Kenyon Martin will receive a key to the city this afternoon at City Hall. And the former University of Cincinnati star will receive a warm welcome tonight when the New Jersey Nets play the Cleveland Cavaliers in an NBA exhibition game at Shoemaker Center. For him, though, it's all business.

IF YOU GO

• What: New Jersey vs. Cleveland, NBA exhibition game   • When: 7:30p.m. today   • Where: Shoemaker Center, UC campus   • Tickets: $10, $20, $25, $35. Call UC Ticket Office at 556-CATS.

        “It'll be home, but it'll be weird,” said Martin, the No.1 overall pick in the NBA draft in June. “I can't get into all the hoopla and all the other stuff that's going on. I've got a game to play.”

        This is the final tuneup for the Nets before the regular season. What's most on Martin's mind is how he can help his team win. New Jersey is 1-4 in the preseason after losing four straight games.

        Martin, college basketball's player of the year last season, has played the exhibition games with confidence. His biggest adjustment to the NBA has been the physical play and the pace of the games. Otherwise, he said, it's exactly what he expected.

        He said his leg — which he broke in the opener of the Conference USA tournament in March — is fine.

        The 6-foot-9 forward has averaged 11.8 points and 6.2 rebounds this preseason. He scored 23 points in a loss to the Miami Heat.

        “It's been going fine,” he said. “I think I'm doing the things that I was known for. I've just got to pick it up a little bit. I'm ready (for the season). I've been ready.”

        The Nets need Martin to be healthy and productive immediately. One of the team's top players, Keith Van Horn, broke his leg and is out until at least December. Van Horn, Martin and Stephon Marbury were supposed to make up New Jersey's 1-2-3 punch.

        Now Martin is being counted on even more. That's just one reason Nets coach Byron Scott is pushing him so hard.

        “It's almost that he's been forced into that type of position, but it's also something we think he can do, so it's not so far-fetched,” Scott said. “I think in a few years, this guy's going to be one of the better players in this league.”

        Scott said he wants Martin to practice hard every day. He wants him to be consistent. And Scott is going to be demanding.

        Martin followed his 23-point outing by averaging 5.5 points and six rebounds over the next two games. Early this week, Scott asked his rookie sensation: “Am I going to see the real Kenyon Martin, or am I going to see his twin brother that plays real bad?”

        On Tuesday night against the Knicks, this was the answer: Martin had his first NBA double-double — 14 points on 6-of-10 shooting and 11 rebounds.

        “He played like the Kenyon Martin I expect to see every night,” Scott said. “The thing right now with Kenyon is pushing him and making sure he gets better.”

        The Nets coach said Martin needs to work on his low-post game and become a more dangerous presence near the basket. He wants him to attract double-teams.

        But overall, Scott has been impressed.

        “He's a lot quicker than I thought, and he really understands the defensive philosophy,” Scott said. “I have to congratulate (UC coach Bob) Huggins on the way he taught this guy; he really is a defensive force when he wants to be.

        “He surprised me a couple times in practice by how quick he can double-team guys and then get back, how quick he can rotate for a guy his size. He's just quicker than I expected him to be and really intense on the defensive end.”

DAUGHERTY: Fans hard to find for UC football Martin's homecoming tonight UC's Rosfeld is a real bell-ringer

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