PORTLAND, Ore. – The only fluid that mattered by the time Kevin Martin was done with his workout was water.
Before the Kings tipped off against the Trail Blazers on Monday night, their ailing shooting guard tested his injured left ankle like he hasn't since he was hurt on Nov. 9. He practiced pull-up jumpers from various spots on the floor, ran off screens en route to the hoop for layups. And despite the recent setback in recovery as a result of increased fluid in the ankle area, Martin was able to push himself hard enough to get a thirst going.
"I just wanted to see how it would react out there after not running for two weeks," he said. "The way I felt yesterday and the way I feel tonight, it's beyond day and night. I feel a lot better."
Martin said the pain was minimal.
"There was a little bit (of pain), but I can play through a little pain," he said.
While there remains no timetable for Martin's return, coach Reggie Theus said he has seen signs that may indicate he's getting much closer.
"He even asked me (on Monday) when we were at our meeting, he said, 'Coach, I'm going to skip the (team) meeting because I'm going to go get some treatment and double up my treatments,' " Theus said. "It's getting better.
"When a player starts to say that, then you have to start thinking he's not that far out."
The same goes for Kings swingman Francisco García (strained right calf), who had talked about returning on Saturday against Dallas but told Theus he is hoping to push up his return date to Friday at Utah.
Hawes surprises old teammate – When Portland's Martell Webster played with Spencer Hawes at Seattle Prep High School, he held the same view of the 7-foot center as all the rest.
Hawes was a skilled offensive player with abilities way beyond his years on one end, and a virtual non-factor on the other. Yet when told that Hawes entered Monday's game tied for third in the league in blocks (29) and that he had turned into a productive rebounder (7.2 per game), the Portland forward admitted his surprise.
"That tells you that he's committed to playing defense and helping his teammates out," Webster said. "I mean, if you're blocking shots, and you never were really capable of doing that (before)? Man, that's an honor (for Hawes) right there."
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