For the record, i never said Martin was better than Melo because you're right, Melo is a superstar. He just averages the same ppg. as he does.
Kevin can definitely score with the best of them but he needs to show some toughness and leadership to compare him to other superstar players. what's the difference between Melo and Kevin..? both are great scorers, but melo always show up in the 4th quarter, sometimes martin doesn't even take a shot in the 4th, biggest example is the lakers game when Martin had 2 or 3 wide open shots in the last 3 minutes and he still didn't take them. A superstar:a player who can carry his team when needed ...can make big shots ..involve his teamsmates and make them better. I love Kevin Martin, he is great scorer but if he doesn't show any of those things that I listed then he isn't a superstar.
I really hope you were joking about the miller part. <object width="480" height="385"><param name="movie" value="http://www.youtube.com/v/nieBAq8FQYE?fs=1&hl=en_US"></param><param name="allowFullScreen" value="true"></param><param name="allowscriptaccess" value="always"></param><embed src="http://www.youtube.com/v/nieBAq8FQYE?fs=1&hl=en_US" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" allowscriptaccess="always" allowfullscreen="true" width="480" height="385"></embed></object>
KMart isn't a superstar. He's an all-star though. As for the Melo comparison, the problem isn't that Martin doesn't stack up with Melo. In fact, he does pretty well. The problem is that Melo ISN'T a superstar. He's also just an all-star who happens to be really famous and shoots A LOT.
At the end of games you need a guy that can score over his defender in one on one situations primarily from mid-range off the dribble the like kobe, melo, joe johnson and other top scorers, having a guy that can score like that at the end of games makes it impossible to guard unless you double team which is harder being that far away from the basket. That's why I think it's a luxury to have a wing player as your best player rather than a bigman or pg unfortunately with Martin while great at all the other aspects of scoring the ball (freethrows, transition, and off screens), he doesn't have a mid-range game the most important ingredient for being a go-to player which is why he will continue to fade when it counts because teams can easily adjust to his flopping and backdoor cuts.
I think he was saying Martin is like Miller except he has no heart or clutchness. I hope thats what he was saying.
Having the ability to close a game means you have the ability to take it upon yourself to win the game. That is what makes you a superstar. Shooting a better FT% does not make up for a players inability to close a game. Rather, Martin's ability to choke a game away actually forfeits any chance he has at being labeled a superstar. Just watch how many of Martin's bad shots and/or turnovers end up leading to easy buckets at the other end. These are the possessions that end up costing us the game.
Kmart is awesome. But he is not a superstar. He would be the best third option in the NBA and has All-Star scoring capability but by no means can you build around him. That does not mean you can't build with him.. in fact the Rockets should. He defense is bad but overrated bad on this board. He is slightly below average. He is often in the right position but always is over matched. If he can ever figure out how to score in the 4th without others creating for him he has superstar potential but even if he does not.. I'm glad as hell he is a Houston Rocket.
DOn't you think there's a reason why Melo takes the most number of contested shots over anyone else while Martin takes very few contested shots? Melo takes contested shots because: 1) He's a chucker. Doesn't care if he double/triple teamed just bombs away. 2) Very predictable skillset. Yes, he has an amazing array of post moves. But Melo is a SF, not a PF. Most of the time he gets the ball in the perimeter. Guess what, everybody and their uncle already knows Melo's MO: take it into the hoop. The result is they just pack the paint, tempting melo into just taking jumpers all game long. Considering how bad Melo's 3 pt shot is, his jumper probably isn't that pretty either. Martin oth knows his limitations. That's why he takes very few shots in tightly contested situations. You know how to mitigate it? Pair him with a closer. Guess what, we already have that in Brooks. Case closed. Remember the Nuggets are much better than the Rox right now. If Melo can't shoot efficiently in a powerhouse team like that, what makes you think he'll go bananas here? Just let NY/NJ get his overrated ass and be done with it.
Finally someone who watches the games. Thank you for contributing. So many people complain because occassionally Marting gets backed down. When he does he mostly gets beat. That is why Battier ussually or sometimes another player have to go and help. Then if the player is smart he quickly swings it around to the open guy. And that hurts us. There is no question Martin fails in that area and there is not much he can do about it. But surprisingly most teams that take advantage of this weakness enough. Martin is a much better defender up top I would even say he is a solid perimeter up top. He does make an occasional bad foul but no where near as bad as Budinger. Yes he also gets beat occasionally up top but so does Battier and almost every wing player against a quick perimeter player. You can't stop that everytime and without help against the Kobe's lebrons and Wades you will almost never stop. Especially with the screens and fakes but defenses have gotten more sophisticated where they try to control which direction you get beat so the support is there to help. Battier is excellent at this. ANd if you watch Martin he is gettin better at it. Also if you watch Martin you will notice almost every game Martin will slap a ball away or force his guy into a bad situation where a turnover occurs. As for him being on the level of Anthony. Well what makes Anthony special is he does it all. Rebounds, steals and scoring. He can create his shot late in the game. I would be lyng if tried to martin can do those things too. But doesn't make what he does any less valuable. martin shots from perimeter like he is taking layups. his shot behind the Arc is 43% but that's decieving because he had a shooting slump early on. Over the past 15 games he has been shooting almost 50% from behind the arc. And unlike Battier and Lowry he doesn't have to be wide open to make it. In fact he almost needs no space to make a 3. He is the one player who can bring the ball down and if his player just sags a little BOOM he blast a 3. He is the one player on the team who always has a green light. ANd he deserves it because he rarely forces a shot. And he is so efficient not just in the way he scores but in the time he takes to score. You give him the ball and within 3 seconds he has either shot or decided the shot is not there and passed off. Unlike TMac who would dribble out the clock looking for his. he runs Adelmans offense in that way to a T. He is not without fault, like his tendency to dribble in traffic and get it stolen because his handles and hands aren't strong enough. And he really can't finish around the basket in traffic and yet he still tries once and a while. But over all he is such a solid player at what he does it would be hard pressed to replace him. So while you may not be able to build a championship team around him. But I am not so sure Anthony is either. And you could certainly could use Martin on your championship team.
like kobe is a chucker? they shoot an almost identical fg%, he takes those shots because someone has to take them, same reason kobe does. They have players who can take the more open shots, afflalo has been doing that for example. I don't think we have a shot at him, heck even if we were in the mix of desirable locations, we don't really have anything worth it to denver when faced with much better trade possibilities elsewhere. Brooks as a closer? well he's not someone you'd trust against anyone better than 0.500, which is why this team has lost so many damn games by 4 or less, both before and after he got injured.
His role is to score points and do it effeciently. He literally does 2 things on the court. Shoot threes and come off screens and makes a cut to the basket. Thats a role player friend, no matter what his ppg is.
If Martin is your superstar, you're nowhere near a championship. If Martin is your second best player, you're fighting for a playoff spot. If Martin is your third best player, well.. then you have a pretty good team.
