The first thought I had is that I think this is the first time in four years that I've thought "Isiah Thomas' job in danger for real". There are all types of signs here that people are covering their ass. And when people are covering their ass, that usually means that their ass is on the line.**********
Let's recap the events, as they occurred.
First up was Frank Isola's article in the Daily News yesterday that suggested that Knicks were looking to cut Marbury's minutes, and possibly even buy out Stephon:
Knicks brass is considering what options it
has to reduce Marbury's role or get rid of him entirely.
Dolan's and Thomas' history suggests that they would not rule out negotiating a
buyout for Marbury, who then would become a free agent. At the very least,
Marbury's minutes could be reduced substantially for as long as he remains on
the team.
My initial reaction? Phooey. No way. I was going to throw up a post, but it would have probably been similar to this post by Knicks Defense.
One reason why the Knicks need Marbury: He's not doing a terrible job right now. Currently he's 13th in the league in assists per game, with 6.8. That means only 12 teams have point guards who are doing a better job at distributing the ball then the Knicks right now. To digress for a second, Jamal Crawford is 20th with 5.7 apg; only Utah has two players in the top 20.
Marbury's assist to turnover ratio (2.83) is better than 6 of the 12 players ahead of him, and right around the same as Earl Watson (2.94).
In other words, the Knicks offense is running smoothly.
The problem with Marbury right now is that he's not steady, and his defense is poor. I've been writing about that all season long. One could argue that Crawford's defense is worse at the SG (it is), but Isiah doesn't care about defense from his SG. He cares about defense from his point guards. Look at the players he's selected as points - Mardy Collins and Nate Robinson. Both were primarily drafted because of their defensive tenacity.
Never the less, it made no sense to me to "buy out" Marbury, when your options at point are quite limited: an unproven and currently hampered-by-injury Nate Robinson, or defensive-minded but with no offense Mardy Collins. Jamal Crawford isn't even a real option - he's great passing from a SG's spot on the arc, where he can plant his feet when receiving a pass, and either throw a nice entry pass/lob to Curry, or drive past his man (and maybe pass while driving). But he can't pass while dribbling. And his assist to turnover ratio is atrocious.
And all of this neglects the fact that Marbury is a notorious slow starter. I expected him to start off slowly - the man spent the summer selling sneakers, not working on his game in the gym. It's okay... he's always (as a Knick) had bad Novembers, and then turned it up as the season as moved on.
Thomas said this was not the first time this kind
of incident has happened.
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I just want to say that I had Marbury on my fantasy team until Monday night, when I decided I didn't like the way he was playing, so I dropped him (in favor of Indiana's Tinsley). I had no idea there was any controversy brewing, but now I'm feeling pretty smart about this whole thing.
Here's my take on it, simplified: Isiah (whether his decision or "the front office's" decision doesn't matter) told Stephon he's going to bench him. Chances are it'll be a short benching, because it's not like the Knicks have many options.
Marbury objects to being scapegoated. In his mind he's not doing that bad a job, and if you want to talk defense... Crawford and Lee are far worse. So he takes off because he's upset.
So you are right, Brian. Marbury is holding the team hostage, and Isiah is going to have to eat some crow. Most likely he will, and things will go back to "normal" soon enough, probably before the end of this road trip.
Z-Bo, Marbury and Q-Rich will all be back in time for the Nuggets game.
And I agree with you Brian, in that I think for the first time you are seeing Isiah Thomas in real danger. I think after that embarassing loss to the Heat there was a lot of speculation about what the conversation that took place between Dolan and Isiah was, and chances are that it involved discussion of Isiah's future in NY not looking too good if they have more episodes like the Heat game. So Isiah probably then pushed it down to Marbury and Curry by benching them, and Marbury flipped out (whereas, it should be noted, Curry actually busted his ass yesterday. If he hadn't been the victim of some bad calls, he would have played really well - keep an eye on him tonight against Chris Kaman and the Clippers).
The Knicks have to settle this quickly, and get some wins, before returning to New York. If not. then heads are going to roll.
Whats going on with all this "Thomas can't bench me, I've got so much stuff him, i'll get him first," quote I heard today on the radio from Marbury? That's one of the most shocking sports quotes i've heard in a long time.
If Kaman doesn't put 20 and 10 on Curry tonight I'll buy you a beer.
Rickhouse: That came from the News. Personally I think it's a dubious quote, meant to sell papers. I read something on the Real GM thread from a person who "knew Knicks insiders on the plane" who had a very similar story - a fight broke out on the plane, and Marbury said "I've got dirt on you" to Zeke. The best part was Malik Rose was quoted as saying "I'm sick of babysitting these guys!"
It's a great story, but it doesn't seem likely that anything that dramatic or exciting took place.
The Post had a more detailed account in their article, and it seemed more realistic. It involved Marbury arguing with Isiah at the hotel, and at that point deciding to go AWOL.
Whatever the case, it's been a crazy couple of days. I have to admit it would be great if Marbury really did have dirt on Isiah, and came through with it, but I wouldn't bet on anything that exciting happening. I do admit I am tempted to give Starbury another call on his cell, to see if he'll pick up!
Cobra: I'll take that bet. Kaman might do well tonight, but he's not as athletic as Howard or Amare. I'm betting on Curry getting him into foul trouble early. You're on, sucka!
sounds like marbury just caught a flight to cali for the game tonight.
And I thought the Daily News in Philadelphia was tough....
The Milk Carton is mean but funny. THe press seems to be pointing the finger at Marbury more for this than Isiah.
All in all, I feel sorry for Marbury. He's the best the Knicks have at this point and it seems Isiah singled him out for the team's struggles. Marbury vs. THomas reminds me of Iverson vs. Brown. He may be a space cadet, but he's not entirely to blame for the state of the Knicks. Isiah looks like he's looking for a scapegoat to save his own ass at this point.
Saw the Post milk carton gag while buying lunch at a deli today. Here's what gets me pissed off:
"Last seen: missing a layup at the buzzer"
When did that happen? He missed a 3 at the buzzer... does that mean the Post has to change the facts to make it sound more egregious?
14 and 18 for Kaman last night....pretty close
The Milk Carton cracks me up.
I'm not sure this is a case of Dolan pulling the strings (telling Isiah to bench Marbury) or Dolan putting heat on Isiah.
I think his job is finally on the line and he's trying to motivate his two "stars." The only problem is that Marbury is a space cadet and thinks he's too important to be motivated in that fashion. I don't know how you have a happy ending when a player walks away from his team because he's going to get benched. Is there a contract out there as terrible as Marbury's that the Knicks could take in return for him? Is there another GM stupid enough to trade for this guy?
Either Isiah's going to eat some crow, bring him back and start him. Or they're going to have to buy him out. I don't see a third option. Essentially, Marbury's holding the team hostage.