Bill Streicher
Camden, N.J. - You'll have to excuse Caleb Martin if he doesn't care for your skepticism about his starting at power forward with the Sixers.
Can you blame him? He's carved a lucrative NBA career out of proving people wrong, turning a waiver by the Charlotte Hornets into a life-changing opportunity with the Miami Heat and now a four-year deal with Philadelphia.
He's carved a legend out of being the unlikely difference between defeat and triumph, dashing the Boston Celtics' hopes of being the first team to win a playoff series after trailing three games to none.
Martin has spent his career punching up, scratching and clawing to achieve what the majority thought he couldn't.
So, what's playing up in position to that guy?
"It's what I've been doing for the last couple years. People say, 'Playing the four' or whatever," Martin told reporters at Sixers Media Day on Monday.
Don't confuse his wiring for arrogance or blissful ignorance.
He just recognizes that his particular archetype is perhaps one of the greatest commodities in the NBA market today.
"But, if the four goes and screens for the one, I'm guarding the point guard. I think that's kind of the thing that people put on paper or whatever. But, I think it's position-less basketball more often than not in today's game. So, I don't really look at it as 'the four'," Martin said.
"I just look at it as just being versatile. But, if I got to play the four and guard the four, I've been able to hold my own for as long as I've been in the league."
Holding his own is all Martin knows. It's cemented him as an NBA player, and it drives his determination to neutralize every disadvantage he faces.
Literally.
Tell him he's listed at 6-foot-5 if you dare. He'll tell you he's 6-foot-6 with shoes on.
"I'm going to continue to learn and find ways to do that. The team defense helps in those, actually," Martin said of holding his own at what position traditionalists would call "the four".
"So, I'm just going to find ways to get it done."
It won't matter what his height is or what box people paint him into. If he approaches Philadelphia with the same grit that got him this far, he'll be just fine.
