tlongII
10-01-2009, 03:34 PM
http://portlandtribune.com/sports/story.php?story_id=125434389622265100
After missing virtually the entire 2008-09 season — and the Trail Blazers’ first sniff of the playoffs in six years — with a stress fracture of the left foot, Martell Webster can’t imagine there is a player on the Portland roster more eager for the team to return to the postseason.
“Not after experiencing what I experienced,” the fifth-year small forward says. “It’s one of the hardest things a professional athlete could go through — to be there when a team wasn’t good, and now that they’ve taken the turn and reached the playoffs, and you aren’t a part of that?
“That leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. I’m hungry to get there again.”
Webster has a new jersey number — switching from 8 to 23 — and a new lease on his career after going down with the foot injury in a preseason game a year ago. He tried to return on Dec. 7, playing five minutes against Toronto, before aggravating the injury and being forced to call it a season.
“Mentally, it was very tough,” Webster says. “There were times toward the end of last season where I felt I could go out there and go 100 percent. Not being able to do that — sticking to the workout regimen, staying in the pool, and taking time off — was very tough.”
Webster, 22, says he is fortunate to have had the companionship of his fiancée, Courtney Clarke, and his two daughters — Mia, 6, and Nylah, seven months.
“That was what got me through it,” Webster says. “Just imagine if I didn’t have them. I’d have been by myself, thinking about basketball all the time. With my family, I was able to escape it and relax.”
Through plenty of pool work and strength training, Webster gained clearance to begin running and playing pickup games about a month ago.
“I’m 100 percent now,” he says. “I don’t have to worry about every step I take, or if I’m going a little too fast, or having (trainer) Jay Jensen running out there to tell me to slow it down.”
Webster’s teammates like what they’ve seen during the pre-training camp workouts.
“Martell is a workaholic,” Brandon Roy says. “The guy is always doing his abs, working out with squat machines. He looks terrific. He has been out for a year, but he is maybe even bouncier than he was before. I’m just excited to see him healthy and hope he’ll be able to maintain that over the season.”
“He never stops moving,” Greg Oden says, “His shot looks really good. He’s looking strong. After my (knee) injury, they had me under wraps. Since Martell has been back playing, he has had the green light to do it all, and he’s been doing it.”
The 6-7, 235-pound Webster was a starter his third season in 2007-08, averaging 10.7 points in 28.4 minutes while shooting .422 from the field, .388 from 3-point range and .735 from the foul line. In his absence last season, rookie Nicolas Batum assumed the starting role at small forward.
This season, there is a logjam at the position, with Batum, Webster, Travis Outlaw and Ime Udoka all competing for minutes. Webster says it’s more important to him to be a closer than a starter.
Starting “is not where my mind is this year for this team,” he says. “It’s going out there and doing what I’m capable of doing in whatever (role) coach (Nate McMillan) asks of me.
“I don’t care about the starting position. That doesn’t mean much to me. What I’m taking on my sleeve is being on the court when the buzzer sounds. I want to finish games.”
Portland’s deep roster means some players with deserving minutes won’t get them.
“That’s inevitable,” Webster says. “There is always going to be somebody unhappy with playing time. In order to achieve great things, you have to sacrifice. Once we understand that, the sky’s the limit.
“On the great teams, I’m sure there were players who felt they should be starting, but they accepted (a reserve role) because they knew where the team was headed and what their goal was. Putting some individual pride on the backburner is what it takes sometimes in order to achieve that greater goal.”
Webster’s number switch came about after he got past the NBA rule that mandates a player stay with his rookie number for four seasons before changing.
“I wanted 23 when I was drafted, but Darius Miles had it then,” he says. “I’d always worn 23 before I got here. Michael Jordan is the reason why I initially got the number, and now it’s just the number I love.”
After missing virtually the entire 2008-09 season — and the Trail Blazers’ first sniff of the playoffs in six years — with a stress fracture of the left foot, Martell Webster can’t imagine there is a player on the Portland roster more eager for the team to return to the postseason.
“Not after experiencing what I experienced,” the fifth-year small forward says. “It’s one of the hardest things a professional athlete could go through — to be there when a team wasn’t good, and now that they’ve taken the turn and reached the playoffs, and you aren’t a part of that?
“That leaves a bitter taste in your mouth. I’m hungry to get there again.”
Webster has a new jersey number — switching from 8 to 23 — and a new lease on his career after going down with the foot injury in a preseason game a year ago. He tried to return on Dec. 7, playing five minutes against Toronto, before aggravating the injury and being forced to call it a season.
“Mentally, it was very tough,” Webster says. “There were times toward the end of last season where I felt I could go out there and go 100 percent. Not being able to do that — sticking to the workout regimen, staying in the pool, and taking time off — was very tough.”
Webster, 22, says he is fortunate to have had the companionship of his fiancée, Courtney Clarke, and his two daughters — Mia, 6, and Nylah, seven months.
“That was what got me through it,” Webster says. “Just imagine if I didn’t have them. I’d have been by myself, thinking about basketball all the time. With my family, I was able to escape it and relax.”
Through plenty of pool work and strength training, Webster gained clearance to begin running and playing pickup games about a month ago.
“I’m 100 percent now,” he says. “I don’t have to worry about every step I take, or if I’m going a little too fast, or having (trainer) Jay Jensen running out there to tell me to slow it down.”
Webster’s teammates like what they’ve seen during the pre-training camp workouts.
“Martell is a workaholic,” Brandon Roy says. “The guy is always doing his abs, working out with squat machines. He looks terrific. He has been out for a year, but he is maybe even bouncier than he was before. I’m just excited to see him healthy and hope he’ll be able to maintain that over the season.”
“He never stops moving,” Greg Oden says, “His shot looks really good. He’s looking strong. After my (knee) injury, they had me under wraps. Since Martell has been back playing, he has had the green light to do it all, and he’s been doing it.”
The 6-7, 235-pound Webster was a starter his third season in 2007-08, averaging 10.7 points in 28.4 minutes while shooting .422 from the field, .388 from 3-point range and .735 from the foul line. In his absence last season, rookie Nicolas Batum assumed the starting role at small forward.
This season, there is a logjam at the position, with Batum, Webster, Travis Outlaw and Ime Udoka all competing for minutes. Webster says it’s more important to him to be a closer than a starter.
Starting “is not where my mind is this year for this team,” he says. “It’s going out there and doing what I’m capable of doing in whatever (role) coach (Nate McMillan) asks of me.
“I don’t care about the starting position. That doesn’t mean much to me. What I’m taking on my sleeve is being on the court when the buzzer sounds. I want to finish games.”
Portland’s deep roster means some players with deserving minutes won’t get them.
“That’s inevitable,” Webster says. “There is always going to be somebody unhappy with playing time. In order to achieve great things, you have to sacrifice. Once we understand that, the sky’s the limit.
“On the great teams, I’m sure there were players who felt they should be starting, but they accepted (a reserve role) because they knew where the team was headed and what their goal was. Putting some individual pride on the backburner is what it takes sometimes in order to achieve that greater goal.”
Webster’s number switch came about after he got past the NBA rule that mandates a player stay with his rookie number for four seasons before changing.
“I wanted 23 when I was drafted, but Darius Miles had it then,” he says. “I’d always worn 23 before I got here. Michael Jordan is the reason why I initially got the number, and now it’s just the number I love.”