Yardbarker: Kevin Martin

Kevin Martin's Plan? To become a leader

Tue, 22 Jul 2008 05:34:58 -0500

LAS VEGAS - Kevin Martin arrived with an agenda and, almost as interestingly, with something to say. The plan is to impress USA Basketball officials while preparing the U.S. Olympic Team for Beijing. Establish eye contact with members of the selection committee, further enhancing his own future Olympic prospects. Maintain his excellent conditioning. Swap stories with Kobe Bryant, LeBron James and Mike Krzyzewski. And then, when the Olympic team scoots off to Beijing, finish scribbling his introduction for 2008-09. That long-sought Kings leader? That would be Martin. His words. His time...

Andre Iguodala as good as Baron Davis???

Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:16:23 -0500

Word on the street is that Iggy is asking for a 5 year, 65 mil deal... Is he serious? After shooting less than 25% in the playoffs? Ok... you have improved each year... you did average 20 ppg, 5 rpg, and 5 apg... and you are only 24 and can jump out of the gym... but com' on... So what you're tellin' me is that you're as good as Baron Davis??? Please... just sign the contract... or try and solicit for the Grizzlies to sign you... cause they are the only ones that have that type of money... and if you dont sign... then just sign the tender so that you can be a unrestricted free agent next year... and we will see how many offers you get with everybody going after Lebron and D-wade... Here are some other players that arent making 13 mil, that are better than you or at least just as good... Gerald Wallace (8.2), Josh Howard (10), Tayshaun Prince (9.5), Richard Hamilton (10.5), Corey Maggette (10), Rudy Gay (2.5), Mike Miller (9), David West (9.8), L. Barbosa (6.1), Kevin Martin (9.2), Ron Artest (8.4), Tony Parker (11.5), Manu Ginobli (10), Carlos Boozer (11.5), Caron Butler (9)... and I could continue but what is the point... Sign the contract... the offer is probably exactly what youre worth and maybe a little more!!!

Four Players Invited to USA's Select Team

Thu, 26 Jun 2008 11:06:53 -0500

Rajon Rondo, Kendrick Perkins, Kevin Martin and Al Jefferson have been invited to prepare this year's Olympic team during scrimmges and practices in Las Vegas. However, if any players impress in that time, they can be strong canidates for the World Championships in Turkey in 2010 or the Olympics in London 2012. These 4 players are seen as the rising stars of the NBA. Rondo and Perkins were starters on the NBA champion Celtics team, Martin finished 6th in scoring and Jefferson was one of 4 players who averaged 20 PPG 10 RPG. They made a splash on the NBA scene, and maybe, just maybe, they'll make it onto the international scene and win gold for us.

Ranking the Top 30 Shooting Guards by Total Value

Mon, 19 May 2008 13:23:05 -0500

This is the second of five installments of my position-by-position rankings, where I consider the four major factors that affect a player's total value: talent (statistical performance), affordability, age and potential. To see a more detailed explanation of my approach, give my point guard rankings a gander. To summarize a player's stats, I'll use the NBA Efficiency statistic, which is defined as: EFF = ((Points + Rebounds + Assists + Steals + Blocks) - ((Field Goals Att. - Field Goals Made) + (Free Throws Att. - Free Throws Made) + Turnovers)) Essentially, the order of this list depends on the answer to the question - would you trade Player X for Player Y, assuming the goal is to win a title in the next three seasons, while also building a strong franchise for years to come? On with the rankings: 1. Kobe Bryant, Lakers Age: 29 EPG: 26.8 Contract: three years, $69.1 M ($23.0 M per) His salary is astronomical, which makes it difficult to rank him ahead of the almost-as-effective-for-half-the-price Manu Ginobili, but Kobe is probably the league's best one-on-one player and is the only guy who can match Manu's fire and competitiveness. 2. Manu Ginobili, Spurs Age: 30 EPG: 19.9 Contract: two years, $20.6 M ($10.3 M per) Ginobili should still be effective for the next three years, so his very reasonable contract makes him a reasonably close second to Kobe. His game has no holes and he is one of the best players in the league in the clutch. 3. Brandon Roy, Blazers Age: 23 EPG: 19.4 Contract: three years, $12.2 M ($4.1 M per) Who would you rather have - Roy for $4.1 million per season or Dwyane Wade for $15.8 million? I'd take Roy and spend the difference elsewhere. He's a terrific combo guard that has helped to bring the Blazers back to respectability. (See the rest of the list after the jump.)

Top 30 NBA Shooting Guards

Wed, 07 May 2008 13:21:26 -0500

No question about it, MVP Kobe Bryant is the best shooting guard and the best player in the NBA. He averaged 28.3 PPG, 6.3 RPG, 5.4 APG and 1.5 SPG, while leading his team to clinch the top seed in the West. He's one of the most explosive players in the league, and if you want the ball in anyone's hands in the 4th quarter, it's in his. Player (Current Team/Former Team) PPG, RPG, APG, SPG, BPG * = Best in Category (R) = Rookie Steals 1+ Shown 1. Kobe Bryant (LAL) 28.3*, 6.3, 5.4, 1.5, 1.2 BPG (Playoffs) 2. Allen Iverson (DEN) 26.4, 3, 7.1*, 2* 3. Tracy McGrady (HOU) 21.6, 5.1, 5.9, 1 4. Dwyane Wade (MIA) 24.6, 4.2, 6.9 1.7 5. Joe Johnson (ATL) 21.7, 4.5, 5.8, 1 6. Vince Carter (NJN) 21.3, 6, 5.1, 1.2 7. Jason Richardson (CHA) 21.8, 5.4, 3.1, 1.4 8. Manu Ginobili (SAS) 19.5, 4.8, 4.5, 1.5 9. Michael Redd (MIL) 22.7, 4.3, 3.4 10. Ray Allen (BOS) 17.4, 3.7, 3.1 11. Kevin Martin (SAC) 23.7, 4.5, 2.1, 1 12. Brandon Roy (POR) 19.1, 4.7, 5.8, 1.1 13. Monta Ellis (GSW) 20.2, 5, 3.9, 1.5 14. Rip Hamilton (DET) 17.3, 3.3, 4.2, 1 15. (R) Kevin Durant (SEA) 20.3, 4.4, 2.4, 1, 0.9 BPG* 16. Mike Miller (MEM) 16.4, 6.7*, 3.4 17. Leandro Barbosa (PHX) 15.6, 2.8, 2.6 18. Ben Gordon (CHI) 18.6, 3.1, 3 19. Jason Terry (DAL) 15.5, 2.5, 3.2, 1.1 20. Raja Bell (PHX) 11.9, 3.7, 2.2 21. Randy Foye (MIN) 13.1, 3.3, 4.2 22. Rashad McCants (MIN) 14.9, 2.7, 2.2 23. Cuttino Mobley (LAC) 12.8, 3.6, 2.6, 1 24. DeShawn Stevenson (WAS) 11.2, 3.9, 3.1 25. Larry Hughes (CHI/CLE) 12.2, 3.4, 2.7, 1.5 26. Anthony Parker (TOR) 11.4, 4.1, 2.2, 1 27. Ronnie Brewer (UTA) 12, 2.9, 1.8, 1.7 28. J.R. Smith (DEN) 12.3, 2.1, 1.7 29. Wally Szczerbiak (CLE/SEA) 11.5, 2.9, 1.4 30.. Willie Green (PHI) 12.4, 2.5, 2 Just Missed It Juan Carlos Navarro 10.9, 2.6, 2.2 Michael Finley 10.1, 3.1, 1.4 Jerry Stackhouse 10.7, 2.3, 2.5

Sacramento Kings Dunk Mix

Tue, 22 Apr 2008 12:36:24 -0500

Kings had some sick dunks this year, and if you don't like Brendan Haywood after his flagrant against LeBron, wait til' the end of the video. Him, Tim Duncan, Lamar Odom, Shane Battier, Kelenna Azubuike, Darko Milicic, C.J. Miles, all woke up on the wrong side of the highlight reel.

Kings Edge Hornets 94-91, Shift the West

Sun, 13 Apr 2008 23:11:29 -0500

Better late than never. The Kings took the season series 2-1 and Artest was the big hero from deep in the end, hitting 4 clutch 3 pointers to help the Kings knock the Hornets out of first place for the second time. The Kings are doing their part in the playoffs, even though they aren't in it.

Kings Beat Blazers 103-86, Headband Style

Sat, 12 Apr 2008 10:32:28 -0500

The Kings, led by John Salmons took the season series 3-1 and handed the Blazers one of their more dismal road losses of the year, and Josh McRoberts made an appearance. Plus, in honor of Brad Miller undergoing surgery, the team wore headbands. Check out the pics in the comments.

Best of the West

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 13:49:18 -0500

The regular season is coming to an end, and it's been a crazy year for the Western Conference. I chose the best players and split them up into teams by divison. I also put down the ROY, DPOY and MIP for the Western Conference too. See who's the best.

Video - Mickael Pietrus stuffs Kevin Martin

Wed, 09 Apr 2008 00:00:31 -0500

No, this is not the same play you just saw. Yes, this happened about two minutes later.

Nuggets Stunned in Loss to Kings 118-115

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 11:17:52 -0500

Even though Melo dropped 47 points, 21 in the 4th quarter, that couldn't stop the Kings, playing without 3 starters and their top scorer playing sick, from feeling a mile high after holding off Denver for their 36th win. The Nuggets could lose the 8 spot if the Warriors win today.

Nuggets loss to Kings gives Warriors a chance

Sun, 06 Apr 2008 08:43:33 -0500

With the Warriors expected to lose today, the Nuggets missed a real opportunity to gain some distance in the standings.

Top NBA Scoring Duos

Fri, 04 Apr 2008 15:52:19 -0500

When it comes to duos, Allen Iverson and Carmelo Anthony can combine for 52 points per game. See which teams have the best duos when it comes to scoring, and see how low the Pistons are listed. 1 DEN: Allen Iverson 26.5, Carmelo Anthony 25.5 = 52 PPG 2 LAL: Kobe Bryant 28.7, Pau Gasol 18.4 = 47.1 PPG 3 CLE: LeBron James 30.4, Zydrunas Ilgauskas 14 = 44.4 PPG 4 NJN: Richard Jefferson 22.8, Vince Carter 21.5 = 44.3 PPG 5 SAC: Kevin Martin 23.5, Ron Artest 20.5 = 44 PPG 6 HOU: Yao Ming 22, Tracy McGrady 22 = 44 PPG 7 DAL: Dirk Nowitzki 23.5, Josh Howard 20.2 = 43.7 PPG 8 PHX: Amare Stoudemire 25.1, Steve Nash 17.5 = 42.6 PPG 9 GSW: Baron Davis 22.1, Stephen Jackson 20.4 = 42.5 PPG 10 WAS: Antawn Jamison 21.5, Caron Butler 20.6 = 42.1 PPG 11 NOH: Chris Paul 21.4, David West 20.4 = 41.8 PPG 12 CHA: Jason Richardson 21.4, Gerald Wallace 19.6 PPG = 41 PPG 13 UTA: Carlos Boozer 21.6, Deron Williams 19.3 = 40.9 PPG 14 ORL: Dwight Howard 21.2, Hedo Turkoglu 19.6 = 40.8 PPG 15 MIL: Michael Redd 23.2, Mo Williams 17.5 = 40.7 PPG 16 SAS: Manu Ginobili 20.1, Tim Duncan 19.5 = 39.6 PPG 17 MIA: Dwyane Wade 24.6, Shawn Marion 14.3 = 38.9 PPG 18 ATL: Joe Johnson 21.7, Josh Smith 17.1 = 38.8 PPG 19 BOS: Paul Pierce 19.9, Kevin Garnett 18.9 = 38.8 PPG 20 NYK: Jamal Crawford 20.8, Zach Randloph 17.7 = 38.5 PPG 21 LAC: Corey Maggette 22.5, Chris Kaman 15.7 = 38.2 PPG 22 IND: Danny Granger 18.9, Mike Dunleavy 18.6 = 37.5 PPG 23 POR: Brandon Roy 19.3, LaMarcus Aldridge 17.8 = 37.1 PPG 24 PHI: Andre Iguodala 19.8, Andre Miller 17.1 = 36.9 PPG 25 MEM: Rudy Gay 20.1, Mike Miller 16.4 = 36.5 PPG 26 CHI: Ben Gordon 19.1, Luol Deng 17 = 36.1 PPG 27 MIN: Al Jefferson 20.9, Rashad McCants 14.8 = 35.7 28 DET: Rip Hamilton 17.7, Chauncey Billups 17.6 = 35.3 PPG 29 TOR: Chris Bosh 22.5, Anthony Parker 12.6 = 35.1 PPG 30 SEA: Kevin Durant 20, Chris Wilcox 13.4 = 33.4 PPG

Kevin Martin with a sweet reverse layup against the Rockets

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 16:01:47 -0500

Kmart drives past Shane Battier for an improbable reverse layup through the lane.

Artest, Martin Fuel Kings Past Rockets 99-98

Wed, 02 Apr 2008 14:00:27 -0500

The Kings played spoiler for a night, denying the Rockets their 50th win and a tie for 3rd place in the West with the Lakers. Instead they stay in 6th place, diminishing their chances for the Southwest division title and homecourt advantage. Great game to watch all the way down to the end.