Starbury’s Celtics still trail Lakers on futures market
Starbury’s Celtics still trail Lakers on futures market
Out of action for more than a year now, Stephon Marbury must think he died and went to heaven after his recent trade from the Knicks to the Boston Celtics. Brought in to take the spot once occupied by Sam Cassell on Boston's bench, Marbury's presence won't mean as much as when the Celtics get big man Kevin Garnett back from his knee injury. Boston is still chasing the Lakers on the futures market.
Anyone who wears a shamrock should know to be careful for what he wishes.
The Boston Celtics have added their own personal leprechaun to the roster. Stephon Marbury, all 6-foot-2 of him, is about as enigmatic a player as the NBA has ever produced. His talent is undeniable; his mental state, however, is always in question. Now that the veteran point guard has joined the Celtics for the playoff drive, can he buy into coach Doc Rivers and the spirit of ubuntu, or will Starbury just go after his Lucky Charms?
Two games into the Marbury Experiment, and the results, unsurprisingly, are mixed. The first game saw a 4-of-6 shooting performance in 13 minutes off the bench, as the Celtics (-12) got past Indiana 104-99. Marbury was a lot less impressive in his second appearance, scoring zero points and getting outplayed by Will Bynum in a 105-95 loss to Detroit (+8½). But Marbury most definitely was not to blame for Boston’s failure, not with a plus-6 in his 12 minutes of limited action.
These are the first two NBA games Marbury has played in over a year, so a little rust can be expected. The question is whether there’s any metal left under that rust. We might get a better indication of that when Kevin Garnett returns to the lineup. He’s missed the last five games with a strained knee; Garnett and Marbury were the feature players for the Minnesota Timberwolves from 1996 to 1999, when both were just starting out in the league. Perhaps they still have some useful chemistry.
It’s a dubious proposition. Garnett still has plenty to offer as a power forward, even if he’s showing the signs of graceful decline as his numbers drop across the board. Marbury, the same age as Garnett at 32, is at the very end of his shelf life as a point guard. And any minutes Rivers may give the two ex-Wolves together would be at the expense of having Rajon Rondo (14.0 points, 10.2 assists, 6.4 rebounds per 40 minutes) on the floor.
Bettors will just have to wait and see what happens when Garnett returns – unless they’re playing the futures market, where the betting odds have Boston pegged at 2-1 to win the NBA title. Fleshing out the second unit with Marbury and Mikki Moore gives the Celtics the same theoretical playoff boost they got last year from Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown, with Brown doing most of the boosting. Moore will at least give the Celtics some extra nasty in the post should they face the Los Angeles Lakers once again in the Finals. L.A. is the heavy championship favorite at 4-5.
The Lakers without Andrew Bynum have been nothing short of magnificent: 11-3 SU and 8-6 ATS. And Bynum’s rehabilitation from knee surgery is said to be on course, which would have the 7-foot center back in action for the playoffs. The fashionable chatter around Staples Center is that Los Angeles is better off minus Bynum; coach Phil Jackson admits the Lakers are “more streamlined” on offense, but less effective on defense. The over doesn’t show signs of capitalizing yet at 7-6-1 since Bynum went down.
Not even the constant drama around the Lakers and Celtics can overshadow what LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are doing this year. Cleveland (46-12 SU, 38-20 ATS) is neck-and-neck with Boston (47-14 SU, 33-28 ATS) for the Eastern Conference title, so it’s fitting that the Cavs are also tied with the Celtics on the futures market at 2-1.
There is, however, the Ben Wallace problem to discuss. He’s out 4-6 weeks with a broken leg, and while Cleveland may be better off against the spread with Anderson Varejao in the starting lineup, it’s all hands on deck come playoff time. Cleveland needs every bit of muscle it can purchase to get through Boston, especially with Moore joining Kendrick Perkins on the All-Scowl frontline. When they commit fouls, they commit.
Out of action for more than a year now, Stephon Marbury must think he died and went to heaven after his recent trade from the Knicks to the Boston Celtics. Brought in to take the spot once occupied by Sam Cassell on Boston's bench, Marbury's presence won't mean as much as when the Celtics get big man Kevin Garnett back from his knee injury. Boston is still chasing the Lakers on the futures market.
Anyone who wears a shamrock should know to be careful for what he wishes.
The Boston Celtics have added their own personal leprechaun to the roster. Stephon Marbury, all 6-foot-2 of him, is about as enigmatic a player as the NBA has ever produced. His talent is undeniable; his mental state, however, is always in question. Now that the veteran point guard has joined the Celtics for the playoff drive, can he buy into coach Doc Rivers and the spirit of ubuntu, or will Starbury just go after his Lucky Charms?
Two games into the Marbury Experiment, and the results, unsurprisingly, are mixed. The first game saw a 4-of-6 shooting performance in 13 minutes off the bench, as the Celtics (-12) got past Indiana 104-99. Marbury was a lot less impressive in his second appearance, scoring zero points and getting outplayed by Will Bynum in a 105-95 loss to Detroit (+8½). But Marbury most definitely was not to blame for Boston’s failure, not with a plus-6 in his 12 minutes of limited action.
These are the first two NBA games Marbury has played in over a year, so a little rust can be expected. The question is whether there’s any metal left under that rust. We might get a better indication of that when Kevin Garnett returns to the lineup. He’s missed the last five games with a strained knee; Garnett and Marbury were the feature players for the Minnesota Timberwolves from 1996 to 1999, when both were just starting out in the league. Perhaps they still have some useful chemistry.
It’s a dubious proposition. Garnett still has plenty to offer as a power forward, even if he’s showing the signs of graceful decline as his numbers drop across the board. Marbury, the same age as Garnett at 32, is at the very end of his shelf life as a point guard. And any minutes Rivers may give the two ex-Wolves together would be at the expense of having Rajon Rondo (14.0 points, 10.2 assists, 6.4 rebounds per 40 minutes) on the floor.
Bettors will just have to wait and see what happens when Garnett returns – unless they’re playing the futures market, where the betting odds have Boston pegged at 2-1 to win the NBA title. Fleshing out the second unit with Marbury and Mikki Moore gives the Celtics the same theoretical playoff boost they got last year from Sam Cassell and P.J. Brown, with Brown doing most of the boosting. Moore will at least give the Celtics some extra nasty in the post should they face the Los Angeles Lakers once again in the Finals. L.A. is the heavy championship favorite at 4-5.
The Lakers without Andrew Bynum have been nothing short of magnificent: 11-3 SU and 8-6 ATS. And Bynum’s rehabilitation from knee surgery is said to be on course, which would have the 7-foot center back in action for the playoffs. The fashionable chatter around Staples Center is that Los Angeles is better off minus Bynum; coach Phil Jackson admits the Lakers are “more streamlined” on offense, but less effective on defense. The over doesn’t show signs of capitalizing yet at 7-6-1 since Bynum went down.
Not even the constant drama around the Lakers and Celtics can overshadow what LeBron James and the Cleveland Cavaliers are doing this year. Cleveland (46-12 SU, 38-20 ATS) is neck-and-neck with Boston (47-14 SU, 33-28 ATS) for the Eastern Conference title, so it’s fitting that the Cavs are also tied with the Celtics on the futures market at 2-1.
There is, however, the Ben Wallace problem to discuss. He’s out 4-6 weeks with a broken leg, and while Cleveland may be better off against the spread with Anderson Varejao in the starting lineup, it’s all hands on deck come playoff time. Cleveland needs every bit of muscle it can purchase to get through Boston, especially with Moore joining Kendrick Perkins on the All-Scowl frontline. When they commit fouls, they commit.
