Steph's recent struggles are by design
BY ANTHONY RIEBER
Newsday Staff Correspondent

November 15, 2006

GREENBURGH, N.Y. -- Somewhere, Larry Brown must be smiling.

Stephon Marbury, who scored two points and took six shots (all misses) in Monday's 102-96 Knicks loss to Cleveland, is struggling because he's trying to play like a true point guard, an unselfish point guard, the kind of point guard Brown tried to goad him into being last season before things went horribly wrong and Marbury went back to playing like "Starbury."

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Why is Marbury trying now what he wouldn't try then? The answer is as simple as his rock-solid relationship with Isiah Thomas and as complicated as Marbury's changing view of himself as a player and person.

Brown's Hall of Fame coaching credentials didn't impress Marbury. Apparently, Thomas' Hall of Fame point guard career has.

"It's different because we have a different setup as far as the way we're playing," Marbury said yesterday after practice at the MSG Training Center. "What I'm doing, I'm doing that by choice. I wasn't being told to do that. Last year, I was told to go on the basketball court and play a certain way."

That didn't sit well with Marbury. Neither did all the losing. Marbury wants to be known as a winner, so for the first eight games of this season -- six of them defeats -- he's been willing to sublimate his game for the good of the team.

He's averaging 12 points, fifth on the team.

Monday's performance wasn't his first stinker at the Garden; he's averaging eight points and shooting 24 percent in the Knicks' first three home games. Home game No. 4 is tonight versus Washington.

"I've gotten turnovers because I'm trying to distribute the ball a little bit too much," Marbury said. "It's been kind of tough, but it's an adjustment. I know what I'm capable of doing on the basketball court, but playing the way I've been playing is not how I play. I haven't been playing as aggressive as I normally would be playing."

Marbury said he doesn't plan to hoist up more shots as a way to get back his aggressiveness. He said he isn't going to abandon what Thomas is trying to establish just because it isn't working yet.

"I'm playing like this because of something I want at the end," Marbury said. "Right now, it may seem dark, but I think there's a lot of light at the end of the tunnel."

Posted by Bippity10:

Yeah it is bizarre. LB was right, but he was telling me to do it so I refused. Now noone is telling me to do it, but I'm doing it because it's right. Just odd that's all. But let's give it time. Let's be patient. Game 39 at the end of the first quarter is when I will start to judge the players on this team.

Posted by playa2:

Marbury admitting that LB was right should tell Zeke what kind of headcase he has on his hands.

This somewhat proves he led the insurrection as the PG under LB

Posted by Allanfan20:

Posted by playa2:

Marbury admitting that LB was right should tell Zeke what kind of headcase he has on his hands.

This somewhat proves he led the insurrection as the PG under LB

I'm not saying LB was wrong, b/c he wasn't, but where did Marbury say he was right??? He just said LB was telling him what to do.

Posted by Killa4luv:

Posted by Allanfan20:

Posted by playa2:

Marbury admitting that LB was right should tell Zeke what kind of headcase he has on his hands.

This somewhat proves he led the insurrection as the PG under LB

I'm not saying LB was wrong, b/c he wasn't, but where did Marbury say he was right??? He just said LB was telling him what to do.

Read between the lines. Very very deeply between the lines. Then let the hate consume you. THEN, you will see it as they see it.

Posted by Killa4luv:

Posted by Allanfan20:

Posted by playa2:

Marbury admitting that LB was right should tell Zeke what kind of headcase he has on his hands.

This somewhat proves he led the insurrection as the PG under LB

I'm not saying LB was wrong, b/c he wasn't, but where did Marbury say he was right??? He just said LB was telling him what to do.

Read between the lines. Very very deeply between the lines. Then let the hate consume you. THEN, you will see it as they see it.

Posted by oohah:

I don't see anybody bringing up Marbury's good defense:

3 steals including that big one one LeBron near the end of the game.

He also had a block that did not get recorded.

***

It ain't all bad fellas. This team hasn't clicked and when(if) they do, they will have to be reckoned with.

Doesn't anyone believe that?

oohah

We'll bring it up when it happens. He had a couple very big stops on Lebron down the stretch when we needed stops. He should be applauded for those. They were absolutely enormous, especially considering how overmatched size wise he was. I will fight arm in arm with you ooh ahh if anyone disputes that these plays were anything but clutch.

That being said, to say he is playing good defense I feel is completely off base. Teams are running pick and rolls against us because he and Curry haven't a clue how to guard them. SA ran almost 50% pick and rolls when he was in the game. This is killing us. Absolutely killing us the bulk of the game. Until he steps it up on this end and actually fights through a screen I can't give him credit for playing good d. His D has been borderline horrendous. Possibly the worst of any PG we've played thus far.