The dissing of K-Mart continues...

by Andrew Feinstein on May 7, 2009 1:01 AM MDT

(Photo courtesy of Denver Stiffs reader Mordecai)

I know I'm late to the party on this one, but Denver Stiffs has had it with the dissing of Kenyon Martin.

First off, Denver Stiffs has been about as critical of K-Mart as anyone. The trade and subsequent max signing of K-Mart in 2004 has been derided routinely on this blog (as has K-Mart's refusal to develop a consistent mid-range jump shot), and last summer Denver Stiffs named K-Mart as the lead player on the All NBA Most Untradeable Team.

But as K-Mart's defenders have pointed out since Day 1 on this blog, it's not his fault that the Nuggets traded three number one picks for him and offered him a maximum contract. It's Kiki Vandeweghe's. And to K-Mart's credit, he could have gone the Darius Miles/Stephon Marbury/Steve Francis route and just been another bad guy collecting money from a bad contract, but instead he worked himself into impeccable shape to recover from two microfracture surgeries and came into Nuggets camp in 2008 with a renewed attitude, while admitting to his faults of previous seasons. (Unfortunately a consistent jump shot wasn't part of K-Mart's reformation project.)

In other words, before Chauncey Billups arrived and gave the Nuggets locker room the NBA version of "Extreme Makeover", K-Mart had already been a catalyst in changing the culture of the Nuggets.

And yet after the conclusion of his best ever season in a Nuggets uniform in which he was critical to the Nuggets winning 54 games, K-Mart has been fined $25,000 by the NBA for a routine hard foul on Dirk Nowitzki in Game 1, was given a completely unwarranted technical foul (his third in the postseason, seven is an automatic one game suspension) while walking away from Ryan Hollins who had horse collared him in Game 2 and didn't receive a single vote for the 2008-09 NBA All-Defensive Team, announced on Wednesday. Some might argue that K-Mart didn't appear in enough games (66 total) to qualify for either the Defensive First or Second Teams, but the Celtics' Kevin Garnett made the first team after appearing in just 57 games. For K-Mart to not receive a single vote is nothing short of blasphemy.

Fair or not, K-Mart is paying the price for years of having a surly reputation around the league. But how can the NBA justify fining K-Mart $25,000 for one mere hard foul while letting Rajon Rondo off the hook even though he's been a repeat offender this postseason? And does anyone honestly believe that Udonis Haslem, Ronnie Brewer, Andre Igoudala, Derek Fisher, Jason Kidd, Anderson Varejao, Kirk Hinrich, J.R. Smith (no joke! J.R. received two second place votes and K-Mart received none!), Trevor Ariza, Andrei Kirilenko, David Lee, Antonio McDyess, Travis Outlaw and Rasheed Wallace are more deserving of All-Defensive Team consideration than K-Mart? That's more laughable than David West getting voted as an All-Star over Carmelo Anthony.

Clearly, the NBA and the "vetted" sports writers who cover it have an agenda against K-Mart. As a former fierce critic of K-Mart, Denver Stiffs believes it's time to lay off the guy and measure him up against his peers, not against his past transgressions.

(For more on K-Mart's new attitude, his repaired relationship with Nuggets head coach George Karl and K-Mart's charity work to help people who stutter, I encourage you to re-visit my interview with 5280's Robert Sanchez who followed Karl closely earlier in the season).

On a side note, in response to an Anonymous Denver Stiffs commenter who asked for my take on the Denver Post's Mark Kiszla's suggestion that Nuggets Nation take up a collection to pay for K-Mart's $25,000 fine (when K-Mart has $32 million due to him over the next two seasons) I have to say I, too, found this to be ridiculous. I've applauded Kiszla in the past for being the only "vetted" Denver writer who's had the courage to call out what a bad job George Karl did up until this season, but he's a little out of line here.

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RONDO, fisher,kobe and everybody got and will get away from what they done in the playoffs nba where amazing happens

by Anonymous on May 7, 2009 3:39 AM MDT reply actions

I don't care. Let 'em play with a chip on his shoulder!

No one likes us - we don't care!

by Geerten on May 7, 2009 7:26 AM MDT reply actions

The Nuggets have something in spades that no other team can claim:

adversity.

Not just adversity but a continuing pedigree of problems that could individually sink the whole team.

Andersen - drugs
JR - driving and basic horrible behavior including death
Martin - attitude and injury
Nene - lackluster interest and cancer
Billups - rejection from Detroit
AC - Who is this guy????
Jones - who cares about this guy - a nobody
Kleiza - no consistency
Karl - post season loser and target of fans ire everywhere

Take Bird, for instance. If he came up with a hot urine, the Nuggs would pretty much be sunk. But I don't worry about it. Bird has found his nest and I would think he doesn't need the comfort of drugs.

Almost every member of this team has over come some horrible personal tragedy to become a team. Don't sell the team thing short. I am sick of watching Miami, Cleveland, and Los Angeles where there superstars handle the ball 50+% of the time. Face it it's boring. But - here in Denver, you can always count on the misfits to share the ball.

These are the reasons I love the Nuggets. The guys who individually are all wrong, collectively are all right. No one gave them a chance (like they didn't give Bird a chance - for instance). And here in the second set of playoff games, the Nuggets are proving themselves to be a great team in a league where individual play is prized the most and team play is forgotten.

by SpokenWar on May 7, 2009 8:27 AM MDT reply actions

I agree 100%. I love K-Mart's game, if not his contract. He is tough, he is physical and he makes the game interesting. If the league were all Kobe and Lebron, it would be awefully boring. Further, Kobe's fake tough guy act is week. You are either tough or your not, and K-Mart is the real deal. Without him, the Nuggets wouldn't be where they are this post-season.

P-Man

by Anonymous on May 7, 2009 8:53 AM MDT reply actions

Sorry..Kobe is weak, not week. P-Man

by Anonymous on May 7, 2009 8:54 AM MDT reply actions

Seriously, how many players careers are wrecked by ONE microfracture surgery? K-Mart is amazing. Don't forget his personal lifelong battle with whatever handicap he has that causes him to twitch and effects his speech.

I won't get into being the biggest K-Mart homer on here, I think most of you might already realize I am but yeah I agree, he was snubbed.

Ask Dirk and David West who the best defensive power forward in the league is.

by Eric K on May 7, 2009 8:54 AM MDT reply actions

I think George Karl's criticism had an effect in last night's Lakers' game. Derek Fisher's hit, in isolation, did not deserve a flagrant 2, but because the hit was so much harder relative to K-Mart's shove, the refs had to call it more severely than K-Mart's, or they'd really look clownish.

by magster on May 7, 2009 9:20 AM MDT reply actions

How many players have a blowout with their coach, get benched IN THE PLAYOFFS, and are man enough to come back, mend fences and put 100% into their game? That my friends is a pro's pro. Kenyon Martin is also an active community figure who gives both time and money to many different charities in the Denver area. He is being screwed royally.

by My3Cents on May 7, 2009 9:25 AM MDT reply actions

Erik K - Kmart stutters.

http://www.stutteringtreatment.org/aboutevents.php

Evidently, it was really bad for him as a kid (I remember some Altitude interview about this) and he is super active helping kids out today as the above link indicates. He is actually on the Board of Directors of the American Institute for Stuttering.

Regardless of his play on the court (which has been tremendous), I liked him ever since Altitude ran the story about this. And of course I agree that his 25K fine is absurd.

by Bee on May 7, 2009 9:34 AM MDT reply actions

i expect to see Kenyon receive more bad calls, leading up to a suspension - Possibly during round 3 against Los Angeles, if both teams make it that far.

Anything to help get the Cavs and Lakers to the finals and bring in the cash.

by jaiu on May 7, 2009 9:36 AM MDT reply actions

We'll see if Kobe gets fined/suspended for his elbow last night. Unlikely. If Kmart did that, automatic suspension as it is written in the rule book.

by KarlSucks on May 7, 2009 10:09 AM MDT reply actions

Kobe likely won't get suspended even though he should, Dwight Howard got suspended for a similar shot at Sam Dalembert.

The all defense teams are ridiculous. The coaches vote (can't vote for your own team) and D-Howard only got 28 votes. That means someone doesn't think he's one of the two best defensive centers in the league....

And JR Smith got a first team all defense vote, and not to put down JR who's been better on defense this year than before, but that is retarded. Maybe some coach got JR and KMart confused? That doesn't speak well for the coaches either.

by Eric B on May 7, 2009 11:13 AM MDT reply actions

I've gone ahead and updated the list (from your list) of players who should be considered along with Martin for defensive player honors.

Anderson Varejao, Trevor Ariza, Andrei Kirilenko

Don't sleep on Ariza or Varejao, they are both legit defenders. Martin should always be considered in the top 6 or 7 defenders in the league. I can't beleive that JR got some votes, they MUST'VE been done in jest.

by Robin Z on May 7, 2009 12:57 PM MDT reply actions

K-Mart has shown class in the face of all of this. He didn't stare down the refs or even complain. He's kept his mouth shut and continued to play ball. The NBA's one-sided-ness is bullox as far their punishment systems go. (if the have a system) There is a set of rules in writing for a reason, and Stu Jackson purposely ignores/shuns these rules. If the NBA were more consistant, players would be afraid of "acting out" from the go. Kobe knows that if Rohndo can get away with it, then he can too. I don't expect the league to do anything but keep silent.

As far as the defensive team selections go, that's laughable at best. Varejo AKA Side Show Bob over K-Mart? over Bird? OVER RATED!

I love basketball with a passion, but the NBA makes a mockery of a great sport and the greatest players the sport has seen. It's crap like this that let's me know that no matter how hard/well/effective/great the Nuggs play, the NBA will make sure that this season the WFC is their last stop.

The best shot blocker per 48 minutes is a Nugget. The best lock down defender at the forward position is a Nugget. One of the best defenders at SG is a Nugget. The Best PG in the post season has been a Nugget. The most electrifying scorer is a Nugget. The best team play comes from the Nuggets...And oh yeah Melo is "Tha Shit"

by Joelsopinion on May 7, 2009 12:58 PM MDT reply actions

SpokenWar - love your take on the personal issues on the players. You left out Melo, "don't snitch", DUI, Marijuana boy, judged (perhaps) unfairly against Lebron and D-Wade.

As for K-Mart, he's a great defender and impact player, although I don't think he rebounds enough. I also don't agree with him getting a technical the other night, but let's be real - he wasn't just trying to "walk away". The dude was trying to keep him from falling and he almost started a fight over it.

Finally, Melo has no business shooting 8 3's in a game.

by grantarchy on May 7, 2009 1:31 PM MDT reply actions

Actually, I think that hit on Dirk was, as Kiz said "worth every penny". I think it threw Dirk off his game (6 for 16 after being 6-6 before the foul. If each person who went to the next game paid $2, the fine is covered. And, you know what? I'd pay it.

by Anonymous on May 7, 2009 2:26 PM MDT reply actions

Bee, is that really all it is. He has a pop or click in his speech and has spasms (or whatever) that cause his head to jerk to one side or another. I thought it was more serious than stuttering. But I'll take your word for it.

And BTW, Kiszla would have been right on if he suggested that THE NUGGETS man up and help pay the fine.. but the fans? Um... no. Everyone including Karl should be giving K-Mart a handfull of cash and a wink and a nod for that move. It proved effective too I think. Dirty as all hell, yes, but effective and worth it. He has nothing to lose as far as image, regardless of how good a guy he is personally. His NBA image is what it is.

by Eric K on May 7, 2009 2:32 PM MDT reply actions

Oh and I find it very funny that K-Mart basically did to Dirk right off the rip what Dampier only foolishly talked about (then didn't do) to Parker in the 1st round.

Don't talk about it be about it!!!

LOL, Damp is terrible.

by Eric K on May 7, 2009 2:33 PM MDT reply actions

I love the new Stiff List Andrew. It's pretty hard to believe that the NBA actually has the balls to fine K-Mart for one incident in which he just pushed a guy, yet Rajon Rondo can knock a guy's teeth out in one game and in the very next game can grab a guy by the arm, drag him to the sidelines and throw him into the scorer's table and not get fined shit. We all know the NBA is corrupt, but they are doing such a bad job of concealing it these days, it's almost as if they want to get caught. I also loved how last night Kobe threw an elbow to the side of Ron Ron's (aka Travis Bickle) throat and Ron Ron is the one who gets the foul! How in the hell does that happen? The thing I love most, is how Ron Ron said "Hey, if the refs aren't going to do something about this, I will!" That is the kind of attitude every player not named Kobe Bryant or Rajon Rondo should have. All I know is Kobe is definitely going to be thinking twice about doing that again after the story Artest told in the locker room after the game, that is unless he actually wants a piece of plastic harpooned through his chest.

As for K-Mart, I am not surprised at all after the bs the NBA has pulled this year. First they pick David West over Melo for the All-Star game, then they snub both K-Mart and Birdmand for All-Defensive teams. But the thing that ticks me off the absolute most is that Kobe Bryant made first team All-NBA Defense over guys like Artest, Battier, K-Mart and even Wade. I just can't tell you how ticked off this makes me. I don't really mind CP3, James or Howard as they all have legit cases, but Kobe? WTF? It just makes me sick. All the NBA is in my eyes these days is the double-standard league of sports. We small market teams get it the worst though, like how Melo gets snubbed from the All-Star team and replaced by a far inferior David West because he missed time yet Garnett misses more time than K-Mart and still makes first team All-Defense. And how the hell is it that K-Mart didn't make any of the All-Defense teams, and didn't even get a vote! Again, I am just f*ing tired of the inconsistency. I just want a line drawn somewhere, that's all I want.

by GN on May 7, 2009 4:04 PM MDT reply actions

I hate to say it but the NBA playoffs are fixed to some extent. That being said......it will be Lakers vs Cavs in the finals because thats what the league wants.(mostly David Stern) It doesnt matter who these teams beat along the way but it will be those two, I will all but gaurantee it. The reason Tim Donaghay got in trouble for the gambling is because he wasnt gambling at all. The league got him caught to shut him up. The refs are told to be super allowing to certain players. The only way I wont believe the whole thing is a fix is if the league does the right thing and suspends Fisher and KoBe for game3. Thus causing the Lakers to loss the game and then the series. These specific players know they can get away with more because they know the "league" wants them in the finals. The league fining KMART is getting old and they need to level the playing field.

ALL I'M SAYING IS THAT IT'S FIXED!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

by JASON 1NUGS1 on May 7, 2009 4:08 PM MDT reply actions

Take the point of view of a child. kids see themselves through adults. if a child were to look at the nba they really don't have too many choices. the nba sells kobe and lebron. if you are a child, that is your choice. so, if you could be the world's best passer there is really no emphasis on passing.

now, i realize that this is an over simplification, but there is some truth to it.

by Anonymous on May 7, 2009 4:31 PM MDT reply actions

East Coast/West Coast bias at its fine-est.

Stu-pid Jackson continues to mete out penalties based on how the ratings will be effected.

If Rajon Rondo had fouled Pau Gasol the way he fouled Brad Miller, what would Stu-pid have done?

If Kevin Garnett had fouled Dirk (she's not my girlfriend) Nowitzki the way KMart did, what would Stu-pid have done?

If Rafer Alston ... never mind, he's Rafer Alston.

Point being, it's a continuation of Bi-Coastal bias and in it's own way ... Profiling.

Yup, I said it ... Profiling.

KMart gets a $25,000 fine because of how has behaved in the past? Kobe gats an F1? Screw Stu.

by My3Cents on May 7, 2009 4:36 PM MDT reply actions

Couldn't agree more. Glad to see there's more of us that appreciate KMarts work this season.

by NuggetsNugget on May 7, 2009 9:22 PM MDT reply actions

I am 35 years old and have been watching professional sports avidly since around the age of 5. In that amount of time I have watched 15 different teams win a superbowl, 13 different teams win a stanley cup, 18 different teams win a world series, but only 8 teams crowned NBA champs.

The NBA is fixed so the same teams go to the finals.

by Anonymous on May 8, 2009 2:01 AM MDT reply actions

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STIFF LIST (as of 2/7 by Andrew Feinstein)

1. THE NUGGETS AT HOME
How is it possible that a Nuggets team with this much talent can be 7-5 at home?! Things have gotten so bad that fans are clamoring for J.R. Smith to return.

2. CARMELO ANTHONY
Kobe Bryant plays through any and all ailments. Melo uses any and ailments as an excuse not to play.

3. KEVIN LOVE
Just when the T'Wolves are looking better, Love stomps on Luis Scola and lands himself a two-game suspension.

4. CHARLOTTE BOBCATS
The 'Cats have lost 11 straight and are now 3-21 ... in the Eastern Conference! This is what happens when you let an underwear salesman with a Hitler mustache run your team.

5. MIKE BROWN
Dr. Bunsen Honeydew (Google it!) got himself a one-game suspension for making contact with a referee.

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