Steph being Steph

Stephon Marbury showed up for the Mike D'Antoni introductory press conference Tuesday dressed in (the best way to describe it) a rainbow-checked sports jacket.

He also showed up smiling, laughing and joking much like he did in that "We got Zach Randolph!" video from last summer.

Steph always gets excited at occasions like this because there's never much to get excited about in his rear-view mirror. Another disappointing season. Often, another controversy.

And then the Knicks get someone like Zach Randolph and suddenly, he's geeked about the upcoming season.

Which usually turns out like the last one.

With Steph, it's like a kid getting a new toy after throwing away the old one, which when it was new, he was just as excited about.

Now, of course, he wants to play for D'Antoni, claiming their 13 games together in Phoenix before the Suns dumped his and Penny Hardaway's salaries and baggage on Isiah Thomas weren't so bad.

Fine. He wants to play for one of the 13 (we miscounted earlier with 15) coaches on his 12-season NBA resume because D'Antoni wants to play the way Steph wants to play. "Park basketball," he called it.

Haven't we heard this all before? Larry Brown's system, if memory serves, kept him from playing the way he wanted to, thinks he should, has at times, he's said.

How's your way worked out so far, Steph?

D'Antoni offered an interesting take about the guy he might be stuck with, saying, "He's a different type of point guard than Steve Nash, but that doesn't mean it's all bad. The guy can score. He's got talent. He's strong. He can defend when he wants to. And there's a lot of good things he can do, and it's my job to get him to perform like that."

Interesting choice of words about his defense, but also about maybe having Steph for the final $20.9 million of his contract.

Which, Donnie Walsh said Tuesday, might be why he sticks around.

That tabloid report about trading Steph back to Phoenix for Leandro Barbosa and Boris Diaw makes no sense in the context of Walsh's plan for 2010 salary cap space, since both Barbosa's and Diaw's contracts extend through that off-season.

You trade for those two, kiss your hopes for LeBron James, Dwyane Wade, Chris Bosh or Chris Paul good-bye in the 2010 free-agent class.

But if they can't deal Steph, there's no reason they can't buy him out and get the same cap relief they'd get if they kept him and paid him. The same $20.9 million would come off the cap whether he paid to play or not to play.

So maybe Steph's excited at the possibility of a buyout that, theoretically, could guarantee him more money than he's guaranteed now, i.e. a $15 million buyout, then another new multi-year contract with another team for more than the $5.9 million difference.

Or maybe he's just excited because it's what he does. Fifteen coaches, 15 opportunities to get geeked.

And just four trips to the playoffs and not one series victory to show for it.

Geek on, Steph.

Comments

[jay]

Did noone else hear the absolute nonsense about running in the mountains? how is that not on youtube yet?!

AT - "How do you feel about the upcoming season"

SM - "Im going to dominate"

AT - "What are you doing to prepare for that?"

SM - "Im running... ... .. In the mountains"

AT - "The mountains?! where?"

SM - "In L.A."

AT - "What mountains? Do you mean Northern California?"

SM - "The canyons."

AT - "What?! By yourself?"

SM - "With my little brother"

[jay]

Also, when Trautwig mentioned that last year was the worst of his career, our boy Starbury retorted by saying "The wasn't my worst year, it was my best year"

[knicksdefense]

i want stephon gone just as much as the next guy, but saying it was his best year is splicing a sound bite akin to CNN's treatment of Obama's pastor.

in any case, say it was his worst year in a series of many bad years in NYK. he's trying to be positive about it by saying it was his best year due to the adversity he faced. obviously the knicks sucked with him and even more so without him.

unlike isiah, who i felt the knicks would never fire (technically have not fired, and he REALLY DOES DESERVE TO BE FIRED), we know stephon's days with the knicks are definitely numbered, so I take no pleasure in talking sh*t on the guy for another year. he's a spoiled, overpaid basketball player, not a rocket scientist or a rhodes scholar.

whatever. derrick rose in 2008, hopefully.

[KFFL]

If starbury plays like an allstar he will be forgiven. I'll forgive him if we win.

[jay]

He's one of the most talented guy in the league.. Probably the strongest point guard in the league. They just need to get off his back and let the man play. If you bench him it goes to his head and knocks him off his game. Just let the guy start, and back off. He's an all-star. There a reason he a got 22m/yr contract. He's good, really good. Let him show it.

[jay]

He's kind of like Manny Ramirez in that he's at his best when you leave him alone. He's uncoachable, and selfish, but he likes to win. And he's going to be an all-star if you just let the man be.

He's not a leader or a good teammate, but he's a freaking good basketball player. Dantoni is a players coach who will hopefully see this and make the best of the situation.

[Loki1963]

Quick fix the Knicks.
1 - Pray for the # 1 pick Derrick Rose.
2 - Pray for Carmelo Anthony to get into another police incident.
3 - Pray for Denver too be so upset about the sweep, Carmelo acting up, George Carl lousy job performance, that they want to clean house. They ship Anthony and Camby to the Knicks for Malik and Marburry.

Which will unable Denver to have over 50M coming off their books after the 09 season which is made up of Starburry, Malik and AI.

Knicks Starting 5
Rose, Jamal, Anthony, Zach and Camby

Bench
Lee, Nate, Chandler, Balkman and Curry.

In other words pray for a miracle, I do not want to wait 4 years for possibly getting Lebron.

[jay]

Loki: It's only 2 years, and if we don't get Lebron, we get Bosh or Wade.

Anthony is an all-star, but not a superstar. He is incapable or carrying a team. Camby is old an injury prone.

Stop hoping for quick fixed with semi-decent, overpaid players and stupid trades. We'll play our young guys for 2 guys, maybe catch a 7th or 8th seed like the hawks, dump randolph at some point, then get LeBron in 2010 and start playing for championships.

[jay]

Loki: It's only 2 years, and if we don't get Lebron, we get Bosh or Wade.

Anthony is an all-star, but not a superstar. He is incapable of carrying a team. Camby is old and injury prone.

Stop hoping for quick fixes with semi-decent, overpaid players and stupid trades. We'll play our young guys for 2 years, maybe catch a 7th or 8th seed like the hawks, dump randolph at some point, then get LeBron in 2010 and start playing for championships.

Once we have LeBron or Wade as a cornerstone, with Lee/Balkman/Chandler/Nate bringing the energy, with our money we can buy some solid role players and create a dynasty in the weak east.

[Loki1963]

Bosh and Wade are Superstars? They're on the same level as Carmelo. Wade is always hurt. And we're going to get Lebron? Like we were supposed to get Kobe this year. Stop dreaming about getting Lebron in two years. Cleveland can offer him what ever they want.

What young guys are going to get us the eight seed Collins, Randolph, Chandler, Balkman, Nate, Crawford and Lee? That sounds pretty stupid. We got to give up our 1st round pick pretty soon to Phoenix. And last I check Carmelo is pretty young and there is no one coming out this year draft better than Carmelo and that includes Beasley.

[jay]

First of all, Denver would never do that trade.

Second of all, Carmelo would pretty much take Crawford's shots, maybe make 10% more, and play defense just as badly. If he fits the system, in the best case we are a 6th or 7th seed team.

Asking to trade for Carmela is just extremely shrot sighted thinking.

Why wouldn't Lebron want to come the biggest market in the country? For the ultimate player's coach? For a potentially shocking amount of money?

LeBron is not a person, he is a brand. He's not staying in Cleveland.

[Sunil]

AMEN jay !

noone wants carmelo.

[loki1963]

Jay & Sunil,

Read todays post. The same trade I through I there the Nets are going for.

Taking Crawfords shot? LOL, GOOD!

Short sighted thinking is what your doing, they have Linas who make way less money and plays harder. After getting swept they may be thinking to start over, way under the cap.

Lebron can brand himself ANYWHERE like he's doing now, plus he rather chill with his boy Jay Z in Brooklyn if he did come to NY.