Although the Clippers had one of those games, I thought Kenyon Martin’s debut went reasonably well. He finished with 6 points, 4 rebounds, a steal, and a couple of blocks in 20 minutes of play, and he just generally looked pretty good for not having played NBA basketball since last spring, or any professional basketball at all since December 21st, when he scored 13 points for the Xinjiang Flying Tigers of the CBA.
You may recall that Martin’s stint in China culminated in such disappointment that he was released… and although I felt that his failure to produce in a league where Randolph Morris is dominant was more due to a lack of effort than it was an absence of ability, it did present reasonable cause to wonder whether or not the Clippers would be getting the same ol’ K-Mart. You may have noticed that I wasn’t hyping the Martin signing despite being a longtime fan of what he brings to the table–strength, toughness, defense, a certain degree of intimidation–and that’s because I simply didn’t see any of it during his time overseas. Like I said, I felt that this was due to a complacent attitude, but at 34 years old… you had to wonder what exactly was going on. That seems to be about the age where a lot of NBA players, especially crazy-athletic ones, seem to drop off the face of the earth. So, was Martin’s ineptitude a product of his reluctance to try hard enough against competition that he may have viewed as being beneath him, or was it the fallout of a decline?
I think it’s safe to say it was the former. While accepting $3 mil from a Chinese team to play half-assed ball during the lockout was a pretty bush-league move on Martin’s part, I suppose that can be chalked up as yet another unfortunate by-product of the work stoppage. Although I don’t respect what Martin did, I’m not going to pound away on my keyboard about it all goddamn day long. When on an NBA basketball floor, Martin has been a favorite performer of mine for many years, and seeing as it appears that he’s still got at least a little something left in the tank I’m going to focus on how he can help the Los Angeles Clippers.
The good stuff I saw from Martin last night:
- Activity and athleticism: Kenyon scored 4 of his 6 points on slam dunks and was credited with 2 blocked shots. I actually recall more swats than that, but I guess one of the ones I’m thinking of came after the whistle, and another was called a foul. Either way, he got his hands on a lot of basketballs that were well above the rim. While it may not seem as if the Clippers needed any more athleticism, they actually had very little coming off of their bench… and you can never have too many big guys with the mobility to be a versatile defender.
- Three offensive rebounds: I could’ve thrown his offensive-board work in with the activity/athleticism stuff, but Martin’s style of crashing the glass is actually more of a skill. He’s very adept at following a player to the basket and timing his jump so well that he can actually put a lot of missed shots back into the hoop without even coming back to the floor. Basically, he’s a master of the putback dunk. It was nice to see him pursuing some of these scrappy buckets… that indicates to me that he’s in shape and prepared to do the dirty work.
- A technical foul: I think part of the reason why the Clippers chose to sign Martin over a guy like… maybe Joel Przybilla is because of the edge he brings to a team. K-Mart doesn’t take any sh!t, whether it’s coming from an opposing player, a coach, an official, or even an owner. He’s rough, he’s tough, and he isn’t anybody’s friend between the baselines. He’s one of those guys that you love if he’s on your team but hate if he’s on one of the other 29. The Clipps already had one guy like that in Reggie Evans, and I think the two of them together will get under a lot of peoples’ skin.
…and the not-so-good stuff:
- A three-pointer: No, Kenyon! No! Bad Kenyon! Seriously though, no more three-pointers, K-Mart. As a matter of fact, no offense at all outside of garbage points would be just fine. The impression amongst NBA fans seems to be that Martin can hit that mid-range J, and while I suppose that he is a capable shooter when given enough space, it’s still something I don’t want to see him doing for the Clippers. Every jumper Martin takes is a shot that one of the better offensive players doesn’t get, and if he’s out on the perimeter shootin’ Js that means he isn’t in the paint pushin’ people around. Kenyon’s become a little too fond of his jumper over his past few seasons, and I hope he’ll realize that there’s really no need for him to be shooting 15-footers for this talented Clipper team.
- Four personal fouls: I love Kenyon’s activity and physicality on defense, but I sometimes hate it when he decides he’d rather shove somebody than make a play on the ball. There will be times where the hard foul is a good play, but not in a regular season game against the Cleveland Cavaliers. With all due respect to Ramon Sessions and Alonzo Gee, they can be stopped within the rules of the game. Play physical, but play smart, Kenyon.
Overall, I thought he played quite well. The Clippers as a whole, on the other hand… eughk. That’s all I’ve got to say about that. Anyway, what I saw from Kenyon was pretty encouraging, and I like the fit. I think the Clippers will look to further strengthen their bench going forward and make a solid run in this wide-open Western Conference.
