I've got a new nick-name for Martell . . . "Pregame". Dude lights it up in practice, and could beat 95% of the league in a game of horse. It all goes out the window once they throw the ball up . . .
hahah.. yeah, that's a pretty good one. Tonight's game was a microcosm of his career. Looked great for one stretch, but looked pretty poor for the rest. It's sad to see.. I want the guy to succeed.
Totally agree. His problem is a lack of talent, not some nonsense like "over thinking." He's had his chances to prove he's not a complete bust and failed miserably time and time again. Signing him while he was hurt last season was big mistake by KP.
Haha.. "Arcade, game over" Thats a good nickname for him. I'm down for that. He's another that has regressed this season along with Blake.
Martell needs a lesson timing. Sometimes, I just think he gets to spots before the ball's ready to be distributed to him at a premium moment. There is such a thing as letting the game come to you.
I'm hardly Martell's biggest fan, but his contract is on the cheap side and at least from my view beyond the cheap seats his struggles don't seem to be weighing the rest of the club down. His contract contains a team option out after next season so I'd say KP covered his bases pretty well resigning Martell. Whatever mistake it was to resign him to the contract they did pales in comparison to the mistake Nash made initially in acquiring him. STOMP
It's "cheapish." He's making about 3/4 of the full MLE and for a player to be pulling down 4.5 million a year set to increase to 4.8 next year, 5.2 the year after and finally 5.7 unguaranteed in his last year (so at least two more years minimum on the books after this one) that's an awful lot of cheddar to throw at a guy who is performing like he is. I somehow get the impression Martell is going to be much harder to move in a trade than we presume -- unless some GM out there thinks he's some diamond in the rough and has a clearly defined role in mind for him that he thinks he'd be better suited to than the one he's playing currently. Christ, if he could just play "decently" for a little while.
He just hasn't gotten any better. When people say he has a "lack of talent", I'm not sure I agree. He's got plenty of athleticism. For whatever reason, that isn't translating to his skills improving. I understand why KP signed the guy. He's got athletic ability, he works hard, he shoots the lights out in practice, and he was 22 years old. He actually had better numbers two years ago. 10 PPG, 42% FG, 39% 3 Pt FG Vs. 8 PPG, 37% FG, 36% 3 Pt FG. I understand he sat out all year, but we're 24 games in and he doesn't appear to have improved at all. Since Oden went down he's 8-33 BTW.
Storyteller's salary link in the top right hand corner of this page under the S2 header shows the team option after next season. My point was that committing the club to two years at the rate you quoted was a reasonable gamble on management's part. If Martell continued his less then mediocre play like early on in his career (as is happening), then yes the club overpaid a bit. But there was the chance that he'd start putting things together and utilizing his obvious gifts and make the contract seem very cheap. If he keeps up his current level of play it's hard to imagine whatever team that holds his rights not opting out of that contract in 2010-11... or his trade value is probably as an expiring deal. If this crappy economy holds, that could prove to be of value. STOMP
I loved how after I said he wasn't fit for NBA play he comes out with a 13 point quarter. Then follows it up with 3 quarters backing my play with a nice doughnut and plenty of missed open shots. Hilarious. That is Martell Webster to a T. One hot quarter in 6 games, and the rest is total shit.
Hey I was for keeping Ime and then James Jones but they didn't go that way so us fans have to live with it and hope for the best. The roster is depleted of it's other SFs so he's largely the option there. I doubt he'd bring in much from the trade front as guys producing on his level aren't in high demand no matter what they're earning. Unless he picks it up, his trade value will rise as an expiring but that won't probably happen till next season btw, the shortcomings in his game that you're complaining about are the same things I was regularly pointing to well prior to KP resigning him. I didn't have much company taking that stance and took a lot of heat... I'm sure that several posters here were ready to serve me a steaming plate of crow. I only wish that was my season long meal. STOMP
I'm too lazy to go looking for my own posts about him, but I definitely raised an eyebrow when I saw the length of his contract and was one of those who wondered about the wisdom of counting on him to suddenly morph into a good rotation guy.
He needs a can of "Whoop ASs' injected into his system. His selection of shots have been awful unless he gets free and clear to shoot a 3. Where is his defense ability to cause turnovers, blocks, and covering his defender so they don't shoot 3's. Hes anemic along with Blake this year.
