Miami was interested, but the New York Knicks beat them to the man.
The New York Knicks have signed Kenyon Martin to a 10-day contract, tweeted first by Marc Spears at Yahoo Sports and now confirmed by other sources. He steps into the roster spot created by the trade of Ronnie Brewer. The deal likely becomes official this weekend.
Kenyon Martion addition helps NYK with veteran big men Rasheed and Camby's injury woes. The ex-Net is former teammate of Melo, Camby,JR,Kidd
— Marc J. Spears (@MarcJSpears) February 21, 2013
Martin brings energy and defense — he can guard on the wing or in the post and is useful against the pick-and-roll because he can easily switch. He can score, he had a respectable 5.2 points and 4.3 rebounds a game off the bench with the Clippers last season.
The fact they didn’t invite him back speaks more to their concerns about him in the locker room, but with the veteran and established core of the Knicks it shouldn’t be an issue.
This is not a massive upgrade for the Knicks — if he was that good he wouldn’t have been a free agent that long — but he can be useful to them. The Knicks need to find a defensive groove before the playoffs, and Martin can be part of that.
And if it doesn’t work out, it’s a 10-day contract. (The Knicks can sign him to a second 10-day deal after this one, then they need to make it formal for the rest of the season or let him go.)
