Posted by bobs3304:
Here's a riddle for you guys...
What's the difference b/w Jordan and Marbury?
Give up?
Defense, leadership, and the will to win.
Do you realize what I'm saying?
I'm saying Marbury has all the skills that define great players like MJ. But 20 & 8 or not, he is seriously lacking in those other fundamentals that make great players who they are.
You're absolutely right. Very few players could average 20 & 8. I'll give you that without batting an eye. But I think some of you are getting "mesmerized" by his "superstar" numbers and relying on hope instead of the facts.
The facts are that Marbury is TRYING to change. But it's just not gonna happen. I believe things like perseverance and heart are things you're either born with...or learn through life-changing experiences.
Just watch the games when Lee, Crawford, Nate, Frye, and whoever else is in the game. The ball moves around, Crawford passes up shots to find the open man. Lee gets offensive rebounds. Frye uses his muscle in the paint. Nate dives after loose balls and sacrifices his body for rebounds.
That's what NY basketball's all about. Going all out. I don't think I've EVER seen Steph dive for a loose ball, or fight for a rebound against the giants, or pass up a shot just to make the extra pass. I've seen Wade do it. I've seen Kidd do it.
Part of it is that Steph is JUST starting to shed that "superstar" mentality garbage and he IS trying to do the little things for the team. I'll admit that. But you can't have a 75 Mill. "franchise" player only doing 1 or the other, b/c he'll either be hurting us by strangling the team's production, or not adding enoug of his own.
I've ALREADY started to see the latter...
He needs to be dealt, and sooner rather than later.
Don't be mesmerized by the stats.
NO PLAYER can win by himself, not even Jordan. SO lets make one thing clear, you need a great TEAM. So far Steph has NEVER been on a great team. There were some decent ones along the way, but none that anyone considered a title contender. Perhaps had he stayed with KG or if PHX had kept him and Amare together, but since that didn't happen, we'll just have to wait and see how Steph, Curry & LB works out.
This team has some very good players, but really its going to be all about how much they listen to LB and execute the game plan. The talent is there to compete night in and night out.
Also lets not get too crazy, cuz there are a LOT of so called great players who haven't won a damn thing!!! What's their excuse? I think you're just way off base in your criticism of Steph. I guess we'll see over the next few seasons, cuz this has the makings of a top team in the future.
10/23/2005 12:53 PM