Deconstructing Nasty Nate

I guess when you're 5'7 and you're paying in a league full of giants, you have to have an inflated sense of machismo. Nate Robinson - who said the Knicks were trying to show them up even though he's tried to show up teams by attempting (and missing) between the legs dunks - reportedly is a guy who likes to fight. And it's not just opposing teams, as he's reported to have gone after Jerome James with a broom, and tussled with Malik Rose in the shower (I don't even want to know, at his height, what he's swinging at in the shower). But it's that fire that has made a guy who's probably shorter than many in the stands a fan favorite. You have to be tough, you have to be full of yourself to make it in this league.

But he was damn wrong on Saturday night. That passion and fire that fuels that cornerback body was misplaced, and he escalated what should have been a heated exchange into a brawl. Was he protecting his teammates? I suppose a case could be made for that. But Nate needs to channel that energy into things that can help his team - consistency, less showboating, and maybe some wins.

Of course, everybody should have cleared out so that Nate and Earl Boykins could have duked it out. That would have been the greatest moment in NBA history.