duncan228
09-21-2009, 05:22 PM
Kenyon Martin: “Everybody Feels Like We Were a Better Team Than the Lakers” (http://sportsradiointerviews.com/2009/09/21/kenyon-martin-%E2%80%9Ceverybody-feels-like-we-were-a-better-team-than-the-lakers%E2%80%9D/#more-12391)
by Jimmy Shapiro
This post is courtesy of Chris Fedor of WKNR in Cleveland.
Kenyon Martin was once the first overall pick in the NBA Draft, but he has never lived up to those expectations. While he has never been a superstar in the league, he has been a solid player in the NBA when he’s been able to stay healthy. However, the last two seasons he’s been able to stay on the court and contribute to a couple of Nuggets playoff runs.
Last season the Denver emerged as one of the best teams in the Western Conference and even one of the best teams in the NBA. After acquiring Chauncey Billups to be the leader of the offense, the Nuggets went on to win 54 games in the regular season and advanced to the Western Conference Finals. They had a number of opportunities to win the series, but a couple of mistakes at the end of some games cost them dearly against the Lakers. The Nuggets ended up losing to the eventual NBA Champions in six games, but many people around the NBA, including the Nuggets feel like they had what it took to beat LA. Because of their showing in the playoffs last year, there a really high hopes in the Mile High City for the Nuggets as they return much of their core from a season ago.
Kenyon Martin joined The Sports Guys on 104.3 The Fan in Denver to talk about how he is feeling heading into the season, the loss against the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals and the incident with Mark Cuban.
On whether or not he’s anxious to get the season started:
“I’ve been antsy. I’ve been in the gym for the last month and a half or so. I let my body heal and got right back in the gym to start working on things I felt I needed to work on for me to be better, but I’m ready to play.”
On how long it’s been since he’s been healthy:
“My legs feel great. I’m tellin’ everybody this summer that I got my hops back. Just coming back from the surgeries and doing everything to build up my leg strength and my core strength and things like that I think helped in order for me to get to this point where I am now. I haven’t felt this great in some years. At least five years since I’ve been here. (Host: Almost back to New Jersey?) Yeah, like maybe my fourth or fifth year in the league, I’ve always been dealing with something. Whether it was a severe case of tendinitis or microfracture surgeries, two of them, just time and time again it was always something. Now I don’t have anything to worry about, I can just let the little bruises and stuff heal and just get on the court and concentrate on basketball.”
On what they learned from the playoff run:
“That you have to play on a consistent basis throughout the regular season and just better your position. Just learn from the things we did right last year and learn from things we did wrong, but we had a great run. I think guys know that we were right there and everybody in that locker room and in the organization feels we were a better team than the Lakers. Everybody feels we were a better team than the Lakers and no one can tell me anything different. No one.”
On the Mark Cuban incident:
“I have no words for Mark Cuban. He apologized to my mom and that’s all he had to do. I’m a grown man. I’m not gonna lose any sleep if you don’t apologize to me or if I never seen you again in life. He apologized to my mom and that’s all he had to do. Just move on from it. He has a team to run down there and I have a job to kick their butt every time we play them.”
Listen to Kenyon Martin on 104.3 the Fan in Denver with The Sports Guys (http://www.fm1043thefan.com/Channels/audioOnDemand/story.aspx?ID=1141203)
by Jimmy Shapiro
This post is courtesy of Chris Fedor of WKNR in Cleveland.
Kenyon Martin was once the first overall pick in the NBA Draft, but he has never lived up to those expectations. While he has never been a superstar in the league, he has been a solid player in the NBA when he’s been able to stay healthy. However, the last two seasons he’s been able to stay on the court and contribute to a couple of Nuggets playoff runs.
Last season the Denver emerged as one of the best teams in the Western Conference and even one of the best teams in the NBA. After acquiring Chauncey Billups to be the leader of the offense, the Nuggets went on to win 54 games in the regular season and advanced to the Western Conference Finals. They had a number of opportunities to win the series, but a couple of mistakes at the end of some games cost them dearly against the Lakers. The Nuggets ended up losing to the eventual NBA Champions in six games, but many people around the NBA, including the Nuggets feel like they had what it took to beat LA. Because of their showing in the playoffs last year, there a really high hopes in the Mile High City for the Nuggets as they return much of their core from a season ago.
Kenyon Martin joined The Sports Guys on 104.3 The Fan in Denver to talk about how he is feeling heading into the season, the loss against the Lakers in the Western Conference Finals and the incident with Mark Cuban.
On whether or not he’s anxious to get the season started:
“I’ve been antsy. I’ve been in the gym for the last month and a half or so. I let my body heal and got right back in the gym to start working on things I felt I needed to work on for me to be better, but I’m ready to play.”
On how long it’s been since he’s been healthy:
“My legs feel great. I’m tellin’ everybody this summer that I got my hops back. Just coming back from the surgeries and doing everything to build up my leg strength and my core strength and things like that I think helped in order for me to get to this point where I am now. I haven’t felt this great in some years. At least five years since I’ve been here. (Host: Almost back to New Jersey?) Yeah, like maybe my fourth or fifth year in the league, I’ve always been dealing with something. Whether it was a severe case of tendinitis or microfracture surgeries, two of them, just time and time again it was always something. Now I don’t have anything to worry about, I can just let the little bruises and stuff heal and just get on the court and concentrate on basketball.”
On what they learned from the playoff run:
“That you have to play on a consistent basis throughout the regular season and just better your position. Just learn from the things we did right last year and learn from things we did wrong, but we had a great run. I think guys know that we were right there and everybody in that locker room and in the organization feels we were a better team than the Lakers. Everybody feels we were a better team than the Lakers and no one can tell me anything different. No one.”
On the Mark Cuban incident:
“I have no words for Mark Cuban. He apologized to my mom and that’s all he had to do. I’m a grown man. I’m not gonna lose any sleep if you don’t apologize to me or if I never seen you again in life. He apologized to my mom and that’s all he had to do. Just move on from it. He has a team to run down there and I have a job to kick their butt every time we play them.”
Listen to Kenyon Martin on 104.3 the Fan in Denver with The Sports Guys (http://www.fm1043thefan.com/Channels/audioOnDemand/story.aspx?ID=1141203)