Congrats MDogg- Kevin Martin Signs Deal With Minnesota Timberwolves.

[Sccit]

Kevin Martin signs to a four-year, $28 million contract with Timberwolves, likely sending Andrei Kirilenko elsewhere

By Mike Prada on Jul 2 2013, 10:26p

Not content with locking up sharp-shooting wing Chase Budinger, the Minnesota Timberwolves finalized a four-year, $28 million contract with former Oklahoma City Thunder shooting guard Kevin Martin that could be worth up to $30 million with certain incentives.

Martin came into the NBA under current Timberwolves coach Rick Adelman in Sacramento and had arguably his best season playing for Adelman in Houston in 2010-11, which probably explains the motivation for signing him. But to sign Martin and Budinger together, Minnesota will likely need to relinquish their rights to Andrei Kirilenko, essentially moving him out of town. I'm not sure that's a good trade-off.

Canis Hoopus reacts to the deal
Minnesota desperately needed shooting, sure, but they will greatly miss Kirilenko if he is indeed gone. His all-around contributions as a cutter, passer and team defender are impossible to replace with just one guy. While Kirilenko is not a great perimeter shooter, he makes up for it by helping in so many other ways. The Timberwolves may have been nervous about giving him a long-term contract at age 32, but this is a team that badly needs to show progress next season before the 2015 opt-out date in Kevin Love contract approaches. It's hard to argue that Martin will help this team more than Kirilenko would next season.

Minnesota could replace some of Kirilenko's contributions by using the Room Exception starting at $2.6 million on a wing defender or trading a spare guard like Luke Ridnour or J.J. Barea for one, but that player won't be able to do everything Kirilenko did for the Timberwolves last season. This isn't a fantasy league where you can fill one player's contributions with three different alternatives. Only five guys play at once, and they all must play off each other. Having someone who could plug so many holes at once like Kirilenko allows others to play their games. That dynamic goes away when he is replaced by someone who is a specialist himself.

Instead of Kirilenko, the Timberwolves have prioritized perimeter shooting by acquiring Martin. Shooting was indeed a major weakness for Minnesota last season, but a lot of it would have been improved internally with Budinger and Love back healthy. At this point, signing Martin over Kirilenko is addressing one team weakness while creating another. A five-man starting unit of Ricky Rubio, Budinger, Martin, Love and Nikola Pekovic is defensively deficient. The Timberwolves would need to be an elite offensive team to make up for their poor perimeter and interior defense.

In an ideal world, Martin fares better with a larger role in the offense after being relegated to spot-up shooting in Oklahoma City and the Timberwolves improve their defense by flipping Barea or Ridnour for a decent wing defender like Milwaukee's Luc Richard Mbah a Moute or Washington's Trevor Ariza. But expecting the 30-year-old Martin to return to his 2010-11 level is expecting way too much, and that spare wing defender would come with deficient perimeter shooting that'll cramp the offensive spacing.

That's why I'm not a big fan of this signing.

http://www.sbnation.com/nba/2013/7/2/4488614/kevin-martin-signs-timberwolves-nba-free-agency-andrei-kirilenko



LOL, hows that harden trade payin off?

[Hack Wilson - real]

wonder what the Thunder will do to replace his points off the bench

[Sccit]

arent u one of the dudes who said that the trade was good for OKC? LOL

[Hack Wilson - real]

arent u one of the dudes who said that the trade was good for OKC? LOL

i had no idea kevin martin was gone after one year but yes in a sense that they couldn't afford harden and he was also good as gone after last year

[Sccit]

arent u one of the dudes who said that the trade was good for OKC? LOL

i had no idea kevin martin was gone after one year but yes in a sense that they couldn't afford harden and he was also good as gone after last year

Harden was willin to resign, OKC wasn't willin to pay up

[M Dogg™]

Huh? I guess I wouldn't be watching that 3rd or 4th game of the T'Wolves this year. I was hoping to get more UCLA guys up here so I can at least have something to care about.

[Sccit]

kevin martin bout to be a 20 ppg guy again

[M Dogg™]

And that means? Why you think I'm a 'Wolves fan? Because I wouldn't suck Kobe's dick!

[Sccit]

lol@u gettin mad


naah, i just said that cuz u live in minnesota and said u go to t-wolve games cud

[The Watcher]

man wolves are about to be a 7th seed this year

rubio, martin, love, pekovic, budinger (or kirilenko if he re-signs) - thats a great starting 5

just need to fill out that bench a bit more. williams, (hopefully) shabazz and barea are a good start

[Sccit]

kirilenko aint comin back, but u right, they got themselves 1 helluva squad. williams was already rounding out last year, and dante cunningham, alexey shved, and luke ridnour are good, as well.

[M Dogg™]

I did also say I go to 'Wolves games when they play the Lakers. I've been to one 'Wolves game not against the Lakers because my brother in law invited me. But I've seen them play the Lakers MANY times here.

[Chamillitary Click]

They had a choice between Serge & Harden.

They already had two of the best scorers in the league, who already argue about who controls the ball more & Harden came up HELLA short in the Finals.

Then Serge proved he was one of the best defensive bigs in the game.

You're speakin' out of hindsight.

[Remedy360]

They had a choice between Serge & Harden.

They already had two of the best scorers in the league, who already argue about who controls the ball more & Harden came up HELLA short in the Finals.

In his first finals in his second year in the league..

[Chamillitary Click]

They had a choice between Serge & Harden.

They already had two of the best scorers in the league, who already argue about who controls the ball more & Harden came up HELLA short in the Finals.

In his first finals in his second year in the league..

Had to have factored into their decision.