Kenyon Martin

[juckerrules]

Whatever happened to Martin? He's never lived up to the hype of the #1 pick. In his career, he averages like 7 boards and 14 pts. Respectable numbers for a role player, but I would have expected more based on his college career and the hype surrounding his number one lotto pick.

I don't really follow pro basketball...did injuries do him in?

[YouGuessedItFrankStallone]

He's never lived up to the hype of the #1 pick.

To be fair, the rest of that draft class was really weak. The top 10 is mostly a bunch of nobodies and Kenyon actually ended up being probably the 2nd best player after Michael Redd (a 2nd rounder).

[Lobot]

Whatever happened to Martin? He's never lived up to the hype of the #1 pick. In his career, he averages like 7 boards and 14 pts. Respectable numbers for a role player, but I would have expected more based on his college career and the hype surrounding his number one lotto pick.

I don't really follow pro basketball...did injuries do him in?

Two microfracture surgeries can wear you down a bit.

[shaunsimpson]

Kenyon started out very good in New Jersey, but as mentioned had some serious injury issues. I am pretty impressed with his year this year in Denver.

[stevedodds]

Kenyon did enough during his 1st contract to earn a max deal the 2nd time around. Not too shabby.

Not every draft class can be the 2003 class. Whoever draws #1 has to take the best player or prospect, whether it's Lebron James or Michael Olowokandi or Joe Smith. Kenyon was the best in his class, but even without the knee surgeries I don't think anyone really ever expected a Hall of Fame type career from him. Some people put unfair expectations on the #1 pick just because they're "the number one pick!". This year's draft class is getting the same kind of buzz...couple potential All Stars in Griffin and maybe Rubio, but no slam dunk players like Lebron, Durant, etc. Griffin could be destined to be called a "bust" by half the fans because he doesn't make 14 all star games and the Hall of Fame. Tim Legler was just on TV this afternoon saying he's the clear-cut #1 but has a ton of work to do..paraphrasing Legler, he won't be a man among boys in the NBA. He's just another talented guy.

[dp3113]

the 2000 draft is known to be one of the worst drafts in modern history, alongside the 1996 nba draft.

In my opinion, Kenyon fell into the same lot that many good but not great NBA players fall into- they sign the "max out" (contract as he did with Denver), then kinda go into cruise control for the next 6-7 years, performing solidly, but not at an all-star level. He has had many injuries in his career, and as he has faded a bit, Carmelo has emerged as a bona fide star, and Nene Hilario has also improved significantly.

[DimitriusChristedes]

Kmart got his team to two straight NBA finals before big injuries. This for a guy whose game needs to be above the rim. Karl has never liked the guy either.

[coach]

after coming of the injuries of the past two years, he played with carmelo anthony and iverson. he was luck to get 5 shots a game in a lineup with those two.

[Forsure21]

I love and follow the NBA. I don't know why more people In Cincinnati don't. Kenyon has had a pretty good year. Denver is 2nd in the West. Also, Kenyon is an AWESOME defender. I would say he has been way overpaid but not a bad player at all. He didn't even play in a preseason game this year to help his legs.

[JerseySean]

He's on the second place Denver Nuggets. Has a rib injury and is day-to-day. They might make the Western Conference finals this year... He's turned in to a great role player for them. George Karl recently said he thinks Kenyon should get consideration for Defensive Player of the Year.

[icehole3]

Karl gets along just fine with Kenyon, has called him a team leader

[juckerrules]

I love and follow the NBA. I don't know why more people In Cincinnati don't. Kenyon has had a pretty good year. Denver is 2nd in the West. Also, Kenyon is an AWESOME defender. I would say he has been way overpaid but not a bad player at all. He didn't even play in a preseason game this year to help his legs.
The reasons I don't: No local team, way too many games & too many teams make the playoffs (the regular season becomes almost meaningless), I hate the 24 second clock, I like to see a little more ball movement - 35 sec is plenty fast for me, too much one on one play and hype (if I hear one more breathless ESPN jocksniffer prattle on about personal squabbles between "Kobe and Shaq" (or whoever...it sounds like a middle school girl's sleepover)

It is the best of the best, just not my mug of beer

[YouGuessedItFrankStallone]

Kenyon did enough during his 1st contract to earn a max deal the 2nd time around. Not too shabby.

Not every draft class can be the 2003 class. Whoever draws #1 has to take the best player or prospect, whether it's Lebron James or Michael Olowokandi or Joe Smith. Kenyon was the best in his class, but even without the knee surgeries I don't think anyone really ever expected a Hall of Fame type career from him. Some people put unfair expectations on the #1 pick just because they're "the number one pick!". This year's draft class is getting the same kind of buzz...couple potential All Stars in Griffin and maybe Rubio, but no slam dunk players like Lebron, Durant, etc. Griffin could be destined to be called a "bust" by half the fans because he doesn't make 14 all star games and the Hall of Fame. Tim Legler was just on TV this afternoon saying he's the clear-cut #1 but has a ton of work to do..paraphrasing Legler, he won't be a man among boys in the NBA. He's just another talented guy.

I gotta disagree somewhat on Griffin. I think he'll be a stud. Few if any 4's in the league can match his lengh/athleticism combo. Sort of like Sean Kemp before he became a fatty.

[JasonS]

The reasons I don't: No local team, way too many games & too many teams make the playoffs (the regular season becomes almost meaningless), I hate the 24 second clock, I like to see a little more ball movement - 35 sec is plenty fast for me, too much one on one play and hype (if I hear one more breathless ESPN jocksniffer prattle on about personal squabbles between "Kobe and Shaq" (or whoever...it sounds like a middle school girl's sleepover)

It is the best of the best, just not my mug of beer

You said that you don't follow the NBA but maybe you should give it another shot before you criticize it. I would have agreed with you 6 or 7 years ago but the game has changed for the better. And don't let ESPN turn you off. If you pay too much attention to ESPN you will hate sports all together. Watch LeBron James play or Dwayne Wade and I think you will have a little more respect for the game and realize it isn't the 1 on 1 game many still believe it to be.

[GoCats247]

the 2000 draft is known to be one of the worst drafts in modern history, alongside the 1996 nba draft.

1996 Draft
Iverson, Ray Allen, Marcus Camby, Kobe, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neil,
Stojakovic, Ilgauskas, Derek Fisher, Stephon Marbury, Antoine Walker

That's a great draft class

[dp3113]

1996 Draft
Iverson, Ray Allen, Marcus Camby, Kobe, Steve Nash, Jermaine O'Neil,
Stojakovic, Ilgauskas, Derek Fisher, Stephon Marbury, Antoine Walker

That's a great draft class

My apologies- I meant 1986. Thanks for bringing that to my attention.

[CroninCrazy]

Out of the Top 10 Picks in the 2001 Draft, I would STILL want Kenyon:

1. Kenyon Martin
2. Stromile Swift
3. Darius Miles
4. Marcus Fizer
5. Mike Miller
6. DerMarr Johnson
7. Chris Mihm
8. Jamal Crawford
9. Joel Przybilla
10. Keyon Dooling

[Jose_Jalapeno_on_a_Stick]

Kenyon has always been, and still is, among the best defensive players in the league - a very underappreciated trait (by the fans, but not owners who have any aptitude for winning). When he gets toward the end of the line, and decides to take a pay cut/restructure for a bona fide contender (Lakers, Celts, etc), watch out!

[BackInBlack]

Kenyon is enjoying a fine year this year. Unfortunately for him he suffered the microfracture before the surgery was perfected and at the time the surgery really killed players athleticism. It has only been recently, Amare comes to mind, where players have been able to fully recover from the microfracture surgery. He is playing well this year though and is a great contributor to the second best team in the West.

[CroninCrazy]

SICK, SICK, SICK Dunk against David West Sunday night:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGXj0feLrok

[NorrisHopper30]

Out of the Top 10 Picks in the 2001 Draft, I would STILL want Kenyon:

1. Kenyon Martin
2. Stromile Swift
3. Darius Miles
4. Marcus Fizer
5. Mike Miller
6. DerMarr Johnson
7. Chris Mihm
8. Jamal Crawford
9. Joel Przybilla
10. Keyon Dooling

I'd want Crawford then Miller/Kenyon depending on team need.

[Lobot]

SICK, SICK, SICK Dunk against David West Sunday night:


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SGXj0feLrok

Looks like a defensive lapse but the fact that it's against D west makes it cool. LOL

[CroninCrazy]

The re-replay looks like Kenyon is yelling right at West...

I don't think he actually did (just the perspective of the camera) because that would be considered taunting.

[MicksTheGuy]

Kenyon should have stayed in New Jersey. The absoultley loved the guy. He was amazing there. I loved the crowd going Ken-yon Mart-in. It was great. In Denver he is just another player. In New Jersey he was the man along with Kidd and Jefferson. He has just been too injured during his time in Denver and he doesn't play around the rim anymore. He is always out at the 3 point line.

He is still a very good defender and has shown the enforcer mentality lately. Still he is way overpaid and has been disappointing lately. My two cents.

[NorrisHopper30]

Kenyon should have stayed in New Jersey. The absoultley loved the guy. He was amazing there. I loved the crowd going Ken-yon Mart-in. It was great. In Denver he is just another player. In New Jersey he was the man along with Kidd and Jefferson. He has just been too injured during his time in Denver and he doesn't play around the rim anymore. He is always out at the 3 point line.

He is still a very good defender and has shown the enforcer mentality lately. Still he is way overpaid and has been disappointing lately. My two cents.

And now he's on the 2nd best team in the West instead of sitting and watching the playoffs in the East.

[Redhead9er4Cronin]

Still he is way overpaid and has been disappointing lately. My two cents.


You could say that about 9/10th's of the players in the NBA.

[bearcat_red]

I'd want Crawford then Miller/Kenyon depending on team need.

I looked at the complete draft...what a bust that draft was. The entire first round was weak. The only player I'd rather have wasn't drafted until the 2nd round Michael Redd

[GoBearcats31]

Martin shutting down West key to the series victory:

http://www.denverpost.com/sports/ci_12260164

[shaunsimpson]

If you have watched the games Martin's defensive domination over West has been a key factor in them moving onto the 2nd round. I am wondering if he will be on Dirk in round 2 and can't wait to see the Softy from Germany will do with a little nastiness guarding him.

[bearcatmark]

If you have watched the games Martin's defensive domination over West has been a key factor in them moving onto the 2nd round. I am wondering if he will be on Dirk in round 2 and can't wait to see the Softy from Germany will do with a little nastiness guarding him.

The guess is he will be on Dirk. Not sure who reads the Sports Guy at ESPN.com but here is what he said about Kmart yesterday:

Kenyon Martin: Like Kidd, he reinvented himself as a complementary player (in this case, an energy guy and defensive stopper) and absolutely wiped out David West in Round 1. The K-Mart versus Nowitzki matchup might be the single best matchup of Round 2 -- a sneering stopper trying to shut down a sneering shooter for seven games. And if you look at Dirk's history against physical, trash-talking, in-your-face guys with tattoos (see: Stephen Jackson and Matt Barnes in 2007), it's not great. Stay tuned.

[BearcatJoe]

David West was soft when he played at X and is soft now. I love seeing him get shut down by lock down Bearcat defender.

[CroninCrazy]

Kenyon is currently on the front page of ESPN.com.

Story:

Is Denver the NBA's next title town?
The Nuggets are rolling through the playoffs. Time to consider them as title contenders?


We hardly talked about the Denver Nuggets all season, even as they won 54 games and finished with the second-best record in the Western Conference. We looked to other teams -- San Antonio, Utah, Portland, even New Orleans -- as potential foils for the Lakers' dynasty and never gave the Nuggets a second look. Even after they changed their stripes with an offseason roster makeover and in-season trade for Chauncey Billups, we thought they were too volatile, too unsteady and too selfish to be real contenders. Forget about under the radar, these Nuggets are downright subterranean. If a team such as L.A. or Cleveland had romped through its first seven games of the playoffs like this, we would be pulling up comparisons with the greatest teams in history. But because these are the Nuggets, they've made barely a ripple.

The Rocky Horror Time Zone isn't doing them any favors, but at any time of day, the networks don't seem too enthralled with their story. Take the Nuggets' historic 58-point pounding of the Hornets, for instance -- TNT didn't, so the game was exiled to the barren wilds of NBA TV and broadcast by announcers who weren't in the building.

So if you haven't been paying attention to the Nuggets, I'm here to tell you -- no, implore you -- to pay attention to the Nuggets, because there's a chance you might be seeing an awful lot of them in June.

For starters, they appear to have already booked a trip into the conference finals. Denver is up 2-0 in the conference semifinals, and teams that are up 2-0 win 93 percent of playoff series. But it's not just that the Nuggets are up 2-0; it's also that this series, which looked like a good matchup just a few days ago, now appears to be a mismatch.

Dallas won 50 games, finished 25-13 in its final 38 games and knocked out San Antonio in five games, yet the Mavs are nowhere near as good as Denver. At several times during the first two games, the Nuggets had five of the seven best players on the court. Late in the first quarter Tuesday night, when the lineups were Billups-J.R. Smith-Carmelo Anthony-Chris Andersen-Nene against J.J. Barea-Jason Terry-Jason Kidd-James Singleton-Erick Dampier, you could argue the Nuggets had the better player at every position.

They're still a secret outside Colorado, but it's a different story along the Front Range. The Pepsi Center has become more boisterous by the day, with fans expecting every 3-point attempt by Billups and Smith to draw net and cheering as soon as the ball leaves their hands. Tuesday night, they serenaded the Mavs with a "You can't beat us!" chant, as Marc Stein detailed.

It wasn't bravado, either. They were just saying what everyone was already thinking.

So is this team a legitimate contender? Let's get down to the nitty-gritty and see.

For starters, there's the impressive postseason run. Denver won six of its first seven contests and won them by an average of 21 points per game -- the greatest average margin through seven playoff games in league history. Of the five previous teams to post margins of plus-14 or better in their first seven games, four won the NBA title. I'll take that as a positive omen.

Better yet, we have reason to believe that the Nuggets' great playoff run is just a continuation of the way they closed out the regular season. Excluding a meaningless, season-ending game in Portland, Denver finished the season 14-2.

The two losses were on the road, to the Lakers (by 14, without Kenyon Martin) and to the Suns (by three). The 14 wins, meanwhile, were mostly one-sided affairs. The Nuggets' average scoring margin in that streak was plus-10 points per game; throw in the seven playoff games, and in their past 23 meaningful games, they're 20-3 with a plus-13.4 average scoring margin. Ouch.

Of course, the Nuggets had played 65 games before that point and weren't nearly as impressive. After the All-Star break, they lost six straight road games, including contests in Indiana and Sacramento. In February, they lost to Boston by 38 and to New Jersey by 44. So why should we believe that this recent hot streak is somehow more indicative of their level going forward?

The answer, basically, is health.

Although a lot of teams struggle with minor ailments (or major ones) by this point, the Nuggets are healthier than they've been all season. Their run began when Anthony Carter returned from a hip injury to solidify the backcourt rotation and Martin returned from a lower-back strain to fortify the frontcourt. Martin missed a few more games with sore ribs, but everybody else played.

Then there's Carmelo Anthony's elbow. It clearly bothered him for most of the first half of the season, as he shot blanks until around mid-March. It's not just a coincidence that the Nuggets snapped their road losing streak when Melo pumped in 35 at Memphis, or that he had 29 and 43 in consecutive road wins in New Orleans and Dallas a week later.

In the 20-game stretch starting with the Memphis game (but excluding the meaningless, season-ending Portland game), Anthony is back to putting up the Melo numbers we expect: He's averaging 25.2 points per game and shooting 46.3 percent from the floor. Because of all the blowout wins, he's doing this in just 35.4 minutes per game. That puts his per-minute scoring on par with that of his previous two seasons, after he had fallen far short of that level for the first three-quarters of the season.

In addition, he's providing another Melo number we hadn't expected: 4.3 assists per game. Anthony has averaged only 3.1 for his career and remained at that level most of the season, so perhaps now is when the Nuggets' newfound esprit de corps has finally rubbed off on what had been one of its most reluctant practitioners. And Melo visibly defended harder this season and increased his rebound rate for a third consecutive season.

From there, things have just snowballed. Smith struggled with his shot for much of the season, for reasons that aren't entirely clear. In Denver's torrid 23-game stretch, he has made a total U-turn, averaging 19.9 points a game off the bench and shooting 44.6 percent on 3-pointers -- a pretty daunting number considering he's attempting more than nine a game. (Expected return on his 9.3 3-point attempts: 12.4 points, for a true shooting percentage of 66.7. No wonder the fans start cheering as soon as he winds up.)

Then there's Mr. Big Shot. Remember, this whole "leading a near-invisible 54-win team that gets scorching-hot in March, upsets the Lakers and takes the league by storm" thing isn't new ground for him: He and his Detroit Pistons did the same thing in 2004.

This time around, his jump shot has been a major player in the story. Like Smith, Billups was shooting below his career averages for much of the season but has been making up for it in a major way ever since. In fact, he has made Smith look like a rank amateur. In the team's 23-game hot streak, Billups is shooting an amazing 51.3 percent on 3-pointers.

It's not hard to connect the dots here. When Anthony rediscovered his touch, defenses had to pay more attention, and when he started sharing the ball, Billups and Smith benefited with a slew of wide-open looks. More winning begat more sharing, and all of a sudden, the Nuggies look unstoppable.

We don't know where this story ends. Denver could end up like the 1986 Lakers, who had nearly as torrid a postseason start before flaming out in five games against Houston in the conference finals. Or they could end up being the third lightning-in-a-bottle champion in the past six years, like Billups' 2004 Pistons and the Miami Heat in 2006.

All I know for sure is that we haven't been paying any attention to these guys, and we're missing out on what could become the year's biggest story. They may play in an inconvenient time zone and lack a little in the superstar department, but every shred of evidence we have says the Nuggets have become a legitimate title contender. It's high time we treat them as such.




http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2009/columns/story?columnist=hollinger_john&page=PERDiem-090506

[CroninCrazy]

Denver is up 3-0 against Dallas.

[catscratchfever]

Man I would love to see Kenyon against the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals! He would be guaranteed to pick up a flagrant against those punks!

[Big B]

The next game against Dallas will be the game to watch considering Mark Cuban cused out Kenyon mother after the last game.

[Lobot]

The next game against Dallas will be the game to watch considering Mark Cuban cused out Kenyon mother after the last game.


Mark Cuban admits that he made a not-very-nice comment to Kenyon Martin's mom after Game 3.

From the Denver Post:

Cuban said Sunday by e-mail that when he walked off the court, a fan was screaming about the Nuggets being "thugs," so Cuban said to Martin's mother: "That includes your son."

According to Martin's agent, Brian Dyke, Cuban spotted Moore amid numerous Nuggets fans and said, unprovoked, "Your son is a punk." Regardless of what insult was stated, NBA spokesman Tim Frank said, "The situation on the floor postgame is being reviewed."

Cuban knew it was Martin's mom because, according to him, she talked trash to him in the aftermath of another Nuggets win.

After this morning's post-Mother's Day shootaround, Martin told reporters, "I'm gonna take care of it."

[catscratchfever]

Cuban knew it was Martin's mom because, according to him, she talked trash to him in the aftermath of another Nuggets win.

After this morning's post-Mother's Day shootaround, Martin told reporters, "I'm gonna take care of it."
Haha Martin's mom talked trash? That's awesome!

[ME80]

Haha Martin's mom talked trash? That's awesome! Never understood what gives any fan the right to talk trash to any player etc. I always hated the "he makes big money" reason so he can handle it excuse.

[catscratchfever]

Never understood what gives any fan the right to talk trash to any player etc. I always hated the "he makes big money" reason so he can handle it excuse.
I don't necessarily disagree with you...just thought it was funny that Kenyon's mom is in on it.

[ME80]

I don't necessarily disagree with you...just thought it was funny that Kenyon's mom is in on it.

Your right, a little immaturity on both sides ;)

[Lobot]

Oh but it gets better and tonight's game 4 at 9:30 ET

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2009/news/story?id=4158987

[psax889906]

Oh but it gets better and tonight's game 4 at 9:30 ET

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/playoffs/2009/news/story?id=4158987

K-Mart and the Nuggets will take care of Cuban and his Mav's tonight... the Nuggets could end up coming out of the West... the play in the Lakers/Houston series has been uninspiring for me...

[CroninCrazy]

K-Mart and the Nuggets will take care of Cuban and his Mav's tonight... the Nuggets could end up coming out of the West... the play in the Lakers/Houston series has been uninspiring for me...

Nuggets are in! Now who are the playing...Rockets or Lakers?

[CroninCrazy]

Jeeze...the drama won't end!

Nuggets' Martin: Cuban a 'coward'

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/news/story?id=4174282

[Lobot]

The have a scheduling conflict with a WWE event for one of the home games at Pepsi Center. I say they solve it by putting Martin and Cuban in the ring.

[Thegreatone]

The longer this fued goes on the worse both of them looks.

[TheLivingLegend]

The feud means nothing at this point. K-martin has bigger things to worry about, such as not letting some clowns win a championship.

[psax889906]

To continue following K-Mart throughout the playoffs I'm gonna bump this thread back to the top before tonight's game 2 of the Western Conference Finals... the Lakers stole game 1... will Denver be able to come back with another great effort tonight and actually win?

[CroninCrazy]

To continue following K-Mart throughout the playoffs I'm gonna bump this thread back to the top before tonight's game 2 of the Western Conference Finals... the Lakers stole game 1... will Denver be able to come back with another great effort tonight and actually win?

Yeah, I stayed up past midnight to watch it. Denver was winning by 5-6 and you just knew the Lakers would come back.

Here's hoping for a Denver win!

[Carin's Dad]

It was fun hearing "great defense by Martin" every few minutes.

[CroninCrazy]

It was fun hearing "great defense by Martin" every few minutes.

Kenyon is guarding Kobe now!

[CroninCrazy]

OUCH! He just gave a hard looking foul to a Laker player...all he did was put his arm out to contest and the Laker player went straight down.

[CroninCrazy]

OUCH! He just gave a hard looking foul to a Laker player...all he did was put his arm out to contest and the Laker player went straight down.

Even the announcers were saying that it should NOT have been a flagrant foul...it just looked like a hard play.

[CroninCrazy]

Melo and Kobe are each having a heck of a series.

[CroninCrazy]

The series is tied 1-1.

[TheLivingLegend]

like talking to yourself? ;)


Kenyon has played well, two potentially costly fouls tho! Melo should abuse kobe hes to big.

Lets go denver.

[CroninCrazy]

like talking to yourself? ;)


Kenyon has played well, two potentially costly fouls tho! Melo should abuse kobe hes to big.

Lets go denver.

lol, Just giving an update for those who couldn't stay up late and watch it.

I didn't realize how strong Melo is!

[CroninCrazy]

Kenyon seems to be having a heck of a game...playing real BEARCAT tough tonight!

His stats are 13 pts/14 rebs headed into the 4th.

[CroninCrazy]

Martin had a pointless T towards the end, but they still won big...

His final line: 15 pts/13 rebs, which is very solid for the playoffs.


Series is tied 2 all.

[CroninCrazy]

One more post...lol...


A great shot of KMart dunking over the Lakers:

http://sports.espn.go.com/nba/photos?photoId=2238451&gameId=290525007

[catscratchfever]

Absolutely loved watching Kenyon eat up the Lakers last night!!
The play where he and Gasol got tangled up was priceless! Wish there was an image somewhere of that!

[psax889906]

http://a.espncdn.com/media/apphoto/62b19c18-8464-4677-87a7-52b3e7691435.jpg

There's a pretty cool pic of him dunking over (sort of) Gasol :)

[TheLivingLegend]

http://a.espncdn.com/media/apphoto/62b19c18-8464-4677-87a7-52b3e7691435.jpg

There's a pretty cool pic of him dunking over (sort of) Gasol :)

Ha, posted on the previous page....

Kenyon had some huge boards and a nice block last night. cmonnn Denver

[TheLivingLegend]

Not looking good for Denver... Needed this game tonight.

[CroninCrazy]

Not looking good for Denver... Needed this game tonight.

I know...I was too upset to post.

Need to win the next two. I think that the LA/Denver winner will win it all.

[TheLivingLegend]

The reds lose, bearcatnews has no new recruiting information, Kobe just won a ring (practically)... Sports suck.