Is it possible to play so well that fans actually start to panic?The situation I'm referring to is in Sacramento. The Kings are a modest 8-8, half a game out of eighth playoff spot in the west.
It doesn't sound like a great record, but given that they are 7-4 without guard Kevin Martin and his 30-ppg average, some Kings fans are starting to wonder if they are better off without him.
Martin is a big time scorer and has been getting to the line almost 10 times per game over the last four seasons.
There are two reasons why I would consider trading him. First, Martin does little else other than score the ball. He only gets a hand full of rebounds and his career high in assists is 2.7-per game.
For a player who is on the floor as much as he is (37-minutes per game over the last four seasons), it's not good enough.
The second reason is that Martin is injury prone. While no player chooses to become injured all the time, it's hard not to notice the fact that Martin missed 21 games in 2007-08, 31 last year and he's slated to miss at least another 15 on top of the 11 he's missed already with his fractured wrist.
Sacramento has a bright future with Tyreke Evans, Donte Green and Jason Thompson so maybe it's time they put out a few feelers out for Martin to see what they can get for him.
Certainly the Kings could use another scorer, just one who isn't injured as often as Martin.
*****
Still in the northeast and the despite boasting a 12-7 record, all is not well with the Portland Trail Blazers.
Portland lost at home to the Memphis Grizzlies last Friday, then got dumped by the Utah Jazz a night later.
The problem?
The Blazers seem to have too much offense. Brandon Roy is the teams undisputed leader. He's easily in the top 10 players in the league but this year his numbers are down. He's scoring about three points per game less than last year, but more importantly, despite taking fewer field goals, his percentage is down also.
Part of the reason stems from the fact that Greg Oden is finally becoming an option in Portland's offense. However, the problem is that he is taking up the lane more than he has done in the past, and that means that Roy - who loves to attack the hoop - can't get into the paint as often as he would like.
Portland has a brilliant head coach in Nate McMillan. He is one of the most underrated coaches in the league and because the Blazers made the playoffs last season, losses like the one at home to Memphis weren't part of the plan this year.
I think that it will all turn out ok for the Blazers. They are still young but behind Roy and Aldridge, they have a solid core. They're not quite ready to win it all just yet, but watch out in two or three years time.
*****
I think the Philadelphia 76ers would be mad to sign Allen Iverson.
On Monday, before the game against the Dallas Mavericks, Iverson and his entourage met with Sixers GM Ed Stefanski and head coach Eddie Jordan.
And, it appears that Philadelphia will roll the dice with their former golden boy.
This will end in tears. Iverson and Philly are done. They had 11 sometimes good years together, but a reunion now would be a disaster.
Iverson clearly has absolutely no desire to win a championship.
If he did, he wouldn't be going to play for Philadelphia again. Instead he would pester a team like the Lakers, Cavs or Celtics, telling them he's willing to do whatever he can to get his hands on the Larry O'Brien trophy.
But, nope. He wants to go back to being a ball hog in Philadelphia.
While the Sixers season isn't going to well (they've lost seven straight), the young nucleas of players they have such as Lou Williams and Marreese Speights gives Philadelphia a bright future. One that gets dimmed if Iverson returns.
Iverson should know also that the only reason the Sixers are interested is because of the spate of injuries they've suffered. Otherwise, they wouldn't consider it.
Nope, Iverson's time as a Sixer should be over. There's just no way that this story has a fairytale ending.
No comments:
Post a Comment