Kevin Martin

[Kingsgurl]

I think we should call him 'Flash'
Anyhoo, looks like people are starting to notice him just a bit
http://www.nba.com/milk_rookie/rookies_041014.html

standout stat-guys? (Clockwise from upper left: Kevin Martin, Ben Gordon, Shaun Livingston, Josh Childress)
Fernando Medina/NBAE/Getty Images
13. Luke Jackson, G-F, Cleveland Cavaliers: The Cavaliers desperately need help from the perimeter, so if Jackson can find his touch from downtown, he could see a lot of playing time.


12. Luol Deng/Andres Nocioni, F-G, Chicago Bulls: The Bulls have yet to settle on a three (or even a two for that matter), meaning Deng and Nocioni will compete with Adrian Griffin and Eric Piatkowski for some serious burn. Definitely a race to watch.

11. Devin Harris, G, Dallas Mavericks: Wisconsin alum should beat out Dan Dickau for the second-string point guard spot behind Jason Terry.

10. Josh Childress, G-F, Atlanta Hawks: His versatility makes him a solid option for a team that's a little thin at the two and the three.

9. Jameer Nelson, G, Orlando Magic: Besides Steve Francis, Nelson is the only point guard on the Magic roster.

8. Rafael Araujo, C, Toronto Raptors: If he can defend and rebound, he'll see major minutes for a Raptors squad that's thin up front.

7. J.R. Smith, G, New Orleans Hornets: Explosive scorer could blossom for a team that needs perimeter help, especially with Jamal Mashburn out for the season.

6. Kevin Martin, G, Sacramento Kings: Geoff Petrie and company are very high on this 6-7 shooting guard, especially with Anthony Peeler in Washington and Doug Christie wrestling with injuries.

5. Nick Collison, F, Seattle SuperSonics: After missing all of last season due to injury, Collison will get every chance to contribute from the four, especially if he boards well.

4. Shaun Livingston, G, L.A. Clippers: Kerry Kittles will probably miss the start of the season due to injury, so this skinny high-school rook will be thrown into the mix from day one. Don't be surprised if he winds up starting at the point before the season's done.

3. Ben Gordon, G, Chicago Bulls: Jamal Crawford's in New York and Scottie Pippen's retired, meaning the Bulls need offensive help from the perimeter. Enter Gordon, who could emerge as the Kirk Hinrich (i.e., surprise rookie guard) of '04.

2. Dwight Howard, F, Orlando Magic: He'll probably start the season behind Battie, Cato and DeClercq, but his offensive game is arguably ahead of those three already. Could rise up quicker than expected. 1. Emeka Okafor, C, Charlotte Bobcats: Probably the only lock in this freshman class. Honestly, it would be a surprise if he didn't start and play 30 minutes a night.

Notice most of the guys on this list are lottery picks

 

[piksi]

I still hope Doug recovers ASAP

 

[Kingsgurl]

Don't we all? There is no denying we need him. I would expect upon his return that Kevin would slide to 2 on the depth chart at SG. I am just hoping Kevin will turn out to be good enough to give Doug a little extra rest during the regular season.

 

[piksi]

Don't we all? There is no denying we need him. I would expect upon his return that Kevin would slide to 2 on the depth chart at SG. I am just hoping Kevin will turn out to be good enough to give Doug a little extra rest during the regular season.

KM will play. Not much but he will. I just hope he does not start. I rather start Bibby/ Jackson. We play short rotation anyway. Texas triangle waiting.

 

[Kingsgurl]

I think Doug will be ready to start the season. If he isn't, I expect Kevin will start. If you start Bibby and Bobby, who do you bring in to play back-up PG? I love the Bibby/Bobby combo line-up, at times, but it's really best only with certain match-ups.

 

[piksi]

I think Doug will be ready to start the season. If he isn't, I expect Kevin will start. If you start Bibby and Bobby, who do you bring in to play back-up PG? I love the Bibby/Bobby combo line-up, at times, but it's really best only with certain match-ups.

You keep one of them on the floor at all times. We are starting with Texas triangle and every game matters regardless wether it is first, 62nd or 81st. West will be tight and we can not afford 0-3 for many reasons.

 

[Kingsgurl]

I think if that was Adelman's plan, he would be starting them that way now. He traditionally likes to get the guys who are going to be starting together used to working as a unit in the pre-season. IMO, it will be more to the Kings advantage to keep the mix of vets to rooks to a high proportion, especially at first. In other words, starting the one rook with 4 vets means he is out there with a pretty good supporting cast. Hopefully, this will lessen any impact rookie mistakes might lead to (and he will make them, they all do) I agree absolutely with having one or the other of them (Bibby/Bobby) on the floor at all times, it becomes harder to do that if you start them both, or play them both at the same time for a long stretch. After the trip to China and the jet lag, you want to try to keep them a little fresh for the 4th.

 

[piksi]

I think if that was Adelman's plan, he would be starting them that way now. He traditionally likes to get the guys who are going to be starting together used to working as a unit in the pre-season. IMO, it will be more to the Kings advantage to keep the mix of vets to rooks to a high proportion, especially at first. In other words, starting the one rook with 4 vets means he is out there with a pretty good supporting cast. Hopefully, this will lessen any impact rookie mistakes might lead to (and he will make them, they all do) I agree absolutely with having one or the other of them (Bibby/Bobby) on the floor at all times, it becomes harder to do that if you start them both, or play them both at the same time for a long stretch. After the trip to China and the jet lag, you want to try to keep them a little fresh for the 4th.

Considering KM tendency to pick up fouls and general NBA tendency of "liking" Kings and "rookies" BIbby/Bobby combo will happen soon enough. Also I see heavy minutes for Pedja, Miller and Webber. And I mean heavy (40 +)

 

[bibbyweb]

I think that starting with K Martin in the absence of Christie, wouldn't be a bad idea. In these games he has been good enough and has also added a lot of energy as well. And with the rest of the starters, there shouldn't be too much pressure on him.

 

[HndsmCelt]

If it were me coaching I would probably try starting both Bobby and Bibby and see how K Martin does off the bench with sizable min. I agree on the starts seeing lots of pt with the cavat that I think the goal will likely be to put up big leads to earn rests.

 

[Packt]

They'll need someone off the bench and without Bobby, the bench would be non existent. Since Martin is playing in place of Christie, he isn't expected to be much of a scorer. Offensively Martin starting won't be too much of a problem. Defensively, he's got to learn he isn't going to be D.C. over night, and to pull back a little; don't go for stops, just stay with your man.

4 of our starters are All-Star caliber players so we should be fine with a young guy like Martin starting, at least for now. I would like to see him be more active rebounding wise.

 

[OptimusRhyme]

Martn will be fine if he starts, he's quick( Runs The Floor Amazing), great at passing and scoring, and I think his defense is better then we have seen, It's gotta do a little to the mind having to guard the best scorer in the league in your second and third NBA games. Once he learns how the Kings run there offence he will do alot better, he looked lost sometimes out on the floor but that will fade once he learns how we play, THAT DUNK WAS SICK!!!

 

[SacKings384]

K-Mart needs to lose the rookie jitters... He often dissapears during the game

 

[piksi]

With KM as starter - Pedja is our best defender on the floor

Just look at match ups in the first 3 games. Scary

 

[HndsmCelt]

Yeah but I LOVE that gusy hustle! Imagine Brad, Darius, Bobby, and Martin all out there at once! might have guys actualy cracing into eachother going after loose balls... what an immage.

 

[Insomniacal Fan]

Yeah but I LOVE that gusy hustle! Imagine Brad, Darius, Bobby, and Martin all out there at once! might have guys actualy cracing into eachother going after loose balls... what an immage.

Think I saw that in the China game yesterday with K-Mart and B-Mill, generally not considered a good thing.

 

[piksi]

Think I saw that in the China game yesterday with K-Mart and B-Mill, generally not considered a good thing.

especially considering that our players manage to get injured in sleep

 

[SacKings384]

Poor Poor K-Mart... Pre-season he gets J-Rich for one game, then he gets T-Mac for two games, then he gets Kobe next!

 

[6th]

Poor Poor K-Mart... Pre-season he gets J-Rich for one game, then he gets T-Mac for two games, then he gets Kobe next!

So true, but what better initiation could you ask for? I think it will give him a good start. After all, if he can keep up with the best, everyone else will be a piece of cake.

 

[OptimusRhyme]

Exactly, and he didn't do that bad of a job on T-Mac, I meen he stopped him a cuple of times, for a rookie I was actually very impressed with his defense and hustle, I loved how he ran the floor, and did I mention that dunk was SICK!!!

 

[ReinadelosReys]

Personally, I like him (Bravo once again GP!) and hope to see more of him this season. I would like to see him perfect that J--be more consistent, but I loved a picture that I saw of the opening tip from game 1 where you see him getting ready to get that Yao tip before everyone else. He's both quick and fast and appears to have no fear of contact (of course he hasn't played vs. some real big boys yet).

 

[VF21]

piksi - I think you need to remember some facts about Kevin Martin AND the Kings:

1. That was his third game as a King, as a professional player in the NBA - and he was STARTING!! I'm very impressed with the poise he showed in a situation that could well have paralyzed some newbies or rendered them totally ineffective.

2. Kevin is not going to start. Doug Christie will start. That's a no-brainer. What a lot of us are happy about is we now appear to have another player on the bench BESIDES Bobby who can perform well at the back-up guard slot. To think Adelman is going to put Martin into the starting line-up once Doug is ready to play just isn't a viable alternative. Martin will learn from DC, to be sure, but no one is looking for him to take DC's spot in this year's starting line-up.

3. Why would anyone compare Martin and Pedja? Pedja is a veteran, having been here since 1999. He plays the 3. Martin is a newbie, having now acquired a whole three NBA games - and those pre-season. He was brought primarily to play guard, although he might be called upon at times to fill in behind Pedja. Martin did pretty well covering T-Mac, as has been mentioned before. You don't expect him to outplay a seasoned veteran like Pedja. If you're even comparing the performances of the two, it doesn't seem to bode too well for one of them - and it's not the guy wearing MJ's number.

I guess I just find it somewhat bothersome that instead of rejoicing over the acquisition of a player who seems to possess skills and abilities we certainly need, you apparently feel that Martin is a threat to Pedja.

 

[Kingsgurl]

With KM as starter - Pedja is our best defender on the floor

I don't think he got the memo, because he certainly hasn't been in the 3 games I've seen. In fact, he and Bibby may be running neck and neck in that category

 

[Bricklayer]

I think you guys may be taking his comment the worng way. He's not saying that Peja is a great defender, he's saying he's NOT a great defender, but without a great one at the OG spot our starting lineup lacks stoppers.

On the larger issue -- I think you probably start Martin, keep Bobby off the bench to give us punch. But I'm not happy about it. I think Martin has shown that he is an NBA player at this point -- that alone is cool given his draft position. But he's still feeling his way and is making a huge jump from a small college. its going to take awhile until we see what he's really got, and starting with a Texas Triangle that's as tough as its ever been (have all three of those teams ever been contenders before?), we have very little margin for error.

 

[Kingsgurl]

Good point, Brick. I probably took the comment the wrong way because Peja actually CAN be a very good defender, he just hasn't been thus far. He has not matched the defensive EFFORT of anybody on the floor besides Bibby


My money is on DC being back to start the season anyway, but I'm glad Flash is getting this time to get his feet wet. I think it will pay dividends down the road.

 

[piksi]

I think you guys may be taking his comment the worng way. He's not saying that Peja is a great defender, he's saying he's NOT a great defender, but without a great one at the OG spot our starting lineup lacks stoppers.

Thank You

 

[piksi]

piksi - I think you need to remember some facts about Kevin Martin AND the Kings:

1. That was his third game as a King, as a professional player in the NBA - and he was STARTING!! I'm very impressed with the poise he showed in a situation that could well have paralyzed some newbies or rendered them totally ineffective.

2. Kevin is not going to start. Doug Christie will start. That's a no-brainer. What a lot of us are happy about is we now appear to have another player on the bench BESIDES Bobby who can perform well at the back-up guard slot. To think Adelman is going to put Martin into the starting line-up once Doug is ready to play just isn't a viable alternative. Martin will learn from DC, to be sure, but no one is looking for him to take DC's spot in this year's starting line-up.

3. Why would anyone compare Martin and Pedja? Pedja is a veteran, having been here since 1999. He plays the 3. Martin is a newbie, having now acquired a whole three NBA games - and those pre-season. He was brought primarily to play guard, although he might be called upon at times to fill in behind Pedja. Martin did pretty well covering T-Mac, as has been mentioned before. You don't expect him to outplay a seasoned veteran like Pedja. If you're even comparing the performances of the two, it doesn't seem to bode too well for one of them - and it's not the guy wearing MJ's number.

I guess I just find it somewhat bothersome that instead of rejoicing over the acquisition of a player who seems to possess skills and abilities we certainly need, you apparently feel that Martin is a threat to Pedja.

1. Unfortunatelly, his opponents will not consider that fact. Thus he should not be starting. I never said tht he does not have potential. I just think that given the importance of EVERY game - he should be brought in slowly. If our schedule would start with the 3 teams from atlanthic division I would not care.
2. I never really impied anythink like that
3. Never compared both of them in any way.
Martin threat to Pedja. - Do not know what made you make that conclusion. Seriously, in what way? How does one compare here ?

 

[VF21]

Martin (who has been selected as a likely backup for DC) should not be starting while DC is out? In pre-season games? WHY the bleep not?

 

[piksi]

Martin (who has been selected as a likely backup for DC) should not be starting while DC is out? In pre-season games? WHY the bleep not?

we were not talking about pre season here. I was very specifically talking about the first 3 games and the possibility of DC not being back for them. I suggested starting Bibby/Bobby as a combo guards here. Nobody talked about the pre season here.

 

[VF21]

Very specifically? I don't think so, but if that's the case, I will apologize for misreading your comments.

Having said that, however, I will not agree with your premise that Bibby and Bobby should start should DC not be ready by Nov. 2. Bobby is our prime back-up for Bibby. We don't want to start him. If we did, we'd have a real problem when it came time to give Mike some rest.

Kevin Martin has shown that he can play at the 2. If he's going to get a trial by fire in the regular season, I'd much rather it came in the beginning.

He's a rookie with a lot of promise. We're going to have to play him if we want him to progress.