Why I hate Stephon Marbury...

[Fenix]

I was reading Stephon Marbury's biography at JockBio, when I remembered why exactly I can't stand this freak with a deformed skull:

Besides his outrageous talent, Stephon was outrageously cocky. He walked through his world like he owned it, demanding whatever he needed and insulting those who he considered weak. In youth league games he would scream at opposing coaches, demanding they put someone on the floor who could guard him. In games at the Garden, where crowds gathered to watch him, he was treated like royalty, even by the drug dealers who held sway over day-to-day life at the Coney Island Houses.

The new collective bargaining agreement limited the amount of contract extensions to players in Stephon’s category to $71 million. Ray Allen took it and so did Allen Iverson. Stephon, meanwhile, said publicly he couldn’t be on the same court with Garnett knowing his teammate was making so much more than him. The comment made him the poster boy for greed and stupidity in the NBA, and nearly caused McHale to walk away from basketball.

“I feel like I’m the best point guard in the league, hands down.”

http://www.jockbio.com/Bios/Marbury/Marbury_bio.html

I don't know if crying on a national television makes him a good human being or if he's just a hypocrite (I'm leaning more and more towards this possibility), but I know couple of things for certain: he is outrageously talented basketball player and he's also outrageously selfish basketball player which makes me want to puke. He did and said selfish and narcisstic things his whole career and that is why I hate him.

[j.23]

i loved watching jason kidd tool him in the playoffs. his stats are impressive but his teams success kinda sucks.

[cklitsie]

Selfish and cocky are not the same thing, Stephon is an excellent passer and loves to play the pick-and-roll and other games where he sets people up for the score. It's just that last season, whenever New York needed a basket or had the last possession in a quarter he went to the rim or took the shot most of the times.

I honestly think we should not hate basketball players for off-court behaviour, you have those kind of people everywhere, cocky people, rapers, whining people, etc. But since the majority of all people doesn't seem to agree with me on this, I'll just continue to hate Kobe Bryant the best I can.

[Fenix]

Selfish and cocky are not the same thing, Stephon is an excellent passer and loves to play the pick-and-roll and other games where he sets people up for the score. It's just that last season, whenever New York needed a basket or had the last possession in a quarter he went to the rim or took the shot most of the times.

I honestly think we should not hate basketball players for off-court behaviour, you have those kind of people everywhere, cocky people, rapers, whining people, etc. But since the majority of all people doesn't seem to agree with me on this, I'll just continue to hate Kobe Bryant the best I can.

I hate because of his style of play and his off-court antics. So I pretty much hate him everywhere. And oh, he's cocky AND selfish.

[cklitsie]

Why would you think he is selfish? Because he's never been in the right situation to REALLY win? (People tend to forget the year that the Suns gave the Spurs a good run in the first round when Amare and Marion weren't the type of impact payers they are now)

[J@3]

I find it quite funny that he said he was thinking about donating a million dollars. I really fail to grasp the concept of announcing that you're thinking about doing something, as opposed to just doing it.

[Matt]

I don't hate the guy because i don't know him but damn. I don't like cocky players that DON'T recognize that they aren't the best. Saying he's the best PG is just stupid, I mean not only was he humbled by Jason Kidd repeatedly he got burnt by Shane Heal which is an embarassment (considering Heal isn't super quick or explosive).

If your gonna talk shit you gotta back it up. I see dudes like him playing basketball EVERYWHERE. They talk a whole lot but when it comes to playing seriously they get schooled in every conceivable way.

[Fenix]

Why would you think he is selfish? Because he's never been in the right situation to REALLY win? (People tend to forget the year that the Suns gave the Spurs a good run in the first round when Amare and Marion weren't the type of impact payers they are now)

Dude, I SAW HIM PLAY. Many times. He is selfish - he holds the ball too much and doesn't share it with four other players on the court. Look it up in the dictionary if you don't believe that that's the definition of being selfish. He is a talented player, no doubt about that, but that selfishness and inabillity to make others better (see Kidd, J.) is what makes him worse than his skill would suggest. If you think that the Suns of this past season would win with Marbury as many games as they did with Nash (who is obviously much less talented than SM3 aka Fetus), you're going bananas.

[cklitsie]

(Dude,) I'm not really trying to defend him or whatever, because he isn't anywhere close to being my favorite player, but I think a part of your hate is unjust. He is cocky, probably the worst in the whole league, but the selfishness is more of a fairytale around the league. Ok, so he is a scoring first, pass second PG... but he doesn't take it too far to a point where he's really selfish. Jason Kidd would definately score/shoot more if he was on the Knicks.
I know stats don't tell the whole story but , unlike in many discussions around here, Marbury even has the assist numbers to back him up.
And just because I mentioned the Suns, doesn't mean I think he'd be able to the same thing Steve Nash did in Phoenix. Of course the much improved Amare and Marion would come in handy, Stephon just isn't the same style of player as Nash, who fitted in perfectly with the Suns' type of play.

ps. Just wondering: did you see Marbury play for real or just on TV? Would be cool if you really saw him play, even though you obviously don't like him.

[John WB]

I've seen him play plenty. Get every Knick game here in NY and I wouldn't call him selfish at all.

The reasons the Knicks sucked last season was the rest of the team pretty much sucked. He had no help. Crawford is way too inconsistent and Tim Thomas only showed up for like 5 of 82 games.

Marbs did whatever he could to try and help the team win.

The one thing I would say about Marbury is that he's definitely not clutch. He and a lot of the Knicks guys faltered a lot when they had the chance to come back in a game, tie the game, win the game, or put the game out of reach.

He doesn't bully players physically. I don't know if he does mentally by trash talking or what, but trash talking is apart of the game and it seems everyone does that anyway. So I think its hypocritical for you to hate him for being all cocky during games, but then again I'm sure some of your favorite players do the same thing. Michael Jordan was a notorious trash talker. Do you hate him?

Marbury plays every game, he doesn't come up with injuries, he does charity work with the Knicks and he's never been in trouble with the law. What is there to hate? Oh yeah, he trash talks and said he's the best point guard in the league once. Oh no! Thing is probably most of the league fits into those qualities.

[Fenix]

I've seen him play plenty. Get every Knick game here in NY and I wouldn't call him selfish at all.

The reasons the Knicks sucked last season was the rest of the team pretty much sucked. He had no help. Crawford is way too inconsistent and Tim Thomas only showed up for like 5 of 82 games.

Marbs did whatever he could to try and help the team win.

The one thing I would say about Marbury is that he's definitely not clutch. He and a lot of the Knicks guys faltered a lot when they had the chance to come back in a game, tie the game, win the game, or put the game out of reach.

He doesn't bully players physically. I don't know if he does mentally by trash talking or what, but trash talking is apart of the game and it seems everyone does that anyway. So I think its hypocritical for you to hate him for being all cocky during games, but then again I'm sure some of your favorite players do the same thing. Michael Jordan was a notorious trash talker. Do you hate him?

Marbury plays every game, he doesn't come up with injuries, he does charity work with the Knicks and he's never been in trouble with the law. What is there to hate? Oh yeah, he trash talks and said he's the best point guard in the league once. Oh no! Thing is probably most of the league fits into those qualities.

This has to be one of the best posts I have ever read .

I agree with you that part of my hate is unjust, but for me Marbury represents everything what is wrong with this league. I'm not talking about all the non-basketball related things (I'm aware of his involvement in charities). I respect everything he did for people in his community et cetera, but rather than that, he was always a prick. Not just with his stupid statements or his cockiness (I know that other players talk trash and I don't like it, but guys like Payton and Jordan could back up their behaviour) but also with his dealings with his past teams. He basically forced his way out of Minnesotta, which was a clear sign that he isn't all about winning, which is what he tries to persuade us. I mean - who the hell would want to leave a team with KG on its roster? The other part of my hate for him is that he simply isn't a point guard. He is the prototype for all shooting guards trying to masquerade as playmakers (don't get me wrong - I love Gilbert Arenas' game), but even worse is that he goes by the line 'style over substance'. And above all - he's a loser. You can't change that. Cee, if you look at Marbury's sheer talent and skill, he's definitely a very good, if not a great player who should make a difference for his team - he doesn't. He has always underachieve, perhaps not if you look at his individual stats, but definitely if we're talking about the success of the teams he has played on.

[zmac]

SM3 aka Fetus

AHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA LOL, that is the funniest thing ive heard for a few dayz!

[Riot]

You guys know where I stand on this. Him and Garnett were best friends and the perfect combination. They were young and if they would have stayed together they could have been great.

But when Stephon couldn't handle being #2 to Garnett and got upset when Garnett got the huge payday, it really ticked Minnesota off. He is loser and a greedy ass motherfucker. As a player, I still think him and Garnett are the perfect teammates. I respect his game but I think he is a bitch of a person.

[Malfa]

“In high school, I was like what Michael Jordan is to the NBA.”

[cyanide]

I find it quite funny that he said he was thinking about donating a million dollars. I really fail to grasp the concept of announcing that you're thinking about doing something, as opposed to just doing it.

Did he end up donating? I'm still wondering about that.

[Andrew]

In day-to-day life, with his friends and family, he's probably a nice guy and a fine person to know. He's also a very talented player. But he does have an obvious selfish streak when it comes to basketball and I believe his cockiness is part of his downfall.

[beauduvall]

He looks like E.T. disguised in a Hitler mustache. Knicks will always suck as long as Isiah is there.

P.S. Marbury is the most overpayed star in basketball aside from Webber, but at least webber USED to be worth what he makes. Marbury will never raech the amount that he makes. He is making around as much as Shaq this season...who's worth more?

Garnett got paid because he's the most well rounded player in basketball right now, with a ton of life left. I hate him for ousting the kings in the semi-finals but he is what he is...and I believe he's above Duncan in terms of talant. Duncan is blessed with a great coach, organization, and teammates throughout his career going back to david robinson. garnett has had Flip The Fag Saunders coaching him, with Sam I am-not and Sprewell (need i make a comment on him). He's never had any exceptional talant besides marbury with him, and yet he got his team to the finals last year. Trade Duncan to the wolves for garnett and watch the Spurs get 2 championships in one year

[Amphatoast]

Sprewell (need i make a comment on him)

"need more money to feed my family"

[noch]

Because he said his the best point guard in the NBA..Im glad he was been paralyzed by Jason Kidd in last playoffs.
He was just pretending "good",that crying style in the Katrina issue was a fake as gay.

well in fact, his the worst player as an All-Star..That stupid crying baby jerky moron!!

[Matthew]

Stephon Marbury.. what can I say? He is so easily judged. Why is it when an athlete does whats best for himself, it comes with so much backlash? Why is it when a 20 year old makes a choice, he is made to live with that decision for the rest of his life (im not talking about murder or rape, im talking about wanting to play for another basketball team).

Lets clear some things up here:

The situation in Minnesota was unfortunate, but why is all the blame on Marbury? KG was the one who flat out rejected a 6 year extension for 120 million dollars, and ate up all the salary cap. Marbury, being young wanted to get his market value, and realised he wouldnt get it in minnesota, decided to leave.

Can anyone honestly blame him for taking the better deal? If you do, you are ignorant and a hypocrit. Especially since KG was responsable to a degree of what happened.

As for being selfish and making his teamates worse, remember this: Shawn Marion was never an all star with Jason Kidd. His first appearance was in 2003 with Marbury. Amare won ROY with Marbury. Marbury took the Knicks to their first playoff appearance since 2001 in his first season with new york. He led the suns team who played the eventual champion spurs better than anyone else in the west that season.

Continue the hate.

The situation in new york is bad, and stephon does have to shoot alot. But he has no choice. Who would you rather shooting: Marbury or Tim Thomas? Jamal Crawford was a good signing, but nothing significant. Why does a player get criticised for the lack of effort of his teamates? If Marbury didnt try to win (try to score), he wouldnt get criticised. How fucked up is that?

And dont blame Isiah for the mess new york is in. At least they actually have a decent player in stephon, some young players developing in sweetney, robinson and frye, and role players in crawford and now richardson who can actually help.

Thomas inhereted a team that was going no where, with no chance to even make the playoffs. Marbury gives them that chance.

Oh but i spose they should just try to lose games, then you wont have to hate the knicks or marbury.

And as for the "best point guard in the nba" comment, its obvious you guys have never been close to playing in a high level of sports. You need to believe deep down that you are the best, even if you arent. if you go out there in any sport and are intimidated by your opposition, its over. You wont have a shot to win. Its that simple.

But I spose Stephon should just say "yeah im shit, all these haters are better than me..."

The fact is he is genuine. I felt bad about what happened in new orleans too. So bad that I even blamed my country for not helping enough (which i still do). Stephon just showed his emotions, and now you losers are trying to make him look like a lesser man because of it? I guess that makes you bigger hey? Stephon cried... and he cares.

I will always have respect for marbury. Always.

[Ruff Ryder]

I saw this posted on another forum some time ago:
======================

"Marbury is a career loser and cancer" = bull.

In Minny: The first time the Twolves made the playoffs? In Marbury's rookie season. Sure, they made the playoffs 7 straight seasons after he left, but how did they drastically improve after he left? They only advanced past the first round once, and that was in 2004. The only thing Stephon can be blamed for in that situation is the one thing that he's been wrongfully accused of ever since, Being selfish. He forced the trade out of Minny and he found himself in New Jersey...

In NJ: I guess this is where all the [Swearing is not permitted at Clublakers. You must edit this post prior to submitting.] started? Marbury joins an underachieving team and plays his heart out only to see the injury bug constantly take a [Swearing is not permitted at Clublakers. You must edit this post prior to submitting.] on the roster. Don't believe me? Check the snippets below...

1998-99: Marbury Trade is Silver Lining

The Nets had the NBA's highest-scoring duo, the league-leader in steals and one of the top rebounders in the game. But, due in large part to injuries and a slow start to the lockout-shortened season, New Jersey finished 16-34 and missed the playoffs.

New Jersey struggled to a 3-17 start under coach John Calipari, but the team rallied to go 13-17 after Don Casey took the reins. The Nets were particularly strong at the end of the season, winning 11 of their last 21 games. Stephon Marbury averaged 36.5 points in the final four games, including a career-high 41 against Milwaukee in the season finale.

The Nets acquired Marbury on March 11 in a three-team, eight-player blockbuster that sent Sam Cassell from New Jersey to Milwaukee. Marbury averaged 23.4 points and 8.7 assists in 31 games with the Nets, and for the season he posted 21.3 points and 8.9 assists per game.

Keith Van Horn (21.8 ppg) and Marbury were fifth and eighth, respectively, in the NBA's scoring race. Marbury was third in assists and Kendall Gill was tops in the NBA with 2.68 steals per game.

Gill was also the only Net to play all 50 games. Injuries hit New Jersey's centers the hardest, as Jayson Williams (20 games), Rony Seikaly (3 and Jim McIlvaine (27) all missed significant time. Williams sustained a season-ending broken leg on April 1. He was the NBA's second-leading rebounder (12.0 rpg) at the time.

Injuries also affected the point guard rotation. Because of a sprained ankle, Cassell only played four games before being traded. Backup Eric Murdock missed 35 games with knee and groin injuries.

1999-2000: Marbury and Gill Reach Milestones

During the 1999-2000 season, Stephon Marbury dished out his 2,000th assist and Kendall Gill scored his 10,000th career point, but the team finished 31-51 and missed the playoffs for a second consecutive year.

To say that the New Jersey Nets season was an emotional roller coaster ride would be a vast understatement. After starting the season at 2-15 - a franchise record low - few thought the team would ever come close to making the playoffs. But they did. And though the team fell short in the end, the Nets were still alive in the playoff race at the beginning of April with three weeks left in the season. Once again, injuries hurt the team down the stretch. After the first week of April, the team was without their leading scorer and assist man, Stephon Marbury (knee), tough rookie Evan Eschmeyer (ankle), and starting shooting guard Kerry Kittles (knee).

The Nets were officially eliminated from playoff contention on April 7 after a 103-85 loss to the Miami Heat. The team lost their final 11 games of the year.

Stephon Marbury led the team in scoring (22.2 ppg) and Kendal Gill led the team in total steals (139), ranking him ninth in the league.

2000-01: Marbury voted an All-Star; No. 1 pick proves worthy

In his NBA head-coaching debut, Byron Scott certainly did not have the type of season he had hoped for. Injuries hampered the team right out of the gate, having to start the season without three of their players (Kerry Kittles, Jamie Feick and Keith Van Horn). From there, the chemistry of the team fluctuated as they tried to make adjustments each time a new player was injured. The team finished with a 26-56 record and missed the playoffs for a third consecutive season.

Individually, rookie Kenyon Martin was outstanding in his NBA debut and point guard Stephon Marbury was voted to the All-Star Team for the first time in his career. Reserves like veteran Johnny Newman and Lucious Harris stepped up in their roles as starters, while sophomore Evan Eschmeyer showed great effort at his starting center position. But the injury quotient (345 games lost to injury) provided distraction and disruption, depriving Coach Scott of a consistent, healthy lineup. The potential success of a team that featured Marbury, Van Horn, Martin and Kittles was never able to materialize.

When your starting lineup is constantly butchered with injuries... chemistry problems and lack of talent kick in... or am I wrong here? Plus, John Calipari? Do I even have to comment?

In Phoenix: Yep, the infamous "J Kidd for Marbury" in 2001. Marbury gets shipped off for the best PG in the league... and all hell breaks loose on his career. For those who don't remember... Jason Kidd was the one who forced a trade out of Phoenix, so with the Nets being so abysmal... management decided they had to make a move... and what better move to make then landing the best pg in the league? Somehow, people seem to think that Marbury forced his way out of New Jersey as well. Bah... On to the Suns...

2001-2002:
C- Jake Tsakalidis
PF- Tom Gugliotta
SF- Shawn Marion
SG- Anfernee Hardaway
PG- Stephon Marbury

That's the starting lineup, stop laughing. 36-46, missed the playoffs... makes sense? Yeah, I'd think so. Oh well, they happened to land Amare out of it all in the end. I think that worked out pretty well...

2002-2003:

Marbury’s metamorphosis actually began before the '02-03 season kicked off. Bothered by bone spurs in the preseason, the Suns’ go-to player in the clutch decided to delay ankle surgery until after the season was completed. The surgery would have sidelined him for nearly two months and likely would have doomed the Suns’ chances of having a winning season.

Further proof of Marbury’s new-found leadership was evident when he spoke on behalf of the team to coach Johnson, suggesting that the Suns should rely less on the team’s new “motion” offense in favor of a more structured offense. Phoenix averaged 84.4 points per game over its first 15 games (8-7 record), but totaled 96.8 points over the next 16 games (11-5) as the Suns climbed up the standings, as high as fourth in the Western Conference at one point.

“If you look at the talent, there’s a great story in what Marbury accomplished this year in terms of not just his statistics, but in terms of his perception,” Colangelo observed. “What we’ve witnessed is the maturing of Stephon Marbury in my opinion. That’s a great credit to him.”

The addition of Amare Stoudemire proved to be THAT much more important... as the team finished 44-38 even with Amare missing about 30 games.

C- Scott Williams
PF- Amare Stoudemire
SF- Shawn Marion
SG- Anfernee Hardaway
PG- Stephon Marbury

See that starting lineup? That starting lineup almost upset the eventual championship winning Spurs in the first round of the playoffs, led by Marbury's offensive explosion (despite his injury in game 4) and will to win. The series eventually ended in game 6, but Marbury's buzzer beating 3 from near half court in game one of the series has yet to be forgotten.

2003-2004: Game 35 of Stephon's season saw him in a Knicks uniform. After a bumpy start to the 2003-2004 season... and with new ownership on it's way... the Suns dealt Marbury and Penny Hardaway to the knicks in return for expiring contracts and picks. Regardless of the fact that Stephon now had the chance to play on the team he grew up watching and wishing he could play for... it was widely reported that he cried upon hearing the news of the trade. The rumors about Marbury being a bad influence on young players such as Amare were [Swearing is not permitted at Clublakers. You must edit this post prior to submitting.], yet they managed to make some noise once the media got ahold of them. Upon arriving in New York... Marbury immediately made his presence known and led an overpaid, underachieving Knicks roster to the playoffs. Ousted in the first round of the playoffs... yeah, but without Steph... the Knicks were looking at the lottery.

This past season... 2004-2005:
Before the injuries kicked in, before the (dumbass) trade of Nazr Mohammed, before the (very questionable) proclamation by Starbury of being "the best pg in the league"... the Knicks had a very nice lead in the atlantic division standings and if I remember correctly... were pretty good. Though... after the injuries kicked in: Crawford, Houston (again), Tim Thomas and Penny Hardaway all missed at least 15 games, after Nazr Mohammed was traded... Kurt Thomas had to start at Center and there wasnt a player taller than 6'9 on the roster, and after the proclamation by Steph... it seemed as if everything was falling apart in a rage of bad luck as the Knicks just collapsed and missed the playoffs once again.

Marbury was the only consistant force on that roster the whole year, but yet again... the team's failures were put on his shoulders as usual and the undeserving bad rap that he has picked up over the course of his career kept being unjustifiably solidified.


So... umm... again, how is Stephon Marbury a cancer? How does he single handedly turn teams into bottom dwellers? Yeah, exactly...


Get off his back, he doesn't deserve the bull.

POST BY: SAVIOR-SELF

[Colin]

That post that Remy quoted is what I've been telling people forever. I may not have all the quotes and stats, but I knew the just of it. The only thing I would include in that is how in the same summer Phoenix traded JKidd away, they also traded away a bunch of other key players that contributed to their record the season before.

And to the 'Stephon Sucks' bandwagon:
"I hate you. I hate you. I hate you. I don't even know you and I hate your guts. I Hope all the bad things in life happen to you and only you." © Silky Johnson

[Jugs]

I read that whole post thoroughly and now i hate bandwagoners and Stephon haters... he has a huge amount of respect in my books but i'm not gonna jump on his bandwagon..

[Colin]

If you think I'm a bandwagoner I will...be mad?

Dammit, I can't just go to this mythical town of "Geelong" can I. You're making me seem very unmenacing.

[Andrew]

And as for the "best point guard in the nba" comment, its obvious you guys have never been close to playing in a high level of sports. You need to believe deep down that you are the best, even if you arent. if you go out there in any sport and are intimidated by your opposition, its over. You wont have a shot to win. Its that simple.

In some ways I agree and it looks a lot worse because of unfortunate timing, but I think a clear distinction can be made between strong self-belief and destructive over-confidence and arrogance - the awareness of how good you are (or think you are) blinding you to your weaknesses, your teammates, or leading to underestimating your opponent.

In Marbury's case I wouldn't suggest the latter is necessarily true but what he did do was make a brash comment. And when you make a brash comment about your abilities you are essentially setting a standard for yourself and inviting others to closely measure your performance. After all, when a person says "I'm the best", most people would react with "Really? Let's see".

Stephon just showed his emotions, and now you losers are trying to make him look like a lesser man because of it? I guess that makes you bigger hey? Stephon cried... and he cares.

Agree completely. And as I said before, no matter what goes on in the game of basketball, their tendencies and "basketball persona" don't necessarily reflect their personality as a human being, in everyday situations away from the sport.