BOSTON (AP) - Nate Robinson joined the Boston Celtics at the trade deadline last season and didn't really do much until the playoffs.
Now he's getting a head start.
Robinson re-signed with Boston on a two-year deal reportedly worth $4 million, giving him a chance to learn the system in training camp instead of picking things up on the go.
"I think it will be a good start for me to come in and start from scratch," Robinson said in a conference call with reporters on Thursday, about a week after he announced his new deal on Twitter. "I know most of the plays now. I'll be way more comfortable because I know every set."
The NBA's only three-time Slam Dunk Contest champion, Robinson had been languishing with the woeful New York Knicks last season when he was traded to Boston in February and because the Celtics needed a backup point guard for their playoff run. Although he had fallen out of the rotation by the end of the season, he re-emerged in the playoffs with a key contribution in the Eastern Conference finals clincher against Orlando.
Along with Glen "Big Baby" Davis, Robinson also led the second unit that helped the Celtics pull away from the Los Angeles Lakers in Game 4 of the finals.
The Lakers eventually won the series in seven games.
But Robinson, who had never appeared in the postseason before, was sold.
"They're a great, winning organization with a lot of history. I think I fit in well with the guys, so I was like, 'Why not?"' he said. "Playing for the Celtics is definitely a blessing. It is awesome to be able to play for a team with great history behind it."
Robinson said he isn't ready to concede the East to Miami yet, even though the Heat added LeBron James and Chris Bosh and re-signed Dwyane Wade.
"They're not the only team that's good. It's everybody," Robinson said.
And that includes the Celtics.
"We're going to be one of those teams that are going to be ready to play," he said. "Teams better watch out for us."