On that note, Kevin Martin had a poor and injury-riddled year and never quite looked right on the court. Do you expect him to bounce back and capitalize on the promise he showed in the previous seasons? What is his ceiling as a player?
I think Kevin Martin is definitely going to bounce back next season. He's too natural of a scorer to not have a good career, whether he's battling injuries or not. But in terms of what his ceiling is, I think he's quickly approaching it. His career reminds me of Peja Stojakovic and Michael Redd. They come out of virtually nowhere and take the league by storm because they can score with ease and knock down shots at an extremely efficient clip. But are they franchise guys? Absolutely not. Martin can probably be the number two guy on a really good team, but would be best as the third option on a great team. If he's your best player and you build around him instead of with him, you're probably going to be lottery-bound most years. And I don't mean that as a knock against him. There are very few guys in this league that deserve to be building blocks. If he can learn to be a play-maker for his teammates and an adequate defender, he could be a Richard Hamilton-type of guy.
Do you think the Kings made the right choice by selecting Tyreke Evans over Ricky Rubio (presuming Rubio would've played for the team)? Sacramento has an obvious void at the point, and many analysts feel Evans is best suited to play shooting guard.
Let me first and foremost start by saying I agree with the assessment that Tyreke Evans is essentially a shooting guard. However, I believe the Kings ultimately made the correct decision. I think Rubio would have absolutely come over if drafted by Sacramento but the Kings are going for something they've never had since coming to Sacramento — a tough, physical team. They're building a new attitude with this roster and trying to get mentally and physically imposing players. I don't think that under Paul Westphal the Kings will worry about who is playing what position. They're just going to put their five best players on the floor and make you match up to them. Evans probably won't be able to stop the Chris Pauls and Tony Parkers of the world but who can?
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