Posted on 12/11/2007 1:50:15 PM

Basketball Betting Trends - Kenyon Martin is Back

By BetUS Staff

Allen Iverson is trying to tell the NBA betting universe something.

“Kenyon Martin is back,” Iverson told the Denver Post. “I've seen it. I've seen the explosiveness that he had before he got hurt. I've been seeing it. He's right there. And if he can get better than what he is right now, then I can't wait to see that.”

Iverson is referring to the performance Martin has given the Denver Nuggets over their past four outings: 16.0 points, 8.8 rebounds, 2.3 blocks and 1.8 steals in 33 minutes per game. The Nuggets won three of those games while going 2-2 against the spread.

Power forward has been a problem position for Denver – especially frustrating given the amount of talent on that frontline. Injuries to Martin, Nene and Eduardo Najera have kept the Nuggets from reaching the next level. Now Martin is playing as if he had never undergone multiple knee surgeries.

This is almost a bonus for Denver supporters. Martin was already playing very well this year in his return to the starting rotation, albeit in smaller doses of floor time – 22.6 minutes per game in November. On the season, K-Mart has been better than your league average power forward, giving Denver 16.0 points and 9.4 rebounds per 40 minutes with a Player Efficiency Rating of 15.79. Now he’s doing all that in extended minutes with intensity at both ends of the floor.

“I can play 40 minutes if they need me to,” Martin told the Post. “If the game is on the line, I have to sacrifice some things. I’ve told George (Karl) that as well. I’ll sacrifice whether maybe I'll be sore tomorrow. I'll sacrifice that for my team. It's all about winning.”

Martin is admitting here that he can’t play 40 minutes a night without breaking down. The Nuggets know this, and want to limit his starting assignments to roughly 30 minutes. This would suit Nuggets supporters just fine. The bigger question is how long it will take the basketball betting public to realize that the “old” Kenyon Martin has joined Iverson and Carmelo Anthony in Denver. Once they do, the NBA odds are sure to move.

Denver’s next game is Thursday night, with the Houston Rockets coming to town and TNT providing the television coverage. Tip-off is at 10:30 p.m. Eastern.

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