Posts tagged Stephon Marbury at FanHouse

If you're making $21 million dollars in the coming fiscal year, here is my recommendation: get an accountant. This works well because not only do you have a lot of money, but you can easily afford one! Stephon Marbury would do well to heed this advice, considering there's a rumor that he just dropped $45 million on a brand new private jet. (P-Diddy quotes included for hilarity only.)

MAYBE Knicks point guard Stephon Marbury should have consulted Sean Combs before he bought himself a private jet. Marbury - in the last year of his Knicks contract, which will pay him another $21 million - is said to have plunked down about $45 million for the aircraft. But Combs, who already owns a jet, isn't using it because fuel costs have skyrocketed. The hip-hop mogul explains on Diddy Blog No. 12, which he videotaped in an airline terminal before boarding a commercial flight, "Gas prices are too mother[bleep]ing high," Combs says, wearing an off-kilter Yankees cap. "I've been flying back and forth to LA pursuing my acting career. If I fly back and forth twice a month, that's like $250,000 round trip. [Bleep] that! I'm back on American Airlines now . . . and I'm in coach!"

I'd find this whole thing believable where it not for the part about P-Diddy claiming to fly coach. Wait ... what's that? Diddy's blog is a video??? Let's go to the tape (NSFW if your loser co-workers are opposed to F-bombs):

Notes from a trip to the NBA Summer League in Las Vegas.

Mike D'Antoni found himself in a whole new world of bizarre when he took the New York Job, from the environment to the media to the players. And by players, I mean Stephon Marbury. For a team trying to rebuild, the Summer League can be absolutely vital. I caught up with Coach D'Antoni yesterday to briefly ask him about Summer League, the plethora of guys on roster right now (16), and of course, Stephon Marbury's newest tat.

MM: What are the most important benefits the Summer League brings to a team?

MD: Well, it gives you a look at your rookies. It gives them a taste of the NBA. It gives you a chance to spend a week with them, and get to know the personalities of the first and second year guys, and work on their games.

MM: You signed Roberson, obviously, so there's going to be some thinning out of the roster. Do you consider it a blessing to have that much talent, or does this more give you a chance to get rid of some guys you don't want?

MD: Well, we're in the process of fixing the roster. We do have six days, so something's going to happen. We're pretty comfortable where we're at. There's no real set plan of "We'll do this tomorrow and this the next day." We're still evaluating every day.

So after all the talk that Stephon Marbury could/should/nearly almost certainly will be heading elsewhere after this season, you have to wonder why on Earth he would go out and get a huge number inked on the side of his dome.

After all, there's a ton of downside. What if you get traded? What if your new number's not available? What if you're a Jeff Gordon fan? What if you realize 20 years from now you don't want half your face covered in ink? None of these questions stopped Starbury though.

Stephon Marbury NewStephon Marbury bounded off the Knicks team bus at Vegas' Valley High last night - a new tattoo inscribed on his left temple. The "3" logo found on his Starbury sneaker and apparel line is now a permanent part of his bald head.

Good thing the permanent tattoo ink wasn't used on his Knick jersey.

Now bear in mind that in this same article, about five lines down, Starbury discusses the fact that he might not be coming back next year. Not to mention that he knows he nearly got straight up cut before the season. Oh, and he's also been quoted as saying that "there was a reason then ... can't think of it now" with relation to another one of his tats.

Which begs the question -- all shoe deals and endorsements aside -- why on Earth are you getting a giant number tattooed on your head, Steph?

I know it has worked out well for everyone else that's ever gotten something like this done, but it just seems a little crazy to me ...

Breaking into the athletic shoe industry cannot be easy, even if you're already a monster book and miscellaneous sales website like Amazon (dot com).

Combine the dangers (and barriers -- Econ 205, yeah!) of a new market with the highly combustable prospect of doing anything with Stephon Marbury and we have what could become a must-briefly-watch legal and marketing situation. From Darren Rovell:

The New York Post reported this morning that New York Knicks guard Stephon Marbury, who popularized low cost basketball shoes with his "Starbury" brand at retailer Steve & Barry's, spent Wednesday in Seattle signing a deal with Amazon to sell the sneakers on their web site.

Although Steve & Barry's filed for bankruptcy reorganization on that very same day, and it appears like part of the plan is to close stores, sources tell me that Marbury's contract is still active. That makes me wonder how he'd have the authority to sign this deal.

And while Marbury appears to own the right to the name "Starbury," it's unclear if he owns the logo. It's also not clear at this point who would be making the shoe for Amazon.com.Marbury's marketing representatives at The Agency didn't immediately respond to a request for comment.

Steve and Barry's is going under regardless, but as Rovell points out, there are plenty of larger companies out there debating on purchasing them. Marbury -- who didn't sell his shoes online -- bouncing elsewhere would put a pretty serious dent in their value.

Laugh all you want -- Marbury, along with Sarah Jessica Parker, Ben Wallace and Bubba Watson, is one of S & B's biggest marketing angles. And despite his on court failures, his cheap as all get out Starbury shoe was still immensely popular. I'd expect Steve (and maybe Barry too) to have a little something to say about this Amazon deal.

You have to feel a little sorry for Stephon Marbury. Not only is today the day that Steve & Barry's, the company that produces his signature shoe line, expected to file for Chapter 11 bankruptcy, but it's also the day that Chris Duhon, the man Donnie Walsh recruited to replace him in the starting lineup, can officially sign with the Knicks.

But while losing his biggest endorsement and (most likely) his starting gig has to sting, at least he can go to bed at night sleeping on a pile of money. He's set to make $21 million this year, the final year of his contract, and there's a good chance he won't have to do anything to earn it. While he's still going through the motions of preparing to play for the Knicks this year, no one on the team actually expects that he'll be around come the start of the season. From Alah Hahn of Newsday:

Most of the Knicks players aren't expecting Marbury to be there, despite his reported plans to come to Las Vegas this weekend to participate in voluntary workouts with other Knicks veterans while the team prepares for the NBA Summer League opener Monday. Marbury's effort to show up in Vegas is viewed by some teammates as a ploy, not a sincere effort.

"He's trying to show he's still dedicated," said one Knicks player, who asked not to be identified. "Come on, man, your teammates know. We see it every year."

Crystal Ballin' takes a team-by-team look at what should, could, and probably will happen in the June 26th NBA Draft.

It's almost sad that, with the NBA Draft in New York, we won't get to see Knicks fans freak out and boo whoever they take simply because Isiah Thomas is in charge. They still might boo, but it will likely be a force of habit thing rather than because they think Donnie Walsh and Mike D'Antoni will screw this thing up. But to think that the Knicks will be a quick rebuild seems a bit too much to ask.

Picks: #6

Needs: They're gonna need a new point guard (Stephon Marbury "might" not use that option, but he's still gone sooner than later), they need a tough inside presence (Zach Randolph/Eddy Curry = notsomuch) and they need players that fit D'Antoni's system. Good thing they have so many picks.

Best case scenario: Jerryd Bayless falls into their laps at six, which is looking more and more likely as word seems to slip out that Seattle is interested in Russell Westbrook. On the other hand, there wouldn't be anything wrong with getting someone to take #6 and Zach Randolph (contract that lasts past the two year window they're clearly eying) in exchange for a move down the board.

More likely scenario: Zeke calls Donnie and offers him Marbury and the number six for Randolph. Things get awkward. Then, the Knicks take Bayless or Eric Gordon, depending on how the top five shakes out.

NBA Essentials ranks our six favorite stories of the day.

1. Need4Sheed: The patented 'Sheed foul reaction, endlessly looping for your enjoyment.

2. Tim Kawakami's Talking Points: Presenting the first annual NBA No-Defense team.

3. Brian Windhorst on the Cleveland Cavaliers: LeBron James is glad this didn't happen on Mothers' Day.

4. Mitch Lawrence, NY Daily News: Starbury, meet coach D'Antoni. Now pack your bags.

5. Mike Bresnahan, L.A. Times: Ronny Turiaf won't be suspended for that Game 4 flagrant foul.

6. CelticsBlog: I knew Ray Allen was Jesus, but Wally Szczerbiak as Blue Steel?

A strange little video has surfaced of (briefly) former NBA player Jamel Thomas, who is apparently a cousin of Stephon Marbury's. In it, Thomas outlines the chapters for his upcoming autobiography, and then gets all poetic in dressing down the man we've come to know as Starbury.

I guess this might be why so many athletes do what they can to stay in touch with the people that they grew up with, so they don't later get called out for not "keeping it real." Though I'm guessing this is more about the man in the pink sweater being bitter that an interesting guy like Marbury was able to make it in the NBA, which was something he couldn't do himself.

[via Deadspin]

Is it too late to change those MVP Power Rankings? Superstar players have a history of crazy performances at Madison Square Garden, and LeBron was no exception tonight against the Knicks. King James put up a stat line for the ages, pouring in 50 points and handing out 10 assists, making him only the third player in the last 20 years to accomplish such a feat.

This wasn't one of those "50 points on 50 shots" kind of games, either. LeBron shot 16-30 from the field, 7-13 from downtown, and hit 11 of his 16 free throw attempts. Just an absolutely dominating display, matching all-time greats Michael Jordan and ... Stephon Marbury? That's right, we may forget with all the recent drama, but one upon a time Marbury was actually a pretty good basketball player. He was the last one to put up stats like these, with a 52-12 line in an overtime game back in 2001. And of course Jordan did it too, with a 57-10 line in 1992.

When it comes to statistical insanity, LeBron's right up there with the best of them. The Garden crowd was heard reciting the now-overplayed M-V-P! chant in the final minute, just as Kobe heard the night before in -- of all places -- Sacramento. With these two superstars getting this type of serenade on the road, it's no wonder that they're neck and neck in the race for the MVP. And the way they have separated themselves from the pack, you'll be hard-pressed to complain if either one of them gets the trophy, no matter which team you feel is worthy of your allegiance.

Things could get spicy in Madison Square Garden as Stephon Marbury, who you may remember as having recently been told not to show up for the New York Knicks' games, is apparently coming back into Garden will little fear for the consequences. And reportedly he's going to be talking to the press as well. (/Rubs hands together ominously in glee.) From Frank Isola's blog at the New York Daily News.

As for Marbury, he has no interest in being around Thomas or James Dolan and the feeling is mutual. But because the season is already in the toilet and the subject of Marbury's future and his absence from home games is becoming an issue, the Knicks – who are paying him $180,00 per game – are making Marbury show up for work tonight (now there's a radical concept) to put an end to the speculation.

Marbury is expected to address reporters which could be seen one of two ways. In all likelihood, Marbury was also told that if he says anything critical of Thomas or ownership he will be fined. Or perhaps management didn't set any ground rules and is hoping that Marbury blows up which could put him in violation of his bloated contract.

Either way, we win, right? Well, unless Marbury decides that he needs to keep his mouth shut in order to get paid. Then we're all losers. But what if Starbury does have dirt on Isiah? Is it completely implausible that Jimmy Dolan wants to see what could happen if the biggest dregs on his franchise collide on stage? What would happen if those two just started lobbing haymakers at each other at a podium? For one, the Knicks would probably immediately be back to being a decent team in a few years if both of them got cleared off the payroll. And on another note, it would probably end up being the greatest television spectacle of all time. Stay tuned.