"K-Money": This one already has momentum, as I'm told a realgm.com bunch has been calling Kevin Martin "K-Money" for some time. Yes, as a handful of "K-Money" promoters argued, it fits. Martin is money from all over the court, it uses his initials and he just signed a deal for a whole lot of money. But "Swingers" - the movie where the line "You're so money" gained a new level of pop culture fame - is 11 years old, and the old-school sports fan in me doesn't want to be reminded how much money these guys are raking in and how it affects the game. You might as well call him Kevin "Ka-Ching" Martin?
"Flair Martin": This one actually works in a lot of ways, because Martin has plenty of flair and Air Jordan was his childhood idol. His bedroom walls in Zanesville, Ohio, were covered with Jordan posters, and I remember meeting Martin in his rookie season when he was dressed all in black and red Jordan garb. But his game just isn't ready for any Jordan comparisons.
"K-Marvelous": A gentleman who handles marketing for some Kings players tells me this one will be on T-shirts and other souvenirs soon. But other than Jerry Reynolds, who apparently dropped this one during a telecast, who actually says "marvelous"? While it's meaning is a positive it's also too vague, and I've decided I should have enacted a three-syllable rule as it takes too long to roll off the tongue. I vote no.
"Special K": Neither bad nor new. This name has been used in plenty in Kings telecasts, I believe, and is a bit catchy. "Special" is far better than "marvelous," but I was a Cheerios kid so I can't relate to the actual cereal.
"K-Boxer, a.k.a. Jockless": Spencer in Sacramento writes that Martin's penchant for playing in boxer shorts should be honored with this nickname. The info was revealed a column by Marty Mac on Feb. 2, 2006, when Martin said he hadn't worn old-fashioned underwear "since I got out of the Superman underwear."
- Sam Amick
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