The chants started late — “Ken-yon Mar-tin, Ken-yon Mar-tin.” But the newest Knick, while moved, knew he wasn’t getting in the game.
“That’s a great feeling,” Martin said after he sat through last night’s 99-93 victory over the 76ers, his first official game as a Knick. “I think we converted a few fans when I was in Jersey. But I’m a Knick now and I’m embracing it.”
Martin, who signed a 10-day contract Friday, said he was aware he would not play last night.
“I’ve still got to pick up some more plays,” he said.
Martin provides the team with good insurance with foot injuries to bigs Marcus Camby and Rasheed Wallace. And he laughed about joining the Knicks’ graybeards.
“I’m 35. I’m young around here,” he said.
* Coach Mike Woodson stayed with a rotation tweak he began in Toronto. Instead of using Tyson Chandler for the entire first quarter, he pulled him a little early and then used him to start the second quarter. That way he gets Amar’e Stoudemire’s offense in the first and Chandler’s defense in the second.
“I’m pulling Tyson a little bit earlier now in the first to get Amar’e started at the five and then bringing Tyson back to start the second quarter just for defensive purposes,” Woodson said.
Said Chandler: “Whatever the team needs. Whatever the team needs… I’ve got to get in a rhythm because it’s different. I’m out there playing with different guys.”
* Woodson admitted he wanted to get Jason Kidd back as a facilitator to allow Raymond Felton to freelance offensively. Woodson also wants to cut Kidd’s minutes.
“I feel great. I’m not playing too many minutes,” said Kidd, who despite averaging the fewest minutes of his career (27.8) has endured a workload Woodson frets about. “It seems in this league everybody goes through a down period. You just stay positive, keep working and it can only make us stronger.”
That’s what Woodson envisions: the Knicks reverting to the strength of the early season, when Kidd and Felton worked side-by-side. Up until Felton’s injury, Kidd was averaging 8.1 points and 3.9 assists. Since, his numbers are 5.9 points and 3.2 assists. In the 11 games before last night, Kidd averaged 2.5 points and 2.1 assists.
“The beauty about having [Kidd] — and he and I have talked a little bit more — [is] earlier on he was initiating offense, too,” Woodson said. “That kind of freed Raymond up to freelance and shoot and do a little bit more. When we went through that stretch where Raymond was out, he [Kidd] had to do so much and I think it hurt him some. I need him to get back to facilitating a little bit and maybe pull his minutes back.”
One guy who thinks a Jason Kidd-Kenyon Martin reunion is a good move for the Knicks is Philadelphia president Rod Thorn, who, of course, was their general manager in New Jersey.
“I’ll tell you one thing, if they play like they did when they played for the Nets, the Knicks will really be good,” Thorn said, laughing. “I think it’s great. [Martin] is a really smart player and obviously he’s very tough and I think he can help the Knicks. He’s a good pickup.”