DENVER (AP) -Three years ago in the playoffs, Kenyon Martin had a falling out with coach George Karl that led to the Denver Nuggets suspending the fiery forward for insubordination.
Martin has come full circle, going from a malcontent outcast to a starring role in the Nuggets’ resurgence.
Karl and Martin have even patched up their differences to the point where they’ve developed a cozy connection in which they frequently chat about life and basketball.
“He has been a great leader and has been on the same page with the coaches all year long,” said Karl, whose team will face Dallas in a second-round playoff series beginning Sunday at Pepsi Center.
Not long ago, Martin was considered almost an albatross for the team. He was constantly hurt – two microfracture knee surgeries in successive years – and had an unwieldy contract (seven years, $93 million) that made moving him next to impossible.
season.
What changed?
“I think a lot of it was getting out of my own way,” Martin said. “Just getting past the bad attitude from injuries. I was a wreck. I wasn’t no fun to be around, I’m pretty sure for (Karl) it was hard to coach me.”
It was.
The relationship deteriorated to the point where Martin and Karl engaged in a verbal exchange during halftime of a playoff game against the Los Angeles Clippers in 2006.
Martin was agitated over playing time and voiced his displeasure. That earned him a spot on the sideline for the second half, followed by a suspension for the final three games of the series.
“I had to be the policeman that said, ‘You’re going to jail,”’ Karl said.
They repaired the relationship slowly as Karl realized Martin wasn’t much different from himself.
“We’re competitive people and when we don’t succeed we don’t know how to keep our mouths shut,” Karl said. “Well, I’m 58 and I’ve learned how to keep my mouth shut a little better, so it was my job to be the bigger brother, or to be the more responsible person.
“Don’t get me wrong, there were times the first couple of years we got angry.”
For the anger, Martin blames his balky knees.
He had microfracture surgery on his left knee in May 2005, forcing him to miss a handful of games that season.
Then, early in the 2006 season, he had the other knee operated on.
wake up with a bad attitude,” Martin said. “You can’t walk without hurting. My job is to play basketball and I can’t do that, and that makes for some bad days. I had a lot of them the first four years I was here.”
He vowed to change, sauntering into training camp before the season and telling his teammates he wanted to be more of a leader and less of a bad apple.
“Just knowing the situation that we’ve been in over the last few years, I didn’t want to duplicate that,” said Martin, whose team captured its first playoff series since 1994. “It was me just growing and just wanting to lead this team in the right direction. Me coming into training camp with the right attitude and the right focus, I think it went a long way for these guys in the locker room.”
Carmelo Anthony certainly took notice.
“Man, just him being healthy was a key for us,” Anthony said. “You can see what he’s doing out there on the court.”
Martin’s game includes physical defense, a menacing stare and a mean streak, which was on display when he thoroughly flustered All-Star forward David West in the first round.
“It’s a great feeling,” Martin said. “The things I’ve been through personally over the last five years, for me to bounce back to still be here and still be contributing in a situation like this is a great feeling.”
Next up, Dirk Nowitzki.
ball that well – you’ve got to make it as tough as possible on him,” Martin said.
How does Martin go about that?
“Hold him, grab him, push him, whatever you can do,” he said, smiling.
With his knees finally fixed, Martin is playing more like the forward who led the New Jersey Nets to appearances in the NBA finals in 2002 and ’03.
“I feel rejuvenated,” he said. “Time heals a lot of things – in this case it did.”
Add A Comment