Kenyon Martin Sr. Rumors | Hoops Rumors

Atlantic Links: Martin, Knicks, Sixers, Green

March 8th, 2013 at 12:07pm CST by Luke Adams

The Knicks lost a nailbiter at Madison Square Garden last night against the Thunder, but still hold a three-game lead in the Atlantic Division. Tonight, the Nets and Celtics will host the Wizards and Hawks, respectively, as they look to make up a half-game in the standings. Here's the latest out of the Atlantic:

Kenyon Martin played a season-high 17 minutes last night, and made a strong case for a rest-of-season contract, writes Jared Zwerling of ESPNNewYork.com. As Zwerling notes, Ronnie Brewer, the player the Knicks traded to Oklahoma City to clear a spot for Martin, received a DNP-CD for the Thunder.
In a video for Philly.com, Bob Ford of the Philadelphia Inquirer and Noah Coslov of CineSport argue that it doesn't make sense for the Sixers to re-sign Andrew Bynum in free agency this summer.
Mark Murphy of the Boston Herald spoke to Jeff Green about the heart condition that kept him out of action last season, and the trade that originally sent him to the Celtics for Kendrick Perkins. "I didn’t put that pressure on myself, but I felt that people put pressure on me to be who Kendrick was," Green said. "We were two different people and players, and I don’t think people understood that. This was one of the true Celtics who was leaving, and they figured since I was coming in that I was going to be the same. But we’re two different players, two different personalities."

Atlantic Notes: Martin, Nets, Raptors, Alabi

March 7th, 2013 at 3:11pm CST by Luke Adams

One day after the Atlantic's five teams went 4-1 – only the slumping Sixers failed to pick up a victory – the Knicks will look to continue the division's winning ways against the Thunder at Madison Square Garden tonight. As we look forward to that game, let's check out a few notes from around the division….

Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com isn't sure why Kenyon Martin has only played five minutes in his first six games with the Knicks. Martin is on his second 10-day contract, so if he's going to remain with the team beyond his current deal, he should be included in an expanded version of the rotation, says Begley.
Nets CEO Brett Yormark declined comment when asked about P.J. Carlesimo's performance as head coach, which Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News finds interesting.
According to Bruce Arthur of the National Post, the Raptors' roster is "full of overstuffed contracts and puzzle pieces that won’t fit," which is reminiscent of past Raptors teams.
With their playoff hopes on life support, the Raptors need to look the future and start playing guys like Terrence Ross and Jonas Valanciunas more, says Eric Koreen of the National Post.
Former Raptor Solomon Alabi has signed with Ikaros Kallitheas of Greece, according to Emiliano Carchia of Sportando (via Twitter). The 7'1" center played 26 games in two seasons with the Raptors, and was in camp with the Hornets last fall.

Knicks Re-Sign Kenyon Martin

March 5th, 2013 at 11:10am CST by Chuck Myron

TUESDAY, 11:10am: The Knicks have officially signed Martin to a second 10-day contract, according to the team (Twitter link). The deal will expire next Thursday night, at which point the Knicks would have to sign Martin for the season if they want to keep him around.

SUNDAY, 10:46am: The Knicks will re-sign Kenyon Martin to another 10-day contract after his current deal expires tomorrow night, coach Mike Woodson told reporters today, including Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com (Twitter link). It's likely Martin will remain with the team for the rest of the season, as Woodson indicated earlier. The 35-year-old big man joined the Knicks on February 23rd, after the team had opened up a roster spot by trading Ronnie Brewer to the Thunder.

Martin was perhaps the most prominent free agent not to sign with a team in the offseason, as he held out for an offer of better than the minimum salary. The Knicks showed interest at various points before the two sides finally agreed to terms. Martin is the first former No. 1 overall pick to sign a 10-day contract, and though the short-term, minimum-salary pact is far from what he envisioned, Martin has spoken about his gratitude for the opportunity to dispel critics who've questioned his ability to get along in a locker room.

Differences between Martin and Clippers coach Vinny Del Negro reportedly dissuaded L.A. from bringing him back this year. Last season with the Clippers, his numbers bottomed out virtually across the board, and he failed to make a start for the first time in his career. Martin has seen action in just one game for the Knicks so far, totaling five minutes.

Atlantic Notes: Knicks, Sheed, Martin, Bynum

March 2nd, 2013 at 6:19pm CST by Sean Highkin

The latest news and notes from around the Atlantic Division:

Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com writes that the Knicks chose not to waive Rasheed Wallace because they want him to have the option to come back in time for the playoffs.
Marc Berman of the New York Post tweets that head coach Mike Woodson believes Wallace's surgery was successful and there is a chance he could still play this season.
Chris Tomasson of Fox Sports Florida notes that Kenyon Martin is the first top overall pick in NBA history to sign a 10-day contract.
Ric Bucher of CSN Bay Area reports that Andrew Bynum's knees have a degenerative condition.

Odds & Ends: D-Will, Kenyon, Blake, Thunder

March 1st, 2013 at 11:15pm CST by Chuck Myron

The Magic have given a higher percentage of their minutes to players who weren't on their roster last season than any other team in the league, notes Jonathan Feigen of the Houston Chronicle. Orlando has given 66% of its minutes to newcomers, while the Rockets are second, with 64% of their minutes going to players who weren't with them in 2011/12. Both clubs made a blockbuster deal before the season, and both were involved in smaller swaps at the trade deadline, further altering their compositions. Here's more on players coming and going from around the league:

Bill Ingram of HoopsWorld revists Deron Williams' choice of the Nets over the Mavericks, opining that Dallas wouldn't have been a playoff team this year even with D-Will. Ingram also caught up with J.J. Redick and Stan Van Gundy.
Kenyon Martin didn't play in tonight's game and has only seen five minutes of action more than halfway through his 10-day contract, but as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com observes, Knicks coach Mike Woodson indicated the team is likely to keep him around after his current deal expires. "Kenyon's not going nowhere, he's here," Woodson said (Twitter link).
Luke Adams of Hoops Rumors identified him as an amnesty candidate earlier today, but as Dave McMenamin of ESPNLosAngeles.com chronicles, Blake has recently been playing some of his best ball as a member of the Lakers.
The Oklahoman's Berry Tramel, with the help ofSalary Cap FAQ contributor Jon Hamm, examines the Thunder's payroll for the next few seasons and looks at how they can minimize their tax hit.
Fellow Oklahoman scribe Darnell Mayberry praises the subtle moves the Thunder made at the deadline, and expects such tweaking to become the norm with Kevin Durant, Russell Westbrook and Serge Ibaka occupying so much room on the payroll.

Odds & Ends: Free Agency, Kevin Martin, Nash, Magic

February 28th, 2013 at 5:58pm CST by Ryan Raroque

Alex Kennedy of HoopsWorld says that last week's quiet deadline could lead to a noisy offseason this year, with quite a handful of those who were rumored to be moved set to hit free agency. Kennedy provides a list of this summer's top 20 free agents along with a primer of each player's situation to boot. One interesting situation involves Oklahoma City's Kevin Martin, who has already been given the impression that the Thunder would like to keep him for the long-term. However, Kennedy opines that a strong post-season could increase the shooting guard's stock to the point where Oklahoma City may have to let him go – as they did with James Harden – if his price tag becomes too high. Here are a few more tidbits we've gathered up from the NBA this evening:

The Pistons figure to have the task of re-signing Jose Calderon as one of their top priorities this summer, writes David Mayo of MLive.com. However, Mayo thinks that the team's lack of practice time has hindered Calderon's efforts in trying to become acclimated in Detroit.
Channing Frye discusses the mental toughness he's developed as he continues to sit out from a heart ailment that caused him to miss the season (Stefan Swiat of Suns.com).
While the Lakers' regular season has been disappointing so far to say the least, Steve Nash tells Sam Amick of USA Today that if given the opportunity to revisit last year's offseason: "Ten out of ten times, I make the same decision again." Nash's agent, Bill Duffy, thinks that the point guard would have considered retirement if they were unable to get a deal to Los Angeles done.
Don't expect anyone from the Magic roster to shake free anytime soon, as Josh Robbins of the Orlando Sentinel (via Twitter) says that the team isn't planning to buy out or waive anyone before the March 1st buyout deadline.
Newly acquired Tobias Harris offered his thoughts on being traded to the Magic and the opportunity that lies ahead for him on a young team looking to build for the future (Steve Kyler of HoopsWorld reports).
Current ESPN analyst and former NBA head coach Flip Saunders remains open to coaching again, whether it be in the NBA or the college ranks, writes Kent Youngblood of the Star Tribune: "I'm keeping my options open…If the right situation comes along? I'll evaluate that. I want to be able to build something, want to go to a place where something can be accomplished.''
D-League standout Henry Sims of the Erie Bayhawks could be given a chance to join the Knicks depending on how Kenyon Martin fares during his 10-day contract, notes ESPN New York's Jared Zwerling. One NBA scout thinks that Sims has played well enough to be on an NBA roster next season at the very least.

Atlantic Notes: Rivers, Williams, Martin, Raptors

February 28th, 2013 at 3:09pm CST by Luke Adams

With Mike Krzyzewski likely having coached in his last Olympics, there's a "near-unanimous feeling in basketball circles" that Spurs head coach Gregg Popovich is the logical choice to replace him for 2016, writes Ken Berger of CBSSports.com. But a source briefed on internal discussions regarding Coach K's replacement tells Berger that Celtics coach Doc Rivers shouldn't be ruled out.

"With Doc, I think it would keep the same chemistry going," a source told Berger. "If Pop comes in, he would want his own way of doing it – kind of the Spurs' secretive way of doing things – and out of Jerry [Colangelo]'s norm."

As Rivers and the Celtics prepare for tomorrow night's game against the Warriors, let's check in on a few other items from around the Atlantic Division:

Former Celtics coach Rick Pitino, who coached Terrence Williams at Louisville, tells Steve Bulpett of the Boston Herald that he believes Williams could be a great fit in Boston.
Kenyon Martin isn't losing sleep over whether or not the Knicks will hang on to him beyond his first 10-day contract, as he tells Al Iannazzone of Newsday. "If what I do merits for me to be here the rest of the year, then I will be," Martin said. "And if not, then I won't. But I think the way my game is and the way I play, I'll let my play speak for itself."
Ryan Wolstat of the Toronto Sun acknowledges that it will hurt Andrea Bargnani's offseason trade value if the Raptors bench him now. However, Wolstat thinks it must be done, since Bargnani's current performance isn't helping the team or his trade value anyway.
The Sixers helped create their current mess by sending a message to the team that Andrew Bynum was the only player who mattered, opines Marcus Hayes of the Philadelphia Daily News.

Eastern Rumors: Kenyon, Celtics, Morrow, Cavs

February 23rd, 2013 at 5:00pm CST by Chuck Myron

After all the pre-deadline rumors about Josh Smith, Kevin Garnett, Paul Pierce and Rajon Rondo changing places, more than a few people around the NBA might have been scratching their heads when none of them were dealt. A check of the standings reveals that both the Hawks and Celtics are within reach of high playoff seeds, so perhaps both teams felt like they could make a run with their teams largely intact. Atlanta is just three games back of the Pacers, who sit in second-place, while Boston trails Indiana by five games. While we wait to see how a tightly packed East shakes out, here's the latest from the conference:

Kenyon Martin is on a 10-day contract with the Knicks, but GM Glen Grunwald is hopeful the arrangement lasts for the rest of the season, as Ian Begley of ESPNNewYork.com documents. The veteran big man is glad months of waiting to rejoin the NBA are at an end, and he's eager to dispel criticism about his ability to fit in a team's locker room culture, Begley also writes.
The Celtics are close to signing D.J. White, but coach Doc Rivers said the team will look for another big man as well. Greg Payne of ESPNBoston.com runs down a few likely candidates.
Anthony Morrow, whom the Mavs acquired at the deadline for Dahntay Jones, is glad to be in Dallas, and hinted at displeasure about his time with the Hawks, as Earl K. Sneed of Mavs.com notes via Twitter. "I feel so blessed to be here, coming from my last situation," Morrow said.
A half dozen draft picks changed hands at the trade deadline, but all of them were second-rounders. That's why Terry Pluto of The Plain Dealer thinks the Cavs were shrewd to acquire a first-rounder from the Grizzlies as part of their swap last month.

Knicks Sign Kenyon Martin To 10-Day Contract

February 23rd, 2013 at 10:53am CST by Sean Highkin

SATURDAY, 10:53pm: The Knicks have officially added Martin, per John Schuhmann of NBA.com (via Twitter).

THURSDAY, 4:20pm: The New York Knicks will sign veteran forward Kenyon Martin to a 10-day contract, Marc J. Spears of Yahoo! Sports reports (via Twitter). The team had cleared a roster spot earlier Thursday by moving forward Ronnie Brewer to the Thunder for a future second-round pick.

Martin, 35, last played in the NBA for the Clippers in 2011/12, averaging 5.2 PPG and 4.3 RPG in 42 games.

Eastern Notes: Bucks, Warrick, Ohlbrecht

February 22nd, 2013 at 6:04pm CST by Daniel Seco

The calm after the deadline storm has teams reconfiguring lineups and making minor moves to fill out open roster spots for the remainder of the season or simply the next 10 days. Let's catch up around the Eastern Conference for the latest news and stories making headlines.

The Bucks made the move to acquire J.J. Redick with the mindset of winning this season, according to ESPN.com (courtesy of the Associated Press). With a deep backcourt, Milwaukee will look to secure the seventh or eighth seed and shoot its way beyond the first round of the playoffs.
Don't expect Hakim Warrick to be out of work long if the Magic decide to release the former Syracuse star, writes Rick Bonnell of the Charlotte Observer (via Twitter). Bonnell points to the Celtics as a possible landing spot to help provide depth off the bench.
D-League big man Tim Ohlbrecht reportedly turned down a 10-day contract from the Celtics, says Sportando. The German center has spent the season with the Rio Grande Valley Vipers where he has averaged 13.3 PPG and 7.3 PPG.
Nets GM Billy King denies having had any interest in signing the newest member of the Knicks, Kenyon Martin, as the team already has enough frontcourt players at this point in the season, says Stefan Bondy of the New York Daily News.