I firmly believe we couldve made a similar deal. One HUGE HUGE point is the ability to stay flexible with fluid contracts. You couldve signed rahim to a 3 year maximum extension next year, but you want to stay away from what we have. If anything ANYTHINg goes wrong with Marbury who has had constant ankle problems, not only cant you win, but you cant do anything because they shot their loads. We put to much value on what one SMALL man can do--we needed help in more than one area.

I believe Atlanta is a dead team that needs a complete rebuild in the same way Denver chopped it down. They have a nice shot at a top 3 they wouldve gotten a medium 1st round pick--or perhaps a high lottery to boot-- they can move Ratlif IMHO as well--- pretty easily and created the cap space to start over. Just thinking from a business standpoint--what else can Atlanta do to sell to their fans---high draft picks and cap space===HOPE and intrigue. They have NO incentive to keep what they have.

Starbury needs to step up and prove he can make those around him better.

Kidd, Jordan, and Thomas all did that.

If so, then the symptom will be more wins. IF not, then mediocrity exists and we have no assets to make change.


Two years agao we had no picks, or assets that had trade value. Im not defending Laydog, but he was accumulating options. He could have done better with them.

I have warmed up to the trade, and many in the media like it because we get better right away. But there are those whom believe in organic building of a team with size and youth, blended with veterans. Denver is doing it much than Chicago is. Cleveland also learned quick that blending in youth with experience is the way to go.

We have cast in stone a few nice pieces. If it does not work, we might really be in trouble down the road.

Until then, the garden will buzz, and it will be exciting.

Posted by fishmike:

What I love from Steph is you improve from within as well. Houston and KVH and Thomas, etc will get TONS of open looks.

Also I dont think its a stretch to say Marbury might be the best defender at PG with Payton taking a small step backwards.

Exactly! H2O and KVH are gonna get soo much better because of Stephon. You are also right about Stephon being a very good defensive player which no one brings up. He can play team and 1-1 defense.

If you noticed I put Jason terry into a *bobby jackson* 6th man position and kept FW as my starting PG. Sorry but Id rather have the 20-10 PF who is 26 Terry who isnt Marbury but is a VERY GOOD player with athletiscm and white who is a player that has tremndous size and skill and has been under-utilized. hes like a high draft pick that is ready to go. Sorry as far as PGs go, there is Jason kidd and no one else. He is the only franchise PG and he has a team of players that fit his style of play. Other than that--this is still a big mans game. You need to have someone who can get you 20 points in the paint and Rahim can do it. You throw in Dekes 8 and KTs 12 and a higher amount via the athletic players we acquire and you are scoring a substantial number of points in the paint.


what do we have now? we still have a jump shooting team--this is not fast break personell. As I said we have an engine that doesnt fit the car. and if that engine pops a gasket good night irene

Briggs you called it man those postas are in denial. One thing you left out though is this, It was a (James Dolan) MADISON SQUARE GARDEN MOVE TO GET SELLOUTS with a "prime time" draw in STARBURY. Starbury will bring more fans to games, he will bring the wannabes who play at the YMCA to the boys on Wallstreet.

Posted by OldFan:

Briggs - I agree it would be great to have a low post guy. But I think you're over emphasising it. Raheem won't get you twenty points in the paint. According to 82games.com 59% of his shots are jump shots. He is doing his scoring on a non-competive team so it's hard to judge how well he would do when the opposing teams crank up the D.

He is not a great passer so we wouldn't get the full benefit of his low post play.

Marbury will get you more easy baskets. He can break down the D - potentially leading to more points in the paint, more easy jumpers and more fast break points. I agree if he gets hurt or the team just can't develope chemistry we're hurtin. But it's a chance I'm willing to take.

Old fan apply that stat to Marbury,he's also doing his scoring on a non-competive team(phoenix) so it's hard to judge how well he would do when the opposing teams crank up the D.

Yeah - I agree. Marbury has not played on very many good teams and his playoff stats are not good. But he has at least proven he can score on a team that made the playoffs. Abdur-Rahim has always played on terrible teams - he has NEVER made the playoffs.

BRIGGS...I generally agree with your premises here. I do not believe that we were one Marbury away from the playoffs, and this is why I think it was a shortsighted and dangerouse move to really send Phoenix all our chips. Marbury is a great, great player, but IMO not a franchise reviver like a Kidd/Garnett/Duncan etc. If Marbury was that good Phoenix wouldnt have had a dreadful start. The Amare injury did kill them though, so I will keep an open mind. If we could have held on to Lampe or Lampe and the pick it would've been a better trade. And I agree with you that something that builds in two places with young players, like Rahim/Terry, is a better deal. It might've helped the playoff run this year, and would've certainly got us there next year and the year after IMO. I can hope Marbury and can take us to the playoffs, but if he doesn't, this deal becomes all the worse.

The only way Isiah can make this slightly better is if he can get a young athletic PF for Williams/Sweetney or Williams plus Doleac or Harrington. Chris Wilcox, Al Harrington and Stromile Swift fit the bill. I hope he doesnt shoot the rest of what he has for Wallace. I'd rather get Rahim if we were going big.

I generally agree with Isiah's premise that you can't really sign FA's these days, so building cap room sometimes doesn't yield anything. But I agree with you that you have to be flexible. You need to keep youth and tradeable contracts on your roster so that you always have chips. That's why trading multiple draft picks away in one trade is imprudent IMO.

Briggs you said it correctly, but tell me this doesn't this sound like Doaln and Checcketts all over again...meaning Dolan has another pawn in Thomas to just make me a playoff team with big names. ALA LJ era. We have been duped again.

Stephon's playoff stats: (Not that bad)
http://basketballreference.com/players/playerpage.htm?ilkid=MARBUST01

The bottom line is at least with Isiah we will have good players. Whether they're expensive or not. Layden was going in a completely opposite direction by overplaying for role players. We would've never developed young talent under Layden because of the overpaid scrubs.