Whether Daniel Eade likes it or not Damian Martin is going to go down as the NBL’s Player of the Month for March 2011.
Eade’s article points out that Martin averaged “just” 10.3ppg, 6.5rpg, 3.8apg and 3.3 steals per game through the month of March. Really, “just” 3.3 steals per game and a point guard averaging “just” 6.5 boards per game?
3.3 steals a game saw Damo swiping the ball twice as often as his nearest counterparts in the league, Gary Ervin thieved the ball 1.6 times per game through March.
To put Damo’s rebounding into perspective Julian Khazzouh grabbed 7.6 boards per game through March whilst Wilkinson hauled in 4.6 boards.
Whilst I do not think it is fair to compare players who played against each other as a basis of this award it should be noted that despite Ubaka’s 14 points against the Wildcats on 6 March Martin attributed to Ubaka shooting 36% from the field including 3/10 form deep and in the game on 26 March Ubaka shot 18% form outside and 33% from the floor, hardly a valuable percentage.
Wil Blalock may have dropped 14 points and dropped 6 dimes against the Cats but also turned the ball over 5 times. In the Wildcats game against the Blaze Adam Gibson lost the ball 4 times. Martin turned the ball over 4 times in four games for the month whilst Kirk Penney lost the ball 3.8 times per game through March.
A bigger question to ask is why someone who loves the NBL would submit their votes 24 hours late then question why their votes weren’t counted. Sounds like someone wants to call the NBL out at the drop of hat but doesn’t want to be called out himself? It makes the entire article seem less credible.
But at the end of the day the award is for the most valuable player, not the highest scoring player. Points aside Martin is up there in matching it with those considered the best at their trade. Who can forget his near quadruple double night where he racked up 11 points, 11 boards, 8 assists and 7 steals.
Players turning the ball over or shooting at a lousy clip aren’t valuable to their team but the opponents that are forcing their match ups to lose the ball or force bad shots are valuable. Martin enforced through the month of March that he is one of the most complete players in the league, able to score, rebound, steal and pass the ball the ball. The guy can do it all and that is why he is valuable and that is why a jury of Martin’s peers voted him in.
