"With his teammates on the court, Nuggets forward Kenyon Martin worked out Friday in a small gym adjacent to the Nuggets' Pepsi Center practice court.

He did minimal work on the court, and that will be the plan throughout the playoffs as the training staff works to preserve his troublesome left knee for as long as possible.

"You've got to pick one," Martin said. "Do you want me to practice, or do you want me to play? But I got up and down the court just a little bit, just to get ready to play."

Added acting coach Adrian Dantley, "We're not going to have him practicing that much on the court, where it can put wear and tear on his knee."

Martin returned to game action recently after missing 18 consecutive games with left patella tendinitis. In the three games since his return, Martin has averaged 6.0 points and 6.3 rebounds in 22.3 minutes. Expect his minutes to increase in the playoffs."