The Columbian with an Update on Martell

Brian Hendrickson of The Columbian has an update on Martell. Nothing new, really, but here's the link and the story.

Martell Webster's recovery from a broken bone in his left foot appears to be going well, and the small forward expects to be cleared to remove his orthopedic boot sometime in the next week.

The Blazers won't get an accurate timetable for his return until after the boot is removed and the foot more closely examined. But Webster said his doctor told him this week that he has about another month of healing before starting his rehab, and then another two weeks before he can play. That would put Webster's return somewhere in the first half of December.

Depending on how his rehab goes and on the actual date on which he returns, Martell shouldn't have to play too many teams with premiere forwards. The schedule from mid-to-late December looks like this:

Fri 12	vs LA Clippers	7:00pm	CSN ch. 37		95.5 FM, THE GAME
Tue 16	vs Sacramento	7:00pm	CSN ch. 37		95.5 FM, THE GAME
Thu 18	vs Phoenix	7:30pm			95.5 FM, THE GAME
Mon 22	@ Denver	6:00pm	KGW		95.5 FM, THE GAME
Tue 23	vs Denver	7:00pm	CSN ch. 37		95.5 FM, THE GAME
Thu 25	vs Dallas	7:30pm			95.5 FM, THE GAME
Sat 27	vs Toronto	7:00pm	CSN ch. 37		95.5 FM, THE GAME
Tue 30	vs Boston	7:00pm	KGW		95.5 FM, THE GAME

So why does it matter who we play? Well, Martell should definitely help us with his shooting, but I'm worried that it might take a while to get back in shape and be able to get his feet back up to speed in order to keep up with the man he's defending. With that said, it doesn't look like he'll be facing a slew of premiere SFs once he comes back...

Clippers -- Martell would be guarding Al Thorton, who could end up being a fine player, but he's certainly not premiere at this point. Last year he was a 13 point and 5 rebound guy in a little under 30 minutes a game.
Summary: Martell should be ok

Kings -- John Salmons torched the Blazers the other night to the tune of 27 points (in a losing effort, I might add), but he's really only a 12 point and 3 rebound guy in around 30 minutes a night.
Summary: Martell should be ok

Suns -- The Arizona Republic is reporting that Terry Porter is starting Matt Barnes. Matt Barnes?! Last year he gave you 7 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 assists in 20 minutes a game. And he's no rookie, either. The guy is a five-year veteran. He shouldn't be a problem to defend.
Summary: Martell, using only one leg, could lock this guy down like a guard managing a locked up con in a maximum security prison.

Nuggets (2x) -- The Nuggets don't have a good SF either, do they? Oh wait--Carmelo Anthony, one of the most prolific scorers in the league. If Martell's still recovering, he'll have a heck of a time defending 'Melo. However, if he's healthy....he'll still have a heck of a time defending 'Melo. I wouldn't be surprised to see Nate start Travis Outlaw in order to keep up with Melo's aggressive, slashing, cutting, driving nature.
Summary: Double Uh-oh

Mavs -- This is an interesting situation. I would normally say that the Mavs' SF is Josh Howard and Martell is going to have a hard time keeping up with a 20-point and 7-rebound-a-game man, but interestingly, the Mav's also plan on starting Atoine Wright, a guy who only averaged 6 points and 2-and-a-half rebounds in 20 minutes a night last year. Both are 6-7, and in the Mavericks' offense, I would expect to see both play a "wing" position, the significance in this being that perhaps we see Brandon Roy start the game on Howard and Martell on Wright, a guy whom Martell should have no problem handling.
Summary: Martell should be ok, but Brandon might have a tough game.

Raptors -- For all the hype Jamario Moon received coming into the league, he really only scored 8.5 points and around 6 boards a game in almost 30 minutes a night. He's athletic, but that doesn't make up for his other shortcomings.
Summary: Martell should be ok

Celtics -- Hopefully Martell's back to full speed by the time this game comes around, but in all Truthfullness (lame pun intended), he's going to have a hard time guarding Paul Pierce no matter what his foot feels like.
Summary: Single Uh-Oh

Grand summary: 3 Uh-Ohs, 5 No-problems