It hurt much worse, Martin concedes, to be tagged as fragile last March, when a fractured right leg halted what might have been a Rookie of the Year season with the Nets. Just as a broken right leg ended his senior season at Cincinnati the previous March.
Many teams weren't convinced, entering the 2000 NBA Draft, that Martin could recover from bad break No. 1. The Nets, undaunted, made Martin the first overall pick, only to soon be staring at a second rehabilitation, and the rehashed durability questions.

"When you're suspended, you know you're going to come back and play," Martin said. "Not being able to play [because of injury] ... it's hard."