LET’S do something somewhat uncommon for this site, shall we?
Today, we look at the shot glass as half-full; accentuate the positive in people, overlook back-page pictures of a personality that make him look like a crack head who just found $20 and hold the negative in abeyance until my next regularly scheduled mood swing.
MORE: Complete Knicks Coverage
Exhibit “A” is Stephon Marbury, bound for Boston in time to earn a playoff placemat – unless, of course, he realizes the error of his way, pulls an Antonio McDyess, waits a month and re-signs with the Knicks.
Pardon me while I regulate my meds.
Anyway, back to Marbury, who, if nothing else, provides fresh legs and a resuscitated spirit nearly 60 games into the season.
His arrival couldn’t come at a better time for the defending champs, who failed to hang with my peaking Paper Clips.
The Celtics are hurting for certain. Kevin Garnett (right knee) is out, longer perhaps than the Parquet Infirmary is letting on, a long-distance source submits. Paul Pierce dislocated his shooting- hand thumb every other possession when L.A. turned to ex-Knicks Mardy Collins, Fred Jones, Marcus Camby and Zach Randolph in the final minutes. And Tony Allen’s thumb injury apparently will keep him inactive until the postseason.
So, in comes Marbury, who cannot possibly pollute a championship atmosphere under the no-nonsense influence of Pierce, Garnett (teammate for 2 1/2 seasons) and Ray Allen, whom he was traded for on draft day 1996.
At 32, Marbury is not Sam Cassell, revisited . . . though, granted, for the first time in his corrupted career he, too, is backup Boston dancer.
Averaging 12 points and five assists in 20 minutes should be a breeze for someone so skilled. Achieving those numbers within the confines of coach Doc Rivers’ system will get him adopted by The Commonwealth. Providing anything above and beyond that roll call of duty should permanently keep him out of foster care.
For Boston, it’s a low-risk (pro-rated salary), potentially high-return investment. Marbury’s guaranteed to go out of his way to fit in, be humble and defer to the team’s recognized deities.
Marbury’s comparable adjustment under coach Mike D’Antoni at training camp, as well as his mostly unobtrusive conduct and coachable exhibition performance did not pay dividends. Still, it showed he knows the right thing to do when he wants something bad enough.
Once Marbury gets into the kind of shape it takes to withstand the kind of competition the Celtics are facing on a possession-by-possession basis, his teammates and fans will be the beneficiaries.
So, may the luck of the leprechaun be with Marbury.
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OK, so you have heard the worst regarding Alex Rodriguez. How about a change of pace?
Joba Chamberlain‘s work with Memorial Sloan-Kettering Children’s Center is well known. Appointed as its Universal Soldier in the fight against the disease he gives a great deal of his time to the charity foundation and takes each of his many visits to the hospital very seriously.
In a quiet way (aside from the public service announcements he did for the YES Network), A-Rod is particularly giving of himself at the ballpark, I am told by a friend with first-hand knowledge of his noble side.
“Alex won’t pass up a kid when it comes to giving autographs and posing for photographs with the children and their families,” Mindy Levine said.
“The sweetest part is that after batting practice, he always seeks out our MSKCC special guest and gives him [or] her his batting gloves from practice. To know that he goes into batting practice thinking about this – planning after practice to find the MSKCC kid, or another child in need from another hospital or organization -to surprise them with his batting gloves is beautiful,” said the wife of Yankees president Randy Levine.
“Whenever Alex does this, it brings tears to everyone’s eyes. And he is so humble about it. He really doesn’t want the credit. He’s been doing this for a long time.”
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The passing of Jazz owner/car dealer Larry Miller left me with the league’s longest history of gout.
Each time we would cross paths our conversation had little to do with Jerry Sloan, Karl Malone, John Stockton, Carlos Boozer, Deron Williams, etc. and everything to do with the effects of Allopurinol and Indocin. Miller was Mark Cuban lite before the Mavericks’ cowlick came along.
His eccentricities were not limited to him crashing huddles and scolding players for inept play or lack of hustle. One day (pre-Sloan) he informed commissioner David Stern he felt the urge to coach his team, believing he couldn’t do worse than the person being paid. The commissioner would have no such thing.
On the down low, Miller was a strong advocate for coaches and trainers receiving a satisfactory pension when many equals adamantly opposed funding. For two dozen seasons, Miller’s legacy was overseeing one of the NBA’s most stable franchises – a single losing season since 1982-83 and Sloan in his 20th full season on the bench – in one of its smallest markets. The Salt Lake City-born 64-year-old left his town an asset worth bragging about.