In the category of former NBA players who do not like what has become of the Great League, I ask …Kenyon Martin ! The old interior of the Nets, drafted in first place in 2000, split a long article to explain how the NBA was not physical today, and that the players had become softs.
“I’m not sure I could play in the current NBA. When I watch the games now, and see some whistles, I’m blown away. I always tell the people who are with me that I couldn’t play with this generation. I didn’t know how to fake or not to defend. I have never backed down from anyone and have always defended hard. I would have adapted well for the shooting and everything, but as far as the style of play goes, it wouldn’t have worked, I’m not like that. People always tell me that I am the wrong generation, that I would have been much more in my place in the 80s or 90s.
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Now the players seem to give a damn about defense. They see a guy coming towards the basket, they pull away. Now the referees are whistling blatant for what would have been a normal fault 10/15 years ago. If I played in the NBA today, I would probably be the player who got kicked the most.
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Nowadays there are more than floppings only physical actions, and sometimes it’s hard to watch. The guys are very good on the pitch, more technical than us, but they do everything to try to have mistakes. If they get hit in a certain way, they want a blatant one. They want all actions to be seen on video. When there is a big foul, they look like they’ve been shot, while the defender has only scratched their lip. And the league let it go, they want more rhythm, more attack and I understand that. But we must not compromise everything in exchange. Being physical should be allowed, especially at the post. ” Kenyon Martin.
The interior, which measures 2m06, explains how playing physical allowed him to make a career.
“I had to play physical to get a place in the NBA. Remember, I was small for my job. I was 2m06 and 105/110 kilos throughout my career. Most of the guys I played against were taller, and everyone was heavier. So I had to get into them, I had no choice.
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I recently saw that David West said that Andrea Bargnani (550 NBA games, 14.3 points and 4.6 rebounds average ndlr) would be dominant in the current NBA, and I agree. We were bumping into him, and he didn’t want that. In the current NBA, he would do well, because no one could behave like we used to. It would be a superstar. In the current NBA, Bargnani would be Joel Embiid. Today, many Europeans are successful in the NBA, as stretch 4 or stretch 5. But in our time, they weren’t successful because it was too physical for them (apart from Dirk Nowitzki, who has had no problems fighting in the racket for 20 years). When I was playing there were some really technical guys who couldn’t do it because they didn’t like the physical part. They struggled in the NBA, and returned to Europe to be stars over there. Because it was less physical. ” Kenyon martin
Finally, the one who shot in career at 12.3 points and 6.8 rebounds per game, and who twice reached the Finals with the Nets regrets the end of the fights on the grounds.
“Today’s players don’t want to fight. They bark, but they hope someone will separate them. I see a lot of guys pretending to be tough and provoking each other, but they never throw punches. These guys, they’ve never been in a fight. They’ve been in the spotlight since they were kids, and not many people are going to try to fight people who are their size. Suddenly, they don’t fight because they don’t know how to fight. They don’t know what they’re doing, and they don’t want their first fight to be shown on TV. In addition, many of them are now friends. So they are not going to try to hurt themselves. There are still a few guys who can fight, and want to. James Johnson is a maniac, and he is a black belt! When he’s on the pitch, he’s looking for a reason to fight. I watched him play for a while, and he started to heat up with someone, and he got pushed. In my head I was like “Dude, this is not the person to mess with. Leave him alone.” Twins Marcus and Markieff Morris are the same. They’re from Philadelphia, and they’re always looking for the problems. They want a reason to fight. ” Kenyon Martin.
Without forgetting to place one for Kevin Garnett in passing.
“I played against guys who were physical and wanted us to bump into it: Derrick Coleman, Zach Randolph, David West, Antonio Davis, Dale Davis, Kurt Thomas… They never backed down, and I had a lot of respect for them. You cannot turn a poodle into an attack dog. And there are a lot of poodles in the NBA today. There were also in my time. Kevin Garnett for example: a tiny chihuahua in a doberman body. I told him looking him in the eyes that he was barking. He never wanted to fight with me. I said to him, ‘Come on back with your friends before I get mad.’ ”
Note that Kenyon Martin’s son, Kenyon Martin Jr, a strong winger of 2m01, has just been drafted this year in 52nd position, by Houston.
Via basketball news.
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