Semi OT: Martell signs with Wizards

Perhaps, but his production was consistent with his career averages.

BNM

 

I think it was actually Batum who cost Martell his last two jobs, I find that ironic because there was once a big debate between the two on who would be our SF of the future. Wish him well though cause he is a good guy, even if he is an average NBA player..... Maybe he should have gone to college?

 

Definitely! His confidence would have benefited greatly from playing against kids his own age rather than going up against grown men in the NBA.

BNM

 

If he'd have gone to college, scouts would have been smarter, and he'd have been a late 1st round pick. He'd have less money than he has.

So I don't think he agrees with you.

 

Well, he might have also improved his game and gotten bigger second and third contracts. In the end, there's no way to tell which route would have "earned" him more money, but I think going to college would have benefited his game and made him a better player, and better players tend to get paid more in the long run.

BNM

 

I'm in favor of 2 years minimum college before being drafted. His being evaluated in college games would have benefited our team and league, but not his bank account, since college wouldn't have painted lipstick on a pig. He's just not that good.

 

I have always been kind of annoyed that Webster is a SF now instead of a SG. I think he match's up a lot better at SG. Bayless is following in Webster's footsteps now, an amazing talent that was in the wrong system so they never fully developed. Sad thing is that happens a lot in the NBA.

 

For those who haven't seen it in a while:

[video=youtube;RMVXnJDBtnI]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMVXnJDBtnI[/video]

He made his first 7 shots and turned a 7 point deficit into an 11 point lead.

Not sure what got into Martell, and more importantly, why we didn't see it more often. He had other big games against Utah, but I think it was Roy telling him he couldn't go in the second half that lit a fire under Martell. I think that Martell was looking for a chance to step out of Roy's shadow and prove he was also worthy of being taken 6th in the draft that provided the motivation. Again, too bad we rarely saw Martell play with that much confidence. I was there with my kids. It was awesome to watch and the crowd was going crazy. My kids still talk about it whenever Martell's name is mentioned.

BNM

 

It's funny you mention Bayless and Webster together, because I think the development of both players was hindered by the same thing - confidence. Webster had too little; Bayless too much. Martell has struggled with self-confidence his entire career. He has all the physical tools to excel in the NBA, but completely disappears when his confidence is low. Which, unfortunately, is most of the time.

Bayless, on the other hand, has never lacked confidence. In fact, he has too much confidence in his own abilities. This means he forces up bad shots when he should pass to an open teammate. And, it also means he constantly gets smothered when he drives the lane, leaves his feet and has nowhere to pass the ball. Against weaker competition (summer league, college, etc.) he cokld rely on his athleticism to overpower his weaker opponents and get to the rim. Against real NBA players, it just leads to him getting his shot blocked, or making a bad pass/turnover.

Imagine what kind of player Martell would be if he had half of Bayless' self-confidence.

I don't think it was so much Nate's system that held back Martell and Bayless, as it was just a bad situation for both. Playing in Roy's shadow exacerbated Martell's confidence issues, and Bayless was a miniature SG trying to play PG. He ran into the same problem in NO and TOR. I've always thought Bayless was best as a 7th or 8th man who brought instant offense off the bench. Just use him for spot minutes against the other team's weaker second unit, turn him loose and let him do his thing until the other team adjusts, and then get his ass back on the bench before he kills you with bad shots and unforced turnovers.

BNM

 

What's the story on that? Roy did what?

 

Roy tweaked something in the first half and told Martell at halftime the team needed him to step up since Roy couldn't go in the second half. And, boy did Martell step-up. As I mentioned, he single handedly turned a 7 point deficit into an 11 point lead and the Blazers won going away. Too bad it was just the one time...

BNM

 

The way you worded it, I thought you meant that Roy told Webster that Webster couldn't play in the 2nd half, which pissed off Webster and caused his jailbreak.