Glenn Robinson’s Expiring Contract Only Thing Keeping Him In League

NEW ORLEANS, LA--Reserve forward Glenn Robinson may not be a religious man, but he thanks God every night for his NBA contract, which expires after next season. Because of that contract, he is a valuable commodity to many teams, even though he has not played a minute this year and is little more than a warm body on the bench.

“Glenn is a key addition to our team,” said coach Byron Scott, whose team, the New Orleans Hornets, acquired Robinson in a trade with the 76ers. “He’s going to give us a nice inside presence if he ever gets healthy enough to play. But most importantly he’s going to give us cap relief, sweet, sweet cap relief. With that expiring contract, Glenn is like gold to us. I can only imagine what’s going to happen to him once that contract expires. If I were him, I'd start practicing my color commentary right now. ”

Robinson, 32, has been hobbled by an ankle injury all season and for much of last season. His basketball skills have eroded considerably, and the Hornets are his third team in three years .Though he is a great bargaining chip, Robinson is worth very little as a basketball player.

“Glenn isn’t going to go out there and get you 20 points a game like he used to,” said Van Gundy. “Actually, he’s not going to get you 10 per game, either. He’s probably not going to get you anything at this point. But he’s making $12 million this year. $12 million! Can you believe that? That means we get a cool $12 mil off our salary cap next year. Talk about a great pickup. This guy is the Michael Jordan of cap relief.”

Robinson is one of many players in the league who are valued for their expiring contracts. Each trading deadline, those players are used as trade bait for teams that wish to lower their salary cap number. For Robinson, his huge, unwieldy contract is a blessing straight from heaven.

“Oh thank God for that contract. Thank God,” said Robinson, relaxing during a recent practice. “It’s keeping me employed. If it wasn’t for that deal I probably would’ve been released by now. At the moment, nobody would release me because they’d have to eat my contract. So I just get to travel around with the team, see all the different cities, meet groupies, and collect money. Of course I’d much rather be out there contributing, but, hey, we all have crosses to bear.”

Robinson is concerned about his future in the league. After this season, he must find a team that will give him another long-term deal.

“Next year’s going to be tough for me,” he said. “I’ll be 33, I’ll be unhealthy and I’ll probably be of no discernible use to anybody. That’s OK, though. I still have a shot to get a long-term deal. There is one person in this league who can make it happen, and his name is…drum roll, please…Isiah Thomas. As long as Isiah is a GM in this league, useless forwards will always have somewhere to go.”

Now that Robinson is a member of the Hornets, he’s being asked to stay out of the way until the end of the season when he’ll be cut loose. He is not being asked to attend games or participate in practice. He is essentially a walking piece of paper.

“We don’t really need Glenn to show up,” said GM Allan Bristow. “Frankly if he does show up he’ll just get in the way. Our guys like to stretch out on the bench and the last thing we need is another player to take up space. Really, all he needs to do is fax us his contract and he can stay home. We’ll send him his checks in the mail. Great player, though. I’m glad we got him.”

Robinson does appreciate the irony of his situation. In many fields, people who are overpaid and useless are laid off or fired, but in the NBA, they are rewarded with continued employment. Robinson's agent, David Boyd, says it’s one of the many benefits of guaranteed contracts.

“We have guaranteed contracts in the NBA,” said Boyd. “As soon as the team signs on the dotted line, that’s it. The money is yours. Glenn is extremely happy right now to be a member of the New Orleans Hornets and will gladly take their money from them for the rest of the season. In return, he will reward them with a nice $12 million salary cap break. Some players offer points and rebounds, and some players offer cap relief. Some players offer neither. Those players are called ‘New York Knicks.’”