In the Nov. 19 game in which he fractured his shooting wrist in the first quarter, Kevin Martin splashed seven 3-pointers on his way to a season-high 37 points. The guy clearly has no issue playing through pain.
That said, the Minnesota Timberwolves guard knows his recovery from surgery - which was given a six-to-eight-week timetable - is going to require some patience. Martin, who fractured his left (non-shooting) wrist back in 2009, has been through all this before. Though he said the wrist feels fine, and a medical check Friday reportedly revealed that it's healing well, he acknowledged Friday that the recovery will be "a slow process."
"It’s going to be interesting to see how this plays along," said Martin, according to Rachel Blount of the Minneapolis Star Tribune. "I do remember (with) my left, there was a lot of soreness. But with the right, it’s going to be a little tougher rehab. I’ll have to put in a lot more time with this one."
The Timberwolves got off to an encouraging start this season, with the veteran core of Martin, Ricky Rubio and Nikola Pekovic looking strong out of the gate. But injuries have knocked all three out of the lineup, leaving a crop of untested rookies and sophomores to hold down the fort and effectively derailing Minnesota's season.
At 4-14, the Wolves sit in the Western Conference cellar, and hold the ignominious distinction of being the only team to lose to the Philadelphia 76ers.
"I think any time you lose your top three players, it kills the whole vibe," Martin said. "It kills the team. At the end of the day, talent wins. I don’t care how much rah-rah you have, talent and hard work wins."
