Another mishandled situation
It would be hard to find a more unsympathetic fellow these days than Stephon Marbury. OK, maybe Plaxico Burress.
But in the NBA, the Knicks’ once and no longer future point guard has become the symbol of selfishness as he awaits the dissolution of his relationship with the team. That could come as early as Monday, when Marbury, Knicks basketball boss Donnie Walsh, and a lawyer from the players association are scheduled to meet to see how much of Marbury’s $21.9 million the player is willing to sacrifice to get his release.
No one really looks good in all this. Once the Knicks announced that Mike D’Antoni was going to be the new head coach, Marbury, in essence, became a Dead Steph Walking. He did play in the exhibition season – he had 14 points in 29 minutes against the Celtics in Boston - but once the bell rung on the 2008-09 season, Marbury turned into Mr. Inactive. The next minute he plays will be the first this season.
By all accounts, he is healthy to play. By all accounts, the Knicks have decided they don’t care; they want him gone. So, apparently, do Marbury’s teammates, none of whom has come out and said that the self-proclaimed best point guard in the NBA is getting the proverbial shaft.
But when push came to shove last week, after two trades decimated the New York roster, D’Antoni said he asked Marbury to play against the Pistons simply as a manpower issue. According to the Knicks, Marbury declined, which led the Knicks to fine Marbury $400,000, a fine that is being appealed. (Marbury has a somewhat different interpretation, but he remained on the bench nonetheless.)
With the benefit of hindsight, always helpful, the Knicks allowed this thing to become a daily distraction when they easily could have resorted to a number of maneuvers while still having the same outcome: no Marbury. But by having him sit on the bench during games, travel with the team, and then be in a position to diss the coach, the Knicks more of less invited this to happen. How could it have been avoided? Here are two ways.
1. The Jamaal Tinsley Approach: The Indiana Pacers, Walsh’s previous employer, haven’t done a whole lot right these past few years, but they have drawn a line in the sand with their own point guard, who, like Marbury, is persona non grata. Tinsley has yet to play this season as well and, like Marbury, is healthy. But that’s where the similiarities end. The Pacers announced in September that they were not buying Tinsley out, that they were going to try and trade him (two months later, nada on that front) and that he is free to work out by himself, apart from the team. He has not been with the team all year. (Barack Obama spent more time in Indianapolis in October than Tinsley did.) But ‘out of sight, out of mind’ has its advantages, one of them being that the player can’t refuse to enter a game at which he isn’t even present or in uniform. Had the Knicks chosen this route with Marbury, they at least would have been spared the daily Steph queries from the New York press and would have avoided the Detroit incident. Who knows, they might even have found a taker for him by now.
2. The Frank Brickowski Approach: Here’s a blast from the past, but an instructive one nonetheless. If you don’t want a guy around, tell him to leave. Period. This is what happened with Brickowski during the 1996-97 season when he ended a long and occasionally productive career – 731 games over 12 seasons with six teams – as a member of the Boston Celtics. At that point in time, ML Carr was running the Celtics and he was determined to steer them to the league’s worst record and the best statistical shot at Tim Duncan in the lottery. He pretty much succeeded; the Ping Pong balls just didn’t deliver. One of the many personnel moves Carr made that season was to send Brickowski packing after only 17 games and 255 minutes of action. The official bulletin from the team said that Brickowski was sidelined with a sore right shoulder necessitating an operation, but no one really believed it. The command from on high to Brickowski was take the year off and chill. So that’s what Brickowski did, often times spotted on Cape Cod, not to be confused with the local physical therapy office. He was a free agent signee and was promptly renounced the following July. But the goal was to get him away - and it was a rousing success.
The lessons from the above two scenarios cut right to the core of the Knicks’ situation with Marbury: if you don’t want the guy around, don’t have the guy around. Let him go to Vegas if he so desires; he won’t care as long as the checks are still good. He will still be a name, if not a face, on the roster. And the team can do what it wanted to do anyway, namely, start developing the other players without a guy (a) you don’t want around and (b) is going to be gone for good next year anyway. And it’s not exactly like the Knicks are, you know, trying to win games now. They’re fixated on 2010.
There’s no real trade value for Marbury, not now anyway. Had the Knicks played him and let others see what’s left, maybe they might have been able to do something. Marbury does possess one of the truly valued commodities in the league: the ever-in-demand expiring contract. But with a divorce on the horizon, no one is going to take on Marbury’s contract now. Many teams wouldn’t take on Marbury at any cost, which is probably going to be evident when he does extricate himself from his current situation and becomes a free agent. His track record just isn’t all that overwhelming.
In choosing to defy his coach and team, Marbury put his own stamp on this regrettable saga, one that, unfortunately for him, confirmed what many have long suspected about him. But the Knicks never should have let it get to that point. They knew long ago that Marbury wasn’t going to be a part of their plans. Why they allowed him to stick around and still be seen and heard - instead of in exile – remains a head-scratcher to this day.
greg Said,
November 30, 2008 @ 7:02 pm
Greetings! You may be wrong in saying that no team will want to get Marbury after he leaves the Knicks.mark Cuban of the Dallas mavericks already said they might get him, as Cuban is a big fab & good friend of Marbury.
Pete Said,
November 30, 2008 @ 7:42 pm
why? because they want make some savings. i guess that Walsh doesn’t want to pay him all of his salary no matter what.maybe he promised it to Dolan?
Ron Said,
November 30, 2008 @ 8:30 pm
Steph has had more trouble with the league this year more than ever I think he was right for not playing I dont think D’Antoni had his best interest in mind either and I am voting daily for him to start in the all-star game. I would much rather see him in starting in the All Star game than Yi you know China is voting him in .
K Chan Said,
November 30, 2008 @ 10:21 pm
marbury is still a very good player, just stuck in a mess in NY. they should just waive him and give the man his money…how u gonna tell him to play cause theres only 7 guys for a game when u told him he’s not in your future plans, comme on now. D’Antoni is dumb cause if steph was playin the knicks could’ve easily won a few more games
sevenpointman Said,
November 30, 2008 @ 10:23 pm
The Steph exile process began when he was bad-mouthed by Larry Brown, who said he wasn’t a true point guard( nearly 8.5 assists per year in his career bursts that bubble). Steph was treated like a second-class citizen after 8 years of stellar play in the NBA. Then the ‘good cop’, Thomas came in. He sought of befriended Steph during the Brown fiasco and they became buds. Then the corrupt sexist nature of Thomas was glaringly revealed leading to a massive lawsuit that cost Dolan millions.
When Steph showed up as witness who came clean and this lead to Thomas being nailed for his tactics, Dolan went ballistic, forcing Thomas to cool his approval of Marbury. When Steph decided to go back to Brooklyn to see his basketball mentor who was dying-the team made it look like Marbury had high-tailed without permission, and his exiling became more overt.
When his father died in the stands the team show little compassion and made it seem the Steph was to blame.
Then the plan, this year was to isolate him completely never let him play a minute, falsify his willingness to suit up and play, threaten him with fines and suspend him, and now they are trying to renege on his contract.
I say give him his full amount of money-so he can be free of this Knick managerial nightmare.
Or push out Dolan-and get a better owner-and play Steph until his contract is up.
He can still do it and will pick up his game when he’s free of this mess.
Steph is not the villian here- Dolan and the slugs who run this team.
His normal emotionally charge and serious reaction to his exile maybe over the top-but it was a correct reacion
Andrew C Said,
November 30, 2008 @ 10:38 pm
Hey, Steph came in with a good attitude. He did everything that was askd of him and more. He attended D’Antoni’s press conference and tried to be a team player. D’Antoni stabbed him in the heart for the 2nd time in his career. I don’t blame Steph for being bitter and angry. Here in Phoenix we have learned that D’Antoni’s stubbornness leads to bouts of stupidity and ultimately kills the organization. New York should familiarize themselves with these kinds of episodes because DA is always going to have drama around him.
Jairic Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 6:37 am
I kind of agree, I don’t see how you can keep an all-star point guard on the bench and start Chris Duhon, (no disrespect intended). I think that if Marbury lands in Dallas he will play much better than J-Kidd has and Dallas will become a title contender. Of course, no one is going to beat the Lakers so I dont’ blame anyone for not making moves because it’s futile.
lucas Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 6:43 am
they should pay him all and let him go if they don’t want him around. but: a) he’s still very good player for any team b) they don’t want to pay him all c) they should blame them selves
let him go! and there will be no problem for ny
So what’s the problem? Steph is no problem. He is only human. The money is the problem - for them!
lucas Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 6:45 am
about the dallas. i think Steph will play exatly the same role as nick van exel has
chuck Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 7:10 am
anyone blaming Marbury must have never played basketball before. If you have,we all know how hard it is to play when you have not played in a month. Now picture Marbury playing against the best players in the world after not being allowed to play or practice(not even with his old high school team) for a coach and GM who don’ t want him. It’s actually unhealthy for the body. Imagine if Marbury gets hurt and another team decides to not take him because he is injured.
Before,nobody stood by him publically but players,management and media call him selfish now!!! Everyone ask themselves,would you want to work for an organization that does not want you??
I am not a Marbury fan but I applaud his resolve!!!
Bill Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 8:13 am
Marbury has had run-ins with every coach he has played for during his career. He has had issues with teammates on every team he has been on too. His track record shouldn’t buy him any slack here though he has outdone himself this time being the center of attention on the Knicks and not playing a single second of basketball. Well done Steph!!
I honestly don’t care if Marbury’s feelings got hurt or not. He has a contract with the NY Knicks and he is being paid nearly 22 million dollars this season so if they want him in a suit so be it. If the Knicks want Marbury in his uniform and they don’t play him so be it. If the Knicks need him to play (which is much, much different than wanting him to play) so be it. All Marbury cares about is getting paid and everything else is pretty much a smokescreen so he gets his way which is being bought out for his full contract value so he can play for somebody else this season and earn maybe one last NBA contract.
I do agree Knicks management played this one poorly. Obviously Dolan, Walsh and D’Antoni were not all on the same page on what to do with Marbury. I like the Tinsley Solution myself. I hate buying out contracts and then watching those players double dip by playing for somebody else. The Knicks should give Marbury the season off, with pay, and then on July 1st throw a little party celebrating the end of his contract and association “with the team he loves”.
andy roberts Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 8:36 am
the knicks should just trade marbury so they don’t have to still pay him. marbury is a distraction just like he was in minnesota,new jersey,
and phoenix. those 3 teams got better without him. marbury should quit acting like a baby and a selfish player and finally grow up. he only wanted out of minnesota because he was jealous that kg was the leader and not him. marbury is not a leader. he’s the reason the u.s. team didn’t win in 2004 because he was still being selfish and not focusing on team work.
Steven Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 9:25 am
I understand where you’re coming from by saying out of site out of mind with the whole Marbury issue, but comparing Tinsley’s and Brickowski’s situations with Steph’s is apples to oranges. The issue with letting him stay at home and devolve is he’s earning $21,937,500 this year. The Knicks were clearly caught in between a rock and a hard place.
I do agree that they did not handle the situation properly. Marbury’s stock is at an all time low and it seems that they have no choice but to buy out his contract and move on. In hindsight they should have sucked it up and played him from the start of the season. Ya he’s a pill to deal with and no one can stand him, but he’s still an ok player. If he played decent for the first part of the season, and showed a little professionalism a team might have take a chance with him. The good thing is he has an expiring contract. They could have made a swing for a bunch of joe blows and a few picks. If he crapped the bed than the team who took the risk would wash they’re hands from him after this season.
thebleeptruth Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 9:44 am
LOL!!!! Where the hell are these Starbury fans coming from? !Wake up people!!!
Ron Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 11:30 am
After calling Steph a bum for years, I actually feel bad for him now. He’s traveling with a group of guys that don’t want him around. He’s watching them play quality ball and actually get some wins and he’s just sitting on the sidelines watching his teammates celebrate. It’s sad because I bet he feels he can help be even better and I don’t comletely disagree. It’s a whole new system and he might play better in D’Antonio’s style of offense. He should’ve at least gotten the chance to play at the start of the season. Now, too much has been made about this entire ordeal and he’s got to go one way or another.
Boston, San Antonio, and maybe even the LA LAkers could definitely use him the postseason.
Brian C NYC Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 11:44 am
So long and good riddance! Steph is certainly a talented player but very disliked by many. How many times do I have to see him hugging new coaches and teammates.. only to see it go to hell, dissolving into war of words with coaches/management and cold shoulders from his teammates?! Sorry but see ya Steph and take your fat buddies Jerome and Curry with you too! Much rather see Ewing Jr, a shot blocking sub and more guard depth on the bench.
Knicks handled this poorly! Should’ve told Steph to stay home till they traded or bought him out. No reason he should be sitting there kill joying everything. This is Chris Duhon’s team now, hopefully for better and not worst. Dude had 22 assist last week and all we can talk about is Steph.
Kirk Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 12:39 pm
I think no one is on the same page with this issue, even some their teammates. Remember that Marbury came in and ready to play SG with one of his best shape ever. Then DA put him into Inactive list.
I dont like the idea that Knicks GM went home for Turkey not being with his team and listen to what coach said and fined Mrabury. Player association even think its BASELESS and try to appeal.
Knicks is in a mess and what they are looking for is 2010. They will end up having no one since Knicks cant win. I never think DA is a winner. He makes basketball fun to watch for a while and can never win in the playoff. Look at what happened with Suns. He realised he cannot win with run style and Steve Kerr cut in giving him a perfect oppotunity to walk away without blaming.
DA can be like Phil Jackson creating drama around him and winner ? I doubt it. Poor play on both Knicks coaches and GM. Even the players are rubbish. Being a teammate, especially you can bark when you need support. What the hell did anyone said marbusy was putting in inactivate list when no one told him in the beginning of the season ? Where is the support ? Not at all and how can he claim he doesnt treat Marbusy as a teammate.
A joke. A team is funny to watch during the half time talk.
rich Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 1:11 pm
Why do people keep referring to Marbury a very good player? Based on what? His 2000-01 season? Marbury has gotten significantly worse every season since 04-05. That’s three years of decline. Last year, he was flat out terrible. Isiah Thomas and the dysfunction he brought with him may have been responsible in part for that, but I think it has more to do with a player whose skills are declining.
Marbury was always a poor jump shooter and now that he lacks the quickness to get to the basket at will, his upside offensively is limited.
The Knicks did handle this poorly, but if Marbury was really concerned with playing basketball he would have accepted a buyout months ago—like every other player does who wants to get out of a bad situation. And if Marbury can really still play, then he would have likely made the difference up with his new contract.
Yes, teams will line up to kick the tires. I don’t know why that is evidence that he can still play. He once could play and given that teams will be able to sign him for peanuts, why not roll the dice? But just because he generates interest doesn’t mean he’s anything more than a back-up PG on a decent team.
Chris Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 2:32 pm
It is not his fault that Mike D is jerk and uses the media to diss his players. Stephon is not a great teammate, but he is not the only one in the NBA who is not. The reason he is under fire is because of his contract. If the team tells a guy that, they are not in his plans, dress him for two games at the start of the season and not even give him a minute on the floor, then why should he take less money? I would want every cent that is owed to me. Blame the Idiot who gave him that contract ( I cant remember who Phoneix or N.J). Mike D may be an entertaining coach to watch his team play, but he will never win a championship, and thats why he is NY, they don t care if they win a championship as long as the game is entertaing and it fills the seats. Its owned by NEWSDAY, it s all about advertising not about basketball. Stephon loves basketball, we all know he does, his passion is his best and worst attribute. If you are a true baller, you would do the same thing he is doin. He showed up at camp, got in the best shape, didnt create a fuss and they still benched him for some dude named chris duhon, who you would never have heard of if stephon was not around. Come on Mike D is not a good coach, he played in Italy, he is a sucker. And i am not even a fan of Stephon and I will back him up on this one!
Jared Dallas Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 3:27 pm
It seems like Steph is a guy who needs to be loved a lot. Seriously, he acts like a spoiled child. I think he’d be fine here in Dallas (and few other places) because we do spoil our athletes a lot with hero worship and facilities worthy of gods. But that’s what sucks about being a sports fan: I think on a personal level I’d probably tell him to grow the hell up and keep his negativity away from me… but as a fan, I really like the prospect of that arrogant prick helping us out.
In my mind, principle and character go a long way, so ultimately I hope he ends up elsewhere.
nyny Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 3:43 pm
Ron you are stupid, Yi is a forward while Marbury is a guard.
haus Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 3:43 pm
i think they should just tell him to stay away from the team and do whatever he wants but hire a private dik to follow him around and wait for him to do something his contract forbids… like ride a moped or go snowboarding. if he doesnt do anything after awhile, hire people to temp him with these things until he does something. i would never pay anyone a penny to not do something for me.
T Cell Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 4:29 pm
Obviously both sides are to blame. Everyone involved in both the present and past Knicks regimes (Walsh, D’Antoni, Isiah, Larry Brown, Dolan et al.) have done a poor job dealing with Steph, but it’s not like Steph is helping himself here with al the ego-centric comments and attitude. He should just take a buyout and move-on and become a backup elsewhere. Sad this mess has overshadowed a breakout year for David Lee. I wonder how much his new contract will bite into the cap room Walsh is so happy with.
Also, I haven’t seen this brought up too much, but I wonder how much not having an agent has hurt Steph. Someone who could work on his behalf and be honest with him about his options would probably be of benefit.
cangoods Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 4:34 pm
I think alot of you guys are missing the point.
I have always been a marbury fan up until last year. I thought he got alot of unfair criticism about winning and the success of his team etc.
I think for the most part the biggest problem w/ marbuey is expectations. He is not AI. Peple expected AI ability from him, and AI impact on wins and losses. I think Larry Brown was right, Steph is not a point guard, point blank. He is a talented basketball player with a low basketball IQ which is ok as long as he isnt playin the point.
I have watched marbury his whole career, and i know his stats, and i know how his stats have looked since Larry Brown. His stats are misleading especially his assist stats. One of the more surprising things watching him play day in and day out in NY is how much talent he has and how low his basketball IQ is. Basically marbury scores for a half or a quarter or passes for a half/quarter. He doesnt know how to mix them up. His defence sucks. This is why he isnt a winning player. If you dont make anyone else around you better or play harder, you score 20 points, and your man on average scores 18, you are only giving us 2 points net a game. Charlie ward can do that.
If Dallas wants him they can have him. Same w/ Miami.
I thnk the knicks botched this whole thing but so did marbury he didnt want to negotiate a dime in buyout talks. Thats why he is still on the team, he didnt come with the 1 million until there was bad blood. I think they should have just cut him last year, they should cut him now.
I am a knick fan first and formost and i dont like players who grab headlines w/o helping us get W’s. He is a diva.
Can wait til he is gone. I hope he takes curry with him.
- cangoods
The Eman Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 4:56 pm
The truth to the matter is that this could have all been prevented had coach mike stayed true to his initial statments and started everyone with a clean slate. Had the knicks been playing steph all along the trades would have gone down and he would have naturally become the starter. He would have never been disrespected and made to look like the enemy. He came to camp inshape said all the right things even though things weren’t looking bright and got shafted from the the blind side. everyone but steph knew that the coach was never going to play him.
PoorHouse Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 5:03 pm
Since 99.9% of us do not make a fraction of the amount of money these athletes make, would a buyout roughly $7mill less than what he’s contractually entitled really be fair? It’s easy for us to say we would accept it - but we’ll never be in the position to genuinely appreciate that amount of money. I have hated on Steph since he left Sota but I say SIT TILL THEY PAY!
AC Said,
December 1, 2008 @ 5:04 pm
It is Marbury who refused to take any pay cut in negotiating a buyout. So he should sit on the bench and get into the game as his contract stipulates. If Marbury wants to get ALL of his money, not a penny less, then he should perform all of his duties, which include get into the game when the coach demands. Marbury can avoid this if he is willing to negotiate (i.e. give and take, compromise) a buyout. I don’t see why Knicks should avoid the “Detroit” incident.
Javier Said,
December 2, 2008 @ 3:21 am
Marbury may have done a lot of things wrong, but blaming him for not winning the gold in Athens is BULLSHIT.
In the quarterfinal game against Spain he was amazing breaking two records of USA basketball (31 points and 6 three-pointers http://www.noticias.info/archivo/2004/200408/20040827/20040827_31610.shtm).
Spain had not lost a single game, and could have won the gold had it not been for Marbury’s performance (they had already beaten Argentina in that tournament).
Marbury is a good scapegoat, but remember that Tim Duncan, Allen Iverson, Amare Stoudamire, Lebron James, Lamar Odom, Dwyane Wade, Carmelo Anthony, they all played in Athens. And Larry Brown was the head coach.
space Said,
December 2, 2008 @ 10:04 am
steph is NOT a true point guard. he is a two guard who holds the ball too long and looks for his shot more than anything else. cCANGOODs has him pegged dead-on. he has a high assist average but has been the great fortune of being on a team with a LOT of talent. ALot of talent. he isn’t a good team manager
he didn’t have stellar years of play.
quality career!?!
ignore the fact that he forced his drafting team to trade after complaining about being in minnesota. a move that set that franchise back decades. in case you forgot, the team did not take back veteran and original team leader, captain tom gugliotta [a quality nba player back in the day] to make room to sign marbury, who in about year wanted out.
ignore his involvement with the sexual harassment case with the knicks staff member and his admission for playing another member of the knicks staff as a groupie. i do not have all the facts on that one but i believe she was an intern.
ignore the attitude and consistent feuds with larry brown. whether he was wrong or right, bad-mouthing your coach in the media every few weeks is a joke.
ignore the fact that EVERY team he left eventually got out of the first round with almost the same rosters [exception being minnesota].
……….
the error came when stephon, who knew that they were moving forward without him in their plans, didn’t PLAY. he lost himself millions on that move alone for damaging ANY contract negotiations in the future. how can you battle for a max dollars contract if you refuse your coach and franchise. d’antoni is at part to blame, dolan is at part to blame and stephon is at part to blame. every single side said EXACTLY the most damaging thing possible everytime there was a mic nearby. of course i feel for marbury. of course dolan sucks.
Brian Cooney Said,
December 2, 2008 @ 8:18 pm
I disagree. I think the Knicks look very good in this for trying to hold the line against a significant buyout. Buyouts are poison to this league. They encourage laziness and bad attitudes, and have done much to harm the league over the last few years. Just like too-easy credit has harmed are economy. Better to make him sit and learn a lesson than to give him a free payday for doing nothing.
Chris Said,
December 3, 2008 @ 1:52 pm
I will say this about the buy-outs the knicks have done over the years, why stop at Stephin Marbury? They gave a coach (larry B) 18 mill to go away, they gave Jalen Rose money to go away, Stevie Franchise money to go away. They are still paying Isiah Thomas his money and his job title is a joke, and he is the guy who put this team in the crapper. I agree that buy-outs make the league look bad, but why stop at Stephon? He is a good, healthy player who wanted to come to camp with a clean slate, sure his good behaviour would have lasted two weeks, but teams would have seen him play (like zach Randolph, the worst team mate in history of any team, way above stephon) and saw that he can play in this league and may possibly get a trade for him. I have read all the threads to this article and everyone seems to have a great handle on what should be, so why are the idiots ( Mike D and Dolan…..not Donnie Walsh) in control of the one of the biggest market teams in the NBA?
Give Steph what he wants, or shut up Mike D and Donnie and eat what you created, because you cannot do your job!
D.Hall Said,
December 10, 2008 @ 12:20 pm
The bottom line is this the knicks should not have singed or accepted the contract when they got him.People are always attacking the players for everything they do and saying they are bad people.they are just that people,who want to be paid for their services just like you and I.The man can still play at a high level,and the knicks are black balling him it happens all the time in sports,maybe we need to start to black ball the front office of these sport franchise to see how they like people messing with their money.the knicks need to just pay the man and move on.The city is terrible,the knicks are terrible always have been.they think they are better than everyone.The best ballers are from NewYork yea right if that the case how come none of your colleges are good.The Rockets beat the brakes off of them in the 90’s and I’ll take the university of Texas or Texas A&M over any school in NewYork.The bottom line is the city of NewYork with the Knicks,Yankees,Mets,Jets are a laughing stock and and by itself destroying sports.The only team that knows how to win in NewYork is the Giants who at the beginning of last year wanted to fire one of the best coaches in football.NewYork city and its sports franchise’s are trash!
Stephanie Said,
December 13, 2008 @ 4:18 pm
Marbury is financially smart enough not to refuse to go into a game if ordered to do so. However he was “asked” hours before the game and he told the truth. His heart was not into it. D’Antoni chose to not play him after he said that. I would not have asked him in the first place. “I know I said we were going in a new direction and we still are but tonight we need you and you are paid to play” That’s it. The mistake was asking in the first place.
Psychologically it is hard for a player who played all of the preseason, was not told he would not play, sit and watch Gallinari go into the first game after not playing at all in the preseason, told you are not in the plans and then when there isn’t enough bodies asked to play. That is hard however you are paid to play and if ordered to do so he would have.
FREE MARBURY
HoopsHype.com NBA Blogs - Peter May » Take the gamble Said,
January 3, 2009 @ 12:11 pm
[...] readers may recall a recent column I wrote on Stephon Marbury, in which I basically called out the Knicks for the way they’ve handled this rather noxious [...]
cool Said,
January 13, 2009 @ 2:53 am
What is wrong with yall haters??? I can’t believe all yall can do is talk about the bad. The bad is bad but his good was better than his bad will ever be. 20 and 8 since coming in the league is good. Yall get hype with the media and talk trash about marbury all yall want. At the end of the day it doesn’t matter what yall have to say. Ill tell you this one thing I wouldn’t pay if the coach told me I’m not apart of his plains and he was going a different way. What does it take for yall to realize he worked his behind off to get into sometype of crazy basketball shape to help the team out. Even with his decreased role in the preseason he did what he needed to. Stop hating and give him a chance, ill follow my heart too. If you tell me you don’t think I fit in the new system then I’m not gonna play just because you become desperate. I’d look like a big fool if I did. Yall wouldn’t have wanted to play after being told those words of negativity either gimme a break and stop the madness I’m done.