NBA Basketball Props – Marbury Controversy?

About ten days ago, it was reported in Newsday, a Long Island-based daily newspaper, that Stephon Marbury, New York Knicks guard, would be put on waivers imminently. The New York Times followed suit on the story. But these reports were later denied by Donnie Walsh, the incoming boss of basketball operations for the Knicks.

I have become a fan of Marbury, not necessarily because he is a selfless player, or in any way, shape or form a model point guard, but because he represented something good in the way of his "Starbury" line of footwear that was sold exclusively through Steve & Barry's apparel stores. The idea was to make a high-level basketball shoe available at a low price, instead of the outrageous prices being paid by youngsters, many of whom can hardly afford them by buy them anyway to be fashionable. And the violence happening on the nation's playgrounds with respect to the theft of these shoes was another factor.

The Starbury shoes sold for $14.99, and now they sell for even less. Of course, one of the reasons behind that is because the Steve & Barry's chain is in trouble, being sold after the closing of over a hundred stores. The Starburys seem to have moved to the internet, and I'll keep buying them- I've got about 17 pairs right now.

BetUS Sportsbook has made odds on what is going to happen with the Knicks' disposition of the Marbury situation. Here they are:

BetUS Stephon Marbury Odds:

Will Stephon Marbury will on the court for the Knicks in game 1 of the NBA Season?

Yes 10/11

No 10/13

Will the Knicks buy out Stephon Marbury before the first game of the NBA season?

Yes 5/6

No 5/6

Let's deal with these numbers together.

Well, according to Peter Vecsey of the New York Post, this is something that hasn't even crossed the mind of anyone in the Knicks' front office. He writes, "Contrary to continuing accounts, not once has Walsh contemplated cutting, paying off or buying out Marbury. Furthermore, not once has James Dolan been consulted about the prospects of doing any such thing."

Vecsey also rips Newsday's reporting of the Marbury matter. "It might improve the Newsday reporter's rate of accuracy if he developed an actual, trustworthy source within the Knicks' basketball department."

Newsday had discovered that it might have overstepped. Reporter Alan Hahn covered his tracks:

"There is still time to deal with the situation and avoid what will be another Marbury circus when the Knicks open training camp Tuesday in Saratoga Springs. If Donnie Walsh can't find a reasonable trade partner or can't get Marbury to agree on a settlement for a lower number, then Plan B would be to keep him on the payroll but continue with the effort to move on without him on the court." (Quick note: That was on September 25. Training camp has opened since).

Okay, maybe.

But I would tend to think that the Knicks, who are playing an uptempo game this season under Mike D'Antoni, will find a role for Marbury to play. If you recall the way D'Antoni worked things with the Phoenix Suns for the last several seasons (and there's no reason you shouldn't, since he was fired in May), you know that it hardly matters who starts. And even though Marbury has said that he would not be interested in coming off the bench, I think D'Antoni and Walsh could change his mind if they could convince him there would be a substantial role for him. And there would be, since he could come of the bench to provide "instant offense," and D'Antoni doesn't much emphasize guarding people anyway. And the new Knick coach has not disqualified the possibility that Marbury will be in the starting lineup.