http://www.sacbee.com/content/sports/basketball/kings/story/14158380p-14986388c.html
Ailene Voisin: It's apparent K-Mart can deliver the goods
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, February 6, 2006
Amid all the injuries and the uncertainty - the trades, the controversy, the disappointment - Kevin Martin has quietly, sometimes even spectacularly, snipped away at all those unflattering first-year impressions. The casual look has been replaced by a more serious and committed appearance.
True, his 6-foot-7 frame can still squeeze between scissor blades. Also true, he still catches Rick Adelman's evil eye now and then.
"Weakside defense," admits Martin, wincing, after the Kings routed the Utah Jazz on Sunday afternoon. "That's what I have to work on. I think I'm getting better, though."
Martin, who admittedly spent more time peeking around the building than participating during his erratic rookie season, has slashed and sprinted and rebounded his way into the thick of the rotation. And though his future as an NBA fixture is far from a slam dunk - and his awkward-looking jumper still needs offseason repair and renovation - the noodle-thin clone of Reggie Miller and Richard Hamilton has created enough commotion to warrant playing time and earn attention. You can't ignore him anymore. You look away, you might miss the show.
Much like the retooled and reconstructed Kings, the club's 2004 first-round draft choice is figuring it out on the fly - sometimes literally. His assortment of breakout dunks, with those of fellow long-limbed youngster Francisco García, continue to electrify the crowd. The kids may be out of control at times - OK, a lot of times - but their toddler steps also are increasingly enjoyable and intriguing to watch.
Sunday, it was García in the second half, swatting shots, pulling up for threes, penetrating and relieving Mike Bibby of ballhandling duties. Earlier, before the Kings retaliated for Friday's 0-20 fourth-quarter shutout with a fourth-quarter chokehold of their own, it was Martin, displaying the offensive versatility that Kings officials suspected he possessed when they plucked him out of tiny Western Carolina.
He converted 2 of 3 three-pointers, all three with his feet well set. He swooped and sliced to the basket, and, though he failed to contribute an assist, should have earned a pass on two offensive fouls that were nothing more than flops. He also chased down loose balls and snatched rebounds, leaping and reaching and otherwise remaining a nuisance. Most impressively, perhaps, he played like someone who has spent a lot of time in the video room, studying the moves and planning to imitate the middle game of the Detroit Pistons' Hamilton.
"Kevin is really improving," Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie said. "He is learning how to get the space to get his shot off, gaining the experience of reading the game and making plays. And the last three, four games, he is hitting that little shot from the lane. He couldn't do that before."
But the best move? The one that elicited gasps and probably kept the sellout crowd attached to its seats even as Super Bowl kickoff neared? That occurred with just under four minutes of the third quarter remaining, the Kings clinging to a 57-54 lead. As he held the ball on the left wing, his back to the basket, Martin faked to his right, then spun to his left and exploded into the lane. Still in the air, still under control, he flipped in another timely one-hander.
"I ain't gonna lie," Martin said following his 20-point outing. "It all started in Charlotte (Nov. 29) when I saw Bonzi (Wells) go down with an injury. It looked like he was going to be out for a while. So I just had to grow up quick. Last year, I went out there and played, relying on my athletic ability. This year, I study and take everything more serious."
The player formerly known solely as a high-wire act, as more of an athlete than a complete player, remains one of Pete Carril's most willing students, so committed to the cause (when he plays well, the Kings win and in fact are 7-1 when he scores 20 or more points) that the whispers that trailed him throughout last season and earlier this season are being slammed into silence.
It looks as if he can play. It really does.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com
Ailene Voisin: It's apparent K-Mart can deliver the goods
By Ailene Voisin -- Bee Sports Columnist
Published 2:15 am PST Monday, February 6, 2006
Amid all the injuries and the uncertainty - the trades, the controversy, the disappointment - Kevin Martin has quietly, sometimes even spectacularly, snipped away at all those unflattering first-year impressions. The casual look has been replaced by a more serious and committed appearance.
True, his 6-foot-7 frame can still squeeze between scissor blades. Also true, he still catches Rick Adelman's evil eye now and then.
"Weakside defense," admits Martin, wincing, after the Kings routed the Utah Jazz on Sunday afternoon. "That's what I have to work on. I think I'm getting better, though."
Martin, who admittedly spent more time peeking around the building than participating during his erratic rookie season, has slashed and sprinted and rebounded his way into the thick of the rotation. And though his future as an NBA fixture is far from a slam dunk - and his awkward-looking jumper still needs offseason repair and renovation - the noodle-thin clone of Reggie Miller and Richard Hamilton has created enough commotion to warrant playing time and earn attention. You can't ignore him anymore. You look away, you might miss the show.
Much like the retooled and reconstructed Kings, the club's 2004 first-round draft choice is figuring it out on the fly - sometimes literally. His assortment of breakout dunks, with those of fellow long-limbed youngster Francisco García, continue to electrify the crowd. The kids may be out of control at times - OK, a lot of times - but their toddler steps also are increasingly enjoyable and intriguing to watch.
Sunday, it was García in the second half, swatting shots, pulling up for threes, penetrating and relieving Mike Bibby of ballhandling duties. Earlier, before the Kings retaliated for Friday's 0-20 fourth-quarter shutout with a fourth-quarter chokehold of their own, it was Martin, displaying the offensive versatility that Kings officials suspected he possessed when they plucked him out of tiny Western Carolina.
He converted 2 of 3 three-pointers, all three with his feet well set. He swooped and sliced to the basket, and, though he failed to contribute an assist, should have earned a pass on two offensive fouls that were nothing more than flops. He also chased down loose balls and snatched rebounds, leaping and reaching and otherwise remaining a nuisance. Most impressively, perhaps, he played like someone who has spent a lot of time in the video room, studying the moves and planning to imitate the middle game of the Detroit Pistons' Hamilton.
"Kevin is really improving," Kings basketball president Geoff Petrie said. "He is learning how to get the space to get his shot off, gaining the experience of reading the game and making plays. And the last three, four games, he is hitting that little shot from the lane. He couldn't do that before."
But the best move? The one that elicited gasps and probably kept the sellout crowd attached to its seats even as Super Bowl kickoff neared? That occurred with just under four minutes of the third quarter remaining, the Kings clinging to a 57-54 lead. As he held the ball on the left wing, his back to the basket, Martin faked to his right, then spun to his left and exploded into the lane. Still in the air, still under control, he flipped in another timely one-hander.
"I ain't gonna lie," Martin said following his 20-point outing. "It all started in Charlotte (Nov. 29) when I saw Bonzi (Wells) go down with an injury. It looked like he was going to be out for a while. So I just had to grow up quick. Last year, I went out there and played, relying on my athletic ability. This year, I study and take everything more serious."
The player formerly known solely as a high-wire act, as more of an athlete than a complete player, remains one of Pete Carril's most willing students, so committed to the cause (when he plays well, the Kings win and in fact are 7-1 when he scores 20 or more points) that the whispers that trailed him throughout last season and earlier this season are being slammed into silence.
It looks as if he can play. It really does.
About the writer: Reach Ailene Voisin at (916) 321-1208 or avoisin@sacbee.com
I thought you were, but then you have to be so luke warm on the fence about stuff and not say how you really feel right? 
I'm loving this site, good info.
