Minnesota Timberwolves: Hurdles to trading Kevin Martin
By Ben Beecken
Nov 15, 2014; Dallas, TX, USA; Minnesota Timberwolves guard Kevin Martin (23) shoots over Dallas Mavericks forward Al-Farouq Aminu (7) during the game at American Airlines Center. Dallas won 131-117. Mandatory Credit: Kevin Jairaj-USA TODAY Sports
Hurdle #3: The Role of Mentor
Kevin Martin as a mentor is an interesting concept. He doesn’t generally try very hard on defense, he takes some questionable shots early in the shot clock, and could easily be sulking about being stuck on one of the youngest and worst teams in the NBA.
But he’s been a professional so far in this trying campaign, sitting next to the coaches on the bench when he was in street clothes for almost three months and clearly being involved in continuing to help develop the young players on the team.
Since his return, he’s been more than trigger-happy, averaging 17.5 shots per game in six contests over the past week-and-a-half, but Saunders clearly values Martin’s leadership. It’s apparently a legitimate reason as to why he won’t simply be moved to clear his heft salary off the books.
Next: The Return