Marbury is taking another leave of absence from the Knicks, his third one since the death of his father Don Marbury Sr. It's also his fourth one already in this young season, if you count his AWOL experience. The team, and Isiah Thomas, are pretty sympathetic to Marbury right now - from the Daily News:"He's
really having a rough time, said Thomas, who spoke with his point guard
yesterday. "I just hope that he can come out of this because he's having a
very difficult time."
He stormed past a reporter after Wednesday night's game and hasn't spoken publicly since Sunday.
He first tried to return to the team on Dec. 7 against
The NY Times article on this topic had more on Isiah Thomas' quote about Stephon right now:
When asked if he was confident that Marbury could eventually return
and contribute, Thomas paused and slowly said: “He’s really having a rough
time. You know, I just hope that he can come out of this because this has been
a very difficult time.
But the thing about Marbury that they aren't really discussing is that he's likely been depressed for a while. The over-publicized loopy interviews he had this past summer - those were likely the result of anti-depressants, no? I know there are some d*cks out there that tried to insinuate that Marbury's "bizarre behavior" was the result of illegal drug use, but you have to be both ignorant and stereotyping to think that.
Crack, for example, might make you act that erratic. And so some people were quick to pull the "black man from the hood acting weird... must be on crack" card. But it seems highly unlikely that a 30 year man, someone who has dedicated his life to basketball, would suddenly take on a crack habit out of the blue. And other drugs - cocaine, weed - don't make you act that kind of loopy.
Nope. But that is the kind of loopy behavior that someone on anti-depressants might exhibit.Now add in his new religious conversion (he's apparently a born-again Christian, as he has mentioned in various interviews). It seems that someone might search for religion upon reaching a low point in spirituality... again, an ominous sign of depression.
There are plenty of signs there that Marbury has been battling depression for a while. The big shoe giveaway summer, in which he visited 90 cities, giving away Starbury sneakers? Perhaps the work of a man who was seeking some happiness, hoping that by making other's happy (especially poor people, people who reminded him of his own upbringing) that maybe he could share some of their happiness, or that it would rub off on him. He mentioned numerous times in interviews "the joy on people's faces" during these events, a sign that he was more fixated on the feelings (and spirituality) of those around these events than on other things. For example, another person might express the same sentiment in this manner: "It was great to travel around from city to city, to see all these different places, meet all these different people..."; basically to describe the experience in more tempered , non-personal terms. But Marbury always described the experience in a more personal way, and made a point of remarking on "the joy" he was bringing people, etc. There's something insightful about that.
So why, if that theory is correct, was Marbury depressed as far back as the summer, even before the recent sudden death of his father?
Whatever it is, here's hoping Marbury can get through the storm, and find some inner peace, regardless of whatever impact it has on his basketball career....
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I agree there is more to Steph's absence then just the death of his father and it predates the passing of Don Marbury. In many cases, an individual who is depressed or experiencing symptoms of depression can see their ailment exasperated by a sudden traumatic event. I know first hand as one of my friends went through a similar episode following the passing of their close friend. It often takes many months to overcome the emotional pain and may require professional assistance.
I hope Steph can overcome this tragedy and move on with his life. However, from a purely basketball standpoint, I think the Knicks are better off without him and I am very interested in seeing how they play over the next few games.
Allen: It's one of the two biggest peeves I have about "fans" nowadays (and the media that feeds them these lines): One is just that... that an athlete should be "happy" and "grateful", and can only exhibit one-dimensional qualities.
The other thing that bothers me is the assumption that some (most) professional athletes are "gifted" and didn't have to work harder than 99% of people to get to where they are now. I'll have a post on that someday soon, but it really vexes me. People really don't understand (or want to understand) how hard these guys have worked to get to the NBA, for example.
Ben: Glad to see you writing again regularly. I agree that the Knicks do play better without Marbury in a key role, and have often been critical of Marbury's skills myself. Where once he was as good as Baron Davis is now in Golden State, those days have passed Steph now. He's better as a role player, because he's still dangerous, and can get to the basket when needed, but he's not able to play big minutes like that anymore. His body has taken a beating over the years. Most people haven't noticed because he hasn't missed 20 or 30 games with... a bad back (like Q-Rich), or some other major injury. But he's been worn down for more than a year now, and he's lost a step (to use an overused cliche). I think the Knicks will need him in a reduced role (Crawford, Jones, Nate and Mardy aren't going to give you 48 good minutes a game at point guard all season long)....
I wouldn't say depression, I'd say bi-polar. That causes you to swing back and forth between crazed, manic episodes (like the infamous interview), and low depressed episodes (like now). I know someone who's gone through that, and it's terrifying.
SML-
You might be onto something here. Remember when Stephon broke down after giving so much money to the victims of Katrina (another act of overwhelming charity that is roundly ignored)?
Steph - take that pain out on your opponents...your father would want it that way. Play for your Dad.
lmfao @ internet psychiatrists. Marbury is not clinically depressed. Depressing is being the best player on your team for the last 3 years and having to play for coaches who seem to think everyone else should shoot the ball before him. A collection of NON-ALL-STARS and here we have Marbury forced to "distribute" to lesser players. Who wouldn't be depressed playing in this fashion AND losing! Then his hometown fans are so STUPID they spend their time blaming him for everything from the Knicks losing to the spread of HIV. What a joke. Who wouldn't lose their mind?
lmfao @ internet psychiatrists. Marbury is not clinically depressed. Depressing is being the best player on your team for the last 3 years and having to play for coaches who seem to think everyone else should shoot the ball before him. A collection of NON-ALL-STARS and here we have Marbury forced to "distribute" to lesser players. Who wouldn't be depressed playing in this fashion AND losing! Then his hometown fans are so STUPID they spend their time blaming him for everything from the Knicks losing to the spread of HIV. What a joke. Who wouldn't lose their mind?
I've seen comments in several places where people are wondering why Marbury is so special that he gets so much time off from his job. It saddens me. I know if my mother or father died it would crush me. There would be no way I could just get over it. I might go back to work, but that would linger with me for a long time. And I seriously doubt that fans want to see Marbury play while engulfed in grief. It seems to me like peoople believe that once certain athletes make a lot of money they should just be happy and never complain. It's ludicrous. It's ridiculous that people actually feel justified in telling another human being how he should respond to his father's sudden death while he played basketball. There is an arrogance in that sentiment that is astounding.