http://www.sacbee.com/100/story/351796.html
Kings make Martin face of the franchise
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 9:23 am PDT Thursday, August 30, 2007
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A1
Less than two years ago, Kevin Martin was a little-used player for a Kings team that went to the postseason as a matter of annual routine.
Twenty months later, he's the one the Kings hope helps them return to those times.
The fourth-year shooting guard signed a five-year contract extension worth approximately $55 million on Wednesday, an event the team commemorated with an afternoon rally downtown attended by a few hundred of the most faithful fans on a triple-digit day.
The event underscored how much things have changed for the Kings, who last celebrated a player signing with a 2001 public celebration of the Chris Webber contract attended by some 6,000 fans with championship aspirations.
But for a franchise in the middle of a makeover, making Martin the new face to put out front is certainly a start.
"He's definitely going to be a huge piece going forward." said co-owner Gavin Maloof. "We always said we'd commit the dollars, whatever it takes to retain our best players. We just didn't want to see him go. ... You can't go wrong with Kevin Martin. It's a big piece, and this could be the start of good things to come."
There hasn't been much cause for celebration in the Kings' recent history. The arena initiative last November was voted down while all matters of purple public relations went badly. The newly-arrived savior of two seasons ago -- small forward Ron Artest -- spent the past season mired in legal trouble while the team missed the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons. An offseason that was expected to be busy with trades and roster reshuffling has yielded only rumors with no real movement.
Point guard Mike Bibby, once among the core who helped the team to prominence, has been part of trade discussions dating at least back to midway through last season. Artest, meanwhile, has also been part of trade rumors as he enters what could be the final year of his contract. And now, with a fan base that seems to have lost some of the purple passion they've so long been known for, there comes the immediate concern of retaining interest and the hope that Martin can help.
"This year, hopefully, we'll sell out every game again," Maloof said of the team's current Arco Arena sellout streak of 354 games. "It's going to be a struggle. We've got tickets available, but it's a process. You can't go from one to 10 -- you have to go through steps. This is a process. But I think we're making the right moves, holding on to our core players. ... We've got some good young talent in the pipeline."
With Martin leading the pack.
The once-scrawny kid from small-town Zanesville, Ohio, who so many thought wouldn't survive in the league didn't see real opportunity until midway through his second season. An injury to Bonzi Wells led to a mini-breakout down the stretch of the 2005-06 campaign, but his third season and a team-leading scoring average of 20.2 points per game sealed what eventually became a King-size deal.
Martin showed up to his own party looking like a new man, having gained nearly 30 pounds since his rookie season and nearly 15 since the last. With a background in smaller markets that went from Zanesville to obscure Western Carolina University, Martin said he's already thinking about retiring with the Kings.
"I just know one team and that's all I want to know," Martin said. "I consider Sacramento my second Zanesville. I feel this community has shown me love and I feel the same way."
The squeaky-clean image and a respected work ethic did little to hurt Martin's value, with Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie making it clear he had no interest in letting Martin slip away. Had the Kings not extended Martin now, he would have been a free agent next summer.
Petrie said securing a top-tier shooting guard at this age (24) for this price was not among his toughest decisions of the offseason. He compared the move to the contract extension of Peja Stojakovic in 2000, when the then-23-year-old shooter signed for six years and $45 million and became a core piece of the team on the rise.
"If he just stayed the player he is today, he's still worth a real significant salary in the NBA because of the efficiency and his ability to score the ball," Petrie said. "It's difficult to find players who can do that on a consistent basis. Given his nature and the way he's worked since he's been here, he's at an age and talent level where most players continue to get better."
The Kings' eagerness to secure Martin now rather than handle his future in free agency next summer took negotiations from a starting point around $42 million up to $55 million, making a mega-millionaire out of the player who rose from obscurity.
Young boys don't become pro athletes often in Zanesville. In fact, Martin's hometown had never had another professional athlete beyond baseball player Jay Payton. The groundbreaking continued at Western Carolina, where the athletics program had never seen one of its own selected in the first round of any professional draft until Martin.
Beyond the financial incentive, Martin -- who grew up a Kings fans -- said his comfort level in the area played a large part in his decision.
"I've never been a guy motivated only by money, (so) for me to be wealthy, I want to have an opportunity to bring the Sacramento Kings back to the winning ways and compete for a championship very soon."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
Kings make Martin face of the franchise
By Sam Amick - Bee Staff Writer
Last Updated 9:23 am PDT Thursday, August 30, 2007
Story appeared in MAIN NEWS section, Page A1
Less than two years ago, Kevin Martin was a little-used player for a Kings team that went to the postseason as a matter of annual routine.
Twenty months later, he's the one the Kings hope helps them return to those times.
The fourth-year shooting guard signed a five-year contract extension worth approximately $55 million on Wednesday, an event the team commemorated with an afternoon rally downtown attended by a few hundred of the most faithful fans on a triple-digit day.
The event underscored how much things have changed for the Kings, who last celebrated a player signing with a 2001 public celebration of the Chris Webber contract attended by some 6,000 fans with championship aspirations.
But for a franchise in the middle of a makeover, making Martin the new face to put out front is certainly a start.
"He's definitely going to be a huge piece going forward." said co-owner Gavin Maloof. "We always said we'd commit the dollars, whatever it takes to retain our best players. We just didn't want to see him go. ... You can't go wrong with Kevin Martin. It's a big piece, and this could be the start of good things to come."
There hasn't been much cause for celebration in the Kings' recent history. The arena initiative last November was voted down while all matters of purple public relations went badly. The newly-arrived savior of two seasons ago -- small forward Ron Artest -- spent the past season mired in legal trouble while the team missed the playoffs for the first time in eight seasons. An offseason that was expected to be busy with trades and roster reshuffling has yielded only rumors with no real movement.
Point guard Mike Bibby, once among the core who helped the team to prominence, has been part of trade discussions dating at least back to midway through last season. Artest, meanwhile, has also been part of trade rumors as he enters what could be the final year of his contract. And now, with a fan base that seems to have lost some of the purple passion they've so long been known for, there comes the immediate concern of retaining interest and the hope that Martin can help.
"This year, hopefully, we'll sell out every game again," Maloof said of the team's current Arco Arena sellout streak of 354 games. "It's going to be a struggle. We've got tickets available, but it's a process. You can't go from one to 10 -- you have to go through steps. This is a process. But I think we're making the right moves, holding on to our core players. ... We've got some good young talent in the pipeline."
With Martin leading the pack.
The once-scrawny kid from small-town Zanesville, Ohio, who so many thought wouldn't survive in the league didn't see real opportunity until midway through his second season. An injury to Bonzi Wells led to a mini-breakout down the stretch of the 2005-06 campaign, but his third season and a team-leading scoring average of 20.2 points per game sealed what eventually became a King-size deal.
Martin showed up to his own party looking like a new man, having gained nearly 30 pounds since his rookie season and nearly 15 since the last. With a background in smaller markets that went from Zanesville to obscure Western Carolina University, Martin said he's already thinking about retiring with the Kings.
"I just know one team and that's all I want to know," Martin said. "I consider Sacramento my second Zanesville. I feel this community has shown me love and I feel the same way."
The squeaky-clean image and a respected work ethic did little to hurt Martin's value, with Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie making it clear he had no interest in letting Martin slip away. Had the Kings not extended Martin now, he would have been a free agent next summer.
Petrie said securing a top-tier shooting guard at this age (24) for this price was not among his toughest decisions of the offseason. He compared the move to the contract extension of Peja Stojakovic in 2000, when the then-23-year-old shooter signed for six years and $45 million and became a core piece of the team on the rise.
"If he just stayed the player he is today, he's still worth a real significant salary in the NBA because of the efficiency and his ability to score the ball," Petrie said. "It's difficult to find players who can do that on a consistent basis. Given his nature and the way he's worked since he's been here, he's at an age and talent level where most players continue to get better."
The Kings' eagerness to secure Martin now rather than handle his future in free agency next summer took negotiations from a starting point around $42 million up to $55 million, making a mega-millionaire out of the player who rose from obscurity.
Young boys don't become pro athletes often in Zanesville. In fact, Martin's hometown had never had another professional athlete beyond baseball player Jay Payton. The groundbreaking continued at Western Carolina, where the athletics program had never seen one of its own selected in the first round of any professional draft until Martin.
Beyond the financial incentive, Martin -- who grew up a Kings fans -- said his comfort level in the area played a large part in his decision.
"I've never been a guy motivated only by money, (so) for me to be wealthy, I want to have an opportunity to bring the Sacramento Kings back to the winning ways and compete for a championship very soon."
About the writer: The Bee's Sam Amick can be reached at samick@sacbee.com.
