Another matter I forgot to mention last night is that offensively, the Kings seem to be doing OK. Martin might be able to help close out a few more away games, but that extra offensive clout isn't exactly what they need. And their already suspect defense will most likely take a hit.
And then, of course, there are all those favourable match ups for Tyreke against smaller guards that won't be there anymore.
A few items I want to discuss here.
1.) As I've mentioned in previous posts I actually think that Garcia would be a better fit next to Tyreke than Martin solely due to the fact that he has more qualities we need for the team to have success.
A.)
Garcia has 4 Primary Qualities
i.) Big 6'7 guard
ii.) Good deep ball shooter to spread the floor
iii.) Good ball Handler
iv.) Good Defender
B.)
Kevin has 2 Primary Qualities
i.) Big 6'7 guard
ii.) Good deep ball shooter to spread the floor
With that said, Garcia has shown himself to be a very good player in a 6th man role, and Martin is an obvious starting 2-guard. And with the amount of money Martin is getting paid (which I think he's worth) you really need to have him starting.
2.) The only reason to trade Martin is to get a defensive big man or a star big man to best compliment Tyreke.
When Martin comes back he is going to give this team a lift and will help us win games. However, the lift he gives us utterly pales in comparison to the lift that the team would get if we got a big man defensive anchor, or a star big man such as Bosh.
In my mind trading Martin has nothing to do with him 'hurting' our team, but everything to do with using our most valuable trading asset to get the piece which could potentially put us on the road towards championship contention.
So I would trade Martin because he can be the asset which gets us to where we want to be and I think that Garcia could step in and be a wonderful fit next to Tyreke.
3.) In regards to Martin's game I want to mention a few things.
A.)
He is a tall 6'7 guard.
So if there is a perception that having Kevin next to Tyreke will negate a mismatch, then that perception is incorrect. The opposing team will be forced to either put their PG on our 6'6 PG or our 6'7 SG.
And to be honest, I'm fine with either mismatch. This isn't a Brad Miller situation where putting a small guy on him(Martin) negates effectiveness.
Kevin Martin is a superb scorer. He's a veteran and very savy. Though he really isn't a post-up threat, he does a very good job at moving with-out the ball and catching and shooting over shorter players.
His scoring output would have been even better last year if he were guarded by the team's opposing PG.
Now, I think that having the opposing team put their PG on Tyreke is a better mismatch than on Kevin, but either way, it's a mismatch which will really benefit the team.
B.)
Martin is superb with moving with-out the ball.
In fact, at his age and given his quickness and shooting ability, he's probably the best player in the league at getting quality scoring opportunities by moving with-out the ball.
His problem has always been his ball-handling. If he had Tyreke's ball-handling skills he'd be perennial all-star. So he's not a guy who is going to be ball dominant, pounding the ball while looking for an opportunity to take his man off the dribble. We saw him try more of that last year with little success. And it is this lack of handling ability in addition to his defense which has kept him from being a lock as an all-star.
C.)
Martin was showing a renewed effort on defense this year.
You all remember his first couple of years. Early on he was a decent defender due to his quickness and height. He has never been a good weak-side defender, but his man defense was pretty good.
This year it looked as if he was making a larger commitment on the defensive end. We know he has the quickness, so we'll have to see if he can make strides in that area.
In regards to his defense I want to mention a couple of things.
i.) His injury was to his wrist not to his feet/ankles/legs. If indeed it was that ankle of his causing problems last year, he should still have the quickness to be a decent defender when he gets back, so that's a good thing.
ii.) If he doesn't feel the pressure of having to put up 30 points a night, we should see him use more energy on the defensive end. So I do expect to see more energy from him in guarding the bucket.
iii.) He's a better defender than Beno. So if the choice is to have him in the line-up or Beno, then if I'm looking from a defensive perspective, Martin is the clear winner. I actually do think that Donte is a far superior defender compared to Martin, which is why I think having Donte play out of position at the SG spot works with reasonable effectiveness.
So though we are not getting a defensive juggernaut when Martin returns, he's better than Beno, and there is some hope that he won't be a complete liability. (Though we'll just have to wait and find out.)
4.)
Kevin's integration back into the Team (The Westphal Factor)
A lot has been discussed about how it will all work out trying to re-integrate Martin back with this team.
i.) The first question was 'Will Kevin Buy In'. I think that answer to that is 'Yes'. I think Kevin's been seeing the success of the team and will want to contribute as much as he can towards that success.
He's always been a great character guy so I think he'll make every effort to buy into what the team's been doing.
Fortunately for us, he's played with a lot of ball-dominant players, and his early success was completely driven by moving with-out the ball, so it's something he's had success with (20 PPG) and can slip back into.
I also expect him to play with renewed defensive commitment .
ii.) The second, and far bigger question is 'Can Kevin's game compliment Tyreke's game in a manner which can create one of the most elite guard line-ups in the NBA.
And this is where I have my concerns.
While Martin is not ball dominant, it's true as has been pointed out by Bricklayer on many occasions, that Martin can require a lot of team involvement to help him effectively move with-out the ball while being a primary offensive option.
And I actually think the adjustment is on Tyreke's end. I don't think Tyreke has ever played alongside a player of Martin's caliber who can move with the ball and get fantastic scoring opportunities.
Will Tyreke know when to hit Kevin as he is getting open?
Will the team be able to have movement and set screens/picks for Martin while keeping the spacing necessary for Tyreke to work?
I think it's going to be a major challenge.
iii.) I dubbed this section the Westphal Factor. This thread was originally about him. So, I think it's pretty obvious that there is going to be a major challenge in getting Tyreke adjusted to the type of game that Martin plays. It will also be a major challenge to do this while still keeping Tyreke effective at what he does best.
With that said, if we can see this, than so can Westphal and his staff. Since we have the luxury of easing Martin back into the team, there should be plenty of time for Westphal to work out various means to make it work.
If Westphal and his staff can make it work, then you have the most elite guard lineup in the NBA, and you then work to use all of your other resources to bring in a big man to finish up the team.
Also, if Westphal can put something together, then playoffs are a realistic goal, and he could be considered for COY.
If he can't get something to work, then trading Martin is the best option.
Final Thoughts
I would like to see if Westphal can put something together to make Tyreke and Martin both play to their best potential. I think it's a very tall order and one that might not turn out as well as we'd like. With that said, if we have the opportunity to use Martin to get a Star Big then I'd do that trade even if it meant not getting to see what Martin and Tyreke can do together.
I do think it's far too soon to say with absolute authority that a Martin/Tyreke pairing won't work, but you have to acknowledge that there are some major challenges to be overcome if those two are to play to their maximum potential. However, if Westphal can put together a plan to make it work, then we'd be a bigman away from making major waves in the playoffs.
