Marbury the Robin Hood of the NBA

[LarBrd33]

I doubt many people here have read this article. 

RealGM had an interesting article about how Marbury was mismanaged in New York here: http://www.realgm.com/src_feature_pieces/747/20090301/the_incredible_mismanagement_of_stephon_marbury/ ...  It wasn't bad, but I thought the more interesting article was the one it linked to called "You Don't Know Stephon Marbury"...

http://sportsonmymind.com/2008/12/03/you-dont-know-stephon-marbury/

It's basically reads like a massive Marbury propaganda piece that goes on to talk about all of the community and charity work he's done and the bright side of his character.  It's got bits like this:

Given their selective, biased, and virtually criminal coverage of his career, you really can’t be blamed if you don’t know Stephon Marbury.

Save for notable exceptions like The New York Posts’ Marc Berman [3] and Knicks website writer Tom Kertes, ESPN’s Marbury treatment has been the general media rule.  Only a few blogs are talking about the real Marbury. In this Interview with The Starting Five, hip-hop legend Chuck D says:

“Stephon Marbury… provides affordable gear and went into the Coney Island area and bought up all the barber shops so kids can get free hair cuts. I’ve never heard anything as incredible as that. [He] can walk threw Coney Island and has an aura. People know he’s looked out. Nobody will touch him in the hood.”

How bout that... clearly he robbed the Knicks... and gave large chunks of it to the hood.  Shucks... he's a modern day Robin Hood.

Take it with a grain of salt, but there's the alternative perspective, I guess.

[cordobes]

[LarBrd33]

I hear ya, cordobes.   But if you read that article... the one doing the brainwashing is ESPN.   

ESPN doesn’t want you to know Stephon Marbury either. The man is simply too complex to fit into their “good-vs.-evil-only” sports narratives. Besides, black villains get much higher ratings than black visionaries. When Tony Romo took a homeless man to the movies last month ESPN.com was on the scene, just as it was when Romo helped a man fix a flat tire. ESPN The Magazine soon wondered: “Why is Tony Romo such a Good Samaritan?”, and all of ESPN’s afternoon shows had effusive praise culminating in one “Pardon The Interruption” (PTI) pundit exclaiming:  “How can you not love Tony Romo!”

Well, here is one way: Don’t report any of his good deeds! Ignore him like you did Marbury watching the presidential debates in a homeless shelter just a month prior. Ignore his annual charity events; ignore his Katrina response; ignore his record-setting donations, and ignore that a great week in the life of Tony Romo is like breathing to Stephon Marbury. But ESPN did not report ANY of these stories. His revolutionary $15 sneaker? Pardon the Interruption had this headline: “Can Marbury repair his image?” …Well, not if ESPN keeps framing it!

Like I said... take it with a grain of salt.  But it's an interesting alternative view and an interesting read on our new player.

[Big Ticket]

I doubt many people here have read this article. 

RealGM had an interesting article about how Marbury was mismanaged in New York here: http://www.realgm.com/src_feature_pieces/747/20090301/the_incredible_mismanagement_of_stephon_marbury/ ...  It wasn't bad, but I thought the more interesting article was the one it linked to called "You Don't Know Stephon Marbury"...

http://sportsonmymind.com/2008/12/03/you-dont-know-stephon-marbury/

It's basically reads like a massive Marbury propaganda piece that goes on to talk about all of the community and charity work he's done and the bright side of his character.  It's got bits like this:

Given their selective, biased, and virtually criminal coverage of his career, you really can’t be blamed if you don’t know Stephon Marbury.

Save for notable exceptions like The New York Posts’ Marc Berman [3] and Knicks website writer Tom Kertes, ESPN’s Marbury treatment has been the general media rule.  Only a few blogs are talking about the real Marbury. In this Interview with The Starting Five, hip-hop legend Chuck D says:

“Stephon Marbury… provides affordable gear and went into the Coney Island area and bought up all the barber shops so kids can get free hair cuts. I’ve never heard anything as incredible as that. [He] can walk threw Coney Island and has an aura. People know he’s looked out. Nobody will touch him in the hood.”

How bout that... clearly he robbed the Knicks... and gave large chunks of it to the hood.  Shucks... he's a modern day Robin Hood.

Take it with a grain of salt, but there's the alternative perspective, I guess.

Marbury bought hair cuts for maybe 100 kids.... KG bought houses for about 100 people.  I can see what Chuck D means  .   

[Toine43]

As long as he's a member of the Celtics, I'm happy to find reasons to like him.

Cordobes, pass me some of that Brain Wash, I wanted to be convinced!




Objectivity comes later.

[Finkelskyhook]

I don't like anybody who refuses to work and still collects his paycheck.  Doesn't matter what uniform he's wearing or that he sells cheap sneakers.

[cordobes]

I hear ya, cordobes.   But if you read that article... the one doing the brainwashing is ESPN.   

ESPN doesn’t want you to know Stephon Marbury either. The man is simply too complex to fit into their “good-vs.-evil-only” sports narratives. Besides, black villains get much higher ratings than black visionaries. When Tony Romo took a homeless man to the movies last month ESPN.com was on the scene, just as it was when Romo helped a man fix a flat tire. ESPN The Magazine soon wondered: “Why is Tony Romo such a Good Samaritan?”, and all of ESPN’s afternoon shows had effusive praise culminating in one “Pardon The Interruption” (PTI) pundit exclaiming:  “How can you not love Tony Romo!”

Well, here is one way: Don’t report any of his good deeds! Ignore him like you did Marbury watching the presidential debates in a homeless shelter just a month prior. Ignore his annual charity events; ignore his Katrina response; ignore his record-setting donations, and ignore that a great week in the life of Tony Romo is like breathing to Stephon Marbury. But ESPN did not report ANY of these stories. His revolutionary $15 sneaker? Pardon the Interruption had this headline: “Can Marbury repair his image?” …Well, not if ESPN keeps framing it!

Like I said... take it with a grain of salt.  But it's an interesting alternative view and an interesting read on our new player.

Yeah, I agree it's an interesting read and I agree with their point that Marbury isn't exactly the personification of the Supreme Evil - the way I see it Marbury's more serious flaws are more about his professional character (as a teammate, as a competitor.. Stephon-the-player, as the article puts it) than his personal character, like, say, Kobe or Tinsley (Marbury the man... I suppose a PETA member would see things differently). [and, of course, let's assume this dichotomy can and should be made].

However, I must say I don't buy the second part of the article at all - if you can’t understand Marbury’s reaction to broken loyalty, then you probably can’t understand his greatness? What the heck does this mean? Even buying the broken loyalty thesis, there's no excuse to threat and promise to do the exact opposite of the Coach's instructions*. His personal views of the importance of loyalty shouldn't affect the way he conducts himself as a pro and an employees. And while I also don't know ESPN has been trying to hide his good deeds, I'm absolutely sure that if they have, they've been failing miserably, especially when it comes to the $15 sneakers. I've read and heard about them literally thousands of times in the last years.  

*edit: I mean Coach Brown, not the situation with D'Antoni this season. In that later case, I've already stated in this forum that IMO the Knicks handled the situation very poorly and that I can't be sure if Marbury is actually guilty of any wrongdoing, be it legal or ethical. Whether he is or not, that doesn't excuse him from past mistakes.

[Bankshot]

I doubt many people here have read this article. 

RealGM had an interesting article about how Marbury was mismanaged in New York here: http://www.realgm.com/src_feature_pieces/747/20090301/the_incredible_mismanagement_of_stephon_marbury/ ...  It wasn't bad, but I thought the more interesting article was the one it linked to called "You Don't Know Stephon Marbury"...

http://sportsonmymind.com/2008/12/03/you-dont-know-stephon-marbury/

It's basically reads like a massive Marbury propaganda piece that goes on to talk about all of the community and charity work he's done and the bright side of his character.  It's got bits like this:

Given their selective, biased, and virtually criminal coverage of his career, you really can’t be blamed if you don’t know Stephon Marbury.

Save for notable exceptions like The New York Posts’ Marc Berman [3] and Knicks website writer Tom Kertes, ESPN’s Marbury treatment has been the general media rule.  Only a few blogs are talking about the real Marbury. In this Interview with The Starting Five, hip-hop legend Chuck D says:

“Stephon Marbury… provides affordable gear and went into the Coney Island area and bought up all the barber shops so kids can get free hair cuts. I’ve never heard anything as incredible as that. [He] can walk threw Coney Island and has an aura. People know he’s looked out. Nobody will touch him in the hood.”

How bout that... clearly he robbed the Knicks... and gave large chunks of it to the hood.  Shucks... he's a modern day Robin Hood.

Take it with a grain of salt, but there's the alternative perspective, I guess.

Marbury bought hair cuts for maybe 100 kids.... KG bought houses for about 100 people.  I can see what Chuck D means  .   

I'm guessing you didn't read the whole article, because the haircuts were probably the LEAST of the good things Marbury has done.  You should read the whole article.  And where does it say that 100 kids got haircuts?  I must have missed the number. 

[LarBrd33]

I doubt many people here have read this article. 

RealGM had an interesting article about how Marbury was mismanaged in New York here: http://www.realgm.com/src_feature_pieces/747/20090301/the_incredible_mismanagement_of_stephon_marbury/ ...  It wasn't bad, but I thought the more interesting article was the one it linked to called "You Don't Know Stephon Marbury"...

http://sportsonmymind.com/2008/12/03/you-dont-know-stephon-marbury/

It's basically reads like a massive Marbury propaganda piece that goes on to talk about all of the community and charity work he's done and the bright side of his character.  It's got bits like this:

Given their selective, biased, and virtually criminal coverage of his career, you really can’t be blamed if you don’t know Stephon Marbury.

Save for notable exceptions like The New York Posts’ Marc Berman [3] and Knicks website writer Tom Kertes, ESPN’s Marbury treatment has been the general media rule.  Only a few blogs are talking about the real Marbury. In this Interview with The Starting Five, hip-hop legend Chuck D says:

“Stephon Marbury… provides affordable gear and went into the Coney Island area and bought up all the barber shops so kids can get free hair cuts. I’ve never heard anything as incredible as that. [He] can walk threw Coney Island and has an aura. People know he’s looked out. Nobody will touch him in the hood.”

How bout that... clearly he robbed the Knicks... and gave large chunks of it to the hood.  Shucks... he's a modern day Robin Hood.

Take it with a grain of salt, but there's the alternative perspective, I guess.

Marbury bought hair cuts for maybe 100 kids.... KG bought houses for about 100 people.  I can see what Chuck D means  .   

I'm guessing you didn't read the whole article, because the haircuts were probably the LEAST of the good things Marbury has done.  You should read the whole article.  And where does it say that 100 kids got haircuts?  I must have missed the number. 

I read that bit as if he bought the barber shops so that kids in the neighborhood can get haircuts there for free indefinitely... But who knows.  That's the first I've heard of that.  Must be because ESPN has been brainwashing me.  lol

[Toine43]

I don't like anybody who refuses to work and still collects his paycheck.  Doesn't matter what uniform he's wearing or that he sells cheap sneakers.

They get paid millions to play a child's game in the first place, so I don't really care about him getting played millions and sitting out. Plus, the game is suppossed to be the fun part - Marbury still the kept himself in game shape off the court throughout the year, so he was working and doing the hard part.

And not that I want to get into a huge debate about this, but it seemed pretty obvious to me throughout the whole process that the Knicks chose to bench Marbury, and that this was not Marbury's fault. He went into the season in great shape, having worked out over the summer in an attempt to redeem himself for the previous season, and the Knicks simply told him he was not part of their plans.

He allegedly refused to play when the Knicks offered him some time due to a shortage of players, but that would have only lasted for a short while. Besides (if you believe the Knicks accusations) a couple of games, Marbury was told that he was not going to play this year. It was no choice of his.

[Big Ticket]

I doubt many people here have read this article. 

RealGM had an interesting article about how Marbury was mismanaged in New York here: http://www.realgm.com/src_feature_pieces/747/20090301/the_incredible_mismanagement_of_stephon_marbury/ ...  It wasn't bad, but I thought the more interesting article was the one it linked to called "You Don't Know Stephon Marbury"...

http://sportsonmymind.com/2008/12/03/you-dont-know-stephon-marbury/

It's basically reads like a massive Marbury propaganda piece that goes on to talk about all of the community and charity work he's done and the bright side of his character.  It's got bits like this:

Given their selective, biased, and virtually criminal coverage of his career, you really can’t be blamed if you don’t know Stephon Marbury.

Save for notable exceptions like The New York Posts’ Marc Berman [3] and Knicks website writer Tom Kertes, ESPN’s Marbury treatment has been the general media rule.  Only a few blogs are talking about the real Marbury. In this Interview with The Starting Five, hip-hop legend Chuck D says:

“Stephon Marbury… provides affordable gear and went into the Coney Island area and bought up all the barber shops so kids can get free hair cuts. I’ve never heard anything as incredible as that. [He] can walk threw Coney Island and has an aura. People know he’s looked out. Nobody will touch him in the hood.”

How bout that... clearly he robbed the Knicks... and gave large chunks of it to the hood.  Shucks... he's a modern day Robin Hood.

Take it with a grain of salt, but there's the alternative perspective, I guess.

Marbury bought hair cuts for maybe 100 kids.... KG bought houses for about 100 people.  I can see what Chuck D means  .   

I'm guessing you didn't read the whole article, because the haircuts were probably the LEAST of the good things Marbury has done.  You should read the whole article.  And where does it say that 100 kids got haircuts?  I must have missed the number. 

Nope, I didn't... but my comments were made in jest. 

[Amonkey]

The original poster made a great point and it seems that are people with a grudge or something that they probably barely read it and are making judgements based on their personal view (mostly negative), which is what the article is talking about.

I have said it for a while and I will say it again.  I don't like Marbury as a player (actually, I do know cuz he's wearing green) but I do like him as a person.  I have this theory that the biggest reason that he did all this is to keep his business going.  I mean, it's not only him that is dependent on this money, but rather all the people involved in the Starbury Inc and whether you like it or not, these are people that rely on the goodness of Marbury to maintain a job, especially in this economy.

Besides, for his company to survive, and actually strive even with all these adversities (Steve Barry going bankrupt must've been a huge hit) yet he's still making shoes and keeping up the commitment of selling affordable shoes.  I think credit is due when credit is due.  All I know is I got some Starbury and now I am wearing more proudly than ever.

[LarBrd33]

Here's some on the barber shop thing.  I was curious...

I could only find a link to this article in PDF but I'd cut and paste some excerpts:  http://www.gerritsenbeach.net/wp-content/uploads/Web_Book_12.17.07A.pdf ...

Eliott "Tito" McEaddy looks across the counter at a packed barbershop and smiles. From 10 a.m. to 7 p.m., Tuesday through Saturday, "this is the only place on the planet where you can get a free haircut," he says. "We cater to men, women and children of all ages. People have come here from as far as Toronto, from Jersey, from North and South Carolina, too. On average, I would say, we get about 80 to 100 customers a day. But we especially welcome the single mother with four kids who can't afford a haircut for everybody every two weeks."

The shop, located at 2801 Mermaid Avenue, across the street from the Coney Island Post Office, is called Star Cuts. The decor is simple and clean, the atmosphere festive and friendly, the workmanship taking place at each of four barber stations startlingly brisk, upscale, expert -- and professionally licensed.

"And this is all Stephon's idea, " says Mr. McEaddy, who is first cousin to the owner, worldrenowned Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury.
....

All of us were working for Stephon in another barbershop, the regular kind where they charge for the haircuts. But then, Stephon decided to start this project to give back to the community."
.....

"On Thanksgiving," Arva says, "Stephon
came to Coney Island with a huge truck full of turkeys and he stood outside the shop and handed them out. For Christmas and New Years, he'll bring us truckloads full of hams."

.......
"This is Stephon's thing that he do for the community," he says. "Any one of these barbers could go to Manhattan and get a job for muchos dollars. They do it here though [on salary paid by Marbury] because it comes from the heart and they're doing a good job."

So 100 customers a day... 5 days a week.  What's an average hair cut run you these days?  $10 bucks?  What's that... $5k a week that the barber shop could be bringing in?  Something like 20k a month?   240k a year?     Not bad when you think about it.   Pretty cool.  Instead he just pays the barbers an unspecified salary.

[Who]

Steph sounds like a great guy off the court.

A little loopy, but a great guy.

[Jon]

Crazy stuff.  I try to stay away from moral judgments with my professional sports.  I find every time I start making one I end up getting disappointed.