ESPN: Marbury, Celtics interested in deal

[Jon]

While I don't love the idea of Marbury in Boston, it's definitely worth a gamble.  Sure, a big man would be better, but there's no lock that's going to happen down the road.  Marbury would at least potentially give them a scorer off the bench and someone who can reliably bring the basketball up the court when Rondo's out of the game. 

And while some people will talk about him damaging "ubuntu," keep in mind that ubuntu is as much teammates being afraid KG will rip their throats out if they don't play hard (or make them cry), as it is a feel good team concept.  The former characteristic of it will apply to Marbury whether he wants to get warm and fuzzy with everyone or not.  And if he doesn't work out, the worst he'll do is sit on the bench.  No one is going to tear this team apart. 

[TradeProposalDude]

I guess I can understand the pro Marbury stance. House is constantly making desperation passes out of double teams. Tonight was no different, though people won't talk about it because we played the Wizards.

I accept that he has no handle. BUT, he can still have an important role off the bench as an off-guard. After all, that's what he is.

My ultimatum is that... if Marbury promises to pass the rock and handle the ball adequately, it's worth the risk.

Make no mistake people, the second unit is still pretty good. It just needs a tweak here and there. I've noticed that the Celtics offensive schemes mainly lie in whether the PG can jumpstart it. Does it shock any of you that GPA only prospers when Rondo's breaking down defenses all night long? Second unit is no different. If defenses respect Marbury's handle and penetration ability, it could open up all sorts of opportunities for Tony Allen and Leon Powe to make putty out of their defenders.
 
The problem with the 2nd unit at this point in time is they're ineffective in running plays. Doc calls lots of sets that work a lot of the time. But they need to be "set up" correctly. House isn't doing that. Running dead pick and rolls all day doesn't work unless you have an initiator who will hit a shot if it's presented to him, instead of dribbling mindlessly around the horn for AN open guy like House does when he cannot create a play. House either does that or takes a shot he can't make. And for the record, I love House's game more than the next guy, he just needs to be in the right situation for his own game, as well as others around him, to work.

[Cman]

TPs to tradeproposaldudes and Jon for well-reasoned posts.  I am starting to come around to the idea that Marbury might fit nicely with the Cs second unit. I don't think Marbury will object to coming off the bench in Boston -- he would like nothing more than to win a ring and shove it in the haters' faces, and I believe he is smart enough to realize that coming off the bench is the best bet for that to happen.  What I am more worried about is whether he will do a decent job shoveling off the ball and creating the offense while he is on the 2nd unit.  I am not convinced he will -- he has always been a shoot-first PG.... still, would be exciting to see.

[wdleehi]

TPs to tradeproposaldudes and Jon for well-reasoned posts.  I am starting to come around to the idea that Marbury might fit nicely with the Cs second unit. I don't think Marbury will object to coming off the bench in Boston -- he would like nothing more than to win a ring and shove it in the haters' faces, and I believe he is smart enough to realize that coming off the bench is the best bet for that to happen.  What I am more worried about is whether he will do a decent job shoveling off the ball and creating the offense while he is on the 2nd unit.  I am not convinced he will -- he has always been a shoot-first PG.... still, would be exciting to see.

Why?


What has he shown that would make you think that?



We can hope he is cappable of doing this if the Celtics were to sign him, but there is no reason to believe he will.

[Chris]

Does anyone else feel that a shoot first PG is exactly what the second team needs?  You don't want someone like that running your first team that is packed with guys who can score, but our second team is filled with guys who cannot create their shot, and guys who thrive off of other players offense. 

To be honest, when we have the second unit out there with Tony Allen, Eddie House, and Leon Powe (all of which are below average passers and decisionmakers), I would much rather have the ball in the hands of a guy like Marbury than trying to make the rest of them "share" the ball too much. 

[BballTim]

You can delude yourself to death with all the close wins over inferior clubs; this bench will not win a title and it isn't enough to win the Eastern Conference.

  Let's see. The Celts have the best record in the league and the best record against teams with winning records in the league. We're second in the league in point differential. And that's after a 1-3 road trip. Who are all of the teams that are so vastly superior to us? We have a better point differential than we did last year, the same offensive/defensive efficiency differential and we're on a 70 win pace yet we have no chance to win the conference? Get serious. The only way we have no chance at all at a title is if they institute a rule limiting starters to 30 minutes a game.

[Nerf DPOY]

You can delude yourself to death with all the close wins over inferior clubs; this bench will not win a title and it isn't enough to win the Eastern Conference.

  Let's see. The Celts have the best record in the league and the best record against teams with winning records in the league. We're second in the league in point differential. And that's after a 1-3 road trip. Who are all of the teams that are so vastly superior to us? We have a better point differential than we did last year, the same offensive/defensive efficiency differential and we're on a 70 win pace yet we have no chance to win the conference? Get serious. The only way we have no chance at all at a title is if they institute a rule limiting starters to 30 minutes a game.

Not to mention, it's a pointless argument anyway. Who here actually believes that there won't be any personnel changes by the end of the season?

[BrickJames]

Go back and read. I am on record saying I'd roll the dice with Marbury.

I have no idea where you came up with the other.

My mistake - you seemed to be siding with Roy in the mini-thread, and we got on that tangent because (at least IMO) Roy et al. were against the Marbury thing, claiming instead the bench should've been "fixed" (a la Andersen) at the beginning of the season.

Anyway, just a misunderstanding then..

[FatjohnReturns]

Bottom line he makes us better. If he can exist within the team concept this will be a windfall. His career averages 19.7 ppg and 7.8 assists. Besides I think he wants to help KG win another title. All he has to do is play basketball.

[houlana]

Asked if he's interested in reuniting in Boston with former Wolves teammates Kevin Garnett, during an appearance on Minnesota's local TV broadcast of Friday night's victory over Golden State, Marbury said: "Definitely."

"When I left here [in 1999], it wasn't about basketball," Marbury said. "When I was younger, I had a different disposition as far as how I wanted to live life. Reuniting with Kevin is something that I would love. Going to Boston would be great for basketball and for fans to see Kevin and I reunited, like when we were younger. There is some hope, if I can get out of my contract and they're interested in me. How can you deny the chance?"

i wonder if KG feels the same way.

im not sure how i feel about steph coming to the celts. always appreciated his talent but hated his attitude. but i do see a potential high reward in signing him if he plays within our system. and the risk would be low with a vets min contract.

[greenwise]

"The only good news is when the Celtics arrive Sunday, Stephon Marbury won't be wearing shamrocks. Marbury told me it would be an "honor'' to play for Boston but neither party is close to committing to each other as the ESPN.com report suggested. Nor is Walsh close to releasing Marbury. Stephon is serious. He's not taking a buyout. Right or wrong, he wants all his doe. And Marbury prefers to be a starter on a playoff team, which won't happen in Boston."

http://blogs.nypost.com/sports/knicks/archives/2009/01/jack_goes_off_o.html

Same writer from NYpost on the Marbury situation. Yesterday he said Stephon would play for Minnesotta...
Wouldn't it be more intelligent to accept the Knicks buyout offer (I believe he would surrender $3million) and play for the C's now than insisting in receiving all the money from NY? Then again, we are talking about Stephon Marbury here...

[ny_hoops]

As a knick fan, I will be really disappointed if your C's take SM. Your team is so much better without this guy.  You cannot quantify how many ways a soured personality and poor teammate can slowly tear apart a business or sports team.  A thousand tiny cuts.  Good luck, don't root for this.
 

[nickagneta]

Reality is that this is probably not going to happen because Marbury is too stubborn and greedy and selfish to accept less than his entire contract. But what he doesn't realize is just how stubborn this Knicks ownership is.

Let's not forget that this is the same ownership that was convinced that Isiah Thomas could run a team and to prove their point ignored constant bombardment from the New York media calling for Thomas' head. They just kept on letting Thomas drive that franchise into the ground because they were too stubborn to admit they might have been wrong.

So if these are the guys Marbury is playing chicken with over getting his money and his release he should know that they will destroy their franchise before giving in publicly. They already have once and will do it again. He needs to choose, his release or his cash because he's not getting both or at least in the case of his cash, not all of it and his release.

[thedawg]

I'm torn.  You have to think that with everything that's happened this season Marbury would accept his role on this team, shut his mouth and play his ass off when needed.  GM's can have a short memory and if he gets this right he might find a team willing to pay him to play next year.  That being said, these are rational motives and this is Stephon Marbury we're talking about.

If Marbury is really willing to go to us for little money it tells us that he isnt as stupid as he is meant to be. He will get a huge payout (for nothing!) and jumps at the best possible chance of getting a ring when many other players would have looked at the extra million or two. 

If Marbury lands us he for sure must be one of the luckiest persons in the basketball world simply because there was nothing else as good out there for free-agent-starving Celtics.  Let´s hope we get our extra big player just before the All-Stars break.  That would put us in a very strong position. I wouldnt really moan if we could clear up some of our bench just to make some trade happen either but I dont know who would want Scalabrine, Giddens and co.  Doc doesnt want them so why should they?

[billysan]

Reality is that this is probably not going to happen because Marbury is too stubborn and greedy and selfish to accept less than his entire contract. But what he doesn't realize is just how stubborn this Knicks ownership is.

Let's not forget that this is the same ownership that was convinced that Isiah Thomas could run a team and to prove their point ignored constant bombardment from the New York media calling for Thomas' head. They just kept on letting Thomas drive that franchise into the ground because they were too stubborn to admit they might have been wrong.

So if these are the guys Marbury is playing chicken with over getting his money and his release he should know that they will destroy their franchise before giving in publicly. They already have once and will do it again. He needs to choose, his release or his cash because he's not getting both or at least in the case of his cash, not all of it and his release.

TP Nick, well said.

I would add that in a perfect world Marbury is going to graciously accept a reasonable buyout and move on to diminished yet significant role as a reserve on a playoff team. DOes anyone not believe that the Lakers, Magic, Spurs and Suns would be at the head of that list along with the Celtics?

Reality, is as Nick said, that Marbury is too stubborn and greedy. He would rather have his money than the ring. He would rather win this argument with the Knicks than be a winner period. That basic character flaw is why he is not a desirable piece for any playoff team. Only he can decide if he is an unselfish teammate and wants to be part of something bigger.

I just dont see it, hope I am wrong and he is part of a perfect world as a World Champion Celtic.