Kenyon Martin on Verge of Downfall With Struggling Denver Nuggets

Kenyon Martin was damned if he did and damned if he didn't.

Faced with the possibility of terminating the final year of his seven-year contract with the Denver Nuggets, Martin knew he could do no right. He was looking at the prospect of free agency next summer at 33, entering an uncertain market with a new collective bargaining agreement. That made staying on for another year in Denver a dicey option. On the other hand, the veteran power forward was coming off knee surgery and had no value on the open market. So opting out wouldn't work, either.

Martin couldn't win. He opted to stay, which most anyone would do with a cool $16.5 million sitting before them. But that doesn't mean he's happy about it, and it doesn't mean the outlook is bright for Martin's future, in Denver or elsewhere.

Martin originally came to the Nuggets via a sign-and-trade deal back in the summer of 2004 — after four years in New Jersey, he finagled a deal to sign a max contract for $90 million over seven years with the Nets, who then flipped him to Denver for a bundle of three first-round draft picks.

The first six years of Martin's time in the Mile High City have been good, but tantalizingly far from championship glory. The Nuggets are one of only three teams to make the NBA playoffs in all of the last six years (the other two being San Antonio and Dallas), but only once have they made it out of the first round, and we're all still waiting to see Denver in the NBA Finals for the first time.

The only time we've seen Martin and the Nuggets go deep in the playoffs was in 2009, when they forced a 2-2 split to open the Western Conference Finals against the Lakers, only to completely collapse in Games 5 and 6. Martin shot 12-for-28 and averaged just five rebounds over those last two games. He missed his first and only shot at a trip to the Finals, and there's now serious doubt about whether he'll ever get another chance.

The Nuggets are coming off a 53-win season and the Northwest Division title, but they're still in relatively dire straits.

Here's what the Nuggets are battling:

• Their coach, George Karl, was diagnosed with cancer in his neck earlier this season and hasn't been able to prioritize basketball.
• The injuries haven't been limited to just Martin. Nene Hilario suffered a left knee sprain and was forced to miss time during Denver's first-round playoff series in April. Carmelo Anthony, Chauncey Billups, Chris Andersen, Ty Lawson — they've all battled bumps and bruises over the last few months. The health of this team next season is a major question mark.
• Age. Billups will soon turn 34 years old and Martin isn't much younger. Are those the two guys you want leading you to a championship?

Put all that together, and you're looking at a Nuggets team that's a perennial winner, but in clear and present danger of a sharp downfall. So even if Martin does return next season from his knee ailments, he'll be contributing to a team that's on the decline and unlikely to make any noise next spring.

Could his stock sink even lower?

A decade ago, Martin was a No. 1 overall draft pick. Six years ago, he was a max free agent. Now, he's in danger of becoming just another stiff with an expiring contract.

Almost every athlete experiences a fall from grace at some point in his career. But when you're a mile high, you've got a long way to fall.