CLEVELAND -- Power forward Kenyon Martin made his 2011-12 debut for the Los Angeles Clippers in Wednesday night's 99-92 loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers.
Clippers head coach Vinny Del Negro anticipated that Martin would log approximately 15 minutes in his first contest with the team, supplying Los Angeles with additional depth behind All-Star power forward Blake Griffin. Through what would ultimately be 20 minutes on the floor, Martin, 34, provided six points on 3-of-7 shooting, four rebounds and two blocked shots.
"At first start, it was a little rough," said Martin of his first game back in the league. "Overall, it just felt good to be back out there, bang bodies and help this unit. It feels great to be back in the NBA."
Acquired on a one-year, $2.5 million deal on February 3, Martin, 34, has not played since the middle of December where he spent part of the season playing in China with the Xinjiang Guanghui Flying Tigers.
Martin averaged 8.6 points and 6.2 rebounds through 48 games with the Denver Nuggets last season. Over his 11-year career, split between Denver and the New Jersey Nets, Martin has averaged 13.5 points and 7.2 rebounds.
"He's just trying to get his feet under him a little bit," said Del Negro following the game. "We're trying to get some type of rotation down with him. He gives us athleticism, he had some good plays at the rim. You get more comfortable with things as you move forward, he gives us some more depth up front."
Martin's status for Friday's contest against the Philadelphia 76ers will depend on how the player feels on Thursday having recovered from his first contest in over one month.