On this past summer’s new HBO series Flight of the Conchords, a character named Bret is posed with a chicken vs. the egg scenario when weighing out a new job vs. the commitment to his band. The problem was he needed money to supplement his lifestyle, but the job was cutting into his gig schedule. His manager Murray, unfamiliar with the expression, attempts to clarify. “That’s silly,” he says. “It’s the chicken, of course.” Bret replies, “So where did the chicken come from?” Murray answers, “Well it comes from the - oh.”
I bring this up, because a similar question can be posed about the current dreadful state of the New York Knicks, and who can be labeled as the culprit. I see only two leading candidates- the condemned coach Isiah Thomas, and the problematic point guard Stephon Marbury. You could argue James Dolan, but I choose not to. When it comes down to it, the makeup of this team and how they play starts at the General Manager, which happens to be Thomas, and trickles down to the 15th man on the roster - Randolph Morris, for everyone keeping score.
As far as who came first, the literal answer is Thomas, who was hired as the Knicks GM in December of 2003. Shortly after, Marbury came along in January, when Zeke made his first of many moves in New York, trading his first two of several first round picks, acquiring the All-Star guard and Brooklyn native from the Phoenix Suns. At the time, the trade seemed to make a lot of sense. The Knicks were reeling in the post-Ewing era, and were in desperate need of a face for the franchise. While the Suns were struggling that season, Marbury was still a top player in the league, with elite numbers (20ppg, 8apg) and a proven track record of, at the least, winning basketball in the regular season.
My friend called me and gushed, “We got Marbury!”, and how could I not be excited? We got the kid from Coney, Starbury, a player who could score and create, and was still relatively young. And for a few months, the trade looked right. The Knicks thrived in a system where Marbury would slash to the basket, and either score or kick it out to Keith Van Horn, who many people may forget, thrived when playing with Stephon. He was later traded, and the Knicks went on to make the playoffs and lose in the first round. They haven’t been back since.
Now, as far as who is to blame for the Knicks incompetence, this is where the chicken vs. the egg scenario comes into play. Do you blame Marbury, who has ultimately failed as the team’s point guard, leader and franchise star? Or, do you blame Thomas for brining in Marbury, along with the several other trades and free agent signings he has executed while stationed at the helm. It’s not who came first, it’s who created the mess.
Fast forward through the endless list of things I can complain about both of these guys, and lets get to the most recent incident, probably the most troubling and telling indicator of why the Knicks are in such turmoil. Say what you want about Marbury, but Isiah Thomas has proved time and time again that he is clearly incapable of running a basketball team. His decision to bench Marbury, despite his troubles, realistically, didn’t make a whole lot of sense. The team simply has no other answer at point guard, and it’s more Marbury’s problems at the end of games that hurts the team, not whether or not he takes the floor at tip-off.
At the same time, say what you want about Thomas, but Stephon Marbury has clearly lost his mind. I don’t know if he ever actually had his sanity, but let’s stop and look at a few things Starbury has done and said in just the last year:
- Created a cable talk show that caused conflict with his commitment to the team. He skipped practice to tape it.
- Announced that he was looking at playing in Italy once his contract expired in two seasons.
- Openly defended Michael Vick, calling dog fighting a sport.
- Admitted to having sex with an intern in the back of a truck, and then decided, that he found Jesus.
- His most recent riff with Isiah, in which he turned his back on his teammates, allegedly threw punches at his coach, and publicly stated that he had dirt on Isiah, in a last ditch attempt at blackmail.
This is only what the media reported on, so who knows what else. Now that Marbury is back with the team, for now at least, both him and Thomas said that the incident was in the past, and that they have been trying to keep everything “in-house.” That last part really humors me. Keeping it in-house? I don’t know if they could have done a worse job of keeping this thing in-house. This story has been reported on by the media so well, due in part by how public Isiah and Stephon have been with their comments. Now they are trying to say that the internal issues are being kept private. Could have fooled me.
So, who is ultimately to blame. Who is the culprit? More importantly, since they both are guilty in my view - the question is, who is public enemy number one? I have said this for a while now, and the answer is Thomas. If I had to prioritize who was more damaging to the Knicks, Zeke clearly holds so much more power on this team as both the GM and coach, than Marbury ever will. Stephon will never be a player bigger than a coach, like Michael Jordan or LeBron James, simply because he isn’t good enough, or enough of a leader to warrant such respect, or better yet, fear.
You know how I know Isiah is the least likely candidate for Coach of the Year? Because I watch his press conferences. You have to hand it to him, he does a great job of pointing out all the mistakes him team made in failing to win the game, and the lack of good decision making and play-calling that played a part in it. See where I am getting at? Good coaches rarely have press conferences that sound like a typical one from Isiah.
At the same time, I do think the Knicks have to cut bait with Marbury, and they might as well do it now. I’m all for starting him if we got him, probably because I have become so apathetic when it comes to the team’s current guard rotation, but I much rather not have him on the team altogether. I hate using the term, but he is a cancer. The problem is, the time to cut bait was this summer, when the Knicks would at least had the chance to sign or trade for a new point guard, like for example, Brevin Knight, currently on the Clippers, who beat them last night. It’s too late for that now.
Where the season goes from here is anyone’s guess. Can I honestly predict what will happen with Marbury, or Isiah for that matter? No. Will I have a feeling of relief and optimism if both are magically gone one day when I wake up. Absolutely. But like Murray ponders over the chicken vs. the egg, I too am left pondering.
Jew-rotic rants of the Week
Also in the association, the Celtics are straight murdering opponents, bringing up this little fun fact I enjoyed dropping to friends this week. Since the Red Sox fought back to win three straight against the Indians a month ago, neither them, the Patriots or Celtics have lost a game. Wow. If you are a sports fan in Boston, life feels complete. My friend Joey asked me what about the Bruins. I told him to shut his fat mouth.
So the Lakers are 4-3, with wins over Phoenix, Utah and the Rockets. They also play in a division that I think is weaker from a year ago. Um, call me crazy, but shouldn’t Kobe take some advice from Lisa Loeb, and just...stay? The team now has Odom back, and the young guys are playing their asses off, despite being publicly under-appreciated by the Mamba. I really hate Kobe for being such a whiner in this situation, but I can’t deny how talented he is. If he is going to keep turning down trades because he doesn’t like the gutted teams he’ll end up on, maybe he should take a look at the guys in his locker room in comparison.
Guess who is also 4-3? The Portland Trailblazers, and after a pretty brutal start to their season, schedule wise. The remainder of November looks a lot more favorable, so is it inconceivable to think this team can have a winning record after the first month? I still don’t see them making the playoffs, but I also think it’s very important that they continue to play hard this year, and not tank for another high lottery pick. This team is talented without Greg Oden, and their surprising start is showing just how scary they can be when he comes back. So why stink this season? Like I said in my preview, the Blazers should let teams know who they are this year, and return in 2007-07 as a viable playoff contender. Besides, they can still net a decent late lottery pick if they ultimately don’t make the playoffs this year.
Dwight Howard, you are beast, and I regret not taking you with my second pick in the fantasy draft. Orlando seems to be a team that has everything going well for them right now, but remember they started off great last year, and then struggled to score points at the end of the season. That is why it is crucial for Rashard Lewis to stay healthy and for Hedo Turkoglu to continue scoring in at least the high teens. It doesn’t hurt that Howard is exploding for 30 on some nights now, and is shooting better from the line. This team can finish second in the East, and I wouldn’t be surprised.
In Japanese restaurants all across the country last night, the hibachi grills suddenly ignited. He’s baaaack...
Luis Scola does not look like the MVP of the European League. Unless the MVP of the European League is supposed to constantly not know where to be on the court, have his men blow by him for points with ease, and girlishly raise his hands for the ball at T-Mac, looking like that worst kid on the basketball team who doesn’t really want the ball, but pretends to, just because he knows the star wont pass it to him anyway. So yeah, he is kind of a disappointment in my view.
My good buddy Meir is already on the Walt Clyde Frazierisms watch for the 2007-08 season. First up, is this tidbit on a player’s defense, “He is on his case like Sherlock Holmes.”
