15 stars you forgot played for the New York Knicks
6. Kenyon Martin
Moving on from the first Rookie of the Year award winner of the century, all the way to the first overall draft pick of the century, Kenyon Martin was the obvious choice at going first, ultimately joining the New Jersey Nets.
In what must have been one of the weakest draft classes in the history of the league, you couldn’t really make a case for a player deserving of the Rookie of the Year award. It ultimately went to Mike Miller, who averaged 11.9 points per game for his first season.
Regardless of his mediocre rookie season, Martin would go ahead and become a very good player and an All-Star just three years later. He was an old-school inside big man and a great defender but just failed to keep up with the new fast-paced way the game is now played.
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Martin initially signed two 10-day contracts with the New York Knicks right in the middle of the 2012-13 season, then got signed for the remaining part of the season. During the summer that followed, he would go ahead and sign a one-year contract for the veteran’s minimum.
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His play was not impressive whatsoever, especially during his second season with the team when age began to catch up to him. In a total of 50 games, he would average 5.1 points and 4.6 rebounds while playing 21.3 minutes per game, resulting in awful numbers on the Per 36 scale.
Regardless of his poor play, Martin seemed to really enjoy life with the Knicks. Let’s not forget his proposition to Joakim Noah in 2017 where he suggested a bet for Noah’s contract.