Stephon Marbury reminds be a bit of Jonah from “Summer Heights High”: a bit misunderstood, a bit rambunctious, a bit troublesome, but somewhere beneath the pain in those eyes, there’s a good, wholesome, talented individual. Has to be, right?

Now that the Knicks have banned Stephon from all team activities, he might pull a fantastic move tonight. With the Knicks set to play the Lakers at the Staples Center and with Steph out in Cali now too, he just might be sitting courtside at the game:

Despite being banned from the Knicks New York Knicks, Stephon Marbury is planning to attend the team’s game against the Lakers on Tuesday night at Staples Center, according to a source close to the situation.

Marbury told The Post last week he was headed for a two-week West Coast vacation to get out of the cold weather and begin training in the Hollywood Hills. He flew to L.A. on Sunday.

It is unclear where Marbury plans to sit at the game, but last Thursday he said he was investigating purchasing courtside seats.

Like Brett Edwards at FanHouse, I agree that we pretty much do need a camera trained on Marbury at all times if he shows up courtside. Bonus points if he comes over to the bench and throws his drink all over Mike D’Antoni’s hair. Or Eddy Curry’s stomach.

UPDATE: Yup, he showed up at the game.

One of the things I tried to do last week, which was basically a full week of vacation for me, was stay away from the computer. I didn’t even bring the MacBook Pro out of its bag in Colorado or Iowa, the two places I spent my holiday, because I can get vital information on my cell phone if need be and because, to be frank, I needed a break from the webs. Sometimes Daddy doesn’t want to stare at pixels. Sometimes Daddy just needs to drink alcohol and sleep in until mid-afternoon.

Because of this abstinence, I missed a few key things. Like, for example, the Plaxico Burress story. I had no idea Plexiglass shot himself in his leg until a friend told me at the bar on Saturday night. This never happens to me. I’m usually that guy that knows about all this nonsense before anyone else. Take away my computer, and I’m the last to hear about incredible stuff like this:

Burress went out to Latin Quarter with teammates Antonio Pierce and Ahmad Bradshaw.  He told security that he was carrying a gun for protection because he was carrying lots of cash and wearing expensive jewelry.  While “carrying a glass of wine,” the New York Daily News reported, “he began fumbling with his gun, police sources said. The weapon went off, firing a single bullet that tore through Burress’ right thigh.”  To be fair, as a wide receiver, Burress doesn’t like safeties.

Pretty stupid, but wait — it gets worse.  After Burress crumpled on the ground in pain, Pierce took the gun and hid it somewhere in New Jersey.  Meanwhile, Burress initially refused medical treatment because he didn’t want to get in trouble (his wife insisted on it later that night).  In fact, the NYPD didn’t learn about the incident until the next day, when Giants officials informed them.

It gets even more fun:

Keep reading →

So, Stephon Marbury hasn’t been seeing much playing time at all with the Knicks this season. And by “hasn’t been seeing much playing time at all” I mean “none.”

It’s a sign Mike D’Antoni sees no use for him in his offense; it’s a sign his attitude, or bravado, or whatever labels people have hurled on the guy for a few years might have some sound backing. Even still, dressing him in street clothes and tossing him on the bench is sort of messed up. (Especially when he’s got a sizeable contract on the table.)

So in order to resurrect Marbury this year, a most excellent idea has been proposed by Poasting & Toasting: vote him into the All-Star Game.

I’d like to formally announce my advocacy for Stephon Marbury as an All-Star.

[ ... ]

Marbury’s Knick days are likely behind him, so let’s pay respects for his tenure in orange and blue- his heroics, his antics, and his idiosyncrasies. Stephon’s been the most prolific font of entertainment and discourse the Knicks have seen in years. Let’s give him one more opportunity to thrill us. Vote early, vote often, and vote Stephon Marbury to the 2009 NBA All-Star team. If you’re down with the cause, tell your friends, mention it on your blog, fill in a ballot for your pet iguana…every vote counts. Yes we can!

Yes, yes and yes. Get at some Steph voting right here. It’s just like voting for president, except you don’t have to wait in a long line and it means so much more less.

(Gracias, Can’t Stop The Bleeding.)

Tough times for Stephon Marbury. Well, actually, maybe not so tough times. After all, perchance he doesn’t actually like the basketballing so much, and getting paid $21.9 million to sit on the bench suits him just fine. Maybe his secret dream is actually to become a circus juggler or clown, and the extra time is going to allow him to work on that. I don’t know.

What I do know, though, is that he’s seriously considering going back to Abraham Lincoln High School in Brooklyn (WHERE BROOKLYN AT) to train.

“I think I’m going to start practicing with my high school team,” Marbury said after practice Thursday in Greenburgh. “Seriously. I’ve already called the coach to see if I can run up and down with the guys and at the same time help teach the younger guys the NBA game.”

[ ... ]

Lincoln coach Dwayne Morton confirmed that he has spoken with Marbury, who led the school to the city title in 1995, about practicing with the team. Morton added that no specific date or time was addressed.  “If he does I’d be excited about it and I know the kids would be delighted,” Morton said. “I know he’s thinking about it.”

Unfortunately for Marbury, looks like the Knicks likely wouldn’t let him do this, nor would he have time traveling back and forth from Brooklyn to Westchester. Who knows though, maybe Marbury can hook up with Bassie Telfair and and reignite their Lincoln high roots into a team straight outta Coney Island. I’ll film it and call the movie Semi-Pro II: Attack of the Coney Island Point Guards. Will Ferrell can be their coach or something.

Via Skeets Don’t Lie.

The Stephon Marbury chronicles are rather well documented at this point: cat is kind of weird, and is a me-first point guard. He also supposedly likes to have sex in his SUV with a Madison Square Garden intern. No biggie. Marbury and former Knicks coach Isiah Thomas had their feuds. But it looks like Mike D’Antoni is going a step further, looking to clear cap space and get rid of Marbury for good.

The New York Knicks have no plans to do anything with Stephon Marbury, except pay him his $21.9 million salary and give him a great seat to watch all their games.

Knicks coach Mike D’Antoni and team president Donnie Walsh said that they will not waive, buy out or trade Marbury. They also will not let him play in games, unless there is an injury to their top three guards, Chris Duhon, Jamal Crawford or Nate Robinson.

After Walsh met with both D’Antoni and Marbury on Monday, the Knicks announced Tuesday that they feel the issue is dead. Marbury will be inactive until further notice.

Billy Hunter, head of the NBA Players Union, is apparently getting involved with this whole ordeal. And as Shoals points out today: why? Why is this situation any different from a team with an expiring player’s contract looking to trade him or clear cap space? An excellent point, for sure.

Well, it’s probably because it’s Marbury. And he plays for the Knicks. And he’s had past issues. Drama kind of follows the dude.

Godspeed, Mr. Marbury.

If there was one major disappointment of my Bulls offseason, it was that the Bulls didn’t make a bigger play — or, if they did, weren’t good at it — in trying to lure former Suns coach Mike D’Antoni. The Bulls lineup is perfect for D’Antoni’s balls-out fast-break style, and, though unbeknownst to anyone at the time, the Bulls were just about to draft the ideal franchise point guard for that offense. It’s almost too perfect.

Of course, D’Antoni chose to go to the Knicks, a team he can probably improve right away by merely ignoring Stephon Marbury, pretending Eddy Curry doesn’t exist, and paying Zack Randolph intermittent attention. Fortunately for us, that process will be high-larious:

But in the last two days, [Marbury] changed his tune, saying that he had no problem coming off the bench if it helped the team. “I just think that going forward, to limit the distractions and just concentrate on basketball, that’s the most important thing,” Marbury said Tuesday after practice, repeating comments that appeared in Tuesday’s New York Post.

In a thinly veiled jab at Marbury, D’Antoni told reporters: “For you all, that’s big news. For me, that’s how everybody should act. I’m really proud that he did that,” he added, referring to Marbury. “But it shouldn’t be newsworthy. To do the right thing should never make the news.”

Do The Right Thing. Finally, someone has made the too-often ignored connection between the New York Knicks and Spike Lee.