K-Mart is upset that the Nuggets haven’t offered him an extension, per the Denver Post:
And Martin, who will make roughly $16.5 million in the last year of what was a seven-year, $90 million deal that started in 2004, isn’t taking the snub lightly.
“…I feel me being here and what I’ve done for this (team)… (an offer) would have at least been extended, and it wasn’t. So who made that decision, I don’t know. If those people are no longer here, I don’t know who made that decision. But the decision was made. And I ain’t happy. They know it. Everybody knows it.
“But I’m not going to keep on about it. I’m not going to distract from the team and everything else. I have enough going on with this knee. If they want to give me another contract here, they will. If not, I’ll go somewhere else and play.”
If he had an extension, “I’d be playing right now,” Martin said. “I’m not rushing, whatsoever. The day I come back is the day I come back. I’m in the last year of my deal, we all know it. Ain’t nobody in a hurry to give me one, so I’m not going to be in a hurry to come back. Think about it: Ain’t nobody in a hurry to give me a contract, so why would I be in a hurry to rush back and risk further injury. Makes all the sense in the world, right? Trust me, I’ve thought about it plenty.”
Good grief.
The Nuggets gave Martin a deal with $90 million in 2004 and he rewarded them by missing 169 (or 34%) games over the next six seasons. And he’s dealing with another knee issue that is going to force him to miss the start of training camp. Why in the world would the Nuggets want to extend him now when they don’t even know how healthy he is? And why bother extending him when his next contract is going to be a fraction of his current salary ($16.5 million)? He’s a 32-year-old with bum knees — I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s playing on a two- or three-year mid-level deal this time next year.
The Nuggets thought they were getting a perennial All-Star back in 2004. He was coming off a season where he averaged 17/10 for the Nets and was named to his first All-Star Game. Unfortunately for the Nuggets, that was the only All-Star appearance he ever made. He has averaged 13/7 in his six seasons in Denver.
It’s no one’s fault that he has had all of these knee injuries. But for Martin to sit there and complain about the lack of an extension after the Nuggets gave him $90 million (NINETY-MILLION!) is completely insane. Moreover, he has the audacity to admit that he’s sandbagging his knee injury because he’s upset he doesn’t have a long-term contract.
Part of me is jealous that Martin gets to live in his own universe. I wish I had the balls to grumble about my financial situation as I’m getting paid $16.5 million for the upcoming season after giving my team two-thirds the production they expected in two-thirds the games. (That works out to four-ninths, or 44%, for the fractionally-challenged.)
This guy should count his lucky stars that he didn’t start having major knee issues until after Denver signed him to such a sweet deal. And he should enjoy the $16.5 million that he’s making this season because there’s a good chance it will be more than his next contract.
He’s not helping himself with this attitude. If I were a GM, I wouldn’t touch this guy with a 10-foot pole.
