As much as Nuggets forward ‘s left knee is bothering him, his pride makes it more painful to talk about it.
“It’s hard to talk about it because I’m not the one to make excuses for myself,” Martin said Tuesday.
A frustrating playoff series against San Antonio, in which the Nuggets trail 3-1, has brought to a head season-long angst Martin has dealt with because of a cranky knee. Martin said he would have arthroscopic surgery on his knee after the season.
Signed to a six-year, $92 million contract last summer as Denver’s enforcer, Martin believes Nuggets’ fans have yet to see him at full strength.
“Certain times of the game I’m more explosive than others,” he said. “For the entire game, I’m not capable of moving all the way. It’s more frustrating than anything.”
The 6-foot-9, 240-pounder’s knee has been bothering him since training camp. He sat out a few games early in the season with what was listed as tendinitis. He said he often feels a sharp pain in his knee if his left leg isn’t stretched out after sitting for any length of time.
Nuggets coach George Karl said Martin hasn’t been at full strength.
“Kenyon’s a big-time runner, a big-time rebounder. I don’t think we’re getting all of that all the time,” Karl said.
Nuggets general manager Kiki Vandeweghe called Martin a “warrior” for playing through pain this season, adding he might have put Martin on the injured list to give him a better chance for recovery if his team had been healthier and playing better early in the season. Martin said the one time his knee felt right all season was when he took time off to recover from a rib cage strain in late March.
“Kenyon doesn’t say anything because it hurts and he doesn’t want to make excuses,” Vandeweghe said. “Over the course of the season, we’ve had our share of injuries, including Kenyon’s knee being sore several times. I know his knee has been sore. I’ve had jumper’s knee. … The good news is it gets better with rest.”
The Nuggets acquired Martin from New Jersey, for whom he averaged 16.7 points and a career-high 9.5 rebounds a season ago. His statistics dipped this season to 15.5 points and 7.3 rebounds during the regular season. In the playoffs, he’s averaging 12 points and just 5.5 rebounds.
The Nuggets don’t see Martin’s knee becoming a chronic problem, saying surgery and rest should make him fine for next season.
“My thing is I don’t want it to become a constant problem,” Martin said, adding the combination of not being able to shake injuries as well as the team’s play the first half of the season has made this his most frustrating season as a pro.
“The way it started, not winning, not playing well,” Martin said. “I’m going to just keep fighting through it.”
Asked if he puts pressure on himself because of his contract, he said: “I don’t worry about what everybody has to say. But as long as people in this organization know what’s going on, I’m cool with it.”
Martin admits he also is dealing with stress at home. His wife, Heather, gave birth to their third child, Kamron March 1, in Denver. Kamron was two months premature, now weighs only 5 pounds and isn’t expected to leave the hospital for another week.
“It’s always on my mind,” Martin said.
Martin said he looks forward to getting healthy and to having Kamron home and healthy.
And he says his injury has kept Nuggets fans from seeing him at his best.
“They haven’t been able to,” he said. “I can’t make it through the game without pain. But they will. I guarantee they will.”
Staff writer Marc J. Spears can be reached at 303-820-5449 or mspears@denverpost.com.
