3-on-3: Reacting to the Cartier Martin signing

Modeled after ESPN’s 5-on-5, three of us will answer three questions about a Pistons-related topic. Please add your responses in the comments.

1. What was your initial reaction to the Pistons surprising signing of ex-Hawks swingman Cartier Martin?

Dan Feldman: Good for him. I’ve always appreciated Martin’s work ethic and reliance from afar, and it’s pleasing to have that type of player on the team I support.

Brady Fredericksen: Cool. The Pistons need guys who can shoot, and Martin is not afraid to do so. He’s also not bad at it, which is an added bonus.

Tim Thielke: I know that name, who is he again?

2. Martin is coming off a career-year in Atlanta, albeit in a far lesser role than Meeks. What are your expectations for Martin at this point?

Dan Feldman: That he’ll challenge for a rotation spot. I see Martin as a decent baseline for a back-of-the-rotation player, and I’d be fine with him filling that role. But if younger players like Kentavious Caldwell-Pope, Kyle Singler, Jodie Meeks and even Jonas Jerebko and Luigi Datome earn all the wing minutes,  all the better. Martin is a safety net in case Datome and Jerebko aren’t ready.

Brady Fredericksen: He’ll shoot some 3-pointers and he won’t be expected to do much. There’s not a lot of risk involved. I’m guessing, since details of his 2-year contract haven’t been released, that he’ll likely be an end-of-bench specialist making the league minimum. Martin will do what he does, shoot, and that’s all you should expect. Anything more is a bonus.

Tim Thielke: He should have about a 50/50 shot at cracking the rotation. He has one skill: knocking down wide open threes. Unlike Jodie Meeks, he’s not a good shooter in general. And his "career year" was 6 ppg as the 11th man erratically in the rotation for the Hawks.He’s pretty much a poor man’s Kyle Singler.

3. What is your biggest concern with Martin?

Dan Feldman: That he undeservingly eats a roster spot in 2015-16. Martin will turn 31 early that season, and the margins are tight for a player of his caliber. Any slippage, and he could lose his place in the league. By giving him a two-year contract with a player option, the Pistons have committed to Martin for longer than most teams would.

Brady Fredericksen: I literally have none. He’s your 11th or 12th man. He’s not probably not making your season and he’s surely not breaking it, either. Maybe it turns out he isn’t that great of a shooter, that’d be a very Luigi Datome-esque bummer, but it’s not a huge detriment. If you got worked up over this — him in general, his player option for year two, whatever — just take a breath and go for a walk. Bounce a tennis ball. It’s relaxing.

Tim Thielke: That the Pistons may have wasted any cap space at all on him. To the best of my knowledge, contract details have yet to be released. If he was signed to a minimum deal, I have no concerns whatsoever.