The New York Knicks announced today that big men Amar’e Stoudemire and Kenyon Martin will be sidelined for a couple of weeks, as they deal with various leg injuries:

An MRI this afternoon on Amar’e Stoudemire’s l. ankle confirmed a sprain & a bone bruise. He is expected to be out approximately 2 weeks.

— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) January 17, 2014

An MRI this afternoon on Kenyon Martin’s left ankle confirmed a sprain and tendinitis. He is expected to be out approximately two weeks.

— NY_KnicksPR (@NY_KnicksPR) January 17, 2014

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Suns 96, Knicks 98

This game was tight the whole way through, and New York grabbed a two-point lead in the final minute of regulation. In the waning seconds, Leandro Barbosa appeared to have the ball cleanly tied up by Kenyon Martin, but a foul was called on K-Mart, and Barbosa hit the subsequent free throws, sending the game into overtime. 

Neither team scored in the final two minutes of OT, but the Knicks had jumped out to a quick lead and it stuck. 

Melo led New York with 29 points and 16 boards. He hit just 9/24 shots from the field, but managed 8/9 shooting from the stripe. Raymond Felton scored 19 points (but amazingly had just 1 assist in 44 minutes), and Martin finished with 8 points and 9 boards in a solid effort. Don’t look now, but the 15-22 Knicks are slowly climbing back to relevancy. 

Phoenix’s high-man was Goran Dragic with 28. He took advantage of the Knicks terrible rim protection all night, but didn’t get quite enough from his teammates. Barbosa finished with 21, but the Suns shot under 36 percent from the field, including a terrible 7/30 from three. 

Bucks 94, Raptors 116

Toronto pulled ahead early and ran away with this game. Kyle Lowry was sharp with 23 points (6/8, 7/7 FT), 5 assists and 4 steals, and Jonas Valanciunas went for 17 and 10. DeMar DeRozan kicked in 19, 7 and 7, and Patrick Patterson came off the bench for 18, too. 

In all, the Raptors shot above 50 percent from the field and 12/23 from deep. 

Ersan Ilyasova had a big night for Milwaukee, scoring 29 points (11/16) with 9 boards in the loss. John Henson returned from an ankle injury and scored 8 points with 5 boards and 4 rejections in 17 minutes. Larry Sanders and Khris Middleton both struggled offensively, combining to shoot just 3/16 on the night. 

Rockets 104, Celtics 92

Dwight Howard (32 and 11) led the Rockets to a fairly easy road win last night. Boston jumped out to an early lead, but Houston crushed the Cs in the final three quarters. 

Each Rockets starter scored in double-figures, including Terrence Jones (12, 12 and 3 blocks) and Jeremy Lin (16 and 9 with 3 steals). Omri Casspi added 12 points off the bench. 

Boston got 24 from Avery Bradley and 17 from Jerryd Bayless, but the rest of the team struggled. Jared Sullinger (3/11), Jeff Green (2/10) and Jordan Crawford (3/11) were unable to get much going in the loss. 

Wizards 102, Bulls 88

Washington led by 13 points at halftime and the Bulls just could never quite close the gap. 

John Wall and Nene each scored 19 to pace the Wiz. Trevor Ariza and Martell Webster combined for 28 points on 5/10 shooting from deep, and Bradley Beal chipped in 13. 

It was the same story as always for Chicago, who got 19 points from Carlos Boozer but limited offense surrounding him. Kirk Hinrich and DJ Augustin combined to shoot 5/21 while splitting time at point guard, and Joakim Noah was held to 8 points (with 16 boards). 

Spurs 101, Pelicans 95

The Pelicans hung with the Spurs for about 46.5 minutes before San Antonio shut the door. 

Tony Parker dropped 27 (9/15, 9/10 FT) and 7 in the win, and Tim Duncan scored 18 points with 9 rebounds.

Kawhi Leonard scored 13 points with 6 rebounds—surprisingly slightly better numbers than his season averages. Marco Belinelli saw 30 minutes with Danny Green sidelined and scored 12 points with a pair of treys. 

Anthony Davis was stellar for NOLA again, hitting 9/18 shots on his way to 22 points, 11 boards, 3 steals and 2 blocks. Brian Roberts filled in nicely for Jrue Holiday, connecting on 7/12 shots for 19 points. 

Overall it was a solid game for New Orleans, but they face a tough battle in the second half of the season with Holiday, Ryan Anderson and Tyreke Evans all injured. Evans should be back pretty soon, but the Pelicans have been bitten by the injury bug worse than most teams this year, which is especially unfortunate since their 2014 draft pick belongs to Philadelphia. 

Magic 88, Mavericks 107

Dallas’ offense clicked early (59 first-half points), and this game was never really in doubt. 

Monta Ellis led the way with 21, while Vince Carter (17), Dirk Nowitzki (15), Jae Crowder (14), Jose Calderon (13) and Wayne Ellington (12) were all solid offensively, too. 

Orlando got nice efforts from Glen Davis (19 and 8) and Jameer Nelson (21 and 7), among others, but it wasn’t enough. The Magic are now just 3-17 on the road (and 7-11 at home). 

Nuggets 103, Jazz 118

It feels weird to say, but the Jazz just couldn’t be stopped last night. Utah was led by Alec Burks’ huge game: 34 points on 13/19 shooting and 8/8 free throws. Derrick Favors hit 7/12 shots for 19 points with 15 boards, and Trey Burke scored 18 points with 8 assists. Even Richard Jefferson was solid, finishing with 16 points (3/6 from deep). 

JJ Hickson (21 and 10) and Ty Lawson (23 and 11) played well for the Nuggets in the loss. It’s tough to win on the road when you allow 118 points. 

PS: It should be mentioned that Minnesota drafted the two starting point guards in this game and traded each on Draft Day. The total return: Shabazz Muhammad, Gorgui Dieng and two years of Martell Webster before his revival in Washington. Yikes. 

Bonus: Vintage Show Of The Day

This season, I’ll be posting a semi-random highlight video of a former baller at the bottom of my Post Ups. Today, I present…. Sheed!

The post Post Up: Back In It appeared first on SLAM.

LeBron James went retro at the Garden with the Zoom LeBron Soldier VII; Carmelo Anthony rocked the Melo M10 “Dark Powder Blue”; Nate Robinson, always great with his sneaker game, laced up the Air Jordan 12 “Gamma Blue.” We collected photos of that heat and more in our gallery of the best sneakers from around the League. Which player’s shoe game did you like the most from last night?

Photos via ESPN

The post NBA Kicks Of The Night appeared first on SLAM.

The fragmenting New York Knicks have shown a lot more fight when battling each other, than they have when facing the opposition. Kenyon Martin and Metta World Peace reportedly had to be separated before they threw hands (MWP denied the incident on Twitter.) Per ESPN: “Kenyon Martin and Metta World Peace got into a ‘heated’ verbal argument during a Knicks workout prior to Sunday’s game against the Pelicans, according to sources with knowledge of the situation. The two veteran forwards did not come to blows, but the back and forth was described as “intense” by one source with knowledge of the dust-up. World Peace and Martin smoothed things over prior to the Knicks’ 103-99 loss to the Pelicans on Sunday night, sources with knowledge of the situation said. ‘There was no pushing or shoving, certainly no punches, but it was heated,’ a source said. ‘They were jawing at each other and you’re talking about two guys who are pretty explosive, guys you wouldn’t want to mess with. It settled down, but nobody was too eager to jump in between them, let’s put it that way.’ These dust-ups, of course, are typical of the frustration that surfaces when teams are losing. The Knicks have lost nine straight games and are tied with Milwaukee for the worst record in the Eastern Conference.”

Don’t believe those stories you here. I would play with 10 Kenyon Martins and of there year. And he has two finals appearances #Knicks

— Metta World Peace (@MettaWorldPeace) December 2, 2013

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In general, Kenyon Martin seems like an angry individual. He does, however, have a beef with the way Knicks head coach Mike Woodson keeps him glued to the bench. Per the NY Post: “Sunday wasn’t easy by any stretch of the imagination not just for me but for the whole organization — to go out there and lay an egg like that on your home floor,’ Martin said after Tuesday’s practice. ‘People pay hard-earned money to come see us play. We shouldn’t put a performance like that out there.’ Woodson explained he didn’t play Martin in Sunday’s game because the score was too lopsided and wanted to stick to the platoon with Stoudemire in which they rotate games. ‘It wasn’t worth doing it,’ Woodson said. […] Woodson said Martin will play in Atlanta and (Amar’e) Stoudemire will sit. But Martin will be back on the pine Thursday when Dwight Howard, Jeremy Lin and the Rockets invade the Garden. Martin is also on a 15-to-20 minutes restriction as set by the Knicks medical staff. Martin said it was ‘difficult’ to sit during the San Antonio debacle. ‘That’s been y’all and Woody,’ Martin said edgily of the platoon and minute-restriction guidelines. ‘I’ve told you all I’m fine. Every time you ask me, I’ll give you the same answer, I’m fine — whatever the minutes is.’ Referring to Tyson Chandler’s broken leg, Martin snapped: ‘Tyson wasn’t there but I was available. Tyson couldn’t play. It was difficult for me to watch any game from the bench, not just a loss. I want to play. I’m a competitor, man. It’s all about winning. It’s all about the team. [But] I want to play.'”

The post Kenyon Martin Still Angry Over Lack of Playing Time appeared first on SLAM.

New York Knicks head coach Mike Woodson has glued Kenyon Martin to the bench during the preseason, and it’s not, um, sitting well with K-Mart. Per the NY Post: “Because his late-season severe ankle sprain healed slowly over the summer, a plan was devised to keep Martin off the court during most of preseason. But Martin vowed even if he doesn’t play a preseason game, he will be out there for the season opener Oct. 30 against the Bucks. Martin said he has yet to hear if Woodson will unleash him for the preseason finale Oct. 25 at the Garden against the Bobcats. ‘I’ll definitely [play] on the 30th,’ Martin said. ‘I’m going to push that much harder to play. I’m not questionable. I’m fine.’ Asked whether he would play the last preseason game, Martin snapped, ‘I wanted to play the first. You got to ask Woody. He’s the coach. If it was up to me, I’ll play.’ Last week, Woodson hinted Martin could play the final two preseason games, but has since backed off. ‘I’m ready now,’ Martin said on whether he would be fit for the regular-season opener. ‘And it’s nine days away. I’m fine, man. If he decides to play me in one of those last preseason games, he’ll let me know. If not, the real show starts and I’m ready. I understand: I’m not a young guy,’ added Martin, who turns 36 in December. ‘I’m not going to press the issue about playing preseason [even if] it makes no sense to me. I’m going to press the issue when it’s playing the regular season. Because I want to play. I understand the issue. We have guys fighting for jobs and in order for them to do that, I have to take a backseat.'”

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Originally published in SLAM 103

Game 1. The tip off. A new beginning. A fresh start. New faces in new places. Past is past, future’s wide open, and anything can happen. Records are reset. Every team in the League is undefeated, everyone’s a contender. This is opening night.

Well, this was opening night, actually. A year ago this month. Nuggets at Spurs. The young up-and-comers against the defending champs on the first Tuesday night in November. San Antonio got its rings before the game, then took the first step in its title defense with a 102-91 win. But look closer, beyond the score. There are more stories to tell.

There’s Kenyon Martin, looking like his old, explosive self on opening night. By the end of the season, an injury-hobbled Kenyon would miss 26 games and post the worst numbers of his career.

There’s Nick Van Exel, in what might be his final NBA season, going from star to role player and from Dallas to San Antonio, looking to close out his career with a real shot at a ring. When the season ended, he was an afterthought, and ringless still.

And then there’s Tim Duncan, the perennial MVP candidate, ready to dominate another NBA season. Only he was never really healthy, and he struggled (relatively speaking) to career lows. His season, and the Spurs’, ended in the conference semis.

But never mind that. This isn’t about endings. This is opening night. Once again.

—Ryan Jones

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The New York Knicks are bringing back free agent big man Kenyon Martin, according to multiple reports. Martin will ink a one-year deal for the veteran’s minimum of $1.4 million. Per the NY Daily News: “Kenyon Martin agrees to a deal to return to Knicks, his agent confirms.”

The post Kenyon Martin to Re-Sign With the New York Knicks appeared first on SLAM.

Jim Boeheim, who coached Carmelo Anthony for a year at Syracuse, tore into Melo’s Knicks teammates after New York was eliminated from the NBA Playoffs by the Indiana Pacers in six games. Contrary to Carmelo’s hopes and beliefs, Boheim says that Anthony has no shot at winning a championship with the way the Knicks are presently constructed. Per the Post-Standard: “Not on that team,’ Boeheim said. ‘He did what he can do. He played very well the final game. Everybody’s killing him but Tyson Chandler just didn’t try to catch the ball. He threw him the ball and Tyson Chandler went like this (Boeheim dodged in a chair in his office in the Carmelo K. Anthony Center). He was wide open. He should have been looking for the ball right here. Kenyon Martin should have been looking for the ball. They both went like this (Boeheim dodged again). Carmelo gets turnovers and the announcers aren’t smart enough to even think, ‘Well, the guy should try to catch the ball.’ […] Boeheim said the Knicks needed Anthony, Raymond Felton and J.R. Smith to play well every night to have a chance in almost any game this season. ‘Those guys weren’t great players where they were and now they’re asking them to be second and third options,’ Boeheim said. ‘In Miami the second and third options are Dwyane Wade and Chris Bosh. Your fourth option is Ray Allen, who is still in good shape. Your fifth option is Shane Battier, who is still a good player. The New York Knicks have who?’ […] ‘Tyson Chandler claims he never gets the ball. He doesn’t try to get the ball,’ said Boeheim, who coached Chandler when he was a member of the 2012 United States Olympic team. ‘He had two points and (Roy) Hibbert had (21). What was the difference in the series? Raymond Felton was 0-for-7. Lance Stephenson had (25) points. They’re going to blame it on Carmelo? I told him when he went to New York, they’re going to blame it on you.’ […] ‘They’re getting nothing but older,’ Boeheim said. ‘They’re not going to get better. They need two more options. Chris Paul would be the guy. … No one else can help them. They’re not going to beat Miami. Indiana’s not going to get worse, they’re going to get better. It doesn’t look good.'”

The post Carmelo Anthony’s College Coach Rips His New York Knicks Teammates appeared first on SLAM.

The surgically-repaired left knee belonging to Iman Shumpert kept the forward out of today’s practice. Shumpert, averaging 11.3 points and 6.7 rebounds for New York in their second round Playoff series against the Indiana Pacers, is the third Knick to miss practice in the last two days. Per the NY Daily News: “J.R. Smith and Kenyon Martin also were held out with the flu. The status of all three players for Game 4 on Tuesday is unclear although Smith and Martin are expected to play. Shumpert’s injury is a concern because he had major knee surgery last May and didn’t make his season debut until Jan. 17. The second-year small forward has also been one of the Knicks top players this postseason, especially on the defensive end. Shumpert landed awkwardly on left foot after being fouled by George Hill in the fourth quarter of the Pacers 82-71 Game 3 victory.”

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After gutting it out in Game 3, JR Smith couldn’t practice the next day. The flu bug also claimed Kenyon Martin as a victim. Per the NY Daily News: “Kenyon Martin joined J.R. Smith on the sick list as the two players missed Sunday’s practice with the flu. Both are expected to be available for Game 4 on Tuesday. ‘Kenyon didn’t make it in today and J.R. is still struggling,’ head coach Mike Woodson said. ‘Kenyon’s kind of coming down with it too, so we got to be careful this thing doesn’t spread and other guys start dropping, so we kept them back at the hotel.’ Smith, battling a 102-degree fever, scored nine points on 4-for-12 shooting in Saturday’s 82-71 Game 3 loss to Indiana. Martin was one of the few Knicks who played well, producing eight points and seven rebounds in 20 minutes. Smith had missed Saturday’s morning shootaround with the flu.”

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You know things have gotten out of control when Kenyon Martin is finishing dunks like it’s 2002 all over again.

The post Raymond Felton Throws Oop off-the-Backboard for Kenyon Martin (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

During an otherwise nightmarish (3/14 from the field) Game 5 performance after so much trash talking, JR Smith did manage to create one highlight-reel play.

The post JR Smith Throws Sick Behind-the-Back Pass (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

Somewhat incredibly, the New York Knicks listened to Kenyon Martin and actually wore “funeral colors” to last night’s pivotal Game 5. The Boston Celtics weren’t fazed by New York’s dress code or play, and convincingly forced the testy series back to Beantown. Per the Boston Globe: “Wearing black to the game to prepare for the Celtics’ ‘funeral’ didn’t work out so well for the Knicks in Game 5. Knicks guard J.R. Smith, who was one of the biggest trash talkers this week, shot 3 for 14 in the game. ‘We were going to a funeral, but looks like we got buried,’ said Smith. ‘I’m done with the black thing.'”

The post Knicks Players Dress in Black to Bury the Celtics (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

by Marcel Mutoni / @ marcel_mutoni

The Boston Celtics didn’t get the memo about their funeral supposedly taking place last night in Game 5. Instead, it was the New York Knicks who were buried, and now have their backs firmly up against the wall facing a pivotal Game 6 back in Boston.

Jason Terry, never one to shy away from a big basketball moment, says the Celtics won’t be declared dead until their casket is closed.

That day is not soon, according to Terry. Per WEEI:

The “Game 7″ theme repeated itself before, during and after Boston’s 92-86 win in Game 5 Wednesday night. As a result, Jason Terry and the Celtics have a Game 6 on Friday night at TD Garden. Terry led a blazing [11-for-22] effort from 3-point range, drilling [5-of-7] from beyond the arc as the Celtics overcame an early 11-0 hole to beat the Knicks and become the 11th team in NBA history to force a Game 6 after being down 3-0.

“We know every game for us is a Game 7,” Terry said. “We played with tremendous resiliency. The last two games we were able to make shots and play solid defense.” As for his inspired 17-point effort off the bench, Terry said he felt the same as he has all series. “I am pumped every game whether I am making or missing [shots],” he said. “It is all about being resilient. ‘Do you want to pack up your things and go home or do you want to play another day?’ Every playoff series takes a life of their own. Nobody in here is going to quit. It shows you how resilient we are. We know we are starting to jell as a team. Injuries have plagued all season long, but in this series it is all about heart. I believe in this team, the coaching staff. We have a lot of basketball left in us.”

The pressure is now squarely on the Knicks’ shoulders, as they try to avoid becoming the first NBA team in Playoff history to squander a 3-0 series lead.

Boston appears to have gained the mental edge heading into Friday night’s Game 6. The Celtics aren’t dead yet, and New York will have a tough time closing that proverbial casket.

The post Jason Terry Says Celtics Have a Lot of Basketball Left in Them appeared first on SLAM.

The trash talk between Boston and New York is reaching epic levels, as the increasingly testy series shifts to a crucial fifth game. Knicks bruiser Kenyon Martin told his teammates after yesterday’s Game 4 defeat to prepare for a Celtics funeral. Per the NY Daily News: “[JR] Smith will be back Wednesday for Game 5 at the Garden. ‘I don’t care if Patrick Ewing comes back for them,’ Terry said. ‘We’re going to treat it like a Game 7.’ Terry had a right to talk big. He made all three of his shots in overtime, including a pull-up 3-pointer off a 2-on-1 break that broke an 88-88 tie with 1:32 left and gave the Celtics the lead for good. But his talk was also the talk of the Knicks’ post-game locker room. ‘The guy was mouthing off before the game,’ Kenyon Martin said. ‘He told me, ‘You’re not dancing at my funeral today.’ […] ‘We’re ending it Wednesday,’ Martin said. He even made it a point to tell teammates what to wear when the Knicks look to win this series in five, then get ready for the winner of Indiana-Atlanta. ‘Wear black,’ he said. ‘Funeral colors.’”

The post Kenyon Martin Says Knicks Will Bury the Celtics in Game 5 appeared first on SLAM.

It’s still a wonder why Kenyon Martin sat on the free-agent market for so long this season. Why the Celtics, a team lacking a gritty big outside of the ailing KG, remains a mystery. K-Mart told the Daily News that he didn’t come close to signing a contract with Boston: “The Celtics could use a player like Martin but never made an legitimate offer. ‘I didn’t come close at all,’ Martin said. ‘They didn’t offer me anything, so it wasn’t close. I didn’t talk to them per se; my agent did. It didn’t happen, so it doesn’t matter at this point.'”

The post Kenyon Martin Never Got Close To Deal With Celtics appeared first on SLAM.

Kenyon Martin tried to hold back the smile. He desperately wanted to keep an all-business face and answer the question in the automated, robotic manner that so many of his peers have become so adept at doing. Menacing power forwards, after all, are not supposed to have vulnerabilities. Or at the least they’re not supposed to let them be known.

Genuine emotions, though, such as pure elation and a feeling of validation, can really never truly stay hidden. So there was the 35-year-old Martin, sitting in front of reporters at a podium below the press room of Madison Square Garden, with a smirk stretching across his face before literally, and most likely metaphorically, licking his lips. And that was before the question had even finished being asked.

“It was never about basketball,” Martin said in reference to why he thought he was forced to spend the first four-and-a-half months of the season at home, and whether he thought the teams that passed on him, including the one he just helped defeat, regretted doing so. “So they might be kicking themselves now, but I’m a Knick and I’m going to make the best of the situation.”

That Kenyon Martin would be making such a statement after helping an NBA team win a second straight game in a Playoff series, which the Knicks did Tuesday night with their 87-71 win over the Celtics, is something that, as recent as two months ago, no one, including members of the Martin household, would have ever predicted. Neither is the fact that the Knicks are now heading back to Boston with a 2-0 lead despite getting a grand total of 22 minutes, 3 points and 9 rebounds from their All-Star center Tyson Chandler through the series’ first two games.

There’s no arguing who the Knicks’ best and most important player is. No denying that Carmelo Anthony’s ability to make even the most stalwart of defenders look helpless, which he did once again Tuesday night to the tune of a game-high 34 points, is the reason the Knicks can even dream about giving the Garden its first Championship banner in 40 years. But what separates this Knicks team from last year’s, and this ‘Melo-led team from those in the past, are the men that the League’s greatest scorer now finds himself surrounded by.

“He has been great,” Doc Rivers said when asked about Martin’s impact on Game 2. “He has been really good with his hands and switching with guards. Every time [the Knicks] bring a guy in he gets older and older and better and better. He is smart and playing great.”

There was a point Tuesday night where it looked the Knicks were on the verge of losing the home court advantage they had worked all season to earn, of heading back to what is sure to be an emotional and electric TD Bank Garden in need of a win to salvage what had once looked like a promising season. At halftime, New York trailed 48-42, and had it not been for a single six-minute stretch of an on-fire JR Smith, the deficit could have been worse.

But in the third quarter everything changed.

The Knicks walled off the paint, swaddled up Paul Pierce and allowed just 22 second half points, forcing the Celtics to miss on 31 of 36 shots, the lowest percentage made in the second half of a postseason game in 15 years. And while the specific tactical adjustments were decided by Knicks coach Mike Woodson, it was the presence of Martin that allowed Woodson’s coaching to flourish.

“The way K-Mart responded to [Woodson’s adjustments] and got all of us into it with his blocks,” said JR Smith, “we were able to get out and run and play our type of basketball.”

There were 4 blocks in total, each one impressive and emphatic, along with 11 rebounds. Only 3 points on the other end of the floor, but more than enough firm screens, smart passes and perfect positioning to make up for it.

And certainly enough of an impact to warrant the decision to add him to the roster in the twilight of the season. Suddenly, no one misses Rasheed Wallace. Suddenly, Carmelo Anthony isn’t hearing the same type of cereal-related trash talk that he may or may not have heard from Kevin Garnett earlier in the season. And suddenly, the Garden crowd has a new man to represent its love of blue-collar basketball, and a new name to chant.

“It’s a great feeling man, just them appreciating what you do,” Martin said. “They appreciate how hard I play each and every night. The first game I suited up they chanted my name—I didn’t even get in. It’s greatly appreciated.”

A simple emotion, but for a man who spent the past year being rejected and hearing that he was no longer welcomed in his former home, there may not be one he’d rather feel.

The post Guess Who’s Back? appeared first on SLAM.

Turning the clock back to his Rim Wrecker days, Kenyon Martin pounded a two-handed jam all over Birdman’s grill, as the New York Knicks cruised to a 102-90 win in Miami.

The post Kenyon Martin Dunks on Chris ‘Birdman’ Andersen (VIDEO) appeared first on SLAM.

by Marcel Mutoni / @ marcel_mutoni

After his New York Knicks got whooped to the tune of 93-80 on Sunday, Kenyon Martin tee’d off on his old team.

Martin, clearly still bitter about the way things ended for him in L.A. last season, told the media that the Clippers’ high-flying style isn’t conducive to Playoff success.

Per the NY Times:

Martin showed his frustration midway through the fourth quarter. He swung at Ryan Hollins and fouled him hard on the arm. After the whistle, Hollins slowly walked away in pain from an angry Martin. After a video review, the referees upgraded Martin’s foul to a flagrant one. When asked if he thought he deserved a flagrant foul, Martin responded: “I don’t get involved with that, man. I’ve been around the league way too long. You know I ain’t going to comment on that.” Then came the next question: Is there any bad blood between you and the Clippers? “Next question, man,” Martin answered with a stern look.

The Clippers had eight dunks against the Knicks. Martin does not see that style of play translating well in the postseason. He remembers how the Clippers were swept by the San Antonio Spurs in the second round last year. “You can’t do it in the playoffs, so it don’t matter,” he said. “In the regular season it’s all up and down, man. We know the way the game goes in the regular season.” When asked how the Clippers would do in the playoffs, Martin gave a short answer that shouldn’t surprise many people. “I don’t care what they do,” he said, smiling. “I hope they lose every game. I don’t care.”

Bad Ass Yellow Boy!

With the Playoff picture in the Eastern Conference getting murkier by the day, Kenyon Martin and the New York Knicks should have much greater concerns on their minds than the Clippers’ postseason chances.

The post Kenyon Martin Says the LA Clippers Aren’t Built for the Playoffs appeared first on SLAM.

In case you were wondering what that Ronnie Brewer trade was all about, this explains it: the Knicks were clearing a roster spot to sign Kenyon Martin to a 10-day contract. Chances are, if he plays well or is a positive locker room influence, the power forward will stay with New York for the remainder of the season. Via @SpearsNBAYahoo:

Knicks have agreed to sign veteran forward Kenyon Martin to a 10-day contract, a source told Yahoo! Sports.

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) February 21, 2013

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Due to Rasheed Wallace’s lingering left foot injury, Kenyon Martin could end up on Broadway. The New York Knicks are reportedly showing interest in 35-year old free agent forward Kenyon Martin. Per Yahoo! Sports: “The Knicks have done some additional fact-finding on Martin in recent days, sources said. Martin has been open-minded about the possibility of accepting a 10-day contract to get the opportunity to prove his value to the Knicks, sources said. Wallace has missed 12 straight games with what the Knicks call a ‘stress reaction’ in his left foot. The uncertainty surrounding Wallace’s return has made the Knicks circle back on the possibility of signing Martin, sources said. Wallace’s status is the ‘critical piece’ to the Knicks signing Martin, one league official said.”

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K-Mart has turned down solid offers to play overseas from Israel Maccabi and just recently, Greece Panthianakos, presumably still hoping that a few NBA teams are still willing to kick his tires this season. According to Yahoo! Sports:

NBA free agent forward Kenyon Martin turns down offer from Greece Panthianakos in hope of finding an NBA one, source tells Yahoo!

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) November 10, 2012

Conversations continue with NBA teams for forward Kenyon Martin, but nothing is imminent, source tells Y! Sports.

— Marc J. Spears (@SpearsNBAYahoo) November 10, 2012

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No NBA team has signed Kenyon Martin so far, and that makes him very upset. Martin says he’s gotten a bad rap, and that he’d play for literally any team in the League at this point. From Yahoo! Sports: “There is a notion about me that is not accurate at all – I don’t know who started it or where it came from – that people can’t control me,’ Martin said. ‘I don’t understand. Have I had my issues like a lot of other people? Yeah. But I’m getting back that people think they can’t control me, that if I don’t play I’m going to explode, or I can turn a locker room. In 12 years there was not one day where I told one guy to dislike anybody. If you ask guys who I’ve played with that know me, they know what it is and know I’m about winning basketball games and competing.’ Martin came off the bench to average 5.2 points, 4.3 rebounds and 22.2 minutes in 42 games with the Clippers while backing up Blake Griffin last season. The Clippers didn’t attempt to re-sign Martin in the offseason. The New York Knicks, Los Angeles Lakers, Dallas Mavericks, Brooklyn Nets, Atlanta Hawks and San Antonio Spurs expressed interest at the start of free agency, sources said, but no NBA team has offered a contract – even a non-guaranteed deal – to Martin. Martin, 34, had hoped to sign with a title contender. Now, he’ll be open to joining any NBA team. ‘If someone calls me tomorrow, I don’t care who it is, whether it’s losing or winning at this point,’ Martin said. ‘If someone calls me tomorrow and wants me to come in, I’m going. Guys are going down and [teams] are like, ‘Well, we are going to stick with what we got.’ I’m like, ‘Really?’ I started questioning myself, ‘Am I that bad of a guy?’ Martin wonders if his reputation as an emotional player who has been known to speak his mind is being held against him. ‘Am I emotional? Yeah, but that’s what made me who I am,’ Martin said. ‘Is that too much or did I not do enough? Do I have my flaws? Yes. But have I done things the right way on and off the court? Yeah.'”

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Free agent power forward Kenyon Martin, who now has 12 years of NBA experience under his belt, is considering signing with either the Los Angeles Lakers or Brooklyn Nets. The 34 year-old Martin averaged 5 points and 4.3 rebounds per game for the Los Angeles Clippers last season. SI.com has the details: “The veteran was a key reserve for the Clippers, his impact going way beyond his marginal numbers for a team that reached the second round of the playoffs for the second time in franchise history. But sources said the 34-year-old power forward is holding up this later stage of the hiring process for frontcourt free agents, with the Lakers and the Nets among the teams he’s considering and negotiation leverage seemingly gone because so many of his colleagues seem willing to take minimum deals. Golden State was interested in Martin before last week signing power forward Carl Landry to a two-year, $8 million deal that, by comparison, looks lucrative.”

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A woman who has a history of stalking NBA players — she reportedly used to stalk former Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin, for instance — stumbled onto the court during Game 3 of the Lakers/Nuggets series last night. Arena security escorted her out of the gym, and she was booked. Reports the Denver Post: “Sonny Jackson, a spokesman for Denver Police Department said the woman, Savannah McMillan-Christmas, 20, was arrested and cited for trespassing. She is not being detained, but will appear in court on Monday, Jackson said. She walked onto the court toward Ty Lawson just over the mid-court line near the end of the first half. She was immediately escorted out of the arena. Kurt Schwartzkopf, chief marketing officer at the Pepsi Center said the woman did not appear intoxicated, but was disoriented. He said the woman was picked up and taken home by her mother. Jackson said it was off-duty Denver officers at the game who cited McMillan-Christmas and escorted her out.”

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Vinny Del Negro admitted that he was thisclose to throwing in the towel last night, and Chris Paul confirmed that he had to beg his coach to let him back in the game. Thankfully for the Clippers, CP3 and the gang were given a chance to make the comeback of a litetime, and they took full advantage. From the LA Times: “In a game that defied all logic, the Clippers amazingly defeated the Grizzlies, 99-98, Sunday night at the FedEx Forum in one of the greatest comebacks in NBA postseason history. That was the biggest playoff comeback in the last 10 years, according to Clippers’ officials. ‘Man, they want to talk all that [stuff],’ Chris Paul said to his brother, C.J. Paul, on the court after the game. ‘Now what!’ ‘That’s going to hurt,’ a dejected Memphis fan said. The Clippers were down 27 with 2:38 left in the third, down 24 with 9:13 left, down 18 with 7:21 left and down 12 with 5:08 left. And yet these Clippers who are so new to the playoffs, these Clippers who had Paul playing with a mild left groin strain, these Clippers who lost Caron Butler in the third quarter to a fractured left hand, pulled out a victory to take a 1-0 lead in the best-of-seven series and to take away the home-court advantage from Memphis. ‘We put a mask on and robbed that one,’ said Blake Griffin, who had eight of his 17 points in the fourth quarter. The Clippers outscored Memphis 35-13 in the fourth quarter. They ended the game on a 28-3 run. The Clippers shot 76.5% in the fourth, 83.3% (five for six) on three-pointers. They held Memphis to 26.3% shooting (five for 19) in the final 12 minutes. ‘I don’t remember what happened right now,’ said Paul, who had 14 points and 11 assists. ‘It’s all a blur. It’s too intense. Man, what a win for us. A big win for us. We came to get one. Now it’s time to get greedy.’ Nick Young (19 points) and Reggie Evans (seven points, 13 rebounds) played big roles for the Clippers.”

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Last night, five games, a few players and a literal must-win contest brought us a solid evening of NBA hoops. From Utah securing the West’s final playoff spot to the dunkfest between Lob City and Atlanta, roll through the gallery above for Tuesday’s 10 best plays.

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Last night‘s schedule featured only five games, but between the Miami–Chicago overtime thriller, vintage Tim Duncan and the excess of dunks from Lob City, we were able to muster up a few nice highlights. Roll through the gallery above for Thursday’s 15 best plays.

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In the NBA, quick turnarounds aren’t rare, and they usually start through the Draft. From 2007 through 2009, the Thunder had three consecutive top-five picks in the Draft. Those picks netted them Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and James Harden. Not to mention Serge Ibaka, who they nabbed toward the end of the first round in ’08 with a pick acquired via trade.

In the three seasons between 2006 and 2009, the Sonics/Thunder won a combined 74 games. In the ‘09-10 season, the team leaped all the way to 50 wins, and followed it up with 55 the next season. They have the Draft to thank.

So it’s no surprise that picks are so highly coveted when it comes to trades. If a team is moving a star in order to rebuild, naturally it will want the type of young talent and favorable contracts that can only come via Draft picks. Teams typically know they won’t be getting face value for their big-name player, but picks are thought to at least bring in nice building blocks.

Of course there are loads of talent to be found in the Draft, but historically teams have had trouble cashing in with first-round picks acquired via big-time trades. Don’t believe me? We’ve compiled 10 of the biggest trades—which included a star player and at least one first-round pick—over the past eight years to back us up. The level of mediocrity—or sometimes utter uselessness—that these picks have turned into is just amazing.

A few notes before we begin. First, of course, most of the guys drafted are at the very least mediocre role players. They’re not all horrible busts, but, considering the talent that they were traded for, no teams ended up receiving equal value (not yet, anyway). Second, extraneous players involved in trades have been ignored for this article’s purposes. Third, the recent Chris Paul and Carmelo Anthony trades aren’t included on the list because the picks haven’t been used yet.

Let’s begin with the most recent deal and work backward.

Trade 1—Year: 2011
Nets Receive: Deron Williams
Jazz Receive: Two first-round picks, Derrick Favors, Devin Harris and cash

Like a few of the deals on this list, this trade wasn’t only about the picks. Utah picked up Derrick Favors, a very promising young player, as well as Harris, a capable guard.

So far, Utah has used one of the picks they got from the Nets. That was the third overall pick in this year’s Draft—Enes Kanter. Obviously Kanter (19) has a long time to prove himself, but he’s failed to really make an impact this year, averaging about 5 points and 5 boards a game. Clearly it’s way too early to make a decision about his career, though, so the jury is most definitely still out on him. The proof for this theory gets more convincing as we go further back, I promise. Moving on.

Trade 2—Year: 2009
Rockets Receive: Ron Artest
Kings Receive: One first-round pick, Donte Greene (more on him later) and Bobby Jackson

Keep in mind that the Kings were sending away the real Ron Artest here (not his Metta World Peace look-a-like), who averaged over 20 points and 2 steals per game in his final season in Sacto. Add in 1.5 threes, 6 boards and 3.5 assists, and he was totally an All-Star-caliber player.

What Sacramento got in return was hardly face value. Jackson was included to make the money work, and Greene has been a mediocre bench guy for the past few years. The pick the Kings received turned into Omri Casspi. In two seasons with the team, Casspi averaged a shade under 10 ppg to go along with 4 boards and a three. Not terrible, but, like most of these guys, not a game-changer either.

Trade 3—Year: 2008
Mavericks Receive: Jason Kidd, Malik Allen and Antoine Wright
Nets Receive: Two first-round picks, Devin Harris, Gana Diop, Trenton Hassell, Maurice Ager, Keith Van Horn

We can ignore six of the names here and call this the Kidd trade. Of course, for the Nets, it was about bringing in Harris—the same guy they shipped away in Trade 1—and the two picks.

Those two picks were used to take Ryan Anderson in 2008 and Jordan Crawford—swapped for Damion James on Draft day—in 2010. Anderson has caught fire this year playing alongside Dwight Howard in Orlando, but he wasn’t nearly this good for the Nets. In his lone season with New Jersey, he played less than 20 minutes a game and shot under 40 percent from the floor. He was sent to Orlando along with Vince Carter for Courtney Lee after his rookie season.

As for James, he’s been a decent contributor when healthy, but has battled serious foot injuries throughout his young career. He’s out of the remainder of this season, and as the New Jersey recently declined his option for next year, his Nets career will likely end having played in only 32 games in two seasons. Those two for Kidd—who was averaging two boards short of a triple-double when traded—probably isn’t what the Nets had in mind when they made the deal.

Trade 4—Year: 2008
Lakers Receive: Pau Gasol, second-round pick
Grizzlies Receive: Two first-round picks, Kwame Brown, Javaris Crittenton, Aaron McKie and Marc Gasol

When this trade happened, it was immediately viewed as possibly one of the worst and most unfair in NBA history. The lack of talent that the two picks went onto produce hasn’t changed any minds (though Marc’s success in Memphis probably has).

In 2008, the Grizzlies used the first of L.A.’s two picks to take the aforementioned Donte Greene. He was then flipped in a three-way deal that landed Memphis forward Darrell Arthur. In 2010, they took Greivis Vasquez with the other pick obtained from the Lakers. After a pretty quiet rookie season coming off the bench, Vasquez was moved to New Orleans for Quincy Pondexter. Arthur, when healthy, is an efficient rebounder and Pondexter is a decent guy to have around, but they’re not first-round talents.

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Last night, amidst the madness of the NCAA Tournament, six games and countless players brought us a solid night of NBA hoops. From Al Jefferson‘s game-winner to Indiana‘s ferocious comeback to the plethora of highlights between Lob City and New Orleans, roll through the gallery above for Thursday’s 15 best plays.

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In his defense of friend and former teammate Carmelo Anthony, Kenyon Martin ripped his old coach George Karl in hilarious fashion. From SI: “… after Martin left his Chinese Basketball Association team (Xinjiang) in late December and returned to the United States, he began to notice the anti-Anthony message coming out of Denver. Nuggets coach George Karl had routinely discussed his team’s new style and how the absence of Anthony made his job easier. The Melo-drama, as it was dubbed, clearly bothered Karl before Anthony was traded to the Knicks last February. Martin, however, said Karl’s comments went too far. ‘Man, listen, George needs to keep his mouth shut, first and foremost,’ Martin said. ‘Melo don’t play there no more. So Karl shouldn’t be commenting on Melo. If George was such a great coach, then Melo would want to stay. He wouldn’t want to leave. If the organization was ran right, he wouldn’t want to leave, so it ain’t Melo. With Melo, not one time when he was there did he bring that in the locker room when all that stuff was going on. Not one day. Everybody made it a bigger deal than it had to be. That’s a good kid. They act like this kid was a cancer, like he came in there and destroyed the locker room and made everybody hate him. No, it wasn’t nothing like that man. And it bothers me for people to be talking about how he’s a selfish player and he has to defend himself.’ The Nuggets, who got off to a 15-7 start but have lost seven of their last nine games, cut ties with a number of core players from their recent teams. ‘They’ve got the team they wanted now,’ Martin said. ‘They got all us out of there. They didn’t offer me an extension, they traded [Anthony], J.R. [Smith] is gone [to New York]. They’ve got the team they want. So why doesn’t [Karl] worry about coaching them and leaving Melo alone — bottom line? It bothers me for them to keep harping at that.’ Martin, whose Clippers fell to 19-10 on Saturday with an overtime loss to San Antonio, will be rooting for the Knicks as some sort of strange revenge. ‘I just hope [Anthony] comes in and they play well,’ he said. ‘Because if not, then it’s going to be a whole other can of worms.'”

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Last night’s schedule featured only three games, but between Rajon Rondo‘s supreme court vision, Kris Humphries‘ hustle and Lob City‘s comeback, we were able to muster up a few nice highlights. Peep the gallery above for Thursday’s 10 best plays.

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The Los Angeles Clippers’ newest addition, Kenyon Martin, says he wants to provide young Blake Griffin and frontcourt teammate DeAndrew Jordan with some much-needed guidance. (Whatever you say, K-Mart.) From the LA Times: “The smile on Kenyon Martin’s face said a lot. Martin had just joined the Clippers for practice Sunday in Orlando — he didn’t take part in the session, however — two days after he signed a contract to play for team. Both Martin and Coach Vinny Del Negro said there is no timetable for him to play in a game, but Martin said he’d like to be in uniform playing before the team finishes a six-game, 10-day trip that continues Monday night against the Orlando Magic. The Clippers won Martin’s services over the Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks. ‘The Clippers were a good makeup of a team before I got here,’ Martin said. ‘They were old and young. I’m about winning. I’m about winning basketball games. And I felt the best chance to help was here.’ Martin felt as if he could provide Blake Griffin and DeAndre Jordan with a veteran’s knowledge of how to be a successful big man. Martin averaged 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds with the Denver Nuggets last season in 48 games, but he averaged 13.5 points and 7.2 rebounds over his 11-year NBA career in New Jersey and Denver. ‘With my knowledge of the game, I know I can help Blake,” Martin said. ‘I’ve been where Blake is — a whole lot of athleticism and not really knowing how to play. He’s getting it, but I think me being here, being around and talking to him and DeAndre, I think it’s going to help a lot.'”

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After the summer lockout and a handful of players heading to China for a job, it looks like the first of the pros to play in the Chinese league is headed back to the NBA. Mike James of The Los Angeles Times is reporting that ex-Nuggets power forward Kenyon Martin has agreed to terms on a contract with the L.A. Clippers, bolstering a frontcourt that’s been starving for depth since the season’s start: “The Clippers and free-agent forward Kenyon Martin have agreed on a mini-midlevel deal that will be finalized as soon as Martin passes a physical, according to an NBA individual familiar with the negotiations. Martin, who played for the Xinjiang Tigers in China and had been required to wait until their season was over before rejoining the NBA, was cleared to return to the NBA by FIBA, the international basketball federation, Thursday…Martin has a home in Los Angeles and is a friend of Clippers guard Chauncey Billups, a teammate with the Nuggets. Other teams that had been interested in Martin were the Lakers, Miami Heat, San Antonio Spurs, New York Knicks and Atlanta Hawks.”

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Kenyon Martin’s basketball liberation from China and his return to the NBA was expected to happen within a week or so, but according to Yahoo! Sports, things are a little more complicated than that: “China has forwarded an affidavit to FIBA and the NBA – signed by Martin upon his departure in late December – that stipulates he wouldn’t play in the NBA until his Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers’ season had ended. China is demanding the contract be honored and Martin have to wait until the Flying Tigers finish their season. The Flying Tigers have six games left and need a winning streak to catapult them into the playoffs. Their final regular-season game is Feb. 16. Chinese Basketball Association officials are insisting the clearance letter request was deliberately sent to their office over the New Year when they wouldn’t be available to respond. After seven days without a response, FIBA’s guidelines allow it to issue the letter of clearance that all international leagues – including the NBA – need to validate that a player has fulfilled contractual obligations elsewhere. In truth, Martin is expected to work out for a week with any NBA team he joins before becoming activated. So even if the NBA reverses its ruling, Martin could likely still be back on the floor in two weeks. China carries significant importance for the NBA commissioner David Stern, who has worked relentlessly to cultivate a business partnership with his league and the world’s largest country. What’s more, there’s been a strong belief within the global basketball community that the NBA discouraged China from signing its players under contract during the lockout. Several teams were close to negotiating deals with such stars as Kobe Bryant, Blake Griffin and Tony Parker before the CBA declared its teams would only sign free agents. Other American players in China and their agents are irate over Martin’s early clearance to return to the NBA. J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler were pleading cases on Thursday about getting themselves out of China and back to the NBA sooner than later. ‘Right now, it’s a huge distraction for teams,’ one international official said. ‘Players are angry, want out now, and this is a huge investment that’s blowing up in the face of [Chinese] teams and owners.'”

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Agents for both K-Mart and Ghostface Przybilla told ESPN that the Miami Heat have expressed formal interest in their clients: “The Miami Heat, interested in any and all veteran big men who become available on the market, are in the race for two such players that could make their decisions by the end of the week … Przybilla is expected to make a choice between the Chicago Bulls and Heat, according to agent Bill Duffy. Martin is interested in several teams, with the Heat in the mix, according to agent Andy Miller. The Sporting News reported Wednesday that Przybilla is planning to make a choice by the end of the week. Heat president Pat Riley has been recruiting both players as the Heat look to add depth to their frontcourt. According to multiple league executives, the belief is that the 7-foot-1 Przybilla is healthy and believes he can contribute to a contender in a limited role off the bench. Przybilla played in 36 games for the Portland Trail Blazers and Charlotte Bobcats last season, averaging 1.8 points and 4.0 rebounds.”

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Per ZagsBlog, the free agent big man will come to a decision at some point this week, as he reportedly considers offers from five NBA teams: “As the struggling Knicks await the returns of Carmelo Anthony and Baron Davis from injury, they remain alive in the Kenyon Martin Sweepstakes. Andy Miller, Martin’s agent, reiterated by text Monday that Martin will make his decision ‘by week’s end.’ The former Net and Denver Nugget is considering the Knicks, Miami Heat, Los Angeles Clippers, San Antonio Spurs and Atlanta Hawks. Martin, who helped the Nets reach two NBA Finals, cannot join an NBA team until his former Chinese team, the Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers, finishes their season Feb. 16.”

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Once the Chinese Basketball Association season’s ends, free agent Kenyon Martin will be free to sign with whichever NBA team he chooses. According to the LA Times, Chauncey Billups is hoping it’s the Clippers: “Kenyon Martin to the Clippers? Chauncey Billups would like to see that happen. In fact, the Clippers’ veteran guard said Saturday that he has reached out to the free-agent forward, a former teammate of his in Denver, about signing with the Clippers. What are Martin’s thoughts about doing so? ‘I’ll let him tell y’all that,’ Billups said with a smile. Asked about reports that the Clippers are one of a handful of teams that have contacted Martin, Coach Vinny Del Negro declined to go into specifics. ‘Kenyon is an experienced guy that knows how to play, can play some [power forward], play some [center],’ Del Negro said. ‘He brings a lot of athleticism …’ Del Negro neither confirmed nor denied that he has reached out to Martin.”

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After struggling to contribute, soon-to-be 34-year old Kenyon Martin has been freed from his contract in China, and will become an unrestricted NBA free agent. Well, eventually: “Kenyon Martin has severed ties with the Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers of the Chinese Basketball Association, but will be unable to secure a FIBA letter of clearance to return to the NBA until the team’s season ends sometime in February or March, sources told Yahoo! Sports. The regular season runs through mid-February for Xinjiang, but the Flying Tigers expect to qualify for the playoffs, which could last well into March … Martin’s departure will assuredly set a precedent for some of the other American players – J.R. Smith and Wilson Chandler – pushing to leave China for the chance to rejoin the NBA. Aaron Brooks is content to finish out his season with Guandong and likely re-sign with the Phoenix Suns in March. Brooks is a restricted free agent. Chinese Basketball Association rules and player contracts had stipulated that NBA free agents could sign to play in China, but wouldn’t be granted the necessary FIBA letter of clearance needed to return to the NBA until the China season had been completed.”

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Like JR Smith, Wilson Chandler and Aaron Brooks, Kenyon Martin is stuck playing in China until March, or until his squad—the Xinjiang Flying Tigers—releases him. While the latter has been considered unlikely, ESPN is reporting that K-Mart may indeed be headed back to the NBA pretty soon: “The Xinjiang Flying Tigers in China are giving strong consideration to releasing star forward Kenyon Martin, according to sources close to the situation. If Xinjiang goes through with the move, it would be the test case for established NBA players who signed in China during the lockout to possibly return to the NBA sooner than expected. Sources told ESPN.com that only the threat of serious sanctions from Chinese league officials for releasing a player of Martin’s stature in-season, including the potential forfeiture of games, has stopped Xinjiang from making the move already. Based on new rules instituted for this season in China, teams there were told that they could only sign NBA free agents and could not grant out clauses to those players to come back to the States in the event of the lockout ending. For the high-profile American signees — Martin, Wilson Chandler, J.R. Smith and Aaron Brooks — that meant they were committing to staying through the end of the Chinese Basketball Association season in March before having the freedom to sign a new NBA deal.”

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by Michael Bradley

Basketball fans have always loved great shot-blockers. They exude primal energy that serves as a menacing last line of defense. They practically invite shooters to their turf. Come closer. Try me. Learn the hard way, stupid.

“It’s an attitude,” Cincinnati center Kenyon Martin says. “If somebody disrespects me by coming into the lane, I have to make them pay, I hold a grudge during games.

“If you block so many shots or alter many shots, they try to find alternative routes to score. But I’m going to be there. I want to be in position to make plays. If somebody scores on me, I take offense to it.”

That’s the shot-blocker’s mentality. How dare anybody try to shoot from close range? Don’t they know? Haven’t they seen the tapes? I’m big. I’m bad. Put it up, and it’s coming back in your face. And don’t bring that garbage in here again.

It was somewhat tragicomical to watch helpless opponents try to solve Martin and the Cincinnati defense this past season. A guard would penetrate, all happy with himself for shaking his defender. Then came the realization. “What am I going to do now?” It was one thing to get past the foul line, quite another to finish the job. There, looming large at 6-8, 235 pounds of coiled muscle, was Martin. Suddenly, the basket looked barely big enough to accommodate a pea, much less the pumpkin. The result was that all season long, opponents took the type of awkward shots that one might see in a pick-up game between accountants—fallaway heaves that barely grazed the backboard, much less threatened the rim. Shots into Martin’s armpit. High-arcing moonballs that cleared the Bearcat’s fingertips but fell hopelessly short of the hoop. It was enough to make you check if those guys were wearing high, black dress socks and $15 sneakers from Payless.

Take those poor slobs from Memphis. Had their stuff packed 10 times by Martin back in January. Lost to Cincy by 20. You do the math. Ten times two equals a big loss. “They just kept coming, so I guess they didn’t learn,” Martin said afterward. There were others. Misguided souls who mistook stupidity for courage. It’s one thing to challenge a force like Martin once. It’s another to keep going back for more. All that old crap about challenging a shot-blocker sounds great when it’s coming from some TV analyst. It isn’t such a good idea when the leather starts coming back at shooters’ faces, rejected for insufficient manhood. “Memphis kept bringing it in there,” Cincinnati coach Bob Huggins says. “Most people don’t.”

Yes, we love our shot-blockers. And if that were all Kenyon Martin could do, he would still be a big-time force. His strength, timing and ridiculously quick leaping ability—”I can jump two times, when somebody else can just jump once,” he says—would allow him to dominate games whether he touched the ball or not. The Defensive Player of the Year honors would pour in. Even the NBA would take a look, because we know the League loves big guys.

That’s why it’s so impressive to watch Martin play at the other end. Once barely able to convert a five-foot jumper, Martin has developed into a legitimate offensive option. He can hit the 15-footer. He has some low-post moves. He runs and finishes. We’re not talking Karl Malone or anything, but Martin has rounded his game to the point where NBA scouts and GMs now talk about him as a complete power forward, not merely a defensive specialist. He isn’t a project; he’s a future star. “He’s got a combination of strength and explosive leaping ability,” San Antonio assistant GM R.C. Buford says. “That’s a helluva combination.”

You want an advertisement for hanging around college for the duration? You want to see what happens to guys who work hard and actually listen to their coaches without copping an attitude about changing “their game?” Check out Kenyon Martin. Two years ago, he might have been a second-round pick. Might. Now, “He’s the number-one pick in the draft,” Nets’ general manager John Nash says. “He’s the most physically dominant player in the game today. He’s a special talent.”

Back when Martin arrived on Cincinnati’s campus, he was perfect for the decathlon, not so perfect for the basketball court. Run and jump. Jump and run. Martin dunked with authority. He could swat down shooters the way a bouncer tossed out the undesirables. Man, was he something to see. Huggins was moved to call Martin “the most athletic big man we have ever recruited.” This from a guy who gives out compliments as though they were kidneys. Run and jump. But shoot? Well, that was another story. “He was dreadful,” Huggins sniffs, the sound of Martin’s paint-chipping mortars still ringing in his brain.

Hey, Martin knew that. He had made his mark at Dallas’ Bryan Adams HS as an energy guy, willing to play harder and tougher than anybody else. He was 6-8 but only 215 pounds then, not the rocksolid force we know today. That didn’t matter to him. Martin considered himself an enforcer, and he acted that way. “I tried to be a physical player in high school. I wasn’t bigger than everyone else, but I did play harder,” Martin says. “I couldn’t settle for just going through the motions.”

He arrived at Cincinnati still short of the SAT score required for eligibility. So, he went to work. “I was determined to pass the test,” he says. “I put the time in. If you do that, you can do anything.”

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Due to the NBA lockout, Kenyon Martin can’t pursue the title he truly wants at the moment, so he’s settling for the next best thing. Reports China Daily: “Shrugging off money as a motivation, the former Denver Nuggets forward said he joined the Chinese Basketball Association (CBA) for a simple reason – to play and win. ‘I know they (CBA club Xinjiang Flying Tigers) have won three league runner-ups. They need a championship. And I am coming for that,’ Martin said on Oct 6 after landing at the Uramqi airport, near where the team’s court is located. Martin signed a one-season, $2.7 million contract, the league’ most lucrative deal, with the Flying Tigers last month. The 2000 NBA draft’s first pick said he’s coming for the game, not the money. ‘I’m a grown man. Nobody is forcing me. It ain’t about the money. The money is great, but I don’t need it,’ Martin told Yahoo.com. ‘The deciding factor was the basketball. I will be 34 in December. Everybody knows I’m not getting any younger. I start getting that itch about this time of the year, and I want to play.’ Without an opt-out clause in the contract, Martin won’t able to return to the NBA until the Flying Tigers’ season ends, possibly in May after the playoffs, even if the postponed NBA season begins.”

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Another member of the Nuggets is signing in China, where — sorry, Denver fans — he won’t have an NBA opt-out clause. Via the Denver Post: “Longtime Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin will sign a contract to play with Xingiang Guanghui in the Chinese Basketball Association. Martin’s contract will be the the biggest in CBA history. ‘It’s a great opportunity for him to stay in shape and stay fresh,’ said Andy Miller, Martin’s agent. ‘And it also gives him an opportunity to expand his name globally.’ It’s an exciting career opportunity for Martin, an unrestricted free agent, who won’t have an out-clause in his contract. The CBA ends on Feb. 16, but Martin’s team is talented and could make a playoff run toward the end of March. Wilson Chandler and J.R. Smith, Martin’s Denver teammates, are also playing in China this year.”

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Vegas’ Impact League continues to remind us what we might be missing come October 9th. Highlight’s from Day 6 included Chauncey draining pull-up threes, John Wall showing off his handle, and JJ Hickson letting JaVale McGee know what it feels like to be “the other guy” in a poster.

(H/T: BallisLife)

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The post Xinjiang Flying Tigers Target Kenyon Martin appeared first on SLAM.

When the NBA lockout ends—whenever that’ll be—Denver Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin will become an unrestricted free agent. A former No. 1 overall draft pick, Martin’s up-and-down career has been highlighted by several injuries, so it wasn’t a shock the Nuggets declined to give him a contract extension this past season. With his future in Denver in limbo, Martin has gone ahead and posted his house for sale. But because Martin’s pad is under contract, REMAX’s Nick Evancich, the agent handling the listing, has declined to reveal the sale price.

Above are several pictures of Martin’s crib, along with a video-tour of the house. CelebrityDetective.com, which originally shared the photos, claims K-Mart wanted to make $3.2 million on the transaction, while the YouTube video of the property lists $2.6 million in the description and $2.4 million in the actual title. So, yeah, no one knows how much the asking price is. What we do know: Kenyon Martin will be a free agent when the league resumes, and if this is any indication, he may be on his way out of Denver.

(Photos and video courtesy of Denver WestWord)

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by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

You’d be salty too if someone dropped 41 seemingly effortless points on you, on national television, in Game 1 of a Playoff series.

Kenyon Martin was just that — mad at the way his team defended (or tried to, anyway) the NBA’s leading scorer during their series-opening loss.

Martin doesn’t like George Karl’s defensive scheme against Kevin Durant, and is pleading for immediate changes. Namely, he’d like to see more double-teams thrown at Durant, forcing his teammates to make shots.

The Denver Post has the quotes:

“When there’s a will there’s a way – you figure it out, there’s no excuse in this league,” said Martin, the power forward who guards Durant from time to time. “Make him (pass it to) some one else. If you have him and Westbrook on the court the same time, make Thabo Sefolosha and Serge Ibaka make plays. Run somebody at these guys. I don’t agree with (one-on-one) – we don’t let Kobe play one-on-one when we play him, no matter where he is on the court, so why would you let Kevin Durant play one-on-one.”

“He shot right over Ray (Felton) like there was nobody guarding him,” Martin elaborated on Monday. “It doesn’t matter who you are, even if you’re the toughest defender in the world, (if you’re 6-1), he’s going to shoot right over him. You got to try something different, run somebody at him. Pick-and-roll? Jump on him. For three games, he’s been having his way with us – and I’m not comfortable with it.”

The Nuggets have done a lot of talking before and during this series with the OKC Thunder, and now it seems that the chirping is being directed internally. That can’t possibly be a good sign.

As for taking the ball out of Kevin Durant’s hands? It’s a suggestion head coach George Karl ought to seriously consider for tomorrow night’s Game 2, though he likely didn’t want to have to read about it in the media from one of his veteran players.

The post Kenyon Martin Unhappy With Team Defense on Kevin Durant appeared first on SLAM.

by Marcel Mutoni / @marcel_mutoni

Denver and OKC capped off an incredible start to this year’s NBA Playoffs last night, a weekend that saw nothing but exciting, wire-to-wire games.

Naturally, the refs had to screw up what was arguably the most entertaining tilt of the entire bunch.

With just over a minute remaining, Kendrick Perkins (with his hand touching both the net and rim) clearly made a basket interference violation by tipping in Russell Westbrook’s missed jumper. The illegal basket seemed to deflate the Nuggets, and OKC held on for a tough Game 1 victory behind Kevin Durant’s 41 points.

George Karl and his players were understandably upset following the game, and seemed to blame much of the loss on the missed call by the referees.

From Yahoo! come the angry quotes:

[George] Karl didn’t wait long to review the video evidence after the game. Nuggets officials then sent a text message to Stu Jackson, the NBA’s executive vice president of basketball operations, complaining about the non-call. “Three-fourths of the ball is still in the cylinder when Perkins touches it,” Karl said. “Three-fourths of the ball, not half of the ball. What can I say? It’s tough. When you fight hard, it’s hard because guys give you everything you possibly can give there.”

A goaltending violation would have given the Nuggets the ball with a one-point lead and the final minute approaching. Karl believes the Nuggets were so upset by the non-call that their play was affected the rest of the game. Following a timeout, Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin walked to the scorer’s table and complained. Fifteen seconds later, he lofted an errant 21-foot jump shot. “It was goaltending, man, all the way around,” Martin said. “Everybody in the building and everybody on TV saw it.” Said Karl: “I was in shock. Because of it, I don’t think we executed very well in the last minute of the game. It kind of froze us.”

This has the makings of a long, wild and testy series, with both teams lobbing verbal grenades at one another seemingly every day.

Here’s to hoping this is the last time the refs’ unfortunate role in the proceedings is mentioned.

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The highlights were non-stop in terms of footwear. Green socks, red sneaks and green Knicks jerseys were among my favorites. The biggest attention grabber of the day was what Dwyane Wade had on his feet. Wade debuted the Air Jordan 2011 in the first half against the Lakers, before slipping back into the AJ 2010 in the second half.

In the flood of pictures that follows, I’ve probably got some of your favorites, too. For more detailed looks at what Kobe, KD and LeBron were wearing, check out the post we ran earlier this week. Also take a look at the shoes I previewed last week to see what Kevin Garnett was wearing yesterday and what Baron Davis could be wearing today against the Suns.

Pics below are courtesy of CounterKicks, who had an in-depth look at what was worn in all five games yesterday.

The post Christmas Day Kicks appeared first on SLAM.

-So, no movement yet for Carmelo Anthony, but a much different Nugget roster should be at his disposal tonight, as they look to avenge that tragic loss last week to San Antonio. With the return of Chauncey Billups, Birdman Andersen and Kenyon Martin, Head Coach George Karl will have a full roster for the first (and maybe ONLY time with an impending trade) all year long. Make no mistake, this team’s defensive intensity and overall attitude will be strengthened by the ‘10-11 debut of KMart and, against an opponent like the Spurs, a little experience and grit are in high demand.

-Last night in college basketball featured one of the games I had circled early in the season, as UNLV traveled to Kansas City to face the Wildcats of Kansas State. Unfortunately for the purple faithful, stars Jacob Pullen and Curtis Kelly were not at Head Coach Frank Martin’s disposal. The tandem was charged with receiving impermissible benefits from a local department store and caused Pullen to be shut-down for three games while Kelly’s suspension is still indefinite. While the player subtraction will surely hinder the Cats in the short-term, it shouldn’t affect either the bulk of Big 12 play or any kind of run come March. Last night, though, the omissions were apparent, as the Runnin’ Rebels held on a for a 63-59 win that was largely in doubt until a late blocked shot and a three-pointer by Oscar Bellfield sealed the win for the visitors.

-Speaking of Kansas State basketball, is there anyone in the world today who is scarier than this man? I would not be surprised if President Obama called on Coach Martin for future peace negotiations with world leaders. Just throw this guy into a room with North Korea’s Kim Jong-il and watch as the nukes are deactivated. As Kansas State forward Jamar Samuels put it, in terms of his coach’s now legendary gaze, “You have to treat it like the sun. Looking at it for more than a few seconds is dangerous to your health.”

-Huge game tonight in Saint Louis (despite no pro team or college one worth much) as the nationally ranked Missouri Tigers and the Illinois Fighting Illini face off in their annual Braggin’ Rights game. A bit of the shine was taken off this game with Illinois’ recent loss to UI-Chicago, but it may just make for a more competitive game in the end.

I’m just lucky that I’ll be sitting courtside for this one.

This post was a segment of Cub’s blog at milehighsportsview.blogspot.com. The Mile High Five is a daily portion of his blog that covers several aspects in the world of Denver and national sports and pop culture.

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A day ago, at 3:53 pm, I got an email from SLAM contributor Michael Tillery that made me kind of loopy. Mike, who seemingly specializes in asking famous people lots of stuff, created this whole list of questions regarding LeBron’s return to Cleveland. Questions were sent out to everybody under the sun. Or maybe just me; I didn’t see the dis list. (Somewhat related: I’ve never seen Chris Paul play live. Not once. The Knicks denied my credential last year and I ended up at a freaky deeky Dutch-German-Jamaican birthday party. I declined an invite for this year’s version of that party, and, in doing so, abstained from voting. Yes, I love you; happy seven…)

Anyway, the sheer amount of questions Mike wanted answered was utterly ridiculous, so instead of fully participating, I figured I’d just write down a bunch of shit that corresponds with my odd relationship with LeBron James.

Just know that there’s a longer explanation to everything I wrote here, and that if you–the greatest commenters in the world that I know of–want, I can answer a few of your replies in the comments section. Not sure how many, though; depends on how taxed I feel.

And finally, congrats to Russia and Qatar on winning the ’18 and ’22 World Cup bids. High school reminds of a village in Argentina and a host constantly harping on the fact that “you are a Russian Jew,” and college is kind of like a grown-ass version of a Wesley Snipes movie. I’m partial to White Men Can’t Jump and Montezuma tequila and trash cans and tennis balls myself, but hey, that’s just me.

1) Woj’s office, circa 2/01

“No need for an expensive Saab cruise shtick / Alive in Tivo, alive in Vevo, listen to the music”

2) Kenyon Martin

“’Older freshman wrote something about Rueben Patterson and a nanny, he ‘wants to chew through her’ / plus a ‘hot tub party with the freshman fifteen and Mark Chumura’”

3) RJD2’s third track off Deadringer. Also: Copyright’s verse on “June”. Skip a space.

4)

5) I-71

“Burn more salary than Isiah can play / Manorexia more calories than Jared from Subway”

6) Lucious Harris – DNP; exercise bike; also Game 2 ’02 vs. the Hornets

7) “It was personal.” → Yao’s history lesson: Steve Francis to China. Yeah, like Spanish crack. Fernando Torres, la la la, la. ReLevante.

“Cut your Jewfro like Chris, here-on your nose / Nasty Nas, Yinka D(r)inka Doo, GW Bridge—flow froze”

8 ) Hansel and Bealeface; legal seafood and Ashton Korver. Testing ankles and hugging Iverson.

“From passive aggressive to @$$ is progressive / an ok car, a box of hats and the plural possessive”

9) What?

10) Thank the deer, word to Syria. It very Lee Mayberry Todd’s Day. Pivot: Brickowski. Or Kowalski. Whatever.

“Something something something, the Ken-tang Clan Facebook Grouper / Out in Cozumel eating ice cream, The Pretty Tony Awards.”

11) Famous people shouldn’t ask other semi-famous people to do shit for them, unless they’re sure said semi-famous writer is the right man for the job. Art over commerce. Barca over Madrid. Unless you wanna ditch Nike for Adidas. Then again, I might be joking, and I wear shoes based on how good they are—or fate—not who makes them. Wait—that explains my argument perfectly.

“From 17 Emerald Stones to Spanish Pacifiers / dazzling Rubio de la red, dime mound sapphires.”

12) Steak and lobster—but steak in the winter and lobster in the summer. I quit the Lords (technically) and got with a Lady. Fadeaway off. A game of life won.

13) Home is where Robert Downey Jr’s iron is.

“Ben Collins and Scoop Jackson and Khalid Salaam nippin’ on Bill Simmons’ heels / welcome to good burger, home of Whitlock’s happy meals”

14) Tee Gee and the Kansas Dukie; Jay’s birfday. Or maybe it was just Jay’s birthday in the car.

15) “November just died, December’s alive” – Andre 3K

“Bringing ’88 plus ’93 back, sprinkled with paprika and the guys behind the basket with the D –Fence”

16) Anyone who doesn’t trust an only child who reportedly listened to advice from his mother or his best friends—if this is true—should be…nevermind, I’m not old enough to finish this sentence…

“Plantar warts, Chauncey Billups game shorts / this dining room looks like Hogwarts”

17) They wanted the free food. He wanted them to want winning more. First place, but I can’t judge them. Gerber baby steps. I love free food, too.

18) I can’t ever remember being in North Carolina except for the Charlotte airport. KOBE!

“Meet the Mets! Greet the Mets, head to the park, and buy scalped tix and lose to the Padres 4-2 / What the ‘Eck? – one more night cap, slide-step to Baltimore with handicapped dish racks”

19) Eight squares, “The Chicago Bills.” – The Book of Faux Mad Dog

“Jerry, Darnell, Matt, Adam and Jake are trappin’ / KBoykin wants ten…what? it’s a violation action / but we were Danger Mice, Tu Casa service, Spring Valley’s Gecko-insured jackwagons; Santiago’s chili”

20) How many teams has Jimmy Jackson played for? And if I write a play about him, can I win a Tony even if I don’t care about winning a Tony?

“Dear Al Farooq Aminu (and friends): I apologize for not prepping well and confusing Georgia Tech with Wake Forest. That won’t happen again.”

21) That show on FOX with Will Arnett and Keri Russell had its moments on Tuesday. I’m just saying.

“Reverse layup, camp counselor, sharp Hoosier / Bob Ford’s Baby B, a YMCA–peachy Hooters”

22) Shades of grey.

“You wanna understand America, research the NFC East / Wanna understand sports, research the hemisphere east…shout out to Kid, Mex and the Straw man / but also “the human prime meridan; a real amazin’ TCPer, bay-bee”

23) Twitter gives, but it also robs. “Paxson for three.”

“D Goody, I didn’t lie about my niceness / Heineken summer homes, I just needed more write-fits”

24) Around the world champ, I got stumped on 7×0. Seriously. How did I not remember that seven times zero equals zero? Mostly unrelated: the Washington Wizards.

“Jewcid, acid, loosely flaccid / lucid, placid, mostly mastered” 

25) Rest in Peace, Mike Kahn. Seattle deserves a team, regardless of whatever happens in Oklahoma City.

26) Someone once told an R Kelly joke around Eddie Murphy’s kid thinking he wouldn’t get it. EM’s kid was ten, maybe eleven. He got it. Kids are smart. Ask my newest Facebook friend. He Facebooked me.

“Stop with these questions / Ask Ray Jackson or Luke Jackson or JR Bremer or Chris Webber or Vlade Divac“

27) I hope this was time well spent.

“A Jerebko, my Nordic Track, Mediocre raps and poetry, my misguided light, Brooklyn seedlings / Sharpshooter during target practice, bring her slowly to the Hersey Hawkins dance—save Virginia”

28) Bonus: Carlos Rogers and Zan Tabak and Soundbombing 3 “Cucumber, slice, slice, slice [echo…]” – CBL

“It takes one gringo to explain Californication to 4 Argentines, but just one Argentine to explain to one gringo how to properly say “Che” /strange daze and Adam Morrison, only player I ever profiled that made me cry”

The post Five for Mike appeared first on SLAM.

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“I got hurt on company time, so I’ll heal on company time.” – Shaquille O’Neal

Fans and media sometimes wonder if certain players are taking a little too long to return from injury. It’s something that often can’t be proven, except when the front-office slips by hinting that this may be true.

Players are usually far too smart and cautious to ever divulge this. Apparently, this memo never reached the desk of one Kenyon Martin, who fully admits that he’s in no rush to get back on the court.

Martin — upset that the Denver Nuggets have yet to offer him a contract extension — reasons that there’s no point in risking further injury by playing so soon following knee surgery, with so much uncertainty surrounding his financial situation.

Kenyon admits that if he had his money, he’d be playing ball right now. Yes, he really said this. Out loud. And to the media.

The Denver Post and FanHouse have the quotes:

If he had an extension, “I’d be playing right now,” Martin said. “I’m not rushing, whatsoever. The day I come back is the day I come back. I’m in the last year of my deal, we all know it. Ain’t nobody in a hurry to give me one, so I’m not going to be in a hurry to come back. Think about it: Ain’t nobody in a hurry to give me a contract, so why would I be in a hurry to rush back and risk further injury. Makes all the sense in the world, right? Trust me, I’ve thought about it plenty.

“I didn’t get hurt on my own. I got hurt playing basketball. I didn’t get hurt me doing something I wasn’t supposed to be doing. I got hurt playing basketball. Overuse, is what the doctor told me. I got a tear in my patella. I didn’t get that nowhere else but playing for the Nuggets last year. Up to that point I thought I was playing pretty well.”

In an injury-free world from here on out, Martin says he would like to play until he’s 38 years old. Martin, who has averaged 12.8 points and 7.0 rebounds in 323 games with the Nuggets, says he’s looking for respect from an organization that he’s played hurt for and given all of what he had when he could.

As if new Nuggets VP of basketball operations Masai Ujiri didn’t already have enough problems keeping him up at night.

The 32-year old Kenyon Martin is in the final year of his deal, netting himself $16.5 million this season to basically chill and hang out until a new deal materializes. Nice work, if you can get it.

The post Kenyon Martin Taking His Sweet Time to Rehab from Surgery appeared first on SLAM.

-Schneezy

For more old school videos, check out SLAMtv in the Media section.

Got an old school video you want to see in FOTS? Send the video link to slamteam@harris-pub.com

The post For Old Time’s Sake: Kenyon Martin appeared first on SLAM.

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It’s here. Happy last day of the regular season, people. Hard to believe, isn’t it? On one hand, this has felt like a long season, especially when thinking of the ups and downs of the Raptors, particularly after the All-Star break, but on the other, feels like we were just tipping off the 2009-2010 campaign.

The best part is, we’re on the last day and still, there are things to play for tonnight. Playoff positioning, tiebreakers, even making it to the postseason or not.

Because the Celtics failed miserably at trying to take down the Bulls last night, the Raptors will have to win their game against the Knicks this evening, and hope that the Bobcats defeat the Bulls. If that happens, they’ll be in. In the West, the Lakers/Thunder is the only match up that is locked up for sure. In the East, the Magic will take on the Bobcats.

As for the rest of the Western Conference scenarios, there are too many and I’ll confuse the both of us if I try to explain them. I’m looking forward to the Thunder/Lakers first round match up, though. Also, can’t help but think of that game against the Jazz where the refs blew that foul call on KD on the final possession. Might have made a difference in the standings with how packed this race is.

After all of the discussion about whether or not it’s right to sit your star players if you’ve got your playoff spot locked up, Carlos Boozer went down with a strained muscle in his rib cage, while JR Smith and Kenyon Martin both left the game (one with an ankle issue, one with trouble to his knee).  Yeah, their teams had something to play for, but just shows once again, that an injury can happen at any time. If you’ve earned yourself your spot, I understand why you would sit your best guys. Not saying it’s right, but it makes sense. At least in my world.

Did anyone catch Tyreke Evans get tossed in the Lakers game last night? I was blogging the Suns/Nuggets so I missed it. Has another rookie gotten tossed this season? I can’t quite recall. Paul Millsap had 24 rebounds for the Jazz against the Warriors while Devean George scored 21 points on 6-for-9 shooting. Really. Just reminding us he’s survived another year in the L. Derrick Rose’s 39 against the Celtics were great, but the difference there was irk Hinrich who finished with 30. Yeah. You don’t expect that one. Gotta hand it to the Bulls, they made their playoff guarantee and the moment their back was to the wall after that loss to the Nets, they’ve been the team that’s fighting for it more than the Raptors. It’ll be interesting to see what happens tonight.

And of course, interesting to see what transpires for the playoffs. Whooooo, another one in the books. Guess I’m officially no longer a rookie. Kinda. Thanks for being with me for the season. Best of luck to your favorite team and players. Let’s have some NBA madness!

The Hawks are the third seed in the East, because of the Bulls victory over the Celtics.

With the Suns blowout victory over the Nuggets, they guaranteed themselves homecourt advantage and at least a fourth finish. The Nuggets will be fourth or fifth. After Utah took care of business against the Warriors, they took the Northwest Division lead and may finish second, third or fourth, depending on what goes down this evening.

In the East, the Heat will clinch fifth with a win against the Nets tonight or a Bucks loss against the Celtics. If they end up tying, the Bucks own the 3-1 tiebreaker. Love how these things are coming right down to it. Reminds me of the West a few years ago when 50 wins wasn’t enough to automatically get you into the postseason.

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The 6th Man: This was brought up last issue in the tiny type along the bottom of the All-Star feature, but it merits mentioning again in a more prominent location: We’re deading the whole KMart thing. Read Lang’s entire story—the entire issue with the exception of this page, for that matter—and notice you won’t find that diminutive used once. Why not? Because, to be honest, there’s never been anything cut-rate about Kenyon Martin or his game. And if you want to get deeper, yeah, maybe there’s some guilt—after all, we’re the ones who have discounted his talent and accomplishments. Leaving him out of our Top 50 Dunkers of All Time special issue? Stupid. Not giving him a cover, even as he dunked on everyone in the NCAA for four years, was the first overall pick in ’00, then co-led his Nets to the ’02 and ’03 NBA Finals? Yeesh. So consider this a collective “our bad.” After all, Kenyon should have been a SLAM guy from the start. Less animated guys than him have their own shows on the Cartoon Network, for God’s sake.

So what happened? Honestly, I’m not sure. Maybe if we had one more issue a year, Kenyon would have gotten his cover already, and this never would’ve been a problem at all. And I would have been able to fill this space with something else, like my frustration over not being able to find a decent shot of Oklahoma State’s Joey Graham monster-dunking all up in some poor St. Joe’s guy’s mug in the Great Eight (and one, no less). I’d look up the name, but dude is probably embarrassed enough as it is.

Anyways, here we are. The cover you just turned past pays homage to one of the most powerful players ever (you remember that Sir Charles poster, right?) and at last gives some much-deserved respect to one of the most powerful players today. A man whose game will never be a blue-light special. And if anyone has ideas on a new nickname for Kenyon, let us know.

Peace,

Russ Bengtson

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Over the past two seasons, Los Angeles and Denver have met in the postseason. Both times, the Nuggets were sent packing. According to Kenyon Martin, Denver’s emotional forward, the results of those postseason battles are not indicative of which squad is superior.

Kenyon is convinced that his Nuggets are the better team, and went on the radio to declare his stance.

From SRI:

I think guys know that we were right there and everybody in that locker room and in the organization feels we were a better team than the Lakers.

Everybody feels we were a better team than the Lakers and no one can tell me anything different. No one.”

Kenyon also believes in the existence of the Easter Bunny and Santa Claus, and no one can tell him any different. No one.

Of course, this isn’t the first time Kenyon has mouthed off when asked discussing the Lakers, and it certainly won’t be the last. Facts be damned.

The post Kenyon Martin: Nuggets > Lakers appeared first on SLAM.

The 6th Man: If I remember correctly, the argument for the cover line at left went something like this: “‘Champs by 2001: Count On It’? Are you crazy?”

“Yeah, it’s a little crazy. But it’s 2001 we’re talking about. This issue will be off the stands in two months. Who’s gonna remember our coverline, anyway?”

“Oh. OK.”

Well, 2001 has come and gone. And anyone who has been paying attention knows that the Los Angeles Lakers—not the 26-56 Nets—were the 2001 NBA Champs. The Nets not only missed the playoffs entirely last year, but they were five games off the previous year’s mark. Sam Cassell was in Milwaukee, Jayson Williams was in a suit, and the Nets were back in the Lottery. As usual. Boy, did we look dumb.

During the offseason, we figured there would be changes. Keith Van Horn would be handed a ticket out of town, and the Nets would begin to rebuild around All-Star point guard Stephon Marbury. Anyone not willing to take a little flak from Coney Island’s Most Competitive would be shipped out, and it would all start again. Boy, did we look dumb.

Well, there were changes. Jim McIlvaine went home to his Camaros, Kendall Gill became Miami’s non-shooting guard, and Stephon was sent to rejoin Tom Gugliotta. New Jersey was restocked with Todd MacCulloch (who we figured would be a bust), a rejuvenated Kerry Kittles (who we thought would never be the same again) and Jason Kidd (who was almost sickeningly positive in his predictions). We laughed. Boy, did we look dumb.

So here we are in February, and the Nets are ballin’. Jason Kidd is racking up triple doubles, Kerry Kittles is back and faster than ever, and T-Mac Canada has been quietly effective. Then there are Richard Jefferson and Kenyon Martin, who have been jumping through the roof and playing ferocious D, and Lucious Harris—the second longest-tenured Net—who’s just happy that his contributions actually matter for once. Even better, they’re all getting along, which of course is easier when you’re 21 games above .500.

So basically, we only have one thing to say for ourselves now—how does 2002 sound?

Peace,

Russ Bengtson

P.S. Uh, don’t count on it, though. We’re not that dumb. Also, we just heard that Mike might be out for the year. Heal quick, Money.

The post SLAM #60 appeared first on SLAM.

A couple of weeks ago, someone mentioned to me that Phoenix guard Alando Tucker was also a rapper. I knew he could act, but had no idea he could rhyme. So I made some calls, sent some emails, and last night I got three tracks from Alando Tucker.

Alando called me a few hours ago, and I asked him about his hip-hop ambitions.

“For me, it’s something that I do,” Tucker said. “It’s a second talent. I write music and I just want everybody to listen to my music first, because I think it explains itself. It’s not a gimmick, it’s not something to make money. It’s something I’m passionate about and have spent hours doing.”

Raised on Chicago’s South Side before going to school at Wisconsin and ending up in Phoenix, Alando grew up around music. “My Mom was always playing The Temptations and Smokey Robinson.” He liked Chicago artists like Twista, and said he was a huge fan of both Tupac and Biggie. (I asked him to pick a side and he admitted he was “more of a Tupac fan.”)

In Phoenix, Tucker has had a chance to pursue his rap ambitions. Tucker says he works with 5th Coast Records, where he records and gets production help. “I write all the songs. I structure what I want the singer to sing. I write everything top to bottom. It’s a long process. Traveling and playing so many road games, we spend a lot of time on planes and hotel rooms. One of the things I like to do is write. Grant Hill and Shaq do a lot with trying to make beats, too.”

Wait, Grant Hill is making beats?

“Yes,” Tucker laughed. “You know, he plays the piano. I heard his beats and they’re pretty good.”

He doesn’t try to rhyme, though, right?

“Um, no. But me and Shaq might have something in the making for the world. Something for YouTube, a song maybe…”

Until then, here’s Alando Tucker’s hip-hop debut. (And hopefully Alando is going to stop by the comments section later…):

Track One: “Someone”

Track Two: “I’ll Holla”

Track Three: “Role Play”

A few other things real quick…

• David Aldridge is always great, but this column taking on the NBA conspiracy theorists is a home run. Or a slam dunk. Or a hole-in-one. Or a golden goal. Or a…whatever, it’s really good.

• Also a tremendous column from Bill Simmons about the NBA refereeing mess. I especially love his point about how the refs keep getting older and the NBA doesn’t seem to mind.

• Weird story about Sheryl Swoopes, who apparently didn’t know her ex-husband had a storage unit full of her belongings that he decided he didn’t need anymore. And so they all got auctioned off.

• Thanks to the Human Highlight Blog, a great Hawks blog, for giving me some love in their Hawks blog awards.

• Bet you didn’t know you could do this with Legos…

• And finally, an email from Linkstigator Andi:

Hi Lang,

I’ve been reading the Links since the old Slamonline site was up, I’m not sure how long ago that was probably more than 5 years? Anyways, I have been running around town, in Vancouver, trying to bring attention to the end of game inbounds plays where Lamar and Trevor have basically stolen two games from the Nuggets. It is a simple thing that I noticed and I have searched high and low on TV and online to see if anyone else noticed or cared.

In both situations Lamar is about 3 inches away from Anthony Carter (Game 1) and K-Mart (Game 3). If I am not mistaken, they can ask the referee to move the man who is guarding the inbounder a few feet away. In Game 3, K-Mart called a time out and still did not do this. I have blamed Coach Karl for not advising his players to do so, but am I missing something here? Is Lamar allowed to be all over the inbounder like he was? He is basically jumping up and down on the out of bounds line. In Game 3, K-Mart is leaning back to make the pass because Lamar is so close to him. It makes me really angry that something so simple has gone unnoticed, especially since both of the plays came at such crucial points of the game. It has been driving me nuts, please shed some light on it!

Good email, Andi. The two plays you’re talking about are below…

I went to the NBA rulebook and looked this up. Check out Rule 8, Section III, Clause A:

The throw-in starts when the ball is at the disposal of a player entitled to the throw-in. He shall release the ball inbounds within 5 seconds from the time the throw-in starts. Until the passed ball has crossed the plane of the boundary, no player shall have any part of his person over the boundary line …

Now, I’ve seen refs make defenders back up before handing the ball to the inbounder, and I’ve seen refs call a delay of game warning on inbounds plays when a defender has crossed the out of bounds line. But I guess the only written rule that applies here is that “until the ball has crossed the plane of the boundary, no player shall have any part of his person over the boundary line.” So basically, as long as the defender stays inbounds, he’s fine.

(There’s also no rule that I saw about how far the inbounding player is allowed to stand from the out of bounds line, which I suppose is why a lot of guys on inbounds passes from the baseline back up a few feet. But on the sideline you’re screwed, especially on passes in front of the scorer’s table.)

One thing I thought of, and I’m surprised more teams don’t try this:

Years ago I was playing in a high school game, and our coach had the point guard inbounding the ball on every inbounds play. (In retrospect, this seems like a George Karl decision, to have your shortest guy always inbounding. Then again, our starting point guard was 6-5.)

Anyway, the starters weren’t in, which explains why I was in, and I was inbounding the ball, looking for an open man. I pump-faked a pass. The defender reached out to try and block my pass, and he ended up touching the ball while I was still holding it and standing out of bounds.

The ref immediately blew the whistle and called a technical foul on the defender for reaching across the line and making contact with the ball. We shot a free throw and got the ball back out of bounds.

So my question in response to your question is this: Why don’t more NBA teams try this? What if Kenyon had just reached out with the ball and touched Odom with it? Wouldn’t that have been a technical? Why not just hold the ball out in front of LO and hope he swats at it?

Then again, the refs would probably blow the call anyway…

[podcast]http://slamonline.com/audio/2.mp3[/podcast]

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When the Playoffs started, many thought (and hoped) Cleveland and L.A. would breezily get through their respective conferences, setting up a titanic clash in the NBA Finals.

Things have been a little more complicated than that, and Kenyon Martin of the Denver Nuggets intends to rain on the entire parade.

Following the Nuggets’ huge Game 2 win in Los Angeles last night, K-Mart was feeling pretty good about his own team’s chances of making into the NBA Finals. From the Press-Enterprise:

Before the Conference Finals began, most were predicting a Lakers-Cavs NBA Finals. But with both Denver and Orlando having seized home-court advantage, Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin made clear that such a match-up is anything but inevitable.

“We’ve got a fight on our hands and the Cavs have a fight on their hands,” he said. “Everyone just thought us and and Orlando were going to go down so they can play. But that ain’t going to happen. I’m going to make sure that doesn’t happen. Go play NBA Live if you want to see that match-up.”

Kenyon Martin, ladies and germs!

There’s no doubt that Cleveland and L.A. are facing a monumental challenge in the conference finals, but for a guy whose team has only beaten its opponent a grand total of once in the last two decades of postseason play to be making guarantees … that’s a bit bold, no?

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Mark Cuban apologized to Kenyon Martin and his mother for his treatment of her following Game 3 of the Nuggets/Mavs series. And the apology came via Cuban’s blog. Of course it did.

Judging by his reaction when he and Cuban (who will not be in attendance in Denver tonight) locked eyes following Game 4, I think it’s fair to say that K-Mart isn’t a voracious reader of Mark’s blog.

From NBC Dallas-Fort Worth (audio definitely not safe for work):

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The scene following the Dallas Mavericks’ heart-breaking loss to the Denver Nuggets in Game Three was chaotic. Put simply, the Mavs lost their minds.

Josh Howard had to be held back by teammates from going after the refs (he also took his anger out on a photographer), and team owner Mark Cuban also took issue with a camera man (check it out here).

Though he played nice with the press after the game, Cuban did not hold his tongue when he spotted Kenyon Martin’s mom in the stands. Let’s just say he didn’t wish her a happy Mother’s Day.

The Denver Post reports:

During the postgame chaos after Saturday’s Nuggets-Mavericks game, Dallas owner Mark Cuban had a brief but heated confrontation with Lydia Moore, the mother of Denver’s Kenyon Martin, who was seated near the tunnel that leads to the Mavs’ locker room.

Cuban said Sunday by e-mail that when he walked off the court, a fan was screaming about the Nuggets being “thugs,” so Cuban said to Martin’s mother: “That includes your son.”

According to Martin’s agent, Brian Dyke, Cuban spotted Moore amid numerous Nuggets fans and said, unprovoked, “Your son is a punk.” Regardless of what insult was stated, NBA spokesman Tim Frank said, “The situation on the floor postgame is being reviewed.” Cuban said by e-mail he knew Martin’s mother, because after a previous game that Denver won, she had approached him and made trash-talk-type comments.

There’s no question that the Mavs were screwed by the officiating in Game 3, but their actions thereafter make it a little hard to feel too sorry for them.

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Denver may have a commanding lead in their series against Dallas, but the fact that Kenyon Martin was fined $25K for shoving Dirk Nowitzki out of bounds in Game 1 is still eating away at them.

George Karl used his time with the press yesterday to blast the League’s decision, and called the fine “crazy”.

The best thing to come out of this entire nonsense, though, is the mini feud between Nuggets VP of player personnel Rex Chapman and the man at the center of the controversy, Dirk Nowitzki.

The Star-Telegram reports:

Said Denver vice president of player personnel Rex Chapman: “He’s a very good actor, and that’s part of the game.” This is not a new development, of course. The Dallas Mavericks star has been accused of flopping before. And he will be again. At playoff time, when every play is magnified and analyzed to ridiculous extremes, Nowitzki knows the drill. Kenyon Martin gave him a shove to the hardwood in the first quarter of Game 1. Martin was fined $25,000 for the act. Now, Nowitzki’s getting jabs from long-forgotten NBA players.

“I didn’t know Rex Chapman was still alive,” Nowitzki said Tuesday.

“I don’t think I acted on that play. It was pretty obvious that I drove baseline, got bumped, got the foul and kept on driving. Sometimes with the continuation in this league, he wanted to make sure I didn’t lay it in and give them [the refs] a chance to count the basket. “I don’t think I am necessarily an actor. I try to play hard. And that’s about it.”

Yes, Dirk, Rex is still very much alive. And if your teammates don’t pick up some of those acting skills soon, it’s your team that will be pronounced dead.

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Spencer Hawes injured his left knee on Monday night, and will wisely sit out the season finale this evening in Minnesota. The injury isn`t deemed too serious, but don`t try and tell that to one of the men who signs his checks, Joe Maloof.

The Kings` co-owner is very upset with Kenyon Martin, since his foul on Monday led to Hawes`s injury. Maloof wants Martin to pay, or at the very least, apologize for his actions.

From the Sac Bee:

“That was thuggery,” said Maloof, the Kings’ co-owner, “and you can quote me on that. Kenyon Martin wasn’t trying to block the shot. He went right at Spencer when he was running full speed and at the (height) of his jump, when he was most vulnerable.

“Completely unnecessary. The Nuggets might not want to hear this, but there was no excuse for that, and he (Martin) needs to apologize to Spencer and our organization. That just wasn’t right.”

This, of course, is the second complaint from the Kings regarding Denver from that game.

Though Joe Maloof said he was going to bring up the incident at the NBA board of governors meeting, it`s highly unlikely that K-Mart will face any sort of punishment from the League.

I wouldn`t hold my breath waiting for that apology either, Joe.

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Kenyon Martin has been known to tear down rims. Granted, in recent years, this trend has decreased in frequency. But in the pre-microfracture surgery early years of the decade helping the Nets reach the Finals with his play on both ends of the court, the former Bearcat was a real force. — Adam Fleischer

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