As we all know, Kenyon Martin's formerly-looked-upon (at least to me) "albatross" of a contract is up in 2010 (EDIT - Kenyon has a player option to stay with the Nuggets or become a free agent)

$15,852,511 is nothing to sneeze at for any team, particularly with the upcoming salary cap crunch. That much off the books opens up a LOT of possibilities for the Nuggets if he isn't resigned.

But...Kenyon has completely changed course from the middle of his contract to now. He's almost averaging a double double on the season, has become the defensive captain and has shown an unparalled commitment to winning on the team. He checks his teammates, listens to Karl and can lock down many stars on the opposing team when they are close to his size or smaller. Witness his defense on David West in last year's playoffs, for example.

Should the Nuggets resign Kenyon Martin? If so, how much money do they throw at him to keep him here when the salary cap is projected to decrease by almost the same amount as his salary?

Unfortunately...I think the Nugget's front office has already planned for this in Renaldo Balkman. He's gotten a contract extension and although he's riding the pine, he fits within the lanky PF lockdown defender mould that the Nuggets would need to replace Kenyon.

Right now, I'm conflicted. Kenyon is having a career year and has become an integral part of the Nuggets organization. The guy has firmly grown on me and I think he's a big reason why the Nuggets have been able to reach such heights. But at the same time, I wonder about the possibilities should we be able to get some wiggle room from under his salary.

What are your thoughts?