That’s right, Stephon Marbury is back, but not on the court, on the blogosphere. Starbury wrote an end of the year blog in the New York Post.
Within the post, Marbury goes on to explain his current state of mind and claims he has tried to be the diligent and loyal teammate the Knicks want him to be, but that the enitre organization has just treated him poorly.
My favorite line from the post is the following,
“It’s the principle of the whole thing. It’s really not about the money but it’s about the money. Feel me?”
It’s not about the money but it’s about the money? What kind of jedi mind tricks are you trying to use Starbury? I don’t think anybody reading the NY Post feels you or understands where you’re coming from. Nobody else knows what it means to earn $20M+ to sit on your arse. Wait, Albert Belle may be reading the post…
So what’s Starbury’s next step?
I’m going to go ahead and assume for the purposes of this article that nothing will get worked out between the Knicks and Stephon Marbury, and he will not be playing for any NBA team this season. Stephon seems completely content with taking his paychecks while sitting at home (or in the stands) and the Knicks aren’t just going to cut him, get nothing in return, and allow him to move on to another team of his choosing this year.
So the question is, what happens with Stephon next year? Does anyone takes a chance on bringing the talented but baggage heavy guard to their team next year - or is he just done? Marbury has always been a very gifted player and I’m sure he could come back and get numbers putting up bad shot after bad shot for a bad team. He’s a shoot first point guard who misses 57% of his shots and who has yet to advance in the playoffs after 12 NBA seasons. Even without the baggage, the feuding with teammates, and his inability to get along with virtually any coach, I just don’t think he has the ability to be a starter for a good team anymore.
The risk/reward of bringing him in to a top tier team (Celtics, Lakers, Cavs, Magic) and potentially having him infect the locker room just doesn’t compute. Terrell Owens has made trouble in every locker room he’s ever been in, but he still always manages to have some teammates take his side. Does anyone on the Knicks want to see him back in uniform? None that I’ve seen, and I think that speaks volumes.
Maybe if I’m a team in the next echelon, a playoff team with veteran leadership and a veteran coach, I’d consider taking a shot by signing him a minimum contract. Something that would allow me to cut him without a second thought of the cap impact. He is unquestionably talented and if you can get him to play the right way, I think he could be valuable coming off the bench, but I simply don’t think he has the personality that will allow him to accept such a role.
Image Source: NBA
Comments:
{ 1 comment… read it below or add one }
I wonder what the chances are that a team in Europe would pick him up? They would be even more furious with his work ethic over there, but they are willing to pay for stars.