winning streak, Thunder power forward Nick Collison, [known for his dirty work][2], added to his reputation as one of the NBA’s tough guys.

The Spurs’ Jeff Ayers accidentally elbowed Collison in the head late in the third quarter, creating a gash atop Collison’s noggin. It looked more like Collison had been walloped with a steel chair in a WWE match.

When the blood began to pour down his face, the NBA twitterverse took a break from the entertaining showdown between two Western Conference powers to marvel at the bloodbath.

As you can see in the video, the contact didn’t look nearly as bad as the result.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2vedvwjA3fw

The gritty backup big man played 13 minutes in the OKC victory, scoring four points, and didn’t return to the game after suffering the cut.

The best part of the whole ordeal, [Collison told Darnell Mayberry of the Oklahoman][3], was that even though he needed staples in his head to stop the bleeding, it didn’t feel all that bad.

> “Really, I’m surprised it was
> bleeding. It hurt a little bit. It
> stung. But I saw blood coming down my
> nose so I knew I had to come out.”
>
> “It was one of those ones that’s
> awesome because you get a ton of
> credibility from blood coming down
> your face. But it really wasn’t that
> big of a deal.”

After the game, Collison couldn’t resist joking about the injury, [via Instagram][4], saying: “I really shouldn’t have popped that pimple in the game tonight. Sorry guys.”

Kirk Hinrich likes the Windy City
—————————

Kirk Hinrich’s two-year deal with Chicago runs out at the end of the season, but it sounds like he would prefer to remain with the Bulls going forward.

Before putting up 17 points and six assists in a Chicago win at Atlanta Wednesday, the 11th-year guard who has spent nine seasons with the Bulls [told the Chicago Tribune’s K.C. Johnson][5] there was a reason he signed with the franchise two summers ago, instead of taking more money to play in Milwaukee.

> “I like it here. Obviously, returning
> home was a big factor in why I came
> back. I would like to stay here. But I
> don’t know what’s in their future
> plans. Right now, I’m just trying to
> enjoy it while I’m in it and take what
> comes later.”
>
> “At this point of your career, you
> want to be on a team that is a good
> fit and has a chance to be a winner.”

Despite the absence of Derrick Rose most of the season, the Bulls (43-32) currently sit in the No. 4 slot in the Eastern Conference, and could have home-court advantage in the first round of the playoffs.

‘Hawks in the NBA standings
—————————

We’re now less than two weeks away from the end of the regular season, so here’s a look at where all of the NBA’s Jayhawks stand in the hunt for the playoffs.

We’ll rank the Kansas products according to their franchise’s record.

**No. 1 — Nick Collison/Oklahoma City (55-19)**

– Currently No. 2 seed in West

– Clinched playoff berth

**No. 2 — Mario Chalmers/Miami (52-22)**

– Currently No. 1 seed in East

– Clinched Southeast Division title/playoff berth

**No. 3 — Thomas Robinson/Portland (49-27)**

– Currently No. 5 seed in West

**No. 4 — Markieff Morris & Marcus Morris/Phoenix (44-31)**

– Currently 9th in West, with the same record as No. 8 Memphis

**No. 5 — Kirk Hinrich/Chicago (43-32)**

– Currently No. 4 seed in East

– Clinched playoff berth

**No. 6 — Paul Pierce/Brooklyn (40-34)**

– Currently No. 5 seed in East

– Clinched playoff berth

**No. 7 — Drew Gooden/Washington (39-36)**

– Currently No. 6 seed in East

– Clinched playoff berth

**No. 8 — Darrell Arthur/Denver (33-42)**

– Eliminated from playoff contention in West

**No. 9 — Jeff Withey/New Orleans (32-43)**

– Eliminated from playoff contention in West

**No. 10 — Cole Aldrich/New York (33-43)**

– Currently No. 8 seed in East, 0.02 percentage points ahead of Atlanta

**No. 11 — Ben McLemore/Sacramento (27-48)**

– Eliminated from playoff contention in West

**No. 12 — Xavier Henry/L.A. Lakers (25-50)**

– Eliminated from playoff contention in West

**No. 13 — Brandon Rush/Utah (23-52)**

– Eliminated from playoff contention in West

*– Keep up with the production of all the ‘Hawks in the NBA [daily at KUsports.com][6].*

*– Follow [@BentonASmith][7] on Twitter.*

[1]: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/2012114-thomas-robinson-is-finding-his-nba-place-with-portland-trail-blazers
[2]: http://www2.kusports.com/weblogs/hawks_nba/2014/apr/1/collisons-decade-of-dirty-work-makes-him/
[3]: http://newsok.com/nuggets-from-my-notebook-from-thursdays-win-over-san-antonio/article/3950202
[4]: http://instagram.com/p/mWqsVjmROa/
[5]: http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2014-04-02/sports/ct-bits-bulls-hawks-spt-0403-20140403_1_tom-thibodeau-good-fit-next-season
[6]: http://www2.kusports.com/news/mens_basketball/hawks_nba/
[7]: https://twitter.com/BentonASmith

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