Kenyon Martin can’t understand why he is still without a contract – NBA News
The NBA season is already underway; a week of games has been played, but Kenyon Martin is still without a contract and he does not understand the reason for that.
Martin played for the Los Angeles Clippers in a reserve role last season and did a good job at his position, helping the Clippers reach the Western Conference Semi Finals. He is also in good health despite having played many seasons in the league. However, he is still without a contract and seems baffled;
"There is a notion about me that is not accurate at all, that people can't control me. I don't understand. Have I had my issues like a lot of other people? Yeah. But I'm getting back that people think they can't control me, that if I don't play I'm going to explode, or I can turn a locker room. In 12 years there was not one day where I told one guy to dislike anybody,” said Martin while talking to Yahoo! Sports.
Martin averaged 5.2 points, 4.3 rebounds in 22.2 minutes of action last season for the Clippers, while he played as a back-up to Blake Griffin. He was however not re-signed by the team in the offseason. There were a number of teams which showed interest in him after that, but none of them actually made an offer.
Initially, Martin wanted to sign with a championship contending team so that he could have the opportunity of competing in the playoffs for the highest stake. However, after having been unsuccessful in signing a contract with a team, Martin now wants to play badly, and is willing to play for any team that offers him a contract.
“If someone calls me tomorrow, I don't care who it is, whether it's losing or winning at this point, if someone calls me tomorrow and wants me to come in, I'm going,” added Martin.
Portland Trail Blazers General Manager Neil Olshey was the Clippers GM last season and knows Martin very well. He recently said that some people can misunderstand Martin’s intensity and focus on the court and during practices, and his tendency to always want the best effort from his teammates sometimes rubs off wrongly.
Martin still awaits a contract from any team in the league, and would be a valuable role player or back up on any team because of his intensity, skills and the effort he brings to the game.
Tags: