The Hawks signed forward Cartier Martin to a second 10-day contract before the team played the Bulls on Tuesday night.
Entering Tuesday’s game Martin had appeared in two games during his latest stint with the Hawks, with totals of 13 points and three rebounds in 21 minutes.
“I think he’s someone who does a lot of the things we are emphasizing,” Hawks coach Mike Budenholzer said. “He competes defensively. He gets after it on the defensive boards. He can space the court and make shots.
“He’s really helped us, (and) when he’s had a chance, he’s come in and contributed to the group. He knows our (plays).”
Martin made the Hawks’ roster out of training camp and appeared in 25 games before the Hawks released him in January to avoid his contract becoming fully guaranteed. Martin played on a pair of 10-day contracts with the Bulls before returning to the Hawks on Feb. 1.
Per NBA rules, the Hawks are not allowed to sign Martin to another 10-day contract. If they wish to retain him at the conclusion of his current contract, they would have to sign him for at least the rest of the season.
Battle of wills: Chicago, ranked No. 2 in defensive efficiency, is the first of four consecutive teams that will test the Hawks' offense. The Hawks play at Toronto (No. 7 defensive efficiency) on Wednesday and then face Indiana (No. 1) and Washington (No. 9) after the All-Star break.
The Bulls, like the Grizzlies, try to entice opponents to play a slow and grinding game on defense. Budenholzer didn’t like the tempo in the loss to Memphis on Saturday, which featured 21 Hawks turnovers.
“It’s a battle of wills,” he said. “There’s a reason we are not playing at the pace we want. The other night it was Memphis; (Tuesday it was) Chicago. They want to play a slower game. They are very good defensively, they execute and grind it out offensively.
“A lot of credit goes to the opponent, but there are things we can do better with outlet passes, get it up quicker when they score. It’s a lot of things we’ve been trying to do all year. It’s just some nights there are teams that challenge it more.”
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