MINNEAPOLIS — The way Martell Webster sees it, he just got drafted for the
second time.
The Minnesota Timberwolves acquired the former lottery pick from Portland in
a trade for the 16th overall pick on draft night last week. Many players
would sulk after getting traded from a playoff contender to the second-worst
team in the league, but Webster welcomes the change.
"It's a crazy feeling. It's kind of surreal," Webster said during his
introductory news conference Monday. "New place. New setting. New culture.
I'm excited."
Webster was one of the highest-rated high school players in the country
during his senior year at Seattle Prep in 2005 and was the first prep player
drafted that year when the rebuilding Blazers took him sixth overall, ahead
of Andrew Bynum.
The following year, however, the Blazers landed star Brandon Roy, who cut
into Webster's playing time and relegated him more to a role player and
occasional starter than the established scorer the team envisioned developing
when they drafted him. In five years with the Blazers, Webster never averaged
more than 28 minutes per game.
"Not a fresh start, just a chance, to tell you the truth," Webster said about
his new team. "Not to say I didn't have one in Portland, but now I get more
of one. The opportunity is a little bit bigger. For me, personally, something
bigger means a lot more."
The Timberwolves are banking on him being ready for the role. Webster will
compete with Corey Brewer for the starting shooting guard spot, with
president David Kahn and coach Kurt Rambis betting that the 23-year-old will
show that he can do more than be a spot-up three-point shooter and
above-average defender.
"The statistics are that when he plays a significant amount of time, 30-plus
minutes, his shot-making goes up, his scoring goes up," Kahn said. "He
probably relaxes a little bit when he's playing steady minutes. And he's 23,
which is hard to believe since he's been in the league for such a long time."
In his career, Webster is averaging 8.5 points, 3.3 rebounds and 41 percent
shooting, 37 percent from three-point range. He played at least 30 minutes in
32 games last season, and his numbers in those games were 16.3 points, 5.0
rebounds, 48 percent shooting and 44 percent from three-point range.
With three first-round picks in the draft, the Timberwolves were hesitant to
add three more rookies to a roster that already would feel right at home at a
Justin Bieber concert. So they shipped their 16th overall pick and veteran
Ryan Gomes to the Blazers for Webster, who has five years of experience under
his belt, but is still young enough for the Wolves to believe best basketball
is ahead of him.
"I've been following him since he was a rookie," said Rambis, who was an
assistant with the Lakers during Webster's first four seasons. "I like his
size, I like his length, his height. He can just flat-out shoot the
basketball effortlessly from four or five feet behind the three-point line.
But I see him doing a lot more than just being a spot-up shooter."
It's going to be quite a summer for Webster, who is getting married in August
and will also begin a transformation on the court from a role player learning
the system for five years in Portland to a veteran who will be leaned on
heavily in Minnesota.
"I haven't even begun to show (my potential)," Webster said. "How open is my
mind to new things? I can tell you that it really is. I'm excited to see what
this offense is going to be like. To see where I can fit in and really just
sprawl out and show what I feel like I'm capable of doing."
— The Associated Press
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