http://sports.yahoo.com/nba/news?slug=sk-marbury&prov=yhoo&type=lgns Stephon to the rescue by Steve Kerr January 5, 2004 It didn't take Isiah Thomas long to make his mark on the Knicks, did it? The new New York Knicks GM accomplished two things for himself with the deal that brought him native New Yorker Stephon Marbury on Monday. First, it gave the Knicks a legitimate ticket seller. The athletic, daring Marbury finally gives New York fans someone to be excited about, and he will bring some electricity to the Garden. Secondly, it fulfilled Isiah's longstanding point guard fetish. As an NBA executive and coach, Thomas always wants someone in his own image to run his team. First it was Damon Stoudamire in Toronto, then Jamaal Tinsley in Indiana. This time Isiah has hit the jackpot with Marbury, clearly one of the top three point guards in the league. For the Phoenix Suns, this deal is about one thing: money. Unloading Penny Hardaway's huge contract (which has one year remaining on it) was very important to Jerry Colangelo, who reportedly is losing money on his other professional team, the Arizona Diamondbacks. They also give up Marbury and his max contract, which was just negotiated three months ago. That's the shocking part of this deal to me. When camp opened this fall the Suns were an up-and-coming team with great young talent, having scared the daylights out of San Antonio in last year's playoffs. A few months later the head coach (Frank Johnson) is gone, the point guard is gone, and the Suns are starting over. One player to keep your eye on as this deal plays out is Charlie Ward. He is owed $6 million this year, but only $3 million of it is guaranteed. Look for the Suns to release him before the January 10 guarantee date, which in effect will save them $6 million – $3 million in salary and $3 million in luxury tax. At that point Ward will be a free agent, and it wouldn't surprise me at all to see him reunited with Jeff Van Gundy in Houston, although San Antonio would love to have him as a backup to Tony Parker. Ultimately this deal could turn out beautifully for the Knicks, but only if Marbury deals with the pressure of playing in his hometown better than he did with the Nets a few years back. Stephon is more mature now, and better equipped to handle the situation. If he plays well, the Knicks will have one of the best backcourts in the league in Marbury and Alan Houston. And with solid frontcourt play from Kurt Thomas and Dikembe Mutombo, there's no reason the Knicks can't be a contender for the Eastern Conference title. As for the Suns, I believe they came to the realization that they weren't going anywhere soon, and that Marbury's long-term contract had them in a bind. For a small market team to commit so much money to a point guard is difficult, because no matter how good that player is, it takes a dominant big man to win a title. The Knicks will spend themselves silly until they get the right mix, without regard to the salary cap. That's why they can afford Marbury. The Suns, however, would like to stay under the luxury tax. They'll give up Marbury and take their chances with Amare Stoudemire, hoping he can develop into a dominant big man, and then try to build around him with less expensive players. One final thought: How fun will it be to watch Jason Kidd and Marbury – the two top point guards in the game, who were once traded for each other – competing for prominence in the Big Apple? I love it.
WOW, I didn't know that Marbury was traded! What of Moochie? How many point guards does NY have now? Perhaps they were indeed shopping Moochie as was mentioned earlier? It'll probably hit me in the head as soon as I read some other posts... I wonder what Francis thinks of this trade?
i would like to see ward in a rocs uniform. he's a good defender and might be the starting point and knowing jvg, might experiment with moving franchise to 2 guard. and to TECH's question, i can bet my ass he's happy as hell there's no more airheaded biotch claiming his the best player that donned jersey #3 in the western conference..
This Thursday, Rox VS Knicks, National broadcast on TNT, Stephon Marbury's home debut as a Knick. Jeff Van Gundy's return to New York. I can't image how much hype will be on this game! I know Steve must be pumped and thinking hard on this game right now.
If I'm not mistaken, we're going to be on TV a whole lot from this point on. BTW, it has nothing to do with this thread, but Eddie Griffin will play the Rockets later this month, after he signs sometime this week.
This Marbury trade to NY has Ward coming to Houston written all over it Steve Kerr is really on top the news. I like him a lot. I had the same notion that with Ward going into free agency, JVG will encouarge CD to go after him after this season. Ward as JVG's floor general during his years in New York and did a masterful job of distributing the ball, kicking it out, and hitting his 3s. He understands JVG's system to a T and has the mind to do it too. (FYI, for those of you who didn't know, Charlie Ward is a Heisman Trophy winner out of Florida State). The guy is a leader and his brains more than makes up for his relative shortcomings in talent. On the floor, the guy plays hardnosed - dives for loose balls, distributes the ball, plays hardcore defense - all JVG style. Shipping off Mooch pretty much suggests that, barring a stellar performance by Wilks, the Rockets will be in the market for a legit backup point guard. I'd bet my hat that Ward will be in a Houston uniform as Francis' backup come next season. theSAGE
Ward is monkey trash and I can't believe you all want to see him come to Houston. Why don't we just have Ewing come out of retirement too while we're at it?
I'm sure you're the most capable of answering this question with your first-hand knowledge of both teams: Who is better, Moochie or Charlie? I've always kind of liked Ward, but I haven't seen enough of him to make an accurate assesment. Although what I have seen of him has led me to believe that the only area Mooch is better in is dribbling. ???
It was a couple seasons ago. Sorry I don't have a link. It was a big deal in NYC though. A lot of people were calling for his removal from the team.
Charlie Ward made a comment about Jewish people being stubborn. Here's the comment: " 'Jews are stubborn. Why did they persecute Jesus unless he knew something they didn't want to accept? They had his blood on their hands. Then they spit in Jesus' face and hit him with their fists. There are Christians getting persecuted by Jews every day.' — NBA player Charlie Ward, 2001. If you want to learn more about our racist friends in sports, go to here: Dusty Baker and Racism
Rocket Rich, if Ward were starting, I could see why you'd be against it, but I think he'd make a pretty good backup. How about you list the weaknesses in his game so we have a better idea of where you're coming from? I certainly would like a NY perspective on his game.
If he comes in, we aren't exactly going to be building the team around him. He would be a back up point guard. Who would you suggest instead?
I do believe that is a variable that may throw a wrench into the plans. However, that was a long time ago. He's not a weed smoker or a deviant. Ward is not a bad guy.
anyone watch the post game interview with wilkes? calvin and bill were all praise and were even saying that they think wilkes has finally found a home in houston. hrm. itll be interesting to watch play out
I am a bit confused. Isn't Heisman Trophy for College football? Don't tell me Ward won Heisman Trophy and went to play for NBA!
