We've written it over and over over the last few days and over the last few years, but Marbury is just a class act. Who would have thought three years ago when the Suns first traded for him that he would handle himself so well when he had such a poor reputation? I have to admit that it's going to be very difficult to want to New York Knicks to fail this season. I really do the best for him in the long run. I'm going to try to get tickets to the New York Knicks game at the end of the month specifically so I can cheer for him.
On the court I'd like some of what he does in don't like other parts of his game. However off the court I'm much more impressed with him than I ever thought I would be.
Joe Mama
Deal stunned Marbury
Bob Young
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 7, 2004 12:00 AM
MILWAUKEE - Saturday afternoon in Toronto, Stephon Marbury stood near the Suns bus and promised that everything was going to be OK.
Asked about a season that was slipping away, Marbury was surprisingly upbeat.
He said the Suns were only four games out of the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.
He said Amare Stoudemire and Zarko Cabarkapa would be back soon and create energy, excitement, "give us new life."
He defended Shawn Marion, saying Marion was starting to play like he did last season, his first as an All-Star, and could take it to another level by attacking the basket more.
Marbury said he hadn't felt better physically in years.
"I ain't giving up on it," he said.
Less than 48 hours later, the Suns apparently gave up on him. Marbury got a Monday morning wakeup call from Bryan Colangelo, Suns president and general manager. The message: He had been traded.
"I was like, 'No!' " Marbury said Tuesday by telephone from Cleveland, where he joined the New York Knicks. "Then he told me it was to the Knicks, and that totally softened the blow."
Marbury returns home to play at Madison Square Garden, where he used to sneak into games as a kid. The street-wise kid has grown into a man smart enough to know how the world works inside and outside the NBA.
Still, this was a punch he never saw coming.
"I don't know what the reason for the deal is," he said. "I didn't understand it. I signed a long-term deal thinking I was going to be there for the next six years, and then I get traded.
"I'm just glad I didn't start building my house and those things. I'd have been in a bind. But I understand where they're coming from. Obviously, they want to rebuild around Shawn and Amare, and that's fine."
Like everyone else, Marbury thought the Suns were going to build on their exciting 2003 playoff series against San Antonio, one that will be remembered for Marbury's running, three-point bank shot in overtime to win Game 1.
But this season was one filled with turmoil - injuries, a coaching change, several trades and changes in how the team played offensively and defensively.
"It was a mixture of a whole bunch of things that went bad," Marbury said.
Marbury said he grew because of the experience and bonded with the teammates he left behind, especially rookie Leandro Barbosa, who said he cried when he heard the news.
"We cried together," Marbury said. "I saw what he did (Monday night in Chicago, scoring 27 points). He played great.
"I called him after the game and he said, 'I played for you.' I said, 'Don't worry about me. Play for yourself. You play like that every night. If you want to think about me to play like that, it's OK. Just play like that.'
"I saw that in him right away. Players know players. You can see it in how they move, the demeanor. What he did (Monday) night, I had already visualized."
Some things, Marbury saw coming. Some, he didn't.
On the court I'd like some of what he does in don't like other parts of his game. However off the court I'm much more impressed with him than I ever thought I would be.
Joe Mama
Deal stunned Marbury
Bob Young
The Arizona Republic
Jan. 7, 2004 12:00 AM
MILWAUKEE - Saturday afternoon in Toronto, Stephon Marbury stood near the Suns bus and promised that everything was going to be OK.
Asked about a season that was slipping away, Marbury was surprisingly upbeat.
He said the Suns were only four games out of the last playoff spot in the Western Conference.
He said Amare Stoudemire and Zarko Cabarkapa would be back soon and create energy, excitement, "give us new life."
He defended Shawn Marion, saying Marion was starting to play like he did last season, his first as an All-Star, and could take it to another level by attacking the basket more.
Marbury said he hadn't felt better physically in years.
"I ain't giving up on it," he said.
Less than 48 hours later, the Suns apparently gave up on him. Marbury got a Monday morning wakeup call from Bryan Colangelo, Suns president and general manager. The message: He had been traded.
"I was like, 'No!' " Marbury said Tuesday by telephone from Cleveland, where he joined the New York Knicks. "Then he told me it was to the Knicks, and that totally softened the blow."
Marbury returns home to play at Madison Square Garden, where he used to sneak into games as a kid. The street-wise kid has grown into a man smart enough to know how the world works inside and outside the NBA.
Still, this was a punch he never saw coming.
"I don't know what the reason for the deal is," he said. "I didn't understand it. I signed a long-term deal thinking I was going to be there for the next six years, and then I get traded.
"I'm just glad I didn't start building my house and those things. I'd have been in a bind. But I understand where they're coming from. Obviously, they want to rebuild around Shawn and Amare, and that's fine."
Like everyone else, Marbury thought the Suns were going to build on their exciting 2003 playoff series against San Antonio, one that will be remembered for Marbury's running, three-point bank shot in overtime to win Game 1.
But this season was one filled with turmoil - injuries, a coaching change, several trades and changes in how the team played offensively and defensively.
"It was a mixture of a whole bunch of things that went bad," Marbury said.
Marbury said he grew because of the experience and bonded with the teammates he left behind, especially rookie Leandro Barbosa, who said he cried when he heard the news.
"We cried together," Marbury said. "I saw what he did (Monday night in Chicago, scoring 27 points). He played great.
"I called him after the game and he said, 'I played for you.' I said, 'Don't worry about me. Play for yourself. You play like that every night. If you want to think about me to play like that, it's OK. Just play like that.'
"I saw that in him right away. Players know players. You can see it in how they move, the demeanor. What he did (Monday) night, I had already visualized."
Some things, Marbury saw coming. Some, he didn't.
