Hopefully you're joking. If not, what a stupid comment. Dude had a bad day at work, he's allowed to go out still. They don't sit at home and cry or go immediately practice free throws after a loss.
I like the thought of it. But I'm not confident in his ability to be a major contributor during the playoffs. I really would've liked to see a more complete body of work and how he would've performed had Westbrook not have gotten injured during that 2013 playoff run with the Thunder.
That is not accurate at all. Post rule change in OKC, was one of his best seasons. He was in no way shape or form "marginalized". The rip through move was only a small part of his arsenal.
They won a title because every single team they faced in the playoffs was without a starting point guard and Curry didnt have to use any energy on defense. I know Im throwing salt at them but I dont think they beat us if we have Bev and I know if Cavs where healthy they wouldve lost. I hope we just get a good point guard in the draft and resign Bev and we have a good chance to win it all nextyear.
In order to be viewed as an elite STARTING SG in the NBA who can be at least in that second tier scoring guard column Kevin Martin needed that ability to get to the line the way he did with Sacramento and Houston. That was basically his way of creating offense for his team. He just can't do that like he used to as your primary offensive option. When I say marginalized, I mean at that level. Of course as a 6th man, or shooter who moves well without the ball, you could do a hell of alot worse. The problem with Houston is fit, and true needs. And its an issue with Kevin Martin and alot of teams. For example: If you have a situation like Golden State where lets say hypothetically Klay Thompson goes down early in the season in injury, Kevin Martin would be the perfect player to trade for. With the Rockets what is his role, and who are you taking minutes away from to give Martin that role? I get they need spacing around Harden, but they also need an elite perimeter defender in Ariza, they need Brewer to create offense for the second unit by pushing the pace, they need another ball handler and creator now obviously at the PG position. That position also needs to be able to defend the gauntlet of the West point guards. I still think Martin can be a valuable NBA player for the right team, but as an elite scorer that is so good you can plug him in essentially on any team, I don't see it anymore. He now needs the perfect role and situation to be used correctly.
This is basically the crux of the argument. We could do a hell of a lot worse and WE ARE. We aren't looking for an elite starting SG in the NBA or a primary offensive option. And Martin was not purely a foul drawer, you are completely dismissing his cutting, his shooting, and his curling. No other player on our roster has that combination of skills. Brewer has some ability to use the cuts and curls but isn't nearly as skilled as Martin as a shooter to make it a consistent weapon. This is a narrative I just don't agree with. Kevin Martin fills a huge need. Efficient scorer and offensive weapon off the bench. Something we have lacked since we lost Parsons and Delfino. Here is the list of bench players (min. of 40 games played) and their average shot attempts last year: Ariza: 11.1 Smith: 10.8 Brewer: 10.4 Beverley: 9.5 Terry: 5.8 Papa: 4.6 That is more than 50 shots available. None of those guys came close to Martin's level of efficiency. You are going to tell me that Martin's career 39% three point shooting wouldn't be more valuable than Beverleys 36%, Ariza's 35%, Smith's 33%, Papas 29%, or Brewer's 28%? One, you are assuming all of those guys are back and will require more the same amount of shot attempts, which is highly unlikely. Two, you are assuming all of those guys should be taking that many shots. I for one would be way more comfortable with Martin shooting those shot attempts than Smith, or Papa and even Brewer. Those guys flat out aren't good shooters/scorers. Not to mention, the trend of more talent, less usage, allowing guys to pick their spots and raise their efficiency. I can't count how many times last year where the ball was moving around and never found its way to a good scoring opportunity, and we were forced to have Beverley, Ariza or Smith try and create something off the dribble. Its absolutely horrible. Having a guy like Martin who can actually catch and dribble the ball past a defender will limit those possessions, making our offense much better overall. That is the whole point of depth, to give you options and opportunities, and not force guys into roles they aren't suited for, which we did A TON, last season. Again disagree. Martin has been on four different teams in his NBA career and has been an elite offensive player on all of them. There is no evidence to support the notion that he needs a perfect role. The guy needs an open three point look, a transition opportunity, or a a few screens to create high efficiency offensive opportunities. All of that is available here, and that efficiency, specifically off the bench, is sorely needed.
Call me crazy, but I'd rather have Ariza and his 35% shooting out there next to Harden than Martin. His defense more than makes up for the 4% difference in 3pt%. And if he ever replicates his Washington 3pt% again, all the better. I want him to play as many minutes as possible next to James, his effect is that positive. I can't imagine being Harden and Martin being effective defensively together, so Martin will be an ideal fit only for the 10 minutes a game that Harden sits on the bench. Stop thinking about offense and shooting only. Terry's 3pt% is higher than Bev's, identical to Martin's actually, but no one wants Terry to play a big role even off the bench. Could we use a scorer off the bench? Maybe. What we need? An upgrade at PG that can help relieve playmaking duties off of Harden. Martin doesn't do that.
The bolded part is the only thing that matters. Could we use a scorer off the bench? The answer is yes, no question. That alone justifies all of this. This isn't about finding a fit next to Harden. Its not about replacing Ariza. Its not about finding a new PG to help the burden on Harden. Its about adding talented players to the team. Kevin Martin has a cheap contract, would probably be cheap to get, and is a talented player who would make the team better. You are silly to want Ariza playing as many minutes as possible next to Harden. What you should want is for our best players to have to play as few minutes as possible so they are fresh, injury free, and ready for the playoffs. You want opportunities in the first six minutes of the second quarter where the lead actually extends instead of being blown. You want fourth quarters where Harden can sit out because the lead is comfortable. You don't want to have to deal with double digit deficits constantly. You wan't to have the ability to play small ball and actually have guys who can not only shoot but can also dribble the ball to the basket. It's just like Bogut, Green and Lee on the Warriors. All good players. Lee didn't play at all for most of the year, but then had big minutes in certain games. Same with Bogut. Critical in the Rockets series, wasn't needed for the Cavs. Its about having options and having talented players to throw at whatever the situation dictates.
Our team is built around Harden, so fit trumps talent in any acquisition. Lee is a more well-rounded player than Martin and even he was marginalized in Golden State's success. He wasn't vital at all. Green, Iggy, and Bogut are defensive, well-rounded players. Golden State doesn't have a pure scorer like Martin on their bench, San Antonio didn't have a pure scorer like him on their bench last year, and Miami didn't need a pure scorer on their bench the years before that. A championship team hasn't used a scorer like him since Vinny Johnson. It's less important than you think. If we were the Clippers, you'd basically be arguing for the equivalent of trying to acquire Isaiah Thomas. He's a talented scorer, right? Who cares that he plays the same position as CP3 and doesn't play any defense? Talent upgrade!
Honestly, if he's backing up Bev then it's not bad at all. But the ideal offseason would have us getting a new starting PG with Bev either coming off the bench or replaced. Personally, I hope we trade for Lawson and sign Llull.
You are way off base here. 1.) Lee is certainly not a well rounded player. He has some nifty post moves and thats about it. Really no different than Martin, except different positions. 2.) San Antonio has had Ginobili for years who is a ball dominant shooting guard. Do you think they were going to say no to Manu because they had Parker. Of course not. 3.)Miami had Ray Allen off the bench. Did you think they would say no to Ray Allen because they already have Wade? Nope 4.)The Clippers have Crawford, a combo 1/2, behind Paul and have had him for years. So, do you care to explain why Cyberex (or maybe it was a different insider) told us at the deadline we were after Kevin Martin?
1) I didn't say Lee is a well-rounded player, just that he is more so than Martin. Lee is a good rebounder and a better passer. He provides more than just points. Compared to Iggy, Bogut, and Draymond Green he is very one-dimensional. He's a good player, I just wouldn't want him on the Rockets. 2) Ginobili is not just a scorer. He's either their first or second initiator when on the floor. I don't think you realize that Martin is at his best when set up and can't create for others. Ginobili is also a better defender. 3) Ray Allen at that point in his career was not a scorer. He was a shooter with high IQ and still good passing ability. 4) How's that working out for them? Martin can only score. You compare him to Ginobili and Ray Allen, but he's actually comparable to a healthy Michael Redd or Marcus Thorton. Guys like Ginobili and Allen fit on any team because of their versatility. Even when their shot is off they can still contribute. And both of them have had long cold stretches, even in the playoffs. Guys like Martin, Redd, and Marcus Thorton can still be good players, but if their shot is off they are literally useless.
Well we will just have to disagree. And you completely ignored my question about why we were pursuing him.
Of course! We all have our opinions. Thanks for being civil about having a different one. Also, I haven't kept up with the insider rumor mill at all, so I had no idea we were pursuing Martin.
So he's available? Before you shoot down, would you rather have Corey Brewer or Kevin Martin shooting 3's for you? Also Martin's better in the open court
<blockquote class="twitter-tweet" lang="en"><p lang="en" dir="ltr">APNewsBreak: Timberwolves make Kevin Martin available in trade talks <a href="https://t.co/3DAHAUGuod">https://t.co/3DAHAUGuod</a></p>— Jon Krawczynski (@APkrawczynski) <a href="https://twitter.com/APkrawczynski/status/677362310344757248">December 17, 2015</a></blockquote> <script async src="//platform.twitter.com/widgets.js" charset="utf-8"></script> Don't see what we could offer and I'm not giving up picks for him. I'd trade Brewer just for the sake of shaking things up but they aren't going to want that extra year on his deal, plus been there done that.
