Posted by nixluva:
Blueseats, I think I have to remind you that we didn't see any jekyl and hyde from him when he came here and we had shooters around him. He was avg'ng near double digit assists and even after the trading of those guys he ended up avg'ing 9.3 assists for us that year. It's not always just about Steph, but you have to have a team that is CAPABLE of finishing what a guard does. The guys you mentioned all have that. Steph doesn't have that and hasn't really had that on a high level since he's been here.
I believe that we will get this team to that point and that Steph will do fine when we do. When Q was healthy he saw a lot of shots and there was no problem, but we also have to remember that this team has been trying to establish some things this year for the 1st time. Curry has NEVER been THE focus of a teams entire offense and he's found it harder to handle than he may have realized. The same goes for Steph who hasn't really been that good at feeding the post. I would hope that we can address those issues as we go along and I think that part of that will be an increased role for Mardy. We'll see.
I'm not talking about a quantity of shots, passes or assists, I'm talking about his demeanor, passion and energy.
Do I need to remind you of his 2004 "homecoming" blowout by Houston?
Eventually he was allowed to simply be the show. Yes, when Steph is allowed to be the man and "be" the offense is when you see passion.
You also realize that your suggesting that the reviled Layden built a better team for Marbury than Isiah, right?
And why did that come to an end? We'll, first off, if you believe his cousin, it was because he got Van Horn traded. And also because his unholy alliance with Isiah, which put him above Wilkens in the pecking order (remember Wilkens in his press conference saying "this isn't my team, it's Steph's"), contributed to Lenny quitting.
Then came the Olympics, where Marbury was faced with far more talent then he's ever had and he knew not what to do with them. Is Steph good at feeding the post? Duncan would foul out trying to find position before Marbury could find him. Athletic guys like Lebron and RJ were wasted on Steph. I can only remember him pushing tempo once and it was a bad pass to Jefferson trapped on the sideline. all he could do was hit Iverson on the perimeter for duds. Brown wanted him sent home for not being able to "get it" and for not being a good student.
So there, with far more talent than he's ever had or ever will have, Marbury's only memorable moment was when he took over for himself and scored 31, yet you think it's about the quality of his supporting cast. Marbury can't elevate his teammates so it's always a matter of building a supporting cast good enough to carry Marbury, yet he's "too god" in the minds of many, like yourself, to shoulder criticism.
That's the same attitude he's always had about himself too that's driven a wedge between himself and teammates. Recall his 5/3 quitter's performance last year against orlando? When questioned why he scored so few points he said it was because his teammates were "hot" so he fed them. But amazingly, when asked why he had so few assists he said because guys weren't hitting their shots! Which was it, they were hot or couldn't hit? Either way, it's their fault.
There is a story often repeated around the Meadowlands that dates back to a night in 2000-01. It's about Stephon Marbury and his teammates leaving the court after getting trampled (a common event in those days), when they were suddenly met by the point guard's mom, the redoubtable Mabel. And Mom, in a very loud voice, had some advice for her son: "Don't worry, Stephon, it's not your fault," she said. "It's all these other lousy players."
Upon which a veteran Nets teammate observed, "Now you know why he is how he is." It figures: even when the "old" Nets traded for a supertalent--they got Marbury in an enormous three-team, nine-player deal in 1999--they ended up with the wrong one. "The difference between last year and this year?" ponders an emotional Kenyon Martin, taking out his furiously repressed feelings on his sneaker laces in the near-deserted Nets locker room an hour before facing the Indiana Pacers. `This year we have guys who want to play. Last year we had some people in here who were too busy tapping themselves on the shoulder, telling themselves how great they were."
"Last year, we didn't play any defense," forward Aaron Williams, a 6'10" supersub, chimes in from the next stall. "On any NBA team, the leader sets the tone. And our leader didn't bother playing D most nights."
"He thought he was too good for that--then he'd blame everybody else, pointing fingers," Martin adds. "I'm not naming any names, you understand, but this was an unhappy, divided locker room last year. And the division was one guy on one side and everyone else on the other."
"Yes, we did have one guy in here last year who thought he was too good for everybody else on the team and didn't mind saying so," smiles GM Rod Thorn, still remaining strictly incognito about the "one guy's" identity. "And he was, too. Better than everyone else, that is. But it all didn't add up to much, did it?"Nixluva, when two HOF coaches and guys like Wade, Iverson, RJ, Lebron, Duncan, Boozer, et al, aren't good enough for Steph, when and where do you think we will be able to acquire the talent to support him?
Some of you KILL me with you lack of understanding. Tell me how exactly Andre Miller being on this team is supposed to make them more of a winner? If i'm not mistaken he got traded FROM a playoff team with a SUPERSTAR and they took on AI who is pretty much a scorer like Steph, so how does that logic wash? Denver didn't feel that he gave them a better chance to win.
4/5/2007 10:57 AM
