http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/13236333p-14078887c.html
Playing for his potential
Talet isn't the question with Kevin Martin - maximing on it is the guard's latest foray.
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Friday, July 15, 2005
LAS VEGAS - He gets it now. "Everyone questions anything you do," second-year Kings swingman Kevin Martin said, shrugging his shoulders.
The infamous seat-belt incident was only the beginning. Halfway through his rookie season, it was shockingly revealed that a 21-year-old drove above the speed limit sans strap. When the community roared its displeasure, Martin took his foot off the pedal long enough to notice the pedestal beneath his feet that comes with playing in Sacramento.
And the age. It's always the age. Last week at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, a mid-40s man with cocktail in hand approached Martin, then became the gazillionth fan to pose the age-old age question. "You're in the NBA? What are you, 19?" he asked as Martin stopped.
"No, I'm 22," the King politely rebutted.
"No, you can't be," he said.
"Yes, I am," Martin said. And round they went.
Back home in Zanesville, Ohio, the inquiry of the offseason was why the local legend would play in a 3-on-3 streetball tournament with - imagine this - non-NBA players? Or why he played in the Sacramento summer league where up-and-coming high school and college gents were part of the mix? As if making it to the pros means you can only play with pro types. As if any of the questioning truly matters to Martin, so long as he doesn't question himself.
No questions there.
The kid who's not so much a kid anymore knows that more is expected and is listening only to those questions that come from his bosses.
They have wondered if his skinny body really take an NBA beating. Can he stop floating on offense, maximize his movements and score at will like he did at the tiny college of Western Carolina? Can he play some defense, considering he may wind up starting at the shooting guard spot of former King and defensive wizard Doug Christie? Can he avoid the bouts with laziness that popped up every so often in Year No. 1, and be dedicated 24-7?
These are the questions he must answer.
"We all really think he's a player," said Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie, who picked Martin at No. 26 in the 2004 draft. "In some ways, he's probably still a maturing player. We wanted to make sure his focus coming back this year was like, I can be a real NBA player, and I'm going to work on the things and improve myself to where I'm going to be a factor.
" ... But it's like everything: There's the talking, and there's the doing, and we're into the doing."
Or, as Kings assistant Pete Carril put it, "There used to be a saying: Potential is interesting, performance is everything."
As it stands, Martin is the Kings' starting shooting guard. Former King Cuttino Mobley will sign with the Los Angeles Clippers on July 22, and Martin's experience and consistent scoring ability place him ahead of this year's draft pick, Francisco García, on the current depth chart.
The question then becomes whether free agent Maurice Evans will return, and if any of the Kings' action on the market at large will result in the arrival of the veteran shooting guard they so covet.
Whatever transpires, Martin is undeniably improved. R.J. Adelman, a team scout and son of coach Rick Adelman, said Martin is twice the player he was before. He's averaging 19 points a game in the Las Vegas summer league, playing through a handful of bumps and bruises that have nagged at him while showing an all-around game.
He's been playing like this since May, right after the Kings fell to Seattle in the first round of the playoffs and just before he used the memory of being left off the postseason roster as motivation. Martin said he understood being put in street clothes for the series. It's not as if his stats - 10.1 minutes, 2.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists per game - made his argument for him. Evans got the nod to suit up, and Martin knew his preparation would have to reach a new level.
Throughout the summer, he played in any gym or court he could. The 3-on-3 tournament in Zanesville was outside, with the triple-digit heat of June burning down while Martin rekindled the flair he had as the nation's second-leading scorer in his last season at Western Carolina. In the Sacramento league, he routinely had 40-plus point nights at Capital Christian High School, playing with pro hopefuls. He starred alongside Kings guard Bobby Jackson while the veteran showed the youngster what an NBA work ethic truly was.
"How do you get better if you don't play?" Martin said. "Because, with me, I'm going to tell you right now that I'm going to play basketball nonstop. That's how I am every day, and that's how Bobby is, too. That's why he's where he is today. I'm always out playing basketball."
Most of the time, though, Martin was in Sacramento, rotating from the Kings' practice facility and the weight room. Yes, he even picked up a barbell or two. Working with former strength coach Al Biancani, he added seven pounds to his still-slight 6-foot-7 frame. He weighs in at 189 pounds, 17 more than last summer and possibly enough that he's not pounded like a pinball on cuts through the paint.
The Kings' heavies have been putting their own weight on his shoulders. Petrie has been in his ear frequently, repeating the speech of "You're not a rookie anymore" whenever necessary. Carril has refined Martin's shot, moving his hand away from his face on the release because, well, "I haven't seen a lot of guys make shots like that," Carril said. He ordered Martin to stop that silly fade he does, simply pull up and knock the shot down when the time is right.
Rick Adelman has also weighed in. He gave Martin a blueprint of what he'd like to see, a five-minute video highlight tape of Detroit guard Rip Hamilton in all his slashing, screening, shooting glory.
They sat together one day watching the clips, Adelman telling Martin to emulate the nonstop motion, perfect those mid-range jumpers coming off screens, and see if he could cut to the hoop more often. Martin kept the tape and has "seen it so many times I know when (Hamilton is) going to sweat," Martin said.
"That's what he's going to have to do if he wants to last in this league," said Jackson, entering his ninth season. "Some guys think they can still do the same things they did in college. You can't. You've got to switch your program up, be more dedicated.
"In the beginning, I did (sense laziness) with him. But the more and more time he's got, and the more and more he's seen how hard I work, he knows it's not going to be no cakewalk."
Without question.
"I feel like everything's on schedule," Martin said. "I just have to play my game, be the playmaker I am."
Playing for his potential
Talet isn't the question with Kevin Martin - maximing on it is the guard's latest foray.
By Sam Amick -- Bee Staff Writer
Published 2:15 am PDT Friday, July 15, 2005
LAS VEGAS - He gets it now. "Everyone questions anything you do," second-year Kings swingman Kevin Martin said, shrugging his shoulders.
The infamous seat-belt incident was only the beginning. Halfway through his rookie season, it was shockingly revealed that a 21-year-old drove above the speed limit sans strap. When the community roared its displeasure, Martin took his foot off the pedal long enough to notice the pedestal beneath his feet that comes with playing in Sacramento.
And the age. It's always the age. Last week at the Palms Casino in Las Vegas, a mid-40s man with cocktail in hand approached Martin, then became the gazillionth fan to pose the age-old age question. "You're in the NBA? What are you, 19?" he asked as Martin stopped.
"No, I'm 22," the King politely rebutted.
"No, you can't be," he said.
"Yes, I am," Martin said. And round they went.
Back home in Zanesville, Ohio, the inquiry of the offseason was why the local legend would play in a 3-on-3 streetball tournament with - imagine this - non-NBA players? Or why he played in the Sacramento summer league where up-and-coming high school and college gents were part of the mix? As if making it to the pros means you can only play with pro types. As if any of the questioning truly matters to Martin, so long as he doesn't question himself.
No questions there.
The kid who's not so much a kid anymore knows that more is expected and is listening only to those questions that come from his bosses.
They have wondered if his skinny body really take an NBA beating. Can he stop floating on offense, maximize his movements and score at will like he did at the tiny college of Western Carolina? Can he play some defense, considering he may wind up starting at the shooting guard spot of former King and defensive wizard Doug Christie? Can he avoid the bouts with laziness that popped up every so often in Year No. 1, and be dedicated 24-7?
These are the questions he must answer.
"We all really think he's a player," said Kings president of basketball operations Geoff Petrie, who picked Martin at No. 26 in the 2004 draft. "In some ways, he's probably still a maturing player. We wanted to make sure his focus coming back this year was like, I can be a real NBA player, and I'm going to work on the things and improve myself to where I'm going to be a factor.
" ... But it's like everything: There's the talking, and there's the doing, and we're into the doing."
Or, as Kings assistant Pete Carril put it, "There used to be a saying: Potential is interesting, performance is everything."
As it stands, Martin is the Kings' starting shooting guard. Former King Cuttino Mobley will sign with the Los Angeles Clippers on July 22, and Martin's experience and consistent scoring ability place him ahead of this year's draft pick, Francisco García, on the current depth chart.
The question then becomes whether free agent Maurice Evans will return, and if any of the Kings' action on the market at large will result in the arrival of the veteran shooting guard they so covet.
Whatever transpires, Martin is undeniably improved. R.J. Adelman, a team scout and son of coach Rick Adelman, said Martin is twice the player he was before. He's averaging 19 points a game in the Las Vegas summer league, playing through a handful of bumps and bruises that have nagged at him while showing an all-around game.
He's been playing like this since May, right after the Kings fell to Seattle in the first round of the playoffs and just before he used the memory of being left off the postseason roster as motivation. Martin said he understood being put in street clothes for the series. It's not as if his stats - 10.1 minutes, 2.9 points, 1.3 rebounds, 0.5 assists per game - made his argument for him. Evans got the nod to suit up, and Martin knew his preparation would have to reach a new level.
Throughout the summer, he played in any gym or court he could. The 3-on-3 tournament in Zanesville was outside, with the triple-digit heat of June burning down while Martin rekindled the flair he had as the nation's second-leading scorer in his last season at Western Carolina. In the Sacramento league, he routinely had 40-plus point nights at Capital Christian High School, playing with pro hopefuls. He starred alongside Kings guard Bobby Jackson while the veteran showed the youngster what an NBA work ethic truly was.
"How do you get better if you don't play?" Martin said. "Because, with me, I'm going to tell you right now that I'm going to play basketball nonstop. That's how I am every day, and that's how Bobby is, too. That's why he's where he is today. I'm always out playing basketball."
Most of the time, though, Martin was in Sacramento, rotating from the Kings' practice facility and the weight room. Yes, he even picked up a barbell or two. Working with former strength coach Al Biancani, he added seven pounds to his still-slight 6-foot-7 frame. He weighs in at 189 pounds, 17 more than last summer and possibly enough that he's not pounded like a pinball on cuts through the paint.
The Kings' heavies have been putting their own weight on his shoulders. Petrie has been in his ear frequently, repeating the speech of "You're not a rookie anymore" whenever necessary. Carril has refined Martin's shot, moving his hand away from his face on the release because, well, "I haven't seen a lot of guys make shots like that," Carril said. He ordered Martin to stop that silly fade he does, simply pull up and knock the shot down when the time is right.
Rick Adelman has also weighed in. He gave Martin a blueprint of what he'd like to see, a five-minute video highlight tape of Detroit guard Rip Hamilton in all his slashing, screening, shooting glory.
They sat together one day watching the clips, Adelman telling Martin to emulate the nonstop motion, perfect those mid-range jumpers coming off screens, and see if he could cut to the hoop more often. Martin kept the tape and has "seen it so many times I know when (Hamilton is) going to sweat," Martin said.
"That's what he's going to have to do if he wants to last in this league," said Jackson, entering his ninth season. "Some guys think they can still do the same things they did in college. You can't. You've got to switch your program up, be more dedicated.
"In the beginning, I did (sense laziness) with him. But the more and more time he's got, and the more and more he's seen how hard I work, he knows it's not going to be no cakewalk."
Without question.
"I feel like everything's on schedule," Martin said. "I just have to play my game, be the playmaker I am."
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