Martell Webster - Remember the Name.

[tlongII]

http://www.hoopsworld.com/article_14533.shtml

This kid will probably be starting for us on opening night. Not bad for and 18 year old kid! He is the real deal.

[Kori Ellis]

TLong - is the Blazers/Sonics preseason game on TV for you tomorrow?

I was going to ask you to tape it and send me the tape if it is.

[angel_luv]

I have been watching Martell but for a silly reason. We share a name.

[tlongII]

TLong - is the Blazers/Sonics preseason game on TV for you tomorrow?

I was going to ask you to tape it and send me the tape if it is.


I will check and get back to you in this thread.

[tlongII]

TLong - is the Blazers/Sonics preseason game on TV for you tomorrow?

I was going to ask you to tape it and send me the tape if it is.

My understanding is that the game tomorrow night against the Sonics will not be televised. Bummer!

[Lonestar]

The following appeared in the Tacoma WA News Tribune today.

A soft shot and a big game
Martell Webster is winning over fans in Portland

FRANK HUGHES; The News Tribune
Published: October 11th, 2005 12:01 AM

Martell Webster is showing Portland fans why the Blazers drafted him in the first round.

PORTLAND – It was a training camp play, just like any other. A player came off a screen, received a pass, jumped, took a delicate shot, and the ball settled into the net like a feather nestling into a bed of cotton.
“You see that? His shot, it’s just so soft,” a bystander said.

It can be said of fewer and fewer NBA players in these perfunctory days of fundamental-less hoops, but it is starting to be whispered about Martell Webster, the Portland Trail Blazers’ prized rookie taken with the sixth pick in the draft straight out of Seattle Prep.

By all accounts, Webster is having a sensational training camp, one that has, at least for now, silenced the critics who were skeptical of the Blazers taking what appeared to be a gamble on an unproven kid.

But that deft shot that he took in Monday’s Columbus Day practice, it is one of many that have dropped through and turned the heads of coaches and teammates alike.

“He shoots the ball, man,” Blazers coach Nate McMillan said, his eyes widening in disbelief. “I haven’t seen a rookie since I have been in the league come in and shoot the ball quite like that.

“I saw him play once or twice in high school, and he didn’t look like this to me. He is fearless offensively. He does not hesitate with the ball.”

The buzzword that everybody around Blazerville utters about Webster is that he is “mature,” both by the standards of the NBA, by the standards of Portland – which has stomached in recent seasons the immaturity of Bonzi Wells, Rasheed Wallace and Qyntel Woods, to name a few – and by the more conventional standards of society, which does not expect nor demand a great deal from an 18-year-old kid.

As he sits on a metal bench and picks at a bagel, Webster is soft spoken and thoughtful as he answers questions, not yet tainted by the demands of a demanding league.

No, he says, he does not second-guess his decision to skip at least a year at the University of Washington before turning pro, though the thought does occasionally creep into his nascent mind.

“But then I realized where I was,” Webster said. “Even if it was the other way around, and I had gone to college, and was thinking about the NBA, it would have only been for a second. I made my decision and I have to go along with it.”

Of Seattle Prep teammate Spencer Hawes’ decision to attend the UW, Webster said, “I thought it was awesome. To be honest, I didn’t expect him to go to UW. I expected him to go to North Carolina. He surprised me. But I think it is a great decision for him.”

And of his role with the Blazers this season, Webster displays a humble appeal, eschewing a question about the chance to start.

“I don’t think that way,” Webster said. “I know it is an opportunity well-worth earning. I am out here putting work in, giving effort to get the best possible position I can.”

On the second-youngest team in the league, Webster probably could start, what with that 6-foot-7 frame, those long arms, that sweet jumper and a season in which only growth and few results are expected from a team that has almost completed its makeover to a kinder, gentler approach.

Still, McMillan acknowledges, “It will be hard for me to (start him) simply because he is a rookie.”

His main competition for the shooting guard position is Charles Smith and Juan Dixon, though veteran Darius Miles may be moved to that spot because of his experience.

But McMillan also said Webster has some work to do on the other side of the ball.

“His offensive game is way ahead of his defense,” McMillan said. “Which is to be expected. But he is a pretty mature guy. If he gets it defensively, he can be a good player in this league.”

Webster said an uncle and a cousin have moved to Portland to live with him and help with his daily affairs, which include “making sure I get up in time.”

He said he feels more at ease because McMillan, with whom he had a previous relationship – McMillan’s son, Jamelle, played on Webster’s AAU team – is his first NBA coach.

And now is the time for basketball, for learning the game from McMillan and for establishing himself in the league.

“When they drafted him, I was like, ‘Who is this kid Martell from Seattle?’” said forward Ruben Patterson, a former Sonic. “But he is a great guy, that’s my little rook. He is going to be good. He is a great shooter so he is going to be a good player.”

Frank Hughes: 253-597-8742, ext. 6120

[Kori Ellis]

My understanding is that the game tomorrow night against the Sonics will not be televised. Bummer!


:(

Okay, thanks.

[Solid D]

Yes, we know about Martell Webster, t(alentscout)long.
;)

[tlongII]

The following appeared in the Tacoma WA News Tribune today.

A soft shot and a big game
Martell Webster is winning over fans in Portland

FRANK HUGHES; The News Tribune
Published: October 11th, 2005 12:01 AM

Martell Webster is showing Portland fans why the Blazers drafted him in the first round.

PORTLAND – It was a training camp play, just like any other. A player came off a screen, received a pass, jumped, took a delicate shot, and the ball settled into the net like a feather nestling into a bed of cotton.
“You see that? His shot, it’s just so soft,” a bystander said.

It can be said of fewer and fewer NBA players in these perfunctory days of fundamental-less hoops, but it is starting to be whispered about Martell Webster, the Portland Trail Blazers’ prized rookie taken with the sixth pick in the draft straight out of Seattle Prep.

By all accounts, Webster is having a sensational training camp, one that has, at least for now, silenced the critics who were skeptical of the Blazers taking what appeared to be a gamble on an unproven kid.

But that deft shot that he took in Monday’s Columbus Day practice, it is one of many that have dropped through and turned the heads of coaches and teammates alike.

“He shoots the ball, man,” Blazers coach Nate McMillan said, his eyes widening in disbelief. “I haven’t seen a rookie since I have been in the league come in and shoot the ball quite like that.

“I saw him play once or twice in high school, and he didn’t look like this to me. He is fearless offensively. He does not hesitate with the ball.”

The buzzword that everybody around Blazerville utters about Webster is that he is “mature,” both by the standards of the NBA, by the standards of Portland – which has stomached in recent seasons the immaturity of Bonzi Wells, Rasheed Wallace and Qyntel Woods, to name a few – and by the more conventional standards of society, which does not expect nor demand a great deal from an 18-year-old kid.

As he sits on a metal bench and picks at a bagel, Webster is soft spoken and thoughtful as he answers questions, not yet tainted by the demands of a demanding league.

No, he says, he does not second-guess his decision to skip at least a year at the University of Washington before turning pro, though the thought does occasionally creep into his nascent mind.

“But then I realized where I was,” Webster said. “Even if it was the other way around, and I had gone to college, and was thinking about the NBA, it would have only been for a second. I made my decision and I have to go along with it.”

Of Seattle Prep teammate Spencer Hawes’ decision to attend the UW, Webster said, “I thought it was awesome. To be honest, I didn’t expect him to go to UW. I expected him to go to North Carolina. He surprised me. But I think it is a great decision for him.”

And of his role with the Blazers this season, Webster displays a humble appeal, eschewing a question about the chance to start.

“I don’t think that way,” Webster said. “I know it is an opportunity well-worth earning. I am out here putting work in, giving effort to get the best possible position I can.”

On the second-youngest team in the league, Webster probably could start, what with that 6-foot-7 frame, those long arms, that sweet jumper and a season in which only growth and few results are expected from a team that has almost completed its makeover to a kinder, gentler approach.

Still, McMillan acknowledges, “It will be hard for me to (start him) simply because he is a rookie.”

His main competition for the shooting guard position is Charles Smith and Juan Dixon, though veteran Darius Miles may be moved to that spot because of his experience.

But McMillan also said Webster has some work to do on the other side of the ball.

“His offensive game is way ahead of his defense,” McMillan said. “Which is to be expected. But he is a pretty mature guy. If he gets it defensively, he can be a good player in this league.”

Webster said an uncle and a cousin have moved to Portland to live with him and help with his daily affairs, which include “making sure I get up in time.”

He said he feels more at ease because McMillan, with whom he had a previous relationship – McMillan’s son, Jamelle, played on Webster’s AAU team – is his first NBA coach.

And now is the time for basketball, for learning the game from McMillan and for establishing himself in the league.

“When they drafted him, I was like, ‘Who is this kid Martell from Seattle?’” said forward Ruben Patterson, a former Sonic. “But he is a great guy, that’s my little rook. He is going to be good. He is a great shooter so he is going to be a good player.”

Frank Hughes: 253-597-8742, ext. 6120


Thanks Lonestar. I hadn't seen this yet. I love this kid's game and work ethic. He's going to be a good one. We are developing a nice foundation for the future.

[exstatic]

What's the over/under on his first arrest? He is a JailBlazer, after all. I'll set it at 6 months, and pick the "under"....

[tlongII]

Webster still growing up fast
NBA life suits Blazers rookie

By JON PAUL MOROSI
SEATTLE POST-INTELLIGENCER REPORTER

PORTLAND -- He had seen Ray Allen do it so many times on television, on rolls of film, surely in his own mind's eye.

On Wednesday night at the Rose Garden, he saw that same graceful move, off the screen, to the wing, as Allen's hands absorbed the ball.

This time, though, Martell Webster was right beside him -- or, more accurately, right behind him. Moments after he checked into an NBA game for the first time, the former Seattle Prep star was tested by one of the league's best shooters.

He missed. Webster gave thanks.

"I still couldn't believe it when I came down," Webster said. "I was standing next to Ray Allen."

If he was awestruck, he hardly showed it.

Soon afterward, on the other end of the court, Webster came out to the wing, caught the pass with ease, and buried what could have been described as a vintage Allen fadeaway -- over Allen himself -- for the first two of his six points in the Blazers' 82-75 victory over the Sonics.

Later, Webster, 18, converted a behind-the-back pass from Sebastian Telfair, 20, for an authoritative fast-break dunk, an appropriate act on a night Webster later described as "electrifying" and "a great welcome to a new life."

"Three months ago, I was in high school," he said, as several reporters gathered by his locker. "This is my new life, my new job."



He is quite good at it. Portland coach Nate McMillan remarked that Webster has an "NBA stroke" but is, for the time being, without a clue on defense. Webster agreed, with a smile.

As Webster left the Rose Garden, he said his first phone call would be to Beulah Walker, his great-aunt and lifelong guardian, whom he calls "Grandma." She has raised him since his mother vanished in 1991.

From Seattle on Wednesday, Walker, 83, recalled by telephone how he ran around the house the day Michael Jordan hit the shot, that perfect shot, to beat Utah in the NBA Finals.

"Grandma," he told her that day, "I want to be like Mike."

Is he "like Mike" now? Well, he is in the NBA. That counts for something.

Webster said he "feels good" about his decision to turn pro, rather than play for Lorenzo Romar at the University of Washington. He likes being close to home. He has a cousin and uncle staying with him in Portland. He enjoys playing for McMillan, a player he admired and respected while growing up in Seattle. It is, Webster said, "a dream come true."

Even then, Portland assistant coach Dean Demopoulos has noticed the subtleties that show Webster is only one year removed from high school.

Once, Demopoulos needed to call Webster on his cell phone, but did not have the number with him.

He called home and asked his son, James, to find it for him.

No need. James, who just turned 13, knew it already. The two had become acquaintances through area youth basketball circles.

"He's still a kid," Demopoulos said of Webster.

Wednesday was the type of day that Webster felt his mother's absence all over again -- "I wish she was here to share the moment" -- while those who have watched him for 18 years prepared to celebrate a special day in his life and career.

"I'm more than proud of him," said Walker, who wanted to come to the Rose Garden but was unable. "I always taught him to never give up, to hang in there. So far, he's done that."

[JMarkJohns]

Martell Webster was recruited long and hard by Lute Olson of Arizona. After three years of recruiting and being thw well-known leader for his committment, Lute backed off.

Why?

Because Lute knew that Martell was the best player in his class and that he was a guaranteed lottory pick come June. Not wanting to tie in a schollership for a player who'd never step foot on campus, Olson allowed Martell to then commit to the newly hated Huskies.

Why?

BECAUSE HE KNEW MARTELL WOULD NEVER PLAY FOR THEM!

Those who've followed Martell have known of his vast potential for years now. Funny thing is, he had a slight ankle sprain during the prep All-Star games and draft camps, so his full game was never seen.

Anyone remember who good players like Glen Rice or Steve Smith were in their prime? That's Martell. Only thing missing from a for-sure HOF talent is the elite athleticism.

But if he stays healthy, that won't matter.

[JamStone]

DeShawn Stevenson.

[JMarkJohns]

Stevenson never had the work ethic, desire or outside jumper that Martell has. He was never anywhere near the recruit. He had athleticism and some ability based on it, but was a complete dolt when it came to playing the game.