Tyson To Return Against Houston
JANUARY 4, SEATTLE – Reshawn Tyson did not play in Seattle’s game against the Dallas Mavericks at the tail-end of their Texas one-two step. Although he was cleared to suit up, Head Coach George Karl opted to keep Tyson on the Injured Reserves list. After his side pulled out a resounding victory against the Mavs in Dallas, Karl sent out something that no one wants to hear at this moment.
“Yes,” Karl told media, “He (Tyson) will be back.”
Karl has committed to starting Tyson despite the solid play of Allen Iverson as the team’s stand-in starter. Karl also quelled rumours of a Tyson deal, “It was sort of a blessing with Tyson out. There were no more trade rumours. I really don’t think he’s going anywhere. Not with our team doing so well at least.”
Tyson, for now, has committed to playing for the Stealth, “I’m still a Seattle player so I’m going to be playing hard every game. We’re on a really good run right now so my focus is on coming out and helping us win.”
The rest of the league is on edge as the Stealth, winners of 15 straight games, look unstoppable and Tyson’s impending return should push them over the top.
Read More…
Updated: January 5, 2014
The Estonian Enigma
Let’s clear up a few myths and delve deeper into the oft misunderstood Martti Must.
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Battle of the best power forwards in the league? Don't think so, Martti is on a whole different level to Pau.
By Cedric "Porter" Jackson
ESPN.com Writer
Rewind back to his junior season at North Carolina, Estonian Martti Must must have been scratching his head wondering why he had taken this path. Must finished his junior season with paltry averages of 5.3ppg and 3.5rpg, despite showing flashes of brilliance in his FIBA international games for Estonia. Fast forward back to the present, Must has made former coach Roy Williams and all his doubters eat humble pie on his way to All-Rookie 1st Team honours, All-NBA 1st Team honours and is already a three time NBA All-Star. This is a guy that struggled to get off the bench in college. It really is a testament to how hard Martti has worked on his game. He has stepped out from the lofty shadow of former teammate Reshawn Tyson and is starting to create his own legacy.
All anyone sees or hears from the Estonian is whinging, complaining and stomping of the feet. I would argue that he is merely misunderstood. I am not sure whether it is the language or cultural barrier, but Must always finds himself on the wrong side of public perception. Along with Chara, James, Durant and Chris Paul, Martti Must is clearly a top 5 player in the league, but he never gets mentioned in the same breath, but that will change. He potentially might be one of Europe’s greatest ever NBA players, because he can play at both ends of the court. He may not be the offensive giant that Dirk Nowitzki is, but never has a Euro been able to dominate and change the game at both ends of the court as Martti Must can. Not only that, but he's not afraid to make the extra pass and hit an open teammate with an assist. His recent performances have even started registering in the NBA history books. Matched up against Jay Gray about a month ago, Must exploded for a triple double, 27 points, 15 rebounds and 12 assists in a thirty point thumping of the Milwaukee Bucks. To put that performance into perspective, only five other players have achieved that feat in the last twenty years. Those players: Charles Barkley, Grant Hill, Kobe Bryant, Lebron James and Moses Chara. Re-read that list and be mindful that it was pre-injury Grant Hill who performed the feat, a player that seemed destined for the Hall of Fame. Lofty company indeed.
Showing that he had no hard feelings towards Tarheels coach Roy Williams, Martti Must returned to Chapel Hill over the summer to scrimmage with some of the new breed of Tarheels. He was joined there by former teammates, and friends, Seattle Stealth guard Reshawn Tyson and centre Rocky Akonnor. Akonnor said this about Must, “He’s my little Estonian bro. He was always going to be a great player, we saw it in practice, it was just about (Martti) getting some consistency and doing it in the real games, and as you have seen over the last few years, he has no problems with that anymore.” Tyson added, “Martti’s misunderstood, he’s a great guy. Sometimes your words get twisted in the media. I know I’ve been there, but it’s great to see how far he has come. The sky really is the ceiling for him.”
Now playing in the Valley of the Sun, if you go to Phoenix’s practice facility, you’ll probably bound to find Martti there. He’s regularly the first in and the last out, working on his shot, his footwork or in the weight room preparing for the nightly beatings and cheap shots that he takes in the NBA from opposing teams. “Trying to prove people wrong. Being the best”, said Martti. But everybody doesn’t see that, they see a cocky European. Asked why he left Memphis, Must replied, “I think I needed the change of scenery. I never got the feeling that the (Grizzlies’) front office was behind me. Whenever I did well, making the All-Star team, 1st team All-NBA, it didn’t mean anything to them, it was more about what I didn’t do, failing the last couple of years to get them into the playoffs, like it’s a one man game and not a team game. To them I wasn’t making teammates better by finding them with a pass when they were open, I was just being passive. That sort of stuff grinds on you.”
Joining Phoenix came as a surprise to some, this is what Martti had to say, “Sarver and Chuck (Barkley) really made me feel welcome. I know that Chuck has been in my situation before, so he was sympathetic to my plight, but most of all, I liked his vision for how the Suns would use me and who they would put around me so we could win it all. I want to win titles, that’s what I’m about.” Asked about his relationship with Barkley, Must had this to say, “we have a great relationship. We actually try to meet once a week for coffee and he's always trying to instill his vast knowledge of the NBA into me. The only rule he has is that since it's my first year here, I have to bring the Krispy Kreme doughnuts.”
From Estonia to Chapel Hill to Arizona via Memphis, the legacy of Martti Must builds.
newc wrote:17 straight and I'm being optimistic about it
Agent420 wrote:I'm a little depressed after finding out I'm most likely getting medically discharged out of the Army after my second surgery. Instead of eating a gallon of ice cream, today I will read this great story.
I know, I know. I've been talking about it for a while, but this time it's real.
Valdis wrote:Nice article, like it I am new in this thread but I think you win 20.
Martti. wrote:Fine, I'll go with 33.
Axel. wrote:Excellent article, X. Martti's improved a bunch since averaging sub-par numbers in North Carolina.
The X wrote:The article wasn't meant to say Must is better than Jay Gray, because I still prefer Gray . He's not in Gray's shadow anymore, he now stands face-to-face with him as this generation's great power forwards.
I wrote the article to show the other side of the story. As IRL, there is always two sides to a story & the truth is somewhere in the middle.
It's also good to put exposure on someone other than your own player or own team, as hova did with Jay Gray article in the off-season.
dare wrote:Great article by X, it's good to see that even NLSC-ers are creating their own legend here.
Sit wrote:I hope that he stays on as Cedric Porter for a few seasons more. (Not at expense of his Wolves of course).
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