| 05 January 2009
Is it because not even one percent of the world can accomplish the things that we see on the hardwood/parquet floor every night?
Is it because we can make anybody in NBA 2K9 a threat to be great?
(First side note: It really is true that NBA 2K9 is the Matrix for anyone that we want to turn into Neo and give them free reign on the pixilated battle ground that resides in my XBOX 360. I have seen Kevin Ollie and his mustache drop 62, Steve Francis play like he actually still existed, and Earl Watson perform like Larry Bird and Isiah Thomas settled their difference, had a love child, and named him after Earl Monroe and Matt Watson to show his greatness. I've seen all of these guys dominate in video game form at one time or another and it's completely mind bottling.)
(Second side note: Sorry, Phillip but Live sucks and 2K rules all. I'm waiting for your counter.)
For reason, there is a large percentage of us that gets caught up in the hype of players even when the evidence that has been presented to us on a nightly, weekly, and yearly basis is screaming to go the other way. Even though we see guys fail time after time on a grand scale that proves how little they can contribute to making their team a winning squad, we still believe that talent ultimately wins out in the NBA and will eventually shine through. But sometimes, that talent never translates to wins.
It happened to guys like Shareef Abdur-Rahim and Christian Laettner. It's happening right now to guys like Elton Brand and Vince Carter. There are some guys that are just inherently losers despite their incredible talent. And I'm not even talking about the busted number one picks of the past like Kwame Brown, Michael Olowokandi, and Joe Smith. Those guys were primarily hyped potential with tremendous upside that never seemed to put it together. I'm talking about the guys that actually have all of the talent they could ever need to dominate but they either don't have the heart or the mental capacity to put it together in the form of a title run for their team.
And nobody embodies this like Stephon Marbury.
There are still thousands and thousands of basketball fans that think Stephon Marbury should be playing on a regular basis. There are droves of people that believe Marbury has been unfairly treated and his talent is being wasted with the spectacle in New York. And there's nothing that Stephon can do to convince them otherwise. It's a fascinating phenomenon that will be around as long as there are professional sports.
I notice that every year when the NBA Draft is a couple of weeks away, fans commit themselves to a few players that they "know" will be stars in this league. And I do the exact same thing. For years, I've been confused as to why Kirk Snyder isn't a better NBA player despite the glaring weaknesses in his game. I'll be the same way with Courtney Lee in a few years. And luckily for my sanity as a T'Wolves fan, I've allowed myself to give up early on the idea of Randy Foye being an impact player in this league on a grand scale.
But fans of Stephon Marbury can't allow themselves to see the flaws of such a talented individual. They aren't necessarily flaws in his skill set. He's one of the quickest players to ever gallop across the hardwood. He's lightning quick going to the basket and strong enough to absorb contact before scoring. And he seems to have limitless range on his jumper. But his problems reside in his head and more significantly in his bravado.
Nobody has to tell Stephon how good he is in terms of talent. He still probably thinks that he's the best point guard in the NBA. He still probably thinks that the team that adds him to their roster will be guaranteed the next NBA championship. Hell, he probably thinks that if he went to the Thunder, they'd make the playoffs this year and threaten for the Western Conference crown.
But people that are able to look outside of his seemingly, endless talent see this ego as what has held him back as an NBA figure. He'll never be taken seriously because he's not perceived as a serious person. It's like trying to look at Keanu Reeves as a serious actor while ignoring Bill and Ted's Excellent Adventure. Or trying to look at Nicolas Cage as a respectable human being by ignoring the terrible nose job and frequency of leather pants worn. You just can't forgive Stephon Marbury for consistently ruining every team he goes to.
He helped set the Wolves back for a decade plus when he forced a trade that didn't bring back equal value (mainly due to Terrell Brandon's injury woes). He stymied the growth of the New Jersey Nets, Phoenix Suns, and New York Knicks on a monumental level that caused all three teams to want to get rid of him almost immediately (and then get significantly better after doing so). He's only made the playoffs four times in his career and only twice since leaving Minnesota.
His career is so confusing that there are two very intriguing things in his chronicling on basketball-reference.com. He isn't listed as an active player on the reference site despite currently being on an NBA roster. And his shortened name in his player URL is oddly enough, "marbust." Even reference sites that are out there to provide statistics to NBA nerds like me are calling him a bust.
So with all of this negative history against him, why would there be rumors about the defending champion Boston Celtics wanting to add him to their roster? Is this legit? Is it just something newsworthy to get us from the Christmas Day games to the now infamous Crab Dribble debate?
Here are the reasons that I can think of off the top of my head as to why this ultimately won't happen:
1. I really don't think the Knicks will accommodate Stephon Marbury by granting his release. It gives them nothing to gain by doing so since they still have to pay him his money and it's not like he's hanging around the team, anyway.
2. If they were going to be generous to waive him, he's already stated that he will not give up any money in a buyout. So why would the Knicks pay him his full salary to play for another team?
3. The Celtics are not THAT desperate to fill their much-needed backup point guard position. Even though Eddie House isn't capable of doing this on a championship level, they still have Sam Cassell who the team could be saving for a late season/playoff run.
4. There are better options out there with lower risks that don't involve giving your team a malignant tumor.
5. I don't buy that Kevin Garnett is as cool with bringing Steph aboard as he claimed to be this past week. He clearly stated that if Stephon would give the Celtics a better shot at repeating as champions then he would be all for it. But deep down, he knows better than any of us what kind of person the Green and White would be bringing aboard.
The common sense just doesn't add up to the solution of bringing Stephon Marbury to this Celtics team with the way they are currently constructed. This team is about ubuntu while Stephon is about "look what I can do." It's like having an oversized kid named Stuart running the backup point guard position while the rest of the team is trying to defend a title.
I don't doubt that Stephon Marbury will get another chance in the NBA. The history of professional sports will always give talent a second chance. Michael Vick will play in the NFL again despite his past criminal actions. And Stephon Marbury will play in this league again if he wants to despite his volatile personality that seems to eat away at team unity.
The only time that potential and talent hasn't been given a first, second, third, or even fourth chance was the story of Lenny Cooke.
And even with Lenny (and just like it is now with Stephon), someone out there is thinking that if this guy could just get one more shot to show what he can do, the ends will justify the potential.
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