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The Nuggets Offseason: Kenyon Martin (and the All-NBA Most Untradeable Team)...

So far, DenverStiffs.com has chronicled the offseason situations of J.R. Smith, Eduardo Najera, Carmelo Anthony, Marcus Camby and Allen Iverson. Next up is Kenyon Martin, but frankly, there's not much to discuss or debate in regards to Martin ... because he's completely untradeable. In fact, Martin is the most untradeable player in the NBA. Therefore, I'll quickly recap Martin's case and get right to his teammates on the All-NBA Most Untradeable Team.

The Situation: Thanks to former Nuggets' GM Kiki Vandeweghe (with pressure from owner Stanley Kroenke to make a free agent splash in the summer of 2004), the Nuggets are on the hook to pay Martin $14 million next season, $15.4 million in 2009-10 and $16.5 million in 2010-11. The final season is technically a player's option, but I have a sneaky suspicion that Martin will re-up.

The Good: When healthy (which is rare) and motivated (perhaps even more rare), K-Mart brings a level of toughness and energy sorely lacking on the Nuggets. He still dunks with ferocity and can put the clamps down on an opposing player who is his height or shorter.

The Bad: What made the K-Mart trade and signing so ridiculously stupid was that Martin was never that good to begin with. In his BEST NBA season (while with the Nets), he averaged 16.7 ppg, 9.5 rpg, shot .488 from the field and missed 17 games. Nevermind that he was completely exposed in the 2003 NBA Finals when forced to go up against a non-Eastern Conference power forward. In six games against the Spurs, Martin never once shot over 45%, and in the crucial fifth and sixth games, he made five shots against 31 attempts (including his epic 3-23 performance in Game 6 which amazingly never gets talked about alongside John Starks' 2-18 performance in Game 7 of the 1994 Finals).

And to top it all off, Martin was known as being a locker room cancer in New Jersey, which re-surfaced as a Nugget during his now infamous tirade against head coach George Karl and teammates during the team's embarrassing 2006 playoff loss to the LA Clippers.

The Verdict: Throw in multiple knee surgeries since joining the Nuggets and K-Mart's refusal to develop a mid-range jumper (even though every decent power forward in history including Tim Duncan, Kevin Garnett, Karl Malone, Charles Barkley, Kevin McHale and even Horace Grant had one), and you have the most overpaid / untradeable player in the NBA. And with Isiah Thomas no longer running an NBA franchise, K-Mart is going nowhere. There were moments during 2007-08 when it appeared as though Martin had had his humble pie and was just appreciative to be back on the court. But after eight seasons in the NBA, you are what you are. And in K-Mart's case, you're a 14.5 ppg, 7.2 rpg, undersized, injury-prone power forward with no offensive game to speak of other than an occasional thunderous dunk.

So rather than waste our time fantasizing about where Martin could end up, I thought I'd present the 2008 All-NBA Most Untradeable Team. To qualify for the team, a player has to have three seasons left on his contract, excluding team options (therefore, classic bad contracts like Stephon Marbury's or Bobby Simmons' are ineligible as an expiring contract, or soon-to-be-expiring contract, can be used as trade bait).

-Kenyon Martin, Denver. For all the reasons noted above.

-Troy Murphy, Indiana. A career 11.4 ppg, 7.9 rpg and .438 shooter, Murphy is due to make $10, $11 and $12 million over the next three seasons. Oh, and he's never played in a single postseason game.

-Eddy Curry, New York. For a guy due to make $9, $10.5 and $11.3 million over the next three seasons, Curry's stats aren't the problem. But he's perenially overweight, inarguably the worst non-European center on the defensive end and with the exception of one season in Chicago, every team he's been on has won 33 games or less.

-Erick Dampier, Dallas. Damp parlayed a double-figure rebounding performance in each of his last six games as a Warrior in 2004 into a contract that will pay him $9.5, $10 and (yikes) $13 million over the next three seasons in Dallas. In case you're curious, he's only gone six straight games with double-figure rebounds once since then, and that was during his first season as a Maverick. As a Maverick, he's never averaged more than 9.2 ppg and 8.5 rpg.

-Marco Jaric, Minnesota. Every dumb signing begins with a dumb GM, and there are few GMs dumber than Minnesota's Kevin McHale. After trading All-Star point guard Sam Cassell for Jaric in 2005, McHale signed Jaric to a contract that will pay him $6.5, $7 and $7.6 million over the next three years. Not only has Jaric never played in a postseason game, but he's a career 7.8 ppg, 3.9 apg and .408 shooter.

-Honorable Mention: Milwaukee's Dan Gadzuric ($20 million over the next three seasons, career 5.2 ppg and 4.8 rpg), and three more Knicks - Zach Randolph (great stats but a loser on every level who's owed $48 million over the next three years), Jamal Crawford ($28 million for three more years, 40% shooter) and Jared Jeffries ($19 million for three more years, career 5.3 ppg and 4.5 rpg).

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k-marts mid-range jumper isn't that bad. at least he doesn't put em up as much as camby does!

kmart played a decent season. now that he has a whole season under his belt after surgery. hes got his confidence back. i still say start him over nene for now. i really hope nene can come back like his old self.

why not fire george karl now? just cos he was told his job is safe doesn't mean front office cant fire him. i mean, there's been serious changes. lots of coaches been fired is the biggest. i say change the website back to fire george karl

kenyon martin is stuck with us. hopefully he can play at his best now. when he does... his contract is his only liability.

by andrew fisher on Jun 6, 2008 1:20 AM MDT reply actions  

I think the Nuggets some some unfair criticism of the Martin signing. Yes, its obvious that we overpaid (a lot) and that he's injury prone and all those other descriptions mentioned in the post. But we have to remember that they had just one season of Melo and they had played a couple losing seasons at the new Pepsi Center.

It was a move of desperation and a reach. And while its obviously not turned out to well for the Nuggets, you can understand the motivations. Also note that I don't think the Nuggets were the only team trying for Martin and that we had failed on luring a couple of other players ahead of him to Denver. I don't really blame Kenyon or the Office Brass.

All I hope for Martin is that he gives us maybe 12/8 a game, plays some defense, picks up a little less techs and stays healthy enough to help give Nene and Camby some rest. I don't think that's too much to ask for 14 million.

by Denverson on Jun 6, 2008 1:47 AM MDT reply actions  

Kenyon Martin played extremely well this past season, now that he's healthy. And lack of motivation? He was motivated enough to rush back to the court before he was healthy a couple seasons ago, which led to him needing more surgery.

K-Mart gets a bad rap in both Denver and the overall Hoops Nation. Will he ever be worth that contract? No. But that's not his fault. Anybody would have signed it.

Also, for me, the signing of K-Mart from the start gets a "pass" as far as I'm concerned. The Nuggs saw they had a young stud, and they immediately went to help him, unlike, say, Cleveland did with LeBron.

Kenyon plays great defense, has great hands, but needs a better point guard and a better structured offense to get him going. Everybody standing around shooting jumpers and dribbling around isn't going to help him.

In conclusion, people need to stop the Kenyon hate. I know there were some bad times. I know playing the "will Kenyon play tonight" game was frustrating a couple years ago, but the guy is back and playing some solid ball.

by Chris C. on Jun 6, 2008 7:09 AM MDT reply actions  

to all the commenters...ARE YOU NUTS??!!! are you kmart's relatives or something??!! are you watching the same kmart that the rest of the universe is??!!! and no he does NOT have a midrange jumpshot at all thats reliable

by james k on Jun 6, 2008 8:35 AM MDT reply actions  

But are we forgetting Jaric is hooking up with Adriana Lima. He should get paid whatever he wants lol. Or...maybe that's payment enough and he should get nothing! I dunno I'm just jealous!

by ThaAnswer on Jun 6, 2008 9:32 AM MDT reply actions  

I've personally met K-Mart twice, once back in college when I ran into him at a club when I went to Cincy for a Reds game (I am from C-Bus), and then once again right after he first signed out here. I ran into him at the Barnum Bailey circus like days after he signed. He was there with his newborn (at the time) and his... shall I say wife? Anyway, he was super nice both times. He gets a bad wrap as a thug, because he's not one. He's just a man, a real man who just happens to not like to take shit from anyone, like a real man wouldn't. He's actually nice, he's a family man, and he's not once been in trouble with the law as far as I know. And props to "denverson" for reminding all the haters that hindsight is 20/20 and at the time, it was a pretty major coup for us to get him in here.

That said, I know a lot of you will say that him being a good guy doesn't mean squat, but I think his powerful intimidating presence is something we'd be sorely lacking without him. Anyone recall when someone dropped Boykins to the floor a couple years ago and Kenyon stook up for him like a big brother? Who else on this roster would be that guy? Camby? Nene? Melo? Gimme a break. JR would do it because he's got a persona similar to K-Mart, but c'mon, he's not putting the fear of god into anyone... not even little ass Nate Robinson. K-Mart has been the muscle of this team since he's been here, and that's something (especially in the playoffs) you need to have. He's also a pretty damn good defender and while it was a bad fit, I admired him for doing his best on Kobe. It was just sad that he was the best fit because of the way our roster was built.

And finally, K-Mart hasn't been put into a situation that he thrived in before we signed him... i.e. an offense that ran with a quality PG consistently setting him up for fast break alley-oops. We had that in Andre Miller, but conincidentally K-Mart was hurt too much while Miller was here for that to manifest itself here.

Getting a good PG would do wonders for getting our money's worth out of K-Mart. And besides, are you really going to get mad at K-Mart for accepting such a gigantic contract? You would... all of you... in a heartbeat.

The problem with the Nuggets boils down to the backcourt inability to defend the ball. That's really all there is to it from a personnel standpoint. Scheme and coaching... that's another topic.

by Eric on Jun 6, 2008 1:57 PM MDT reply actions  

I forgot to mention... that "tirade" in the loss to the Clippers... Kudos to K-Mart! Good! Glad he did it! Cancer my ass... the guy just hates losing a little more than some of the complacent bums in and around this organization.

PS, Andrew, this isn't a personal jab at you... you're not the only one that's bought into him being a cancer or a waste of money. I still like your input and that you run this site... gotta have other perspectives though right?

by Eric on Jun 6, 2008 2:15 PM MDT reply actions  

Hey Eric -

No worries! It's good to have a spirited debate and I must say I'm pleasantly surprised to see so many readers take up for K-Mart. I have a few comments in rebuttal.

First, I've never met K-Mart and am glad you had good experiences doing so. I was at the same party with him once and didn't speak to him. He kept his jacket on the whole time with his hood over his head. And whenever anyone approached him, he ignored them. For the record, I've seen Kareem Abdul-Jabbar and Nick Van Exel behave the exact same way in public.

Second, I've heard from good sources close to the Nets that Rod Thorn couldn't wait to get rid of K-Mart, and was just lucky that he found a sucker (i.e. Kiki) who would give him three number ones in return. Thorn knew that without Kidd feeding K-Mart easy shots and lob passes, K-Mart was severely limited offensively. Unlike a lot of you, I NEVER liked that deal. I thought the Nuggets panicked and overpaid. We would have been better just letting the current roster grow and taking a shot at a free agent or using those three number one picks as leverage the following summer.

Third, I also like K-Mart's toughness and energy, but I still believe he's fairly useless in a half court set (like a lot of the Nuggets, by the way). I'd be happy with 12 and 8 from K-Mart next year, if he could also give us 75 games and some solid D. But there's a reason why the K-Mart, Camby and Melo frontline is one of the most porous in basketball defensively, and K-Mart is 1/3 of the problem.

Fourt, I would never blame K-Mart - or any player - for signing big contracts. Good for them. I just blame dumb GMs for offering those contracts.

As always, thanks so much for the detailed and thoughtful feedback. And enjoy the weekend!

All best,

Andrew

by denverstiffs@gmail.com on Jun 6, 2008 2:38 PM MDT reply actions  

Keep on rockin' Andrew. It's all good here.

And isn't there something that should have clicked in Thorn's mind when he considered Kiki for his current job regarding finding that "sucker" for K-Mart? Is that technically irony that he hired that same sucker? Our loss (Kiki) is the Nets... loss! LOL.

That said, I don't consider K-Mart a savior or anything, and I wish we weren't saddled with his contract. But I'll gladly let him run with my squad. And I think that defenses in the NBA are somewhat like defenses in the NFL... it all starts at the point of attack. If a D-Line sucks in the NFL, extremely likely the Defense will suck overall... and if the guards can't stop the ball going freely into the post... well you get the idea.

by Eric on Jun 6, 2008 8:09 PM MDT reply actions  

I'll be another to stick for Kenyon here. No one in their right mind would argue that he is not overpaid. But let's get a couple things straight. He is our best defensive player.

No he cannot consistently stop Tim Duncan.

But we are talking about a very powerfull and strong player for his size. A guy who understands positioning and leverage,who has outstanding quickness for his size and ovbiously the best hands of any PF in basketball. We are talking about a guy who did a very serviceable job on both Dwight Howard and Kobe Bryant this year. A guy who gives fits to players like David West, Kevin Garnett, Dirk, etc.

There simply aren't a lot of players with the kind of defensive versatility that Kenyon brings.

And while he gets a bad rap for his limited offensive arsenal, who cares? He shoots a far higher jump shot % thanMarcus Camby and should never have been expected to be more than a 3rd leg on any offense.

On the floor last year, there wasn't a more proffesional player (outside of Eddie). Kenyon is not only our most intense player, but he is our most fundementally sound player in regards to setting screens and understanding team concepts on the floor.

On top of that, he always brings a very special energy in big games. Players feed of his intensity.

Plus, if you take a look at how he improved throughout the year, we were seeing a 15ppg on 55% the last 2-3 months. His jump shot has gotten better and he is as healthy as he has ever been in a Denver uni.

I have no doubt you can win a championship with a Kenyon Martin. Put him aside a big-bodied C and a real pg and he will flourish.

I'll be honest. Last year Ithought Kenyon Martin was our best overall player.

by Anonymous on Jun 7, 2008 12:46 AM MDT reply actions  

besides his contract, what other negative aspects does kenyon have to his game? in reality. he isn't an offensive option and shouldn't need to be. with AI, Melo, JR, Nene, Kleiza... these guys are the people who should be grilled if they lose their offense - k-mart is all about defense. he has good court sense. knows where he's at and where the balls at and what to do and when to do it.

i wouldn't say he was the best overall player this year for the nugs. but i would say we sure as hell would have lost alot more games without him!

sure some games he may not have showed up. but remember, a year ago this guy wasn't even on the court yet. this was his first season back from TWO knee reco's. cut him some slack. you can't blame him for taking 14 mill a year. and you can't blame him for not living up to that 14 mil either.

but you sure as hell CANNOT say he isn't giving it his all.

i love k-mart. my fav nugs player. doesn't deserve 14 mil. but he does deserve some love for what he does

by andrew fisher on Jun 7, 2008 7:03 AM MDT reply actions  

sure you can trade k-mart. im not a fan of denver but im a fan of your site.

if your guys can trade:

melo
k-mart

for

sheed
prince
stuckey

you'll be in good shape.

trade is not bad for detroit as well. they got rid of perennial headache sheed and post season choker prince for a big time scorer and young stud melo.

your lineup will be solid and your owner will save money in the long run.

C- camby, nene
PF- sheed
SF- prince, kleiza
SG- iverson, smith
PG- stuckey

-barcus

by Anonymous on Jun 7, 2008 9:14 AM MDT reply actions  

@barcus - I don't think Detroit would ever do that trade, Stuckey is their next thing at PG/SG, he will inherit the team once Chauncey is gone.

So K-Mart has 3 years left on his contract? I don't follow the Nuggets so I don't know what they have been doing the past few years besides making brief playoff appearences...do you Nuggets fans believe that you guys should try to make a final push with AI/Melo/Camby?

When does Camby's contract end? If he comes off the books the same time as K-Mart, I guess you guys could try to get a FA in that year and maybe draft a PG that can be developed under Iverson. Though that might also mean a few more losing or 1st-round exit seasons.

by Jonny Drama on Jun 7, 2008 1:43 PM MDT reply actions  

there is no way anyone can defend kenyon martin, kobe and the lakers made him look like a lost little kid in the first round. he'll never win, the bad greatly outweighs those highlight dunks.

by Vince on Jun 8, 2008 7:39 AM MDT reply actions  

Yeah, Kenyon is one of the most awkward offensive players in the league. His idea of driving to the basket is running as fast as he can in an almost-straight light, completely out of control, and through the ball against the backboard like he's trying to break the glass. This move, which I call "The K-Mart" is reminiscent of what you might see at the local Y in the Accounts vs. IT Department game.

by Mateo on Jun 8, 2008 11:23 AM MDT reply actions  

I agree with everyone on the list, especially gadzuric, except for zach Randolph. Him being a "loser on every level" isn't that big a deal because look at the players he's surrounded with. He's doing fine.

by the other shammgod on Jun 8, 2008 1:22 PM MDT reply actions  

Yes, if the Nuggets will not fire Karl then, they must get a point guard in the worst way. Here are some thoughts, young points.

1. K. Hinrich - bulls
2. M. Williams - Nets
3. A. Law - Hawks

One of these three will work. I just say this Paul, Parker, Williams had to start somewhere.

by Anonymous on Jun 28, 2008 4:07 PM MDT reply actions  

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