When you compare him to Melo... MIN FG PCT 3P PCT FT PCT ST/BL TO PF O DE TOT AST PTS Totals 811 192-434 .442 15-52 .288 153-189 .810 23 13 66 61 46 146 192 74 552 Averages 35.3 8.3-18.9 0.7-2.3 6.7-8.2 1.00 0.6 2.87 2.7 2.0 6.3 8.3 3.2 24.0 melo MIN FG PCT 3P PCT FT PCT ST/BL TO PF O DE TOT AST PTS Totals 824 172-381 .451 59-135 .437 200-220 .909 15 5 57 52 7 71 78 61 603 Averages 31.7 6.6-14.7 2.3-5.2 7.7-8.5 0.58 0.2 2.19 2.0 0.3 2.7 3.0 2.3 23.2 martin ...he is not that far off. Neither play defense. You could argue that Martins FT%, getting the other team in foul trouble, makes up for his inability to close. Why not build around Martin? Rockets should just continue to add more good two way players around him because we are not that far off from contending, IMO. Getting Williams was a big step in that direction, but he probably won't pan out until next season. It would be nice if Williams broke out after the All-star break, but thats probably expecting too much, right? Don't get it twisted, Carmelo is still the better player, but i think it's time we changed our tune about Martin. So the question is, does the ability to close make a player a superstar or is Melo no longer considered a superstar? They are both contributing the same amount of points, just taking different paths to do so.
Martin may be a better offensive player than I gave him credit for, but I want him to show it more against good teams and in critical possessions down the stretch. Because if he can't score against hightened pressure in regular season games, he's not going to be a dependable playoff performer when we need him to be.
I'd rather have Melo down the stretch of a game over Martin. At least I know he is looking to score without being bailed out.
Until we're giving him the ball with less than a minute to go and he's scoring against teams to win games, he should NEVER be considered a 'superstar'. And Carmelo, when he wants to be, is a much better defender than Martin could ever hope to be.
I feel K-Mart is pretty unappreciated around here, understandible considering our losing record and late game collapses though. He's always good for 20+ a night, very very consistent which is what were lacking at the guard position for a while (AB could be on and off at times, especially from 3). I'm all for putting alongside a real an all-star 3 who plays good defense like Gerald Wallace or Iggy. The chances of that may be slim though.
I have followed KM since he came into the league. He isn't the total package, but he a is gunslinger who can light up the board. He has been maligned since coming here mainly by ClutchFans posters. I knew when he got fully healed from his wrist injury and got comfortable with his new team that he would begin to roll. The best is yet to come, many of you are still underestimating him. He may not be a great defender or a game closer, but he can get you points in bunches and last time I checked the team with the most points wins.
Melo shoots a higher number of contested shots than pretty much anyone, and he shoots them as well, if not better than anyone, martin on the other hand is an off the ball scorer who gets a lot of open shots, i mean sure "different paths", but the former is a much more cornerstone skillset than the latter. The Denver offense makes me cry, there's no ball movement, it's so incredibly bad, but it's carried by a high talent level team.
call me cheke but I wouldnt trade martin for carmelo (definately battier). Reasons I dont like him: 1.Carmelo has a very decent team in Denver but wants to go to a show city. 2.He pushed Bob Sura, thats where I started disliking him 3.Dont like his game as a jump shooter when he has size advantage 4. Is a wanksta
Ricky Martin is more of a superstar than Kevin Martin. Kevin is an exceptional 2nd option, Melo is a guy you build around.
He's not anywhere close to superstar level but I am a big fan of his and his recent production has been outstanding. He's just a very unique player that knows how to flat out SCORE the basketball with efficiency. Granted he doesn't do much in the other categories but he is an elite scorer who will get his points night in and night out. The biggest separation between him and superstar status is the inability to create for himself when the defense is focused in on him and I believe that is the defining quality of true superstars. I love Martin and his scoring but lets not go overboard by only comparing stats with Melo and others and coming to skewed conclusions, but also we must appreciate what he does for this team because he is greatly overlooked and under appreciated on this board.
Which is why we desperately need to start over. Superstars impact the game on more than one end of the floor.
THIS. You don't dump a 25 ppg kind of guy with Martin's efficiency because he lacks defensive skills -- you play him in a lineup with good defenders. (Sorry, Chase, but unless you have an offensive game like KMart's, you're not allowed to suck on defense.) For the record, I think Martin's NOT a superstar. If he were a closer, I'd be more likely to call him that. But if he keeps playing like he is now, he'll be an important piece -- even if it's just something to dangle in front of someone to acquire an even better player.
