This 9 Man Rotation can be a threat, and alot of people don't know it.

metrocard

Legend
D'antoni knew from the get that Marbury was not a pass first PG. That is why he never had a chance at running our offense.

Coach could not tolerate him. As bad as Duhon was he's was still a pass first guard.

Marbury never having a chance under D'Antoni was all politics.

Marbury is 20th all time in the NBA in assist and has a career averaging of 8 assist a game.
Passing wasn't a weakness for Marbury. Lets not kid ourselves here.

He was no J-Kidd or Stockson, but Marbury is no slouch.
He did carry a depleted Knicks roster into the playoffs averaging 22 and 9.
I can't see Felton or Duhon EVER doing that, so lets just stop this madness.
 

ronoranina

Fundamentally Sound
Marbury never having a chance under D'Antoni was all politics.

Marbury is 20th all time in the NBA in assist and has a career averaging of 8 assist a game.
Passing wasn't a weakness for Marbury. Lets not kid ourselves here.

He was no J-Kidd or Stockson, but Marbury is no slouch.
He did carry a depleted Knicks roster into the playoffs averaging 22 and 9.
I can't see Felton or Duhon EVER doing that, so lets just stop this madness.

As I stated in my above synopsis of Marbury, his ability to pass is not the problem. I said very clearly that Marbury's passing ability is on par w the all time greats..Did you read my response to you?? It's his vision that is the issue, or lack thereof, along w his propensity to lean more towards scoring than finding teammates. It's almost like Marbury begrudgingly passed to his tms. That was the air he had about him to me.

As I said before Marbury's stubborn hubris blinded him to the fact he wasn't a true floor general. IMO he held on to this notion inspire of the reality he was more of scoring guard, w good passing skills. There have been plenty of those. None of them immortals as PGs however..

Oh and Marbury's 21st on the all-time career assists list not 20th. He's behind Tiny Archibald.

Metro, Marbury basketball-wise is everything I've stated. He is tweener who could pass and he lacked great vision. Again his assists were more of the "okay i'll pass to u because they're no better options" variety. He is not the quintessential TRUE PG. His lack of vision ie the ability to see the entire floor, read his teammates and defenders movements, while processing that info to make good split second decisions is the reason he is not higher on the list you site and also why he can't be considered amongst the great PGs of all time. That and his propensity for scoring over passing FIRST is what makes him what he is. These two aspects sort of act to fuel the other, a feedback loop if you will... But nonetheless they keep him from being a true floor general and legitimately great PG.

And, it you read you would see I characterized him as lacking pass first ability. I didn't say he couldn't pass. Let's be clear here my dude.

Felton however is a pass first PG or else he wouldn't be starting for Mike D'antoni. Period.
 
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metrocard

Legend
As I stated in my above synopsis of Marbury, his ability to pass is not the problem. I said very clearly that Marbury's passing ability is on par w the all time greats..Did you read my response to you?? It's his vision that is the issue, or lack thereof, along w his propensity to lean more towards scoring than finding teammates. It's almost like Marbury begrudgingly passed to his tms. That was the air he had about him to me.

As I said before Marbury's stubborn hubris blinded him to the fact he wasn't a true floor general. IMO he held on to this notion inspire of the reality he was more of scoring guard, w good passing skills. There have been plenty of those. None of them immortals as PGs however..

Oh and Marbury's 21st on the all-time career assists list not 20th. He's behind Tiny Archibald.

Metro, Marbury basketball-wise is everything I've stated. He is tweener who could pass and he lacked great vision. Again his assists were more of the "okay i'll pass to u because they're no better options" variety. He is not the quintessential TRUE PG. His lack of vision ie the ability to see the entire floor, read his teammates and defenders movements, while processing that info to make good split second decisions is the reason he is not higher on the list you site and also why he can't be considered amongst the great PGs of all time. That and his propensity for scoring over passing FIRST is what makes him what he is. These two aspects sort of act to fuel the other, a feedback loop if you will... But nonetheless they keep him from being a true floor general and legitimately great PG.

And, it you read you would see I characterized him as lacking pass first ability. I didn't say he couldn't pass. Let's be clear here my dude.

Felton however is a pass first PG or else he wouldn't be starting for Mike D'antoni. Period.

Vision? Vision for what? His teammates were not elite players or anyone worth speaking off. No one would have been successful with the roster that was inherited throughout his years in Minnesota, New Jersey, Phoenix and NYC.

Marbury's scoring was a gift. Too many people get offended by his ability to score the ball when it actually won us a lot of games. Marbury's dynamic ability to score and pass are special. When Marbury was on, he was on.



Wow, 21 and 20. Such a difference. Thank you for clearing that up, you really made a HUGE point right there. Well, actually not. The fact that Marbury is next to Tiny Archibald just shows you what kind of class of elite PG's he's in.

This whole lack of vision thing is totally an unproven notion by you that you're really looking too deeply in, its actually thoughtless in a sense. Was Marbury BLIND to the point he had no vision to see his teammates? No. You can't average 8-9 assist a game without no vision. Marbury didn't have Jason Kidd or Steve Nash vision, but he had something special that separated him from your average PG. You're spending too much energy into hating this guy rather than realizing his talents and attributes. He was a dynamic PG; history, stats and analysis will prove this.

Felton is a pass first PG...uhm. The man is averaging the same Marbury average most of his career. He spent the half of his NBA career playing shooting guard for the Bobcats next to Brevin Knight (even though that was a questionable move by the Bobcats organization). Subjective and bias, yes. This isn't really factual that Felton is a pass first PG. He's more of a dynamic PG like Marbury. He helps us with his passing and SCORING.

A pass first PG is Rajon Rando. Not Felton. Rando's scoring is horrible, and he shoots Free Throws like Shaq. His entire game is based on passing, not scoring. Felton is 2nd on the team in scoring. That is a fact.

Nash, Rondo, Paul, Calderon. Pass first guys.

Williams, Rose, Jennings, Felton...dynamic guys.
 

TR1LL10N

Hannibal Lecter
Stats r great but the fact is Marbury was not a leader, not a winner and did not make his teammates better.
 

ronoranina

Fundamentally Sound
Fakers gonna fake.

Nice.. Damn anyone that comes back at you Metro. You're to good for that. How dare Crazy8s ..^

Stats r great but the fact is Marbury was not a leader, not a winner and did not make his teammates better.

Ty Trills.

Metro, I cannot imagine why you insist on being the last intelligent person hanging on tooth and nail to the Marbury fraudwagon.

Tiny was more of a scoring PG too. Which is why, just like Marbury, he is not higher on the career assists list. Reggie Theus is right there aswell. Pippen too? Are these great true HOF PGs?? You kno the answer. Marbury's a tweener Metro.

Marbury skillset leaned more towards great scoring than great vision, but he could pass.. If he had better vision he would have utilized it more and scored less, and his numbers would indicate such. They don't imo. There are very few players that possess equal propensity for scoring and passing. Oscar Robertson comes to mind. But this another topic.

Marbury's the kind if player that got his numbers at the expense of teammates. It was about Marbury substantiating his fraudulent claims that he was the best PG in the NBA, not about the teams he was on. You kno this.. Wake up dude.
 
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Crazy⑧s

Evacuee
Nice.. Damn anyone that comes back at you Metro. You're to good for that. How dare Crazy8s ..

Metro, I cannot imagine why you insist on being the last intelligent person hanging on tooth and nail to the Marbury fraudwagon.

That's generous.

He has to try so hard to come across that way. This is the same douche that saw Ginobili and Camby as the Knicks' saviors.
 

metrocard

Legend
Stats r great but the fact is Marbury was not a leader, not a winner and did not make his teammates better.

He didn't have any special teammates to make better. Most of those guys peaked their potential.

Nice.. Damn anyone that comes back at you Metro. You're to good for that. How dare Crazy8s ..^



Ty Trills.

Metro, I cannot imagine why you insist on being the last intelligent person hanging on tooth and nail to the Marbury fraudwagon.

Tiny was more of a scoring PG too. Which is why, just like Marbury, he is not higher on the career assists list. Reggie Theus is right there aswell. Pippen too? Are these great true HOF PGs?? You kno the answer. Marbury's a tweener Metro.

Marbury skillset leaned more towards great scoring than great vision, but he could pass.. If he had better vision he would have utilized it more and scored less, and his numbers would indicate such. They don't imo. There are very few players that possess equal propensity for scoring and passing. Oscar Robertson comes to mind. But this another topic.

Marbury's the kind if player that got his numbers at the expense of teammates. It was about Marbury substantiating his fraudulent claims that he was the best PG in the NBA, not about the teams he was on. You kno this.. Wake up dude.

Marbury isn't a tweener. Nor was Tiny.

These men were dynamic and prolific PG's. Theres nothing wrong with scorer at the PG position. Parker and Billups are scoring point guards with good passing ability, not J-Kidd passing ability, but good passing ability. The won NBA championships and aren't the only scoring PG's to do it. I think this is the point your failing to understand. From what I read, you think pass first = successful/winning PG. You can still be good and productive/efficient and contribute to a team as a scoring PG just as long you have good passing ability. Marbury had that.

Marbury's teammates never produced numbers to begin with.
Let me run you down with the list of his teammates INCASE you forgot.

1996-97 T'Wolves (Rookie Year)
Tom Gugliotta
a young KG
Sam Mitchell
Terry Porter
James Robinson

Finished 40-42
The season before they won 26 games with the SAME players. Marbury actually made Minnesota better by 14+ games.

In 1997-98, they won 45 games, loss 37, another improvement

Team was Marbury/KG/Gugliotta(who got injured) Cherokee Parks, Anthony Peeler, Sam Mitchell Terry Porter, Chris Carr.

Marbury averaged 8.6 assist that season and lead the T'Wolves to the 2nd best offense in the NBA that season. Most of the success was dude to the tandem of Marbury/KG equally.

In Marbury's junior year in 1998, it was the lock out season. T'Wolves went 25-25. Marbury only played 18 games that season. So this is really null.
Marbury did however average 9.3 assist
He was traded to the NJN that season to an awful roster that included Keith Van Horn, Kerry Kittles, Kendall Gill, Jaime Feick, Scott Burrell. He played 23 games and averaged 23 ppg and almost 9 assist.

Marbury's senior year in the NBA at the 1999-2000 season was his first full season as a Net.

Same horrible roster as before except with the upgrade of John Newman. Nets finished with 31 wins somehow with a top 10 offensive rating thanks to Marbury's 22 ppg and 8.4 assist season.

2000-01 season, Nets finished with 23 wins as result to not an upgraded roster, only addition was a rookie Kenyon Martin, and Aaron Williams and a young Steven Jackson.

Keith Van Horn was a 15-17 scorer, not really a great go to guy to have, and I don't anyone in the NBA besides Michael Jordan or Jason Kidd that could of taken this team anywhere.

It was never Marbury's fault. His teammates just weren't good enough and history is evidence of this.

2001-02
Marbury arrived in phoneix, only real teammate he had with Marion. The rest of the team were bench players from Tony Delk to a washed up Penny Hardaway to Rodney Rogers, etc.

They managed to win 36 games.

2nd year in Phoneix, Mabrury upgraded the Suns once he developed chemistry. They won 44 games and went into the playoffs.

Steph averaged 22 and 8 and had a clutch preformance very the Spurs in the first round.

The season after, Suns gave up on Marbury(even though he led them into the playoffs).

Marbury went to New York and LED them into the playoffs against the Championship Nets.

So the question is about Marbury's ability to be a leader and lead his team to some level of winning. The question is the management of the teams he played for. These franchises didn't have commitment to Marbury, therefor you can't blame him. These franchises never had good rosters to begin with and Marbury did the most he can with them.

The argument that Marbury is a cancer/loser is a really weak and thoughtless argument that a lot of people like to pick up because the media has instilled that in their brain.


Marbury_Stephon_nyk_080102.jpg



By: Charles Modiano
RealGM.com Writer
March 1, 2009 1:06 PM


?Cartoon Character?

?King of Fools?

?He is a loser?.

These were some of the early media descriptions of Stephon Marbury after he parted ways with the Knicks to join the Celtics. If Marbury is a ?cartoon character?, we can thank our sports media for drawing the daily comic strip. For those innocent souls who have so mistakenly bought into the cartoon journalism, then... "You Don't Know Marbury"!

If he is also a ?loser?, we can thank a misleading media once again [1]. We are told how his former teams improved ?after he left?, but not that those overall rosters also improved [2]. Sure, after two playoff appearances with Minnesota, Marbury would play on many losing teams. But how often have we read how those same rosters fared without Marbury?

41% - winning % of his games after leaving Minnesota 29% - winning % (62-152) of those teams in his absence [3].


Translation: Marbury has played on some god-awful teams!?

Stephon Xavier Marbury is the most mismanaged, miscoached, and misunderstood Knick talent that I have ever seen [4].

Please allow Bill Simmons to warm us up:

?As a basketball fan, I can't fathom why the Clippers would sign Baron [Davis] then bog him down in a half-court offense. It's like hiring Simon Cowell to judge a reality show then preventing him from being mean.? ? Bill Simmons

As a basketball fan, I know exactly how you feel Bill. And welcome to Marbury-land Baron, and sorry about your shooting drop from 43% to 36%. Maybe one day coach Dunleavy will allow you to call your own plays again like Nellie once did. Maybe he will also break up that clogged Clipper frontcourt next year. Or maybe your next four years will be just like Steph?s last four. Let?s hope not?

Much has been written about Marbury?s feuds with past coaches, and everyone has an opinion [4]. However, this analysis is strictly X?s and O?s. It?s time for some real basketball questions:

1) Why would you start line-ups that minimize or eliminate the exceptional skills of your best player?

2) How can you justify taking the ball out of the hands of your best point guard?

3) How on mother earth does an elite ?penetrate-and-dish? point guard go his entire career without playing alongside top 3-point shooters?? or even just good ones?

Before answering these questions let?s first revisit our main Knick characters. No, not current Knick coach Mike D?Antoni. His inexplicable benching of Marbury was simply the culmination of coaching that Larry Brown started and Isiah Thomas perfected. Brown and Thomas were once former all-star point-guards in the ABA and NBA. Instead of coaching Stephon according to his strengths, each coached him to THEIR strengths. The only Knick coach that ever grasped Marbury?s exceptional skills was that other former all-star point guard: Lenny Wilkens.


Stephon and His Knick Coaches


Stephon: Marbury?s success begins with his ability to penetrate, draw double-teams, score, or find the open man on a crisp kick out. He is not a ?pure point guard? in the mold of Jason Kidd or Steve Nash, but resembles that third all-star PG on that 1996 Suns team: Kevin Johnson. Just like KJ, Marbury could destroy his man off the dribble; use his strength; finish strong; pass; get to the line; run the fast break well; and excel at running tightly executed pick-and-rolls, and pick-and-pops. This type of point-guard is usually maximized with one strong low-post threat, floor-spacing shooters (more than slashers), and two ?dirty-work? guys who don?t need the ball. While KJ would consistently have players that complemented his strengths [5]. Marbury?s post-Minnesota career would be the exact opposite.

Lenny ? Right Coach, Wrong Talent: All-time wins leader Wilkens was hired in January 2004 just days after trading for Marbury. At the time GM Isiah said Lenny was ?the perfect person? to coach Stephon, and he was right. Prior to Steph?s arrival, this old slow Knicks team was 14 -21, and its only top player (Allan Houston) had bum knees and a pending retirement. Enter instant turnaround. Marbury and Wilkens would lead the team to a 25 ? 22 finish and into the playoffs while averaging 20 points and 9.3 assists. The following year, Stephon would average 22 points and 8.1 assists with an efficient 46% shooting. Because the team won only 33 games, Marbury?s greatest career season went unnoticed on a squad that had no business winning 23. With the exception of fast breaks, Wilkens would harness all of Marbury?s strengths. However, Isiah would fire him at midseason, leaving him with a 40-41 record as a Knicks coach (succeeded by Herb Williams).

Larry ? Young Talent, Wrong Coach:
Brown arrived to NYC with a special media moniker never afforded to Wilkens: ?Hall-of-Fame Coach?. The shield title ? repeated ad nauseum ? had a distinct purpose: ?Larry Brown was always right.? Just check the resume. Unlike Wilkens, Pat Riley, and other great coaches, Brown is a great coach like Jack Nicholson is a great actor ? he only plays one role. Seasoned veterans? Brown might land a championship. Young players? Brown might blow an Olympic gold medal [6]. Brown decided to forget coaching that season in favor of his mantra to ?play the right way? ? even if that way meant losing. ?Play the right way? was much more than a phrase -- it was a stand. It symbolized a basketball, generational, and racial ?culture war? where everyone took a side. Where Wilkens saw amazing talent worth harnessing, Brown saw a point guard who did not play the position ?the right way?. So Brown basically tried to turn him into Eric Snow. An often mechanical looking Marbury would post career low stats, and Brown would produce a 23-59 record.

Isiah ? Best Talent, Wrong Coach:
After inheriting possibly the worst roster in NBA history (no hyperbole), Isiah received brutally unfair criticism for his tenure as Knicks GM. That criticism should have been reserved for Isiah the coach. His famous benching of Marbury would overshadow his dysfunctional starting line-ups, head-scratching substitution patterns, and few set plays beyond ?can Jamal or Nate take his man off the dribble??. After an adequate first year (33-49) that involved key injuries, the second year was like watching ball at Rucker Park ? except with fewer team assists. Finishing where Larry started, Thomas would render Marbury useless.


CRIME #1: LINE-UP LUNACY - From 42 to 45


Lenny: The 2004 turnaround was a remarkable feat considering that year?s most common starting line-up was 1) Marbury; 2) Shandon Anderson; 3) Tim Thomas; 4) Kurt Thomas; 5) Nazr Mohammed. While most were usually bench players for other teams, together with Marbury, the Thomas-Thomas-Mohammed frontline was 30-31 over two seasons. Tim could still help spread the floor, Kurt brought gritty defense and his best season of rebounding, and Nazr would play his finest ball in his career. Marbury was particularly efficient at running 15-foot ?pick and pops? with teammates like Kurt, Nazr, and Keith Van Horn (before Nazr). He even made Michael Doleac look good. Was this frontline talented? No. Good floor balance? Yes. The entire frontline would soon be traded traded for long-term benefit [7].

Larry: Mad scientist Brown would: start a front-line of shot vets over promising youngsters; give no steady minute patterns; and set an NBA record with 42 line-ups. That year?s lone bright spot brought a 6-game winning streak where Marbury started alongside rookies Nate Robinson and David Lee. The latter two would soon find themselves into Brown?s infamous rookie doghouse, out of the starting line-up, and receiving 30 or three minutes on any given night. Lee, in particular, would be underutilized by both Brown and Thomas. That year, Marbury?s injuries would leave the Knicks 5-17 without him. If Larry could never make up his mind about line-ups, Isiah could never change his.

Isiah: Starting Marbury alongside a 5-scorer line-up is absurd. Starting Eddy Curry and Zach Randolph together is absurd. Starting a can?t-shoot-unrecovered-from-surgery Q Richardson is absurd. Doing all of the above requires a new word? Don?t spread the floor. Check. Clog up the middle. Check. Eliminate point-guard penetration. Check. Eliminate ball movement. Check. Duplicate defensive liabilities. Check. Blame it all on your point guard. Check? Despite plenty of better fits on the bench, Isiah would not break Eddy-Zach-Q frontline for four months! The Knicks would get crushed every first quarter, but magically play teams even in the 2nd quarter (check the stats). If the number 42 is Brown?s Knick coaching legacy, Isiah?s should be 45: the amount of games that Eddy-Zach-Q started together.

Stephon: Eddy-Zach joined the Marbury-Steve Francis backcourt as Isiah?s second disastrous starting pair. Injuries had robbed Francis of his once great athleticism, but not his head-down-ball-stopping style. In 2006 the Knicks rolled out to a 7-14 record before Isiah decided to bench Francis. For the next 41 games or half-a-season Marbury and Eddy Curry would lead the Knicks to a 21-19 record before injuries to Lee, Jamal, and Q would end their playoff hopes (and bring return of Francis as starter). The young team was running, exciting, and even losing heart breakers with passion. The media would often credit Marbury?s suddenly new ?leadership?, or claim that the December 2006 fight with Denver ?brought the team together?. The truth? A simple line-up change. In 2005-2006:

Marbury with Francis: 12 points on 38% shooting

Marbury w/o Francis: 18 points on 44% shooting


During this same time, Eddy Curry?s dominance would also rise. Marbury ? starving for an inside presence since his Suns playoff year with rookie Amare Stoudemire was more than happy to play second-fiddle. By that summer Stephon would say:

?This is Eddy Curry's team, not Steph's team. This is Eddy Curry's team, and we all have to understand that.?


CRIME #2:
COACHING CRAZINESS - Jamal is Not A Point Guard!

By 2007-2008, it was neither Eddy nor Steph?s team ? it was Jamal?s team. Crawford?s ankle-breaking crossover, and monthly career game scoring outbursts often worked to seduce fans into thinking one-night-stands might ever become true love. Coupled with his mature off court demeanor and poised interviews, it also seemed to work on his coaches. It seemed as if one play was called in any close game: Jamal-take-man-off-dribble-from-top-of-key. The play calling became so ludicrous that one game the Knicks would lose in overtime as Crawford missed his final 12 shots including the final three taken in regulation. Such an instance is symbolic of both Isiah?s and Larry?s coaching of Crawford. There was none.

Worst of all, both coaches also decided that Marbury share ball-handling duties with Jamal as was once done with Francis. Insanity? Let?s start here.

Marbury Assists Per Game:

9.0 - under Lenny

6.4 - under Larry

5.3 - under Isiah


In Stephon?s first two years under Lenny, the Knicks averaged more than 20 assists per game despite inferior team talent. Under Larry (17.9) and Isiah (18.7) the Knicks were dead last in NBA assists. Transferring partial point-guard duties did not just hurt Stephon ? it hurt the Knicks.


Having Jamal bring the ball up meant less team assists, less ball movement, less-fatigued opponents, and less wins. On the plus side, Jamal did throw nice alley-oops to Curry. On the down side, Jamal is a low percentage shooter, is a poor finisher near the rim, does not get to the line much, and can barely run the pick-and-roll. Most importantly, he doesn?t draw double-teams on his drives. Jamal can only break down his man, but Marbury can break down team defenses.

By last year, the combination of crazy line-ups, reduced ball-handling, and even the abandonment of two-man pick plays [8] would make Marbury more liability than asset. The coaching of Thomas and Brown was so perplexing that fan theories of sabotage were just as likely as coach incompetence. The most benign explanation just might be this: Marbury as a ball dominating point guard offended Brown?s ?pure-point-guard? sensibilities, and Isiah could never accept that the double-point backcourt just might fail if the other guy isn?t named Joe Dumars.

CRIME #3: MANAGEMENT MANGLING - Where are the 3-Point Shooters?

In sports it?s like peanut butter and jelly. Pair a great quarterback with a great wide-receiver (sorry Donovan); get a great hitter some back-up protection (sorry Barry), and get an elite ?drive-and-dish? point guard some 3-point shooters.

With a one year exception of Kerry Kittles (Nets), Marbury never started alongside another sharp-shooting guard. Beyond one season, his best two 3-point shooters were forwards Keith Van Horn (Nets), and Shawn Marion (Suns) ? neither of whom could shoot prior to his arrival. In his two full seasons with Stephon, Marion would shoot 39% from behind the arc, but never higher than 34% in any other season despite playing with both Kidd and Nash.

The minute he arrived to the Knicks, Marbury?s drives to the hoop had amazing results. Spreading the floor widened Marbury?s penetration lanes, and in-turn, his ability to break down defenses aided those shooters right back. Stephon?s kick-outs often began an ?around the horn? passing sequence that resulted in no assist, but three points. As a result, every single Knicks long range shooter benefited:

3-Point Shooting Before and After Marbury Trade (2003-2004 season):

Allan Houston: 38% to 51%

Keith Van Horn: 31% to 46%

Tim Thomas: 36% to 41%

Shandon Anderson: 24% to 34%


It is amazing what can happen when a hand is removed from one?s face! Sadly, Houston would only get to play 38 total games with Marbury, and the Knicks would never sign a top long-range shooter after him [9]. That no GM actively and deliberately sought to spread the floor for Marbury is a crime of NBA management.

Perhaps it was because so few could see through awful rosters, the villainizing journalism, and their own ?pure point guard? biases to realize that:

Stephon makes his teammates better.

It just has to be the right teammates.


No, he won?t make Crawford better. Jamal, reliant only on his crossover, will shoot 41% with the Bulls, the Knicks, the Warriors, or the Showtime Lakers. No, he won?t make Randolph better. Zach will get his 20 whether Stephon, Baron, or Mardy Collins throws that entry pass. And he definitely won?t make Steve Francis better? But he made the entire 2004 Knicks much better. During the few glimpses of sensible line-ups, he also made Eddy Curry, Channing Frye, David Lee, and Nate Robinson better. A prime Marbury would not just make the currently constructed Orlando Magic better, but possibly champions. Ditto for a younger Allan Houston coupled with an older Ewing.


Sorry Larry, there are no ?right ways? to play the point, just ?right systems?. Says Marbury?s newest coach and former point guard Doc Rivers: ?I never thought he was a pure point guard?. Nor does he care, even if Marbury has lost a step.

This is just how it goes with point guards. High-flyers like Vince Carter, Richard Jefferson, and Kenyon Martin will thrive under Jason Kidd ? but Josh Howard won?t. Steve Nash goes from a borderline all-star to a borderline Hall-of-Famer -- just by changing his coach. Gary Payton (at any age) goes from an all-star to bum should you reduce him to a spot-up shooter role in a triangle offense. Styles make fights, styles make perceptions, and when misunderstood by media -- styles make villains. But?

What if Joe Dumars spent his whole career with the Pistons cast that averaged 24 wins in back-to-back seasons from 93-95?

What if John Stockton was told to be great, but just forget that whole ?pick-and-roll? thing?

What if Baron Davis never gets to runs the break or drive to the hoop again?

And if a player like Stephon Marbury can reach a .500 plateau with the right system and the wrong talent, what could he have done if equipped with both?

These are the real questions we should be asking. Even if it might take away from our favorite ?cartoon character?.

Notes:

[1] Marbury?s rookie season helped bring the Timberwolves a 14-game improvement and first-ever playoff berth, but his departure began the ?selfish? label. In New Jersey, a ?loser? label was added, but few reminders that he joined a 3-16 squad. His Suns experience would not be defined by the respectable 2003 playoff showing, but their poor start the following injury-plagued year. Despite averaging over eight assists per game, all of the above would contribute to a ?Marbury-as-selfish? narrative before playing a single Knick game.

[2]
Marbury's old teams were followed by the era?s best two point guards, but few reports that Jason Kidd and Steve Nash also received vastly improved rosters. The Nets did not just receive Kidd, but had Kerry Kittles return from injury, had Kenyon Martin move past rookie year growing pains, and drafted Richard Jefferson. The Suns actually got worse after Marbury left. The following year they signed Nash, had Amare return past his second year injuries, and had a maturing Joe Johnson. By comparing Marbury?s tenure to overhauled rosters, Steve Nash is also loser because his Dallas Mavericks team went to the finals ?after he left?.

[3] The 29% winning percentage takes into account his games missed due to injuries and how his past/new teams fared without him from the two midseason trades. Marbury?s winning totals while playing: New Jersey (66-106), Phoenix (92-105), and New York (113-174). Winning totals in Marbury?s absence: Nets (7-35); Suns (17-32); Knicks (38-85).

[4] A friend tells me of Marbury?s coaching feuds: ?if you get into five car accidents, then you are a bad driver!? This makes sense on the surface, but is overly simplistic. Marbury is not blameless by any stretch, but he is both perpetrator and victim. Firstly, Marbury?s last three coaches (D?Antoni, Thomas, Brown) all have their own share of car accidents (Brown?s license should have been revoke 20 years ago!). More accurately, Marbury is that kid with a past felony on his record and cops know full well that they could treat him any way they choose while receiving immunity. His last three coaches all knowingly took advantage of this power dynamic in initiating unfair treatment while Marbury?s reactions to feeling wronged would often help their cause.

[5] After trading for KJ in 1988, the Suns soon signed a big man complement in all-star Tom Chambers. KJ would run the pick-and-roll all day and night with Chambers when not driving-and-dishing to sharp-shooters like Hornacek and Eddie Johnson. Those latter two names marked an entire career that featured two long-range marksmen (also Dan Majerle, Danny Ainge, Wesley Person, Rex Chapman, etc) for KJ to spread the floor. In a couple of years, the Suns would sign Charles Barkley and go from a perennial playoff team to legitimate title contenders.

[6] After winning a championship with the Detroit Pistons , Brown would fail to win the Olympic Gold medal. Most notably, he would leave a young Lebron James and Carmelo Anthony on the bench while Lamar Odom and Richard Jefferson logged heavy minutes.

[7]
Seeking youth and athleticism, Isiah soon traded the entire frontline in what eventually netted David Lee, Nate Robinson, Eddy Curry, and Wilson Chandler.

[8] Isiah virtually abandoned the pick play in favor of one-on-one play by his second year. Gone was Channing Frye?s floor-spacing an occasional pick-and-pops, and in came Zach ? the starting line-ups third ball-stopping vacuum. Like Eddy, Zach is only effective for a team as the only low post presence. Marbury was essentially reduced to throwing entry passes ? and not very good ones at that.

[9]
In Brown and Isiah?s tenure, the best 3-point shooter would be Nate Robinson, but he and Marbury would rarely play together ? presumably for defensive reasons. When not bothered by his back injuries, Quentin Richardson is still only an adequate shooter.
 

knickzrulezH20

Sexy Stud
Back to the topic, I'm hoping D'ant doesn't wear out Felton or STAT. They both have been playing 40+ minutes nightly for the past week and a half.
 

ronoranina

Fundamentally Sound
Metro,

I can't believe how desperately you're defending this dude. Marbury is a loser.. A fraud. Get over it.

U think posting that lame BS from some ignoramoid from real Gm is gonna sway anybody.

U may need some lame ass writer to tell you what to think, but that ain't me bro. I saw Marbury too many times on court. He is not a true pg, which evidently we agree on because you admitted he was scoring point guard. But then on the other hand you say he wasn't a tweener. In my estimation that is exactly what a scoring PG is. Which is it Metro?? And Billups WAS a scoring point guard, but he was humble and smart enough to actually accept the coaching he got from Larry Brown, unlike Starfairy and became more of a pass-first PG. You are wrong on this and so diluted and misguided yet you continue to argue. Just stop dude.. You've already been served several times..

Marbury is not and will never be a true pass-first point guard. This is all i'm arguing. I do not disagree w you about the effectiveness of scoring PGs like Parker. But as I've stated, which u ignor, is that I don't agree w the hubris of Marbury claiming true PG status when he never had it. He never could be Nash, or Paul, or Isiah, or Felton even because as I've stated, rather clearly and redundantly he does not have the vision and psychological makeup. Plain and simple. This what i'm arguing Metro. You continue to try to give these comprehensive defenses of the dude while arguing around my main points, which r rather simple and straight foward. Try again..
 

metrocard

Legend
Desperate? Well not really.

The facts are the facts, which I can see you being frustrated to new information.
Its okay, I honest don't care if you don't accept it. Its your choice to stay ignorant and just be a hater.

"Marbury is a loser" So much insight right there.

Pass first PG....right, when did I call him one? You also said he had no vision, now you're quiet about that and a lot of things I corrected you on.

In terms of being stubborn, you're excelling right now. Just learn to disagree or if you see your logic isn't making much sense or you don't have a lot to say on it then it just looks stupid to keep trying to defend it so hard with zero objective statements, just a lot of subjective hate.

I already proved to you that all your statements with invalid with the evidence of NBA history and statistics. Your recent post seems like a white flag.

I was hoping for you to come back with me with INFORMATION, but you failed. Its not about agreeing with each other, but if I agreed with you, I would be wrong.
 

ronoranina

Fundamentally Sound
You claim the media has bias against Marbury, then you go and post nonsense from the exact entity you want myself and others to ignor on this topic. I guess that's how it works in Metro's world.. Lame. Then you expect me to post INFORMATION from said entity you discredit, lol. And anyway I did post info. I referenced the career assists list several times, even corrected your inaccuracy from it. So stop mischaracterizing.

And, I did say in my last post that Marbury lacked the vision of the greats. Again, my point is that he lacked the vision of a great pass-first pg, like Paul or Nash. Can you dispute that? If not stfu..

Marbury is not like them and yet he wanted to be looked at in that light. Ie, his outlandish statements (ludicrously calling himself the best PG in the NBA) which I've posted as evidence. Can you dispute that? If not stfu..

Yes teams will get better after getting a player like Marbury. I'm not saying he's garbage. But from what I've seen, he's just not the kind of player that can elevate his teammates play. Again this is my assessment of him, not the media talking. If u ask most knowledgeable people on the subject of bball they'll tell you the same. Guess we're all brainwashed since we don't agree w you. Lame.

Listen, if Marbury was everything you wanted him to be the bottom line is he'd still be playing for this team. If he had the game to play (mentally and physically) in this system Felton would not be here and he'd still be running our O. There's a reason why he's always been shipped out town and i'm sure politics plays a part. But it also has alot to do w his on court game and mentality. Look at the big picture Metro. Take the long view. Marbury played a part on and off of the court w his being the odd man out time and again. That Chinese team he's on currently will wise up sooner or later too lol. Maybe you should finally wise up on this topic. :)
 

Speak3asy

Benchwarmer
How did this thread go from a 9 man rotation to some bullshit about a player who is no more? Really can we keep it on topic in these threads created by Metrocard?
 

KnickRick

Rookie
Transplanted from NY to Golden State.

The discussion about Randolph is about the same as when he was with the Warriors. Lots of athletic ability, little obvious bball IQ. But, his plus/minus stat was generally pretty good. My personal concern was that the bouncy way he plays, combined with the thin body, would lead to injury.

Personally, I miss both Turiaf and Azubuike. Azu is a killer 3 pt shooter and has a lot of other skills.
 

JoHnNyBoXeR

Benchwarmer
When Marbury did play with good players he failed.. He was running the floor in Eam USAs worst showing in international play in its history
 

metrocard

Legend
Rono

I'm talking about the mainstream media who has an agenda against Marbury.
My article and my arguement crushes your statement.

You didn't post original info, all the info you stated was from my post...just a simple reply.

You imbecile, you went from saying Marbury had no vision to now he doesnt have vision of the greats. I broke down your arguement and now you're changing it. Don't you see how weak it is? You were better off admitting than you were wrong. Now your all pissy telling me to stfu because your mad right now. This is how I do it, whether you like or not. Next time don't be so stubborn and save yourself the embarassment.

It isn't ludicrous for Marbury to call himself the best PG in the NBA especially at the time when he was a top 3-5 PG in the league behind Kidd and Nash. Its good for a player to have confidence, if you get mad at that; you have no life.

Your assessment is poor, because you're not looking at the quality of his teammates. I posted clear evidence who his teammates were and a moron like you wouldn't even known these players existed if I didn't post them. Marbury didn't have a supporting cast and no one special to elevate, nor he didn't have enough time to elevate them(New team, new coaches, new system). This is common sense and not even a hard looked into assessment. Use common sense kid.

Marbury not playing for the Knicks is clearly a political decision rather than his ability. D'Antoni always had a vendetta against Steph, so we can leave it at that. Stop being lame and do your research. Thanks. Stephon is 33 now, you're comparing him to a prime Raymond Felton. Congratulations.
 
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