In the split seconds it took Cartier Martin to knock the ball away from Clay Tucker and dive on and secure the loose ball, Keith Smart unleashed screams of adoration.
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"Go, get you a job, Cartier," Smart yelled. "Go, get a job."
Cartier has done just about everything within his control during the Las Vegas Summer League to earn an NBA job, and, in so doing, the 6-foot-7 wing has created a difficult decision for the Warriors' management.
The 24-year-old missed Tuesday's 95-83 win against Chicago with a shoulder injury, after averaging 19.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and countless hustle plays in his first three games. Martin, who went undrafted out of Kansas State in 2007 but got a 33-game chance last year in Charlotte, is expected to play Thursday in the Warriors' final summer-league game and his final audition for NBA decision-makers.
"He's doing what most guys who've gotten a taste of the NBA do," said Smart, an assistant coach who is the Warriors' head coach during the summer league. "He's come in, fighting to get a job."
The problem for the Warriors is that Martin is fighting to win any NBA job because rights to summer-league players are not owned by the teams for which they play. Any team may offer him a guaranteed contract, and the Warriors already have 14 players under contract and can match any offer to C.J. Watson.
"I'm playing for the whole deal," Martin said, referring to a fully-guaranteed contract. "I'm not just going to be satisfied with going to a training camp. I'm not even going to be satisfied to go in and sit on the bench. I want to play.
"I understand that it takes some time, but I'm willing to do whatever I've got to do to get a chance to get out there and play."
A fully-guaranteed contract out of the summer league is probably a long shot, considering Anthony Morrow made 16 of his first 19 three-point attempts last year and didn't get one. A team is more likely to offer a partially-guaranteed contract, which allows it escapes at designated dates, or a make-good contract, which goes into effect only if a player makes the team out of camp.
Martin, who has "FAITH" and "FOCUS" tattooed on his arms and printed with a black Sharpie on his shoes, has kept his life's principles while toiling for a chance at any of those options. He averaged 20.6 points ad 5.4 rebounds for the NBA Developmental League's Iowa Jam last season and arrived at practices three hours early once he got the call to the Charlotte Bobcats. With Charlotte, he averaged 2.6 points and 8.1 minutes per game.
"I know I can play in this league. I've known it since I came out of college, but I had to put in some more work and let my game show it," Martin said. "I go to work at 8 a.m. every day. It doesn't matter if practice starts at 11."
There's no question the Warriors like how that intensity has been conveyed in Martin's play, but they have already a roster crammed with wing players. They have only two floor spots to split minutes among Kelenna Azubuike, Stephen Jackson, Corey Maggette, Anthony Morrow and, for stretches, either Monta Ellis or Stephen Curry.
That logjam doesn't even include Marco Belinelli, but Martin may have found a way to wedge himself in. He's shown to be a good rebounder, a great team defender and someone who can get into the lane and draw fouls (30 free-throw attempts in the first three games) - all attributes that have been missed in Golden State.
"We definitely like him a lot, but we have to continue to evaluate him and where he might fit," general manager Larry Riley said.
Cartier has done just about everything within his control during the Las Vegas Summer League to earn an NBA job, and, in so doing, the 6-foot-7 wing has created a difficult decision for the Warriors' management.
The 24-year-old missed Tuesday's 95-83 win against Chicago with a shoulder injury, after averaging 19.7 points, 4.3 rebounds and countless hustle plays in his first three games. Martin, who went undrafted out of Kansas State in 2007 but got a 33-game chance last year in Charlotte, is expected to play Thursday in the Warriors' final summer-league game and his final audition for NBA decision-makers.
"He's doing what most guys who've gotten a taste of the NBA do," said Smart, an assistant coach who is the Warriors' head coach during the summer league. "He's come in, fighting to get a job."
The problem for the Warriors is that Martin is fighting to win any NBA job because rights to summer-league players are not owned by the teams for which they play. Any team may offer him a guaranteed contract, and the Warriors already have 14 players under contract and can match any offer to C.J. Watson.
"I'm playing for the whole deal," Martin said, referring to a fully-guaranteed contract. "I'm not just going to be satisfied with going to a training camp. I'm not even going to be satisfied to go in and sit on the bench. I want to play.
"I understand that it takes some time, but I'm willing to do whatever I've got to do to get a chance to get out there and play."
A fully-guaranteed contract out of the summer league is probably a long shot, considering Anthony Morrow made 16 of his first 19 three-point attempts last year and didn't get one. A team is more likely to offer a partially-guaranteed contract, which allows it escapes at designated dates, or a make-good contract, which goes into effect only if a player makes the team out of camp.
Martin, who has "FAITH" and "FOCUS" tattooed on his arms and printed with a black Sharpie on his shoes, has kept his life's principles while toiling for a chance at any of those options. He averaged 20.6 points ad 5.4 rebounds for the NBA Developmental League's Iowa Jam last season and arrived at practices three hours early once he got the call to the Charlotte Bobcats. With Charlotte, he averaged 2.6 points and 8.1 minutes per game.
"I know I can play in this league. I've known it since I came out of college, but I had to put in some more work and let my game show it," Martin said. "I go to work at 8 a.m. every day. It doesn't matter if practice starts at 11."
There's no question the Warriors like how that intensity has been conveyed in Martin's play, but they have already a roster crammed with wing players. They have only two floor spots to split minutes among Kelenna Azubuike, Stephen Jackson, Corey Maggette, Anthony Morrow and, for stretches, either Monta Ellis or Stephen Curry.
That logjam doesn't even include Marco Belinelli, but Martin may have found a way to wedge himself in. He's shown to be a good rebounder, a great team defender and someone who can get into the lane and draw fouls (30 free-throw attempts in the first three games) - all attributes that have been missed in Golden State.
"We definitely like him a lot, but we have to continue to evaluate him and where he might fit," general manager Larry Riley said.
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