Robinson Trying to Live Up to Super Expectations

When he signed it just five years ago, Glenn Robinson’s 10-year, $68 million contract was the biggest guaranteed-money deal ever given to an NBA rookie. These days, it’s almost chump change.

But Robinson doesn’t want out of the contract, and he doesn’t want out of Milwaukee, despite the trade rumors that dogged him during a turbulent offseason. He was arrested on charges of disorderly intoxication outside a Miami nightclub and was robbed at gunpoint in Milwaukee shortly before training camp.

Robinson still hasn’t become the superstar he seemed destined to be when he left Purdue in 1994. But this season, with his first playoff experience behind him and his strongest supporting cast ever, coach George Karl says it’s time for the original Big Dog to howl.

“Glenn has met with me enough times this summer to know I expect a pretty damn good year out of him,” said Karl, who led the Bucks to the playoffs last season in his first year as coach.

“I’m going to be more demanding on him this year than last year, and he’ll have to step up and take the responsibility. He’s got to be on the level of the stars that win games night in, night out for teams.”

Three years before Kevin Garnett signed an NBA record $127 million contract, there was another young player who demanded an astronomical sum of money from a small-market team.

Robinson asked for a $100 million, 13-year contract as the No. 1 overall draft pick. The deal he settled for was nearly a third smaller, but every penny was guaranteed. Five years later, Robinson still likes the terms.

“When I first signed my contract, people weren’t used to guys getting money like that,” he said. “Now, I’m just happy being somewhere in the middle. People can see I’m not an overpaid player.”

At first glance, it’s an admirable stance. Imagine, a basketball player who isn’t grasping for every dollar he can get.

But might Robinson’s attitude also be a manifestation of his lack of killer instinct and passion, a label that has followed him through high school and college?

“I don’t have any doubt Glenn cares a lot about this game,” Karl said. “He expresses it differently than some guys. He’s not the guy who’s going to get up and make a speech, but he cares. He’s actually a very confident person.”

That’s the puzzle presented by Robinson, who has averaged 21 points a game in his five seasons but has yet to make the All-Star team. He can do almost anything on a basketball court, but people always seem to expect more.

“Expectations will kill you if you let them,” Bucks teammate Sam Cassell said. “If Glenn asks me, I’ll say to just play your game. Don’t try to control people’s thoughts about you.”

He hasn’t led the Bucks to success on the court, though he has led the team in scoring four times. While he was surrounded by subpar supporting casts, Milwaukee missed the playoffs his first four years. The Bucks were swept by the Indiana Pacers in the first round last season.

His only previous chance to perform on a national stage was also a bust. He made the 1996 Olympic Dream Team but withdrew a month before the games because of one of the many injuries that have limited his effectiveness.

Outside of his ever-present diamond stud earring, Robinson is a quiet man still not completely comfortable in the media spotlight. Sleepy Milwaukee is a perfect fit for his personality, and Robinson also feels a personal investment in the Bucks, who are finally showing signs of breaking out of their decade-long funk.

After a tough childhood in Gary, Ind., Robinson has made Milwaukee his home, and he’s not anxious to leave. But rumors floated during the late summer that Karl and general manager Ernie Grunfeld were trying to trade him, perhaps to Portland or Houston.

“No one wants to get traded, but you can’t even talk about it,” he said. “I talked to George, and I talked to Ernie, and they said those things weren’t true.

“I’d just like to know what’s going on up front. I don’t want to be putting on my uniform and get pulled into a side room. That’s not right.”

Robinson’s brushes with the law have been mostly minor, but perhaps more frequent than they should be, especially for a team leader and a quiet person. He’s been cited for his conduct outside nightclubs twice in less than two years, and he makes no secret of his taste for the night life.

Sometimes the night life bites back. Robinson’s watch, jewelry and cell phone were stolen from him at gunpoint while he left a dodgy Milwaukee tavern in the early hours of Sept. 28.

“I think Glenn’s a great kid that’s just had some bad luck,” Karl said. “I know how that sounds, but if you know Glenn, you know he’s a genuinely nice guy.”

Robinson, who won’t talk about any off-court problems, said he had the most productive summer of his career. He was able to work out more than ever because he had none of the injury problems that have limited him in the past.

In the preseason, the work definitely showed. While helping the Bucks win an Eastern Conference-best seven of eight games, Robinson led the team in rebounding with 6.1 a game. He also hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer to beat the Timberwolves in a game in Omaha, Neb.

So, is this the season it all comes together? Will Robinson parlay his improved work ethic and a much-improved supporting cast into stardom? Can he lead the Bucks out of their mediocrity?

“Man, I sure hope so,” he said with a grin.