NET NOTES
AUBURN HILLS – One year ago yesterday was one of the happiest days of Kenyon Martin’s life.
But it also began one of the toughest periods of his life.
Martin’s daughter, Cierra Reign, was born prematurely on May 3, 2003. She weighed 4 pounds, 6 ounces. Doctors would not permit the infant to leave the hospital until her weight hit 5 pounds.
“That was a hard time because your mind is in the hospital with her but your mind is also on business and sometimes business has to suffer,” said Martin. “It was rough, her being in the hospital and me worrying and leaving games from the second round in Boston and having to go to the hospital and be there until 2-3 in the morning and get up, go to practice and go back to the hospital.
“It was draining, but it was something I had to do. She made it through it and it made me a stronger person.”
His daughter is now a healthy 32 inches and almost 20 pounds. “I’m a proud papa. She’s a year old, healthy, bad as well.”
And where does she get that? “Her mama,” Martin said with a smile.
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Jason Kidd finished eighth in the MVP balloting, won by the Timberwolves’ Kevin Garnett. Kidd, who scored just nine points as the Nets lost to the Pistons, 78-56, last night in their second-round opener, received five fourth-place votes and two fifth-places.
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Pistons’ coach Larry Brown can’t say enough good things about Kidd. The feeling is mutual.
“He’s always trying to pull more out of his guys. He’s never satisfied with just being OK,” said Kidd, who spent much of last summer with Brown on the U.S. Olympic qualifying team. “And he wants his guys to more than just respect the game but also play the game the right way. He’s always trying to get more out of his guys. Any player who’s played for him respects it.”
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Nets CEO Rod Thorn received a warm phone call prior to the playoffs from former coach Byron Scott, who wanted to wish the team well in the postseason . . . Frank admitted he picked Hubert Davis’ brain for anything Detroit-oriented. Davis began the season with the Pistons. “We just talked about a couple of things, but it was nothing much,” said Davis.
