Webster is Back

by usmcr3049 on Sep 3, 2009 1:00 PM PDT Comment 28 comments

According to the columbian, Martell Webster has been cleared for 5 on 5 drills!

However, now that Webster has been cleared for full action this season, he is expected to challenge Travis Outlaw and Nicolas Batum for the Blazers' starting small forward position during the team's upcoming training camp, which begins Sept. 29.  
Blazers general manager Kevin Pritchard and team president Larry Miller recently compared the successful return of a healthy Webster to acquiring an offseason free agent at no cost.  
"He's been a starter. He's young. He's athletic," Pritchard said. "We're going to need his shooting ability. And if he comes back and he shoots the ball well and can maintain his health, he'll make us better just by that."  
Webster said he is more concerned this season with being a finisher rather than a starter. He stated that watching from the bench as Outlaw closed out games last season from the small forward position opened his eyes to a new goal: Becoming a dependable go-to player when the game is on the line.  

While I know this seems like it has been coming for awhile, it is great news to me to hear that Webster has finally cleared the last hurdle to his recovery. Hopefully he can bring it like he was in training camp last year, as I was sure he was on the verge of becoming a consistant NBA player.

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I guess this means he's not the glass man

after all.

"Fernandez, to my eyes, is the Blazer who walks that walk most comfortably. A lot of Portland's fans (egged on, dare I say, by their local broadcasters) lament things like how Ron Artest or Yao Ming get to hit Brandon Roy's arms.

But I suspect Fernandez sees all that and thinks: We get to hit arms! Cool!"

http://myespn.go.com/blogs/truehoop/0-39-135/On-Playoff-Experience.html

by ratbastird on Sep 3, 2009 1:05 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

That remains to be seen

Witty Unpredictable Talent and Natural Game

by iDea on Sep 3, 2009 2:26 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

eh?

aside from the foot…. what prompts u to sugest he be the glass man?

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 Sep 3, 2009 5:19 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

He's injured his foot

and was apparently rushed to come back too early, hence the re-injury (which doesn’t seem like a very bright point from either or both the medical or/and the coaching staff).

So, I may have a bad memory, but since when is he supposed to be injury prone ???

by Blenzer on Sep 9, 2009 3:25 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

RT: Hopefully he can bring it like he was in training camp last year, as I was sure he was on the verge of becoming a consistant NBA player.

12 months ago, Webster was focused on being a defensive stopper and a 3 point sniper. He looked terrific running the floor and finishing in the preseason game against the Kings, before he broke his foot. I expect he will have some “rust” but he’s no dog. His all-around play will force the Blazer coaches to put him on the floor

Travis and Rudy had better watch out, some of their minutes are going to get eaten up by the Web-slinger

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

by two4larue on Sep 3, 2009 1:37 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

and from an earlier interview

"…I’m really looking forward to this season,’’ Lucas said, noting that Webster looked especially impressive

http://blog.oregonlive.com/behindblazersbeat/2009/09/maurice_lucas_will_return_to_b.html

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

by two4larue on Sep 3, 2009 1:44 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I couldnt agree more with

“as I was sure he was on the verge of becoming a consistant NBA player. " Martell was on the verge of becoming a major part of this teams success, and now he is again. His stroke is amazing, his 3pt shot is smooth as butter, and he already had the drive to be good if not great.

Anyone who loves Martell (or talks smack about him) should watch this:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RMVXnJDBtnI

The Dude: Hey, careful, man, there's a beverage here!

by cavejunctionblazer on Sep 3, 2009 1:48 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I’m not trying to talk smack about Martell; but, he’s only shot that ball marginally better than Batum and isn’t as young or athletic. Plus, he’s coming off a major injury and will have a year of rust to shake off. He is very talented, but I still see either him or Travis getting traded during the season.

by wepto on Sep 3, 2009 1:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

I disagree

Martell is only two years older then Batum and is equally as athletic. It’s kind of hard to believe he is only 22!

by SHOOTS on Sep 3, 2009 2:18 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

And Nic shot the three pointer

just the same as Brandon, so he’s just as good a shooter. I don’t think Nic took more than 20 3 pointers with anyone within 5 feet of him all year. Makes it a whole lot easier.

by Royster on Sep 3, 2009 2:29 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

?

Dang man I don’t really know what to say besides, this is a difficult thing to say diplomatically, that’s really not true.

Martell is definitely more athletic then Batum is, before he went down with injury. His handles are better by a margin. And his shot, from the mechanics to his ability is definitely much much better than Nicolas’, and that’s no knock on Nic.

Nic’s offense right now is a project, and comparing his shot to Martell’s really is like night and day. Martell has one of the better shooting strokes in the NBA, to put them on the same level is a big disservice to Martell, and definitely misrepresents what Nic brings to the table.

"The faster you begin an opponent’s blow-out, the more shots everyone will get." - El Blog Ilusorio de Rudy

"The cake was a lie..." -blazeraddict

by TheOdenator on Sep 3, 2009 2:48 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Stats don't back up your points very well.

Webster – 38.8% 3P%
Batum – 36.9% 3P%

Batum 55.5 TS%
Webster 54.8 TS%

Batum 12.9 PER
Webster 12.0 PER

They shoot practically identical percentages. A pretty looking shot doesn’t account for much. There are a lot of guys who shoot 40+ % from deep—Martell isn’t one of them and he isn’t one of the best 3 point shooters in the league. Also, all those stats are comparing Nic’s rookie seasons stats to Martell’s third (and best) year. That’s unfair, to Martell’s advantage, and Nic’s numbers are still even. The one place where Martell is clearly better is in putting up a large volumne of shots.

As far as athleticism goes, there isn’t really any way to objectively prove that one way or the other. Though Nic is clearly taller and longer. To my eye it looks like both the quicker of the two and the highest leaper.

Martell 3.0% Offensive Rebound Rate 13.3% DRR 8.2% TRR
Nic 7.0% ORR 11.8 DRR 9.4% TRR

Nic is the better rebounder of the two. Realize that Nic’s numbers come when Oden was playing and that there were more defensive to be had during Martell’s third season.

Then there’s defense. Another area where there aren’t solid numbers. But one where Batum clearly comes out better than Webster.

Add to that a year of rust for Martell and a very good summer in international competition for Batum and the outcome seems pretty lopsided.

by wepto on Sep 3, 2009 3:46 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

while those stats are true

my eyes tell me that opposing teams “wanted” Batum to shoot from behind the stripe, while Webster was rarely left unguarded for more than a second

I think they both will be just fine, and the SF starter will be detemined by who best plays alongside Roy and LMA. Nic has the edge, because he was the “glue” guy last year, and he will always get the job guarding the opponent’s best wing player

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

by two4larue on Sep 3, 2009 3:56 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Sigh,

I’m too lazy to re-delve into this argument, so I’ll just link to one from when the season was still fresher in my mind.

Martell-Batum

by Royster on Sep 3, 2009 11:13 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

It's a lot harder to get a good percentage

on volume shooting.

Martell is a major 3 point threat, Nic isn’t. You may be right about other factors, but the difference between them on 3s is significant, not minor.

We’ll have to wait and see how strong Martell comes back. The last stats we have are from 2 years ago, when he was as young as Nic is now.

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

by jscot on Sep 4, 2009 1:35 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Plus Batum put up his stats on a better team

than the ones Webster has played on. A lot of Webster’s stats came back when the Blazers were terrible at rebounding and the defense could sag off other players because Webster was the only credible 3 point shooter.

I’m still remembering Webster’s outburst against Utah. Will Batum ever fill it up with a 40 point game?

Patty Mills - PG of the future. Book it.

by Blazerholic on Sep 4, 2009 8:32 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Too early to say

Batum is young enough to learn to shoot that well, and he has the length and athleticism to become that kind of scorer.

We don’t really know the ceiling of either of these guys, yet. Either offensively or defensively. Anyone who says they know how good these guys will be is blowing smoke. With both of them, the only thing that will really hold them back is injury or lack of mental strength — and they are both young enough that no one can really assess mental strength yet.

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

by jscot on Sep 4, 2009 9:53 AM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

In that respect I would like very much to see Martell hit some clutch shots.

I by no means think this is beyond, I just would like to see it. He wasn’t too inclined to hit (or even take) such shots in the past.

But that’s a long time ago by now.

ignacio

by ignacio on Sep 4, 2009 7:15 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

its worth pointing out that despite that 24 point quarter...

… Martell’s career high for a game is still only 26.

by jksnake99 on Sep 7, 2009 9:28 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

strongly disagree

While Batum’s was certainly less of a threat than Martell last year, the pretty-ness of Martell’s stroke blinds a lot of people. Batum is on track to be just as big a 3 point threat as Martell, possibly as soon as next year (Batum’s rookie 3 pt stats compare favorably to Martell’s rookie numbers)… and given that rookie age 20 Batum was better than 3rd year age 21 Martell in terms of defense, rebounding, passing, shotblocking, TS%, etc… its extremely tough to argue Martell should get anywhere near Nic’s minutes… unless Martell comes back lots better than he was pre-injury. Color me skeptical.

by jksnake99 on Sep 7, 2009 9:27 PM PDT up reply actions 0 recs

Let's hope he's actually back

And not just “cleared.” He’s been cleared before, and we saw how that ended.

by goblazer1 on Sep 3, 2009 2:03 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I'm happy Marty is back. That's an important piece of the puzzle.

Now, if KP can figure out how to transform Travis “Show Me the Money” Outlaw into a real live backup PF masher, and if they can get that LMA deal done, we can all start placing orders for our Western Conference Champions t-shirts…

"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 Sep 3, 2009 2:29 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

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

by lukeyhere on Sep 3, 2009 4:04 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

I love my Martell....

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

-Dave

by faith on Sep 3, 2009 5:20 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

i am excited about martell

but i dont want to get my hopes up for this season. i think he has the potential to be really good in the future… but lets be realistic, i wouldnt bet on him doing anything to amazing this year, and i definitely would not expect him to play significant minutes for at least the first half of the season.

by jpaulson on Sep 4, 2009 3:04 AM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Martell's real strength is his ability to catch and shoot=

Dimes for Andre and Rudy

by southern oregon on Sep 4, 2009 2:01 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs

Webster is back and the best part is...

if you drop the name and look at what the Blazers are getting its unbelievable for a 54 win team. Martell is 22, the same age as a 4 year college player, and he already has NBA experience. He is great in the locker room, has great work ethic and has had a full year to observe the game and learn. If he was in this draft he would be a top 5 pick. When he knocks the rust off he should be the starter but might fit better in the role Outlaw had last year. So lets hope he is back for good.

by 22blazer on Sep 5, 2009 4:22 PM PDT reply actions 0 recs