Nets not sold on K-Mart pitch
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Monday, August 4
10:37 AM ET
Tim Duncan is a MAX-type power forward in the NBA. Chris Webber is a MAX-type power forward in the NBA. Kevin Garnett is a MAX-type power forward in the NBA.
Martin
The problem for power forward Kenyon Martin is that he isn't Duncan or Webber or Garnett.
Yet.
And, of all people, his own boss, Nets team president Rod Thorn, is the one who had to tell him so.
"I was disappointed," Brian Dyke, Martin's agent, said to the Newark Star Ledger after his 6-year, $87 million extension for his client was rejected this past weekend. "Everyone else was able to get signed but Kenyon. I thought Kenyon had proven his worth to this team with the way he's played the last three years but apparently Rod felt differently."
Well, let's look at how Martin played in his third year in the NBA, by far, his best season as a professional basketball player:
Kenyon Martin
2003: 16.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.9 bpg, 47% shooting
And let's compare that to some other noteworthy power forwards in the NBA after they had completed their third seasons in the NBA.
Tim Duncan
Third Season: 23.2 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 3.2 apg, 0.9 spg, 2.2 bpg, 49% shooting
Webber
Chris Webber
Third Season: 23.7 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 5 apg, 1.8 spg, 0.6 bpg, 54% shooting
Kevin Garnett
Third Season: 18.5 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.7 spg, 1.8 bpg, 49% shooting
Karl Malone
Third Season: 27.7 ppg, 12 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.6 bpg, 52% shooting
Brand
Elton Brand
Third Season: 18.2 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1 spg, 2 bpg, 52% shooting
Sure, Duncan is the reigning MVP, Malone is a future Hall of Famer and the rest of those players listed are already being paid more the $12 million per season. But if Martin is demanding to be paid like these types of players, then these are the types of comparisons he is opening himself to.
Martin did go from scoring 12 points his rookie season to 14.9 the following season to 16.7 last year. His rebounding went from 7.4 per game to 8.3 last year as his shooting percentage jumped from 44 percent to 46 percent to 47 percent.
But does that put him closer to Ben Wallace, who was paid $5.2 million last season, or Jermaine O'Neal, who was just given a Max contract from the Indiana Pacers after six seasons in the league?
Ben Wallace
2003: 6.8 ppg, 15.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.4 spg, 3.1 bpg, 48% shooting
O'Neal
Jermaine O'Neal
2003: 20.8 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 2 apg, 0.8 spg, 2.3 bpg, 48% shooting
The problem for Martin is that while he enters his formidable years in the NBA, his team may be improving quicker than he is, making his overall value to the New Jersey Nets actually decline if he is unable to maintain his statistical progression.
In his first season with the team, he quickly became a key option in the low post mostly because the team was starting a relatively unknown Evan Eschmeyer in the middle, who averaged only 3.4 points per game. The following season, Todd MacCulloch averaged 9.7 as the starting center. Last year, Jason Collins posted 5.7 points per game.
But this year, newly signed free agent Alonzo Mourning will be spending most of the time in center and he has a career average of 20.3 points per game. Even in his first year back from kidney surgery, he averaged 13.6. The year after that, he averaged 15.7. No, he isn't going to come close to his 23.2 points per game in 1996, but he is going to get a lot more touches and shots in the paint than any other center that Martin has ever played with.
Jefferson
And on the other side is small forward Richard Jefferson. He is entering his third season as a pro after averaging 9.4 points per game as a rookie and 15.5 the following season. His rebounding went from 3.7 to 6.4 while his shooting improved from 45 percent to 50 percent. He was so good, so quick that the team traded away former franchise player Keith Van Horn to make room for him. The NBA supposedly agreed, turning the former sixthman into an Olympic team member. Jefferson is going to be expecting more attention on the offensive end.
This means, of course, that someone down there is going to get fewer opportunities to reach such lofty goals. After all, not everyone can score 20 points per game and we haven't even mentioned the team's best payer, Jason Kidd, or the team's best shooter, Kerry Kittles.
The New Jersey Nets have made it to the NBA Finals for two consecutive seasons and are the favorites to win the Eastern Conference again. But to get to the next step, to actually win an NBA championship, either Kenyon Martin is going to have to put up Tim Duncan type numbers or they're going to have to get other players to help.
By Terry Brown
NBA Insider
Monday, August 4
10:37 AM ET
Tim Duncan is a MAX-type power forward in the NBA. Chris Webber is a MAX-type power forward in the NBA. Kevin Garnett is a MAX-type power forward in the NBA.
Martin
The problem for power forward Kenyon Martin is that he isn't Duncan or Webber or Garnett.
Yet.
And, of all people, his own boss, Nets team president Rod Thorn, is the one who had to tell him so.
"I was disappointed," Brian Dyke, Martin's agent, said to the Newark Star Ledger after his 6-year, $87 million extension for his client was rejected this past weekend. "Everyone else was able to get signed but Kenyon. I thought Kenyon had proven his worth to this team with the way he's played the last three years but apparently Rod felt differently."
Well, let's look at how Martin played in his third year in the NBA, by far, his best season as a professional basketball player:
Kenyon Martin
2003: 16.7 ppg, 8.3 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.2 spg, 0.9 bpg, 47% shooting
And let's compare that to some other noteworthy power forwards in the NBA after they had completed their third seasons in the NBA.
Tim Duncan
Third Season: 23.2 ppg, 12.4 rpg, 3.2 apg, 0.9 spg, 2.2 bpg, 49% shooting
Webber
Chris Webber
Third Season: 23.7 ppg, 7.6 rpg, 5 apg, 1.8 spg, 0.6 bpg, 54% shooting
Kevin Garnett
Third Season: 18.5 ppg, 9.6 rpg, 4.2 apg, 1.7 spg, 1.8 bpg, 49% shooting
Karl Malone
Third Season: 27.7 ppg, 12 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1.4 spg, 0.6 bpg, 52% shooting
Brand
Elton Brand
Third Season: 18.2 ppg, 11.6 rpg, 2.4 apg, 1 spg, 2 bpg, 52% shooting
Sure, Duncan is the reigning MVP, Malone is a future Hall of Famer and the rest of those players listed are already being paid more the $12 million per season. But if Martin is demanding to be paid like these types of players, then these are the types of comparisons he is opening himself to.
Martin did go from scoring 12 points his rookie season to 14.9 the following season to 16.7 last year. His rebounding went from 7.4 per game to 8.3 last year as his shooting percentage jumped from 44 percent to 46 percent to 47 percent.
But does that put him closer to Ben Wallace, who was paid $5.2 million last season, or Jermaine O'Neal, who was just given a Max contract from the Indiana Pacers after six seasons in the league?
Ben Wallace
2003: 6.8 ppg, 15.4 rpg, 1.6 apg, 1.4 spg, 3.1 bpg, 48% shooting
O'Neal
Jermaine O'Neal
2003: 20.8 ppg, 10.3 rpg, 2 apg, 0.8 spg, 2.3 bpg, 48% shooting
The problem for Martin is that while he enters his formidable years in the NBA, his team may be improving quicker than he is, making his overall value to the New Jersey Nets actually decline if he is unable to maintain his statistical progression.
In his first season with the team, he quickly became a key option in the low post mostly because the team was starting a relatively unknown Evan Eschmeyer in the middle, who averaged only 3.4 points per game. The following season, Todd MacCulloch averaged 9.7 as the starting center. Last year, Jason Collins posted 5.7 points per game.
But this year, newly signed free agent Alonzo Mourning will be spending most of the time in center and he has a career average of 20.3 points per game. Even in his first year back from kidney surgery, he averaged 13.6. The year after that, he averaged 15.7. No, he isn't going to come close to his 23.2 points per game in 1996, but he is going to get a lot more touches and shots in the paint than any other center that Martin has ever played with.
Jefferson
And on the other side is small forward Richard Jefferson. He is entering his third season as a pro after averaging 9.4 points per game as a rookie and 15.5 the following season. His rebounding went from 3.7 to 6.4 while his shooting improved from 45 percent to 50 percent. He was so good, so quick that the team traded away former franchise player Keith Van Horn to make room for him. The NBA supposedly agreed, turning the former sixthman into an Olympic team member. Jefferson is going to be expecting more attention on the offensive end.
This means, of course, that someone down there is going to get fewer opportunities to reach such lofty goals. After all, not everyone can score 20 points per game and we haven't even mentioned the team's best payer, Jason Kidd, or the team's best shooter, Kerry Kittles.
The New Jersey Nets have made it to the NBA Finals for two consecutive seasons and are the favorites to win the Eastern Conference again. But to get to the next step, to actually win an NBA championship, either Kenyon Martin is going to have to put up Tim Duncan type numbers or they're going to have to get other players to help.
