Martell Webster article

by bbfred on Jul 16, 2007 6:03 AM PDT

Jason Quick had a nice article today in the Oregonian about Martell. The Blazers hired a sports psychologist last year and sounds like Martell has been one of the primary beneficiaries.

http://blog.oregonlive.com/sportsupdates/2007/07/websters_finally_winning_head.html

This reminds me of an article I read years ago about John Smoltz, the all-star pitcher for the Atlanta Braves. His career began quite poorly, but after his sessions early on with a sports psychologist his career really took off. He has been one of the best pitchers in baseball for the last fifteen years or so.

I'm hoping for the same thing for Martell.

Tweet Comment 25 comments | 0 recs |

Do you like this story?

Comments

Here's to

hoping!

by drawingjeremy on Jul 16, 2007 7:38 AM PDT reply actions

yeah

he'll be good on his next team.

by fatty on Jul 16, 2007 8:03 AM PDT reply actions

agreed

Welcome Greg Oden

by junit3123 @ Blazer's Edge on Jul 16, 2007 9:03 AM PDT up reply actions

Patience

You are always touting KP. We both can agree that he knows what he's doing. We can also agree in hindsight Martell wasn't the best choice at the time.

Most high school players should go to college and Martell could be the posterchild for that arguement. But the Blazers drafted him and everyone said at the time it would take years for him to realize his potential. He wasn't drafted for what he could do last year or even this next year.

I think it would be more special if the Blazers win big with players that have developed and grown together and become great while part of the team. I don't think it would be as special if the team were cobbled together with Paul Allen's money buying established All-Stars.

The questions about Martell are understandable. But it sounds like he is capable and willing to improve his attitude and work on his game.

I'm curious - exactly what is the definition of a bandwagon fan? Wouldn't that be someone who loses patience and stops supporting the team and the players when things don't go well?

by bbfred on Jul 16, 2007 11:08 AM PDT up reply actions

Bandwagon fans

The people I think of as bandwagon fans are the ones who jump on board and root for a team when its a proven winner and the alleged bandwagon fan is expecting the team to win again. Teams that have garnered a big bandwagon following from my point of view:

80's Celtics
80's Lakers
90's Bulls
2000-2002 Lakers
90's Cowboys
80 49ers
2000s Patriots
90's/2000's Yankees
University of Alabama Football team (1960s-present)

That last one is biased because I'm an Auburn graduate/fan. I would say that the average Bama fan (who will characterize himself as "die hard" hasn't ever seen the campus or gone to one of the games.The common theme is bandwagon fans tend to jump on board with dynasties. The other big thing about bandwagon fans is they won't root/care for the team after its stops winning.

by WarEaglePDX on Jul 17, 2007 8:55 AM PDT up reply actions

oh and about KP

I actually quote him not only because I think he knows what he is doing (I don't doubt that), but because he holds the keys to the trade machine/franchise's future.

by WarEaglePDX on Jul 17, 2007 8:59 AM PDT up reply actions

Martell a closing/starting pitcher?

Your hoping Web becomes one of the best pitchers in baseball? Just kidding......

An important peice of that article was when Pritchard said he expects Webster "to challenge to start (at small forward) and play big minutes" this season followed by:

"And if he's not ready, then he's not ready," Pritchard said. "But the key with Martell is he wants to be great. But he wants it to happen now, and he is over-anxious for it, instead of being patient and let it organically come. He's a young kid (20), we like him, and he's not going anywhere."

Conclusion (for now): Webster isn't going to be a part of any trade, is sliding over to the 3(you called it Ojala), and maybe the trade talks for bringing in a starting caliber SF have died off.

by WarEaglePDX on Jul 16, 2007 8:57 AM PDT reply actions

The Potential Martel

Webster accomplished in summer league just what he has in the rest of his career: was generally disappointing, but had enough flashes of shooting and athleticism to keep management and fans hoping.

If portland was to design a SF who would best fit with their projected line-up, the "potential" martel would be an almost perfect prototype.

Hiring a therapist seems to be a little bit desperate.

But I think the patience of the coaches and management is wearing thin. And considering that Pritchard & staff are angling toward cap space on July 1, 2009, martel's projected 5 million salary then is quite significant.

If martel continues to be inconsistent and disappointing in the first part of next season, expect him to be traded for a player whose contract expires before July 1, 2009.

by moldorf on Jul 16, 2007 11:39 AM PDT reply actions

ok. but...

I don't think getting a therapist involved in a sign of weakness or how Martell is just in awful shape. My guess is that most professional athletes could use some therapy to be honest.

In any event, Martell was looking better at the end of the summer league. I think more than anything, what seemed to be the case with Martell was that it takes him a long time to get comfortable in the offense and defense with people he's not used to playing with. If he starts to get more time on the floor I expect him to become more consistent... its just a matter if he can earn that time.

by wilbjammin on Jul 16, 2007 7:59 PM PDT up reply actions

sorry...I don't agree

you said: "what seemed to be the case with Martell was that it takes him a long time to get comfortable in the offense and defense with people he's not used to playing with. "

martel aveaged 21 minutes a game this year and played in all 82 games. That's about 40 seconds a game less then Aldridge, 90 seconds a game less then Outlaw,and over 8 minutes a game MORE then Sergio. Does it take him 5 or 6 years to "get comfortable"??

I understand he's young. But all of these excuses people keep coming up with as to why Martel is a disappointment to this point in time are a bit stale.

People are confusing athleticism with talent. Martel has the first, but he hasn't diplayed a lot of talent yet. He's supposed to be this great pure shooter, yet his career FG% is UNDER 40%.

It's ok with me if the blazers and the fans want to "wait" for martel to develop. It's foolish however to believe that raw athletic ability will suddenly morph into basketball talent and skills.

by moldorf on Jul 16, 2007 9:04 PM PDT up reply actions

Athletecism convrst to talent when.....

a guy figures out the mental aspect of the game. Maturity is what is holding Web back. Forunately, Maturity tends to come with age, and Web is still extremely young for the NBA game. Name me a perimeter player not named Kobe/Lebron who makes a serious impact at age 20 or earlier in the league? Its extremely, extremely rare. You might call this argument stale, but its simply the case. Its not a complex argument to say that patience is what is needed with a 20 year old kid who hasn't figured it out yet.

by WarEaglePDX on Jul 17, 2007 9:08 AM PDT up reply actions

Martell

Hiring a counseler is not desperate and if you read the article you would see that the person has been on staff. The fact that they are up front about this shows me that they are not afraid to let Martell grow into the potential player he should and we want him to be. If KP is smart and I think he has shown that he is, he'll sit on Martell long after you've all written a million articles trying to trade him and only letting him go when he no longer believes he'll be a great NBA player.

That is unless someone wants him in a great trade of course but I don't think anyone really does at this point.

I love women and basketball... but not women's basketball.

by T REX on Jul 16, 2007 11:56 AM PDT reply actions

not logical I'm afraid.....

What?? you said: "The fact that they are up front about this shows me that they are not afraid to let Martell grow into the potential player he should and we want him to be."

I'm sorry but that just doesn't make sense. I don't see how letting martel see the team shrink proves or disproves and level of "fear" on the part of team officials. Unless of course the fear they have is that martel will never develop and it's time for drastic measures.

You're right; KP is smart. He's smart enough to have judged martel as fit for a add-on to the Zach trade. In other words, martel's value to the team, as judged by KP, was worth dumping simply for the opportunity of getting rid of Randolph. It was Tom Penn who figured out the trade exception aspect that kept martel around.

So your extolling the virtue of KP as a defender of martel doesn't withstand scrutiny.

by moldorf on Jul 16, 2007 9:16 PM PDT up reply actions

I think it is pretty simple,

If Martell can pull about 8 and 5 (or 12 and 3) a night without playing completely porous defense then his job will be safe and we will all stop whining about Martell. If he goes back to 5 and 2 with a sour attitude then he doesn't get re-signed. I know that is a shade simplistic but he has a year to get right or look for a job somewhere else. He has the shooting skills, fair athleticism, and is a good rebounder he only needs to put it all together in a reliable package. If he does that he WILL be good for whatever team he plays for.

I got my front court aLaMOde!!

by shenanigans on Jul 16, 2007 12:11 PM PDT reply actions

I don't know if anyone remembers

Rick Ankiel. Pitcher for the Cards, had great stuff and could hit for power. One day just couldn't throw the ball over the plate. Got sent to the minors and everyone wanted to see the wild armed pitcher. Well he got a lot of physchological counseling and now he leads AAA in homers and among the leaders in RBI, and will be in the majors this season. Another pitcher analogy, but who knows if that's Martell's problem. We just have to wait and see and how he gets better, no use vcrying over spilled CP3.

by morescrillaigots on Jul 16, 2007 12:18 PM PDT reply actions

Pitchers

There are tons of stories like that. Some with happier endings than others. For some reason the strike zone is a real head-messer-upper. This is pure speculation, but I imagine the only place where this is comparable in basketball would be the free throw line and the spot up 3 pointer. Things where you have time for the head to get in the way. I think (and I should point out that I don't actually know) Martell's problems tend to be more about dealing with the emotional dynamics of the game. He's 19. NBA superstar is his first job out of high-school. The stresses and pressures and power dynamics of that are probably a little overwhelming for a kid. Plus there's the whole ego-inflation/deflation combo of instantly becoming a millionaire pro-athlete and then being benched on a losing team most of the time. The kid's gonna be fine. The whole becoming an adult thing is just awkward.

by Jumbo on Jul 16, 2007 12:34 PM PDT up reply actions

Here's a question

If Martell wasn't taken with a lottery pick that could have been CP3 or DW, would your opinion of him change? Pro or con? If he didn't have the high expectations of being chosen at #6, would folks not be so quick to tag him with the "bust" label? Conversely, had he been a, say, second round pick (and thus didn't have the same level of commitment from the team), would he even still be here, or would he have been cut long ago?

A key bit of advice for investors, which applies in sports:

When considering whether to buy/sell/hold a stock, only consider where you think the stock is going. Never consider where the stock used to be. A common mistake made by investors is buying an overpriced stock, watching it tank, and then holding on to it in the hopes that it will someday rebound to the original purchase price. The opposite mistake is disposing of a stock that goes down in value (often times, selling at its lowest point), based on the stock's failure to live up to initial expectations. In both cases, the wise course of action is to determine where you think the stock will go in the future. The price you initially paid for the stock simply shouldn't matter.

And so it is with Martell.

by EngineerScotty on Jul 16, 2007 12:42 PM PDT reply actions

great post

Webster is no worse than Outlaw was going into year 3 out of HS. He is still worth hanging onto.

by jksnake99 on Jul 16, 2007 12:55 PM PDT up reply actions

It's called

a "sunk cost analysis." You're exactly right.

by jamon51 on Jul 16, 2007 1:43 PM PDT up reply actions

difficult analogy

we're talking about a human being here... not a widget. At least in this case he's not breaking laws.

This is a longer-term investment. You can't gauge the value of a 3-year investment by the returns just through the second year. See what happens next year, then decide when you're forced to pay more if you want to keep him.

by wilbjammin on Jul 16, 2007 8:05 PM PDT up reply actions

Decision by February

I think "seeing what happens next year" is the plan. But it will only be about the 1st third of the season that matters. If martel continues along as he has, I think KP will trade him before the deadline. And he will be traded for a player whose contract expires before july 1, 2009. Martel's 5 million salary that year is simply too big a target in the blazer's cap space plan to ignore.

by moldorf on Jul 16, 2007 9:32 PM PDT up reply actions

If...If....If

yes, portland paid a high price for martel when judged by his draft position. That will always factor in the evaluations of him.

The fact is, martel has been a rather poor performing player on a rather poor performing team.

He's fortunate to be on a team with such unproven assets at SG and SF.

Right now, he may be portland's best opportunity for having an effective SF a couple of years from now...that's why he's still on the team.

But the blazers are starting to load up on talent and if fernandez joins them next year, martel's minutes could completely vanish.

His window of opportunity is closing....

by moldorf on Jul 16, 2007 9:28 PM PDT up reply actions

Baseball = Basketball

I sat next to Martell's two buddies at the
last game of the season. The conversation revolved
around his need for improvement and summer plans.
Apparently, he was headed to LA to work with a
Sports Psych and personal trainer. These were two
very nice young men, who seemed to really care
about Martell. I got a really good vibe about them
and Martell.
Having been a college baseball pitcher and
long time baseball coach, I think I can speak to
the mental aspects of young athletes. 17 to 22 is
a big time growth period in a young athlete at
the HS, college or professional level. I've coached college players who have gone on to pro ball and it's very rare to find a kid who is
ready to dominate at that age. Perhaps one out
of several thousand is ready to compete at the
Major League level, physically and MENTALLY.
Pitchers and shooters in particular are very
similiar. They both use a skill that requires
very fine motor control and balance. In Martell's
case, I think the physical aspect is already
in place. The confidence and ability to train
his mind to succede/overcome adversity is
still developing. In most cases, great shooters
take time to develop. Many of you love R Lewis.
It took him 3 to 4 years to get his outside shot
consistant. Coming out of HS is tough, as a lot
of the mental training can come at the college
level; in and out of the classroom.
Let's give him some more time !

It's GO time !

by walkoff41 on Jul 16, 2007 12:55 PM PDT reply actions

Great in live in the Emerald City!

(Eugene that is). Where the Wizard can give the Lion a Badge-of-Courage and he is the player should be.
If only the Scarecrow wanted to get a brain and the Tin Woodsman a heart.
Outlaw is probably getting a tutor to instill BB savvy as you read this.
Miles... well Miles getting a love-of-the-game heart is going to be a though one for the Wizard.
But, this is the Land of Oz.

spencer

by Eugenefan on Jul 16, 2007 1:09 PM PDT reply actions

I think that they were hinting at his family probs

I dont know what they are but it seems that this "sports therapist" might be more of just a therapist. Martell is a very young man that didnt have a normal healthy childhood from speculation that I have read. Maybe he just needs someone to help him mature past some of those problems.

by myemic23 on Jul 16, 2007 3:14 PM PDT reply actions