Starbury to Boston Celtics: Pros and Cons

Stephon Xavier Marbury (born February 20, 1977 in Brooklyn, New York), nicknamed Starbury, is an American professional Basketball player for the New York Knicks of the National Basketball Association (NBA).

The 6 ft 2 in (1.88 m), 205 lb (93 kg; 14.6 st) point guard/shooting guard was selected out of the Georgia Institute of Technology by the Milwaukee Bucks with the 4th overall pick in the 1996 NBA Draft, but was traded shortly thereafter to the Minnesota Timberwolves.

He was an NBA All-Star in 2001and 2003 and was voted into the All-NBA Third Team in 2000and 2003. He is known for his quickness, ball handling, flashy moves and perimeter scoring. He has also played for the Minnesota Timberwolves, New Jersey Nets and Phoenix Suns (cited from wikipedia.com) and now the Boston Celtics?!?!?!?!

In light of all the talk that has been plaguing SportsCenter and every other sport show when they probably have no sports news to talk about the favorite topic instead of Brett Favre is now Stephon Marbury being traded AGAIN.

I will take a look at some of the possible pros and cons of not the most controversial figures in basketball today but probably one of the most talked about right now.

His infamous line to D’Antoni his two-time coach (Suns, Knicks) of "pay me, or play me" shows a bad side to him. Definitely the big thing about why he is still being talked about is because of his pay he has been in talks with the management of the Knicks for months now refusing to be bought out for no more the a million less of his remaining contract around $20 million

It was not until Jan. 2nd 2009 that Marbury got on TV with reporters at a Twolves game saying this,

 "When I was younger, I had a different disposition as far as how I wanted to live life. Reuniting with Kevin is something that I would love. Going to Boston would be great for basketball and for fans to see Kevin and I reunited, like when we were younger.

Marbury went on to say that,

”There is some hope, if I can get out of my contract and they're interested in me. How can you deny the chance?"

How can you deny the chance indeed...?

The Celtics after their 19-game win streak went to a 2-7 road trip and some of those loses to teams considered those easy wins for the reigning champions the Knicks being one of them they showed that they need a consistent scorer off the bench that could handle playing maybe a 1 and 2 guard position, and that they needed height off the bench

The height has not been talked about they have a 7’0” on the bench but they are looking for veteran help like PJ brown did last season.

As for guards, they have plenty of them but a lot of them are young. Gabe Pruitt, who has been playing more minutes, has been showing he can handle the backup point position.

They also have Tony Allen, who was back to full health but is now in a boot for his ankle, and Eddie House the veteran bench player who is nowhere near consistent enough to be relied on.

Now in comes Marbury who has always been consistent as a starter even though his last season he played he didn’t do too well. But one may question maybe a Manny-type of deal like in Boston.

He threw, well, what I would say a hissy fit when he found out he would be a bench player while Isiah Thomas was the coach. He threatened to blackmail his former coach in front of players and so on then they brought in his old coach from the suns Mike D’Antoni who refused to play him at all due to the conflicts they had in Phoenix.

So with an attitude like that, how can they the Celtics want him?

Here are some pros and cons of Marbury in A list:

Pro: He is a reliable scorer and averaged a near double-double in assists and points for his career

Con: He would be a bench player at the Celtics, which when asked to do that, or rather told to do that, with the Knicks, he flipped

Pro: He would most likely be a backup to Rajon Rondo so Rondo might be able to get more rest before the playoffs

Con: People have been asking if he would start over Rondo at some point or if Rondo would get worried about having that kind of person on his team possibly causing problems in the locker room

Those are just a couple of the things to look at. Now think to yourself, which do you think would be better for the champions trying to repeat?

Many have talked about the possible impact this signing would have on Rondo. Whether he would start or sit first, of Rondo, is in my opinion, the best point guard there is in the league.

Any team he plays against, he destroys their point guard and easily gets to the rim with his amazing speed the only time he has been doing bad is when teams in a way say, “Oh no here comes Rondo. What will we do? Oh I know! Let’s put our best player on the team to guard him i.e. the Lakers on Christmas day.

They had Kobe guarding Rondo the whole time, which Rondo still managed to get to the basketball a few times but was scared, it looked like, to go against a superstar in Kobe.

So there is no way Rondo will be a bench player, especially not after leading them to the championship last year and becoming a lot better this year.

They have said they need help off the bench in a veteran player, not we need to get a veteran player who is past their prime and start over Rondo. So not likely Starbury will start, no actually, never will he start over Rondo baring an injury.

Rondo’s workload might possibly become easier because he could get some earlier rest possibly and be well rested for a possible crunch time fourth quarter to put them ahead if Marbury can hold his own against the other team.

Rondo, on the other hand, is not worried if Marbury comes to Boston. He knows he has the full confidence in Doc and Danny since he is the only guard that was not traded away to get KG and Ray Allen.

He said he wouldn’t mind, that Marbury is a great player, and he thinks he could help them out. So right there, Rondo is okay with it, one would seem, and is not bothered by the possibility of Marbury coming there.

And finally, would Marbury help put them over the top in the East over teams like Orlando and Cleveland?

I think not likely.

They have shown that against the teams they have lost against and the teams in the East like the Cavs and Magic, that it’s not the guard position they have a problem with, it’s the size on the bench they have a problem with.

The center position is big right now with Greg Oden, Yao Ming, Big Z, and Dwight Howard just to name a few at 7’0” or more, and the Celtics’ player at 7’0” or more one and Perkins, the starting center, is not one of them. And the 7-footer they do have, they don’t play, so Marbury is not the answer for the Celtics to repeating. The answer is in a big man, which they are lacking.

Sorry Marbury, my best bet is take the offer the Olympiacos are giving you in Greece and go away and take all your shenanigans with you!