The End of an Era (And Not a Moment Too Soon)
by Rakibul Islam
Welcome to Knicks Fans Anonymous. My name is Rakibul Islam, and I am a Knicks fan.
It has been a sad few years for the New York Knicks. The team I grew up with in the 90s is no more. It has been replaced by a bumbling bunch of overpaid stiffs. As I type this, the Knicks are facing the Orlando Magic, and the Magic's best player, Dwight Howard, is on the bench, yet they are up by 13 points. Our rookie no.1 pick, Danilo Gallinari, just got called for a travelling violation. And the man that came to define the Knicks of the 90s, Patrick Ewing, is sitting in a suit on the Magic bench as an assistant coach. While there are many people to blame for this horrific state, the biggest on-court culprit has to be Stephon Marbury, the franchise point guard who ended up destroying the franchise. He was finally bought out this past Tuesday, symbolically ending one of the darkest eras in Knicks history.
Marbury's travails are well-documented. He was a star in Brooklyn as a high-schooler, regarding as one of the all-time greats in the NY school system. After a year at Georgia Tech, he was drafted as the 4th overall pick in 1996 by the Minnesota Timberwolves. Despite being teamed with Kevin Garnett, Marbury was unhappy as the second option.
The Wolves sent him to New Jersey in a 3-team deal, and Marbury became the top player on a sub-.500 team, while the Wolves became perennial contenders. Once the Nets realized he was a cancer and a loser, they pulled off one of the greatest coups in NBA history. The Phoenix Suns were a 50-win team in 2000-01, thanks to the stellar, unselfish play of Jason Kidd. However, they chose to ship Kidd off to the Nets in a 5-player deal in order to get the dynamic Marbury, with predictable results. The Suns slipped to 36-46 the next season, though Marbury still got his 20.9 points per game. The Nets, on the other hand, incredibly won 52 games and the Eastern Conference title, thanks to an MVP-caliber season by Kidd. While the Nets would continue to be a contender under Kidd, the Suns would struggle to remain relevant under Marbury. Despite this, he signed a big extension scheduled to kick in after the 2003-04 season, in which the Suns started 3-15. Enter our beloved Knicks.
Isiah Thomas had just been hired to rebuild the Knicks, which had floundered under Scott Layden. He coveted Marbury despite his career of losing, and acquired him in a 6-player trade. Knicks fans, including myself, were excited since they considered him a native son, and the support for him grew when he rallied the team to a playoff berth. But when his contract extension began, so did the problems. He played for the U.S. in the 2004 Olympics, but struggled to a bronze medal in an embarrassing tournament for the U.S. national team.
The Knicks slipped to 33-49 in 2004-05, although Marbury still scored 21.7 points per game. To fix these problems, they brought in legendary coach Larry Brown and traded for center Eddy Curry. A disastrous season followed, as Marbury along with others were jerked around in the lineup, shifting nightly as Brown tried to fit his various expensive pieces together. A trade for Steve Francis only made things worse since he was similar to Marbury in style and just as expensive. With a roster costing over $100 million, the Knicks collapsed to 23-59, their worst season since drafting Patrick Ewing. The problems were exacerbated by Marbury's public rants about his role in the offense, echoing a sentiment he held in Minnesota. The Knicks became a complete mess following on regular blowout losses, and Marbury lost much of the support he had built up during his Knicks tenure. Brown was fired (at a total cost of $28 million) and Thomas took over. Believe me when I say, it gets better.
The Knicks improved back to 33 wins in 2007, highlighted by a career year from Eddy Curry and rare unselfish play from Marbury. Although the Knicks collapsed down the stretch after Thomas was given an extension, there was genuine excitement heading into the 07-08 season, highlighted by the offseason acquisition of Zach Randolph. It quickly dissipated. After a slow start, Thomas elected to remove Marbury from the starting lineup.
The reaction, even for him, was surprising. Marbury nearly came to blows with Thomas on the team plane, and furthermore threatened to blackmail Thomas if he went through with his plan. He was suspended for one game, but the damage was done. "Fire Isiah" became a common chant at Knicks games, and the loudest boos were reserved for Marbury. While the team tried to trade him, they unsurprisingly found it difficult due to his reputation and his huge contract. Losing streaks once again became rampant, and Marbury played just 24 games before undergoing (reportedly unnecessary) ankle surgery in February and watching the Knicks finish 23-59 once again. Thomas claimed Marbury had played his final game as a Knick. Although he wouldn't be around to see it, he turned out to be right.
Marbury came into the 2008 season in good shape; however, he was beaten out for the starting point guard position by free agent Chris Duhon. New coach Mike D’Antoni deactivated him, not wanting to give a $22-million "star" limited playing time. This would lead to what many people considered the last straw.
When the Knicks made a couple of trades early on in the season, they needed Marbury to play in order to reduce stress on his teammates. Marbury refused, however, sparking anger from his teammates and Knicks fans. He was ordered to stay away from the team, but caused an uproar when he attended a Knicks-Lakers game in LA. The Knicks tried to set up a suitable buyout offer, but Marbury refused to bargain more than a small amount, preferring to sit out the season and collect his $22 million. After months of acrimony, the Knicks finally reached their limit and bought out Marbury on his terms this past Tuesday, allowing him to sign with any team. At the time of this writing, reports suggest he will join the defending champion Boston Celtics, ironically led by original teammate Kevin Garnett.
Stephon Marbury's career has been an unequivocal failure. He was a perennial loser, and his me-first attitude was a cancer on every team. Teams played poorly with him, and improved drastically after getting rid of him. He was one of the driving forces that turned the Knicks from a proud franchise to an overpriced joke, routinely ending up at the top of the team salary list and at the bottom of the standings. He alienated fans and teammates with his selfish play and eccentric behavior (look up his interview on Mike’d Up in 2007). He is the 2nd-highest player in the league this season, yet has not played a game. He has turned me from a diehard Knicks fan into a cynical one who has now drifted to football.
My only hope is that Marbury tears the Celtics apart when he realizes he won't start and score 20 points a game, causing them to fail to repeat. A great talent he is, but Stephon Marbury will always be a terrible professional basketball player. My name is Rakibul Islam, and I am a Knicks fan.
