Sorry, I mistyped the article title
Marbury May Be Plaguing Celtics From Afar
By BENJAMIN HOFFMAN
Sitting on the bench and refusing to play when he is called upon, Stephon Marbury has been referred to as a cancer and blamed for many of the troubles of the Knicks over the last few seasons. But with a recent slump by the Celtics coinciding with Marbury expressing interest in playing with the team, the question has to be asked: can the mere mention of the troubled player cause a team to tank?
On Jan. 2, Marbury was attending a Timberwolves game to support his cousin Sebastian Telfair. He told a local TV station regarding the possibility of playing alongside his former teammate Kevin Garnett in Boston, “Reuniting with Kevin is something that I would love. There is some hope, if I can get out of my contract and they’re interested in me. How can you deny the chance?”
That night the Celtics beat the Wizards handily, 108-83, and were 29-5. Since word spread about Marbury’s interest, the team is 0-4 and has been outscored by 39 points, losing by at least 12 points to both the Knicks and the Cavaliers.
That being said, the Celtics were already in a swoon, losing three games in less than a week after having lost only twice in the season’s first 29 games. But regardless of whether or not the Marbury rumors have had any affect on the team, it begs the question as to why Boston would want to risk the team’s chemistry to gain a player who has never had a good relationship with winning.
Over the course of his 13-year N.B.A. career, Marbury has played a full season for a winning team only twice, and hasn’t done so since the 2002-3 season. On top of that, the teams he left have always improved in their first full season without him, averaging 54.7 wins. He has never been on a team that won a playoff series.
The Celtics took a somewhat similar gamble last season, signing the temperamental Sam Cassell to share point guard duties with Rajon Rondo, and it worked with Boston securing its first N.B.A. championship since 1985-86. But Cassell, who has occasionally been a nuisance to teams, is hardly in Marbury’s category as far as distractions go. A better option might be to try and secure a trade with the Oklahoma City Thunder for backup point guard Earl Watson, a proven playmaker who is a luxury the 5-32 Thunder don’t need.
http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/11/sports/basketball/11marbury.html?_r=1&partner=rssnyt&emc=rss
[Edited by - supremecommander on 01-10-2009 4:34 PM]
1/11/2009 8:05 AM
