Pass. Martin is a great complimentary piece. A guy who you want to play second or third fiddle to your main guy but building an entire team around him? It won't work. We have seen quite a few teams build around better talent as their center piece and it didn't work out. You always need that extra help. For someone like D. Howard it might be someone of equal or lesser talent, but for someone like Kevin Martin, you definitely need someone of equal or better talent. Like solid said, you build with Martin. Not around him. If we can't find someone to build around, then the closest thing would be to have a Detroit Pistons blueprint of equal talent spread out throughout the positions. We already have Scola, Lowry and Martin. In this scenario it would be Iggy or Wallace in the SF and mass produce a defensive center.
Want to fix the "you definitely need someone of equal or better talent.". It should be just better talent. To run with Martin, you either have him as a second or third fiddle. Or use the 'spread the wealth' scenario of the Pistons that I mentioned. We harp a lot on these teams that build around these so called 'stars' and get nowhere. Why would we do the same?
Well I suppose I could have gotten further into it. However, while the Jazz never won anything, teams with a superstar big and a superstar guard have won in the past. Name a team in the mold of the Reggie Miller led Indiana Pacers that has ever won anything. When? Name a single championship team you think they could have defeated. I can't think of one. There has never been an era when there aren't elite teams led by elite two way players.
kevin martin is like ray allen. efficient scorer who would be great as a 2nd or 3rd option but no someone you can go that far as the center piece of the franchise.
Right now the Rockets are just one piece away from being contenders, and that's a defensive force in the middle. I'd rather not disassemble this team so we can have a shot at a loser like Carmelo who plays with a strong defensive front court and still can't win anything.
What is the alternative to "not build around him"? stars are made after you win things, there's a lot of revionist history going on. KG was thought of as a choker and loser until he went to boston. Gasol as never even in the All-star discussion before he went to LA, now he is in MVP discussion.
Only loser franchises do this, great franchises never "rebuild". How is minnesota's rebuild going when they trade KG? How is memphis rebuild going when they trade Pau? How is Detroit's rebuild going when they trade Chauncey?
I was referring talent wise. Billups was the leader without a doubt, but the Pistons back then were a little more spread out in the talent than a few other teams.
lot of you guys underestimate Martin... some of the critique towards the guy is laughable its mostly rooks, but I've noticed some vets do it too.. guy is money and the rockets could easily become a championship contender if they add a few more pieces to the equation too bad Yao got injured, with him I would have seen us in the finals easily, thats why we should invest into a top notch center...would love to see Hibbert get a chance in Houston we probably have the best and most compact team since we won the championships that said, they only trade for Martin that would make sense in my opinion is for Carmelo Carmelo for Martin, Bud (turned into garbage, my god this guy is pushing it) and some picks
Really? Who led the Pistons? If you say that Billups was an "elite" two-way player, you've just lost all credibility.
Gasol was an all-star with Memphis. Kevin Martin doesn't deserve to be discussed in the context of "franchise player" until he learns to dribble.
They had a chance against all the Spurs teams, Detroit, Miami, The Gasol lakers. The only teams that probably would've definitely beat them would be the Shaq Lakers and Boston
I would really like it if Martin became a 2nd option on offense but like what "trugoy" said we really don't have an alternative to him...for now
Look at reggie, he is considered a clutch player cos he made a ton of shots in the playoffs, a big star. Look at his stats though and he is no better than someone like mitch richmond, who is considered a loser that no one wants to remember. Winning is the difference.
It seems like a viable alternative now, but would it be best? The 90's Pacers didn't win anything. It would be risky to bet everything on a 'quasi-star' like that. Reggie had clutch games. But he also had choke games that killed his team. Now if you are referring to the, I think it was 2004 Pacers? That had Artest, O'Neal and Reggie. Then yes. That would be a mighty fine blueprint. But even so, that wasn't really focused on Reggie as much as before.
