It was the soap opera that dominated the sports pages of the Tri-State area papers. It was the headline of all Tri-State area sportscast. Finally though the New York Knickerbockers earlier this week said good-bye to their disgruntled point guard that was supposed to bring them glory, but instead brought a lot of pain and suffering both on and off the court.
On Tuesday, the Knicks finally reached a deal with disgruntled point guard Stephon Marbury to waive him from the team recoup some of the money that he had left on his $20.8 million salary from this season. According to Newsday, Marbury walk away with $4.5 million of the $6.4 million that was left on his salary. The agreement also included $400,000 in fines that the team put against him for allegedly refusing to play on Nov. 26, 2008 at the Detroit Pistons.
Marbury had returned to Manhattan to attend arbitration in regards to the fine. Knicks head coach Mike D’Antoni gave his testimony in the morning and when both sides broke for lunch, they returned and came to an agreement to table the arbitration towards the process of buying out Marbury’s contract.
When he left the law offices of Skadden Arps at about 2:25 in the afternoon, Marbury left with his fist held above his head saying, “I’m happy!”
With that, the man who grew up in Coney Island idolizing growing up was now yesterday’s news.
It was just about five years ago when the Knicks traded for Coney Island native Stephon Marbury from the Phoenix Suns that they felt they were on their way back to their glory days of making the playoffs and competing for an NBA title. Fast those five, years only one playoff appearance in 2004, where they were swept by their cross town rivals the New Jersey Nets 4-0. In the following years go come, the team has gone through five head coaches, had players that did not produce on the court despite having contracts that said otherwise. That resulted in the team winning only 113 out of 287 games that Marbury played in. That equals a .394 winning percentage.
Of the four players that Marbury is included in when it comes to those that average over 18 points, seven assists and three rebounds per game, he is the only one to not to turn his team that he plays for into a champion. The other three that have while putting up those same numbers or better over their career and have won championships are Oscar Robertson, Earvin “Magic” Johnson and his former head coach with the Knicks Isiah Thomas. On top of that, each of three former players was inducted into the Basketball Hall of Fame.
While he may not make the Hall of Fame, he can be a part of a championship puzzle as he signed with the defending NBA champion Boston Celtics two days ago. He will be Boston’s back up point guard to starter Rajon Rondo. His signing with Boston also reunites him with former teammate with the Minnesota Timberwolves Kevin Garnett, who is currently missing in action because of an injury.
With a new opportunity, Marbury hopes to get back on track and help the Celtics in their quest to repeat as champions.
Unfortunately, the sigma of that every team that he leaves gets better may continue. When he was traded from Minnesota in the middle of the 1998-99 campaign to the New Jersey Nets, the Wolves won a franchise record at the time 50 games the next season and would make the playoffs for those next five years. Their most successful season in team history came in 2003-04 when the team won a franchise best 58 contests and were the No. 1 seed in the Western Conference. They won their first two playoff rounds in team history beating the Denver Nuggets and Sacramento Kings in four and seven games respectably, but lost in the Western Conference Finals to the Los Angles Lakers in six games.
When the Nets traded Marbury to the Phoenix Suns in 2001 for Jason Kidd, all they did was win back-to-back Atlantic Division titles and made back-to-back appearances in the NBA Finals as the Eastern Conference representatives. They would lose in both seasons respectably to the Lakers in 2002 and the San Antonio Spurs in 2003.
While the first season in Phoenix was rough for Marbury as the team did not make the playoffs for the first time in 14 years, they would bounce back the next season winning 44 games making the playoffs, but lost to the eventual NBA champion Spurs in six games. In 2003-04, the Suns took a step backwards as they won only 29 games and missed the postseason. On Jan. 6, 2004, Marbury was traded by the Suns to the Knicks.
All the Phoenix Suns did in that period of time was win 62, 54, 61 and 55 games over the next four years. Win three consecutive Pacific Division titles from 2005 to 2007. They also had their new lead guard Steve Nash leading them and all he did in 2005 and 2006 was become the second point guard since “Magic” Johnson to win the Most Valuable Player Award on more than one occasion.
As for the New York Knicks of today, they have under new the guidance new head coach D’Antoni have been more exciting and competitive. They are currently 24-34 now and are on the outside of the playoffs looking only trailing the Milwaukee Bucks by a game and a half for the eighth and final playoff spot in the Eastern Conference.
If there is one that has been proven is that Marbury has great talent. He has yet to use that talent to make his team better in the long term. Now with the Celtics, he now has a chance to use his talent, although be it in a supporting role and give the Celtics something that can propel them to their goal of back-to-back titles. If he goes back to his me first ways, he will be gone.
His career is in his hands, it is up to him to make himself and the way former teammates and fans see him. He has to go back to being Stephon Marbury the basketball player, the team player and not the name of his sneaker ‘Starbury.’
Information and statistics are courtesy of NBA.com, en.wikipedia.com and Newsday (Editon of Feb. 25, 2009)
No comments:
Post a Comment