I’ve never been much of an advocate for Kenyon Martin, but with the Miami Heat playing the way they are, I’m all for him taking his aging talents to South Beach.
And according to Ira Winderman of the South Florida Sun-Sentinal, Martin himself is more than amenable to such a marriage:
For what it’s worth, a source said during Monday’s game that Heat have moved to top of Kenyon Martin’s wish list.
Now I understand that the Heat are contenders even with their defensive deficiencies, but why not make it even more of a sure thing?
Martin is athletic enough that he won’t slow down the pace at which LeBron James and Dwyane Wade like to play at. He’s also a deft rebounder, someone who can help the Heat average more than 40.1 per game, the seventh lowest total in the league.
Most importantly, though, Martin—unlike Chris Bosh and Rashard Lewis—can defend adequately in the post. That would be huge for a Miami team that is allowing over 40 points in the paint per game and relinquishing over 100 points total per contest. I mean, why not bring in a proven post defender like Martin—who can even defend free-throw line extended as well—to help resolve such issues?
The Heat could very well win a title the way they are now. Sure, they’re giving up a lot of points, but they’re scoring even more. I myself even wrote about how there is no reason for Miami to hit the panic button.
But that doesn’t mean it isn’t time for a change, especially a logical one. Neither Lewis nor Bosh, or even Udonis Haslem for that matter, are getting it done defensively. So bring in someone who can.
Yes, the issue of playing time is broached, but Martin doesn’t need a lot of minutes if the Heat don’t want to play him. He can be used as a safety net if that’s what Erik Spoelstra wishes.
At the same time, however, why not put Haslem on the shelf. He’s been playing absolutely terrible since the middle of last season, so the Heat wouldn’t be losing much by benching him. Not much at all, in fact.
No, I’m not going to pretend that Martin is a cure-all or that Miami would be guaranteed to repeat as NBA champions if they bring him into the fold. But I will admit that the Heat’s defense, and even offense the way Haselm is playing, would be much better off if they did.
Which–while I make no guarantees about the ultimate outcome—ensures that they are at least giving themselves the best possible opportunity to repeat.
And at this point, with one ring already in hand, isn’t that the point?
Dan Favale is a firm believer in the three-pointer as well as the notion that defense doesn’t always win championships. His musings can be found at Bleacherreport.com in addition to TheHoopDoctors.com. Follow @danfavale on Twitter for his latest posts and all things NBA.
