Kings Fans Lose Their Underground Star

My first thought about the Kevin Martin trade is that I didn’t understand why so many Kings fans hated it. I wish, as they do, that Martin and Tyreke Evans got more time to co-exist, but they were getting cap relief and a very good player in Carl Landry.

However, Tom Ziller at SB Nation’s Sactown Royalty puts it all in perspective for us. As Ziller writes, Martin was theirs. He was underappreciated for so many years, and the mainstream writers only began to take notice recently. Now, after putting so much time into rooting for a guy like Martin, it’s tough for Kings fans to let go.

But goddamn it hurts to lose him. He was ours — our secret, our walking idiosyncrasy, our source of impromptu elation. Chris Webber, high and low, was shared with the world. Peja, too. Even Mitch Richmond was a star who happened to play in Sacramento. But Martin? He was ours. And he’s gone. Partly because he wanted out — he’s been pissed at the franchise’s lack of support — and partly because of the franchise’s itchy finger. Partly because Carl Landry is awesome, and the Kings bigs, on the whole, are not. Partly because Martin and Tyreke Evans just haven’t clicked totally. Partly because the Knicks are going to Crazytown and might want to take us along.