One week removed from Marburygate, when guard Stephon Marbury reportedly launched a profanity-laced tirade at head coach Isiah Thomas on the team plane after Thomas informed Marbury he would be coming off the bench, the Knicks are in a tailspin. New York hasn't won since Nov. 6, and is coming off a four-game, Western Conference butt-kicking (and they didn't step one foot in the state of Texas, where the real western powers reside).
The problems: Where do we start? The Knicks can't score (97.8 points per game) and have no problem letting the opposition score (104.1 points per game) giving them the fifth-worst point differential in the NBA. Put in perspective, the 2-6 Golden State Warriors, the Knicks opponent Tuesday, rank higher in that category.
The Knicks rank in the top third of the league in rebounding (44.7 per game) -- thanks to the addition of Zach Randolph (14.0 per game) and the continued development of David Lee (9.0) -- but they have a tendency to get outworked on the defensive glass, surrendering 12.3 offensive rebounds per night, a number that ranks them in the bottom third of the league.
Their locker room is divided as Marbury remains a cancerous lesion who Thomas refuses to remove. When the Knicks players voted not to let Marbury play against the Clippers, Thomas went on to play Marbury for 33 minutes. "I guess my teammates took a stand," Marbury said.
Someone should write a book about the relationship between Thomas and Marbury. Thomas has been staunchly in Marbury's corner since acquiring him in 2004. When Marbury clashed with his teammates, Thomas sided with Marbury. When Marbury clashed with former Knicks coach Larry Brown, it was Brown who was shown the door (yes, I know Brown clashed with everybody). Despite the nearly unflappable support, Marbury seems eager to detonate that relationship (reportedly threatening to expose Thomas when he claimed he had "so much stuff" on the coach) much the same way he has exploded many of his others.
Make no mistake; the relationship between Marbury and his teammates is irreparable. According to the New York Post, Marbury's teammates are already starting to give him the cold shoulder. And it's not like they don't get along with each other; several Knicks attended the Miguel Cotto-Shane Mosley fight at the Garden together two weeks ago, including Quentin Richardson, Malik Rose and Jared Jeffries. Noticeably absent: Stephon Marbury. No, going to a fight is not a team-building exercise, but it was an example that, while the Knicks locker room is divided, it is not fractured. Removing Marbury might be enough to heal it.
It remains inexplicable the Knicks, who have shown no unwillingness to pay off players, coaches and sexually harassed employees in the past, continue to allow Marbury to occupy a roster spot. I went on record last week saying, that after Marbury's AWOL incident, there was no way he would ever wear a Knick uniform again. I said it would only be a matter of days before Marbury was wearing a Lakers or Heat uniform. How could a team, I thought to myself, welcome a player back who abandoned his teammates on the eve of a critical (in the embattled Eastern Conference, they are all critical) four-game road trip?
It made no sense. Well, to me anyway.
Thomas, however, accepted Marbury back (with a $195,000 fine) and acted as though nothing ever happened. His minutes didn't suffer. Sure he came off the bench, but there is already talk that Thomas may reinsert him into the starting lineup. Marbury went from being a distraction to a being a deserter. He shouldn't be rewarded for that. He should be fired for it.
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Hiro Nakamura
HeybaHeyba
Quincy , MA
Total Comments (1)
Brown may have fought with everyone, but remember what Richardson said... that "coach is a great coach," and that the Knicks problems stemmed from their players, not him. Isiah has got more out of this team than Brown, but Brown's general point - that the team as is could not realistically contend - still stands.
It's easy to blame Isiah because he's a disastrous GM (and apparently not a good guy, as we learned in the harassment trial), but the buck here stops with Dolan. He has enough money to comfortably dump both Marbury and Thomas, and inexplicably held on to both. Considering it would *improve* everyone's opinion of him to fire Isiah and let Marbury start his Italian league career early, it's really difficult to understand what's the underlying reason for holding onto Thomas. Maybe Isiah has dirt on Dolan? =)
ManuteBolSuperfan
Ithaca , NY
Total Comments (59)
Manutebolsuperfan, you may be on to something. Marbury has the dirt on Isiah and he has some dirt on Dolan and therefore Dolan can't fire him(Thomas). Just like Thomas can't bench/suspend Marbury(33 mins. played is not benching in my book).
So the only way out of this mess is if Dolan senior re assigns Dolan junior and takes over the Knicks and then fires/buys out Thomas and finally buys out/trades Marbury. Unless of course Dolan junior has some dirt on his father which would then leave the Knicks back to square one.
Will Isiah ever coach/gm another NBA team after his Knick run ends? I hope not.
Andy2007
Chicago , IL
Total Comments (3)
By the lack of comments here it just goes to show how little anybody inside or out of NYC cares about a player who cares less about his teammates than himself. We've all seen enough "TO" type antics to know what will happen next. Bye Bye Stephie... There is no "I" in Team but there certainly is "ME".
Bootsy-Tom-Collins
Total Comments (20)
Dolan is the standard by which bumbling mismanagement of a sports team will be measured. His biggest mistake: hiring Isiah Thomas.
It says a lot about Isiah's bad reputation that he didn't land the Pistons job before being fired by Bird. Call it a conspiracy but there are people in the league who don't like him both personally and professionally.
As for Marbury? This guy simply doesn't get it. Steve Nash won back-to-back MVPs while making his teammates better and yet, Marbury still sticks to his me-first way of playing the game.
I feel sorry for players like David Lee who deserve better.
King4kong
Galt , CA
Total Comments (157)
So let the ny soapopera begin..they need to say bye bye to both Marbury and Thomas..This team has talent but its just too much going on behind the scenes..Lets just play Ball!!!
C-Dubb
Detroit, MI
Total Comments (2)
While Steve Nash was winning the MVP for showing up Marbury in Phoenix, Marbury was describing himself as the best point guard in the league. Maybe someone simply needs to sit him down and describe the game of basketball to him and what would constitute "best".
e.g.
Phoenix while Marbury was there: 29 - 53 (I don't know their record for games Marbury played).
Phoenix one year after Marbury was gone 62-20 (Amare Stoudemire, Shawn Marion, and Joe Johnson were on both teams).
Marbury's numbers his last year in Phoenix (per 40 minutes)
20 pts, 7.9 asts, 43.2% fg 31% 3p.
Nash's the next year:
18.1 pts, 13.4 asts, 50.2% fg, 43.1 % 3p
He's clearly delusional and mercurial and suffers from awful judgement. Maybe he's suffered a massive frontal lobe injury. Has anyone had him checked out?
Petergg
Total Comments (2)
WHEN WILL MANNIX BE HELD RESPONSIBLE FOR PICKING KNICKS 6TH IN EAST IN NBA PREVIEW AHEAD OF ORLANDO? HOW DOES HE STILL HAVE A JOB?????????
hoopsguynyc
New York , NY
Total Comments (8)
Personally I cant see what team would be that desperate to sign starbury, he clearly has a lack of respect for basketball, himself and most importantly his teamates. Just his cavalier attitude about all the drama surrounding himself and Isiah speaks volumes about what kind of person he probably is. Also, in the article he says he wants to help the Knicks win a championship? Wasnt he quoted a few weeks ago as saying he isnt chasing a championship? Not that the Knicks are in any danger of coming close to that. They really need to cut him loose. If your teamates vote against you playing with them, somethings wrong with you and the way you play. And the sad thing about all of this is he doesnt even realize what an idiot this makes him look like. Everything's funny, rosey and sunny with him, he cares about noone but himself.
corona
Belleville , IL
Total Comments (21)
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