Dec 02, 2008 2:20 pm EST

The Knicks and Stephon deserve each other
By Kelly Dwyer
Leave it to the Knicks to turn Stephon Marbury into a sympathetic figure.

OK, maybe not "sympathetic" or "understandable" or even "worth our time," but how the Knicks managed to botch the simplest of solutions to a rather nasty (if not somewhat common, to the NBA) problem is beyond me.

Why didn't they just tell Stephon Marbury to go home last October? Or even last September? Or last week? Why didn't they do it, and tell us that it was for good this time, this morning?

Think about it. As of October 29th, Marbury was still in uniform on the Knicks bench, with the expectation to play. That's just over a month ago. How nutty does that sound now?

Well, it should have sounded nutty back then. And it was pretty darned nutty just bringing Marbury to training camp to begin with, much less playing him in seven preseason games. It was ridiculous just to bring him into media day, where this happened.

We know why the Knicks want Marbury around. It isn't to play, that ship has flown, it's to at least warm themselves to the idea of getting something out of a player who they're paying nearly $21 million to this season. And that would be admirable had the Knicks not had almost five years to prepare for this reality. Name any coach, any context, any style of play, and any win/loss percentage, and you knew Steph was going to end up like this, in this exact season.

Because it's his last season with a big contract. His last year with any juice, even if he's barely played for two years. You knew it was going to happen. Steph was going to run out of excuses after a while. Minnesota's too cold. I'm not the star. I'm not paid as much as the star. I'm all alone in New Jersey. It's not New York. The coach doesn't understand me in Phoenix. My teammates aren't good enough in New York. My coach hates me, no matter what I do. I'm not healthy. I just found Jesus, give me a second. I'm good with the Jesus stuff, and that's factorial, but Isiah hates me. Coach D'Antoni hates me. It's not my fault.

You knew it was going to come to a head, this year. Any NBA observer with half a brain would.

And the Knicks have had all this time to do something about it. Could have tried to trade his expiring deal for a few contracts that could keep them competitive and expire in 2010. Could have bought him out for the exact amount of his deal and watched Steph ruined the Heat or ruined the Suns and moped his way out of the rotation in another city. Because you know, in spite of the two good weeks that would precede it, that's what was going to happen.

But the Knicks are different and better and smarter than you. And they're not the Pacers, who told Ron Artest and Jamaal Tinsley to go away under Donnie Walsh, because they know better than you, and they know better than the Pacers. They didn't know enough not to hire Isiah Thomas, who the Pacers fired, but that's in the past. We're moving on. It's a new era.

Except they're not moving on. They're making good moves and hiring the right people, but they still want to work under their own set of rules. And that means keeping Stephon around, working under a coach that loathes him, and acting haughty and taken aback when he refuses to go on the court against the Bucks.

Steph should have gone on the court. When you're making nearly $21 million a year, you go on the court, you play your ass off, you earn your money, and you utilize your constitutional right to bitch and moan to the assembled media after the game. And that would have increased his martyrdom, his stature, and given him more than a passing scintilla of respect from us.

But that plan doesn't make sense to Steph, because he plays by his own rules. Or thinks that he should, even when he's not allowed to. He was born to be a Knick.

One of the blues songs I'm sure James Dolan and his Tube Screamer have mangled at some point is B.B. King's "Paying the Cost To Be the Boss," and I'm sure he thinks he's doing a fine job at it. Both in nailing that solo, and paying the cost to be the boss. Problem is, I don't think he understands what costs what, and what being a leader actually means. In fact, I'm sure of it.

Being a leader, a boss, means communicating with your entire organization, from top to bottom. And if you haven't the time to drop a line, then your actions speak for themselves. And being a boss means making a series of decisions that, while they may seem abhorrent and revolting to your very core, are the best for the organization that you are in charge of.

And does anyone think that this pathetic battle between the organization and their spoiled brat of a 31-year old point guard is the best for the Knicks? Even if this team is biding its time until 2010? Even if nobody will remember this in a year's time?

Hells no. Not only is Stephon's very presence an unwelcome throwback to the most disastrous executive reign in post-ABA pro basketball history (if not for all time, given the stakes), but his treatment is more proof that the head still stinks in New York, and that it is business as usual with the Knicks.

No amount of cap space can shake that stigma.

Related: Ron Artest, Stephon Marbury

Why this article is on UK?
Stephan Mar Bury has no relation to Knicks for a while already.
All Stephan discussions should go to OT blogs.
A lot of posters have no interest in this man in relation to Knicks.

The Knicks management is being hurt here as well...Perspective free agents will take note how this
was handled like it or not...

We handled it poorly and we burnt any chance to get any reduction of Distractionbury's pay. Now we're going to owe Foxholebury his full amount and that's either going to happen maybe in January so Dolan gets his wish to have the loss on his 09 sheet but if that's not going to happen then look for the Knicks to screw him the way the Bulls(?) screwed Starks. They will waive Shotintheheadbury a day after he would have had to join a team in order to be on their playoff roster (March 1st?).

Posted by islesfan:


Does any of this mean that they Knicks can't sign quality free agents in 2010? Not at all, but you'd be foolish to think that the way the Knicks have handled some of these players situations isn't being noticed by players around the league and their agents.

I agree some players may take note but these same players are fans of the game. Wouldn't it be safe to assume they know Isiah's Knicks were a disaster and the only way out of it was to tear down the roster? You'd think it's understood that tearing down a roster includes alienating certain players along the way because you want them immediately removed but can't always make the trade right away - so they sit.

Marbury is an oddball and I think it's well known this was going to get worse as time went on and should have been dealt with over the summer.

The rest though? Nah... it's been handled well so far. Curry's fat broken down ass doesn't deserve court time no matter how short handed we are. I don't see any problem with the way any other player has been handled so I don't think it's as big of an issue to prospective FAs as one might be inclined to believe.

Of course, there's the one cure-all, a big contract coupled with a fellow big contract star player playing in New York. It'll make anyone forget about the Marbury situation.

Mobley agree and wanted the dreaded DNA test. Maybe Mobely does not want to die.

Knicks took good care of Eddy when Chicago did not want to. Took good care of H20 on a hand shake agreement. Extended Isiah even! Knicks also took good care of Spree with a big contract and stood by him.

But I think phucking over an organization is not cool either. I think the message to other players are that we are not gonna take crap anymore and knick free ride days are over. No Jerome James type players need apply. Walsh is not dumb Isiah and MikeD wants whom he wants!

We are not the depository for malcontent and undsirable contracts any more!

I think Marbury's actions are fully recognizable by other players and our management has a track record of honoring deals. No matter how bad those deals are!

Posted by martin:

Posted by islesfan:



A veteran gets put on the shelf and is told he should retire for a condition that he had played his entire career with.

See, you're just making **** up. How can anyone believe or be convinced of your arguments.

http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/05/sports/basketball/05knicks.html

The waivers stated Mobley’s awareness of his condition and his consent to playing, cleared the teams from any legal liability if Mobley experienced medical issues from the condition and limited Mobley’s ability to obtain health insurance. What appears to be new is the Knicks’ concern that Mobley’s heart condition is more serious than previously thought.

Martin, I'm sorry but Donnie's half ass thought is BS. It is the same heart condition, whether the player or his previous teams taking it as serious is one thing but Donnie knew (or should have known) that Mobley had this condition if someone like myself was aware of it. Walsh is not above being a prick no matter how many trades he make.

[Edited by - pharzeone on 12-05-2008 11:16 AM]

Posted by islesfan:

Players usually take sides with other players, especially against management. I'm sure Marbury's past history will be taken into account but I don't think Knicks management will get a total pass for how they've handled this matter.

Everybody in the league has been waiting for Marbury to handled. They may not think it's been done with surgical precision, but I doubt they think for a second it would extend to them.

Curry got over his infection to play in 3 preseason games and practice in preparation for the start of the season but was then DNP-CDed for the first 2 games without any explanation as to why. Meanwhile a rookie who didn't play in the preseason and barely practiced before the start of the season was given minutes in the first 2 games before they came to their senses and said that not only was he not healed enough to play the next game but he would be sitting out indefinitely.

You can't be telling me you're angry that our lottery player got minutes over the guy who yet again began the season unable to run and jump.

It's a good thing we still have Isiah on retainer because some of you seem quite ready to renew the coddling of our lost cause franchise players.

Then they trade for Mobley, who is known to have an enlarged heart and has played his entire career with it, and the team spreads rumors that his career is in doubt instead of allowing Mobley to sign a medical waiver as he has with all of his other teams.

Show me again where Mobley requested to sign the medical waiver and was denied. All indications so far are that Mobley is taking the situation every bit as seriously as the Knicks. And if the Knicks decide they'd rather get a medical exemption than risk having this guy die on the floor, I'm okay with that.

A proven veteran gets DNPed even though he's deemed healthy enough to play.

Eddy, who came into camp with a bum knee and in no condition to run and jump, let alone play NBA ball, is now a "proven vet" who's getting shafted?

What did they do to you over at RealGM??? Didn't anybody tell you not to drink the water?

A rookie that the team had sit out for the past 4 months because he was hurt, suddenly plays in 2 games, after which they deem him still hurt and incapable of playing for the forseeable future.

Typical Knicks, agreed.

A veteran gets put on the shelf and is told he should retire for a condition that he had played his entire career with.

Right now his condition is simply being evaluated. I have a hunch if he were being thrown out there with a known condition just so that we could win a couple more games in a year where we need to score big in the draft, that might raise your ire too.

Does any of this mean that they Knicks can't sign quality free agents in 2010? Not at all, but you'd be foolish to think that the way the Knicks have handled some of these players situations isn't being noticed by players around the league and their agents.

I'd like to think the kind of guys we are trying to attract are pleased that management is distancing themselves from Isiah's coddled, wretched mistakes.

The treatment they are giving to Eddy and Steph is benign compared to what you or I would have wished for them last year. Rushing Gall back was dumb, but only because it set him back, it has no bearing on Curry. And best I can tell about Mobley, they are doing due diligence in seeing just how bad his heart is. Nothing would set this franchise back more than having him die on the floor for our sins.

Did you ever saw attractive cleanups?
They are ugly by definition. And as bigger the mess; uglier is the cleanup.
We had the biggest mess ever in the history of professional sports.
So the cleanup looks beautiful so far.

Kelly must read this forum.

Posted by Nalod:

Isles, based on reports it almost seems the Mobley is concerned also about his health and seems that doing this right is a priority. Knicks are on the hook for this one and since they accepted the deal the insurance company might not cover it as its a prexisting condition.

I'd be curious to know if Mobley is concerned about his condition or about the Knicks putting an end to his career prematurely. From what I read, Mobley insisted on seeing the doctor in Minnesota, perhaps to prove that his condition hasn't changed or isn't as serious as the Knicks are making it seem and he should be allowed to continue his career.