Ball or Nuthin' » Kevin Martin

McGrady Going to the Big Apple

T Lamont — Thu, 18 Feb 2010 20:09:28 +0000

With the trade deadline looming, the New York Knicks made their highly anticipated move to bring 7-time All-Star Tracy McGrady to the Big Apple.

The move was made hours after an agreement was reached by the Houston Rockets to send McGrady, along with forwards Carl Landry and Joey Dorsey, to the Sacramento Kings in exchange for high-scoring shooting guard Kevin Martin, guard Sergio Rodriguez, forward Kenny Thomas and center Hilton Armstrong.

The Knicks then pounced to grab T-Mac and expand this swap into a three-team deal. Jared Jeffries and Jordan Hill have been named as Knicks who are now headed to Houston, guard Larry Hughes is Sacramento-bound, and New York will also be surrendering two draft picks (2011, 2012).

What will be the outcomes when the smoke clears?

Like McGrady, Kevin Martin has battled health issues over the past few years.

That’s a very intriguing question. The team hurt the most in this trade may end up being the Rockets – but not for obvious reasons. The Rockets had learned to play without McGrady long ago, but the loss of Carl Landry is huge for them. Houston is basically a team by committee. They’ve played undermanned all season (with Yao Ming out as well), and the area where they were particularly thin was in the big man department. On top of being a candidate for the Most Improved Player Award, Landry was their work horse. His explosiveness and strength enabled him to excel against taller players – to the tune of 16.1 points per game. His power will be sorely missed by a team that is extremely short-handed. Jeffries basically does what Trevor Ariza does – so his acquisition didn’t address a particular need. Jordan Hill has done absolutely nothing to grab anybody’s attention this season. I couldn’t even remember who New York drafted after they were crushed by not being able to nab Stephen Curry.

Kevin Martin (when he’s healthy) and Aaron Brooks make a good backcourt, but with no frontcourt presence they’ll work extra hard for each and every shot. When Ming returns, Martin’s shooting will then make a difference (assuming he’ll still be around).

The Knicks have put the youth movement to a screeching halt. Tracy McGrady’s not old – and it remains to be seen as to what level he will perform at – but he likes to have the ball in his hands as much as possible. And that means less ball movement – and more isolation basketball. Maybe McGrady and David Lee will run a little two-man game. But the wide-open, run-and-gun style that D’Antoni likes to employ is not a fit for the pace at which McGrady excels.

Further evidence that suggests New York is ready to change gears is the potential trading of Sprite Slam Dunk Competition winner Nate Robinson. Robinson has been a vital sparkplug during his tenure with the Knicks, and is in the midst of being dealt to the Boston Celtics for reserve guard Eddie House. Not too much of a surprise with this trade. Boston is craving someone to ignite them off the bench, and once again it is New York that is attempting to be the supplier (last year, former Knick Stephon Marbury was terrible as a Celtic). The Knicks’ removal of Robinson seems to keep pace with the arrival of McGrady, as the veteran House is a knock-down shooter from anywhere on the court.

There’s not much going on in this deal for the Kings. Landry will be a force and should get a chance to have more consistent playing time. He knows how to finish around the rim and should therefore help foster the development of Rookie of the Year probable, Tyreke Evans. There were rumblings that Evans and Martin were not exactly complementary to one another (on the court, that is), so more than anything the move simply hands the keys over to the Memphis product who has been a solid 20-5-5 guy – as a rookie.

I Can Do Bad All By Myself

T Lamont — Thu, 23 Jul 2009 15:21:10 +0000

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In each sport, there are guys who have ridden the wave of hype and expectations of greatness throughout their amateur days…leading to the anticipated end result of professional stardom. These prima-donnas command pampering from their executive officials to ensure that they don’t leave their organizations hopeless. These organizations normally shell out the big bucks to appease their stars with above-average talent, in hopes of giving their meal ticket an opportunity at the ultimate prize – a championship.

But under the radar, there are many athletes toiling in a sea of ineffective teammates, bad management and poor overall support. Below is a look at some guys who would love to be in a different situation:

Stephen Jackson (Running Back – St. Louis Rams): This guy gives no less than 100% on every on of his touches. Jackson has so much energy for a player who is the main offensive weapon on a team that lacks consistency in that area. Despite an erratic passing game, the 26-year-old runner from Oregon State has put up 5 straight 1000-yard rushing campaigns. Injuries have taken some games away from him, but I’d be willing to bet that he’d play 16 games a season for a contender.

He's the only Padre that can hit.

Adrian Gonzalez (First Baseman – San Diego Padres): Poor Adrian. In a lineup where he has absolutely no protection, he has belted 25 home runs. And boy do these guys suck at the plate. They’d have better luck at getting hits in a Cheech and Chong movie. As a team, the Padres are last in batting average (.231), last in runs (346, next closest team is 21 runs ahead of them) and 26th in ERA (4.64). So bad hitting + bad pitching = an All-Star who is resigned to a losing atmosphere.

“I don’t think anybody in this clubhouse is OK with losing. We all want to win today. We all want to win tomorrow. We also have to understand it might take some time.”

When asked about his recent struggles, Gonzalez said:

“Look at the statistics and maybe you’d say I was struggling. If you saw all my outs, you might not say so. But a couple at-bats a game I probably go outside my zone. I’m a guy who wants to win every day. If I can have some say in the matter, I’m going to try to do it. It’s a fine line.”

Sounds like a guy who is pressing to make a difference. Even at the expense of his own statistics. Give him some help or give him a chance somewhere else.

Kevin Martin (Shooting Guard – Sacramento Kings): A big-time, consistent scorer, Martin was a shocker from Coastal Carolina. He made his presence felt off the bench during his first two seasons in the league, and continued his ascent to becoming the Kings top offensive force. In the process, the Kings have either traded or lost Brad Miller, Ron Artest, Mike Bibby and Shareef Abdur-Rahim. So Martin is left to hold together a roster of young, make-shift talent.

Martin is still young himself, but is approaching the prime years of his career. He’s endured lots of criticism about his toughness, which he recently addressed:

“I’m out there playing on one leg, averaging 25 (points per game) on one leg, and you can say what you want. It’s all about winning. That’s one thing I’ve learned. If we were in a 40-win season with my same kind of stats, you could say, ‘Oh, he’s an All-Star, one of the best two-guards in the league,’ stuff like that. So it’s just a point of getting the team on the same page and getting back there to winning a lot.”

Kings fans, take note – he mentioned a 40-win season. When that’s the bar that your best player is shooting for, that says it all.

Calvin Johnson (Wide Receiver – Detroit Lions): Speed. Size. Strength. Sticky-hands. Calvin johnson had all the tools available for his explosion in the NFL spotlight. And he has done nothing but impress everyone who has seen him play. With over 1300 yards receiving last season and 12 touchdowns, Johnson sets the standard for receivers in the league.

But here comes the reality check: He plays for the Lions. When it comes to a win, this organization is like En Vogue. The Detroit Lions finished 2008 as with the NFL’s first winless season since 1976. So, it makes his numbers look even more impressive knowing that he was buried in a losing climate throughout the season. Johnson was a standout without a steady rapport with one quarterback. Detroit had three inefficient quarterbacks manning the position. For the record, the Lions’ top three quarterbacks for 2008 (Dan Orlovsky, Daunte Culpepper, Jon Kitna) combined to throw more interceptions (19) than touchdowns (17).

With their penchant for using high draft picks on wideouts, they finally got on that looks to be all that they wanted and more. But how much more can he do to improve a team that makes more bad decisions more than Kirstie Alley at a buffet?

Kevin Martin wishes he still had this guy as a teammate.

Dan Haren (Starting Pitcher – Arizona Diamondbacks): You just gotta feel for Haren. All he has done this season is lead the majors in ERA (1.96) and has a .187 batting average against him…yet he only has a 10-5 record.

Haren, an All-Star for Arizona (along with Justin Upton), has had little run support. The D-Backs are batting .248 as a team (26th in the league). And Haren is actually on the high side of that average (he is hitting .256 this year with 6 RBIs). Which means he has a batting average that is higher than a few other regular position players on the team.

Maybe we should start Haren in centerfield? Chris Young, you’d better pipe down. You’ve got the average of a 7-year-old trying to play baseball for the first time…

Danny Granger (Small Forward – Indiana Pacers): Granger turned the corner last season in a big way. He was selected to his first All-Star Game, which he had to miss due to an injury. But based on his complete set of skills, he figures to be selected for many more.

Coming out of New Mexico, he was not expected to be a star…much less an All-Star. But with an Indiana Pacers organization that is devoid of talent – and just made a dumb draft pick – he had to assert his offensive game if the Pacers wanted to avoid getting beat by 30 points every game. He did that and more.

Granger was already bringing textbook defense to the floor night after night. Now, he’s bringing explosive offense as well. And a great attitude.

Larry Bird, you were fortunate to lock this guy up when you did. It kept you from doing this.

LeBron’s Losing Longevity

T Lamont — Sat, 23 May 2009 03:44:53 +0000

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After Game 1 of the Eastern Conference Finals, there was the 6’9″, 250-pound LeBron James – the 2008-2009 NBAMVP – being supported at center court by two Cavaliers trainers. Despite putting up 49 points and providing the backbone for Cleveland’s offensive repertoire, his franchise fell short by one point.

The saga was made worse due to the fact that Mike Brown pretty much acknowledged that he could not give his star player a split second of rest down the stretch. Brown actually called a timeout with about 3-4 minutes left – - just to give LeBron some rest – so that he could finish the game off.

James was doing it all in Game 1. He had 6 rebounds, 8 assists, and 3 blocked shots to go along with his 49. He initiated the offense (bringing the ball up the court), and finished the plays (he made 20 field goals). He played great help defense – even getting a couple of Dwight Howard’s shots in the process.

Yet after all of the highlight material that he provided, all that I can remember is the spent, helpless image of him at the conclusion of the contest.

I think LBJ owes it to himself to be the very best that he can be, for as long as he can be. So, here’s my list of suggestions for ways that he could lengthen his greatness:

Get a real coach. Mike Brown refuses to be a real coach. Instead he chooses the let the megastar run the team, which happens to be wearing on the youngster’s durability – and here’s why. Coach Brown (and I use that phrase lightly) needs to design plays to put LeBron in a position to score – and limit the twists, turns, bumps and grinds that he incurs on a nightly basis. Also, by designing plays with ball and player movement, James’ passing and improvisation will be even more effective.
Put pressure on the Cavs to get a complementary scorer. That’s right – add me to the list of people who know that Mo Williams is not the answer. He’s a streak shooter, but what LeBron needs is a guy who can fill the basket night in and night out. Somebody who puts up 20 every game – without fail. My idea of players who would fall in this category would be Michael Redd, Antwan Jamison, Chris Bosh, Kevin Martin…one additional big-time scorer trumps a crew of above-average NBA players – without question, that’s a guy who is completely confident is his ability to put points on the board. Having such a player will take a huge chunk of pressure off of LeBron.
Be more selfish. I think we all remember Michael Jordan in his early years. The driving, the abuse he took every game. James needs to perfect that pull-up jumper early in his career. Stop taking the ball to the basket and getting busted up to help your teammates get open shots (which they may or may not make). Drop that mid-range shot down. Save your body some contact in the process.

Friday Night in the L

T Lamont — Sat, 28 Feb 2009 06:28:47 +0000

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Let’s take a tour around the league shall we…

Raptors 113 at Suns 133: There’s a reason that Shaq hasn’t scored 40+ points in over 4 years – - because he’s fat and slow. Leave it to Toronto to make him look like a franchise player again.

Cavs 97 at Spurs 86: No Tim Duncan + no Manu Ginobili = no chance in hell of beating LeBron and the Cavs after the got manhandled last night in Houston.

Lakers 79 at Nuggets 90: 7 blocks – man, I love Chris Andersen. He’s definitely a high-flyer…in more ways than one.

Thunder 108 at Mavericks 110: Kevin Durant got hurt early in this one. It’s a shame because it would have been intriguing to watch Kevin Durant and Dirk Nowitzki go toe to toe – particularly because neither guy seems to use their arms for anything other than shooting the ball.

Trailblazers 102 at Timberwolves 82: Some games are just fun to watch. I’m almost certain this was not one of them.

Bucks 94 at Hornets 95: The Hornets won this one on a Tyson Chandler tip-in with 3 seconds left in the game. Nevertheless, I’ve been impressed with Charlie Villanueva’s play lately. He’s always had the skills, or maybe his opponents are just moving out of his way just in case he decides to take them to his leader.

Pistons 93 at Magic 85: Whew! The Pistons might make the playoffs after all…

Bulls 90 at Wizards 113: Barack Obama was at the game. The Bulls were not. Also, being that he plays in the nation’s capital, I’m assuming that Gilbert Arenas will not refer to himself as “The Black President” anymore. But you never can tell with that guy…

76ers 108 at Knicks 103: Philly has a good, young team here. Good thing the management was smart enough to get rid of A.I. No way these young players would develop with the ball glued to his hands.

Pacers 99 at Celtics 104: Boston should have won this game and they did. Nothing much else to say about this. Oh yeah, Starbury played and the Celts didn’t self-destruct. I guess that’s news. The Knicks should have stopped being pricks and let this guy go a long time ago. I’m glad that saga is over.

Heat 83 at Hawks 91: Joe Johnson is the best player on the Hawks, but he is never the deciding factor as to whether they win or not. Almost all of their other players are so inconsistent it’s not even funny.

Clippers 86 at Kings 98: I’d like to see Kevin Martin play for a real team. I’m sure that Sacramento wouldn’t.

Bobcats 112 at Warriors 109: I’m convinced that any team would set a season-high in scoring against Golden State…including college and high school teams.