http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/03/martell_webster_plans_his_come.html Freeman with a 'non-update' update on Martell's status really got me to thinking about what kind of impact he would have had this year. I know there's not much in his first 3 years with the team that would suggest he was poised for a big breakout season, but lately as I've watched Rudy struggle with his shot and the fatigue of an 82 game season I can't help but wonder what could have been with a healthy Martell, able to play both the 2 and the 3. Hopefully he really does get healthy in the next couple of weeks and is able to make a positive contribution.
Joe Freeman wrote this article, not Quick. I thought it was a nice read, despite not giving us any insight on his return date.
I'm pulling for Martell to be a long-term fixture on this team. I want him to succeed here, especially with Rudy kind of in and out on his three-point shooting like Nik said. I'm not sure where Martell's minutes would come from on this team with Nicolas and Travis and everybody healthy, but hopefully he can find a role on this team. I don't really root on for specific players too much but for some reason, I really want Martell to come back and have an impact.
Yeah my bad, I just assumed it was Quick without reading the tagline since he's written all of the other stories about Martell throughout the year.
Marwho? I really like Joe Freeman's contributions... he utilizes plenty of quotes in context and doesn't pretend he's some integral part of the Blazers. here's the most spot on take about what Martell's return would mean... "Martell's a type of guy who doesn't come in and demand shots," All-Star guard Brandon Roy said. "I think the biggest thing is getting his legs and understanding he's coming into a tight situation. But Martell won't mess up anything. We can just fit him right in because of his style of play. I don't worry about Martell coming in at all." MW is an okay complimentary player who can bury the corner shot at a decent rate and has 6 fouls on D. Portland doesn't really need him as they have decent options already, but his return probably wouldn't hurt. STOMP
With Martell back next year, I like Sergio leading the bench unit...lots of shooters to set up with Joel setting picks. Sergio Rudy Martell Outlaw Joel Maybe Bayless will blossom into the starting role and we let Blake walk with Frye. Or maybe we spend our free agent big money on a veteran PG. Either way, PG really seems like the position to deal with this summer.
Bayless Fernandez Webster Outlaw Przybilla I hope Webby can stay healthy as I see him as a very valuable bench player when we are making our title runs.
Yeah, if Webster comes back healthy and ready to contribute, I think we'll see Outlaw getting more time at the 4, which seems to be where Nate prefers to play him. I know that will be a real downer for the Channing Frye fans on the board.
Man what are we gonna do... Webster, Outlaw, Batum all cant share minutes.. glad I dont have to make the decisions KP does.
outlaw will be our backup 4. sergio wont be back. blake will backup our new starting pg. bayless will star as joneal in the blazers 99 season.
Batum does everything better than Webster except hit open treys. Outlaw can play both forward positions, and his ability to get his own shot, combine to make him a better bench option. Webster's best chance to stick is if Blake leaves and/or Rudy flops. Then he might have a role as a designated shooter.
Sorry I can't agree with you there. Webster averaged nearly 11 points a game where Batum on most nights doesn't even score, or if he does it's only one or 2 points. You aren't just a "better 3 point shooter" when the scoring disparity is almost 10 points a game. Secondly you seem to forget that Webster has been the fastest guy on the team several years running. More team speed is a good thing. Lastly, while Batum is a pest defensivly, his lack of physicality is still a problem, as he has issues with physical players. Martell has a legit NBA body and can take the punishment. Batum will be good I am sure. But don't be crowning him now, he hasn't really done dick yet.
No way is Webster more physical (or physically capable) than Batum. And while Webster might post the best lap times on the conditioning test each year, I have no doubt that Batum gets down the court consistently faster in real game situations.
Webster last year averaged 10.7 PPG, Batum this year averages 5.3 PPG. So, it's not "almost 10 points per game difference." It's more like 5 points per game. In addition, Webster played more minutes per game. Evening minutes narrows the difference further...13.3 points per-36 for Webster, 10.3 points per-36 for Batum. Finally, they have the same scoring efficiency. Webster scores more purely because he shoots more. He's not more effective, he just takes more shots. Batum is a much better defensive player than Webster, who is simply not a very good defender. Considering there's virtually no scoring ability difference between them (and we're comparing a rookie to a three-year player...whom do you think will improve more by next season?), the defensive difference easily puts Batum ahead.
Yeah, I don't know where this commonly held notion that Martell is a good defender comes from. Is it because he's a good athlete with good size and a solid head on his shoulders? Simply put, he's average at best, defensively.
Yeah, I think it must be due to how he looks. He looks like a classic NBA athlete and has the tools. He's just not all that effective.
I'm not big on Webs... I rarely saw the defense for which he is often lauded (and I have pretty good seats!), and he's really pretty passive on the offensive end of the court. He doesn't have good enough ball-handling skills to play much time at offguard, and the other stuff he does can be easily duplicated by Rudy, Nic, or Travis. If I were GM (and I'm sure y'all are happy that I'm not), I'd package the guy for a real ball-distributing PG and let Blake fulfill his ideal role as a backup...
