Stephon Marbury to Celtics, but can he play?
February 25, 2009 by James Edwards
Filed under Boston Celtics, Kevin Garnett, NBA Basketball, New York Knicks
NBA Obsessed takes you into the hit and run game of NBA Basketball.
There is always the question of whether you want someone like Stephon Marbury on your team. It is complicated. No one doubts his talent, but it is all those other things that matter just as much. Just what are you getting with Marbury on your team?
Maybe even the bigger question is what state of mind is Marbury in?
When Marbury walks into that Celtics locker room, the con is over. He has been threatening a long time to show what he can do for a contender. Now he gets his chance. He hasn’t played a regular-season NBA game in over a year, a playoff game in five years, and hasn’t won a postseason game in six. Losing has always been someone else’s fault – his GM, his coach, his teammates. What’s more, losing is a habit for him. It’s never cost him a big contract, nor bothered him enough to stop partying or show shame.
Marbury still rejects the idea that it’s ever been his job to make his teammates better. “How am I going to make someone else better?” he asked, and always, that question is an answer within itself.
What is Boston thinking? Well, for starters, if it works, the NBA title will be a whole lot easier, beyond that it is a huge risk. They know they will be creating a distraction both on the court and the locker room if it does not work.
The Celtics are focused on defending our championship and are working day and night to finalize our playoff roster,” Celtics owner Wyc Grousbeck said in a statement Tuesday night. “We don’t have anything to announce at this point except that we intend to do everything we can to raise Banner 18.”
What he means is this: The Celtics won’t just do everything, they’ll do anything. They’re hoping against hope that Marbury can make a difference, but they’re running the risk of downloading basketball’s ultimate Trojan virus. Finally, Marbury is free of New York, and just understand: He was never, ever in a rush for this reality.
As always, any NBA Basketball related comments are welcome.
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