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76ers will try to trade injured Robinson
The Philadelphia 76ers placed 11-year veteran Glenn Robinson on the injured list Monday with left ankle tendinitis and will try to trade the former No. 1 pick.
Sixers general manager Billy King indicated that he and new coach Jim O'Brien had reached the conclusion that trading the 31-year-old forward would be the best thing for all parties.
"With the direction we want to go and the way Jim wants to play, it may not benefit Glenn," King said. "I don't think Glenn's lost any of his skill level. It's just the way we're going as an organization."
O'Brien said Robinson, who average 16.6 points per game last season ¡ª down from his career average of 20.8 ¡ª needs a change of scenery for the third time in his career.
"He needs to start for a team and put up numbers," O'Brien said. "I think he could fit. He's just not fitting in our starting lineup."
Robinson, who had been replaced in the starting lineup by first-round pick Andre Igoudala, took the news in stride.
"They want to go with the younger guys and play Andre at small forward and that's fine," Robinson said. "I'd like to keep doing what I've been doing and be somewhere where I can get minutes, since this is my last (contract) year.
"Like Billy said, I don't fit here," he said. "They're going to try to put me in a place where I do fit. That's all I can ask for. It may happen. It may not happen. But right now, I'm in Philly, and my job is helping this team win as long as I'm here."
The team also placed veteran guard Kevin Ollie (left hip pointer) and guard John Salmons (groin strain)on the injured list to get down to the 12-man roster limit. The Sixers open the 2004 season Wednesday night in Boston, where O'Brien coached two seasons before resigning in January. |
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