You want a signal that this season makes no sense whatsoever?
Seemingly within minutes of the news breaking that Kenyon Martin is free to join an NBA team immediatley, the LA Clippers swooped in and signed the coveted power forward.
Free agent Kenyon Martin has agreed to a one-year, $2.5 million contract to play with the Los Angeles Clippers, agent Andy Miller told Yahoo! Sports on Friday.
Martin joins a frontcourt rotation that includes All-Star forward Blake Griffin and promising young centerDeAndre Jordan. Most NBA contenders had been in pursuit of the rugged forward.
Yes, the LA Clippers… with every other NBA contender trying to make a pitch to sign Kenyon Martin, it’s the Clippers that ended up winning the sweeptstakes.
Of course, it’s not an absurd choice. Under the microscope of this season, they are a good team with an unparalelled floor general in a city that is very desirable to free agents. But for those of us who have been around the block a few (ok, more than a few) times, the notion that the Clippers landed anyone in a bidding war is still mind-boggling.
Of course, the full “mini mid-level exception” is a huge draw. That’s at least twice as much as what most teams could offer him. But with Martin, the Clippers now have a rugged 4 with an edge to come off the bench and hold things down while Blake Griffin gets recharged. There still might be some delay as FIBA, the Chinese Basketball Association, and the NBA hash out some details, but this will happen. It has the potential to be a very good signing.
And the way things are going this season, one very good signing at this point might make a bigger difference than usual
