Just wanted to take a second to chronicle Stephon Marbury’s career issues, let’s be fair and start with the positives:

• 1997 All-Rookie Team
• Led the Timberwolves to the NBA Playoffs in 1997 and 1998.
• All-NBA 3rd Team in 2000
• 2004 Olympian
• Marbury is a giving person having offered a free pair of sneakers to all high school players in the city from his “Starbury” collection. For his efforts Marbury has been named to The Sporting News’ “Good Guys in Sports” list three times.

Not so positive:

• 1999- Has a fallout with Minnesota management and demands a trade. Marbury and agent David Falk claim it is over his “offensive role” with the Wolves, but it is rumored that Steph butted heads with then teammate Kevin Garnett and the ego-clash led to Marbury’s exit.
• Despite personal success in New Jersey, he made the 2001 All-Star team as a reserve, Marbury had run in with teammates and questioned their play, although not publicly at the time, Marbury would wait until Keith Van Horn was traded to NY for Latrell Sprewell to jab KVH as told to the Daily News’ Mitch Lawrence:

“…I don’t see it working here for Keith,” Marbury said bluntly at the Garden last night before he played in the 11th All-Star Classic to benefit Wheelchair Charities. “It’s a whole other world here.

“I don’t see Keith playing here long. I don’t think he’ll want to play here long. He’s been put in this situation… . The atmosphere and the team is not suitable for him.”

Why not?

“You’ve got to be way tougher than Keith is to play in New York,” said Marbury, the Lincoln High legend who played two-plus seasons in Jersey with Van Horn before being shipped to Phoenix for Jason Kidd.

“You’ve got to be gritty,” Marbury added before scoring 35 points for the New York Stars, who lost to the NBA Stars, 149-131. “You’ve got to be a grinder. Sprewell fits that description. Michael Jordan fits that description. So does Tim Duncan and Allen Iverson. But Keith is not a player who fits that description. I’m just being honest…”

Marbury would never lead the Nets to the playoffs and watched as they made it to several NBA Finals after being dealt for Jason Kidd.

• 2003- It didn’t take long for Mike D’Antoni to realize that Stephon Marbury’s locker room presence was going to limit his team’s success. D’Antoni helped rid Marbury and bring in Steve Nash and the rest for Phoenix fans is history. Granted, they didn’t win the title, but it’s easy to see that Nash’s presence versus that of Marbury helped the team thrive.
• Jan 2004- Marbury would appear to have the Knicks on track and was on the verge of shedding his reputation as a losing player. The team made it to the playoffs in his first season in 2004 but got their doors blown off by Kidd’s Nets, failing to compete in any of the 4 games. By 2006 he was in a full-blown spat with Larry Brown, whose tough love approach helped both Allen Iverson and Chauncey Billups, two players with similar guard skills, reach a championship level. Brown would leave after one year and Isiah Thomas replaced him, yet Marbury would soon turn his back on Thomas whom he once considered a friend, leading to one of the most embarrassing periods in Knick history, both on and off the court.
• 2004 Marbury was a member of the USA “Dream Team” that failed to win the gold medal.
• 2007- Marbury is quoted in Newsweek regarding the Michael Vick dogfighting scandal. “We don’t react the same when other animals are being killed for sport or for the sake of human pleasure.”
  2007- Marbury is aloof and less than serious during the Isiah Thomas sex scandal that rocked the Garden, admitting he had sex in the back seat of a car in 2005 with an intern despite being a married father.
  2007- Marbury leaves the team in Phoenix allegedly over a spat with Thomas upon learning he was being pulled from the starting lineup.
• 2008-….

(AP Photo/Duane Burleson)