Over the coming weeks, 'Runnin' The Point' will be taking a look at every team's PG situation based on this year and offering an assessment, starting with non-playoff teams.
KEY NUMBER: 1 – The number of times Stephon Marbury has averaged 20 and seven over the course of a full season as a Knick. The significance? He did it each of the five seasons prior to this train-wreck known as the Marbury-Isiah Era.
THE GOOD STUFF: (… taking a deep breath…) Marbury was good once; I swear - he really was. Well, he was never a traditional PG, but there was a time when you’d put his numbers up against anyone. As a matter of fact, if I remember correctly, Oscar Robertson was the only other guy to average 21 and eight assists over his first eight seasons. Of course, that guy is long gone – never coming back. His actions are fast making this one of the most hilarious legacies ever. Wait a minute… whoops… this is “The Good Stuff:” My bad…
THE BAD STUFF: Do I really need to do this?
THE BACK-UP: Nate Robinson, he of 943-dunk-attempts-to-claim-the-2006-dunk–comp fame, actually had a decent year – 12.7 points, 2.9 assists, and probably one catch-ya-off-guard-dunk every ten games. Robinson has improved his game steadily in each of his three years, but honestly, if you take a look around the league do you see any team that he’d fit in well with? Could easily be out of the league in three years, if that makes any sense. He’s just that kind of guy.
EVALUATION: Donnie Walsh should be scanning the free-agent list as we speak for a decent PG, if only he had the dollars to spend. New York is pretty much stuck with what they have. Marbury had season-ending surgery on his ankle halfway through this season, but Walsh has reportedly told “Starbury” (snickering) that he figures in the Knicks’ plans for the ’09 campaign. Seriously, he did. What would it take for him to turn this stuff around? Realize his limitations at his age, control his ego, play like a traditional PG, try to average maybe 14 and eight, and basically do the opposite of everything he’s ever done. Harsh? Yes, but honestly, this is what he should do.
ALSO SEE: PG Evaluation Index
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