Western Carolina Catamounts: Kevin Martin Calls It a Career
Former Western Carolina Catamounts star Kevin Martin has retired from the NBA.
As of today there are no Western Carolina Catamounts in the NBA. Their representative, sharpshooter Kevin Martin, has decided to hang it up at age thirty-three after twelve seasons in the highest level of professional basketball.
Around this state there is a lot of uncommon basketball success and it is not really noteworthy when a Blue Devil, Demon Deacon, Wolfpacker, or Tar Heel leaves the game simply because there are so many (unless it is Tim Duncan). However Martin was truly unique in his origins, coming from Ohio to play his basketball in Cullowhee, NC. He spent in his time in the NBA alone in that respect.
Martin entered the NBA in 2004 as a volume scorer and athlete in college. His unorthodox shooting style evolved to make him a successful bench scorer for several teams. Most of the time though Martin was also throw-in bait for big trades and essentially was a journeyman.
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He emerged as a big time scorer in his third year (20.2 points per game) when he was in Sacramento only to watch the Kings dissolve around him. A groin injury prevented him from reaching his true potential but he was still able to average 23 points a game when sent to the Houston Rockets in 2010.
While leading the Rockets, Martin became the biggest piece sent back to the Oklahoma City Thunder in the James Harden trade in 2012. At the time he was considered the x-factor of the deal and some speculated he was a better fit for Russell Westbrook and Kevin Durant since he could play off the ball. With Westbrook and Durant trading injuries, we never saw it though Martin was productive off the bench.
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Martin left the Thunder to rejoin coach Rick Adelman with the Minnesota Timberwolves. There he continued to be part of a mediocre team without much future. San Antonio picked him up midseason in 2015 to gird itself for a playoff run only to be ousted in the second round with Martin playing almost no role at all.
In the end Martin was a shooter and a scorer with a form that slowly betrayed him as he got older. He never developed a defensive mentality with his slighter build. No, his value was always based by his ability to put the ball in the basket. Twenty-two points a game in college and seventeen points a game in the pros are the numbers the former Catamount hangs his hat on.