|
djsunyc
Posts: 44927
Alba Posts: 42
Joined: 1/16/2004
Member: #536
|
http://realgm.com/src_feature_article/73/20051211/dangle_marbury_pursue_artest/
In a recent interview, Ron Artest said that he wanted to be traded and prefers to land in New York. If he isn't moved directly to New York, the Indiana Pacers' star indicated that he could wind up signing with the Knicks when he eventually becomes a free-agent.
This should raise the antenna over at Madison Square Garden where the Knicks are in search of a small forward and where the team's new nucleus is starting to take shape in a way that could make the organization's most prominent player expendable. The question then seems to be whether a complex deal can be struck to exchange the two New York City products, Artest and Stephon Marbury . The trade would need to be structured to include other pieces because the two are not a salary cap match.
Despite a poor 6-13 record, the Knicks' fan base has good reason to feel optimistic about the development of its young talent. A front line of Eddy Curry, Channing Frye, Trevor Ariza offers an impressive foundation for thefuture. Adding Artest to the rotation would make the Knicks' bigs a formidable group.
Brown is likely to throw his considerable weight behind a trade that brings in a rugged defender like Artest and parts ways with a point guard like Marbury, who despite possessing superior tools is an odd fit for the system Brown has begun to install. The upside of fortifying the frontcourt is obvious but there are other reasons to try to ship Marbury. So far, amid a challenging schedule, a young roster and a new and demanding coach, there are both encouraging signs and some troubling vestiges of the team's recent
past. Removing Marbury from the backcourt will accelerate the progress of the Knicks' backcourt and could have even deeper benefits for the club's efficiency on the offensive end.
Same as last season, what Marbury is not delivering to the team is not detectable in his own numbers which remain solid and would be valuable to any fantasy league player. But the Knicks lead the league in turnovers and this one statistic more than any other is crippling their chances of getting over the hump. As the point guard and the apparent leader of the team, Marbury doesn't have to turn the ball over himself to take a large share of the burden for the team's failure to keep game mistakes to a reasonable number. It is true that a good amount of the Knick turnovers can be imputed to mindless offensive fouls where Curry barrels over the defender, and an abundance of silly plays in which Malik Rose is apparently trying to fulfill his dream to become the next Karl Malone. But it is also true that Marbury does little to make the game easier for his teammates or give the Knicks' a definite direction on the offensive end.
It is probably unfair to heap too much blame on Marbury who appears to be playing up to his capabilities at present. He should be applauded for embracing the promise of a new era under Brown and for wanting nothing more than to make the Knicks a winner again back in his hometown. His deficiencies are not the result of a lack of effort, nor should they be categorized under the ball-hog theory that commonly follows point guards who can score. If anything, Marbury's case may be one of dwindling lift or lost swagger, and in the end, the problem may lie in the simple fact that Marbury is not able to "play the right way." Or he's simply not now as good as the Starbury tag that has been attached to the man since his Brooklyn high school days.
Let's consider a few other basketball observations to fairly examine the Marbury issue. In some ways, he is certainly the most consistent performer for New York and offers reliable productivity, most notably the ability to draw fouls in the pre-crunch time of the game. Nobody is better at getting into the scoring lanes or can match his blow-by speed, especially when he takes off from the top of the arc. However, while he puts pressure on the defense by driving the ball repeatedly, Marbury plays without the
elusiveness and offbeat tempo of not only many less offensive-minded guards, but also those who are considered "score-first" point men (see Baron Davis. In the last game of the recent road trip in Phoenix, with the Knicks <http://knicks.realgm.com> down 3 and less than one full shot clock remaining in regulation, Marbury was given plenty of space between him and the defender. Instead of raising up and trying to tie the game by letting
fly from the 3-point line, he put his head down and took the ball to the goal. His flip from close-range hit back rim and the game was effectively over.
Marbury seems to have lost confidence in his outside shot and is growingly reluctant to mix in his jumper to keep defenders honest, even from inside the arc or on the pull-up after his first steps to the basket. As witnessed in Phoenix, the word on this hesitancy to take an outside shot is now clearly out to all the teams via advance scouting reports. So other than his patented hard drives all the way to the hoop, most all of which he takes
from the top and a sizable amount of which he no longer finishes, we're talking about a point guard who has extremely limited and predictable ways of keeping defenses honest, bailing his team out with a key bucket, etc. More importantly, without much innovation in running the offense, his late-game scoring and playmaking is highly problematic (and therefore the Knicks' chances of pulling out close games, which now make up the majority
of contests in the NBA, suffer accordingly). On the defensive end, he is at best nothing special and can more accurately be termed a liability.
It's advisable to put Marbury on the market now, while his value remains significant, but also because the Knicks will be able to distribute his minutes effectively without skipping a beat. Dumping Marbury would seem to be another major step in the rebuilding process - and it would be - but not one for years down the road: The Knicks could see a net gain starting this season. On the recent road trip, Nate played with both energy and poise in his new starting assignment, figuring out how to get his shot off in the
paint, taking his jumper fearlessly, and applying ball pressure by hounding the opposing point guard. He could also be coming along as a playmaker more rapidly than Brown had expected.
On the first game of the trip in Seattle, Jamal Crawford won his second game of the season with a scoring outburst (he did the same a week earlier versus the Bulls at the Garden). With multiple ways to score going to the hole and unlimited range on a streaky jumpshot, Crawford needs to play heavy minutes and continue feeling the confidence of his coach. If some of the recent performances are any indication, Crawford may be getting closer to finding that all-important balance between a controlled talent keeping his
game harnessed until the optimal moment and a frenetic scorer who is always looking for a chance to stick the dagger. As far as the latter, there are not that many wing players in the NBA who have the natural ability to wreak more havoc than Crawford, as long as he comes to compete each night and always looks to be a threat when he's on the court.
Dealing Marbury has the potential to unleash both Robinson's and Crawford's immense upside and both have the skill level to become pillars of an exciting backcourt for years to come. The Knicks would then seek to deal a spare part for a pure point guard who can orchestrate Brown's complex offensive schemes, keep the offense flowing smoothly, and get the ball into the right people's hands. A straight deal of Jerome James to Denver for
Earl Watson is currently floating on the trade talk circuit. James would also be a salary cap match in a deal for Eric Snow who, though 32, brings the advantage of being able to implement Brown's system from day one. Snow thrived running the show for Brown in Philadelphia .
|
