The Great Knickerbocker Rebirth of 2008 didn't come without a whole new set of immediate issues for Mike D'Antoni. The trades announced last Friday sent away New York's best guard and a young combo off the bench. In return: two forwards and a two-guard with heart issues that have scared the Knicks into forcing more tests before allowing him to play. Nate Robinson injured his groin earlier this week, leaving New York with a severe guard deficit.For the second time in a week, D'Antoni asked Stephon Marbury to play big minutes out of necessity. So desperate is D'Antoni, reports Marc Berman of the New York Post, that the coach offered Starbury his old starting job. !!!
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Starbury declined.
So the Knicks went with two guards healthy -- Chris Duhon and Anthony Roberson. Quentin Richardson (a forward) started at the two, and Wilson Chandler received some time there as well. Adrian Wojnarowski of Yahoo! reports that D'Antoni is pushing for Marbury to be suspended and barred from being around the team. Woj also has a source who said this is the straw breaking the proverbial camel's back, and James Dolan may suck it up and waive Starbury without a discount.
That'd be the best solution for all involved. Of course, it was also the best solution back in October. Nothing good could come from letting the Starbury affair fester inside Madison Square Garden. It didn't take an oracle to figure that one out.
Comments (Page 1 of 4)
The solution for this "Marbury refusing to play" fiasco is simple: DON'T PAY HIM. What profession allows payment for no services rendered? It's ridiculous.....he's colossally overpaid to play a child's game, yet refuses to follow the orders of his immediate supervisor: the head coach. There MUST be some provision in his contract that covers what happens financially in the event of insubordination. What a disgrace. Hey Marbury: STOP CRYING AND DO YOUR G*DD@MN JOB!!! Or else, give up your paycheck...
I don't follow the NBA, but from what I've read and watched concerning this whole affair, I have to side with Marbury on principle. The coach tells him at the beginning of the season that there is no room for Marbury, and then sits him. Along comes some poor trading and injuries, and suddenly the man is needed. Marbury refuses to play. This dear Sir, is called integrity. I applaud Stephon for standing up for himself and refusing to play. That's the great thing about a contract, if the Knicks refuse to pay it, Marbury has grounds to sue for breach of contract.
He only refused to play after the coach told him his services were unneeded but then came crawling back when injuries forced his hand. Honestly, this isn't insubordination - the player is simply listening to his coach - he's not needed then, and the coach made it painfully clear that he was unwanted, why play now? He doesn't owe anybody. If anything, the coach and ownership owes Marbury an apology.
he is makeing 20 million this year for this,the nba as a hole should step in and just ban him from the league,he has showed that when the chips are really down he is not a team player at all and has no intensions to be so, so why is he in the nba,it is not fair there are so many homeless poeple going with out food today on thankgiveing,he should be ashamed of him self and donated all the money he earned this year to poeple that need food and help and would die for his opertunity,s,
Wow, John. Really showing off that 1st grade education there, aren't ya? Why don't you come back and comment when you can use complete sentences, like the grown-ups do.
wow john you know what... the idea is correct but buddy if you want to comment on a situation especially on a world wide web make sure your spelling is up to par, why do you think they got spell checking for bro..but as far as marbury concern the coach went on national t.v. talkin about marbury sayin that the team is going in a seperate direction but when all his chips are down he wants to call on marbury for help.. i say that is so phony.. and the reason why i feel they wont waive him is because he probably is going to land on a rival team and torch the knicks... i say the whole knickerbocker organization handled this situation with no professionism whatsoever
Wow, "the dude" and "kid one:" you guys sure are judgemental about someone who is just trying to post a comment. Accept the fact that not everyone spells well and knows how to structure a sentence properly. This world needs CEOs, teachers, and ditchdiggers, and we are all entitled to express our views in a public forum. I, too, will criticize someone's spelling , grammar, etc., if I think he needs to be put in his place, but this isn't one of those times, so get a life, and leave John alone. - Oh, and by the way, "kid one," if you want to comment on someone else's spelling, etc., especially on the World Wide Web, make sure you're not throwing stones in a glass house: in a quick reading of your post, I found at least six spelling mistakes, fifteen punctuation errors (including running sentences together as one thought), three grammar errors, and nonexistent sentence structure. I'm surprised that the judgemental "the dude" hasn't landed on you with both feet! I wouldn't have bothered to myself, but you had it coming! That's what they've got graded school for, bro!
Whoops! I misspelled "judgmental" - twice! And I improperly put a space before a comma (a typo). I think I just threw a stone through my glass wall! Bad sailor!
guess dude has no comment on the issue instead he wishes to correct spelling or perhaps someones typos! dude stay off these boards your a embrassment to all that wish to respond
to the issues on here!
I AGREE WITH JOSEPH.. THATS WHAT IS WRONG WITH PROFESSIONAL SPORTS PERIOD.. IF I REFUSE TO DO MY JOB THERE ARE 200 GUYS LINED UP AROUND THE BLOCK TO TAKE MY PLACE. AND I ONLY MAKE $19.00 AN HOUR... THATS WHY MARBURY REFUSES TO PLAY CAUSE THE IDIOT KNOWS HE WILL GET PAID ANYWAY... HE MAKES ME ASHAMED TO SAY I AM FROM BROOKLYN.. MARBURY SUCK IT UP AND PLAY, IF NOT FOR YOU THEN FOR YOUR TEAMMATES... YOU REMEMBER THEM HUH???
I'm so tired of these athletes thinking they can do whatever they want. They sign a contract, get paid, and perform! That's what a job is all about. The NBA should have a no whinning clause.
I understand that no one really cares for Stephon Marbury, and the attitude with which he carries himself isn't anywhere near the most endearing, but at the same time from the beginning of the season it has been the Knicks organization as a whole's plan to NOT have Marbury play. This has been widely publicized in all of the New York media outlets. So why would we choose to come down on Marbury when he is asked to play basically only because he is the only viable point guard that the team has at hand, and he refuses? Wouldn't you? I certainly would.
Hey dumb ass, I have 21 million reasons why he should play. He has been a cancer wherever he has played. If you went to work and your boss asked you to help pick up the slack because he was short-handed and you refused, would you still have a job ?? Didn't think so.
man if my boss told me we're going in another direction and refused to play me I don't think I'd come to the rescue either. Basically they slapped marbury straight in the face and now they are desperate and want him to play...
i dunno man I don't like the way they are jerking marbury around or the way they are clearig cap space for 2010. It just feels dirty and I'm losing respect for D'antoni. not that my respect matters but if it did...
I agree with aaron on this one; D'antoni shafted him at the beginning of the season, not letting him play when he is a better option on the court than the other guy they had starting. Marbury was an All-Star, and he deserves minutes. D'antoni is an overrated coach, and will never get a ring. Marbury deserves justice here; trade him so he can play the game he loves. He has every right to refuse to play on a team that does everything they can to alienate him...
WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME HE WAS A ALLSTAR . THE COACH CAN PALY WHO HE WANTS WHEN HE WANTS. HE IS GETTING PAID BY THE KNICKS. HE HAS NO SAY ABOUT WHEN HE PLAYS . IF I REFUSE TO WORK I GET NO PAY. THE KNICKS NEED TO DOC HE,S PAY EVERY TIME HE REFUSES TO PLAY. I WOUULDN,T RELEASE HIM. THATS WHAT THE GUY WANTS. EACH GAME I WOULD TELL HIM TO GO IN,IF HE DON,T NO GAME PAY. I,M SURE HE WILL GO IN AFTER A FEW GAMES. HE ONLY CARES ABOUT THE MONEY. PAYING HIM 20 MILLION IS A JOKE ANY HOW. HE,S NOT IN THE TOP 100 PLAYERS IN THE NBA
If this were a regular 9 to 5 job, this clown would`ve been history a long time ago. Soooo, knick management??? What`s the hold up??!!
They've been playing mind games with Marbury since training camp.
Pay the man off and keep everyone's dignity.
D'Antoni and Walsh want James, but why would James want any part of them.
While I agree with all of the comments about Marbury you all are forgetting one thing: Mike D'Antoni went into the season NOT wanting anything thing to do with Marbury when he was hired and let him know this from the very beginning so why would he expect Marbury to just jump off the bench ready to go and D'Antoni himself just said publicly the other day on the famed ESPN sports talk show PTI that Marbury "has been great and that when he asked Marbury to play the first time and Marbury declined that it was okay so as far I'm concerned both nthe Knicks and Especially D'Antoni shot themselves in the foot by letting it come to this. What should have happened is that even though there was bad blood between the two D'Antoni should have sat down with him and talked to him like a man instead of alienating him and making matters worse and remember that D'Antoni also said that he was "looking forward to working with him" when he was 1st introduced as the coach (which I new was a lie) so D'Antoni is just as much at fault as Marbury is and what they should do is just eat his contract and just dump him gut you all are right if they are going to keep then if they ask him to play and he does not then they should fine him ROYALLY because he is showing that he has no class, character nor integrity and only cares about himself and it's a shame because he can still play---when he wants to and that is the problem.
joe...I am not the biggest lover or follower of the NBA because in general, I believe in the more team-oriented college game, but that is besides the point. Bottom line, regardless of the coach's feelings or comments, Marbury has signed a contract to play for the Knicks, whether the coach decides to play him or not. Overall, the coach is the one responsible for who plays and doesn't play. I have previously coached 5 yrs of high school, and 3 yrs of JuCo basketball, so when I say the coach is responsible, but also bears the brunt of the burden of being held accountable, I can back it up with experience. Especially, if you are being compensated, no matter the pay (Marbury signed the contract), you play when and where the coach says. Bottom line is INTEGRITY. Besides the role model factor, which is not something someone may choose, if you are in that position, deal with it! You are also representing yourself and your name in honoring your committment. If you were in the military and refused to follow orders in a time of war, the NCO or Officer in charge of you could shoot you and no one would be able to change that. Too bad someone hurt his feelings...honor the commitment as you are also showing other teams what kind of person you are when you ARE a free agent or looking for a trade.
While I understand everyone is Marbury was insulted by the way he was treated (he was), let's not forget that he is being paid to perform his job. I don't know about anyone else, but there have been times that I have been insulted/mistreated by my boss, but you know what - I have to "man up" and still do my job! That is what Marbury should be doing now. If he doesn't want to do it for the organization, how about for his teammates? How about for the $21 million salary? Those things would be great motivation for me. Look, we all know that companies will do whatever they have to, and that sports teams should do what they need to in order to win; so what difference is it here? Marbury is being insubordinate. He is refusing to play; therefore he is refusing to honor the conditions of his contract. I say either tell him to suit up and play up to the best of his abilities, or cut him loose and don't pay him a dime because he refuses to play as his contract states he should. He is being paid to play when told, just like I am paid to work when I am told. They don't pay me to show up and sit on a chair and stare at everyone else work. And then if they are short handed, I can't refuse to work and still get paid. Life just doesn't work that way. Marbury can't be paid just for showing up - it's not enough. He is paid to do his job, whether it is exactly what he likes or not. Don't feel sorry for him; a lot of us do that for a lot less money!