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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.
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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.