Stephon Marbury, for the love of money

Selected fourth overall out of Georgia Tech by the Milwaukee Bucks in the 1996 NBA draft and traded to the Timberwolves for Ray Allen, Marbury will be turning 32 on Feb 20. As he glances down at his hand, there is no ring and time is not on his side and personally I hope he never gets one, as his name should not be associated with THE WORD “CHAMPION.” To be a champion you must act like one. Deciding to accept $21.9million to sit on the Knicks bench is anything but a “champion.” Early this season, Marbury was told that he would not be part of the Knicks future and if playing time was to be available, D'antoni will certainly let him know. Well that day came when Crawford was traded to Golden State and this could have been Steph’s time to step up and shine. We know there hasn't been much shining of him as a Knick. Come to think of it, there hasn't been much shining of him ANYWHERE in the NBA.

Instead, an opportunity, that if given to any other basketball player on the planet would be grateful for, Marbury refused to play. Near the end of his unproductive career, he decides to sit on the bench to prove a point. As this chaos unravels he is asked to accept a pay cut and choose a team he would consider playing for and the Knicks would work with him. Steph declines as he believes he is worth 21.9 million and will not accept a pay cut. Just to remind everyone, here are Marbury’s contracts - signed for 5.67M in 1996, 70.9M in 1999 and 76M in 2003 (good job Isiah what a nose for talent). Correct me if I’m wrong, but as a professional athlete, isn't the whole point to win a championship? I mean, he has eclipsed 100M in salary already and can buy any toy he wants except a ring. Fellow NBA player Dirk Nowitzki is willing to return part of his contract money to improve the Mavericks franchise; he is due to make 21.5M in 20010-11. Tim Duncan reached an agreement with the Spurs and accepted 11M less than what he was entitled too according to the NBA's collective bargaining agreement, to afford the Spurs flexibility to pursue a competitive supporting cast; he already has FOUR rings.

Marbury has......well, let's see what he has accomplished. Since 1996, he has been on two NBA All-Star teams (2001, 2003), and two All-NBA Third Team (2000, 2003). He was NBA All-Rookie First Team and never won an NCAA championship, and let's not forget the bronze medal in the 2004 Olympics where he was a part of the first US team composed of NBA players to fail to win the gold medal. His greatest chance of winning was when he was teamed up with Kevin Garnett in Minnesota, a tandem heralded as the next Stockton and Malone, but his greediness could not get him passed Garnett's nine-figure contract (126M for 6 years) that was signed before the new collective bargaining agreement prevented this type to cash to be thrown around again. Since the divorce, Garnett has gone on to become one of the best players the NBA has, an MVP, a defensive player of the year, and most importantly, an NBA champion. At best, Marbury has orchestrated teams to average seasons one after the other. With Marbury in the line up, the Knicks are 88-151(.368); without, 35-83 (.296). Congratulations, you've helped a team that wins a paltry 29% of the time, become a team that wins 37% of the time.

Marbury only recently has decided to give up one million dollars of his 2009 salary, but expects the team that signs him to make it up to him. Is it really that much to forfeit $3million or so for the right to choose your next team? If you really just want to play basketball, would it be such a bad idea to walk away from the Knicks with $17-18 million, sign with Boston and try to finish out the season on a contender? How much would that be worth to your reputation? What's interesting is that the only contending team with any interest in Marbury is the Celtics, and by now they should be familiar with his track record, season after season of below average results. Every team he has left, Minnesota, New Jersey, Phoenix, have all gone on to win 50 games in the first season after Stephon left. There is no doubt that Marbury is talented, but at age 32, if he hasn't figured out how to run a winning team by now, it's not happening. Maybe he'll have better luck from the bench.

thevoice@voicedup.com
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