Seattle – Injured Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin is closing in on missing consecutive game No. 41, and when that happens, the Nuggets will save money on his contract for this season.
A league insurance policy covers the top eight contracts on each team, minus a dozen cases that it can throw out for any reason. Once an injured player within the guidelines misses 41 consecutive games, the policy kicks in and pays 80 percent of the remainder of the player’s contract for that season. After Tuesday’s game at Seattle, Martin will have missed 37 games. Microfracture surgery will keep him out for the season.
The Nuggets are on the hook for his salary through 41 consecutive games missed, so the organization will pay a little more than half of Martin’s $12 million salary for this season. When the policy kicks in, after the Nuggets’ Jan. 31 game at Portland, it takes care of 80 percent of Martin’s remaining salary for the season and the organization is only on the hook for 20 percent.
Martin has traveled lately with the team during his rehabilitation process and is expected to be available for the 2007-08 season.
A.I. love
Just about everyone has heard his or her fair share of negative stories about guard Allen Iverson. Nuggets coach George Karl is no different.
Except he has gotten to see Iverson firsthand. And according to Karl, the Iverson portrayed through the media and the one he has come to know are two different people.
“If this guy has a bad side, he is tricking me as much as anyone, because this kid says the right things, has a great attitude,” Karl said. “I know we’re getting him at a good time. But the passion to play basketball – man – I played basketball hard. I was really proud of how hard I used to play. But this kid plays as hard as anyone that has ever played the game. Gary Payton played hard. Gary Payton played really hard. A.I. might play harder than Gary Payton.”
Footnotes
The Nuggets have two roster spots open to work with. They could sign a player to a 10-day contract, but with a team strong enough that it doesn’t have discernible needs, that doesn’t appear likely in the near future, anyway. …
Karl said Minnesota coach Dwane Casey deserved more time. Casey, who coached under Karl at Seattle in the mid-1990s, was fired Tuesday after leading the Timberwolves to a 20-20 record this season. It was his second season as head coach.
