Time To Get Rid Of Stephon Marbury

Surprise. Surprise. Stephon Marbury is mad again at everybody but himself:

NEW YORK -- The discord brewing between head coach Isiah Thomas and Stephon Marbury overshadowed everything else that went wrong for the Knicks last night.

On a night when two starters were lost to injury in the first half -- including Channing Frye for three to six weeks with a sprained left ankle -- and the Knicks turned the ball over 26 times in a 106-95 loss to the Chicago Bulls at Madison Square Garden, that's unusual.

Still, the coach and franchise player's disagreement over the reason for Marbury's benching has become the biggest issue on a team full of them.

The point guard started last night but took not a single shot attempt and played just 19:20. He was benched for most of the second half, playing just 4:25, and did not play at all in the fourth quarter.

Why sit Marbury for the second time this week? Thomas claimed it was because Marbury had felt sick yesterday morning, and the coach was looking for more energy on the court last night.

"He didn't feel good this morning," Thomas said. "I just thought in a game like tonight where we needed some energy ... we tried it, didn't work, so I just went with the other guys."

But Marbury denied that he felt ill during the game.

"I had enough in me to play," said Marbury, whose sickness caused him to skip yesterday morning's shoot-around. "I wanted to play."

Marbury said outright that he was not happy with the benching. He said he was about to go onto the court at the start of the second half when Thomas pulled him back, with no explanation.

Seriously. When will the Knicks learn what every other team he's been on (Minnesota, New Jersey & Phoenix) has? Stephon Marbury is not a winner and we'd be better off without him. Marbury is Iverson with a just a little bit less talent (and we've seen how many championships the great A-I has won in Philly). In other words, Marbury's me-first, it's never my fault, blame the coach attitude is a bad mix wherever he goes and the fact that every team he's been on has gotten better after he left proves that Marbury is nothing but a malcontent who'll never be happy unless he's getting the most shots regardless of what his team's win-loss record is. After all, isn't this the same guy who couldnt get along with Kevin Garnett, much less a Hall Of Fame coach in Larry Brown? Now he finally gets the coach he wants and already he's unhappy.

So the best thing Isiah can do is trade him. And package Eddie Curry's lazy ass with him too.

To any team with a decent point (I mean as much as I love Nate Robinson he's still better suited for the bench) and a couple of guys that actually like to play defense. I figure that as long as we're getting back some talent than let Stevie Francis start. But if Isiah wants to keep his job past this season, the best thing he can do for all of us Knick fans is to get rid of Marbury now before it's too late.

More on Marbury at Yahoo Sports.

Kobe Bryant's "81" Spot Doesn't Deserve The Hype

Let's start with the fact that Vince Carter is right: it set a bad example for the kids.

"The only bad thing about it is that younger kids, whose minds are easily warped, are going to think, 'Ohhh! I am going to go out there and do it instead of (honoring) the team concept first,'" Carter said yesterday. "That is what is missing in the game, guys understanding how to play as a team.

"I think it is great for (the NBA): They want scoring, they want ratings, and you are going to get that. You are definitely going to get them now with the amount of 50-point games, 60-plus games. I just hope that kids and young guys understand that (only) special guys can do that. Yeah, the (other Lakers) were trying to get Kobe the ball, they wanted to see a special night. But they all know their roles.

"Guys understanding their roles is probably the hardest thing to accept in the NBA right now. Everybody wants to prove they are a professional, wants to be a star in this league. You can still become a star in your own right if you just play your role."

But what does Kobe care.

Thanks to Shaquille O'Neal leading the way to the Lakers 3 recent NBA championships, practically speaking, no one can call Kobe Bryant a "loser" anymore. But that still doesn't diminish the fact that like Allen Iverson, Kobe Bryant is nothing but a selfish ball hog who cares more about winning scoring titles than winning championships. That's another reason why the hype around Bryant's 81-point game the other night doesn't deserve the hype it's gotten.

I mean, let's back up and put things in the proper perspective.

First, Kobe put up 46 shots plus had 20 free throws. So that's 60-some odd shots in the game! For all the talent that warrants them being in The League in the first place, give any NBA player 60=-us shots in a game and I guarantee that at least half of them would put up 80. Secondly, there's the fact that the closest Laker to take the most shots, Lamar Odom, had 11 total. Or 35 LESS than Bryant did. That's called being a BALL HOG. Lastly, and most importantly (unless your Kobe, of course), there's the Lakers record, which currently stands at 3 games above .500, good for 7th place in their own conference, which would have them barely making the playoffs this year if the season were to end today. This after not making the playoffs for the first time in eons last year. Their first year without Shaq (who coincidentally made it to the Eastern Conference finals with his new team, the Miami Heat).

Now we all know that Kobe maneuvered to get Shaq out of L.A. a couple of years back in order to make the Lakers into the "Kobe Bryant and the Lakers Show", but what Laker fans need to understand is that Kobe's "Me, Myself and I" court antics will not lead them to another NBA championship. And Iverson, who has never won anything team-oriented in his life is living proof of that.

The last time I checked, basketball was a TEAM sport. Don't believe me than check the standings and you'll see that the team with the best record in the NBA, the Detroit Pistons have built up a 34-5 won-loss record without the benefit of having a single "superstar" on their roster. Thus, not only is Bryant's "81" overrated, but it also goes to show you that he's neither an MVP or a leader. After all, MVP's care most about winning, while leaders make their teammates better.

Then too, TEAMS win championships, while INDIVIDUALS win awards.