You be the Knicks
Stephon Marbury (photo. Mannion)It’s easy to criticize Donnie Walsh, James Dolan, Isiah Thomas, Mike D’Antoni and whoever else you believe deserves some blame in this whole Stephon Marbury saga, but hindsight is always 20/20, and it’s always easier to be an expert when you’re not in the middle of the storm.
(Think about it: What’s the most commonly-used phrase by anyone watching a story unfold? I woulda. “I woulda been out of there” … “I woulda shot him” … “I woulda hit that” … We all do it all the time.)
In that spirit, pretend you’re running the New York Knicks. How would you have handled this Marbury situation? Would you try to negotiate a buyout? For how much? What specific trade proposals would you make to other teams? Would you have just waived Steph and taken the cap hit? And consider the timing. Should this have taken care of over the summer? A month ago? Years ago when Marbury was first brought on board?
The floor is yours…
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:44 pm
chekmate says:
sit his ass at home like tinsley so he won’t be a distraction to whats left of the team.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:49 pm
Big V says:
I would have given him an actual shot at playing under a new system, if it doesn’t work out, so what? At least you have a basis to consider trade possibilities or just let his contract come off the books at the end of the season. You can’t tell me that Steph’s not a serviceable back-up point guard at the very least.
And then I woulda hit that intern off.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Mitch says:
Just buy him out and sign Patrick Ewing Jr…Knicks fans are content waiting 2 years. Give them the greatest show on the hardwood and a fan favorite in Patrick Ewing and just wait it out…Then deal Eddy Curry to whoever will take him for cap space and wait it out until 2010. Even if Lebron doesn’t come to NY the Knicks have plenty of options in 2010 to rebuild that team. Plus the draft picks in 09 and 10 won’t hurt either…
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:53 pm
Reed Ewing Frazier says:
Yeah just pay him off fuck a trade that 21.9 mil that comes off the books at the end of the season is way more important. Keep D’Antonio till 2010 then fire him because that style of basketball doesn’t win championships. Fire Donnie Walsh also and make a play at Mitch K. out in LA or Joe Dumars to be team president The Knicks need to clean house from top to bottom.
KNICKS UP!! all the rest down!!!
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Frodo T. Baggins says:
I would make Marbury stay away from the team like they are currently doing and let him waste a year of his professional basketball career. I can’t feel sorry for him because he is still getting paid 20+ million for this year. I don’t think he’s all there anyway so he could use the time off to get his head on straight. There’s some basketball life still in him, but he’s a cancer that will scare away many GM’s from bringing him in. Boston and Miami have expressed interest in him as well a few other teams I’ve read online and all he needs is one team to be interested. All in all, he’s been on a losing team where ever he’s gone. Im not sure if that will change.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:56 pm
Kermit the Washington says:
I woulda sat “Star”-bury on the bench and let him rot there in front of everyone just like the Knicks did. And I woulda smiled every time I looked down from my skybox and saw him getting more and more pissed off. Then, when he was at the height of frustration, I woulda asked him to play cause we were a bit shorthanded, KNOWING that he was gonna refuse. And then I woulda suspended him for it. And then I woulda told him he’s no longer wanted, and that he can stay home from now on. And all the while, I woulda been looking for some sucker team to take this fool off my hands!
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:58 pm
GoEasy says:
If I’m the Knicks, and I’m not getting money back from Marbury, I ain’t gonna let him kill us on another team. Bottom line.
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Mamba says:
Eat the contract - learn a lesson - boom, done,
Its like paying off a bad credit card debt,
They have tried almost everything else, they cant hope to move forward until they rid themselves of Steph completely,
This has just turned into a foolish pissing contest
December 2nd, 2008 at 3:59 pm
Kudabeen says:
I would have Keyshawn Johnson/TO’d him:
I would have sent him home and allowed him and his agent to seek a deal if he wanted to play this year…If they don’t he is off the books and if they do we evaluate the quality of the proposed deal and make the ultimate decision…
It’s not brain surgery…
You don’t let mess like this interfere with the harmony of the organization…If you have a cancerous cell you burn it off or sever it from the organ…You don’t place it among the other healthy cell and let it spread…
Knicks and their contingent feel themselves way too much…I always say this…
Detroit and San Antonio are the model organizations…The guys upstairs are up stairs…yet they make things happen to allow their coaches and players to be the most successful. Walsh doesn’t even seem to no what he wants to do or what is the best thing to do…He looks really old and out of touch…People attribute all this praise his way, but things tend to fall apart on his watch…I guess it is cool to beat down guys like Billy King, but give a pass to Walsh…Knicks suck (too much hype and too little substance)…Walsh sucks…I like coach D, but his method for dealing with this situation sucked…
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:00 pm
boogey banger says:
When they traded for the man they agreed to pay his salary. That should be the end of the discussion. I hired a guy to put in new windows, I didn’t realize how simple a job it was. I signed the paper, I can’t decide midway through the job to give him the hook and not expect him to want full pay. Do I think Starbury is hurting himself in this deal - hell yeah. He should have let them buy him out for 12-15 million and signed a 2-3 yr 20 mill deal with someone else. Someone would be a fool to give him more than a one year stint at a time.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:02 pm
Brown says:
I woulda bought him out for the full amount last season cuz I know no other GM in the league would offer me anything decent in a trade. I would have tried my best to avoid the ridiculous media circus that revolves around the Steph situation. It’s a distraction affecting the rest of the team and shedding a negative light on the organization.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:14 pm
Big V says:
I’m not exatcly sure how people construe this whole “situation” as some horrible media mess that makes the Knicks lose games.
I don’t buy that. Yes, it’s a little distracting, but the uncertaintly around Marbury doesn’t make people miss layups or jumpshots and lose games. I strongly disagree with those people who advocate buying him out in order to avoid this dangerous “situation” and I suspect that a large number of those individuals who believe this aren’t from New York.
Just my two cents.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:14 pm
justice says:
i would have given him a legit chance to go head to head with duhon and not hold any cock sucker personal grudges this is phucking business and D’antoni’s business should be putting the best team out to win not these piss azz back and fourth bitch game he Q and steph have been playing with the media somebody call in mason and oakley and let them all figure this thing out in a locked room
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:15 pm
N-Truh-Kit says:
if i were donnie walsh…
i would have sat down D’Antoni and Marbury after i hired the coach. all 3 of us would have been in one room to see if we could all be on the same page. if not, then Stephon would not be allowed near the team, team functions, facilities etc. all the while trying to orchestrate a buyout cuz i highly doubt any team would trade for him since they all know how desperate we are to get rid of him. his agent’s/lawyer’s phone number would be on speed dial until we reached a settlement. i wouldn’t allow D’Antoni or the players to speak about Marbury to the media at all or they’ll face fines since that is doing nothing but causing a distraction from the team, the season, and our main focus which should be winning, not who and who isn’t playing and for what reason. if i myself was asked about the Marbury situation my one and ONLY answer would be “both sides are working diligently so that this situation can get resolved quickly and in a manner conducive to both sides so Stephon can move on with his career and the Knicks organization can move on as well. Next question” and i would say that every time i was asked.
nobody outside of the organization will ever know who is really telling the truth and who’s lying so all we as fans, media, society can do is stipulate. in all honesty this reminds me of the stories that came out of Boston this off season where the team and coaches were saying how the Blazers were bad mouthing Darius Miles but everyone within the Celtics organization enjoyed his time there and said he worked his ass off. now i’m not sayin Marbury has been pleasant and has been workin his ass off, but at the same time i don’t think he’s THAT BAD OF A GUY that the Knicks are trying so desperately to portray
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:18 pm
Don Mega says:
if i was Mike D’Antoni i wouldn’t have left the Suns
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:22 pm
Big V says:
@ Don Mega:
He didn’t leave, he got canned.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:23 pm
Promoman says:
They should’ve just bought him out. The management & D’Antoni planned not to play him from the start, so they’re the architects of their own hell. His current and ex-Knicks teammates have privately and publically said that they don’t want to play with him since last year, despite the fact that most of them are flat-out garbage or aren’t even team players themselves. Marbury, to his credit, did behave after being told he’d get a chance to play, then was told that he’d have a reduced role, and then being deactivated; despite clearly outplaying the rest of the perimeter players. Marbury’s no angel by any means, but there comes a time when you have to stop being a sheep and be an individual. I wouldn’t play either if I’m going to be dogged one day and get clowned about being pissed about getting dogged. He’s been a major reason why the Knicks suck, but he’s not and hasn’t been the only reason. This is basically lockerroom & office politics becoming an even uglier monster. When this situation ends, the Knicks will still be trash. The best they’ll ever be is a low seed playoff team, and let’s not forget that they’ve got to get LeBron or a major free-agent or they’ll be a lottery team after trades & deals that they’ve made.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:28 pm
rell says:
If I was going to play him in the preseason, I would have played him in the regular season. That crap D’Antonio did was stupid because if he wasn’t going to play in the regular season what is the purpose of playing him in the preseason. The way D’Antonio handled the situation was only going to fire up the fans and media even more about Marbury.
As Knicks GM I am going to play Marbury in the regular season. If we start to lose and out of playoff contention I will buy out his contract before the trade deadline. Marbury have little to no trade value. Since we are in tank mode until Lebron and D.Wade come, I am not taking back any bad contract to jepordize my future so a trade is out.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:39 pm
dukesman2000 says:
If I were running the NY Knicks it would not have come to this. I would have fired everybody. Isaiah, the whole squad, the mascot, the cheerleaders, the vendors, the little kids that perform at half time; every single person and start anew.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:41 pm
Big V says:
^^^
I would have thought about hiring some of those little guys. One of ‘em probably could have run the point for us.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:50 pm
haslem says:
if your gonna pay a guy franchise player money, you should build around him. surround him with complimentary talent. shouldnt have brought him Larry brown because that was a disaster, and really started this whole mess.
you esspecially dont treat him like this, making him untradable.
December 2nd, 2008 at 4:54 pm
Reed Ewing Frazier says:
@ dukesman2000 Damn dude the kids you are heartless like a Kanye West(lol) I like the Knicks dancers so I can’t agree with your solution.
KNICKS UP!! all the rest down!!!
December 2nd, 2008 at 5:02 pm
BrickLayer says:
I think the Knicks are handling this as best they can. Besides playing him in the preseason this is as good as they could hope for. I dont know why everyone says the knicks should just buy him out…
I say keep him away from the team and keep paying him, why pay him then have him sign for a contender? If marbury is intent on having all his money they dont give him the satisfaction of playing for another team.
Marbury used to be my favorite player, but his attitude makes me sick. knicks are so much more positive without him.
December 2nd, 2008 at 5:07 pm
Scott says:
A buyout early on would’ve been the best bet. But if you’re going to buy out Marbury why not buyout Jerome James and/or Eddy Curry??
Its an easy way to do things, I agree, but it wouldn’t yield the best results.
Regardless, I’m going to take this thing on my hands like Walsh did, during the summer.
At that point buying out Marbury is really not an option. He just holds too much value as a talent. And lets be realistic, the dude can SERIOUSLY ball, people have forgotten all about this aspect of it.
If I’m Walsh, I sign Duhon, and then I get in a room with D’Antoni, Starbury, and Duhon.
In front of Steph and the others I tell him that his tenure in NYC has been horribly mishandled. I tell him the situation unfortunately seems to be out of hand in the media, and the reality is Steph eventually has to be on another team.
I say this in front of D’Antoni AND Duhon for a reason. They need to be on the same page, and understand that as the GM, this is how I feel and this is the underlying tone I want Steph treated in the rest of his tenure here.
From there I explain that in the 3-4 months that begin the season, including pre-season, it is going to be a transition period.
At this point I already know that Steph has been working his ass off, and is in shape, so I know if I let him, he’ll play well for us.
I explain that I have 2 objectives to reach by the end of the calender year:
A) To have Steph’s rep repaired as best as possible and have him playing on another team, or close to being dealt.
B) To transition Duhon as the teams starting PG, and also rebuild the Knicks image, which will be helped by the entertaining and hopefully successful style of ball that Coach brings.
What I do is simple. I give Steph the keys, I make sure that my relationship with him is as good as humanly possible, and I convince him to buy into my idea about his future with the organization, and that he can help Duhon make the transition.
With D’Antoni, Duhon and Steph all in on the meeting/convo, we’re all on the same page. Everyone knows their role and the direction I want to take the team, and lord willing, including them all in the convo will allow them to bond, even minimally, but at the least bond to some degree.
The main thing is Steph buying into my idea for his future. If he does that, chances are he stops his act, he plays well, the circus dies as quickly as possible, and by November-December I can actually convince other GM’s that I’m not desperate to move Steph, but he is available, and then sucker some GM into taking him off my hands to get something of value.
December 2nd, 2008 at 5:19 pm
Smackdown says:
Too bad they can’t make him go through the stands and sell hot dogs. I say if you’re paying a guy 21 MM he should do whatever is best for the team, whether it’s sitting at home or selling dirty water dogs!
December 2nd, 2008 at 5:25 pm
Ashlov says:
Donnie Walsh epically failed like Larry Bird in absolutely nullifying his guard’s trade value by alienating him and making a spectacle of it. Could someone use Tinsley or Marbury? Sure. But when they know you’re dying to get rid of them, their value plummets. Epic. failure.
At this point, you might as well create a reality show with Tinsley and Marbury called “LOL $$$”.
December 2nd, 2008 at 5:50 pm
SteveNash says:
make him dress up in a clown outfit and sit on the bench all season long
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:08 pm
karizmatic says:
I would have simply bought Steph out at the beginning of the season and moved on. It was stupid for D’antoni to give Marbury the impression that he was going to play by playing him in the preseason and then benching him during the regular season. If you’re not going to play him, buy him out. I understand that the Knicks are strapped from already buying out numerous contracts, but if you want him off the team that’s the price you pay. What’s the difference between that and benching him as they are doing now? He’s still not going to play. Ok if you want to save the 20 million, you don’t play Steph at all tell him he can sit at home for the season and wait for the 20 mill to come off the rolls next season.
If it was me I would have played Steph this season and I wouldn’t have made any indication that I wanted to trade him or keep him. I would have let his play reflect his worth. If he sucked we would suck, ok we get another lottery pick next season and Steph is off the team. If he plays well we play well, because he actually is a good fit in D’antoni’s system. Obviously the whole time I’m looking to deal him if he plays well, and maybe I get lucky and actually get something for him. If not I don’t have this circus, I have Steph playing and I have his contract coming off the books at the end of the year. If I opt to buy him out, he’s some other team’s headache and we have an 8-8 record to back up my decision. Which is better than they were at this time last season.
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:16 pm
JCARR says:
I would of curb stomped Marbury…. only kidding! I would of put him in a room John Amaechi (gay ex-bball player)and I would of forced him to sign a buyout for five bucks just so he can pay Amaechi for his services.
I would of handled this during the summer
I would of traded Marbury for TJ or jarret jack. (send him to the pacers)
I would have hired a bunch of hot secretaries who he can get in trouble with.
I would have set up a show on Dr. Phil so Marbury and Walsh can settle their issues. haha
December 2nd, 2008 at 6:57 pm
Taj says:
If I were the Knicks I would’ve played him for the preseason and regular if my mind set was to keep him and let him mess up on his own. If he did… Trade him. But what they did was they waited long to act and then when they wanted him is when they came calling…
Fuck em!! Although I might not agree with everything he says or does… I dont blame him for this one!
December 2nd, 2008 at 7:23 pm
Celts Fan says:
I LOVE WHAT THE KNICKS HAVE DONE.
This guy is a cancer. He left the team last year when he found out he wasn’t going to start. You don’t let him play, because when it becomes obvious he’s their best PG (he is, though I HATE gunner PGs) then it causes big problems. Considering he’s gone after this year, it doesn’t help to play him, but no one wants to lose, so eventually you get a fractured locker room (remember the TO Eagles?) He had his chance to suck it up a few times and chose to act like a 4 year old that didn’t get the toy they wanted for Christmas. The checks are still coming. That’s the Knicks ONLY obligation. I wish more teams would do this to dbag players.
If I’m the Knicks though, I make an offer to Cleveland, getting back a few of their expiring deals (Steph for Wally, Joe Smith, and whatever else you need to make the #s work.) If anything they get back is worth a damn, you can resign them to a small/short deal, if not, you’re in the same position you woulda been in if you’d kept Steph, only you improved your team (if Steph’s not playing, he can’t help) and you, potentially anyway, had a chance to keep a piece if they prove worthy.
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:04 pm
I Hustle says:
I hate the Knicks but honestly, if you weren’t going to use Steph, and you knew the coach and the player already have a history, why keep his ass on the team. Lets not mention that he’s been drama since he’s been in NY. Also, way in his ego, Steph knows he’s still the best guard on that team and then factor in the ego of the coach he is playing for. No matter how much players want to play for D’Antonio, he has an ego as well. Who doesn’t play the best guard on there team?
I blame Donnie Walsh. Walsh should’ve cut this bullshit off as soon as he was given the position. Steph is owed 21 mil this year and you don’t want him on the team. WTF? You allow your coach to sit him while you pay him for nothing, then blow up your team for Lebron, hoping that he doesn’t fuck you in the end. You leave your team with 8 players then ask the guy, who’s coach just said in the NY Media that your best guard is not apart of the future plans of the team. Ummmmmm…WTF.
December 2nd, 2008 at 8:58 pm
Richard Wellner says:
Wouldn’t have traded for him in the first place.
I knew this guy was trouble since ‘99 or so. Only Isiah would trade for him and expect him to be a franchise cornerstone.
And that, my friends, is the whole trouble here.
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:06 am
Joeman says:
I think Scott summed it up the best with the meeting over the summer.
Meet over the summer, explain what the plan is, Test it out during the preseason, and hope it carries over the whole season. Any ball player worth something knows that when a new coach arrives, anything is possible. Steph wanted to play to showcase himself for another team after this season(why he got in shape).
You can’t prejudge anybody no matter what the rep. resepct begets respect! If they would have shown Steph some(for years in league alone) This would have turned out differently.
December 3rd, 2008 at 10:08 am
dc says:
I would have told him not to even come to training camp. He would be more than welcome, and it would be in his best interest, to stay in shape because we’d try to trade him. If a trade didn’t happen, he’d sit at home and collect his check. If I couldn’t trade him, I sure as hell wouldn’t buy him out so he could go collect another check from someone else & ultimately have his way. If I have to pay him, I’d rather do it on my terms.
December 4th, 2008 at 1:58 am
MOVEZ says:
tooo much shit in that office……………………..why let him play preseason if you knew he wasnt in your future plan