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Marbury’s Brilliant Business Acumen

Authored by Louis Roxin - 14th November, 2008 - 1:16 pm

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"He wants to explode, but he knows if he does he won't get paid," said a source the New York Daily News identifies as close to Stephon Marbury. "He'd love to blow up on these people. They want to push him so they can suspend him without pay, but Steph is too good of a businessman to do that. He wants every bit of that $22 million they owe him."

Let’s examine this assertion.

Reportedly the Knicks would be willing to let Marbury out of his contract if he would agree to give the team a modest break on price equal to the amount of cash he’d earn from another team that would sign him as a free-agent this season.

That means that Marbury would end up earning the same total dollar amount but would have the opportunity to go somewhere he is wanted and actually play basketball. He might significantly improve his market value for a new contract next season, maybe give himself a chance to play for the playoffs and, who knows, even compete for a championship.

If this is Marbury’s idea of good business and smart chess moves, then it gives us some additional insight into why Mike D’Antoni won’t let him back on the team: The guy never really did know when to take a shot and when to pass.

Keywords: Nose, Spite, Knife, Face

Since it really is the opposite of good business – or at least couldn’t logically or mathematically be about money – it is reasonable to wonder whether Marbury cares all that much about playing basketball and/or whether he considers himself a player who could actually help his team win. Apparently a far cry from those Best Point Guard in the NBA days.

Absent a buyout deal in line with the above, the Knicks don’t lose much by holding on to Marbury. The team would like to give their last roster spot to Patrick Ewing Jr. but he hasn’t gone anywhere else, yet. In the meantime, the Knicks are keeping Marbury as a trade chip or away from a potential competitor in an Eastern Conference playoff race that the Knicks might just find themselves involved in a few months from now.

Ironically, if the Knicks are close to securing a playoff spot come spring, it will likely in large part be because someone finally made the decision to close the sordid Marbury chapter and hand the team over to a steady point guard who puts team first.

Now that sounds like a business decision that makes some sense.

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