New York State of Mind

This corner, for one, Truly, Madly, Deeply believes in & respects the fundamental human dignity of Stephon Xavier Marbury … as evidenced in this interview, from yesterday, with Bruce Beck:

Marbury Speaks Out About Future With Knicks

[on a bigger picture]

“First of all, I would just like to say how good God is, how good he’s been to me, whereas talking about being waived this year … it’s nothing … because being in this peaceful place [as a state-of-mind-and-body-and-spirit] … it’s the best thing that has ever happened to me … and, Playing basketball, it’s so small, you know, it’s a bigger, bigger picture going on, as far as me being waived and if I’m gonna be here and all of the speculation … at the end of the day, I wanna play basketball, so it doesn’t matter if I’m waived or not.”

[on the correct framework for success]

“I’ve worked extremely hard, I worked out six months straight, you know, I dedicated myself to gettin back in the best shape of my life, I’m 200 lbs, I’m 7.5 body fat, uhmm … I’m eating right, I’m living right, I’m doing all of the things, I’m doing all of the things that I’m supposed to do to put myself in the situation where I can come out and be a dominant force … I’m mentally right, physically right, spiritually right … I’m inclined with myself, I’m in tune with what I have to do on the basketball court … I mean, I’m ready to play basketball, and it doesn’t where.”

[on when & what to fight]

“I felt like I have a lot to prove … you know, a lot of people have said that I can’t play anymore, you know, you have reporters walkin around with no spirit, sayings things about me that aren’t true, and they can say those things because they’re not, they don’t feel anything within themselves, so you know, when I hear the things that they’re saying, I’m like, wow, that’s malicious, you know to say these things about me and to talk about me the way that they’ve been talkin about me, it’s wrong … so for me, the only thing I can fight is principalities, I can’t fight people.”

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Yes, it’s a long interview … at 13+ minutes.
Watch it all for yourself.

Laugh if you will, but … to these ears, heart, and mind … there’s an awful lot to genuinely like about this young man.

Hopefully he will find a place to ply his trade this season.

No human being is perfect, or can ever come close to reaching that standard … BUT each and everyone of us deserves a second chance … and a third, and a fourth, and fifth, and a sixth, etc., etc., etc.

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IF

If you can keep your head when all about you Are losing theirs and blaming it on you, If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you But make allowance for their doubting too, If you can wait and not be tired by waiting, Or being lied about, don’t deal in lies, Or being hated, don’t give way to hating, And yet don’t look too good, nor talk too wise: If you can dream–and not make dreams your master, If you can think–and not make thoughts your aim; If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster And treat those two impostors just the same; If you can bear to hear the truth you’ve spoken Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools, Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken, And stoop and build ‘em up with worn-out tools: If you can make one heap of all your winnings And risk it all on one turn of pitch-and-toss, And lose, and start again at your beginnings And never breath a word about your loss; If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew To serve your turn long after they are gone, And so hold on when there is nothing in you Except the Will which says to them: “Hold on!” If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue, Or walk with kings–nor lose the common touch, If neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you; If all men count with you, but none too much, If you can fill the unforgiving minute With sixty seconds’ worth of distance run, Yours is the Earth and everything that’s in it, And–which is more–you’ll be a Man, my son! –Rudyard Kipling

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Doing the best that you can do, at all times, is the best that you can hope for and achieve.

Some things money can’t buy

Okay.

Sticking with today’s theme of irresistibility …

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Hou’s back; Steph, too, for now
“There wouldn’t be no negotiation,” Marbury said. “They’re going to give me all my money. … If they want to waive me and give me all my money, fine. If not, …” 

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Given the latest news from the former 1st Round Draft Pick of the Milwaukee Bucks (1996, No. 4 overall) … someone needs to create a new commercial for the “Comments of Steph” … along the lines of:

———————————–
Scene 1 – “Random Steph comment #1 … $5.99″

Scene 2 – “Random Steph comment #2 … $1.98″

Scene 3 – “Random Steph comment #3 … $21,900,000.00″

Scene 4 – “Being in a place you’re wanted … AND trying to help the New York Knicks win a championship … Priceless. There are some things money can’t buy. For everything else … there’s Marburyscard.”
———————————–

Then, again … maybe not.

Misdiagnosis in New Jersey

Q. Should the Nets trade Jason Kidd? (or not)

Nets in three-way talks for Kidd 

A. In a nutshell … (absolutely) NO (frigg’n) WAY! 

Jason Kidd has been New Jersey’s stalwart PG, and a perennial League All-Star, since his arrival in ‘the Swamp’, via trade from Phoenix (when Nets’ GM, Rod Thorn, fleeced his Suns’ counterpart, Bryan Colangelo, exchanging Jason Kidd and Chris Dudley for Stephon Marbury, Johnny Newman and Soumaila Samake, Jul/18/01).

Reviewing Kidd’s 6 prior years with the Nets …

Season W-L Win% Finish
’01-02 52-30 .634 Lost NBA Finals
’02-03 49-33 .598 Lost NBA Finals
’03-04 47-35 .573 Lost Eastern Conference Finals
’04-05 42-40 .512 Lost 1st Rd Playoffs
’05-06 49-33 .598 Lost Eastern Conference Semi-finals
’06-07 41-41 .500 Lost Eastern Conference Semi-finals

New Jersey has yet to miss the playoffs, has made 5 trips to the Eastern Conference Semi-finals, 3 trips to the Eastern Conference Finals, and 2 trips to the NBA Finals …

which stands in stark contrast to how the Nets fared prior to his arrival:

Season W-L Win% Finish
’94-95 30-52 .366 *
’95-96 30-52 .366 *
’96-97 26-56 .317 *
’97-98 43-39 .524 Lost 1st Rd Playoffs, 0-3
’98-99 16-34 .320 Lockout Season *
’99-00 31-51 .378 *
’00-01 26-56 .317 *

* Missed Playoffs

a decidely dim period in their organization’s history.

In fact, The Difference is, literally, like Night (sans Kidd) and Day (avec Kidd).

THE PROBLEM, however, in New Jersey, right now, has nothing to do with Jason Kidd.

THE PROBLEM, in New Jersey … has everything to do with, one, Vincent Lamar Carter!

Period. Full stop. Exclamation Point. End of discussion. 

Since HIS arrival in ‘the Swamp’, via trade from Toronto (in exchange for Alonzo Mourning, Aaron Williams, Eric Williams and two First Round draft picks, Dec/17, 2004), the Nets have moved steadily in reverse, and have failed to reach the Eastern Conference Finals each of the past 3 seasons.

The fact is … ‘Wince’ Carter is a supremely talented ‘individualistic’ basketball player, who plays only ‘when’ and ‘how’ he chooses to, on any given day (depending on the mood he’s in), is a ‘chronic under-achiever’, and who is  a ‘poor fit’ with the other two shining lights for the Nets (Kidd & Richard Jefferson).

Instead of simply acquiescing to the trade request of Jason Kidd, what Rod Thorn needs to do, in this situation, is look out for the best interests of the Nets organization, and:

(i) Find a willing suitor for the services of Vince Carter, who was signed this past off-season to a reasonable contract extension by New Jersey; and, then …

(ii) Stay the course with Jason Kidd;

(iii) Await the return of Nenad Krstic (C), who has missed the Nets’ last 33 games this season, after missing almost all of last year, while rehabilitating his injured knee …

Nenad May Be Needed Addition

Trading Jason Kidd is not the solution to what ails the New Jersey Nets, right now … currently, holding down the 8th (and final) Playoff position in the Eastern Conference (19-26).

What New Jersey needs, both, this season and moving forward for the future, is a terrific Point Guard (i.e. Kidd); a 1st class Small Forward (i.e. R-Jefferson); a young and athletic Power Forward (i.e. Sean Williams); a rock solid Center, who can rebound effectively, defend an opposing ‘Big’, pass the ball, and make mid-range jumpshots, selflessly (i.e. Nenad Krstic); and, then, a Prime-time ‘Scoring Machine’, at the Off Guard position (i.e. ???), who can consistently knock down perimeter jumpers and get to the FT Line on a regular basis … all of which ‘Wince’ Carter no longer does, night-to-night, in the NBA.

All-Star, ‘pass-first’, ‘triple-double’ Point Guards (like J-Kidd) do not just grow on trees, in this league … wildly inconsistent, athletic, egocentric, ’20-14 & 5′ wing men (like V-Carter) do.

The Knicks Have (Finally) Turned The Corner

1st Quarter
8:58 Bos 33 NYK 30

Having (finally/temporarily?) settled on the following rotation …

STARTERS: PG/Fred Jones, OG/Jamal Crawford, SF/Q-Richardson, PF/Zach Randolph, C/Eddie Curry;
SUBS: PG/Nate Robinson, G-F/Jared Jeffries, F/David Lee, F/Renaldo Balkman 
RESERVES: G/Mardy Collins, PF-C/Malik Rose, C/Jerome James

the New York Knicks (13-27) are playing their best basketball of the season, winning 4 of their last 5 games (vs Det, vs Was, @ NJ and @ Mia) and, today, are playing tough against the Boston Celtics (unlike last time).

Q: What’s the key to the Knicks improved play of late and their heightened expectations for the remainder of the season?

A: The total absence of Stephon Marbury from their team.

Knicks: Stephon Marbury made decision to have surgery now

Despite their status as multi-million-dollar salaried, high profile employees, Real Life can sometimes be harsh for professional athletes … when they reach the END OF THE LINE.

Such is the case, precisely, in this instance, for the Knicks and Starbury. 

If he’s actually played his final game (ever) for his home-town team, both the Knicks and Stephon Marbury will be better off for it.

Let’s sincerely hope that both sides of this equation can, at last, see the light (of good reason) and, either with a straight ‘Buy Out’ or a trade – plus a renewed commitment to playing team basketball, defense & rebounding - put this franchise back on the road to respectability. 

LIVE (In-Game) UPDATE:

3rd Quarter
12:00 Bos 59 NYK 45 … Knicks Starters, this half: Robinson, Crawford, Jeffries, Lee and Randolph

06:38 Bos 68 NYK 52 … Q-Rich (who can shoot) subs in for Jeffries (who can’t)

05:20 Bos 70 NYK 54 … Curry subs in for Lee … the Knicks are going in-reverse

02:57 Bos 80 NYK 63 … Paul Pierce and Q-Rich both get tossed from the game, picking up their 2nd techs apiece … Joey Crawford’s in the house … Fred Jones subs in

00:31 Bos 82 NYK 70 … the C’s lead is now cut to 12

4th Quarter

12:00 Bos 82 NYK 70 … Knicks Starters: Robinson, Crawford, Jones, Randolph and Curry … vs the Celtics’ 2nd unit, i.e. Eddie House, Ray Allen, Tony Allen, Leon Powe and Big Baby Davis

11:41 Bos 82 NYK 72 … Kevin Garnett subs in for Leon Powe … things are about to get very interesting … versus the Knicks BIG line-up, without Mr. Pierce

08:20 Bos 89 NYK 81 … coming back from 19 down, the Knicks are fighting hard today … with Boston already in the ‘penalty’ free throw situation

06:15 Bos 94 NYK 82 … Knicks’ time-out

04:41 Bos 100 NYK 83 … Knicks’ time-out, again, after the C’s stepped on the gas with consecutive hoops by KG, Davis (O-Reb dunk) and House … Lee subs in for Randolph; Jeffries subs in for Curry; Knicks trying to go with a ‘small’ line-up

02:27 Bos 107 NYK 87 … the Knicks hit a scoring wall after cutting the lead to 8 … ‘White Flag’ time in Gotham

00:00 Bos 109 KNY 93

Not nearly good enough but, still, a far cry from a 45 point shellacking.

Better days ahead (?) … for this once storied franchise.