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Sam Amick pointed out today in his blog how Martin's representation by Dan Fegan, who also represents Rubio, may have contributed to the decision to move Martin. The relevant quote:

But the change that had the lasting effect - according to Martin's agent, Dan Fegan - was the drafting of rookie guard Tyreke Evans. Evans, the University of Memphis product who is a leading Rookie of the Year candidate, was selected fourth overall over a fellow Fegan client in Spanish point guard Ricky Rubio. As Fegan sees it, Evans' style was clearly not conducive to Martin's and the end result was inevitable.

Yet Fegan's eventual pairing with Martin was problematic and telling on its own, as Petrie had experienced somewhat-contentious dealings with the agent during the Rubio saga in June.

http://www.sacbee.com/static/weblogs/sp ... e-cut.html

So, was Matrin's fate influenced by an overly zealous agent? Was Martin a delayed "victim" of Rubio hype? One thing I do think we can take away from this deal is that it was a signal to agents that Petrie is still the one who is in charge of putting together the Kings team and that he is not going to be intimidated by their antics...and that the players they represent will not get special treatment.

Thoughts?

The reason we didn't draft Rubio (and I won't be so aloof as to pretend I know talent wise how Rubio would do) is because we couldn't wait two-three years for him to come out. Anyone who says we coulda got him over while the Wolves couldn't is crazy. So, if Martin's agent, and thereby, Martin, were pissed over that, they need to be slapped.

A franchise losing time before a near certain relocation shouldn't throw the dice on a guy who might not come over. Instead, they threw the dice right.

Lightning Strike wrote:The reason we didn't draft Rubio (and I won't be so aloof as to pretend I know talent wise how Rubio would do) is because we couldn't wait two-three years for him to come out. Anyone who says we coulda got him over while the Wolves couldn't is crazy. So, if Martin's agent, and thereby, Martin, were pissed over that, they need to be slapped.

A franchise losing time before a near certain relocation shouldn't throw the dice on a guy who might not come over. Instead, they threw the dice right.

Actually GP approach was to draft the best player available regardless of position. he said we only won 17 game. so we needed star-quality player.

KingInExile wrote:Petrie is still the one who is in charge of putting together the Kings team and that he is not going to be intimidated by their antics...and that the players they represent will not get special treatment.

Thoughts?

Agents impact free agent singing, late first round and second round picks, but not the lottery or early first round picks...

Look how how many Mark Bartelstein clients singed or linked to Sacramento...

Brad Miller
Darius Songaila
Desmond Mason
Jake Voskuhl
David Lee
Antoine Walker
Dahntay Jones
Eddie House
Mikki Moore
Ime Udoka
Dominic McGuire
Bobby Brown

Bartelstein is Ranked the second best agent in the NBA, petrie signed lots of scrubs we didn't need just to get on his good side

iirc wasn't it Martin who text "Draft Evans"? Wasn't he one of the main ones advocating for Evans and not Rubio.

I'm beginning to see Martin was two faced! Grant was on the radio BLASTING Kevin Martin. He said he and Westphal had a falling out in Orlando. Kevin missed a couple of shootarounds in the past couple of weeks. He basically said Kevin wasn't going to burn any bridges on his way out of town and stopped short of just saying Kevin was the problem. He never said anything other than facts regarding the situation

I said it was apparent to me he didn't want to make it work.

Mitch please spin this....

Bottom line is (and this is my opinion) Kevin thought he was the franchise guy. When Tyreke became that guy he pouted his way out of town. I've been a big "trade Kevin Martin" guy and this is only half the reason.

Agents work for players and not the other way around, no? So when an agent says drafting Tyreke Evans planted the seed to trade Kevin Martin exactly who is he representing? If My agent said some things that I didn't feel I'd be looking for a new agent.

If it isn't as clear as day that Martin didn't want to play here I have to question your analytical skills.

ICMTM continues to hit the nail on the head! This is nothing new though, ICMTM and I have been saying this for a long time now. Honestly, if you would take your blinders off, you can see that Martin has grown quite a large ego. Everything he's done the past few seasons suggests that.

Wolfay wrote:ICMTM continues to hit the nail on the head! This is nothing new though, ICMTM and I have been saying this for a long time now. Honestly, if you would take your blinders off, you can see that Martin has grown quite a large ego. Everything he's done the past few seasons suggests that.

sure have!

You just get tired of hearing people talk when they are not willing to focus on the situation. I just don't get why so many fans were enamoured with him? I really didn't get why he could do no wrong in the fans eyes.

If Kevin Martin is the # 1 guy somewhere and Evans is the #1 guy, Fagan gets 2 cuts of #1 pay checks.

I was born with and excellent BS smeller!!!

Fagan sets off the BS detector.

ICMTM wrote:

Wolfay wrote:ICMTM continues to hit the nail on the head! This is nothing new though, ICMTM and I have been saying this for a long time now. Honestly, if you would take your blinders off, you can see that Martin has grown quite a large ego. Everything he's done the past few seasons suggests that.

sure have!

You just get tired of hearing people talk when they are not willing to focus on the situation. I just don't get why so many fans were enamoured with him? I really didn't get why he could do no wrong in the fans eyes.

Because he is classy and professional which is entirely refreshing in sports, let alone the NBA. He never once complained about the situation or asked for an out or demanded anything. He played his hardest, improved and tried to make the team the best it could be. He treated fans with respect and earned everything he got in the NBA. He was a class-act in the community and the epitome of a professional. THAT'S why he gets the benefit of the doubt from me, and from most fans of the Kings.

Royal Zephyrus wrote:

ICMTM wrote:

Wolfay wrote:ICMTM continues to hit the nail on the head! This is nothing new though, ICMTM and I have been saying this for a long time now. Honestly, if you would take your blinders off, you can see that Martin has grown quite a large ego. Everything he's done the past few seasons suggests that.

sure have!

You just get tired of hearing people talk when they are not willing to focus on the situation. I just don't get why so many fans were enamoured with him? I really didn't get why he could do no wrong in the fans eyes.

Because he is classy and professional which is entirely refreshing in sports, let alone the NBA. He never once complained about the situation or asked for an out or demanded anything. He played his hardest, improved and tried to make the team the best it could be. He treated fans with respect and earned everything he got in the NBA. He was a class-act in the community and the epitome of a professional. THAT'S why he gets the benefit of the doubt from me, and from most fans of the Kings.

He never complained to the media...sure. So all you just said was he was two faced? Classy means you set an expectation, you communicate it, and you it. Kev's actions and words have been out of sync for a while.

cdt3 wrote:If Kevin Martin is the # 1 guy somewhere and Evans is the #1 guy, Fagan gets 2 cuts of #1 pay checks.

I was born with and excellent BS smeller!!!

Fagan sets off the BS detector.

Fegan does not represent Evans.

I don't know much about this situation in particular because since I moved to San Diego I see like one kings game a year and maybe another when I go up to Sac to see my parents, but martin was never the person we were going to build around. You don't build a team around a guy with Martin's skill set. You build a team around a tyreke and landry combo. I really like them together as a duo to have for a long time. Landry is like Amare, just shorter, and he has a great long range game. I can see the evans to landry drive and kick now, just wish I could watch it.

But in all seriousness Martin was not a leader and never the solution here. I 100% agree with ICMTM on this. He pouted his way out of Sac. Good luck in Houston.

On a funny side note, Martin goes to play for Adelman who wouldn't give him ANY minutes. Haha...my how the turn tables have turned

Royal Zephyrus wrote:

ICMTM wrote:

Wolfay wrote:ICMTM continues to hit the nail on the head! This is nothing new though, ICMTM and I have been saying this for a long time now. Honestly, if you would take your blinders off, you can see that Martin has grown quite a large ego. Everything he's done the past few seasons suggests that.

sure have!

You just get tired of hearing people talk when they are not willing to focus on the situation. I just don't get why so many fans were enamoured with him? I really didn't get why he could do no wrong in the fans eyes.

Because he is classy and professional which is entirely refreshing in sports, let alone the NBA. He never once complained about the situation or asked for an out or demanded anything. He played his hardest, improved and tried to make the team the best it could be. He treated fans with respect and earned everything he got in the NBA. He was a class-act in the community and the epitome of a professional. THAT'S why he gets the benefit of the doubt from me, and from most fans of the Kings.

Kevin is most likely a genuinely good guy at heart. But he is also someone who probably has surrounded himself with people who have other agendas for him. That's fine. That just mean's we know his loyalties are going to be to his handlers and not to his team. It's pretty common in sports so we shouldn't be all that surprised.

KingInExile wrote:Kevin is most likely a genuinely good guy at heart. But he is also someone who probably has surrounded himself with people who have other agendas for him. That's fine. That just mean's we know his loyalties are going to be to his handlers and not to his team. It's pretty common in sports so we shouldn't be all that surprised.

I'd say this is basically it, if anything. And it's not even so much about where his loyalties lie, but more so about who influences him. Kevin really has never stricken me as someone that is totally his own man. I think he is somebody who is likely easily influenced and his agent seems like the kind of douchebag that can really influence people and situations. The Rubio situation shows that he sure as hell tries to influence situations--he tries like hell.

I definitely think there was an element of Kevin feeling like people weren't totally psyched to have him back, and that probably affected things, but I would also say that's Kevin's problem. If the problem is that Kevin felt he should be the guy, I don't think he arrived to that feeling by himself. It just doesn't seem like it's at all in his personalities. And I don't think he's at all putting up a front. It's not just what he says that indicates this, but how he acts. Having said that, I don't think it was about that at all. You can not think that you fit into a situation without it being about the fact that you're just butthurt that you're not the #1 guy any more.

I think the end of the Celitcs game kind of sums up the last few months. I think Kevin believed all of the people that saw the team succeed without him, and said that the team was better off without him. I think he really believed that, even if he didn't want to admit it, and I think that got into his head and really affected his mentality when he came back. There were many, many times while playing where he just wasn't being aggressive, and it was clearly because he was afraid of hurting the flow of the team. If he would miss a couple of shots, he would usually stop shooting for a while. He averaged 13.4 shots per game since his come back and shot 4 less FTA/game (so the equivalent of two less shot attempts, basically). You don't do that if you think you're the man.

He didn't come back like he owned the team, he came back timid, and unsure of himself. This wasn't an issue of being cocky and feeling like you're above a situation or something. This is an issue of lacking confidence. He believed what everyone was saying--that he couldn't fit. That's my theory anyway.

We should also keep in mind that Kevin was mostly looking like he was fitting in the last few games. In the last two games before the break, he was a seemless fit, less so of course in the Boston game, and he was one of the few bright spots in the first half of the Warriors game. He was getting shots in the right way, and he was helping the team. Petrie pointed this out in the interview. He went out of his way to point it out, actually.

mitchweber wrote:I definitely think there was an element of Kevin feeling like people weren't totally psyched to have him back, and that probably affected things, but I would also say that's Kevin's problem. If the problem is that Kevin felt he should be the guy, I don't think he arrived to that feeling by himself. It just doesn't seem like it's at all in his personalities. And I don't think he's at all putting up a front. It's not just what he says that indicates this, but how he acts. Having said that, I don't think it was about that at all. You can not think that you fit into a situation without it being about the fact that you're just butthurt that you're not the #1 guy any more.

I think this is a key issue that likely contributed to the decision to move him. Above all else, I believe Petrie appreciates players who are willing to personally commit to their role and to what the team is trying to do. That personal commitment goes hand in hand with professionalism. In my mind having personal commitment is a mandatory character issue that is required for success in anything you chose to do. If Martin's personality has put him in a position where his commitments are malleable and open to outside "recommendations" (or pressures), then I see that as a sign that he has no real personal commitment to success. If that's the way he wants it, then so be it. And that doesn't mean that he can't be an effective support player for a team. I just don't think the personality trait is something that Petrie wanted from him in his role with the Kings.

ICMTM wrote:

Royal Zephyrus wrote:

ICMTM wrote:sure have!

You just get tired of hearing people talk when they are not willing to focus on the situation. I just don't get why so many fans were enamoured with him? I really didn't get why he could do no wrong in the fans eyes.

Because he is classy and professional which is entirely refreshing in sports, let alone the NBA. He never once complained about the situation or asked for an out or demanded anything. He played his hardest, improved and tried to make the team the best it could be. He treated fans with respect and earned everything he got in the NBA. He was a class-act in the community and the epitome of a professional. THAT'S why he gets the benefit of the doubt from me, and from most fans of the Kings.

He never complained to the media...sure. So all you just said was he was two faced? Classy means you set an expectation, you communicate it, and you it. Kev's actions and words have been out of sync for a while.

What are you talking about? How is being 'professional' in any way shape or form related to being two-faced?

You're bridging an assumption that's making you look rather foolish in my eyes.

Royal Zephyrus wrote:You're bridging an assumption that's making you look rather foolish in my eyes.

And you're looking at his spoken words and not matching them up to his actions, and that makes you look even worse. Being professional means you show up to shootaround. Being professional means you don't look and waive off your teammates in game or during timeouts. Being professional means you do what you say, and you say what you do. Kevin was far from that. If you want to believe otherwise that's fine. Calling me an ass in the process isn't going to change my opinion. BTW I edited your post to the grammatically correct version of 'assumption'.

mitchweber wrote:I think the end of the Celitcs game kind of sums up the last few months. I think Kevin believed all of the people that saw the team succeed without him, and said that the team was better off without him.

Then he shouldn't be a professional athlete if he's that soft. I'll play the inverse here. I think Kevin Martin thinks he's better off without the team. Kevin Martin never wanted to fit in with the team. It wasn't going to work because of Kevin's attitude. I've seen it on many occasions on the sidelines and at games. Kevin and Kanye have something in common. It's called an ego.

mitchweber wrote:He didn't come back like he owned the team, he came back timid, and unsure of himself.

Or did he want out of here when he came back?

mitchweber wrote:We should also keep in mind that Kevin was mostly looking like he was fitting in the last few games. In the last two games before the break, he was a seemless fit.

At this point I'm drawing two conclusions:

1. He is so affected by the people around him it affects his play
2. He didn't want to be here, and realized closer to the deadline he wasn't about to be dealt and started playing

To simplify it even further her either is an emotional soft player and has NO sack or he didn't want to be here. I feel it was the latter. Kevin's play was bad because he no longer wanted to be here. His actions CLEARLY say that.

Kevin never accepted that it was Tyreke's team this year.

ICMTM wrote:
Then he shouldn't be a professional athlete if he's that soft. I'll play the inverse here. I think Kevin Martin thinks he's better off without the team. Kevin Martin never wanted to fit in with the team. It wasn't going to work because of Kevin's attitude. I've seen it on many occasions on the sidelines and at games. Kevin and Kanye have something in common. It's called an ego.

I saw Kevin standing and cheering on his teammates pretty consistently. When he was injured, I saw him talking to guys, giving them advice. I don't think it's really in his personality to try to be a leader like I think he was when he was injured, but I think he was trying.

And just to be clear, if my theory is correct--that he came back worrying that he wasn't going to fit in, and that affected his play--that is most certainly Kevn's fault. But it's not a function of having a huge ego, and I certainly think it's a little extreme to say that it means that he "shouldn't be a professional athlete".

Or did he want out of here when he came back?

No, that would be carelessness. There's a difference between timidness and carelessness. I don't think Kevin was phoning it in out there--not by a long shot. He just clearly didn't seem to know when to do what. He didn't know when to attack, and when to stay back. There were many times when he was playing more unselfish basketball then ever--driving and kicking when in the past he would have forced up a bad shot.

IIRC, Kevin himself said that he felt the team was distracted by the trade rumors--I think that definitely implies that he himself was distracted by them. That's certainly his problem, but again, it's not distracting him because he's some kind of egomaniac.

mitchweber wrote:We should also keep in mind that Kevin was mostly looking like he was fitting in the last few games. In the last two games before the break, he was a seemless fit.

At this point I'm drawing two conclusions:

1. He is so affected by the people around him it affects his play
2. He didn't want to be here, and realized closer to the deadline he wasn't about to be dealt and started playing

To simplify it even further her either is an emotional soft player and has NO sack or he didn't want to be here. I feel it was the latter. Kevin's play was bad because he no longer wanted to be here. His actions CLEARLY say that.[/quote]

I'll say this much. Kevin said in an interview that he was told about the trade being a very real possibility about a week before it happened. I think at that point, he probably wanted out. I think he felt that others had probably given up on the situation, and I think he wanted out at that point, which would be understandable.

Before that, I don't think there is any indication at all that he wanted out. To put it more simply, I do think that for the most part, this was an issue of Kevin being mentally soft in terms of letting others affect his play. But I maintain that it had nothing to do with him getting a huge ego. He let others affect his play (whether it was his agent, popular opinion, whoever), and that's most certainly a personality flaw of his. But I don't think it means he won't succeed in the future--just that that is the reason it had to end here. Not because Kevin thought he was above the team, but because he just didn't feel like he was a part of it.