Written by Zach Harper | 02 March 2009

By Adam Sweeney



Stephon Marbury is one playoff run away from winning an NBA title and salvaging his career. How did he do it?

A) He whined more than Veruca Salt. 

B) He's lucky that the bench for Boston is thinner than Nicole Richie.

C) He's a genius, knowing that all was lost in New York. His antics were an attempt to go from hated hooper to hero in one season.

D) It is written."

Anybody who watched the Oscars this past weekend knows that Slumdog Millionaire walked away as the clear winner at the awards ceremony. Danny Boyle's film focused on romantic destiny. One week later, we are seeing a repeat in the NBA. We will call it Coney Island Millionaire.

Anybody who doubts that Stephon Marbury's destiny isn't written in the stars should consider this game of "Six Degrees of Kevin Martin ... or is it Bacon?" The Georgia Tech super-frosh was selected by the Milwaukee Bucks before being traded to Minnesota for who? Jesus Shuttlesworth, aka Ray Allen. Before last season, there was questions about how much Allen had left in the tank. The same can be said for Marbury, a guy who was willing to sit the bench in protest this season. There's one clover for you.

Marbury is also cousins with Sebastian Telfair, the former Celtic who plays for ... the Minnesota Timberwolves. Telfair lacked the maturity to run the point in Boston, but has had a relative amount of success in a new location. Still, nobody at this point would say that he lived up to the hype surrounding him as he entered the league. Make that two clovers.

Last season, Sam Cassell cleared waivers on March 3rd and chose to go to the Boston Celtics. While he didn't light up the scoreboard, he provided a bit of relief for a young point guard, Rajon Rondo, as the team gelled and battled their way to the top of a hotly contested playoff bracket. This year, Marbudy cleared waivers a week earlier and seems to have his eyes on the green and white in hopes to help a backcourt that needs veteran help and a scoring presence. The connection continues as Marbury was involved in a three-way trade that included my favorite Martian, Sam Cassell. Sam Cassell would eventually play with Kevin Garnett in Minnesota, and the team damn near made it to the NBA Finals. Drop that third clover down, Mr. Leprechaun.

And lest we forget, in a hoops galaxy a decade ago, Marbury ran point on two playoff teams with Kevin Garnett, the spirit of the Celtics right now, before telling the Timberwolves to go David Falk themselves. The duo was considered one of the most exciting in the game. Unfortunately, Marbury had delusions of grandeur in assuming he was as valuable as KG. He hightailed it out of town, leaving Garnett to carry Minnesota on his back. If everything goes according to plan, and with destiny it always does, Marbury has a chance to make amends with Garnett and rewrite the ending to what was once a beautiful story.

At 32, it is unclear how much Marbury has left in the tank. We're definitely not going to assume he has become a team-first man. If that was the case, he would have left millions on the table months ago in order to get on with the Celtics. But look down the Boston bench and you can see plenty of reasons to take a chance on Marbury. No offense, Gabe Pruitt. If Marbury's ankle injuries are behind him, which we don't know, he can beat defenders off the dribble and offer an adequate perimeter option that left Boston when James Posey walked away.

The question we all are wondering is whether Marbury will understand his role. If he commits to defense, allowing Kevin Garnett to lead the way, and defers to other players, something Marbury never has been a fan of, Stephon will walk away from this season with a shiny ring ... the type you can't buy with all the money in the world. No, Stephon will not play the role of Jamal from the Best Picture winner. It is too late for him to choose that path. But it is within reason to believe that Marbury can help provide a door to hoops salvation, a la Salim, if he will just play his part. For the Celtics and Stephon Marbury, that is the million dollar question. If you look at the stars, it appears that we may already know the answer.

D) It is written.

< Prev