Slam Online Top 50: Kevin Martin (No. 41)

thx a lot -- that is about as extensive an analysis of one Kings player as anybdy is going to attempt
 
The one bone I have to pick is the assist percentages. It says it's abysmal for how much Martin has the ball in his hands, but, in relation to most cases, does he really have it in his hands all that much??? Relative to his counterparts, I think he actually "dominates" the ball far less and therefor that should be taken into account at least a little bit. I wouldn't sleep on Martin developing his passing game either, just the last few seasons he's turned a corner in handling the ball. I didn't think he'd be able to bring the ball up court at one point like he can now.
 
SacTownKid said:
The one bone I have to pick is the assist percentages. It says it's abysmal for how much Martin has the ball in his hands, but, in relation to most cases, does he really have it in his hands all that much??? Relative to his counterparts, I think he actually "dominates" the ball far less and therefor that should be taken into account at least a little bit. I wouldn't sleep on Martin developing his passing game either, just the last few seasons he's turned a corner in handling the ball. I didn't think he'd be able to bring the ball up court at one point like he can now.
Click to expand...

That is one aspect of Martin's game that I have always liked. When he has the ball, he generally does something with it very quickly. You don't see him hold onto the ball for long periods of time. He either passes it off, shoots, or drives within seconds of receiving the ball. You don't see that very often from players who score a lot of points. The only other player that immediately comes to mind is Jamison.
 
Man we got lucky too -- compare the in depth nature of Kevin's writeup to the cursory joke of a pass a different writer took at Rudy Gay.
 
wow... that was a spot on description of martins game. though the assist part is unfair since he doesnt hold on to the ball for very long. he plays better without the ball than anyone in the league today. he scores 24ppg without having to dribble the ball and look for openings because he doesnt get the ball until he is open.

kobe holds the ball and looks for a place to attack, he's good enough to score whenever he wants so why not? martin isnt good enough to pull that off. i couldnt see kobe scoring as much as martin playing the way martin plays.

martin has limitations but he is still a damn good player...
 
This may very well explain why we're at the bottom of this league. Our best player only managed at #41 among the league's best players - which in my opinion is a bit high. I agree with the closing statement which states that Martin is really better than most of us think, but unfortunately not that quite impactful on a game that his numbers say he should.

I wouldn't mind trading Martin for another starter on a different position ( say Small Forward ) if Evans turns out to be the upgrade at shooting guard position.
 
I feel as though I give Martin's game the credit it's due, and I think he deserves to be on the list, but I can't be convinced that he deserves to be ranked ahead of Artest by any objective standard, unless it's a ranking of least likely to derail a team due to non-basketball-related issues.

Talent/skill-wise, Artest has it all over Martin.
 
Mr. S£im Citrus said:
I feel as though I give Martin's game the credit it's due, and I think he deserves to be on the list, but I can't be convinced that he deserves to be ranked ahead of Artest by any objective standard, unless it's a ranking of least likely to derail a team due to non-basketball-related issues.

Talent/skill-wise, Artest has it all over Martin.
Click to expand...
Very true.
 
Skill and talent are different things than production and impact. Artest CAN be a nightly force. Artest CAN change things in the post. Artest CAN play within his means. IF he does so, then, yes, above Martin.

However, I will argue that Martin's production value is well above that of Artest, even given Artest's defensive prowess. Martin is a better player than Artest, unless you are arguing who "could" be a better player.
 
rhythmless said:
Skill and talent are different things than production and impact. Artest CAN be a nightly force. Artest CAN change things in the post. Artest CAN play within his means. IF he does so, then, yes, above Martin.

However, I will argue that Martin's production value is well above that of Artest, even given Artest's defensive prowess. Martin is a better player than Artest, unless you are arguing who "could" be a better player.
Click to expand...
Production, maybe. Impact? Hell naw!

Relative to the impact he has had on his team and the league, to this point of his career, Kevin Martin has been roughly as productive as Jamal Crawford, except Martin has had slightly less impact on the league. Let Martin take a championship contender to seven games, virtually by himself, and then we can entertain the notion of whether or not he's a better player than Artest.
 
its not so much that martin was ranked too high its that artest was ranked too low.... artest would be at worst the 2nd best player on any team in the nba with the exception of maybe the celtics.... artest should be ranked somewhere in the 30's.... though the same could be said for martin to a certain degree but he is one dimensional almost to a fault. well definitely to a fault i suppose, now that i think about it.
 
I disagree. I think Artest is starting to show his age and I don't think he's going to be the smack-down influential defender he's been in the past. And I still think him being on the Lakers could end up being a disaster for him and LA.
 
artest has gained too much muscle/weight to be the defender he once was, maybe if he focused on conditioning he would still be the force he was when he was first traded to the Kings but he's just not that player anymore
 
Artest isnt nearly the player he was in Indy or in his first year at SAC. 4-5 years ago i would have agreed that hes ranked too low. In todays game however his size and age has taken its toll on his ability. LA made a mistake in not resigning Ariza and replacing him with Artest. If Martin is one of the most efficient scorers in the nba then id say he deserves to be placed where he is as well as ahead of artest. Theres no possible way one could make a legitimate arguement that Artest>Martin. Not When comparing them both in the present. lol at ariesmar27 making an arguement against a kings player while supporting an LA player. What a surprise.
 
Chupacabra said:
Artest isnt nearly the player he was in Indy or in his first year at SAC. 4-5 years ago i would have agreed that hes ranked too low. In todays game however his size and age has taken its toll on his ability. LA made a mistake in not resigning Ariza and replacing him with Artest. If Martin is one of the most efficient scorers in the nba then id say he deserves to be placed where he is as well as ahead of artest. Theres no possible way one could make a legitimate arguement that Artest>Martin. Not When comparing them both in the present. lol at ariesmar27 making an arguement against a kings player while supporting an LA player. What a surprise.
Click to expand...

you are a straight hater.... i wouldve said the same thing about artest last season when he was on the rockets.and i said nothing negative about martin or any kings player. you are just a hater.... though it is true that the lakers were better off with ariza. artest is still a much better player, crazy as hell but a damn good player.
 
Chupacabra said:
Theres no possible way one could make a legitimate arguement that Artest>Martin.
Click to expand...

There are many possible ways that one could make the legitimate argument that Artest has a greater IMPACT than Kevin, not the least of which would be the 21 game freefall we took from one season to the next with our only significant roster move being Artest out, Donte and Thompson in.

But that said, ranking Ron remains one of the most difficult jobs you run across in bball and in the end I would rather have Kevin despite Ron's superior talent -- at least with Kevin you know what you are getting and can build around a stable presence of some sort.
 
Bricklayer said:
There are many possible ways that one could make the legitimate argument that Artest has a greater IMPACT than Kevin, not the least of which would be the 21 game freefall we took from one season to the next with our only significant roster move being Artest out, Donte and Thompson in.

But that said, ranking Ron remains one of the most difficult jobs you run across in bball and in the end I would rather have Kevin despite Ron's superior talent -- at least with Kevin you know what you are getting and can build around a stable presence of some sort.
Click to expand...




You call that bony ankle stable?
 
You must log in or register to reply here.

Similar threads

Bricklayer
  • Poll Poll
How Does Boogie Compare On D To Famously Defensive Centers?
2
Replies
36
Views
13K
captain bill
captain bill
Tetsujin
  • Poll Poll
[Game] Kings v. Pacers, 1/23/15, 7:30 PST, 10:30 EST
15 16 17
Replies
493
Views
33K
jcwkings
jcwkings
Y
Kevin Martin scored 37 points vs. Knicks with broken right wrist, now out indefinitely (Ball...
Replies
0
Views
279
Yahoo! Sports - NBA -
Y
Y
The Mamba in flight: A Kobe Bryant Dunk History retrospective (Ball Don't Lie)
Replies
0
Views
621
Yahoo! Sports - NBA -
Y
Y
BDL's Most Interesting Power Rankings: The Cavs send a new message (Ball Don't Lie)
Replies
0
Views
461
Yahoo! Sports - NBA -
Y
Back
Top