Good feature on Martell Webster in the Columbian

ignacio

by ignacio on Aug 21, 2009 8:54 PM PDT up reply actions

Great article.

I still forget how young this kid is.

The cowards never started
The weak died along the way
Only the strong survived
They were the Trailblazers

by lukeyhere on Aug 21, 2009 12:28 PM PDT reply actions

Crazy

He’s the same age as Dante Cunningham. Hard to believe.

If he could step in and do many of the good things Trout did last year – nail the open three, occasionally create off the dribble – and bring better defense and passing, it would provide a big big boost to the Blazers.

Will be very interesting to see how the PT shakes out at SF if nobody gets moved.

Q: Is Greg favoring his knee?
Frye: He favors dunking on your head, that's what he favors.

by KP Corleone on Aug 23, 2009 1:13 PM PDT up reply actions

Here’s to Martell having a smoother comeback than Greg.

Backcourt game - 24/7

by pxilpooshr on Aug 21, 2009 12:30 PM PDT reply actions 1 recs

Let it be so.

*Unless KP has a secret plan that makes this statement incorrect.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><> ><>

by staylost on Aug 21, 2009 2:03 PM PDT up reply actions

I love Martell.

Call me crazy, but does anyone else feel like he is a way more viable long term solution than Rudy Fernandez?

by Nick Van Excellent on Aug 21, 2009 12:37 PM PDT reply actions

i agree

bayless leaves over my dead body
andre miller>hedo

by thomasikehara on Aug 21, 2009 12:43 PM PDT up reply actions

Yes.

The Definition is here to stay!

I miss Martell. Come back soon!

by mannyfresh1 on Aug 21, 2009 1:05 PM PDT up reply actions

Webster seems to be committed to the NW

Rudy likes Portland and his teammates, but I could see him asking “out” PDQ if his PT/role doesn’t “progress” in years to come (this is based on an article that animart1 posted, in early July)

Martell doesn’t have a direct positional conflict with Roy. Rudy does

Rudy’s contract is very cheap and he will be an extremely attractive trade target for any GM who needs a starting SG in the next 18-24 months. By then I suspect Rudly and his agent will be ready for the next challenge, and it will be up to KP to flip him for the best deal possible at teh most-opportune moment

here’s hoping KP doesn’t hold onto Rudy “too long” and see his trade value diminish, like he did with Sergio and RLEC…ideally you want to move the player before his agent starts making trade demands to realize the best “leverage” with the acquiring team/GM

When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Aug 21, 2009 1:55 PM PDT up reply actions

Yep.

I also think Webster has a better skill set than Rudy for this team. He was assigned the task of guarding Lebron and Kobe before Batum was here. It will be interesting to see how well Webster does defensively when he’s not always guarding the best wing on the floor.

by Nick Van Excellent on Aug 21, 2009 2:25 PM PDT up reply actions

I think Rudy fits in well

it’s just that he and Roy can only guard shooting guards, and you can’t “count” on the opponents playing a 3-guard lineup often enough to keep Rudy happy with his minutes

Rudy weighs 195-200, Roy weighs 207. Batum is a better wing defender at this weight and Webster plays around 225, so he’s better suited to defend the bigger SFs. I expect Nic to add muscle to his frame (age 20) but Rudy seems like he’s always going to have a “wirey” body type

A player’s position is defined by who he can guard. Roy and Rudy are SGs, and there’s just not enough PT for the two of them

I have no “read” on how good Martell will become, much depends on his recovery. He certainly fits the culture, ever since he got past the “uncoachable” stage of his career that was touched upon again in those Columbian articles.

Ironic Webster trivia: If not for Tom Penn mentioning the potential trade exception in the Z-bo deal (that was used to acquire James Jones) it would’ve been Martell who went to the Knicks, instead of Fred Jones

When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Aug 21, 2009 3:50 PM PDT up reply actions

I don't think Rudy fits well at all.

He’s a terrific player and it’s certainly not his fault, it’s just the way the roster’s built. We have a billion guys who are top notch three point shooters and exactly one guy who can guard the perimeter super effectively. Rudy also plays the exact same position as our franchise player which basically creates a 25 mpg glass ceiling.

He’s a gazelle on the slowest team in the league. He thrives on ball movement, but our offense is built around isolation plays. He looks frustrated standing in the corner waiting to shoot an open three. James Jones could have done that. Ime Udoka could have done that. Travis Outlaw can do that. Same with Webster and Batum.

Everything’s fine if he’s content being a 3 point specialist coming off the bench, but I just don’t see that. He’s too talented. This will not end well if he makes it to free agency.

by Nick Van Excellent on Aug 22, 2009 12:54 PM PDT up reply actions

Somehow I doubt he makes it to free agency

he’s currently signed through 2013 and unless something unspeakable happens to Roy (or the rest of the NBA adopts the 3 guard offense as the norm) there won’t be enough PT for Rudy to increase his role to match his talent

I do think Rudy will be one of the main beneficiaries of Miller bringing an uptempo style to the Blazers, the more those two are on the court together the better it will be for Rudy. (This could be another reason why Nate is talking about starting Blake at PG?)

But I keep going back to that contract and ask myself…why would Rudy sign such a long deal when he could’ve made more $$$ overseas? The best explanation I can come up with is that he got “assurances” from KP and Paul Allen that if he improves his game to all-star caliber they’ll make it worth his while, down the road. What that means exactly I can’t say, but if Roy stays healthy and the rest of the league doesn’t embrace the 3-guard lineup then I’m already on record that Rudy has about 18-24 months left in PDX before he gets antsy and requests a deal to a better situation.

The parallels to Drazen Petrovic are eerily similar

When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Aug 22, 2009 7:03 PM PDT up reply actions

"why would Rudy sign such a long deal when he could’ve made more $$$ overseas?"

I think he said he came to the NBA simply because he wanted to play with the best players, and that sounds plausible to me. I don’t think he had a really high salary contract yet in Europe, so at least it wasn’t like he was moving way down in salary. I also suspect he had some endorsement deals in Europe before coming over and his agent was probably able to get more endorsements for him because he is in the NBA now.

Yes, the parallels with Drazen are amazing, but I think that was clearly foreseeable by the Blazers, and remember Drazen was also under Paul Allen’s ownership. That is one reason I don’t think they will trade Rudy away without an extremely good deal. I suspect Paul would get very involved before any deal for Rudy is made.

[two4larue knows this but in case someone else might not – Rudy had no choice if he wanted to come to the Blazers within 3 years of being drafted in 2007 except to sign the standard 1st round draft pick contract (2 guaranteed years + 2 team option years at the standard rookie salary scale)].

by BlazerFanSince1970 on Aug 22, 2009 11:51 PM PDT up reply actions

Yes, the parallels with Drazen are amazing, but I think that was clearly foreseeable by the Blazers,

I don’t know if the situation was clearly foreseeable. During training camp last year one of the first lineups they looked at was starting Rudy at SG and Roy at SF. Nate said he hated it.

“Last night looking at that, I didn’t like it right from the bat,‘’ McMillan said. "Because all of the sudden Brandon goes from guarding (Eric) Gordon to guarding (Al) Thornton – and that’s a big difference. He takes a pounding. With those bigger guys he will take a pounding and that can wear on him."-Jason Quick

Also, before the Olympics I remember Webster saying that he thought Rudy was going to be playing a lot of PG. He seemed surprised when he was told Fernandez played SG in Spain and said something like, there’s no way he plays SG because B-Roy’s got those minutes locked up.

I think it’s entirely possible that the Blazers were more optimistic than they should have been about Rudy’s ability to play the 1. I think it’s pretty clear now that he is in fact strictly a SG, which might limit his minutes more than was expected.

by Nick Van Excellent on Aug 23, 2009 12:12 AM PDT up reply actions

Oct 5 2008

I’m also pretty certain that Paul Allen didn’t go to Spain to personally talk Rudy into giving up millions of dollars each year for 4 years so he could just back up Brandon for 10 minutes or so a game with only a few other spot minutes. Rudy may succeed or he may fail in the NBA, but I believe he is going to get the necessary minutes for the Blazers to find out this year. If he has the ability, the question becomes how can he fit on this team that already has an All-Star shooting guard? I’ve seen one great European shooting guard traded away because he was unhappy playing only 13 minutes a game behind another All-Star Blazer shooting guard – so I know it can happen. Drazen Petrovic went on to average 21/22 ppg in 37/38 minutes the next two seasons for the Nets. Nate and KP weren’t here to see that happen, but Paul Allen was and I’m betting he won’t let that happen again without making every effort to find a fit for Rudy if he performs as hoped.

by BlazerFanSince1970 on Aug 23, 2009 12:28 AM PDT up reply actions

^^^ Sorry, I messed the post up above

I intended to say – I really don’t think the Blazers thought Rudy could play PG regularly. I remember KP saying something like Rudy might be able to play a little PG, but I think they knew he was going to have to play mostly SG on defense. Your quote from Nate about Brandon defending the SF supports that.

If the Blazers didn’t realize the parallel with Drazen Petrovic, they should have. The quote I posted above was something I posted on Oct 5 last year, right at the start of training camp. It was totally clear to me then that this was another Petrovic situation.

by BlazerFanSince1970 on Aug 23, 2009 12:40 AM PDT up reply actions

last month Nate was making noise about Rudy playing PG during the preseason

alongside Jerryd playing SG, then supposedly the two would switch on defense and Bayless would guard the opposing PG

but that was about a week before the team signed Miller, so much for that idea

tominhawaii and I were having a friendly debate back in the spring of 2008 re: Rudy’s future role in Portland. He was raving about how much better Rudy was than Blake and how Rudy and Roy would play the lion share of minutes in the backcourt. I didn’t know much about Rudy at the time (just youtube highlights and scouting reports) but I said that Nate is a defensive-minded coach and a backcourt of Roy and Rudy wouldn’t be able to defend penetration, especially against teams with great PGs. Nothing that I’ve seen so far has made me feel like changing that assessment.

(I did mention at the time that it looked like Hedo was coming that the only way to get Rudy PT would be to play him at the PG and use a zone defense, but then Turk took off and Andre was signed, so that argument is now moot)

Rudy is saying all the right things, now, but he was concerned about his playing time when Hedo was mulling over the Blazer’s offer. He should be just as concerned about Miller, though, because adding Andre without subtracting a SF is still creating a logjam that will eat into his PT, assuming everyone’s healthy. A “consolidation” deal would be best for all concerned, but I think KP is waiting to see how Webster plays in the preseason and for the Euro-holds to come off the cap (besides, nobody makes NBA trades in August)

As things stand right now, there will be some unhappy campers at the wing position if everyone is healthy and the “herd” isn’t thinned. The last thing I want to hear is Rudy’s agent making trade demands, that will just kill any trade leverage that KP hopes to build up, not just for Rudy but for any of his wing players.

When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Aug 24, 2009 6:47 PM PDT up reply actions

I still think they will still try out Rudy at PG this year.

Last year Roy and Rudy played the PG/SG backcourt together for a couple minutes a game, with Roy mostly handling the ball. I think they will continue that this year with Rudy trying to guard the PG more and handling the ball more. He only needs to defend the PG as well as Blake, and get the ball up the court, and he could potentially become a better version of Blake at backup PG. There may not be a high probability of success, but it’s easy enough to try if they are going to use a Roy/Rudy backcourt for a few minutes a game anyway. If Rudy could eventually (not this year, but perhaps next) play 10-12 minutes of backup PG with Roy, then he should be able to get about 33 minutes a game as our super 6th man (10-12 at PG with Roy, 10-12 at SG/SF with Roy, and 11-12 while Roy rests).

This year I think they use about the same formula as last year for Rudy and he gets about 28 minutes a game. (5-6 with Roy/Rudy backcourt, 10-12 with Roy/Rudy SF in 3-guard game, and 11-12 as Roy rests)

That still leaves 36 to 38 minutes at SF for Batum and Webster to compete over. I imagine they will split that about evenly early and then we shall see what happens as the year goes on. By the end of the year we should know if it’s time to move Rudy or Webster. But I’ll take a guess now and say we keep Rudy, Webster, and of course Batum for 2 years unless there is a great deal available next year.

by BlazerFanSince1970 on Aug 24, 2009 10:53 PM PDT up reply actions

Why would they care about the parallels with Drazen?

For the Blazers, it’s a win either way.

Say Rudy comes over here, plays a year or two like Drazen, decides he has to move to greener pastures and demands a trade. Even if we trade him for like a low lotto pick alone, the Blazers still converted a 24th pick into a future lottery pick. If it’s less, then so what? We’d have gotten nothing if he had stayed in Europe and so we still come out ahead, and in the mean time, he’s helped us win some games.

If he doesn’t mind being a backup and making less money, then great, he can stay here.

Although, reports were that he had something like a $20 MM 4 year deal on the table from CSKA when he came over here, so even if it wasn’t a huge drop over his previous year’s salary, it was a huge drop in his future salary.

by Royster on Aug 23, 2009 11:20 AM PDT up reply actions

RT: he had something like a $20 MM 4 year deal on the table from CSKA

and with Portland, he’s getting 8 mil, over that same time period

That was the “slot” money that the NBA mandates for a #24 pick, so it’s not like Portland could’ve offered him more jack. But leaving 12 mil on the table is a lot of dough, just to pursue your dream of playing against the best. Maybe Paul Allen has made Rudy a “personal services” deal that will make it worth his while? Maybe Rudy will make enough in endorsements to offset the difference, now that he’s an NBA player?

But, for Rudy to really cash in, he has to be more than a role player on a playoff team in an NBA outpost that’s rarely seen in prime time on the east coast, and that’s why I think he’ll be dealt on the next 18-24 months. It’s not because he’s a selfish guy or that Portland is being cheap, it’s just the reality of Roy playing SG, and that neither Brandon or Rudy can defend any other position well enough to make the combo work for enough minutes a season.

Then you’ve got Rudy wanting to increase his role with each new season and “progress” into an all-star caliber player, and that’s not likely to happen in Portland, as long as Roy is healthy. Finally, he’s playing in one of the smallest media markets in the country, in a town with a small Spanish population, and his state-side endorsement opportunities would be much greater if he was playing for an east coast team.

Add it all up and I don’t see a long-term fit for Rudy with the Blazers. I don’t know what KP and Paul Allen promised him when he came over, and even though Nate likes him there are 3-4 other wing players and it’s gonna be tough to find minutes for all of them, barring injuries. Rudy is not Sergio, but he had to be paying attention and knows that it doesn’t take much “discontent” to stir up trouble and get yourself traded, if things aren’t working out as well as he planned when he left that CSKA money on the table to realize his dream of playing in the NBA

When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Aug 24, 2009 7:07 PM PDT up reply actions

Maybe it doesn't matter if Rudy gets endorsement deals here.

There are few endorsement deals available here except for the cream-of-the crop players anyway. If the bulk of his major endorsement opportunities are in Europe, then perhaps it doesn’t matter if he is playing in small market Portland. The Blazers are going to get a lot of national TV time and playoff appearances in the next few years, so maybe that’s enough to drive his popularity and endorsement deals in Europe.

by BlazerFanSince1970 on Aug 24, 2009 11:04 PM PDT up reply actions

I don't want to make comparisons.

However I have long been of the opinion that Martell Webster is one of the best bets to join Roy as an All-Star. I’ve repeatedly said here that I see Webster as being on par with Roy, Aldridge and Oden as being the core of the team. I don’t think we’ve seen a fraction of what this young man is going to bring to the Blazers.

hakkaa päälle !

by timg56 on Aug 21, 2009 2:21 PM PDT up reply actions

not a fraction just a fracture.

by tevisthe4th on Aug 22, 2009 10:37 AM PDT up reply actions

"fracture" should be a dirty word on BE

You should probably write “fr*cture.”

by Kaboomm on Aug 23, 2009 3:43 PM PDT up reply actions

I'm with Mr. G on this...

I’m really glad the Blazers didn’t get Hedo, in retrospect.

Marty + Nic is all that’s needed.

Make Travius go away…

"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal

by timbo on Aug 22, 2009 5:09 PM PDT up reply actions

Martell is > K*be... and we're gonna see it.

The Faith don't panic, the faith freaks out, burns out farms, and torchs small villages in the name of The Faith.

"New Man Law: If you don't show up for the draft you don't get to come later if you're picked. If you believe in yourself, show up and sit there. If nobody else believes in you, take it and cry like a man...in front of the cameras."

-Dave

by faith on Aug 21, 2009 12:51 PM PDT reply actions

Not only are we gonna see it

We are gonna be blown away by it. Martel will blow us all away this year.

"Intent is prior to content, the question is, does this generation really want truth?"
"Cogito ergo sum" -Descartes

by Shribby on Aug 21, 2009 2:17 PM PDT up reply actions

I still have high hopes for him

but they´re not higher than the one I have for batum.

by Falcao on Aug 21, 2009 1:38 PM PDT reply actions

Martell + Nic == the Wizard + Plastic Man?

If only Marty could bring back the high socks, too.

by Royster on Aug 21, 2009 2:11 PM PDT reply actions

I think we should keep expectations in check.

He’s only played three years with no college. We’ve seen him have a few good games and one great game. That’s not enough to project that he will become a top player. His 2nd to 3rd year progress was encouraging, but now he’s sat for an entire year so he may get off to a slow start.

I suspect he will share minutes about evenly with Batum, but if Roy/Rudy play 10 minutes at SF that only leaves about 19 minutes each for Webster and Batum. However, if Batum makes a big rookie to 2nd year jump, which is fairly common for a good player that got playing time and experience as a rookie, Nate could give Batum more like 24 to 28 minutes and Webster could see very limited minutes.

Even with Travis getting no minutes at SF, there is still a minutes crunch at that position. There could be a lot of playing time frustration involving Nic, Martell, Travis, and Rudy this year. Eventually, two of those four players will be moving on. Because of his defense I doubt Nic will be one of them.

by BlazerFanSince1970 on Aug 21, 2009 8:05 PM PDT reply actions

I really hope that Martell can be somewhat like Gilbert Arenas.

Let his drive and work ethic create a better player. Dare I say All-star-esque?

Andre to Roy alley oops = 24-7 = All day every day

by dpnim on Aug 21, 2009 8:35 PM PDT reply actions

If Martell could shoot 40% 3pters, avg 12pts/gm

that would be huge. If he could also show the capacity to hit a big shot or make FTs in a clutch situation that would be incredible.

I don’t trust or like the tone of his canned, unspontaneous little self-help phrases he’s learned to repeat back to sports psychologists. Why did Outlaw ever get the chance to play in the 4th quarter two years ago, anyway? It was because in tight games Martell would either and run from the ball or clank wide-open 3s. And he could never create a shot for himself.

So we’ll see. I’m also not crazy about Batum playing so much this summer for Team France — though it’s nice that he seems to have done well.

This is going to be an interesting training camp.

ignacio

by ignacio on Aug 21, 2009 9:09 PM PDT reply actions

Webster seeed primed to take a step forward, at this time last year

as I was saying last season repeatedly, it’s impossible to handicap the Blazer’s roster (who are the "keepers’ at the wing positions, etc) while Martell is out of the mix. His injury sure opened the door for Batum to show everyone what he can do, as well as provide more minutes for Rudy

I agree that with Martell, talk is cheap. Following the 2007 season, Quick reported that MW had an attitude problem and was acting like “he knew it all” when the coaches would correct his mistakes. (You always want to give young kids a break, though, because sometimes they “grow up” and start flying straight.) That seemed to be the case with MW 12 months ago, he was talking about “accepting Nate’s challenge” to focus on defense and to become a Bowen-like “sniper” from behind the arc. Then came the foot injury. He’s kept a pretty good attitude during his rehab, even though it’s easy to see how he could’ve become “depressed” by not being on the court.

But will Webster develop the mental toughness to become a reliable “finisher”? That can’t be simulated in practice and can’t be known until the opportunity arises. Certainly Andre Miller and Rudy will have “something to say” re: who is on the court at the end of games when a basket is needed. They may be Martell’s chief “competition” on the roster to have the opportunity to win a game with a last second shot, even more so than Travis

When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Aug 22, 2009 11:00 AM PDT up reply actions

Some players never become "finishers"

but are still valuable role players.

If Martell can be a volume shooter of 3s at over 40%, play quality defense, and play a good alround game, who cares if he doesn’t become a “finisher”? We have other guys who can do that. If everyone does their job well for the first three quarters, the fourth will often just be mopping up.

"if Nate has Roy or Miller in the game at all times, that stagnation will turn into conflagration" -- two4larue

by jscot on Aug 24, 2009 2:51 AM PDT up reply actions

RT: who cares if he doesn’t become a "finisher"?

Certainly not me, but these were Webster’s comments during Smith’s interview

“It’s all about who walks off the court when the buzzer goes off,” Webster said. “And that’s part of where my mind is: I really don’t care about starting. I can come off the bench. I’m working to be a finisher. Everybody asks me, ‘Are you looking forward to starting?’ No. I’m looking forward to finishing.”

More power to him, I’d rather have Martell thinking this way then settling into a backup role. (He was the #6 pick in the first round, after all.) If he busts out during the first half of the year and there’s still not enough PT for everyone, then MW could be a valuable trading chip for KP at the deadline. (Or perhaps a different Blazer forward will be dealt and Webster/Batum can split the SF minutes?) It certainly does no one any good if Martell and Nic are sitting on the bench 30+ minutes a night (each) and watching Rudy and Travis finish games (not that they aren’t deserving) It’s just not the best way to develop young, quality talent…they’re too young to be given such an intermittent “veteran” backup role

When reached 39 years of following Portland basketball you have, be as passionate of the Trail Blazers you will not!

by two4larue on Aug 24, 2009 7:34 PM PDT up reply actions

WINNAR!!!!!!!

Portland collected 54 victories and made the first round of the NBA Playoffs, becoming one of the most exciting — and addicting — teams in the NBA in the process.

Blazers guard Brandon Roy, Webster’s high school friend, ascended and soared, earning second-team all-NBA honors and a five-year maximum contract extension.

Meanwhile, Portland teammates such as Rudy Fernandez, Nicolas Batum and Travis Outlaw soaked up Webster’s court time and clogged up the Blazers’ depth chart.

Webster? He played in one game for all of five minutes. Harassed by a foot injury that taunted and teased, a former contender for the face of the franchise was left to battle depression and regret, while Roy and a tight collection of young, rising stars painted the regional area with deep strokes of black and red.

“That was very hard for me. That was very depressing,” said the 6-foot-7, 226-pound Webster. “Because I’m not one that plays this game for the dollar signs; I play for the love of the game.”

"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal

by timbo on Aug 22, 2009 5:05 PM PDT reply actions

Really nice reporting by Brian Smith, by the way. Check out the Blazer Banter blog for full interview text...

Brian Smith, “‘We all charge each other’ – Webster quotes, part one,”Columbian Blazer Banter Blog, Aug. 19, 2009: http://www.columbian.com/article/20090819/BLOGS05/908199957/-1/BLAZERBANTER

Brian Smith, “’It’s like a different language’ – Webster quotes, part two,” Columbian Blazer Banter Blog, Aug. 19, 2009: http://www.columbian.com/article/20090819/BLOGS05/908199955/-1/BLAZERBANTER

Brian Smith, “Webster’s college instructor talks about the Blazer in the classroom,” Columbian Blazer Banter Blog, Aug. 19, 2009: http://www.columbian.com/article/20090820/BLOGS05/908209991/-1/BLAZERBANTER

"A bizarre and extremely rare hybrid Blazer/Laker fan, Timbo has always struggled to contain the Beast Within, like Dr. Jekyll, Bruce Banner, or Ted Kennedy." — Miled Animal

by timbo on Aug 22, 2009 5:06 PM PDT up reply actions

my views on martell

i really dont get why everyone is so high on martell.. looking at his stats he isnt any than travis. am i overlooking something? and to expect greatness from him this year completely baffles me, he is coming off an injury and didnt play at all last season. i think everyone is putting to much hype on him. im just trying to be realistic here; i expect him to be pretty rusty. just my opinion though i guess.

by jpaulson on Aug 23, 2009 8:56 AM PDT reply actions 2 recs

agreed

The more he doesn’t play the more the further the ‘homie’ factor runs away untethered by on court reality. Expectation: He was recently cited as ‘drexler-esque’ in a post. Reality: His last full season PER ranked him around 45 as a SG. That would make him an average off the bench guy based on performance. But for Webster is always been about potential. The preseason before he was injured for the year he reportedly came into camp with a better body – so once again more expectation from potential.

I think this puts him into the same situation that Greg was in last year. Ridiculously high expectations in what should be a come back from injury year. He can have a good year and never match the expectations. Then the homies will label him a disappointment or even a bust.

by mrwonderfulone on Aug 23, 2009 1:05 PM PDT up reply actions

exactly what i was thinking about

when i wrote that. same situation as greg was in. i definitely agree that his potential is great, i just dont want to expect to much this season.

by jpaulson on Aug 24, 2009 1:31 AM PDT up reply actions

I am very, very high on Martell

but I think this is accurate. I thought he was ready for a breakout, but if it happens before the middle of the season, I’ll be surprised. And by then, I don’t know how much chance he’ll get.

I still expect a breakout from him, but maybe not until a year from now. It’s ok, he’s still very young. Look for him to become a key rotation player next year. If it happens this year, I’ll be very happy.

We watched Martell for several years, and the physical talent is there, the problems seemed to be mental. He seems to have grown out of that — and the adversity of this last year may have actually strengthened him mentally. He may, in the long run, be a better player for it.

"if Nate has Roy or Miller in the game at all times, that stagnation will turn into conflagration" -- two4larue

by jscot on Aug 24, 2009 2:59 AM PDT up reply actions