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Marv
Posts: 35540
Alba Posts: 69
Joined: 9/2/2002
Member: #315
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It was microfracture.
http://www.denverpost.com/portlet/article/html/fragments/print_article.jsp?article=3434411
nuggets
Back in business
K-Mart shining again after knee surgery
By Adam Thompson
Denver Post Staff Writer
DenverPost.com
For Kenyon Martin, inspiration comes as easily as a remote click to the nightly highlights from Philadelphia these days. That's where the Nuggets forward can watch the career renaissance of 76ers big man Chris Webber.
Martin and Webber have two things in common. Both underwent microfracture surgery on their left knees, and both heard a chorus of skeptics doubting they would return to previous form.
"People write you off," Martin said. "Everybody has an opinion. People don't know how he felt. I didn't know how he felt until I went through it."
It took Webber two years after his 2003 surgery to return to all- star caliber. Though their injuries are not identical, Martin is showing signs of regaining the swagger in his springy step eight months after his procedure.
"Kenyon's going to be as good or better than he ever was," Nuggets trainer Jim Gillen said. "You need to quit writing that he has a bum knee, bad back. He doesn't have any of those things."
Martin has coped with a sore back, along with a sprained ankle, in recent weeks. But that would have been hard to guess based on the stat sheet, which shows him averaging 15.9 points and 8.8 rebounds in January, not counting a game at Houston when he played only nine minutes. Not too surprisingly, the Nuggets have gone 10-2 this month.
Martin supplements Gillen's point with anecdotal evidence, such as his string of late defensive plays to secure the Nuggets' win in Chicago last week, the soaring follow dunk that iced Denver's upset in San Antonio on Sunday and his coast-to-coast, left-handed layup Monday against Toronto in his team's sixth consecutive win.
"I'm trying not to think too much about it, but it gets me excited sometimes, knowing I can run and jump and get 17 rebounds," said Martin, referring to his board work last week against Cleveland.
With his continued improvement has come trust from coach George Karl, who kept Martin in long enough against the Raptors on Monday to clear 40 minutes for the first time this season.
"He's getting off the ground and going after more rebounds, especially at the offensive end," Karl said. "He was a difficult offensive rebounder always to cover, but he wasn't getting there often (early this season). So his pacing of the game was off at that end of the court. Now I think he's becoming more assertive there."
Martin said he feels close to returning to his all-star form, which he insists Denver fans have not seen since his arrival from the New Jersey Nets in 2004. He has some catching up to do. Season totals of 12.8 points and 6.7 rebounds per game hardly are all- world, let alone all-star.
Still, he is optimistic continued improvement could return him to all-star status by next season.
Of course, more roadblocks always could surface, and with them a return of the boos and the trade rumors that have circulated this season. He said he knows to block them out.
"It's wasted energy, man," he said. "I don't keep that negativity. I'm already hard on myself."
Martin has not talked with Webber about his comeback, though he wishes he would have. It sounds like they have learned the same lessons, based on Webber's recent comments on how to deal with a long-term recovery. The forward, whom the Sacramento Kings traded to the 76ers last spring, preached patience. He said it's better to help the team by sitting out than hurt it with the poor play that comes with a premature return.
As for the doubters, Webber said: "I learned a long time ago, don't listen. The month I got traded I was (Western Conference) player of the month. In one month it turned from that to being terrible. I just didn't listen, I believed in God and kept saying when I get healthy, I'm going to get my chance."
By following a similar path, Martin has developed a third thing in common with Webber - a spot next to him on the nightly highlight reels.
Staff writer Marc J. Spears contributed to this report. Staff writer Adam Thompson can be reached at 303-820-5447 or athompson@denverpost.com.
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2/5/2006 12:18 PM
