Marbury, Moore to give Celtics edge in East again
The Stephon Marbury saga is over with the New York Knicks, who finally are rid of the petulant point guard who symbolized all the mismanagement of the Isiah Thomas era.
Marbury and the team have agreed on a buyout of his contract, meaning he can sign with a team before March 1 and thus be eligible to play in the playoffs (this assumes no one claims him on waivers, which is guaranteed). And most expect that team to be the Boston Celtics, who need some guard help with Tony Allen out for the season.
Remember, however, the Marbury hasn’t played in a regular-season game since Jan. 11, 2008, and he needed surgery for bone spurs that ended his 2007-08 season. If he will be nothing as a backup to Rajon Rondo in Beantown, and if Marbury accepts that this is his last chance and doesn’t have an attitude, this is a low-risk, high-reward move for Boston – he will sign with the Celtics for a prorated veteran minimum of $1.3 million for the rest of the season.
Marbury can play either guard position despite being only 6-foot-2 because he is one of the league’s strongest guards and has defended opposing 2s often throughout his career. Thus he also can spell guys like Ray Allen or Paul Pierce – look for Starbury to get 15-20 minutes a game down the stretch.
“I’m blessed to be able to move on with my career,” said Marbury via e-mail. “I’m excited about the new beginning.”
Marbury, 32, averaged 13.9 points and 4.7 assists in 24 games for the Knicks last season, and the Celtics apparently became intrigued with Marbury in the preseason when he averaged 8.5 points and 3.1 assists and went to the free throw line regularly in seven games. Celtics president Danny Ainge has expressed strong interest in the guard before, and the two sides were able to talk when the Knicks gave Marbury permission to discuss deals with other teams in hope it would motivate him to reach an agreeable buyout figure.
Boston also added the frontcourt help it had desperately been seeking in signing Mikki Moore after he was cast aside by the Kings. The 7-foot, 225-pounder picked the Celts over a group that included the San Antonio Spurs, Cleveland Cavaliers, Phoenix Suns, Dallas Mavericks and Denver Nuggets. He will fill a role similar to what P.J. Brown did last season and add a big body while Kevin Garnett is out injured. Moore can rebound and defend fairly well.
These two moves probably do make the Celtics the favorites over Cleveland and Orlando again, unless the Cavs can get Joe Smith from the Thunder in another buyout situation.
NBA Betting at WagerWeb.com
(No Ratings Yet)
Loading ...
