Martin enjoying expanded role

#1
From Zanesville Times Recorder
http://www.zanesvilletimesrecorder....le?AID=/20060303/SPORTS/603030310/1006/NEWS17

Martin enjoying expanded role
By SAM BLACKBURN
Sports Writer


CLEVELAND - In the NBA, a lot of things can happen in a year's time.

Players get traded. Players get hurt. Players go from bench warmers to legitimate contributors - usually because the former takes place.

Welcome to Kevin Martin's world in Sacramento, where things are much different now than his first trip to Cleveland.

"This sure beats the last time I was here, doesn't it?" a smiling Martin said following his team's 97-90 win at Quicken Loans Arena, where the Zanesville native scored 11 points. "This trip was very exciting for me."

With an extensive Zanesville contingent on hand - including most of his family and friends - Martin did his best to put on a show.
Although he took only seven shots, he made four of them. He scored the game's first basket on his patented one-dribble jump shot, later finished a two-handed alley-oop from the left baseline on a fast break and drained a key 3-pointer in the third quarter. He played just over 36 minutes, including the final nine minutes of the fourth quarter.

"I was so nervous (Tuesday) night when I got here," Martin admitted. "I was like a little kid on the night before Christmas. I couldn't sleep. I just wanted to give the people back home a good show ... I really appreciate all of the support people have given me."

A year ago, the Zanesville native and former All-Ohioan under Scott Aronhalt at ZHS played only 21 seconds in his first-ever NBA game in his home state. It was a microcosm of his year to date, when minutes became harder and harder to come by as the season progressed. It didn't help that he played for a team laden with veteran talent, and took orders from a coach that preferred to let the old guys steer the ship.

There is still plenty of veteran presence in Sacramento. Guys like Mike Bibby, Shareef Abdur-Rahim, Kenny Thomas and Brad Miller have been around long enough to remember when the Kings were one of the league's most forlorn franchises. Now Ron Artest, a six-year veteran, is a part of the mix after being acquired in a trade with Indiana for Peja Stojakovic.

Make no mistake, Bibby still takes most of the shots, and Artest, Thomas and Abdur-Rahim have made significant cuts into the offensive pie as well.

But when it's his turn to score, Martin has more than held up his end of the bargain - even if it did come at he expense of veteran Bonzi Wells' groin injury.

In 29 games as a starter since Wells was injured in mid-December, Martin has posted modest averages of 14 points, 4.9 rebounds and 1.9 assists in 34 minutes per game - this, while shooting 51.2 percent from the floor and 86.8 percent from the free throw line.

"It's just confidence," Bibby said of Martin's emergence. "You can see it in the way he's playing. He's just so much more sure of himself. We used to see it all of the time in practice last year, and now he's made that transformation into games. He's only going to get better the more experience he gets."

Some wondered how Martin's situation would be impacted by the combination of Artest's arrival and Wells' emergence from the injured list. But since then, only twice has Martin not started. Wells started two games, but soon left the lineup again because of the lingering groin issues.

In the meantime, Martin carried over the momentum from his hot six weeks into March.

"I knew it would work itself out," Martin said. "I just have to keep playing now. I can't be inconsistent."

Artest's impact with the Kings has been mostly on the defensive end, easily the most deficient piece of Martin's game at the present. But Artest has made it a point to help Martin and rookie Francisco Garcia realize the energy and commitment required to be good defenders in a league where it's often last on a player's priority list.

Artest is impressed with Martin's ability.

"Kevin can play, man," Artest said. "He's already doing well out there, and he can get even better. He's a lot like (Detroit's) Rip Hamilton in the way he's built, except he's a better athlete than Rip is. It's hard to imagine where we would be without him right now."

Center Brad Miller playfully joked recently that when Artest arrived, Martin wouldn't have the chore of guarding the great Kobe Bryant anymore. As it turned out, even the great Artest couldn't stop him, either.

Occasional ribbing aside, Miller says Martin's all-around game will continue to grow with experience.

"Kevin has everything it takes to be a good defensive player," Miller said. "He's long, which helps him deflect balls and get into passing lanes, and he's quick, which allows him to stay with defenders. He just needs to keep learning the game. It takes most guys in this league three or four years before they become good defensive players."

In the meantime, Martin is focused on playing his role. He has hovered around the 15-point barrier for most of the season, while taking only 8.9 shots per game as a starter. His oft-maligned three-point shooting is also vastly-improved over his rookie year - he leads the team at 39.7 percent, and is shooting 43.3 percent as a starter.

With that kind of efficiency, it's no wonder Martin doesn't mind not being the focal point of the offense, like he was in high school and for three years at Western Carolina.

"If they need me to score, I can score. I've proven that," Martin said. "Right now, all I'm focused on is getting us into the playoffs."
sblackburn@nncogannett.com
740-450-6723

Originally published March 3, 2006
 
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VF21

Super Moderator Emeritus
SME
#3
Note: Just for future reference, when you post articles from other places, please include a link to where you found it, abadinesbm...

I know which paper the writer works for, so I've added the link for you.
 
#5
It's great to see a young player develop right before our eyes. We haven't seen that in the Kings for awhile. He's beginning to look more and more like he could be an All-Star one day.
 
#6
sActOwnGal said:
It's great to see a young player develop right before our eyes. We haven't seen that in the Kings for awhile. He's beginning to look more and more like he could be an All-Star one day.
yes he is! i have to admit, early on this season, i was not a part of the kevin martin bandwagon. he sure as hell has proven me wrong! i'm excited about his and cisco's strides. i believe they both have the potential to be all stars someday. they'll never be superstars, but they both seem to be so versatile. cisco in particular. his length and pesky defense are going to go a long ways as he continues to improve and sharpen the offensive side of his game. same kinda thing with kevin. his quickness, athleticism, and above-the-rim game are going to go a long ways as he continues to polish off both his offensive and defensive skillset.