Saturday, September 8, 2012

NBA Trade Deadline News: Kevin Martin shipped up to Boston

After acquiring promising center, Roy Hibbert, from Indiana in a three-team deal, along with his raw height of 7'2", Boston parted ways with recent addition Jason Terry in a second three-team exchange, a decision that was very hard to follow through with, according to Boston's GM, after remembering Terry's contributions so far to the team after signing with Boston in the off-season.

Celtics receive: Kevin Martin (SG), Carlos Delfino (SG)
Bobcats receive: Jason Terry (SG), Jared Sullinger (PF)
Houston receives: Ben Gordon (SG), Tyrus Thomas (PF)


While Terry had a monster game (38 points) not too long ago, he was the only other expendable piece Boston could afford to move without shattering their core (Rondo, Garnett & Pierce). The streaky clutch shooter, Terry, can certainly make tons of shots, but aside from catching the ball and letting it fly, he has difficulty driving to the rim due to his short stature for a shooting guard. So, when he goes cold against a tough defense, he simply isn't effective, forcing the pressure to score for Boston onto Pierce and Rondo.

Kevin Martin has been burdened by injuries in his career, but is a gutsy sharpshooter that can light it up from beyond the arc, hit contact shots and draw fouls. He's played for the Sacramento Kings and the Houston Rockets, and doesn't have the best speed or court vision to be a team leader. But Martin will certainly draw more attention than Jason Terry from the opposing defense and his greater height (6'7") will help him engage them as well when Martin uses his adequate first step maneuvers toward the rim. While he cannot drive to the rim on the level of Kobe Bryant or even new teammate Paul Pierce, Martin will be able to do more with the ball in his hands than Jason Terry and has a good eye for using cuts effectively.

This trade went through because Houston has been looking to trade Kevin Martin because of his recent injuries. They've given him time to mend those wounds, but with the trade deadline in sight, they deemed it finally appropriate to part ways with him as they look to rebuild. Essentially, they get a quality shooter back in Ben Gordon and also some energy from banger Tyrus Thomas, capable of cracking down on the defensive end as Houston struggles to refill a quality team.

This deal made sense for Charlotte because they get a more consistent shooter in Jason Terry who, despite his limited abilities, will draw attention away from rookie Michael Kidd-Gilchrist. Adding rookie forward Jared Sullinger from Boston will give him more opportunity to improve in the league, since Boston's starters demand so much playing time to be effective. Despite few minutes per game, Sullinger has managed to impress in his rookie year.

Parting with Sullinger will possibly alter Boston's future, but after acquiring Charlie Villanueva from Detroit, the Celtics were overloaded with big men and lacked enough speed and shooters, especially now by parting with Terry. Picking up supporting talents like Carlos Delfino will help fire up the offense Boston will be able to generate, spacing the floor.

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